By: John Stutsman

The purpose of this paper is to measure a performance baseline of up to 4 similar Hard Disk Drives in a number of RAID configurations using a Rocket RAID 2720 in an HP ProLiant MicroServer.

I first looked at a Rocket RAID 2720 (“RR2720”) in a MicroServer in HP ProLiant N54L G7 MicroServer – First Look and while I found it interesting (and fun) to work with I noted some limitations including not being able to use my add-on PCIe Intel NIC card or my PCIe WD USB 3.0 card. Without the add-on NIC card a MicroServer with the RR2720 had limited utility as a Hyper-V test box because of the desirability to have a 2^nd NIC dedicated to VM’s on a Hyper-V test box. Without the USB 3.0 card I lost the ability of fast server backups over the USB 3.0 connection – another detriment in my opinion. The MicroServer has proven to be an excellent platform for me to test some of the possibilities of the RR2720. The RR2720 is a very popular and proven RAID card on many platforms (including the GA-Z77X-UD5H) that has been discussed extensively in the Forums, Podcasts, and in PCDoc’s world & video’s – so I felt the more I could learn about the RR2720 would be time well spent.

As a result of testing I ran in Performance Measurement of the HP ProLiant N40L and N54L G7 MicroServer I ended up moving my production Windows Home Server 2011 to the N54L. Subsequently, I moved the RR2720 to an N40L and reinstalled the OS (Windows Server 2012) used in First Look from Backups made with Windows Server 2012 Backup Role. Before reading the rest of this paper I recommend you read through the First Look paper. I would also suggest reading through the thread RR2720 BIOS Setting Utility V1.5 Issues.

Before settling on the final configuration that I used for the testing and recording of results in this paper I would install the OS on different RAID configurations to experiment with the look and feel of the system as well as the ease of restoring from a Server Backup. After a few hiccups, detailed in the above thread, the restorations were easy as long as I was restoring from a backup that was the same size or smaller than the new volume I was restoring too. I found that a RAID0 of 2 or more HDD’s, even HDD’s with the “plain” performance metrics as the VB0250EAVER, made for a very robust feel with the OS. In total, I did about a dozen OS restorations to different configurations (the thumbnail at the beginning of this paper is a picture from one of those restorations).

For the testing shown in this paper I restored the OS that I had originally installed in First Look to a pair of Crucial M4 256GB SSD’s in RAID0 on the RR2720 – the Crucial M4’s were in the ODD area of the MicroServer mounted in a Bytecc internal 2.5” HDD/SSD Mounting Kit – this is similar to the Bytecc Kit I used to mount 2 Samsung 840 Pro’s in a 3.5” HDD bay – I had pulled the Crucial M4’s from my Hyper-V server so the Bytecc had the Lian-Li PC-K9WX rail mounts on it. Rather than change the mounts to be able to mount the Bytecc in the ODD with 5.25” to 3.5” bracket attachments I just taped the Bytecc to the base of the ODD bay area for the duration of these tests (I was planning on this only being a temporary installation and later returned the Crucial’s back to the PC-K9WX after these tests).

Figure 1 — Instead of using 5.25″ to 3.5″ brackets to mount the Bytecc 2×2.5″ to 3.5″ mounting Kit to the ODD slots I secured the Bytecc with tape.

Figure 2 — Performance of My OS drive made of 2 x Crucial M4 256GB SSD’s in RAID0 attached to Ports 1 & 2 of RR2720 in the HP ProLiant N40L MicroServer

The performance of the RAID’s that I studied on the RR2720 are summarized in Figure 3 below.

Figure 3 — Summary of RAID Performance DATA

I chose to do the majority of my tests using three VB0250EAVER’s which is the stock 250GB HDD that comes with the N40L’s and N54L’s. Additionally I used for my 4^th drive a ST3750630AS which is the stock 750GB HDD original OS drive from my EX-487. The ST3750630AS has very similar performance characteristics to the VB0250EAVER and the HD-Tune performance curve for the 1^st third (i.e. 250GB) of the ST3750630AS is very close to that of the VB0250EAVER. While not identical I speculated that using the ST3750630AS would give me results close to what I would achieve with an additional VB0250EAVER — if a 4^th one had been available.

I did not do any RAID1 tests because a RAID1 should perform basically the same as an individual drive.

When I finished the series of performance baseline tests with the VB0250EAVER’s, that had been my original plan, I was curious – just for fun — to see what the performance of four ST3000DM001’s in a RAID10 would be. Doing a number of RAID0 tests on the ST3000DM001 did not seem to have a practical real world application in my opinion – though my tests with the VB0250EAVER’s implied that the RAID10 performance of the ST3000DM001’s would be close to the performance of two ST3000DM001’s in RAID0. Additionally, I did not do a RAID5 or RAID6 test on the ST3000DM001’s because I did not see them as practical solutions in the future with 3TB and larger drives for my applications and I was short of time for further testing. In my opinion, a good review of RAID strategies using the very large HDD’s can be found in Discussion of RAID, HDD, SDDs and Storage Configuration. Other reference links can be found in the RAID section of MicroServer HardWare Links.

