HP has done excellent job by releasing HP Proliant Generation 8 (Called as Gen8) Servers. I got a chance to work with these latest Gen8 Servers and I just love it the way it works. On Gen8 Servers, HP has done a lot of innovation like Intelligent Provisioning, iLO4 Management Engine, Active Health System, Agentless management, FlexibleLOM and SmartStorage etc. As there are lot changes happened at the architecture level of Gen8 Server, you may find few changes in the way you configure Gen8 Servers in your production environment.
One of the changes happened with HP Gen8 Server is, there is no more HP SmartStart CD. Instead, HP has installed the same features, tools and ProLiant Support Pack (PSP) in a NAND flash which is integrated on the System board. Moreover, older HP SmartStart CD will not work on your Gen8 Servers. So, if you are using an HP Gen8 Server, you do not need to carry any more CDs and drivers!! 
The embedded Smartstart and Proliant support pack feature is collectively called as HP Intelligent Provisioning. You can configure everything Out of the box on your HP ProLiant Gen8 Server by using HP Intelligent Provisioning. If you would like to learn more about HP Intelligent Provisioning, you may visit this HP link.
In this article, I will explain how to launch HP Array Configuration Utility (ACU) on your HP Gen8 Servers. Older HP Proliant servers (G7 series and below) were shipped with HP SmartStart CD. Using HP SmartStart CD, I could boot the sever and launch Array Configuration Utility (ACU). As the Gen8 Server does not use HP SmartStart CD, we have to follow different method to open ACU on Gen8 Servers.
If you are using HP Proliant G7 or below series Servers and like to know how to open ACU and configure RAID on your Server, then please refer my guide about HP ACU. I hope it helps.
For Proliant Gen8 Servers, ACU tool is already stored in the embedded NAND flash partition (HP Intelligent Provisioning). There are different ways to open HP ACU but I am explaining the easiest method here. To open ACU on your Gen8 Server, you need to press the F5 key at the server POST. When you press the F5 key, server will boot to HP Intelligent Provisioning and will launch ACU. If HP Intelligent Provisioning is corrupted or does not work, then you will not be able to launch HP Array Configuration Utility (ACU) on your HP Gen8 Server.
How to open Array Configuration utility on HP Proliant Gen8 Servers:
Here, I am going to explain how to launch Array Configuration Utility on HP Proliant Gen8 Servers with the help of screenshots.
1. Turn ON Server and Press F5 key when the Array Configuration Utility prompt is displayed.
2. Server will load HP Intelligent Provisioning, please wait till it loads.
3. Once Intelligent Provision Loads, you will find below provided screen.
4. You will receive message stating “HP Intelligent Provision launched in maintenance mode”.
5. Do not click on any Icons, please wait till Array Configuration Utility Launches
6. HP Array Configuration Utility will open now. Please check below provided screenshot.
7. Select HP Smart Array Controller from the list (Check below provided screenshot).
8. Here, I have selected HP P420i Smart Array Controller.
9. The image below shows you how an HP Array Configuration Utility window looks like.
10. Now you can start Creating Array and Logical drives in ACU.
If you would like to know how to use HP ACU to create Array, Logical drives, Spare management, RAID migration, Split Arrays, Global spare management, BBWC/FBWC identification, then refer my Guides provided below.
- Guide: How to migrate RAID on your HP Server
- Guide: Configure Online Spare HDD using HP ACU
- Guide: Configure Global Spare Hard Drive using HP ACU
- Guide: How to find HP Hard drive Backplane Firmware Version
- Guide: Order Free HP Smart Array Advanced Pack 60 days Evaluation License
- Guide: How to find Array Accelerator and Battery (BBWC/FBWC) installed on your Server?
There is no major changes happened in the way you configure Array, Logical drives, Spare HDD, RAID Migration, Global Spare management in ACU. Once you open ACU, the steps are almost same like HP Proliant G7 Servers (or below). Thank you
You May Also Like:
Stay Connected with Us:
 |
 |
 |
Subscribe via Email
|
Thanks Siraj..
You are most welcome
Hi Siru,
I’m not sure that this is the correct post for my doubt, anyway if u can help me out that would be so grateful. Is it possible to add newly hot swappable hdds to hp proliant servers as secondary hard drives? we are having raid 5 array running in one of our hp server. I need to add one more hard disc to this server but only for storing mysql database i that hdd. Is it possible to add it as secondary, so that i can remove and put in any other similar servers?
Thanks in advance,
Shafi Abdul
Hi,
I did not get what you mean by Secondary? Are you saying that you want to create a new logical drive just to store DB? if so, you can do it.
