LSI 9211-8i

[Computurd]

yeah man integrated raid seems to be the way to go right now...

[One_Hertz]

snip

The 4i is basically for people that want to use no more than 4 SSDs. We won't reach 1.9GB/s with 4 SSDs for at least another 2 years.

I really wish they would fix large file performance on the 9211. I am doing a windows 7 install soon and I cant decide whether I want to go with my 9211 or ICH10R. Games load just as fast on both solutions for me, but at least ICH can do 660MB/s on large files.

[Spoiler]

The 4i is basically for people that want to use no more than 4 SSDs. We won't reach 1.9GB/s with 4 SSDs for at least another 2 years.

I really wish they would fix large file performance on the 9211. I am doing a windows 7 install soon and I cant decide whether I want to go with my 9211 or ICH10R. Games load just as fast on both solutions for me, but at least ICH can do 660MB/s on large files.

I know what you mean. My only problem is that I would like at least two of my SSD's to utilize TRIM or WIPER; and to do this I need AHCI mode. That's why I'm placing my raid drives on the LSI card...and everthing else on the ICH10R (ACHI mode).

[fhj52]

I just went ahead and got the 9211-8i today as well. You really can't beat the price!

Now to decide on whether to buy some Intel drives or wait for some Micron C300's.

They might be a little hard to come by since the target is OEM.
" The Micron RealSSD C300 will be OEM-only, going after the same markets as Intel, Samsung and Toshiba. Crucial, Micron's retail arm, will sell direct to retail.
The Crucial RealSSD C300 will be available in two capacities: 128GB and 256GB with 7% of the NAND capacity used as spare area. ..."
RE: New AnandTech article(short):
CES Preview - Micron's RealSSD C300 - The First 6Gbps SATA SSD
( http://www.anandtech.com/tradeshows/showdoc.aspx?i=3712 )

[Computurd]

this just in from LSI via email...


Paul,



New firmware should be posted either this week or early next week.





Best Regards,

Michaela Koert
Technical Support Engineer
Global Support Services

LSI Corporation
3718 N. Rock Rd.
Wichita, KS 67226
Phone: 1-866-625-3993
Fax: 1-316-636-8373
Email: support@lsi.com



ALSO./... i have yet to see an increase in performance on these next gen ssd (vertex2 /sandforse /micron real ssd c300) that would justify dumping my current drives for them instead. i am not going to go 6gb/s ssd for just the sake of doing it. the device will have to show a tremendous increase in performance. i am banking on jetstream from iddilinx in Q2....nothing else yet has made my jaw drop. and the compression on the vertex 2 gives me pause. i think i will have to see real world results on that to be convinced.

[fhj52]

Paul, Is that firmware for all the SAS600 adapters, 9211-8i included?

...
For anyone that's interested, Provantage has the 9211-8i back in stock -only 72 of them - for 233+ship (~$238).
http://www.provantage.com/lsi-logic-...4~ALSIG07U.htm
That's the LSI00194 model; retail but no cables included.

[Computurd]

it is for the 9211 series as a whole.

[SteveRo]

Paul, Is that firmware for all the SAS600 adapters, 9211-8i included?

...
For anyone that's interested, Provantage has the 9211-8i back in stock -only 72 of them - for 233+ship (~$238).
http://www.provantage.com/lsi-logic-...4~ALSIG07U.htm
That's the LSI00194 model; retail but no cables included.

FYI - The 9211 kit with cables are SAS cables NOT SATA cables

[fhj52]

FYI - The 9211 kit with cables are SAS cables NOT SATA cables

Yea. Weird the way they did that too cuz the 9260 has a different set and the cables for all the SAS600 kits are the cheap kind too yet the charge for them is more than buying the better cables separately. It's weird ...

I need 8087(host) -to- 8484(target) and|or 8087(host) to SATA fan-out(target) cuz I'm using the XCLIO SS014 and M14TB.
I got cables from Buy. since I was buying the SAS600 drives there but SCSI4ME has the 8087 to SATA fan-out for just $16 + ship.

My 9211-8i shipped ... .

[Computurd]

wanna talk about irritating cable issues, when i first got my arc-1680ix it came with sas-sas cables, being such a noob i didnt know i had to order fanouts, waited five excruciating days with 8 vertex staring at me...then i found out i had ordered the wrong ones, they were " from:target To:host", so backwards essentially...then had to wait again.

[fhj52]

wanna talk about irritating cable issues, [...]

no ...

