For the sake of simplicity I won't include parts that do not impact the problem. So as such here is my system.
Mboard: EVGA Z270 FTW K
Processor: Intel i7 7700K (with appropriate cooling)
2 x 16GB = 32GB Kingston 2400 memory
Adaptec (Microsemi) 1000-8i SAS controller
Two Seagate SAS drives 15K 300GB and 10K 900GB. With non backplane cables.
(all parts are UEFI compatable so full UEFI is enabled)
The problem is actually not at the operating system level at all. Starting with the mboard back to default UEFI settings we boot the system. The SAS controller reports "no logical drives found" "no Int 13 drives found" and of course "no BIOS installed". If you look on the Microsemi website (ask.microsemi.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/165/~/no-boot-device-available%2C-no-int13-devices-or-bios-not-installed-at-boot) it says this is normal and an info message only for no bootable drives available. It is also confusing? (now remember two are connected).
Now we move to the EVGA UEFI. Upon bootup and the eventual stopping point at the very informational EVGA UEFI screen we go to the advanced tab. Down at the bottom it says "Adaptec HBA 1000 8i" (this came from the controllers UEFI). Click on it and it displays this menu:
<Controller information
Controller Configuration
Array Configuration
Disk utilities
Administration
I found out that the controller has to be enabled to see the drives on it's configuration screen so I click on "Controller Configuration" and guess what? The entire menu disappears and is replaced with a list of the tabs in the EVGA UEFI. Going back to the advanced tab reveals that the "Adaptec HBA 1000 8i" line at the bottom is absent. The only way to see that line is one time per bootup and clicking on anything in it makes it go away?? I am submitting a ticket to EVGA support and Microsemi/Adaptec for UEFI incompatability. This is why my drives don't work because I can't configure the controller. Control A (legacy) has little functionality. I heard UEFI is here to stay and will eventually replace legacy BIOS altogether so I need to understand and fix this right.
post edited by FM3001 - 2017/08/12 19:20:54