LSI provides an updated DKMS based, mptsas driver source (http://www.lsi.com/products/storagecomponents/Pages/LSISAS1068E.aspx)

 

current unraid version is 3.04.20

latest LSI version in the 3.x series is 3.28.00

latest LSI version in the 4.x series is 4.28.00

 

I don't know how hard is it to build these and what benefits could be gained with an updated driver. but I think a LSI provided driver is better than a generic one

 

also, how hard would it be to build a addon with this kernel module to be installed upon boot time, without having to involve a new unraid release?

I don't know why the mptsas driver included in kernel has not been updated.  Probably there is no 'maintainer' for this driver who takes an interest in ensuring it compiles and runs correctly with each new kernel release.  The problem I face with vendor-supplied drivers is that often they will not compile correctly with kernels newer than when they were first built.  If I included vendor specific drivers then I may not be able to upgrade kernels in order to fix some other problem without breaking existing functionality.  A good example of this nonsense is the Realtek 'r8168' driver vs. linux 'r8169' driver.  Because Realtek NIC's are so common, I've had to sometimes use r8168, sometimes r8169 depending on the kernel, much to the frustration of users.

 

Developing a plugin that replaces the 'stock' driver should be possible for a sufficiently motivated individual 

I see.. thanks for the answer Tom

 

I will try to motivate myself to create a package for this driver

Tom, perhaps you could build the other modules from this driver, from the kernel source itself

 

like mptctl.ko

 

so we can use lsiutil to monitor the board

 

thanks