2.2tb limitation on some controllers

[tpr_nl]

Hi,

 

I have several LSI SAS1068E controllers flashed with the IT mode firmware.

When i use this controller in a windows 7 computer i can attach drives bigger then 2.2tb and windows sees them and all storage is usable

When i use this controller in unraid 6.1.9 (latest build) it comes up as a 2.2tb drive.

 

Why is windows so special that its able to support >2.2tb drives on a controller that "does not support it" in IT mode

 

And what cheap controller do i need to support >2.2tb drives in unraid?

 

Thanks

 

 

[Squid]

Hi,

 

I have several LSI SAS1068E controllers flashed with the IT mode firmware.

When i use this controller in a windows 7 computer i can attach drives bigger then 2.2tb and windows sees them and all storage is usable

When i use this controller in unraid 6.1.9 (latest build) it comes up as a 2.2tb drive.

 

Why is windows so special that its able to support >2.2tb drives on a controller that "does not support it" in IT mode

 

And what cheap controller do i need to support >2.2tb drives in unraid?

 

Thanks

Are you sure about that?  A br10i (1068) supports RAIDS larger than 2.2tb, but will not allow individual drives > 2.2tb without capping off the capacity.

[garycase]

Windows uses its own drivers for accessing disks, so it can often use disks > 2TB even when the firmware on the controller does not support this.    I suspect that's what's happening in this case -- and, if so, there's nothing you can do about it except restrict yourself to 2TB drives if you're going to use those controllers.

 

Note that it's not really a good idea to use these disks in Windows if the native controller doesn't support the size, as many Windows utilities (e.g. Chkdsk) use the controller's drivers, and can corrupt your data if you use them on the larger disks.