HPE SAS SSD REMEDIATION GUIDE

Critical firmware update required for certain HPE SAS SSDs to prevent drive failure.

HPE SAS SSD REMEDIATION GUIDE

HPE has received notifications from suppliers of critical issues affecting certain solid-state drives (SSDs) that require a firmware update to ensure that the drives they manufactured continue to function properly. As part of our commitment to support our customers and help simplify the firmware update process, HPE provides this dedicated SSD remediation guide web page to ensure that HPE customers have 24/7 access to the information and tools needed to both identify and quickly remediate affected drives in real time.

HPE encourages customers to leverage these resources and tools such as HPE iLO Amplifier Pack, HPE InfoSight for Servers, HPE Service Pack for ProLiant and Smart Update Manager to effectively identify and manage the SSD issue across a data centre environment. In addition, the HPE Platform and SSD Model Matrix documents provide direct links to download the SSD firmware.

What are the HPE SAS SSD Issues?

To date, HPE has been notified by two solid-state drive suppliers of manufacturer firmware defects in certain SAS SSD models:
  • ISSUE 40K (40,000 Power-On-Hours Failure):  In February 2020, HPE was notified by an SSD supplier of a manufacturer firmware defect in certain SAS SSD models used across the industry. The issue identified affects specific HPE SAS SSDs with an HPE firmware version prior to HPD7 that are used in a number of HPE server and storage product and results in SSD failure at 40,000 power-on-hours (i.e., 4 years, 206 days 16 hours). Due to the SSD failure not occurring until attaining 40,000 power-on-hours and based on the dates these drives began shipping from HPE, these drives are NOT susceptible to failure until October 2020 at the earliest, with the exception of HPE SimpliVity OmniCube, which could be at risk now.  This drive issue is not unique to HPE and potentially affects all customers that purchased these drives.
  • ISSUE 32K (32,768 Power-On-Hours Failure): In November 2019, HPE was notified by an SSD supplier of a manufacturer firmware defect in certain SAS SSD models used in a number of HPE server and storage products. The issue identified affects specific HPE SAS SSDs with an HPE firmware version prior to HPD8 and results in SSD failure at 32,768 power-on-hours (i.e., 3 years, 270 days, 8 hours).

Which HPE SSD models, server and storage platforms are impacted by the supplier drive issues?

The comprehensive list of HPE server and storage platforms and the SAS SSD models impacted by the drive issues are provided in the following HPE Platform and SSD Model Matrix documents. Please note that these document also have direct links to download the SSD firmware.

How do I know if I have affected SSDs in my data centre environment?

HPE encourages customers to take advantage of the HPE tools for issue detection/identification before proceeding to issue resolution to help ease the process of identifying affected SAS SSDs and effectively managing the drive issue across their data centre environment.

Standard HPE Data Centre Management Tools:

  • HPE InfoSight for Servers – Pushes a warning message (called a Wellness Alert) to customers with affected drives, providing pointers to the Customer Bulletin and firmware downloads. 
    • HPE strongly encourages customers to install HPE InfoSight for Servers today to receive Wellness Alert messages making you aware of potential product issues, as well as optimising performance, predicting and preventing problems.
  • HPE iLO Amplifier Pack – Provides a report with SSD model numbers and firmware versions for manual checking. Connect HPE iLO Amplifier Pack with HPE InfoSight for Servers to view, manage and troubleshoot server problems.
  • HPE Smart Storage Administrator (SSA) – May be used to determine SAS SSD power-on-hours for manual checking.
  • HPE MSA Storage Health Check – Securely upload your log file and receive a customised report summarising important findings, recommended improvements and opportunities to maximise the availability of your array. Additional information is available in the Customer Notice.

 

HPE SSD Issue Detection Scripts

Use the HPE SSD Issue Detection Scripts to perform an SSD drive firmware check for the power-on-hours failure issue on certain HPE SAS SSD drives. Please note that both scripts must be run in order to identify the specific SSD models affected by the 40K issue and the 32K issue. The Scripts are available for Linux, VMware and Windows. Reference the README.txt file contained within the .zip file for instructions.

How do I resolve (fix) the SSD issues?

HPE has released updated firmware for all affected SAS SSD models and strongly recommends immediate application of the critical fixes. Neglecting to update to the prescribed SSD firmware versions will result in drive failure and data loss as described above. HPE recommends leveraging the HPE Issue Detection scripts first so you can identify the SSDs in your data centre environment, followed by the firmware update.  Links to download the appropriate SSD firmware are available in the following documents:   


IMPORTANT: The updated firmware is for specific SSD models and the firmware for ISSUE 40K is not interchangeable with the firmware for ISSUE 32K.

HPE Service Pack for ProLiant (SPP) and Smart Update Manager (SUM) are available to ease the SSD firmware update process. These tools understand which firmware applies to which drive and will apply the appropriate firmware update to platforms across a data centre. Several unique Smart Components are specific to the drive model and platform operating system, which update the drive firmware. You may also download and install the Smart Component(s) on a single platform, based on the drive model present in the configuration. Reference the HPE SAS SSD Firmware Update - Software Analysis and Update Tools for detailed information.

Where can I find more information about these SSD issues?

Please refer to the following HPE Customer Bulletins for detailed platform information regarding the SAS SSD issues:


ISSUE 40K


ISSUE 32K

 

For additional HPE support: