Ultra II 480G Questions....

Hello… New User… Awaiting hot swap trays for 2.5" drives and 2x Ultra II  480Gb drives…

Have an older Supermicro system (SATA2) that already has a 2 (Spinning drive) Raid 0.   Going to add 2x Ultra II drives as second Raid 0…    Video storage for video editing…  I understand that SATA2 will not be as Fast as SATA3, but that’s what I’m dealing with, and understand that limitation.

Once I verify that works correctly, these will be un-installed and larger SSD’s will replace them, and these 480Gb SSD’s will evenutally be used in a Dell Inspiron 1720 laptop (W7-64) as separate boot and Media drives.   This Inspiron 1720 has a SATA2 controller, but only runs at SATA1 speed…  Bios in Inspiron is A09, which is last version, and needed for W7-64 operation.

Being my first foray into SanDisk SSD’s (I have one 120Gb Samsung as an Adobe Video Database Cache drive in edit system) I’d like to ask if I first need to update firmware prior to configuring with Intel Controller as Raid 0, or is there any other issues I need to know about…

Thanks much…

Hello, 

as far as i know for now there is no newer firmware update version that you can install to the ultra ii drives. but you can also check with the ssd dashboard software if you can find some more information about it. 

http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/15108/kw/ssd%20dashboard

of course you have always also the option to contact the support directly to find some more information about your drive.

https://www.sandisk.com/about/contact

I have good, bad, and ??? to report:

First, I did send a request to support, and they sidestepped the raid question without answering it…

But I can!   It works BEAUTIFUL In a Raid 0 environment!   Spent past 6 hours using it…  R/W results (using AJA DiskSpeed test) indicates the Supermicro SATA2 controller is achieving 500R/490W for video… Beautiful!

It’s only after I run Dashboard on it that I realize I have 2 different model drives!!!

Both were sold as UltraII 480Gb… but one reports:

“Sandisk Ultra II 480Gb” with Firmware X41100RL (and is current per Dashboard)

Other drive reports:

“Sandisk Ultra II Solid State Drive” with Firmare X31200RL (and is current per Dashboard)

I asked Dashboard to do firmware update on each, but  they both are current… but different…

Order stated 2 identical drives.  Both boxes marked identically, barcoded identically, and both boxes both drives inside them are factory sealed…

It’s normal to want two identical drives for use in a raid.  

Until I ran Dashboard, I though I had two identical drives… but I guess not!!!

Gee What a suprise to get such fast operation and confirmed with video editing program…

But Gee Whiz!!!   If I order 2 identical drives, shouldn’t I get 2 identical drives?

Thanks for all the confidance inspiring answers!!!  

Hello, 

in that case for the firmware version issue as far as i know there are some firmware versions tha are preinstalled on the drive and may differ from batch to batch fo the drives if a change was made inside but the model stays the same. 

i do not know if sandisk decides to produce an open firmware version that you can install extra to the drive to ensure that you will be using the same version on the drive. 

i still hope that you will not have any other issues with the drive and  enjoy the full speed of it. 

Thought I’d give an update…

I have not encountered an issue that I can point to dis-simelar firmware on the Raid 0, but, I’m still not 100% comfortable with the: “Don’t Worry — Be Happy”   approach…    

As much as I’d like to accept SanDisk’s suggestion that drives with different firmware are OK to use in a Raid,

Adaptec specifically states NOT TO DO THIS!

http://ask.adaptec.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2409/~/can-different-hard-disks-be-used-to-build-a-raid%3F

Would SanDisk Like to re-visit their answer, and provide me with an exchange of one of the drives for a duplicate of the othere?

Hello, 

first i would like to inform you that my replies are not official from Sandisk since im a normal user as you are also. 

so in the case that you would like to have an official reply on this matter i suggest contacting the sandisk support directly under the following link:

http://kb.sandisk.com/app/ask/

Well, I submitted per your link.   This is my second time to do this… but, if you’ve been reading my posts you should know that I’ve done this already, and SanDisk’s approch is to tell me to "Not to Worry, and Continue using this as is "  (“Be Happy”)…

If Adaptec, and Intel, and Atto all say: "Use same model drives with same firmare,  on Raids… How can it be that SanDisk can state something so catagorically Incorrect?

As mentioned in another thread… I was hoping to add another SSD raid 0 next month, using two Ultra II 960 Gb Drives…

I added this to my Support submission today, asking how I could be assured I’d get identical hardware and firmware on subsequent purchases…

I’m optimistic that SanDisk support personell will understand and react to both of these questions…

I’ve already contacted another MFG, who has stated that they have one hardware and firmware configuration for their 960GB drives, and are not planning an update of either for there current on the shelf product.

