Add cachecade SSD to an existing virtual drive in AVAGO MegaRAID with storcli64

Increase the IO performance of big storage consisting of hard drives with the CacheCade feature with MegaRAID hardware controllers. Here are the commands to ensure adding an SSD to cache storage of hard drives and the whole output:

storcli64 /c0 add VD cachecade r0 drives=252:0 WB
storcli64 /c0/v0 set ssdcaching=on

Summary and explanation

  • The controller used is AVAGO MegaRAID SAS9361-4i
  • Three 12T hard drives and 1 SSD 1T.
  • RAID5 of 3 hard drive. The name of the virtual drive is v0.
  • The CacheCade is in RAID0. The name of the virtual drive is v1.
  • The CacheCade is in WriteBack mode. The WriteBack mode is dangerous when the CacheCade device is RAID0, because there is no redundancy, but it’s OK if the purpose of the machine is just a proxy cache. WriteBack mode leads to much more performance to gain from the cache device over slow device sotrage, but should be carefully planned when using RAID0 cache (or single) device.
  • Using storcli – the cli command line tool to manage a (LSI) MegaRAID.
  • Add CacheCade RAID0 device by the first command. It will create a virtual drive RAID0 with the name v1.
  • Ensure the caching is enabled for the virtual device it should be by explicitly setting it with the second command. Adding only a CacheCade device may not add the cache virtual device to the existing virtual devices!

Output of a real world example

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storcli with multiple disks from different enclosures

Creating a Virtual device with the AVAGO storcli command-line tool under Linux. Two examples are included:

  1. All disks are from one of the enclosure. All disks are included explicitly.
  2. Disks from two enclosures are included. One controller with two enclosures.

Check out how to Install the new storcli to manage (LSI/AVAGO/Broadcom) MegaRAID controller under CentOS 7
There are 31 disks of 36 harddisk bays. 5 are missing on purpose for the examples.

The initial states of the controller and the disks.

livecd ~ # opt/MegaRAID/storcli/storcli /c0 show
Generating detailed summary of the adapter, it may take a while to complete.

CLI Version = 007.0510.0000.0000 May 4, 2018
Operating system = Linux 4.19.72-gentoo
Controller = 0
Status = Success
Description = None

Product Name = LSI 2108 MegaRAID
Serial Number = FW-ABQRCBEAARBWA
SAS Address =  5003048004015f00
PCI Address = 00:06:00:00
System Time = 07/20/2020 22:58:35
Mfg. Date = 00/00/00
Controller Time = 07/20/2020 22:58:36
FW Package Build = 12.15.0-0239
FW Version = 2.130.403-4660
BIOS Version = 3.30.02.2_4.16.08.00_0x06060A05
Driver Name = megaraid_sas
Driver Version = 07.706.03.00-rc1
Vendor Id = 0x1000
Device Id = 0x79
SubVendor Id = 0x15D9
SubDevice Id = 0x700
Host Interface = PCI-E
Device Interface = SAS-6G
Bus Number = 6
Device Number = 0
Function Number = 0
Physical Drives = 31

PD LIST :
=======

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EID:Slt DID State DG     Size Intf Med SED PI SeSz Model                   Sp Type 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12:0      0 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B Hitachi HUA723020ALA640 D  -    
12:1      1 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B HGST HUS724020ALA640    D  -    
12:2      2 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B Hitachi HDS723020BLA642 D  -    
12:3      3 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B Hitachi HDS723020BLA642 D  -    
12:4      4 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B Hitachi HDS723020BLA642 D  -    
12:5      5 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B HGST HUS722T2TALA604    D  -    
12:6      6 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B TOSHIBA DT01ACA200      D  -    
12:7      7 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B Hitachi HDS723020BLA642 D  -    
12:8      8 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B Hitachi HDS723020BLA642 D  -    
12:9      9 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B Hitachi HDS723020BLA642 D  -    
12:10    10 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B Hitachi HDS723020BLA642 D  -    
12:11    11 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B Hitachi HDS723020BLA642 D  -    
37:0     13 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B Hitachi HDS723020BLA642 U  -    
37:1     14 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B Hitachi HDS723020BLA642 U  -    
37:2     15 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B Hitachi HDS723020BLA642 U  -    
37:3     16 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B Hitachi HUA723020ALA640 U  -    
37:4     17 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B Hitachi HDS723020BLA642 U  -    
37:6     19 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B Hitachi HDS723020BLA642 U  -    
37:7     20 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B HGST HUS722T2TALA604    U  -    
37:8     21 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B HGST HUS724020ALA640    U  -    
37:10    23 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B Hitachi HDS723020BLA642 U  -    
37:11    24 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B Hitachi HDS723020BLA642 U  -    
37:13    26 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B Hitachi HDS723020BLA642 U  -    
37:14    27 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B HGST HUS724020ALA640    U  -    
37:16    29 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B HGST HUS724020ALA640    U  -    
37:17    30 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B Hitachi HUA723020ALA640 U  -    
37:19    32 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B Hitachi HDS723020BLA642 U  -    
37:20    33 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B Hitachi HDS723020BLA642 U  -    
37:21    34 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B HGST HUS722T2TALA604    U  -    
37:22    35 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B Hitachi HDS723020BLA642 U  -    
37:23    36 UGood -  1.817 TB SATA HDD N   N  512B HGST HUS724020ALA640    U  -    
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EID-Enclosure Device ID|Slt-Slot No.|DID-Device ID|DG-DriveGroup
DHS-Dedicated Hot Spare|UGood-Unconfigured Good|GHS-Global Hotspare
UBad-Unconfigured Bad|Onln-Online|Offln-Offline|Intf-Interface
Med-Media Type|SED-Self Encryptive Drive|PI-Protection Info
SeSz-Sector Size|Sp-Spun|U-Up|D-Down/PowerSave|T-Transition|F-Foreign
UGUnsp-Unsupported|UGShld-UnConfigured shielded|HSPShld-Hotspare shielded
CFShld-Configured shielded|Cpybck-CopyBack|CBShld-Copyback Shielded

