From owner-freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.ORG Fri Jun 3 10:50:20 2011 Return-Path: Delivered-To: stable@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 14D5A1065689 for ; Fri, 3 Jun 2011 10:50:20 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from matt.thyer@gmail.com) Received: from mail-ww0-f50.google.com (mail-ww0-f50.google.com [74.125.82.50]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 91E8C8FC16 for ; Fri, 3 Jun 2011 10:50:19 +0000 (UTC) Received: by wwc33 with SMTP id 33so1476007wwc.31 for ; Fri, 03 Jun 2011 03:50:18 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=domainkey-signature:mime-version:in-reply-to:references:date :message-id:subject:from:to:cc:content-type; bh=C4BrutaRDy6EdPgws37dW5dtXwDcb4qP3fujV3nn854=; b=Prkjv336XzcBBVS38LdP/H35GzB825jwxQ77q3nG+d5xnfP1D81lVgYrn4wdIOr+N6 EOfRwK/qV7oAmCv+6k6tRqSAt6Z8PIHiad2JbeTlxhV8Ad/nT08McjS4UPXHND16TBwl BFArXMfJFNTPvKaxp5ifEkVEZCWgFdu60pUYg= DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; c=nofws; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:date:message-id:subject:from:to :cc:content-type; b=e6DJlokSm61ulWN/oAQNimtmK3peFrvHVvxW7GJRJB9S9djEHuTeuka8Yas6u3H/uJ z9fbd2z+5/Blw24eVuQfx8tvv4gtaeywOSt1xN5nfVELgOB7ZVm918VXQFup98A5TDLs a8RwTDfsZHTByuUFB62uFqE2NLX3EM8sI4tzg= MIME-Version: 1.0 Received: by 10.216.239.67 with SMTP id b45mr1281127wer.44.1307098217651; Fri, 03 Jun 2011 03:50:17 -0700 (PDT) Received: by 10.216.54.67 with HTTP; Fri, 3 Jun 2011 03:50:17 -0700 (PDT) In-Reply-To: <20110601080706.GA18521@icarus.home.lan> References: <20110601080706.GA18521@icarus.home.lan> Date: Fri, 3 Jun 2011 20:20:17 +0930 Message-ID: From: Matt Thyer To: Jeremy Chadwick Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.5 Cc: stable@freebsd.org, TJ Varghese Subject: Re: PCIe SATA HBA for ZFS on -STABLE X-BeenThere: freebsd-stable@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Production branch of FreeBSD source code List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 03 Jun 2011 10:50:20 -0000 On 1 June 2011 17:37, Jeremy Chadwick wrote: > On Wed, Jun 01, 2011 at 02:34:55PM +0800, TJ Varghese wrote: > > On Tue, May 31, 2011 at 10:31 PM, Freddie Cash > wrote: > [snip] > > > SuperMicro AOC-USAS2-L8i works exceptionally well. These are 8-port > HBAs > > > using the LSI1068 chipset, supported by the mpt(4) driver. Support 3 > Gpbs > > > SATA/SAS, using multi-lane cables (2 connectors on the card, each > connector > > > supports 4 SATA ports), hot-plug, hot-swap. > > > > > > > > The USAS2 (6Gbps) is supported by the mps driver (on -CURRENT, not sure > if > > it's in 8-STABLE yet). Perhaps you're referring to the earlier USAS which > > does 3Gbps and is supported by the mpt driver. > > Folks considering use of mps(4), which was committed to RELENG_8 roughly > around 2011/02/18 (thus is not in 8.2-RELEASE), should read the below > threads just in case. Always good to be educated. Of course, the > mailing lists are usually filled with complaints rather than success > stories, so the tone of my mail here will therefore sound negative; I > don't mean it that way, I just ask that people "be aware". > > * 2011/04/29 -- mps driver instability under stable/8 > > http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-stable/2011-April/thread.html#62507 > > http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-stable/2011-May/thread.html#62518 > > * 2011/04/27 -- MPS driver: force bus rescan after remove SAS cable > > http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-stable/2011-April/thread.html#62438 > > http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-stable/2011-April/thread.html#62443 > > * 2011/03/10 -- LSI SAS2008 performance with mps(4) driver > > http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-stable/2011-March/thread.html#61862 > Those threads assure me that the SuperMicro AOC-USAS2-L8i with version 9 firmware and the mps(4) driver work very well as long as I'm running FreeBSD 9-CURRENT or 8-STABLE (not 8.2-RELEASE). As I'm running -STABLE I'm quite happy to give it a go. To the OP (Matt Thyer): > > Sadly I don't have a recommendation for you, since you effectively want > a 6-port SATA300 controller that's reliable, you're almost certainly > going to be paying Big Bucks(tm) given the number of ports and your > requirement that it be PCIe-based. You state quite boldly "not wanting > to break the bank", but what you're asking for almost certainly WILL > break the bank. > Jeremy, I think you need to have another look at current prices. I have now bought a SuperMicro AOC-USAS2-L8i on EBay from bakamuzko with the cables I need for only $US 210.99 (I do know about the UIO bracket). For example, an "affordable" controller might be one driven by Silicon > Image's SiI3124 chip -- four (4) SATA300 ports, but it's only hooked to > PCI or PCI-X, not PCIe, which means you're susceptible to a much more > severe bus bottleneck than with PCIe: > I defintely would not consider PCI for part of a ZFS array with 4 drives on that one controller. > I tend to avoid consumer-grade Marvell and JMicron SATA chipsets like > the plague, however. That's based on my experiences with them under > Windows, where I would expect (truly) the drivers to be rock solid given > the marketing demographic of the chips in question. > I've had the same bad experiences. Good luck, and please let us know what controller you *do* end up going > with and your experience with it! Positives are as important as > negatives. > I'll let you know how it works out.