Dell D687J HBA

[brian89gp]

Has anybody played around with a Dell D687J HBA yet?  What little I can find says it is a H200 card which in RAID form is a branded LSI2008 chipset card.  Wondering if it could be a possible replacment for the LSI 9200-8e

[Johnm]

To my knowledge, That is an external SAS card only.

That card was intended to turn a 1U (or other server) into a head for external storage DAS boxes.

 

If I am not mistaken, it is just a Dell Perc H200 (LSI SAS2008) with external ports instead of internal.

If that is the case, you might be able to Reflash it and it should work as a LSI2008 with external ports.

[brian89gp]

Thanks Johnm.  Found this link after my post:

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/storage/Storlink/H200/en/UG/HTML/features.htm

 

I intend to use it to attach external disk arrays without using up excessive PCI slots in the case for 8087-8088 converters, so external only would be a good thing.

[Johnm]

then it sounds like a good card for your needs.

 

It looks like the card is expander aware, I just cant tell what the maximum number of drives is. It looks like the default firmware can do 16 drives. I would love to see what the LSI firmware can do. I have been considering putting my second unraid on my ESXi. That card would be a viable option for me.

 

I am considering,

1 RPC 2212 esx server head with 2x MV1015's (1 per unraid) and 1x 4-Port SFF-8087 to SFF-8088 Adapter

2 RPC 4224's storage boxes each with a RES2SV240 and a 2-Port SFF-8087 to SFF-8088 Adapter

 

If i do go this route, I would put a raid5 in the head for my datastore.

I would also create unraid cache drives on that array.

I do have a spare 4224 i could use for the head also.

time will tell....

 

 

[brian89gp]

To resurrect a dead thread, this card seems to work.  ESXi loads the mpt2sas driver so I would assume that for all functional purposes it is the same as a generic LSI 2008, being on the HCL and all and loading the generic LSI driver.

 

It is a LSI 2008 card, it posts under the LSI boot screen, but DO NOT try to flash it with LSI firmware.

[PeterB]

.... but DO NOT try to flash it with LSI firmware.

 

Care to expand on that?

[johnodon]

In my neverending search to find information on how to flash a Dell Perc H310 with an LSI IT firmware (FAIL!), I did see articles that explained how to do it on an H200.

 

http://forums.servethehome.com/raid-controllers-host-bus-adapters/467-dell-h200-flash-firmware-procedure-dell-servers.html

 

This one has pics! 

 

http://forums.overclockers.com.au/showthread.php?t=1045376

 

John

[brian89gp]

.... but DO NOT try to flash it with LSI firmware.

 

Care to expand on that?

 

It won't run, the LSI flash utility does not recognize it as a LSI SAS 2008 card.  Also if you happen to delete the SAS ID of the card you will need to figure out how to add it back using the Dell flash utilities because the LSI ones will not do it.  Its all recoverable using the Dell flash utilities, but highly annoying if you delete both your SAS ID and firmware and have to start from there.

 

On a side note, the Dell flash utilities are VERY nice.  It goes through and enumerates all cards then sequentially flashes them.

 

 

 

edit:  Reading johnodon's post I might try it again.

[PeterB]

It won't run, the LSI flash utility does not recognize it as a LSI SAS 2008 card.

 

That may depend on which version of the LSI flash utility you use.

 

As the utility was developed it became more and more obstructive as to what cards it would flash.  I still have a copy of the Linux Installer P5 which is what I used originally to flash my Supermicro card.  Having got the vanilla LSI firmware onto the card, I can now use any version of the flasher - the latest I have tried is P14.