Hi siru,
Not a logical drive, Actually its a secondary physical hdd. Os and everything installed in the other raid 5 hdds (currently installed and running) and only i want to put the db in this hdd (which i have it in my hand, but not connected it to server). If anything goes wrong, i can remove this hdd and put in to any other server so i can get the data from it. Is it possible to configure like that?
Thanks and Regards,
Shafi Abdul
Hi Shafi, Sorry I still did not understand what exactly you are trying to do.. But per my understanding, this is not a supported method.
HI,
When I use to install the OS with “recommended” or “Custom” options, the system reserved partition does not get created on the C: drive.
Only when I choose “manual’, then the system reserved partition is created but then the HP utilities are not installed and I don’t see a way to install them after the fact.
I think part of the reason may be that our system disk is small – 110 GB.
You can Open ACU, then re-create Array and Logical drive. Then try the custom option again.
If you are doing manual OS install method, you can install all drivers and firmware using latest HP Service Pack available on HP.com, Please use it, it will install all required drivers and tools.
Nice article.
Regarding the Smart Array Erase Drive feature, do you know if the erase proces also destroy the contents on the FBWC?
Drive erase delete all data from the HDDs not from FBWC.
Please be informed that whenever you shutdown your server gracefully, all data from FBWC will be moved to HDDs. So you do not have to worry about the data which was present in FBWC.
Hope this answer your question
hi guys i have one issue i have same p420i when i try to configure raid 5 it only shows raid 1 and 0 how i can enable raid 5 for three SAS drives.
It is because you do not have a FBWC (Cache module of your P420 controller) installed on your server. You need it
Hi Siru,
I am facing error for DL320 G8. I select the available drive and it is showing Dynamic Smart Array B120i Raid in Embedded Slot. it is not showing smart array and i cannot choose anything from Dynamic smart arrary.
Any advice?
Thanks.
Hi,
I find that DL320e Gen8 server goes with HP Dynamic Smart Array B120i Controller or HP Smart Array P222. May I know which controller was shipped with your Server? For more information, please check the server specification link here
If it is shipped with B120i controller, then open ACU and you should be able to configure RAID. If you are not, please check whether you are using SATA HDDs because SAS HDDs are not supported.
If you still face issue, then update the Intelligent Provisioning of your Gen8 server. I wrote an article on how to update IP on your server. The link is here
Hope it helps
Cheers
SiRu
Hi Siru,
I have about 10 DL380p G8 servers in my environment, while installing OS using Intelligent Provisioning,
OS Selection, OS Familiy [ Windows ]Install Method [Customized] , Media [DISC] > OS Information, Partition Size [ Here the Min size is 131072 MB] which i would like it to be 102402 MB.
For few of my servers the partition size option goes below 102402MB, what could be the difference? and what i need to check to figure out why this difference.
Thanks
Investo
it seems like you have different amounts of RAM installed in these servers? Can you let me know whether all server use same amount of RAM ?
Hi Siru,
I have a Proliant DL 380 G7. I just replaced the hard disk to 4 x 900 GB SAS (3.6TB total). I want to set it up on RAID 6 but on the options on startup I only have til RAID 5. What is the best solution so that I can configure it to RAID 6.
You need to purchase SAAP license, it is advanced license needed for RAID 6
Hi Siru,
Could you explain how to disable the SMART array. I just want the four drives available to the OS, without RAID 5. I am using Linux and will implement RAID 10 in software, which I find more reliable. I have lost data when a controller failed, the new one had different firmware and would not read the array. I have also successfully moved RAID arrays on Linux boxes, no problem.
I’m also not a big fan of RAID Five:
http://www.miracleas.com/BAARF/BAARF2.html
So, how to turn off the RAID controller, and just make it a SATA controller ?
Thanks for your help
Kevin
Hi
Most of HP Proliant Servers are shipped with HP Smart Array controllers. We do not have a way to make a HP Smart Array controller to a SATA controller. At the heart of HP Smart Array controller, it is not just a SATA controller. It is a SAS controller too. So you can either disable the HP Smart Array controller from RBSU/BIOS, but you cannot cannot make a Smart Array controller to a SATA controller. It does not work.
However, if you are using 100 series Proliant servers, then it had some option to disable RAID functionality (some old entry level controller). This was available in very limited number of controllers.
I hope this answer will help you.
Regards
SiRu
I just purchased the DL320 Gen8, which has the same raid controller (P420i). I plan to install Ubuntu Server Linux. According to this website, it is certified: http://www.ubuntu.com/content/hp-proliant-server-certified-canonical
However, I when I go to HP’s website, I don’t see the Ubuntu Server that would allow me to download the drivers for it. Would it work?
for all supported Ubuntu flavors, HW drivers are part of Ubuntu media itself. so this will work