Keep on reading!

Install the new storcli to manage (LSI/AVAGO/Broadcom) MegaRAID controller under CentOS 7

After the acquisition of LSI there was a major change with the management console utility for the MegaRAID controllers. The utility was renamed from MegaCli (MegaCli64, megacli) to

storcli (storcli64)

We have new controllers like AVAGO MegaRAID SAS-9361-4i and really old ones like LSI 2108 MegaRAID (in fact Supermicro AOC-USAS2LP-H8iR) and the two controllers could be manage with the new cli. even the old controller, which is on more than 8 years could be manage by the new cli.
Interesting fact is that the storcli output and argument syntax and is almost identical to the one really old cli – tw_cli – the 3Ware management utility. As you know LSI bought 3ware RAID adapter business in 2009.
Keep on reading!

AVAGO MegaRAID SAS-9361-4i with CacheCade – create a new virtual drive RAID5 with SSD caching

Here is howto article for creating a RAID5 device in MegaRAID SAS-9361-4i with SSD caching. First and really important thing is to have the CacheCade ability to the controller, which should be purchased because it is a software add-on.
To have an SSD caching your virtual raid drive (probably hard disk drives) with a MegaRAID controller one setup is the following:

  1. LSI LSI00415 MegaRAID 9361-4i SGL
  2. LSI LSI00293

And it is advisable to have Cache Protection to protect your setup (it is extra protection to the battery kit – it is not the same) – LSI LSI00418 LSICVM02.

You can check also our AVAGO MegaRaid SAS 9361-4i with CacheCade and CacheVault BIOS configuration utilities review.

Here are the steps to create a RAID5 device with SSD caching using the BIOS Configuration Utility:

STEP 1) Supermicro device initialization

main menu
Start up your server

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AVAGO MegaRaid SAS 9361-4i with CacheCade and CacheVault BIOS configuration utilities review

Here is the screenshots’ review of LSI LSI00415 MegaRAID 9361-4i SGL controller with CacheVault Accessory kit LSI LSI00293. The controller has 3 hard disk and an SSD for the cache vault.
As you can see we use LSI, but in deed this is the AVAGO controller. First it was LSI, which was acquired by AVAGO and then AVAGO acquired Broadcom and rebranded to Broadcom. It is good to know it how these names are connected, because any controllers still use them in BIOS, management console cli, manuals and so on. You are going to see that in the controller’s BIOS and controller initialization boot up you can read only AVAGO – no LSI or Broadcom. Probably the most famous and familiar name of the three company names is LSI (hardware controller).
The screenshots are from the BIOS of “LSI LSI00415 MegaRAID 9361-4i SGL” with LSI LSI00293, CacheCade and LSI LSI00418 LSICVM02 – CacheVault Accessory kit.

So as you see you need two additional features to have a SSD as a cache device in your LSI (AVAGO/Broadcom) controller!

Check out our article AVAGO MegaRAID SAS-9361-4i with CacheCade – create a new virtual drive RAID5 with SSD caching.

SCREENSHOT 1) Booting the controller and checking the devices.

main menu
LSI controller Booting

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Update firmware of AOC-USAS2LP-H8iR (smc2108) – LSI 2108 MegaRAID Hardware Controller

This card

AOC-USAS2LP-H8iR

is really old (probably 7-9 years), but still it works, so you can check if you are with the latest and greatest firmware. Hope the latest fixes more things than it beaks. To flash the firmware you need Megaraid cli and the firmware file, the two files you check in the sub-directories of https://www.supermicro.com/wftp/driver/SAS/LSI/2108/Firmware/ They are still there despite this product is discontinued. In this URL these are the latest, tested and verified versions by Supermicro so it is advisable to download them from this link or at least use the same versions if they are not available (in the future, now they are still available).
As you know LSI (they bought 3ware RAID in 2009) was bought by Avago (2013), then Avago bought Broadcom (2016 and renamed itself to Broadcom, 2018), so not so easy to find stuff for such old hardware (which still works). So this old MegaRAID controller is better managed by MegaCli despite you can do it with “storcli”, which is a modification of the tw_cli utility of 3ware RAID.

Keep on reading!