LSI Raid Firmware Bios Flashing

From Hack Sphere Labs Wiki
Revision as of 23:58, 22 August 2015 by Webdawg (talk | contribs) (IT to IR firmware or Vice Versa)

Jump to: navigation, search

Apparently there is a web bios: https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/confused-about-that-lsi-card-join-the-crowd.11901/

First Time

Best way is to create a UEFI boot disk as you will get command errors if you do not in most situations, at least in DOS.

Get the firmware use the sas2flash.efi

Create a usb key with fat16 and then create the following:
/EFI/boot
Get the shell.efi (it sounds like you need the older shell.efi because it supports older versions of EFI specs.)
yaourt uefi-shell-svn
cp shell.efi to /EFI/boot/boot.efi for 32bit/ bootx64.efi 64bit.

use the shellx64.efi

Boot into the EFI shell...

Run the proper command:

sas2flash.efi -o -f 2118ir.bin -b mptsas2.rom
sas2flash.efi -o -sasadd 500605bxxxxxxxxx (x= numbers for SAS address)

I switched from IR to IT bios with this command... I did not write a sas address (actually I may have)

If I add another card I have to. (http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=12767.210)

6. Program SAS address in IT-mode:
sas2flsh -o -sasadd 500605bxxxxxxxxx 
where "500605bxxxxxxxxx" SAS address from small green sticker on yor card, without "-"

Despite me missing this, it is humming away nicely in my now converted production box on 5.0.12a.

BUT - I now have a second card, that I 'm intending to integrate.

I did the reflash including step 5 on the only machine I have been able to. Then I figured I would reboot to do step 6 - also to read the sticker for the number.

Unfortunately, that machine now can not boot, as it is hanging at the BIOS of the adapter. So I have no option at my disposal to do step 6 on any of the cards.  :-[

Will I have any issues in an unRAID scenario by having two cards that has both not been through step 6 to get individual addresses?

Notes

Second Time

I was having issues with getting the server to boot from a USB stick. I ended up booting the system rescue live cd and used the USB stick as a source for the flashing util and bios + firmware file.

I could not get this to work:

sas2flsh -o -e 6

But I wanted to stay in IR mode so I just attempted to overwrite existing firmware.

sas2flsh -o -f 2118it.bin -b mptsas2.rom

IR over IR firmware worked great.

NVDATA Image does not match Controller Device ID (Crossflashing)

You need to use an older flash util because the device ID is one that is from an OEM. You are supposed to use one that is 14 or below.

Or you could have the wrong bios image and firmware image like I did. 4i does not equal 8i, duh.

It has also been said that the -o option needs to be used.[1]

Others have used the megarec (dos)[2] software from supermicro. It looks like a util used to recover bad flashes.

I tried all of these and they failed, then I realized that I really did have the wrong firmware. The NVDATA had a bad DEVICE id and not VENDOR id, I think that is the difference.

IT to IR firmware or Vice Versa

You have to erase the firmware of the card first:

sas2flsh -o -e 6

Then you run the normal flash command.

I have read [3] sites saying to reboot after erase but a quote from another site[4]:

DO NOT REBOOT. If you do reboot, or if you attempt to flash the firmware and/or BIOS image and it does not flash correctly, you will have to RMA the controller.

The site states that it is from an LSI article (that I cannot find) so I did not reboot. I doubt you can reboot but who knows, I think the instructions to reboot are for a different reason.

Here is the guide to the -e parm (what # = what)

1 NVSRAM
2 Backup firmware
3 Persistent pages
4 Manufacturing area
5 Boot services
6 Clean flash (erase everything except manufacturing area)
7 Erase complete flash

It looks like if you erase complete flash (7) you have to program the sas address back in:

sas2flsh -o -listsasadd

UEFI BIOS

Error: Failed to initialize PAL

It has been stated that this error means that you have a UEFI bios that is blocking the flash. You need to boot into the UEFI bios shell and execute sas2flash.efi or if your bios does not have this, boot from a UEFI boot disk.[5]

Another notable thing from the referenced[6] site: (NOTE: That screenshot shows some commands failing…that was me trying the v2 Shell….aparantly it doesn’t have support for some commands we need! Use v1!!!)

Also: http://brycv.com/blog/2012/flashing-it-firmware-to-lsi-sas9211-8i/
  1. http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1038602393
  2. https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php?threads/dell-h200-lsi-9211-8i-brick-revival.361/
  3. http://mycusthelp.info/LSI/_cs/AnswerPreview.aspx?sSessionID=&inc=7954
  4. http://brycv.com/blog/2012/flashing-it-firmware-to-lsi-sas9211-8i/
  5. https://scriptthe.net/2013/11/16/flashing-different-lsi-firmware-on-the-m1015on-a-uefi-bios/
  6. https://scriptthe.net/2013/11/16/flashing-different-lsi-firmware-on-the-m1015on-a-uefi-bios/