Monday 2 March 2009

Intel SRCSASBB8i Firmware 1.20.72-0572 = Fatal Firmware Error

We have just started to implement the SRCSASBB8i RAID controller. The system this particular one is in is our bench SBS 2008 box.

We stress test any new RAID controller firmware for a couple of weeks prior to implementing the update in any client environment where it is applicable.

This is what we have been seeing with the newest firmware update on the SRCSASBB8i:

09-03-02 SRCSASBB8iError

Intel SRCSASBB8i (shows SRCSASRB)

[Fatal, 3] … Fatal firmware error: Line 156 in ../../raid/1078in.c

The server will be completely locked up with either one or both of the RAID 1 array drive lights being solid green.

The 320GB Seagate drives have been tested and are in the clear.

The Intel SRCSASRB and SRCSASBB8i share the same engine, though the boards are completely different as the 8i has a PCI-E 8x where the RB has a PCI-E 4x interface.

In our testing of what seems to be the same firmware on the SRCSASRB, we have not seen an error like this at all.

We will back the SRCSASBB8i off to the previous firmware revision 1.12.172_0470 and run things up again to see if we run into the same problem. If we do, then we may be dealing with a problematic RAID controller and not bad firmware.

UPDATE 2009-03-05: Please note that the RAID controller we are dealing with is not the SRCSASBB8i, it is the SRCSASRB. My bad for that. We had two identical boxes on the bench, one with each model of RAID controller and I got them mixed up!

My apologies for the mistaken identification.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac!

Windows Live Writer

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