Member Avatar for jackhicks121

Hello DaniWeb community,

I'm currently working on a server build and have run into some issues with my SAS controllers and Host Bus Adapters (HBA). Here’s the situation:

I'm using a [specific server motherboard model] with [specific CPU model] and [specific amount of RAM], and I've installed a [specific model] SAS controller. The goal is to connect several high-capacity SAS drives for storage, but I'm experiencing unexpected behavior. The system sometimes fails to recognize the drives during boot, and even when it does, the drives are intermittently dropping out during operation.

I’ve tried updating the firmware on the SAS controller and the HBA, and I’ve also tested different cables and power supplies, but the issue persists. Could this be a compatibility issue between the SAS controller and the HBA? Or is there something else I might be overlooking?

Any suggestions or insights would be greatly appreciated, especially if you’ve had similar experiences with SAS controllers and HBAs.

Thanks in advance!

Edited by rproffitt because: Removed extraneous link. No points lost.
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Member Avatar for rproffitt

There are areas I encountered but mind you it was over a decade ago.

  1. The PSU wasn't up to the task.
  2. The drives needed staggered start or not.
  3. The firmware and BIOS was out of date.
  4. The drives were not supported. Too big, small etc.
  5. Bottom line. Server gear usually has qualified vendor lists. For such work I learned early on to stay inside the lines.
  6. Too many times I found a server which was a Frankenstein. That is, drives from salvage. What a mess. Had to get the drives tested and sort out the bad from good. Lesson learned: Any drive past 5 years is removed from the system because it's had its day in the sun.
Member Avatar for Salem

If the drives are dropping out during normal operation, check the OS log files to see if any particular reason is reported.

For all the drives, gather the SMART statistics.

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