( I've been running PAS 80, 160 and 320 since last century ... THOSE are irritating cable issues & am quite certain nobody wants to hear those stories! )

[trans am]

wanna talk about irritating cable issues, when i first got my arc-1680ix it came with sas-sas cables, being such a noob i didnt know i had to order fanouts, waited five excruciating days with 8 vertex staring at me...then i found out i had ordered the wrong ones, they were " from:target To:host", so backwards essentially...then had to wait again.

Hi guys, long time no see
I saw these on newegg. Are they are differnt from the ones posted above but will they do the trick? They cost about $10 less http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16816103196

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-112-_-Product

this one paired with the less expensice 9211-8i (Single Pack) $249 +24.99 = 274.98 as opposed to the 9211-8i retail which goes for $329.99
You still save $55 doing it this way.

I sent back the 9260-4i in case it was a bad card from the start. I haven't been in this thread for a while since I was traveling for work. whats the lastest news? Any updates on that 9211 FW? I'm curious to see some performace comparisons to the old one.

[fhj52]

Hi guys, long time no see
I saw these on newegg. Are they are differnt from the ones posted above but will they do the trick? They cost about $10 less http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16816103196

Those carry sideband signals(the extra wire...) which needs support by the initiator(adapter). I don't think the 9211-* has it; nothing in the literature about it. The 9260-* might support it but since LSI does not provide cables w/ sideband in the kit I kinda doubt it. Sideband signal carries information about the drives -not extremely important to most applications.
Since it is connected to the SFF-8087 connector it could cause incompatibility if it is not supported by the adapter. Then again it could be just a null...
I still would not risk it without definitive info from LSI one way or the other.



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-112-_-Product is $256 shipped. Only ~ $239 at Provantage. Brand new adapters too cause they just got a supply in on Friday ...
I like Newegg -they are "Eggcellent", , but they are missing the boat on the SFF drives, SATA|SAS600 adapters and accessories. iguess their stock of 3.5" SATA 1|2 stuff is just too big...

[trans am]

Those carry sideband signals(the extra wire...) which needs support by the initiator(adapter). I don't think the 9211-* has it; nothing in the literature about it. The 9260-* might support it but since LSI does not provide cables w/ sideband in the kit I kinda doubt it. Sideband signal carries information about the drives -not extremely important to most applications.
Since it is connected to the SFF-8087 connector it could cause incompatibility if it is not supported by the adapter. Then again it could be just a null...
I still would not risk it without definitive info from LSI one way or the other.



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-112-_-Product is $256 shipped. Only ~ $239 at Provantage. Brand new adapters too cause they just got a supply in on Friday ...
I like Newegg -they are "Eggcellent", , but they are missing the boat on the SFF drives, SATA|SAS600 adapters and accessories. iguess their stock of 3.5" SATA 1|2 stuff is just too big...

oh sweet. So these cables you posted for $16 are the ones? 239+16 $255 total sounds amazing. right now I'm on newegg looking for a new board for this. I am torn because I have 2 x 2gb kits of ddr3 for high voltage and a good eplida 2 x 1gb kit for benching. these are all spec around 1.8v. which was great for 775 but for 1156 and am3 its too hot. I've almost had it with AMD at this point but I have 2x x2 550 and an x4 965 c3. then I have these summit drives here which are probably ready to go on ebay. I could get a cheap open box am3 board on newegg for now until all the new chipsets come soon out and keep using the 965 c3 and the summits or just sell the summits, all the am3 cpus, the board, and buy a cheap socket 775 chip and run it in a rampage extreme I have mounted the wall as decoration. or I just go back to the crappy raid performance on the sb750 until something better comes along. The problem is I want to sell this hardware while its still worth something. man this is probably the worst time to be buying hardware cuz all the new tech is days away. what should I do? anyone have a 775 chip for me for this rampage extreme?
EDIT>>>

newegg got the card and are shipping a replacement 92604i. I also just scored a pair of brand new 64gb ultradrive ME for $350 bux which are identical to vertex series. -- the summits are going on ebay tonight.

[Spoiler]

Those carry sideband signals(the extra wire...) which needs support by the initiator(adapter). I don't think the 9211-* has it; nothing in the literature about it. The 9260-* might support it but since LSI does not provide cables w/ sideband in the kit I kinda doubt it. Sideband signal carries information about the drives -not extremely important to most applications.
Since it is connected to the SFF-8087 connector it could cause incompatibility if it is not supported by the adapter. Then again it could be just a null...
I still would not risk it without definitive info from LSI one way or the other.