Figure 4 — Performance of a Single Typical VB0250EAVER — This would also be roughly the same Performance of two of these Drives in RAID1

Figure 5 — Performance of 2 x VB0250EAVER’s in RAID 0

Figure 6 — Performance of 3 x VB0250EAVER’s in RAID 0

Figure 7 — Performance of 3 x VB0250EAVER’s in RAID 5

Figure 8 — Performance of the ST3750630AS that was the Stock OS Drive in a EX-487 and 1st 3rd of HD Tune Curve resembles the VB0250EAVER and I will be used as a Proxy for The VB0250EAVER in Subsequent Tests using 4 Drives

Figure 9 — 4 250GB Drives (made of 3 x VB0250EAVER & 1 x ST3750630AS) in RAID 0

Figure 10 — 4 250GB Drives (made of 3 x VB0250EAVER & 1 x ST3750630AS) in RAID 5

Figure 11 — 4 250GB Drives (made of 3 x VB0250EAVER & 1 x ST3750630AS) in RAID 6

Figure 12 — 4 250GB Drives (made of 3 x VB0250EAVER & 1 x ST3750630AS) in RAID 10

Figure 13 — Performance of a Single Typical ST3000DM001 — This would also be roughly the same Performance of two of these Drives in RAID1

Figure 14 — Performance of Four ST3000DM001′s in RAID 10

Conclusion

Because of the limited compatibility with PCIe add-on NIC and USB 3.0 cards I haven’t been willing to recommend the RR2720 in a MicroServer but — with those limitations well in mind — if your limited use case doesn’t need either of those PCIe cards then the RR2720 would be one way to speed up your HDD access times (with RAID 0) or maximize RAID strategies for increased resiliency (with RAID 1 or RAID 10). (Keep in mind that RAID 0 and RAID 1 can also be set up through Windows OS via Disk Manager and in many cases on a System Board.)

A MicroServer is an excellent platform to take a RR2720 and an assortment of small HDD’s and see what can be done in a controlled setting.

References

Useful MicroServer Links & References

MicroServer Hardware Links

MicroServer Blog Postings

By: John Stutsman

In the Forum Thread “First Timer MicroServer with WHS Build” I talked about how it was possible to get started with a stock HP ProLiant MicroServer, two large data drives in RAID1 (Mirrored in Disk Manager), and Windows Home Server 2011 (“WHS2011”).

In this paper I wanted to take that basic build with a Stock MicroServer and measure its performance with NASPT.

I started by taking a HP ProLiant N40L MicroServer and returned it to factory (or stock) defaults.

• I flashed the BIOS to the Stock HP BIOS
• I removed all PCIe cards
• I removed all the RAM I had in the MicroServer and replaced it with the factory 2GB RAM that came with the MicroServer
• I installed in slot 1 (Port 0) the 250GB VB0250EAVER that came in the MicroServer from the factory

Next I installed WHS2011 onto the VB0250EAVER using instructions from “How to Install Windows Home Server 2011”. I didn’t need to install any drivers during the installation of WHS2011 but WHS2011 did have a large number of updates that needed installation.

After WHS2011 had completed its updates, I installed 2 ST3000DM001’s in slots 3 & 4 (Ports 2 & 3) on the MicroServer leaving slot 2 (Port 1) empty and using the Disk Management Application in the Server Manager of WHS2011 I initialized the 2 ST3000DM001’s and Mirrored them – this would be a software RAID1. I labeled this Mirror1 and in the Dashboard for WHS2011 I moved all of the Server Folders from Drive D: to Drive E: (Drive E: being my Mirror1). I also created a new Server Folder on Drive E to be a Target directory on Mirror1 for NASPT.

JPLTim has put together an excellent video on how to use the Dashboard in WHS2011 to add HDD’s and how to use the Disk Management Application to add 3TB+ drives to WHS2011.

A RAID1 (or Mirror) provides a high level of resiliency but it is not a part of a backup strategy. You still need some form of 3-2-1 backup strategy to protect your data. One of the things that I like about a software Mirror (or RAID1) is that it is transportable in addition to offering resiliency.

As part of a backup strategy I’d suggest considering setting up and using the Server Backup built into WHS2011. Server Backup in WHS2011 uses the VHD file format to store the backup data which limits the total size of backup source data to a maximum of 2TB. Additionally, WHS2011 Server Backup only supports volumes smaller than 2TB as the source which with my “source” drives being 3TB presented me with a problem. It is possible to at least remove the 2TB source volume restriction as outlined in a TechNET FAQ for Windows Home and SBS Backup.

Figure 1 — Registry Edit needed to increase accepted Source Volume Size

Since I am using 3TB drives I chose to set “MaxVolumeSize” to something substantially larger than what I currently had such as the value for 5TB (5,497,558,138,880) which would allow me to go with 4TB drives in the future without needing an additional registry change.

Here is a table I built in Excel to calculate the number of bytes for different volume sizes:

Figure 2– Calculation of number of bytes in TeraBytes

Additionally, in File Explorer place your mouse on the mirror drive (drive E: in this case) and right click the drive then click the menu item Configure Shadow Copies….

Performance

The Performance of the stock HP drive VB0250EAVER being used as the WHS2011 OS drive is:

Figure 3 — 250GB HP Stock Drive VB0250EAVER used as the OS Drive for WHS2011 and Partitioned into Volumes C: & D: by WHS2011

While the Performance of the Mirrored ST3000DM001 drives is:

Figure 4 — Two 3TB Drives (ST3000DM001) Mirrored (RAID1) with OS Disk Management in WHS2011

I next measured the performance of WHS2011 with 2GB RAM and the Mirrored using the Intel NASPT v1.7.1 as described in Performance Comparison of Windows Server 2012 Essentials on the HP ProLiant N40L MicroServer and the HP ProLiant N54L G7 MicroServer. The Specifications of the Client Workstation that NASPT v1.7.1 operated from is the same as described in the above paper except that it is operating from the two Samsung 840 Pro’s in RAID0 VM drive described in Performance Using SSDs for VM Drives in Home Hyper-V Server on GA-Z77X-UD5H.

