ZimaOS has long supported multiple storage drives; the source problem was specifically an LSI HBA driver gap. The original user had an LSI SAS2308/9217-8i card whose attached disks did not appear. Zima-Jerry identified the card as using the mpt3sas kernel driver and said that driver had been integrated for an upcoming release.
By December 2025, another user reported that ZimaOS instantly recognized a SAS3004-based IBM M1210 and all four attached 8 TB SAS SSDs. Current IceWhale documentation also lists LSI RAID adapters, MegaRAID SAS and LSI HBA support among implemented driver contributions. That makes “ZimaOS does not support multiple drives through HBA” an outdated conclusion, while exact card/firmware compatibility still needs device-level verification.
The Original SAS2308 Card Needed mpt3sas Support
The source card was an LSI SAS2308-8i / 9217-8i. IceWhale identified mpt3sas as the relevant Linux kernel driver and said support should normally arrive in the next release.
That was a driver-layer issue, not a limit on how many drives ZimaOS can manage.
The 2025 Installer Had a Separate HBA Visibility Limitation
Zima-Jerry also said the then-current installer image did not support LSI HBA cards very well and suggested booting another system before writing the ZimaOS image as a workaround.
That advice is historical. Current users should start with the current ZimaOS installer and only fall back to version-specific recovery methods if IceWhale documents them.
IceWhale Added More LSI Drivers Later in 2025
In December, Jerry returned to the thread and asked users to retest because many additional LSI HBA drivers had recently been added.
That changed the practical compatibility picture substantially from the first June replies.
A SAS3004 / IBM M1210 Setup Was Source-Confirmed
vipper_666 reported immediate detection of a SAS3004-based IBM M1210 with four 8 TB SAS SSDs and said performance remained steady and stable.
Current ZimaOS Lists LSI HBA Support as Implemented
IceWhale's current driver-contribution page lists LSI RAID adapters, LSI Logic MegaRAID SAS RAID and LSI HBA support as implemented.
Use the current ZimaOS driver list.
Still Verify the Exact Controller and Mode
Two cards with the same LSI family name may use different chipsets, firmware personalities, RAID/IT modes, or OEM firmware. Before wiping data, capture:
lspci -nnk
lsblk -o NAME,SIZE,MODEL,SERIAL,FSTYPE
dmesg | grep -i -E "mpt3sas|megaraid|sas|scsi|error|fail"Software RAID Needs the HBA to Expose Individual Disks
If you want ZimaOS to create RAID/JBOD itself, the HBA should present individual block devices cleanly. A hardware RAID virtual disk hides the individual members from ZimaOS and changes failure/rebuild responsibilities.
IT/HBA Mode and Hardware RAID Mode Serve Different Goals
For ZimaOS-managed RAID, the cleanest architecture is usually an HBA/IT-style controller that exposes each physical disk directly. A MegaRAID virtual disk presents one logical device instead, moving redundancy/rebuild decisions into the controller.
Do not create a hardware RAID virtual volume and then assume ZimaOS will still see or monitor every physical member independently.
Preserve Disk Serial Visibility
When several identical SAS/SATA drives are attached through an HBA, serial numbers are critical for identifying a failing member later. Before creating the array, confirm that ZimaOS/Linux can report model and serial information for each disk consistently.
Controller Firmware Can Be as Important as the Kernel Driver
Even with mpt3sas present, old OEM firmware or a mismatched controller personality can affect initialization, link negotiation, and drive exposure. Record the controller firmware version before troubleshooting and avoid cross-flashing firmware unless you understand the exact OEM/card revision.
Test All Drives Before Creating RAID
After ZimaOS detects the HBA, verify every intended disk in lsblk and the Storage UI before creating RAID. A missing member at this stage is a driver/controller/cabling problem, not something RAID creation will fix.
LSI HBA FAQ
Does ZimaOS support more than one storage drive?
Yes. The source issue was HBA driver compatibility, not a one-drive product limit.
Was mpt3sas added by IceWhale?
Yes. Zima-Jerry said the driver was integrated for a later release.
Was any LSI HBA setup actually verified in the thread?
Yes. A SAS3004-based IBM M1210 with four 8 TB SAS SSDs was reported working and stable.
