Listed for sale are what were originally Dell SAS6i/R integrated RAID SAS controller cards that I modified for use with ZFS. They have been cross-flashed to Avago / LSI 1068E IT (Initiator Target) firmware version P21 (specifically 01.33.00.00). I also flashed the LSI/Avago MPTSAS BIOS ROM version 06.36.00.00. This card has the special PCIe ID that allows it to work in the Dell PowerEdge 9th gen server's integrated slots, like the 2950 and 2900.
The purpose for this card is to offer an affordable IT mode option for PowerEdge 2900 or 2950 servers. If you try to convert these 2900/2950 servers to IT mode using a SAS-2 HBA, it requires 2 very expensive special SAS cables that makes the upgrade cost prohibitive. So, instead, I figure a SAS-1 HBA might work just as well as long as you're using HDDs and understand that there's a drive size limit of 2TB for SATA drives, and no size limit for SAS HDDs. I recommend using SAS HDDs with this controller; I've tested it with HGST 8TB SAS HDDs!
- LSI SAS1068E IT mode firmware version P21 (01.33.00.00)
- MPTSAS2 BIOS ROM flashed version 06.36.00.00
- Original SAS address preserved
- Works in Dell PowerEdge 2900, 2950 server's integrated slot
- Limited to 2TB for SATA drives only. No size limit for SAS drives.
These are based on the LSI SAS1068E SAS-1 controller chipset and support PCI-E 1.0 specifications with x8 lanes. The controller has 8 SAS lanes. These cards are fully tested in my Supermicro server running ZFS on Linux (ZoL), but this setup is also ideal for other ZFS setups, TrueNAS, unRAID, Proxmox VE, etc. I have fully tested them using all 8 SAS lanes.
Not exactly the HBA / IT mode adapter you were looking for? Check out the HBA section at my ebay store here.
Feel free to ask any questions.
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