Figure 5 – NASPT Test Results for Two 3TB Drives (ST3000DM001) Mirrored (RAID1) with OS Disk Management in WHS2011 with 2GB RAM

Figure 6 — NASPT Test Results for Two 3TB Drives (ST3000DM001) Mirrored (RAID1) with OS Disk Management in WHS2011 with 2GB RAM

Note: the NASPT Benchmarks discussed in individual Postings are useful for Comparisons with the specific testing setup, network, and Client Workstation implementation in THAT Posting and should not be considered absolute benchmarks for comparison against results in another Posting.

Conclusion

The above basic configuration would cover most user’s basic requirements to protect critical files and provide a bare metal backup and restore for home PC’s while providing good NAS type performance.

Additional considerations:

• Consider getting a book on WHS-2011
• To improve performance in the future you can add RAM.  WHS-2011 can work with a minimum of 2GB or a maximum of 8GB.  Check the RAM section of Hardware Links  If you decide to go with a RAM upgrade then Go 8GB ECC – to improve performance the RAM is the 1^st place I’d start
• To improve Performance in the future you could also move or reinstall the OS onto a faster HDD or a SSD
• Another option to Improve Performance: instead of moving your OS to a SSD – for less $ you could use a faster HDD such as a 10,000 RPM VelociRaptor (“VR”) or use 2 x VR’s in RAID1 (Mirror) for greater resiliency or use 2 x VR’s in RAID0 for crazy high performance!

Other Considerations:

• Before anything else – put in place a 3-2-1 backup strategy
• Look at something like StableBit Scanner or Home Server Smart 2013 to keep a constant check on the Health your HDD’s and to warn you before they fail
• Look for some type of Virus Protection for your Server
• Note though if you add on applications you’ll probably need to add more RAM
• Check the Blog Postings Links at Useful MicroServer Links & Reference
• When/if you need to increase the storage space on your Server you could move your stock 250GB OS drive to the ODD bay and attach it to the SATA Port (Port5) on the System Board – with the stock HP 250GB drive you would not need to flash the BIOS to increase the speed of that SATA Port because that HDD is not fast enough to saturate it at the Stock slower speed (i.e. SATA I).  If you intended instead to put a SSD or a VelocitiRaptor or a ST3000DM001 in that space and use that or the eSATA port then you will need to Flash the BIOS-MOD and set the Ports to AHCI so that a SSD can have trim and so the Ports will run at a higher speed (i.e SATA II).   ===>>>  AFTER moving the OS drive you could put 2 3TB or 2 4TB drives or 2 5TB drives in Slots 1 & 2 and Mirror then and move some of your share folders to that new Pool OR if you had upgraded to a SSD as your OS drive and had put it in the ODD space there would still be enough space in the ODD for a 3.5” drive so you could add an additiona 3.5” drive in the ODD space plus 2 3.5” drives in Slots 1 & 2 and instead of a Mirror you could use DrivePool or DriveBender to create a Pool of those 3 drives and Mirror your Share Folders (Check Drive Extender Replacements)
• There are many other idea to consider in the Home Server Show Forums.

References

First Timer MicroServer With WHS Build

Useful MicroServer Links & References

MicroServer Hardware Links

MicroServer Blog Postings

By: John Stutsman

This is Part II of the posting A First Time Build with Windows Home Server 2011 and HP ProLiant N40L MicroServer – Part I.

In Part I, we saw how to take a Stock MicroServer (Stock Factory BIOS, Stock VB0250EAVER HP HDD, and Stock 2GB RAM) and added Windows Home Server 2011 (“WHS2011”) and two large HDD’s that we Mirrored in Disk Management of WHS2011 to create a Home Server that would do bare metal backups of our home PC’s and provide robust NAS performance.

In this paper I wanted to take that basic build with a Stock MicroServer in Part I, move the OS Drive to the ODD bay, add another Mirror using WD Green Drives, and then measure its performance with NASPT at different RAM levels (2, 4, & 8GB).

Note: the NASPT Benchmarks discussed in individual Postings are useful for Comparisons with the specific testing setup, network, and Client Workstation implementation in THAT Posting and should not be considered absolute benchmarks for comparison against results in another Posting.

Starting with the final configuration in Part I, I shut down the MicroServer and moved the VB0250EAVER to the ODD bay area on top of the MicroServer. I used a StarTech BRACKET Metal 3.5” to 5.25” Drive Adapter Bracket a StarTech 6” 4 Pin Molex to SATA Power Cable Adapter and an 18’ SATA cable (any 18” SATA II or III straight connector cable should work). Using the 18” SATA cable I attached the VB0250EAVER to the ODD SATA port (Port 5) located on the MicroServer System Board. I then started up the MicroServer and hit F10 to go into the “ROM-BASED SETUP UTILITY” and went to BOOT submenu and changed the Boot order so that the VB0250EAVER would again be the 1^st HDD in the Boot order.

Figure 1 — After changing the Boot order in the stock BIOS the VB0250EAVER performed well attached to the ODD SATA Port on the System Board with Stock BIOS

Next I installed two WD30EZRX (WD Green 3TB HDD’s) in Slots 1 & 2 (Ports 0 & 1) of the MicroServer and using the Disk Management Application in the Server Manager of WHS2011 I initialized the two WD30EZRX’s and Mirrored them (creating Drive F) – this would be a software RAID1. I labeled this GreenMirror1 and in the Dashboard for WHS2011 I moved one Server Folder from Drive E to Drive F and I created a new Server Folder on Drive F to be a Target directory on GreenMirror1 for NASPT. Now I had NASPT Targets on Drives E & F (Mirror1 and GreenMirror1).

