Wrong rotation speed and transfer rate after replacing HDDs

[tcnewone]

After replacing 4 hard disks at ML350 Gen10 with HP Smart Array Controller P408i-a SR, all drives only report a rotation speed of 10,000 / 10,500 rpm and a maximum transfer rate of 6 Gb/s for the ports. I remember old drives has reported correct 15.000 rpm and 12 Gb/s

All new HDDs are HP 870759-B21 - EH000900JWCPN - 900 GB SFF SAS 12 Gb/s and 15.000 rpm

Firmware installed on the HDDs is HPD8 and HPD4.
All other firmware on the server and controller are up to date.

I tried to upgrade HDD's firmware - but it fails all times with message "Direct flash failed - Device Drive 1I:3:3 (HPE Smart Array P408i-a SR Gen10 in Slot 0) of type 4 failed to flash"

[Mr_Techie]

Let me know are you using the genuine HPE drives? Reason for ask is "Direct flash failed" is typical when drives are not original or offline update is required.

Can you give a try to below oones: 

Run ssacli ctrl slot=0 pd all show detail to inspect: Rotational speed, transfer rate, and firmware version.
Try updating firmware using the offline SPP ISO (Smart Update Manager):
Check the backplane and cables to ensure 12 Gb/s support.
If all drives show incorrect specs, they may be misrepresented.

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[tcnewone]

I think all drives are original.

ssacli gets this details:

HPE Smart Array P408i-a SR Gen10 in Slot 0 (Embedded)

Array A

physicaldrive 1I:3:1
Port: 1I
Box: 3
Bay: 1
Status: OK
Drive Type: Data Drive
Interface Type: SAS
Size: 900 GB
Drive exposed to OS: False
Logical/Physical Block Size: 512/512
Rotational Speed: 10000
Firmware Revision: HPD8
Serial Number: XXXXX
WWID: 5000C500724B2C49
Model: HPE EH000900JWCPN
Current Temperature (C): 50
Maximum Temperature (C): 55
PHY Count: 2
PHY Transfer Rate: 6.0Gbps, Unknown
PHY Physical Link Rate: 6.0Gbps, Unknown
PHY Maximum Link Rate: 6.0Gbps, 6.0Gbps
Drive Authentication Status: OK
Carrier Application Version: 11
Carrier Bootloader Version: 6
Sanitize Erase Supported: False
Shingled Magnetic Recording Support: None
Drive Unique ID: 5000C500724B2C4B
Multi-Actuator Drive: False

physicaldrive 1I:3:2
Port: 1I
Box: 3
Bay: 2
Status: OK
Drive Type: Data Drive
Interface Type: SAS
Size: 900 GB
Drive exposed to OS: False
Logical/Physical Block Size: 512/512
Rotational Speed: 10000
Firmware Revision: HPD8
Serial Number: XXXXX
WWID: 5000C50067E43EA5
Model: HPE EH000900JWCPN
Current Temperature (C): 52
Maximum Temperature (C): 58
PHY Count: 2
PHY Transfer Rate: 6.0Gbps, Unknown
PHY Physical Link Rate: 6.0Gbps, Unknown
PHY Maximum Link Rate: 6.0Gbps, 6.0Gbps
Drive Authentication Status: OK
Carrier Application Version: 11
Carrier Bootloader Version: 6
Sanitize Erase Supported: False
Shingled Magnetic Recording Support: None
Drive Unique ID: 5000C50067E43EA7
Multi-Actuator Drive: False

physicaldrive 1I:3:3
Port: 1I
Box: 3
Bay: 3
Status: OK
Drive Type: Spare Drive
Interface Type: SAS
Size: 900 GB
Drive exposed to OS: False
Logical/Physical Block Size: 512/512
Rotational Speed: 10500
Firmware Revision: HPD4
Serial Number: XXXXX
WWID: 5000C5008DEEC349
Model: HP EH000900JWCPN
Current Temperature (C): 49
Maximum Temperature (C): 59
PHY Count: 2
PHY Transfer Rate: 6.0Gbps, Unknown
PHY Physical Link Rate: 6.0Gbps, Unknown
PHY Maximum Link Rate: 6.0Gbps, 6.0Gbps
Drive Authentication Status: OK
Carrier Application Version: 11
Carrier Bootloader Version: 6
Sanitize Erase Supported: True
Unrestricted Sanitize Supported: False
Shingled Magnetic Recording Support: None
Drive Unique ID: 5000C5008DEEC34B
Multi-Actuator Drive: False

physicaldrive 1I:3:4
Port: 1I
Box: 3
Bay: 4
Status: OK
Drive Type: Spare Drive
Interface Type: SAS
Size: 900 GB
Drive exposed to OS: False
Logical/Physical Block Size: 512/512
Rotational Speed: 10500
Firmware Revision: HPD4
Serial Number: XXXXX
WWID: 5000C50089CAC959
Model: HP EH000900JWCPN
Current Temperature (C): 44
Maximum Temperature (C): 59
PHY Count: 2
PHY Transfer Rate: 6.0Gbps, Unknown
PHY Physical Link Rate: 6.0Gbps, Unknown
PHY Maximum Link Rate: 6.0Gbps, 6.0Gbps
Drive Authentication Status: OK
Carrier Application Version: 11
Carrier Bootloader Version: 6
Sanitize Erase Supported: True
Unrestricted Sanitize Supported: False
Shingled Magnetic Recording Support: None
Drive Unique ID: 5000C50089CAC95B
Multi-Actuator Drive: False

If offline update is required why doesnt tell me this? I'll try this next days.

[Mr_Techie]

@tcnewone 

You replaced 4 hard drives (HP 870759-B21) in your ML350 Gen10 with a HPE Smart Array P408i-a SR controller. However, the drives are reporting:

Rotational Speed: 10,000/10,500 RPM instead of 15,000 RPM.
Maximum Transfer Rate: 6 Gb/s instead of 12 Gb/s.

Cause of the Issue:
Mixed Firmware Versions: Drives with HPD8 and HPD4 firmware are likely causing the controller to fallback to 6 Gb/s and 10k/10.5k RPM speeds.
Generic Flash Failure Message: The "Direct Flash Failed" message can be caused by:
Drive write protection.
Security settings preventing firmware updates.
Tools not being able to access the SAS bus properly in OS mode.

Solution:

Update All Drives to the Same Firmware (HPD8 preferred):
Use offline flashing with SPP ISO or HPE Firmware Boot Tool (via iLO Virtual Media or USB stick).

Controller Settings:-Boot into Smart Storage Administrator (SSA) and check for security settings blocking the firmware upgrade (e.g., write protection).
Clear any pending configurations.

Check Backplane & SAS Connections:
Ensure the backplane supports 12 Gb/s and the cables are properly seated.
If using a SAS expander, ensure its firmware is up-to-date.

Reboot and Recheck>> After updating, confirm that the drives now report the correct 15,000 RPM and 12 Gb/s transfer rate using the ssacli tool.

[tcnewone]

Yesterday I tried to update firmware of hard disks offline to HPD8.

I booted SPP 25.03 with a USB stick and started deployment but I got same error "Direct Flash Failed"

Your wrote "check for security settings blocking the firmware upgrade (e.g., write protection)" - how (where) can I check this?

Hint: I only replaced hard drives and did not change any security settings. So I think there must be another reason for this error.

Regards,

Thomas