spoiler alert: this is work in progress… was told by Adaptec support to upgrade firmware.

did not do that yet – because firmware upgrades on production systems are sometimes very risky endeavors.

one of the most important features of a hardware RAID controller besides providing a (hopefully) stable and fast 24-7 RAID1…10 is: notification on drive failure, because it is pretty bad having a RAID system in place (RAID10 + one spare is recommended) to not be notified during a drive failure – so the drive get’s replace in time.

two drive failures later – one’s RAID might go bust and a lengthy multi day downtime and restore process might be necessary.

tried several different mail servers, the Adaptec RAID Controller ASR8805 (with Firmware: 7.10-0 (33072)) refuses to send mails via any of them.

finally used one’s own mail server… (exim) where one can debug the problem with following the logs with one’s nice live log monitor script.

==> /var/log/exim/main.log <== 
2019-10-06 16:27:56 TLS error on connection from [123.123.123.123] (SSL_accept):
error:14094416:SSL routines:ssl3_read_bytes:sslv3 alert certificate unknown 

the problem could be:

that the client (the adaptec raid controller on server5 that wants to send the mail) does not trust the TLS certificate of the server.

but importing that exim certificate…

cat /etc/exim/exim.conf|grep tls_certificate
tls_certificate = /usr/local/vesta/ssl/certificate.crt

… did not help.

https://support.oneidentity.com/de-de/kb/96142/error-ssl-routines-ssl3_read_bytes-sslv3-alert-certificate-unknown-ssl-alert-number-46-3-

how to export support.zip archive

with all options selected, when one unpacks the support.zip one will find this list of files:

drwxrwxr-x. 2 user user  12K Oct  6 16:56 .
drwxr-xr-x. 4 user user 4.0K Oct  6 16:53 ..
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user 2.0K Oct  6 16:51 Agent\RaidAgnt.pps
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user 2.0K Oct  6 16:56 Agent\RaidErrA.log
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user    0 Oct  6 16:51 Agent\RaidEvtA.log
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user    0 Oct  6 16:51 Arcconf\UcliEvt.log
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user 2.0M Oct  6 16:51 Basecode\Controller_1_MIPS_1004K_Bina.bin
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user 5.0K Oct  6 16:51 Basecode\Controller_1_MIPS_1004K_Prin.txt
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user 8.0K Oct  6 16:51 Basecode\Controller_1_MSGU_Binary_Log.bin
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user 3.6K Oct  6 16:51 CIM\cimadapter.log
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user    0 Oct  6 16:51 CIM\NRMFSADebug.log
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user    0 Oct  6 16:51 CIM\NRMFSAEvents.log
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user    0 Oct  6 16:51 CIM\PegasusError.log
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user    0 Oct  6 16:51 CIM\PegasusStandard.log
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user 861K Oct  6 16:51 CIM\SMIS.txt
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user 2.1M Oct  6 16:51 CIM\SMIS.txt.1
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user 2.1M Oct  6 16:51 CIM\SMIS.txt.2
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user 2.1M Oct  6 16:51 CIM\SMIS.txt.3
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user 2.1M Oct  6 16:51 CIM\SMIS.txt.4
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user 2.1M Oct  6 16:51 CIM\SMIS.txt.5
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user  18K Oct  6 16:51 Firmware\Controller_1_Config.txt
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user  213 Oct  6 16:51 Firmware\Controller_1_Deaddrives.txt
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user  224 Oct  6 16:51 Firmware\Controller_1_Device_log.txt
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user  280 Oct  6 16:51 Firmware\Controller_1_Event_Log.txt
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user 354K Oct  6 16:51 Firmware\Controller_1_Logs.txt
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user 5.0M Oct  6 16:52 Firmware\Controller_1_Monitor_log.csv
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user 5.0M Oct  6 16:52 Firmware\Controller_1_Monitor_log.txt
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user  13K Oct  6 16:52 Firmware\Controller_1_SmartStats.xml
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user    0 Oct  6 16:51 GUI\catalina.2017-12-10-1.log
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user    0 Oct  6 16:51 GUI\catalina.2017-12-10.log
...
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user    0 Oct  6 16:51 GUI\catalina.2019-09-13-1.log
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user 5.6K Oct  6 16:51 GUI\catalina.2019-09-13.log
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user    0 Oct  6 16:51 GUI\maxviewwebserver-stderr.2017-12-11.log
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user    0 Oct  6 16:51 GUI\maxviewwebserver-stdout.2017-12-11.log
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user 7.0K Oct  6 16:51 GUI\RaidDP.log
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user    0 Oct  6 16:51 GUI\RaidErr.log
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user  54K Oct  6 16:51 Storlib\arcconfig.xml
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user    0 Oct  6 16:51 Storlib\arcerror.txt
-rw-rw-r--. 1 user user  23K Oct  6 16:52 SupportFilesLog.txt

OF COURSE found nothing about the “mail not send” bug (it is obviously a firmware bug) in the logs but instead found: R6_GetRaid6Options: REED_SOLOMON is SUPPORTED (and is the default) (better than nothing)

Java on the RAID controller? WHY? MANKIND WHY?