Figure 2 — Stock MicroServer with VB0250EAVER loaded in ODD Bay and 2 Mirrored Pairs of 3TB HDD’s in Main 4 Bay Drive Cage

Performance of Mirrors

Figure 3 — Drive E — WHS2011 Data Mirror1 2xST3000DM001′s

Figure 4 — Drive F — WHS2011 Data GreenMirror1 2xWD30EZRX

Performance NASPT

During Home Server Show #225 Chris Kenney had told us that his testing showed that by increasing the amount of RAM in the MicroServer improved the NASPT test scores. This performance improvement can be seen in the following two figures for the Mirror of St3000DM001 drives and the Mirror of the WD30EZRX drives.

Figure 5 — NASPT Performance of Mirror1 (2xST3000DM001) on WHS2011 with 2, 4, & 8GB RAM

Figure 6 — NASPT Performance of GreenMirror1 (2xWD30EZRX) on WHS2011 with 2, 4, & 8GB RAM

By comparing the performance of the two Mirrors at the discrete RAM levels (2, 4, & 8GB) I found an interesting piece of information.

First, when I compared the NASPT Performance of GreenMirror1 (2xWD30EZRX) to Mirror1 (2xST3000DM001) with 2GB RAM on WHS2011 there is a distinct difference between the WD30EZRX Mirror and the ST3000DM001 Mirror. I was expecting this when I saw the Mirror performances in Figures 3 & 4.

Figure 7 — NASPT Performance of GreenMirror1 (2xWD30EZRX) versus Mirror1 (2xST3000DM001) on WHS2011 with 2GB RAM

Figure 8 — NASPT Performance of GreenMirror1 (2xWD30EZRX) versus Mirror1 (2xST3000DM001) on WHS2011 with 2GB RAM

At 4GB RAM the NASPT scores were generally higher with a distinct difference between the GreenMirror1 (2xWD30EZRX) and Mirror1 (2xST3000DM001). Later, when I compared the NASPT Performance of GreenMirror1 (2xWD30EZRX) to Mirror1 (2xST3000DM001) with 8GB RAM on WHS2011 the scores for both were higher but there was virtually NO difference between the WD30EZRX Mirror and the ST3000DM001 Mirror. I was NOT expecting this. Clearly, one of the best things one can do for NASPT performance improvement in WHS2011 is to Max out the RAM to 8GB which appears to negate the differences (seen in Figures 3 & 4) in HDD performance in the different Mirrors.

Figure 9 — NASPT Performance of GreenMirror1 (2xWD30EZRX) versus Mirror1 (2xST3000DM001) on WHS2011 with 8GB RAM

Figure 10 — NASPT Performance of GreenMirror1 (2xWD30EZRX) versus Mirror1 (2xST3000DM001) on WHS2011 with 8GB RAM

Conclusion

As stated earlier: Clearly, one of the best things one can do for NASPT performance improvement in WHS2011 is to Max out the RAM to 8GB which appears to negate the differences (seen in Figures 3 & 4) in HDD performance in the different Mirrors.

References

First Timer MicroServer With WHS Build

Useful MicroServer Links & References

MicroServer Hardware Links

MicroServer Blog Postings

By: JohnStutsman

One of the machines that I demonstrated at the Home Server Show Meet-up 2013 was an HP ProLiant N40L MicroServer running Windows 8 with an HDMI video card.

Parts List (as demonstrated at Meet-up 2013):

• HP ProLiant N40L MicroServer
• 16GB RAM: G.Skill 16GB F3-1333C9D-16GAO
• BIOS-Mod (I set Load Optimal Defaults in BIOS before enabling AMD SATA RAID feature and creating the RAID0 Volume in the MicroServer)
• SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 5450 1GB 64-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Ready Video Card ( 100292DDR3L)
• Blu-Ray/DVD Drive in ODD bay (plus: 18” data SATA cable and Molex to SATA power converter cable)
• CyberLink PowerDVD 13
• Two (2) WD1500HLHX HDD’s in Hardware RAID0 for OS Drive
• OS: Windows 8 Pro 64b
• Office 2013 Pro
• Two (2) ST3000DM001 HDD’s in Software RAID1 for Data Drive
• Planar PX2710MW (plus: 6’ HDMI cable)
• Keyboard/Mouse: Logitech K800 & Logitech Performance MX

You can read more about how I set this up including information on the performance of the RAID’s used for the OS and Data drives at Video & Sound Cards for N40L/N54L MicroServer.

Many thanks to members of the HSS Forum MicroServer who helped me find the video card to fit my needs.

Please join us in the HSS Forums with comments on the above and other threads.

References:

More Interesting MicroServer Links

MicroServer hardware Links

ProLiant MicroServer Gen8 Links

By: John Stutsman

Not long ago, Schoondoggy asked a few of us to beta test preproduction versions of his drive mount bracket for the HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer. Except for the placement of the holes to attach the Schoondoggy Gen8 Drive Mount (“SGDM”) to the PSU – which was easily fixed with my Dremel – the SGDM is perfect in design simplicity coupled with high flexibility. With the SGDM I could mount two 2.5” drives (like VelociRaptors or the 2.5” WD Red’s), or 2.5” SSD’s, or a single thin 3.5” drive – all the while still leaving the ODD bay open for the Optical Disk Drive or one or two SSD’s! I can disconnect the drive cage SAS cable and attach a SFF-8087 to the system board giving me two SATA III ports (SATA cables 1 & 2 off the SFF-8087) and two SATA II ports (SATA cables 3 & 4 off the SFF-8087) all controlled by the HP Dynamic Smart Array B120i RAID Controller. The now free HP SAS cable to the drive cage could be attached to an add-in card (such as an HP P222) providing functionality for four 3.5” drives in the drive cage.

The HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer is a fun machine to work with — but the SGDM takes it to a whole new level! Thanks Schoondoggy!  In my opinion, if you have a Gen8 MicroServer — you are going to want a Schoondoggy Gen8 Drive Mount.

