How to Update LSI9300-8i SAS3008 HBA Controller BIOS and Firmware
Introduction
Reference example: LSI9300-8i SAS3008
Sometimes, the BIOS and firmware on your servers’ HBA controllers need to be updated. This is a relatively simple process, but be sure to do it carefully according to the steps below. These steps can be used for the LSI9300-8i SAS3008 series of HBA controllers.
NOTE: It is genuinely possible with some HBA controllers that you could brick the unit like a botched jailbreak. If the flash is not performed with care and attention, or if you try to use an incorrect firmware/BIOS version, you WILL have a bad day.
Prerequisites
Before you perform these steps, make sure that you have the correct BIOS version and HBA series. Also, be sure that your server is capable of updating.
Step 1
Download desired firmware from HBA MFR or OEM website and copy new firmware/BIOS images and DOS flash utility to the DOS-booting USB stick's top directory.
Step 2
List the HBA controller(s) that is/are present. Take down the Num, Ctlr, FW Ver, NVDATA, x86-BIOS ver and PCI Addr for later comparison.
sas3flsh.exe -listall
Step 3
Upload to USB disk the complete contents of the current flash on the HBA controller. The wording in the quick ref guide is a bit confusing because you're actually downloading current flash contents of the controller to your USB disk to save in case you biff something. You can also use the -ubios, -ufirmware, -ufwbackup and -unvdata flags to retrieve the individual items.
sas3flsh.exe -o -uflash current.rom
Step 4
Flash the new BIOS image to the HBA controller.
sas3flsh.exe -b mptsas3.rom
Step 5
Flash the new firmware to the HBA controller.
sas3flsh.exe -o -f NEWFW.bin
Step 6
Re-run this command to confirm updated versions. Note the changed info.
sas3flsh.exe -listall
Step 7
Remove your USB stick and reboot the server to confirm the updated HBA BIOS/FW operates as expected. If any issues, use your current.rom flash backup to restore the HBA to its original state.
Reference
Flashing firmware and BIOS on LSI SAS HBAs: https://www.broadcom.com/support/knowledgebase/1211161501344/flashing-firmware-and-bios-on-lsi-sas-hbas
Conclusion
As you can see, this process isn’t too complicated, but just needs to be done right. If you run into any problems though, just let us know and we would be happy to help!