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-112-_-Product is $256 shipped. Only ~ $239 at Provantage. Brand new adapters too cause they just got a supply in on Friday ...
I like Newegg -they are "Eggcellent", , but they are missing the boat on the SFF drives, SATA|SAS600 adapters and accessories. iguess their stock of 3.5" SATA 1|2 stuff is just too big...

I read somewhere that the extra sideband wire shouldn't affect the HBA (9211). The connections are there just in case the hardware supports it. Either way, I can try it today or tomorrow. I have a few cables that have the sideband wire, and I'm gettting the 9211 today.

[fhj52]

I read somewhere that the extra sideband wire shouldn't affect the HBA (9211). The connections are there just in case the hardware supports it.

I have not read the SFF-8087 or other SAS cable specs(derelict in my duties, iknow ... ) so really do not know if the sideband is part of it or not. It could be an amendment ...
I do know that manf and retailers lie a lot so it could be either way and we would not know about it.

Either way, I can try it today or tomorrow. I have a few cables that have the sideband wire, and I'm getting the 9211 today.

[fhj52]

oh sweet. So these cables you posted for $16 are the ones? 239+16 $255 total sounds amazing. [...snip..]

Well, it will be over $255 ...probly closer to $280-$285 total. It is ~238 + change to get 9211-* here but shipping to you might be a little more or a little less. The cables at SCSI4ME are SFF-8087(host) to SATA fan-out for 16+shipping but need two of them for the *-8i adapter: $32+shipping. idunno what the shipping charge w/b. I only rem' that I could get the sleeved Adaptec cable for about a few bucks more from Buy. cuz there was free ship with them. (*either way they cost way too much IMO ...). Since I'll be using 6GHz rate for the SAS600 drives & adapter I felt like the (supposedly) better cable was important. SATA300 interface like on the SSD or SATA2 drives uses 3GHz so any "3Gbps" cable should work without crosstalk or other issues ... but, honestly, idunno if it matters one way or the other. None of those people state what the cable spec is for the cables so the $16 cable might be as good as the $30 cable. The only thing I know for certain is that the $30 cable is prettier, , and that since it it sleeved, it won't cause as much turbulence|restriction of the air flow inside the chassis.
They both work for adapters(the "host") with SFF-8087 connectors and drives(targets) with standard SATA connectors that are individually connected or in a cage that has individual connections(such as the XClio SS014).
If the drives are in a cage like the S'Micro M14T, which uses an SFF-8484 connector, it won't work. There is a different cable for those(SFF-8087 -to- SFF-8484).

So will the SCSI4ME 16-buck cables work? BTHOOM, . ...depends on the setup.

[Spoiler]

Got my 9211-8i today.

My old Adaptec cable that has the sideband cabling works fine with the new HBA. I had it attached to an old Raptor drive. So yes, these cables will work.

[SteveRo]

I have a pair of old highpoint fanout cables that work just fine on all the controllers I have tested.

[ehorn]

Decent deal through Amazon as well... Shipping... now that's another question.

SAS9211-8I 8PORT Int 6GB Sata+sas Pcie 2.0
Sata 0.6 Meter Breakout Cable

[trans am]

Hey guys is anyone on here using a 9211-9i or 9260 with a pair of intel x25m g2's? I want to recommend this card to a friend that is on x58 on 2 gen1 x25m 160gb on intel raid0. I was telling him to get the 9211-8i over the 9260 since its about the same performance for $100 less plus the new 9211 FW is coming out...
this is the email I sent him:

hey man about the LSI card I told you about.
You want this:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...KT8F1&v=glance

and this. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...5J8LR&v=glance



or get this and the cable I posted above.

This is what I have:

http://www.amazon.com/SAS9260-4I-Rai...3261978&sr=8-2

its practically the same thing except it has the 512MB DDRII cache (800MHz)

If I were to do it over again I would get the 9211-8i and save the $100 since you aren't going to flood the controller with tons of drives.

good advice?

[Computurd]

fw is out.

[Spoiler]

fw is out.

I don't see it. Link?

[fhj52]

I don't see it. Link?

9211-8i: http://lsi.com/storage_home/products...-8i/index.html
At bottom of "support& downloads" section.

Anyone know what are the firmware changes? The text file is instructions -no changelog.

[Computurd]

i noticed that it is just instructions and no changelog, which sucks cause i gotta switch controllers to test....oh well i have good data to compare against so we should be able to see..