Background

In early August, 2013, Schoondoggy announced in the HSS Forums that he had a prototype of a drive mounting bracket to enable him to mount two additional 2.5” drives in the recently introduced HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer. Many on the Forums were encouraged by Schoondoggy’s efforts to refine his design and bring his bracket to production. His idea would enable the option of two drives within the Gen8 case in addition to the main 4 drive bay and the ODD.

Figure 1 — Schoondoggy’s Prototype Drive Bracket for Gen8 MicroServer from HSS Forums

At the Home Server Show Meetup 2013 Schoondoggy displayed his HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer prototype drive mounting bracket and I was amazed to see how he had fit the additional drives in the available space and came up with a cooling solution. This was one of the highlights of the Meetup for me and I took several pictures of Schoondoggy’s display which are included in the MeetUp 2013 Wrap Up Photos section.

Figure 2 — Schoondoggy’s Gen8 MicroServer Prototype Drive Bracket at MeetUp 2013

Beta Test Preproduction Copy – Schoondoggy Gen8 Drive Mount

Recently, Schoondoggy sent me a Best Test Copy of what I’ve decided to call in this write-up the Schoondoggy Gen8 Drive Mount (“SGDM”). I will now address my unboxing, installation, and testing of the SGDM.

Unboxing

Figure 3 — The SGDM Unboxed and displayed next to HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer

The SGDM unboxing is recorded in the following video:

Figure 4 — The Two Arrows show the Location to use the 2 Longer, Supplied, Screws to Attach the SGDM to the Gen8 MicroServer PSU

Figure 5 — SGDM Attached to Gen8 MicroServer without Drives

Figure 6 — Location of Mounting Holes for 2.5″ Drives/SSDs

Figure 7 — Location of Mounting Holes for Thin 3.5″ Drive

Figure 8 — Additional Parts Needed: 8 Drive/SSD screws & 8 Neoprene washers

Additional Parts Needed:

• 8 — 2.5” Drive/SSD Mounting Screws (if mounting a 3.5” drive only 2 screws are necessary)
• 8 – Insulated (Rubber or Neoprene) washers – I used 3/8” OD w 5/32” ID

Figure 9 — Back of SGDM with 8 Drive Mount Holes Counter Sunk

Figure 10 — Bit used to Counter Sink Drive Mount Holes — work slowly and carefully and check often if hole is counter sunk enough

Mounting 2.5” VelociRaptors (without Ice-Pack) to the SGDM and attaching the SGDM to the MicroServer

Mounting Two 2.5” VelociRaptors is shown in the following video:

Figure 11 — Note the Air Gap Created by using the Insulated Washers between the SGDM and the 2.5” drive (VelociRaptor in this case) — Air Flow from the Blower in this Air Gap will help cool the VelociRaptor (Note that the screw holes to mount the drives to the SGDM have not been counter sunk yet in this photo)

Figure 12 — 2.5″ VelociRaptors attached to SGDM and screws have been counter sunk

Figure 13 — The only Modification that was necessary on the SGDM was to use a Dremel to grind out the PSU Attachment holes towards the end of the tab to line up with the PSU mounting bracket holes — future production units will have this corrected

Mounting 2.5” SSD’s to the SGDM

Mounting Two 2.5” SSD’s is shown in the following video:

Mounting 3.5” Thin Hard Drive to the SGDM

One 3.5” Thin Hard Drive can be mounted to the SGDM as shown in the following video:

Power & Data Connection for Schoondoggy Gen8 Drive Mount (“SGDM”)

Parts Used:

• 1 Athena Power Cable-YPHD 8” Molex Y Splitted Power Cable
• 1 Nippon Labs SATA Adapter Molex 4-Pin PC Power Cable to 2 x SATA Converter Cables for SATA 1 and SATA II Hard Drive Model POW-SATA-2
• 1 4-Pin Molex to 4-Pin Molex & 2-wire Fan Power Adaptor (I have several of these that were included with my HAF & Lian-Li cases over the years – this is the first time I got to use one)
• 2 Male 22awg quick connector (over kill for this build but I had these in my parts box – I had gotten them at Menard’s some time ago – the best way would have been to attach a fan connector to the SGDM Blower and then just plug it in)
• 2 Female 22awg quick connector (over kill for this build but I had these in my parts box – I had gotten them at Menard’s some time ago – the best way would have been to attach a fan connector to the SGDM Blower and then just plug it in)
• 1 Black electrical tape (I had this in my parts box)
• 1 Red electrical tape (I had this in my parts box)
• 1 Package Heavy Duty Velcro (picked up at Menards)
• 1 StarTech Model SAS8087S450 19” (50cm) Serial Attached SCSI Cable – SFF-8087 to 4x Latching SATA

Figure 14 — Parts for Connecting Power to Drives on SGDM

Steps:

1. Review the material on page 46 of the HP ProLiant MicroServer Gen8 Server Maintenance and Service Guide.

Figure 15 — Page 46 of the HP ProLiant MicroServer Gen8 Server Maintenance and Service Guide

2. Disconnect the 4 pin Molex connector from the PSU to the power cable underneath the ODD area frame.

Figure 16 — the 4 pin Molex connector underneath the ODD area frame has been disconnected in this picture

3. Between the now open connections attach a 4 pin Molex Y connector – Attach terminals A and B shown in Figure 14 above.

Figure 17 — See Figure 14 above and attach terminal A and B

4. On the extra free 4 pin Molex connection attach a 4 pin Molex to Molex pass through connection with a 2 wire Fan auxiliary connector.

