ASMedia SATA_3 port causes IRST to stop responding - Solved

[Zuhl3156]

I have a CM Stryker case with a docking port for an SSD. I finally got around to running the cables but every time I plug in a drive it causes errors when IRST stops responding. I don't understand why there would be a conflict between the Intel and ASMedia controllers. I even tried updating the driver through Device Mgr and it always says "Driver up to date" yet still shows MS driver instead of ASMedia. The drive is an OCZ Agility-3 and it does work. I ran AS_SSD and ATTO benchmarks for it. I can't even enter the IRST control panel to see if this drive is listed in there when it is plugged in. I haven't tried it without the docking port and connecting straight to the ASMedia SATA_3 port but I don't see how this would make any difference. ASMedia SATA_3 drivers are installed but don't show up in Device Mgr anywhere. What gives? Any ideas?

I thought I had entered my system info somewhere here but it looks like I was wrong. I normally have it in my sig at other forums so I don't have to re-enter it every time I ask question. Here goes:

ASRock Z77 Extreme4
Intel i7-2600k 4.5 GHz
GSkill Ripjaws 2133 MHz
OCZ Vertex-4 256 GB x2 RAID-0
EVGA GTX-680 x2 dual SLI
Corsair H80i

[Shiari]

re: ASMedia SATA_3 port causes IRST to stop responding - Solved

Just looking for more info here ... as I understand it so far you've got 2 system SSD's (Vertex 4), on SATA3_0 and SATA3_1, and those are thus on the Intel controller in raid 0, and no problems with those? And then there's an external SATA docking port which you're trying to use with an Agility 3 on the ASMedia controller?

And btw, you shouldn't be able to see the drive through IRST if it's not connected on the Intel controller, I think.

Just to confirm: you haven't accidentally set the controller to IDE mode?

(FWIW, I don't see any ASMedia controllers here either on my Z87 Extreme6, while my DVD drive is connected to it ... so that doesn't seem to be an issue in itself)

[Zuhl3156]

re: ASMedia SATA_3 port causes IRST to stop responding - Solved

No problems with the two SSD in RAID0 and they are on SATA3_0 and SATA3_1. The SATA cable runs from the docking port straight to the ASMedia SATA3_0 port and the drive works

except that it causes IRST to stop responding every time I insert it. I can't even open IRST with the SSD in the docking port. It makes no sense to me. The controller is set

to AHCI in BIOS. When I first tried the port I had to initialize and assign a drive letter using Disk Management. I used the letter X and I hope that isn't dumb enough to

cause problems. I don't remember what my other choice for motherboard was when I got this one but I chose the ASRock because it had the two extra SAT3 ports and I have extra

SSDs laying around that I would like to use.

[parsec]

re: ASMedia SATA_3 port causes IRST to stop responding - Solved

I have a CM Stryker case with a docking port for an SSD. I finally got around to running the cables but every time I plug in a drive it causes errors when IRST stops responding. I don't understand why there would be a conflict between the Intel and ASMedia controllers. I even tried updating the driver through Device Mgr and it always says "Driver up to date" yet still shows MS driver instead of ASMedia. The drive is an OCZ Agility-3 and it does work. I ran AS_SSD and ATTO benchmarks for it. I can't even enter the IRST control panel to see if this drive is listed in there when it is plugged in. I haven't tried it without the docking port and connecting straight to the ASMedia SATA_3 port but I don't see how this would make any difference. ASMedia SATA_3 drivers are installed but don't show up in Device Mgr anywhere. What gives? Any ideas?

I thought I had entered my system info somewhere here but it looks like I was wrong. I normally have it in my sig at other forums so I don't have to re-enter it every time I ask question. Here goes:

ASRock Z77 Extreme4
Intel i7-2600k 4.5 GHz
GSkill Ripjaws 2133 MHz
OCZ Vertex-4 256 GB x2 RAID-0
EVGA GTX-680 x2 dual SLI
Corsair H80i

I had a hard time understanding what exactly is happening with IRST in your post, but I've seen an issue with the IRST GUI (control panel) and the ASMedia and Marvell SATA controllers. That is, the IRST GUI will not start if the ASMedia or Marvell controllers are enabled, and a drive is connected to the controller. This happens with any mother board using a recent Intel SATA controller, and either the ASMedia or Marvell add on SATA chipsets.

This issue started with, IIRC, IRST 11.5 and continued with following versions, when using Windows 7. It is related to the IRST Windows installation program installing a driver file for each disk drive in the PC. That is unusual, since the IRST driver is used by the Intel SATA controller, and not by a storage drive. The file installed for each disk drive by the IRST installer is what causes Windows and other programs to identify the Intel SATA controller, and the drives connected to it as SCSI devices. Note that this issue does not occur with Windows 8, nor does the IRST installer install the file for each storage drive.

