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LSI 9206-16e 6Gbps SAS HBA full profile P20 IT mode firmware SPECIAL EDITION
$ 151.69
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Description
MODIFIED SPECIAL EDITION of LSI 9206-16e 6Gbps SAS HBA P20 IT mode firmware ZFS FreeNAS unRAID Dell 1V1W2 TFJRW BOTH FULL & HALF PROFILEListed for sale is a very special refurbished LSI 9206-16e card with a story. I first acquired this card when it was brand new in its original factory anti-static bag with matching serial number. Of course, I unsealed it in order to update the firmware and fully test it out before it was to go on sale. Unfortunately, this one had the ill fate of being bought by an abusive owner who after abusing the card returned it to me as defective. When I got it back, it arrived unprotected in a padded envelope and was in pieces... :-( The bracket was bent, it had the wrong type of screws on it, there were small SMD components broken off the PCB, a couple of heatsink retention pins were either missing or broken. That particular person will no longer be a customer of mine, that's for sure!
Knowing that this 9206-16e was in pristine condition once before it was sold, I just couldn't get myself to throw it away or give it to the e-waste recycler. If you know the Art of Server, you know I put my "Tamashi" (Japanese word for soul) into each card I sell to you guys. This one deserved a better fate than it had endured so far. So, I began by taking it apart and cleaning it up. I found the correct screws and an undamaged full profile and low profile bracket to go with it. I cleaned up all the old thermal paste and stripped the card down. The broken SMD components got repaired. The thermal paste was replaced with Prolimatech PK-3 Nano thermal paste. Now, remember that the heatsink retention pins were either missing or broken, so I had to find a way to replace those pins. However, I had also heard from some customers that the original plastic pins would sometimes fail due to heat fatigue, so I went hunting for brass heatsink retention pins in my spare parts box and found 6 such pins from other LSI cards. At first, the pins diameter was too wide to fit in the holes of the 9206-16e. I took a Japanese diamond file and slowly shaved off thin layers of the brass until the pins fit just right. And then repeated the same process on the remaining 5 pins. Using the refined brass pins, I reassembled the heatsink array on to the 9206-16e. The card was finally in a usable state.
Upon powering up the card, I proceeded to run it through the usual testing protocol. All PCIe lanes were good; check! All SAS lanes were good; check! However, a firmware version check noticed that the SAS address was different and did not match what was originally on this card. Why? Why did the previous buyer change the SAS address? In any case, it was only one command to correct the SAS address and restore it to its original, matching the sticker on the card. Firmware configuration was then reset to factory default settings.
Now, all this card needs is a new home, to an owner who will enjoy using this card in his or her server/computer.
This Dell branded LSI 9206-16e host bus adapters (HBA) card is flashed to IT (Initiator Target) firmware version P20 (specifically 20.00.07.00). There is no BIOS ROM nor UEFI, so that it boots up faster during POST. Please be aware that this means you will *NOT* see the card during POST, only after your OS has loaded the driver for this card will you see it and any storage devices. This also means you *CANNOT* boot from this card; it is meant to drive external storage devices in JBOD chassis.
This is a very, very special HBA. This is an ultra high performance PCI-E 3.0 x8 lane HBA supporting 16x 6Gbps SAS lanes with dual SAS2308 chipsets and a PLX PEX8724 PCI-E 3.0 gen PCI-E switch chipset.
!!! WARNING !!! WARNING !!!
Due to having TWO high performance SAS2308 chips, this card runs very hot, so it is highly recommended that you install this in a server chassis with a lot of airflow over this card. DO NOT use this card in a system with low airflow to the PCI-E cards area. If your server supports it, use "MAX PERFORMANCE" power profile in your server to make sure the fans are at full speed. Do whatever you can to set your fans at full speed in your computer / server. This is not a joke.
This was basically like the 16-cylinder Bugatti Veyron of LSI HBAs of its time, it is absolutely insane!!!
LSI Avago IT mode firmware version P20 (20.00.07.00)
no BIOS ROM, no UEFI for faster boot up during POST. *you cannot* boot off this card!
Original SAS address preserved
BOTH full and low profile brackets included
High performance HBA that can do 5,932MB/s with the right SSDs and tuning!!! Over 720,000 4K random read IOPS!!!!
The controller has 4 SFF-8644 connectors, each carrying 4 SAS lanes and support SAS-1, SAS-2, and SATA-I/II/III, up to 6Gbps connection per drive. You will need a compatible cable to connect these to your external hard drive chassis/JBOD.
These cards are fully tested in my Supermicro server running ZFS on Linux (ZoL), but this setup is also ideal for other ZFS setups, FreeNAS, unRAID, Proxmox VE, etc. I have fully tested them using all 16 SAS lanes.
Not ready to drive the Bugatti Veyron of HBAs? Need something a little more tame? Check out the HBA section at my ebay store
here
for other options.
Feel free to ask any questions.
Why buy from the Art of Server?
I can provide technical support if you have problems
I'm aware of counterfeit products on the market, and I make every effort to ensure that what I sell are not counterfeit.
I ship fast, usually same or next business day!
I have a YouTube channel with many helpful videos. Look for "Art of Server" on YouTube. (sorry, I can't link per eBay policy)
I fully test the HBAs I sell. See my testing process on YouTube.
I clean the server components I sell. You will not receive something covered in dust, or have unwanted stickers/labels, etc.
I ship electronic parts in proper anti-static bags (not the pink stuff) with bubble wrap or foam protection where needed.
I am a server enthusiast and IT professional that has worked with many brands of servers and have also built custom servers, not just someone selling computer parts. I love what I do! :-)
I've used ZFS for many years. I'm familiar with ZFS on Linux, FreeNAS, and many of the technologies commonly used by other enthusiasts.
I love cats. How can you deny my cute, cuddly charm?
Who is the Art of Server?
I'm a cat lover and a server enthusiast. I've operated my own rack of servers at home for almost 20 years. I've helped many friends and strangers with their servers. So, one day, I thought why not offer pre-flashed IT mode / HBA SAS controllers on eBay to help others with their server build? Since then, I've also added other "interesting" items to my eBay store that I think other server/computer enthusiasts would like. Oh, and I love cats. :-)