Figure 18 — See also Figure 14 above on how this connected

5. On the free 4 pin Molex connection attach a 4 pin Molex Y to 2 SATA Power connectors

Figure 19 — See also Figure 14 above on how this is connected

6. Attach the SATA Power connectors to the drives attached to the SGDM

Figure 20 — In Figure 14 above the SATA Power Connectors are labeled Terminals C & D

7. Remove the Fan auxiliary connector (on 4 above) and attach 2 quick connect on the wires

Figure 21 — in Figure 14 above the fan connector is labeled Terminal E

Figure 22 — These are the connectors I used to attached the fan

Figure 23 — Two connectors have been attached

8. Attach 2 quick connect on the wires on the SGDM blower

Figure 24 — Two Connectors have been attached to the Fan cables

9. Place heavy duty Velcro on the frame to secure the aux blower

Figure 25 — Measuring for length to cut Velcro too — Velcro shown in Figure 14 and Next Figure

Figure 26 — Heavy Duty Velcro used to attach Fan to MicroServer Frame

Figure 27 — Velcro cut to size of Frame Attachment

Figure 28 — Velcro Attached to Frame

10. Attach the Quick Connects from the SGDM blower (see 8 above) to 7 above – be sure to match the wire color codes. Use electrical tape to cover the exposed connections.

Figure 29 — Blower attached to Power via connectors and wrapped with electrical tape

11. Position the SGDM blower. Secure to the Velcro.

Figure 30 — Blower attached and positioned ot optimize around Drives and across side of PSU

12. Disconnect the SAS fan out cable that goes to drive cage from System Board

Figure 31 — HP SAS cable to Drive Cage SATA Ports to be disconnected from System Board

13. Attach SFF-8087 to System Board

Figure 32 — SFF-8087 to be attached to System Board where HP SAS cable had been attached

Figure 33 — SFF-8087 Attached to System Board

14. Attach SATA 1 & 2 from SFF-8087 to Drives on SGDM

Figure 34 — SATA cables 1 & 2 from SFF-8087 attached to Drives on SGDM — Note that these are the two SATA III (6Gbps) Ports from the System Board and are controllable from the HP Dynamic Smart Array B120i RAID Controller

Tidy up the wiring and close the cover.

iLO Stats

Figure 35 — Temperature Graph via iLO with cover off and system up for several days

Figure 36 — Temperature Graph via iLO – same as Figure 35 above except with Cover On.

Figure 37 — iLO information on the two VelociRaptors attached to the SGDM in RAID0 for the OS Drive for Windows Server 2012

Figure 38 — Windows Server 2012 installed with HP Intelligent Provisioning on HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer

My System Configuration As-Built:

• HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer Celeron G1610T
• 16GB RAM – Kingston KVR1333D3E9SK2/16G
• OS Drive: HP Dynamic Smart Array B120i RAID Controller – Logical RAID0 Drive made with two (2) physical drives VelociRaptor WD1500HLHX
• OS: Windows Server 2012 Standard
• Beta: Schoondoggy Gen8 Drive Mount (plus parts listed above to provide power and data to drives on the SGDM)

Figure 39 — Loading Windows Server 2012 using Intelligent Provisioning

Overall, I’m very pleased with the performance of the HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer with the Schoondoggy Gen8 Drive Mount. I am planning many more tests in the future using the SGDM in my Gen8 MicroServer.

Questions?

Join us in the HSS Forums with any questions and/or comments on the above and other threads.

References

HP MS G8 2.5” drive bracket prototype

Meetup 2013 & Meetup 2013 Wrap UP

MicroServer Blog Postings

HP ProLiant MicroServer Gen8 Links

Useful MicroServer Links & References

MicroServer Hardware Links

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn2DhE-6J02RpMF4bJDh-m-y8GlDi1WOO

By: JohnStutsman

I had the good fortune to test out Schoondoggy’s Pre-Production version of his SDM (Schoondoggy Drive Mount) that can be used to mount two additional 2.5” drives or one 3.5” drive inside the HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer next to the PSU. I have reviewed the Beta Test version of the SGDM (Schoondoggy Gen8 Drive Mount) in The Schoondoggy Gen8 Drive Mount for the HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer First Look last December, 2013.

I was convinced that the Beta SGDM was as nearly perfect as could be achieved but Schoondoggy proved me wrong by making 4 significant improvements that he incorporated into the Pre-Production version of the SDM:

• Tabs have been lengthened
• Tabs have been move down slightly to move the top of the SGDM/SDM to the Gen8 frame
• Screw slots in Tabs have been lengthened to allow for adjustment of SGDM/SDM placement next to the PSU
• Drive holes have been countersink

Read about it and check out the pictures at (message #70 in the Home Server Show Forums thread HP MS G8 2.5″ Drive Bracket Prototype):

http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/5960-hp-ms-g8-25-drive-bracket-prototype/?p=76824

The As-Built for my Gen8:

Machine

• HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer Xeon E3-1265LV2
• 16GB ECC RAM (Kingston KVR1333D3E9SK2/16)
• OS: Windows Server 2012 Std
• OS Drive: OS Drive: HP Dynamic Smart Array B120i RAID Controller – Logical RAID0 Drive made with two (2) physical drives VelociRaptor WD1500HLHX
• Pre-Production: Schoondoggy Gen8 Drive Mount

Questions?

Join us in the HSS Forums with any questions and/or comments on the above and other threads.

References

The Schoondoggy Gen8 Drive Mount for the HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer First Look

HP MS G8 2.5” drive bracket prototype

HP ProLiant MicroServer Gen8 Links

Gen8 MicroServer Forum

MicroServer Forum

Useful MicroServer Links & References

MicroServer Hardware Links

By: JohnStutsman

 Figure 1 — HP P222/512 FBWC with Low Profile Bracket attached that I made with the help of my Dermel

While it was delayed by the great storm in the Southeast during the end of January, 2014, my HP P222/512 FBWC finally arrived safe and sound in early February.