one could also run php and a full apache2 lamp stack instead X-D

# one just HOPES they did not try to run Java on an RAID Controller
cat Agent\\RaidErrA.log 
06 Oct 2019 16:04:20,725 [RMI TCP Connection(167176)-192.168.0.201] ERROR CcodeDataProc.getAdapterEventLog:1405 - Could not parse adapter log
# well better an Java error message than no error message but still
# WHY IS JAVA RUNNING ON THIS RAID CONTROLLER?
java.lang.StringIndexOutOfBoundsException: String index out of range: 15
	at java.lang.String.substring(Unknown Source)
	at com.ibm.sysmgt.raidmgr.dataproc.CcodeDataProc.getAdapterEventLog(CcodeDataProc.java:1389)
	at com.ibm.sysmgt.raidmgr.dataproc.MasterDataProc.getAdapterEventLog(MasterDataProc.java:605)
	at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
	at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(Unknown Source)
	at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(Unknown Source)
	at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Unknown Source)
	at com.ibm.sysmgt.raidmgr.dataproc.RMIDataProc.invokeMethod(RMIDataProc.java:91)
	at com.ibm.sysmgt.raidmgr.dataproc.RMIDataProc_Skel.dispatch(Unknown Source)
	at sun.rmi.server.UnicastServerRef.oldDispatch(Unknown Source)
	at sun.rmi.server.UnicastServerRef.dispatch(Unknown Source)
	at sun.rmi.transport.Transport$2.run(Unknown Source)
	at sun.rmi.transport.Transport$2.run(Unknown Source)
	at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
	at sun.rmi.transport.Transport.serviceCall(Unknown Source)
	at sun.rmi.transport.tcp.TCPTransport.handleMessages(Unknown Source)
	at sun.rmi.transport.tcp.TCPTransport$ConnectionHandler.run0(Unknown Source)
	at sun.rmi.transport.tcp.TCPTransport$ConnectionHandler.access$400(Unknown Source)
	at sun.rmi.transport.tcp.TCPTransport$ConnectionHandler$1.run(Unknown Source)
	at sun.rmi.transport.tcp.TCPTransport$ConnectionHandler$1.run(Unknown Source)
	at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
	at sun.rmi.transport.tcp.TCPTransport$ConnectionHandler.run(Unknown Source)
	at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(Unknown Source)
	at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(Unknown Source)
	at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)

RISC-V: Microsemi’s HiFive Unleashed PolarFire FPGA 🙂

ok reputation restored. Screw this java mail tls glitch.

this is pretty nice: https://www.crowdsupply.com/microsemi/hifive-unleashed-expansion-board

… but with $2000 also PRETTY EXPENSIVE.

https://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/FPGA-Erweiterung-fuers-RISC-V-Linux-Entwicklerboard-4042648.html

Acquisition merger chaos:

companies nowadays just as real estate are bought bought bought maximized in profit (fire half of it’s staff) – sold sold sold to the next investor – investor repeates the process…

this makes short term profits for some banks and investors – but leaves company culture at chaos (dysfunctional because of permanent restructure and reorganization merger chaos).

LSI was bought by broadcom.

“On May 6, 2014, LSI Corporation was acquired by Avago Technologies (now known as Broadcom Inc.) for $6.6 billion.[5]” (src: Wikipedia)

Microsemi was bought by “Microchip Technology” in March 2018. (src: Wikipedia)

“In March 2018 Microchip Technology announced it would acquire Microsemi for approximately $10 billion.[2]

Microsemi has been producing various electronic products, including high-performance and radiation-hardened analog mixed-signal integrated circuits, FPGAs, SoCs and ASICs; power management products; timing and synchronization devices and precise time solutions, voice processing devices; RF solutions; discrete components; enterprise storage and communication solutions, security technologies and scalable anti-tamper products; Ethernet solutions; Power-over-Ethernet ICs.[42][43]

Microsemi has provided semiconductor solutions for numerous U.S. space programs dating back to the launch of the first Atlas rocket. Several of Microsemi’s space products were used in the historic landing of the Mars Curiosity Rover in 2012.[44] Microsemi products were also used for mission critical applications such as launch systems, avionics, telemetry, navigation, drive control, mission computers, cameras and other instruments.[44]

FPGAs and SoCs
  • Flash-based FPGAs and SoCs from 5K to 150KLUTs
  • Space-grade FPGAs
  • Space-grade Analog Front end for FPGAs
Storage
Ethernet and Network processors
Optical Products
Power over Ethernet
  • PoE Injectors
  • PoE Switches
  • PoE PSE ICs
  • PoE PD ICs
Audio and Voice
Timing & Synchronization
Power Management
Power Discretes and Modules
RF Transceivers
  • Ultra Low Power Wearable Radio
  • Implantable Radio
WLAN RF Front End
  • Power Amplifiers
  • LNAs
  • FEMs
RF/Microwave Discretes
Circuit Protection

ps: After all … everyone just wishes for either good linux drivers for hardware raid controllers (which adaptec does, LSI not) or: just storage adapters that leave all the raid to mdadm software raid (probably the future)

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