There is no solution for this problem AFAIK, except using an earlier version of IRST, like 11.2, or disabling the ASMedia SATA controller, which is hardly a fix. The ASMedia controller is listed in IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers, but when the standard MS msachi driver is used, the entry will simply be ATA Controller. If the ASMedia driver is installed, the entry under IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers becomes ASmedia 106x SATA Controller.

The IRST GUI/Control panel only displays and works with drives connected to the Intel SATA ports. What version of IRST are you using?

[Zuhl3156]

re: ASMedia SATA_3 port causes IRST to stop responding - Solved

I am using IRST 11.7.1013 from the ASRock download page for this mobo. I just noticed my OROM version this afternoon and it is 11.2.1527. I did notice the IDE ATA/ATAPI section in Device Mgr has the ASMedia drivers in there. I am just learning about OROM and stuff but maybe I'll get better performance using the IRST 11.2 driver since it is closer to my OROM version. Thanks for your reply it has been a big help trying to understand this issue. I will try the IRST 11.2 drivers tomorrow if I can find them. I might already have them downloaded from my P67 motherboard. I will let you know tomorrow. Thanks again.

[Zuhl3156]

re: ASMedia SATA_3 port causes IRST to stop responding - Solved

You hit the nail on the head, parsec. Installed 11.2.1006 and everything is good to go and working properly. I don't think that 11.2 passes the TRIM command like the 11.7 because the 11.7 version relies on the SCSi config to pass TRIM to the array. Given the choice of losing TRIM or using Windows 8, I can live without TRIM. lol
Thanks again, parsec. You're a lifesaver. Have a good night.

I wish I knew how to edit the title and add "Resolved" but maybe someone can do that for me.

[parsec]

re: ASMedia SATA_3 port causes IRST to stop responding - Solved

Thanks, and great, what you are seeing fits what I've seen myself. Glad that worked for you, although IMO it should have, and did.

What the exact cause of this bug in the IRST GUI and/or driver, and the ASMedia/Marvell chips is weird, but has some reason no doubt. How Intel could have not seen this is beyond me, since a few of their own mother boards use Marvell chips. I'm surprised I haven't heard more about this, there is a thread in the Intel SSD forum about it that I was involved with, but otherwise I have seen almost nothing about it.

According to Intel when they were asked about RAID 0 TRIM, all they said was necessary was (at the time) a 7 series chipset (ie, Z77), a version 11 IRST driver, without any other sub-version specifed (I know what you mean about the 11.7 driver, but the RAID 0 TRIM support claim was released before IRST 11.7 existed), and a version 11 IRST Option ROM.

Have you ever tried the trimcheck program? You run it two times as it describes, and verifies that TRIM is working. Just search for it and download. Seemed to work for me, and did not cause any problems. Been out there for a while, and should have been found to be bad or worthless by now if it was.

[Zuhl3156]

Re: ASMedia SATA_3 port causes IRST to stop responding - Solved

I found that 'trimtest' app and it appears that TRIM is working. When I originally asked what was going on when all of my drives were suddenly listed as SCSi I was informed that there was an extra signal in the SCSi controller that was required to pass the TRIM signal to a SSD RAID-0 array. I only know what I am told and never questioned the infinite knowlege and wisdom of the technology gods at Intel. Maybe there is an extra signal in the SCSi controller that is interfering with the ASMedia controllers. It's good to know that my TRIM is actually working and I won't have to let my PC sit idle for a few hours each week to let "Garbage Collection" do its job. Thanks again for all of your help.

[parsec]

Re: ASMedia SATA_3 port causes IRST to stop responding - Solved

That is great!

I am just going by what I've seen about TRIM in RAID 0 when it first began working, not that Intel actually announced it. The only indication was in the help documentation for the IRST control panel, that casually mentioned TRIM in RAID 0 worked. Anandtech, that is on good terms with Intel, finally formally asked them about it, and got a short but clear reply, which is what I wrote above. The SCSI filter drivers are still a mystery IMO, and they are not installed when using IRST version 12 with Windows 8.

Given the way NAND data cells are supposed to work, seeing FF in a byte is exactly what an empty NAND byte should be, but is not always what is seen for various reasons.

[Zuhl3156]

Re: ASMedia SATA_3 port causes IRST to stop responding - Solved

Everything is working great and AS-SSD scores are even better except for a strange error when I run the benchmark. Maybe my access times have improved too much!

[parsec]

Re: ASMedia SATA_3 port causes IRST to stop responding - Solved

Yes, that is a good score, and I imagine you know how Vertex 4s in RAID 0 do in AS SSD, they don't usually give the ~1000MB/s read speeds, but they rock the write and high queue depth (4K-64Thrd) speeds.

I've also seen AS SSD errors like that, had it myself once, they usually happen on new Windows installations, or when drivers are just installed, for some reason. Usually that is seen with Samsung SSDs, and always clears up after a boot or two. I've never seen a reason about why that happens, but it should be nothing to worry about.

Just to compare, this is what three 128GB Vertex 4s do on a Z87 board (six Intel SATA III ports) on Windows 8:



Not much difference, right? Plus this is on Windows 8, which tends to give lower benchmark scores. BTW, that is with 32K stripe size.