Read about it and check out the pictures and performance runs in the HSS Forums at Unboxing/Installing my P222/512 FBWC in my Gen8.

Figure 2 — Installing Windws Server 2012 with Intelligent Provisioning

The As-Built for my Gen8 (as pictured in Figure 2):

Machine

• HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer Xeon E3-1265LV2
• 16GB ECC RAM (Kingston KVR1333D3E9SK2/16)
• OS: Windows Server 2012
• OS Drive: HP Smart Array B120i RAID Controller – Logical RAID0 Drive made with two (2) physical drives Corsair Force 3 60GB SSD
• Test Data Drive: HP Smart Array B120i RAID Controller – Logical RAID1 Drive made with two (2) physical drives VelociRaptor WD1500HLHX
• Pre-Production: Schoondoggy Drive Mount
• Test Data Drive:: HP Smart Array P222/512 FBWC RAID Controller – Logical RAID10 Drive made with two (4) physical drives VelociRaptor WD1500HLHX
• iLO4 Advanced
• Samsung slim external USB DVD RW drive

Note: In Figure 2 with 6 HDDs, 2 SDDs, an external USB DVD drive and the P222 installed the power meter shows 80.2 Watts.

Questions?

Join us in the HSS Forums with any questions and/or comments on the above and other threads.

Handy References

HP’s New Rules to Access Firmware & Driver Downloads

SGDM-SDM Pre-Production Review: HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer

Gen8 MicroServer Temperatures: active & passive cooling of CPU

HP ProLiant MicroServer Gen8 Links

Gen8 MicroServer Forum

MicroServer Forum

Useful MicroServer Links & References

MicroServer Hardware Links

By: John Stutsman

In preparation for the Home Server Show Meetup on September 20, 2014 (see “Meetup 2014 Registration and Info”) I wanted to show participants modifications I had made to my HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer as well as, “hopefully”, an interesting demonstration of how it all works together. This blog posting is intended to summarize the basics of what I’ve done with my Machine as demonstrated at the #BestMeetUpEver.

Cooling the CPU Heat Sink

4 Evercool EC3007M12CA installed on CPU Heat Sink

After installing my Xeon E3-1265Lv2 and lapping my warped heat sink I ran some of my own and reviewed other’s Temperature Tests and decided, at least for myself, that I was more comfortable running with the BIOS fan settings on Increased Cooling, but there were times when I wanted to be able to test things at the Optimal Cooling BIOS fan setting. To increase my comfort level I looked at different ways to add additional cooling to the CPU.

I tried to mount 2 Noctua 40x40x10mm but found I lacked adequate clearance to reload the system board in the MicroServer so I ended up just mounting 1 Evercool 30x30x7mm EC3007M12CA on the CPU Heat Sink .

Later, with additional Evercool’s, I mounted 4 Evercool 30x30x7mm EC3007M12CA fans on the CPU Heat Sink on my HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer. For power to the 4 Evercool fans I modified a Molex to 3 pin Fan power adapter with 3 additional 3 pin Fan connectors soldered on.

Video:  Cooling my CPU Heat Sink

Cooling the Broadcom Chip at Location 13-LOM

Enzotech BMR-C1 installed on Broadcom Chip

HSS Forum member “FireBaall” outlined a process to apply the BMR-C1 to the Broadcom Chip on his Gen8 MicroServer in the HSS Thread “G8 Sensor Location?”.

Following the “FireBaall process” I used an Enzotech BMR-C1 to cool the Broadcom Chip at Location 13-LOM on my Gen8 MicroServer.

Video: Cooling my Broadcom Chip

Cooling the P222

Supplemental fans cooling P222

HSS Forum member Tangcla started a Thread “P222 Temperature in Gen8?”.

During the back and forth in this thread Schoondoggy noted in message #18 that on page 32 of the “HP Smart Array Controllers For HP ProLiant Servers User Guide” (HP Part Number: 469988-009, August 2012, Edition: 9) that the operating range of the Smart Array Controllers is 10C to 55C.

With that information, many of us in the Forums started looking for ways to bring down the temperatures on our P222’s. I was encouraged by the performance I saw with a 2^nd BFB0512LD directed towards the P222 Heat Sink that brought the 10-PCI1 down close to 50C range.

Resulting in:

Video: Cooling my P222

Fans Used:

2 Schoondoggy Blower Fans – one directed to the back of the SDM and the other directed towards the P222 Heat Sink: Delta Electronics BFB0512LD

30mm Fan: EverCOOL FAN-EC3007M12CA

40mm Fan: Noctua NF-A4x10

Temperature performance with P222 supplemental fan additions

As-Built (and as exhibited at September 20, 2014 HSS Meet-up in Indianapolis #BestMeetUpEver)

As built with 8 drives installed (see list below)

Machine

• HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer w/Xeon E3-1265L-V2

• Cooling the CPU heat sink: 4 EverCOOL FAN-EC3007M12CA

• Working Drive 1 (D): 2 WD Red 1TB Model WD10JFCX in RAID1 on B120i Ports 3 & 4 mounted on SDM (“Schoondoggy Drive Mount”) plus Delta Electronics BFB0512LD for SDM cooling

• Working Drive 2 (E) (VM Drive): 2 Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD in RAID0 on B120i – Ports 1 & 2 of B120i

• P222/512 FBWC

• OS Drive (C): 1 Corsair GT 240GB SSD (mounted in Icy Dock EZConvert MB882SP-1S-1B) in RAID0 on P222 512 FBWC Ports 1, Bay 1 of Main Drive Bay