I received andother: “don’t Worry—Be Happy” email about the dis-similal SSD firmware drives used in a raid , and SanDisk DID NOT answer the Adaptec link that indicates that same firmware is necessary for a raid:

http://ask.adaptec.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2409/~/can-different-hard-disks-be-used-to-build-a-raid%3F

nor Intel statement indicating the same

Nor did SanDisk answer question I asked about how to get 2 identical firmware Ultra II 960GB drives.

So I asked AGAIN!

SHAME SANDISK!

Many things have transpired since my last post…

I received an email requesting that Support talk to me on the phone, and I responded with my contact information and timezone as requested…

I actually received a phone call at a Pub where I was eating lunch with wife… 

Amicable discussion.  

I commented that I recently retired from a Television Network, and provided information that companies like Adaptec, Intel, Atto, Grass Valley, Quantel, and Discrete Logic ALL REQUIRE Identical Drive Model and Firmware for Raid Creation (Some companies actually provide the firmware they want installed on the drive).

The Support Engineer agreed, and commented that SanDisk would select, via the email I had provided them, which one drive I was to remove, and mail back to them, and SanDisk would in turn, supply me with a drive Identical to the model that remained in my system, as a “One Time”  solution.

I agreed to this (because it was My suggestion in the first place)!

I received a Mailing label, and removed the drrve SanDisk has requested I send back, placed in a multi-layer antistatic padded envelope, and sent back.   USPS Tracking  Sunday AM indicates: “The Item is currently in transit to destination”…

They also provided this information, with regard to subsequent SSD Purchases for Raid Use:

Also, for future use, please consider purchasing our X300, X300s or
> Z400s SSD’s. You can find more information on these drives by clicking
> on the link below:
> https://www.sandisk.com/business/computing

Phone call from SanDisk received today.  Package arrived.

The are sending a unit that has been checked to match the unit I still have, with identical hardware and firmware.

I should receive the package within a week.    They wanted me to understand that the unit I receive is new, but has been opened to verying it has the same firmware as the unit I have… 

I told them I understand perfectly why this is being done…

Thought you folks deserved an update…

Today I received a Replacement Ultra II 480GB drive…

Installed in Raid0, tested, and it has same good specs as before.

Dashboard says both drives report as same hardware name.

Dashboard says both drives have same X31200RL firmware.

Serial numbers are far apart, but that doesn’t concern me at all…

I’d like to thank the support forks at SanDisk for the exchange…

Thought you folks deserved an update…

Today I received a Replacement Ultra II 480GB drive…

Installed in Raid0, tested, and it has same good specs as before.

Dashboard says both drives report as same hardware name.

Dashboard says both drives have same X31200RL firmware.

Serial numbers are far apart, but that doesn’t concern me at all…

I’d like to thank the support forks at SanDisk for the exchange…

By the way… I tried to register the exchanged SSD today, and  the SanDisk Registration Site would not accept the serial number of the Exchange SSD. as a legal serial number…

NOW WHAT???

open a support ticket with sandisk support and they will take care of it for you

http://kb.sandisk.com/app/ask/

I emailed the SanDisk fellow who workied on the exchange… and included a picture of their site rejecting it…

He registered it for me…  Thanks!

So I beat on the new-identical hardware SSD Raid 0

It is working beautifully… Individual speed of this SSD raid vs the prior dis-simelar hardware/firmware raid is identical… But it 2 identical Hardware/Firmware SSD in Raid 0 matches what the Disc Controller MFG wants to see… So if Controller MFG is happy, I know I’ve done all I can do to make it “Right”…

An update to this addendum: The Program I’m using it on: Adobe Premiere Pro V6.05, uses the media drive in conjunction with a Database, which is on a different physical drive, Also a SSD – Samsung 840. This is the infamous drive that slows down over time…
Since the Database and Media drive works in tandem, If the Database Drive slows down, then the Media Drive slows down… Be it Spinning Drive or SSD.
 I copied the Database Data, Deleted it off SSD, and then copied it back to the Database SSD (Samsung)… and this made the Database SSD return to it’s full speed, which rippled down (Via Premiere Pro) and an overall improved lookup and video display… (No ‘Dropped’ Frames!)

And this improvement rippled down to the Spinning drive Raid 0… as well…

At this point, I can use SanDisk SSD Raid as the “Fast Raid”, and Spinning Drive Raid as an “Archive Raid”…

And happiness has returned to the system!

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