It seems that the DMI buss used for the Intel SATA interface is hitting its limits with multiple SATA III SSDs in RAID 0. The few other AS SSD tests I've seen with three or four SSDs on Z87 boards are not much better, except for one guy with four 128GB 840 Pro's, that was using an IRST 11.2 driver on a Z87 board. Given what I have seen in forums, and on my own PCs, the fastest IRST drivers were any versions between and including IRST 10.8 and 11.2.

[�code]

Re: ASMedia SATA_3 port causes IRST to stop responding - Solved

Be aware that if you have gone from 11.5 or higher to 11.2 the lower filter driver iastorF may still be present on W7 and possibly earlier.

FWIW I use 11.2 mainly because I find it a faster driver, at least on Z77 and earlier, I have not tried 8 series. Also I find file level trim works on W8 with this driver but not 11.5 and upwards but for now that probably isn't important. The disadvantage of 11.2 is not being able to use the BIOS EFI driver and having to use a legacy OROM instead, but I can live with that. YMMV.

[Zuhl3156]

Re: ASMedia SATA_3 port causes IRST to stop responding - Solved

Yes, that is a good score, and I imagine you know how Vertex 4s in RAID 0 do in AS SSD, they don't usually give the ~1000MB/s read speeds, but they rock the write and high queue depth (4K-64Thrd) speeds.

I've also seen AS SSD errors like that, had it myself once, they usually happen on new Windows installations, or when drivers are just installed, for some reason. Usually that is seen with Samsung SSDs, and always clears up after a boot or two. I've never seen a reason about why that happens, but it should be nothing to worry about.

Yeah, the Vertex-4 does write like crazy. AFAIK this is the best AS-SSD score I have ever had. IRST verifies data integrity and SFC shows no errors so I am not concerned about my Windows installation. Thanks for confirmation that this has been seen before in AS-SSD. I have been told that the OCZ Vector performs much better and a second generation Vector is in the works but I see no reason for me to upgrade my drives right now. This PC is only for my entertainment purposes as a hobby and for gaming. It keeps me busy and I am happy with its current performance. Thanks for the reply.

[Zuhl3156]

Re: ASMedia SATA_3 port causes IRST to stop responding - Solved

Be aware that if you have gone from 11.5 or higher to 11.2 the lower filter driver iastorF may still be present on W7 and possibly earlier.

I was in the Registry yesterday checking that the msahci settings were still correct and the iastorF entry was still present. Does the iastorF filter interfere with performance? Is there a way to disable it by modifying a Registry value or can it be deleted without causing stability issues? I have no idea if iastorF was always present in Registry and made active by the IRST software installation or if IRST installed it in my Registry. I always got better performance using IRST 10.8 with my Gigabyte P67 board and it seems like the Extreme4 likes the 11.2 drivers the best. Thanks for your input.

[parsec]

Re: ASMedia SATA_3 port causes IRST to stop responding - Solved

Be aware that if you have gone from 11.5 or higher to 11.2 the lower filter driver iastorF may still be present on W7 and possibly earlier.

FWIW I use 11.2 mainly because I find it a faster driver, at least on Z77 and earlier, I have not tried 8 series. Also I find file level trim works on W8 with this driver but not 11.5 and upwards but for now that probably isn't important. The disadvantage of 11.2 is not being able to use the BIOS EFI driver and having to use a legacy OROM instead, but I can live with that. YMMV.

I've seen this claim in the past, but have not taken it seriously until I now see you agreeing with it. Not to argue the point, but I am curious what is the reason you believe TRIM does not work with IRST 11.5 (which was removed by Intel for RAID usage) and upwards? Does that include IRST 12 drivers too?

EDIT: Just tested TRIM on a RAID 0 volume of SSDs, with IRST 12.5 on Windows 8 (or tested it as much as is possible...) It did not work...

I would also not recommend attempting to install IRST 11.2 on a RAID 0 OS volume originally installed with IRST 12.5 F6 drivers and full 12.5 IRST Windows package, UEFI booting Windows 8. The result is a non-booting PC, regardless of CSM setting and OROM policy. I did manage to save the OS installation via Windows Restore, but it did not look good for a while.

Now I see why Intel was not enthusiastic about advertising TRIM working in RAID 0. It can in some circumstances, and not in others. The Windows 8 Optimizer for SSDs merrily runs on a RAID 0 volume with IRST 12.5, and completes, but meanwhile in NAND land, nothing happens AFAIK.

I had converted to single SSD OS drives on my other Windows 8 PCs, since I really saw no difference in performance compared to SSDs in RAID 0. I decided to give RAID 0 one more shot in my Z87 PC, and it boots up very fast and seemingly slightly faster than single SSDs with Windows 8. But there's more to it than that with Windows 8, hard to explain simply. I'll be cloning my RAID 0 volume to a single SSD soon and see how that goes.