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Does firmware matter? Old SAS disk failed, bought newer model..
We have a nearly seven year old Dell Power 2900 that works great, performance is fine, no problems, but a RAID-5 disk recently failed. The original drive model ST3300555SS (300GB 15000 RPM) we have apparently is hard to obtain new anymore, but I found a compatible newer generation drive, the "Seagate Cheetah 15K.7 ST3300657SS 300GB 15000 RPM 16MB Cache SAS 6Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive " on NewEgg.
Size reporting is the same (checked the new/old drive spec documents from Seagate before ordering), sector size is still the old 512 byte like the original drives, the PERC5 recognizes the newer generation drive, says it's the same size, and accepts it as a global hotspare, then apparently all is good again.
Except... the hotswap activity light stays on all the time for the new drive.
,
I know Dell has always been real serious-face about using only their firmware on hard drives for Dell servers, but does it really matter for newer generation hard drives, when hardware I'm using is moving into the "legacy extended support" stage, and I can't even extend the server's standard warranty coverage anymore?
Although there's firmware listed for this drive model on the 2900 page, the firmware is from 2012, and says it is for a "ST3300657SS-H" model. This industry-standard enterprise disk from NewEgg is not a "-H" model, and I don't know what this extra model code of Dell's is for.
If the hotswap bay blinkenlights operation is the only really significant operational difference between Dell's firmware and the OEM enterprise hard drive manufacturer's firmware, I can live with that.
theflash1932
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November 23rd, 2013 07:00
Firmware always matters. There isn't really such a thing as "industry-standard firmware". Retail/generic drives use a "common", sometimes lax, set of drive settings which control things like timings, responses to certain requests, etc. Dell firmware alters these settings for use specifically with certain controllers. ALL OEM's do this. They do this to streamline performance and especially reliability (customers have to know they have a 100% compatible and reliable system - plus it cuts costs for Dell if they aren't constantly troubleshooting and replacing parts to solve compatibility issues in addition to possible hardware failures).
The blinking lights "may" be the only difference you will ever notice, but some day if you have "odd" problems with the array, look first at that drive as the culprit during your troubleshooting (Dell Support's only troubleshooting will be to have you replace it with a Dell drive, so otherwise, you'd be on your own). Many people use non-certified drives - some experience no issues, some experience mild issues (inaccurate "status" lights, activity lights, errors in the logs regarding bad responses to controller requests, etc.), and others experience more severe issues (random offlines, read/write errors, poor performance, etc.) ... it just depends on the combination. If you want to use a non-certified disk, then make sure that ALL firmware is up to date (BIOS, ESM/BMC, PERC (driver first), HDD), especially with as old and buggy as the first SAS controllers were (including the PERC 5). The firmware listed on the Dell site for this model is for the Dell version, and it will not update generic versions, but it is sometimes helpful to make sure that it is at the latest Seagate release as well.
DMahalko
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November 23rd, 2013 19:00
I am unable to determine how much of what you are saying is true, and how much of it is Dell marketing, Dell FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) of using non-Dell branded products, and Dell's justification for selling the same product as the OEM at 2-4 times the OEM's price, .
Yes, clearly a so-called "Hard drive manufacturer" that directly manufactures the actual drive servos, heads, and platters, and constantly strives to develop newer and higher density technology, with higher and higher reliability.... clearly they have NO IDEA how to design performance firmware for drives they sell as "enterprise grade" right out of the box, and on their own website
theflash1932
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November 23rd, 2013 20:00
Drive manufacturers and controller manufacturers usually have compatibility lists for which controllers certain drives work on and vice versa - why else would they issue compatibility lists if they were simply compatible with everything?
I don't know why the idiot marketers at Dell do this kind of stuff:
When the EXACT same drive can be obtained from a supplier for a fraction of that cost:
http://www.serversupply.com/products/part_search/pid_lookup.asp?pid=179720&gclid=CLuzl5_A_LoCFYo9Qgod8mcAtA
http://www.yobitech.com/WTDW4_Dell_600GB_15K_RPM_SAS_p/wtdw4.htm
When I say 'exact', I don't just mean exact just because it is the same model - it is the same Dell-certified drive (same firmware) you buy from Dell, but LOTS cheaper - no Dell markup. That markup irritates me to no end, but I also recognize the importance of compatibility in creating stable machines I don't have to put hundreds of man-hours into troubleshooting, because it just sits there and happily does the job I need it to. Maybe I'm not very adventurous.
You want someone who can explain this to you with any level of detail you want, ask your question over on Experts-Exchange.com ... there are at least two "experts" over there who are firmware programmers for controllers and drives and could explain all the settings, the importance of them jiving, and the compatibility issues that can arise when they don't. I don't work for Dell, but I have been around enough and seen enough issues to have my own opinion based on more than simple marketing hype. I'd recommend you do the same. There isn't anyone else on the forums here who can give you more than anecdotal experience-based opinions. 30 days are free on EE.