Raid controller

[Humayoon]

I have a HPE server proliant server dl380 Gen 9 and I have added 4 SAS drives 1.8 TB Seagate model st1800mm0129 with smart array 440ar . When I try to configure it I get the following error this physical drive does not support raid and is not exposed to os.  What are my options ?

[Harshitha_K]

Hi @Humayoon ,

That error is usually not a RAID-level problem. It typically means the P440ar sees the drives, but considers them unsupported for Smart Array RAID, so it leaves them as unavailable to the controller and OS.

Given your setup:

• Server: HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen9
• Controller: HPE Smart Array P440ar
• Drives: Seagate ST1800MM0129 1.8TB SAS

The most common causes are:

1. Unsupported sector size (most common)

   • Drive is formatted as 520/528-byte sectors instead of 512 bytes.
   • P440ar will not create RAID and may show "does not support RAID and is not exposed to OS". [support.hpe.com]
   • Fix: Reformat drives to 512-byte sectors using SeaChest/sg_format (data loss).
     
     

2. Non-HPE / vendor-locked firmware

   • Drives from EMC, NetApp, Dell, etc., may have custom firmware not accepted by Smart Array.
   • Fix: Use standard firmware (if available) or replace with HPE-certified drives.
     
     

3. Outdated firmware

   • Update:
     • DL380 Gen9 System ROM
     • P440ar controller firmware
     • Intelligent Provisioning / SSA
   • Firmware updates can improve drive compatibility. [support.hpe.com]
     
     

4. Protection Information (PI/DIF) enabled

   • Some enterprise SAS drives use formats unsupported by the controller for RAID.
   • Fix: Reformat drive to standard 512-byte sector layout.
     
     

5. Alternative option

   • Use a SAS HBA (pass-through mode) and manage disks via OS software RAID/ZFS instead of Smart Array.
     
     

First thing to check

Boot into:

Intelligent Provisioning → Smart Storage Administrator (SSA)

Look at the drive details and check the block/sector size.

If you see 520 or 528 bytes, that is almost certainly the issue.

Fix

Reformat the drives to 512-byte sectors using:

• Seagate SeaChest utilities
• sg_format (Linux)
• Manufacturer tools

This completely erases the drives.

What are your options?

Option A (best): Convert all ST1800MM0129 drives to:

• 512-byte sectors
• Standard SAS format

Then create RAID on the P440ar.

Option B: Replace them with:

• HPE-branded 1.8TB SAS drives
• HPE-certified 1.8TB 10K SAS drives

This is the most reliable path.

Option C: Install a true SAS HBA instead of the P440ar and use software-defined storage (ZFS, Storage Spaces, etc.), if the drives are otherwise healthy.

Thank you!

Hope this information has helped you, Please click on the "Thumbs Up/Kudo" icon as a token of appreciation. Also, if this post has helped to solve your issue, consider marking this as an "Accepted Solution".

[Supreeth_B]

Hi @Humayoon 

Your Seagate ST1800MM0129 SAS drives are likely formatted with a sector size (such as 4Kn or 520-byte sectors) that the HPE Smart Array P440ar does not support for RAID. As a result, the controller reports that the drives do not support RAID and cannot expose them to the OS.

Your options are to reformat the drives to 512-byte sectors (if the drive firmware supports it) using a compatible SAS formatting utility, replace them with HPE-supported or 512e/512n SAS drives, or use an HBA controller instead of the Smart Array if your goal is to present the drives directly to the operating system rather than create a RAID array.

[Supreeth_B]

Hope this information has helped you, Please click on the "Thumbs Up/Kudo" icon as a token of appreciation. Also, if this post has helped to solve your issue, consider marking this as an "Accepted Solution".

Regards,
Supreeth.

[A Looijen]

I can confirm smartarray P440ar DOES support full native SAS HBA mode..

Set this controller in HBA mode via ilo (intelligent provisioning HPE SSA) or by ssacli.

I managed to reformat 3PAR 7.68TB ssd by setting this controller in hba mode.

SSD was exposed to Linux OS (I used Rocky but all should work) and used sg_format to format to 512 byte sector.

After, the ssd can be used by any common SAS (raid)controller