• OS: Windows 8.1 Pro 64b

• iLO Advanced License

• Working Drive 3 (F): 3 ST3000DM001 in RAID5 on P222/512 FBWC – bays 2-4 of main drive bay

• Cooling the P222: EverCOOL FAN-EC3007M12CA; Noctua A-Series NF-A4x10 40mm; Delta Electronics BFB0512LD

• EnzoTech BMR-C1 to Cool Broadcom Chip (Location 13-LOM)

• Forward SFF-8087 Cable for B120i: StarTech Model SAS8087S450 19” (50cm) Serial Attached SCSI SAS Cable – SFF-8087 to 4x Latching SATA

• Various Molex and SATA power connectors and adaptors including: Dell MX714 Floppy FDD to SATA Power Converter Cable; StarTech Model PY02SATA 6” SATA Power Y Splitter – see references for additional cable/connector call-outs

• Various Fan power connectors and cable ties – see references

Performance (as exhibited at September 20, 2014 HSS Meet-up in Indianapolis #BestMeetUpEver)

Temperatures with all 8 drives loaded as indicated in As-Built List Above

Additional performance numbers and graphs will be posted at a later time.

References

Check out the HSS Forum Thread “Anyone Who Has Changed the Heat Sink on a Gen8 MicroServer”

SDM (“Schoondoggy Drive Mount”): SGDM-SDM Pre-Production Review: HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer

Check the other links on the 1^st page of CSKenney’s HSS Forum Thread “ProLiant MicroServer Gen8 Links”

By: John Stutsman

Last week in Supplemental Cooling for my Gen8 MicroServer and P222 I illustrated some of the supplemental cooling techniques I would be showing at the Home Server Show Meetup on September 20, 2014 #BestMeetUpEver.

On September 10 HSS Forum member Saburr told us (and posted a link to HP’s download page) about the iLO4 Version 2.00 (9 Sept 2014) that had recently been posted by HP.  So, I decided it would be a good idea to update iLO4 on my Gen8 and while at it I would update my J06 ROM BIOS to the 6/6/2014 version (link provided by HSS Forum member ad-d).  Both updates went without incident using the Windows exe’s in Windows 8.1 (see As-Built in Supplemental Cooling for My Gen8 MicroServer and P222).

Firmware Version Info available with iLO4

Afterwards, I checked my BIOS to see that it was still set on “Increased Cooling”.

Under Advanced Options in BIOS the Thermal Configuration showed Increased Cooling

System Fan shows a Speed of 29% under Increased Cooling

These are the Temperature Readings for my Gen8 with all things being equal as described in “Supplemental Cooling For My Gen8 MicroServer and P222″ except for the BIOS J06 Upgrade and the iLO4 Upgrade

Temperatures I saw previously in “Supplemental Cooling For My Gen8 MicroServer and P222 BEFORE the BIOS J06 Upgrade and the iLO4 Upgrade.  (Previously, the system Fan ran between 37% and 41%).

Drive Performance

I wanted to measure the performance of each logical drive in my Gen8 MicroServer using three programs for metrics that I’ve used in the past: 1) HD Tune Pro, 2) CDM (Crystal Disk Mark), and 3) ATTO.  Because drive caching and the differences in drive caching on the B120i and the P222/512FBWC the ATTO readings appeared less meaningful for comparative purposes in my opinion.

The drives were arranged as follows (this is the same configuration in the As-Built in Supplemental Cooling for My Gen8 MicroServer and P222):

• OS Drive (C): 1 Corsair GT 240GB SSD (mounted in Icy Dock EZConvert MB882SP-1S-1B) in RAID0 on P222 512 FBWC Ports 1, Bay 1 of Main Drive Bay
• Working Drive 1 (D): 2 WD Red 1TB Model WD10JFCX in RAID1 on B120i Ports 3 & 4 mounted on SDM (“Schoondoggy Drive Mount”) plus Delta Electronics BFB0512LD for SDM cooling
• Working Drive 2 (E) (VM Drive): 2 Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD in RAID0 on B120i – Ports 1 & 2 of B120i & mounted in the ODD bay area
• Working Drive 3 (F): 3 ST3000DM001 in RAID5 on P222/512 FBWC – bays 2-4 of main drive bay

A total of 4 logical drives made up of 8 physical drives.

Drive C Performance with HD-Tune Pro, CDM, and ATTO (the RAID Caching made the ATTO scores less meaningful in my opinion but I’m posting them here for completeness).

Drive D Performance with HD-Tune Pro, CDM, and ATTO (the RAID Caching made the ATTO scores less meaningful in my opinion but I’m posting them here for completeness).

Drive E Performance with HD-Tune Pro, CDM, and ATTO (the RAID Caching made the ATTO scores less meaningful in my opinion but I’m posting them here for completeness).

Drive F Performance with HD-Tune Pro, CDM, and ATTO (the RAID Caching made the ATTO scores less meaningful in my opinion but I’m posting them here for completeness).

The individual metrics for each drive are posted side-by-side to make it easier to compare

My Gen8 MicroServer ready to pack for the #BestMeetUpEver

By: John Stutsman

Figure 1 — HP ProLiant DL320e Gen8 v2 with 256GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD attached to ODD SATA port (Bay 5) and powered from 4-pin FDD connector and two 3TB Seagate ST3000DM001s in Bays 1 and 2

The HP ProLiant DL320e Gen8 V2 is designed to accommodate a low profile optical disk drive (“ODD”) via an ODD SATA port (Bay 5) on the system board and a 4-pin FDD connector from the power supply unit (“PSU”).   In “Attaching a HDD to the ODD SATA Port in a HP ProLiant DL320e Gen8 V2” I learned that, like in the MicroServer, this ODD SATA port and 4-pin FDD connector could be used to attach an additional hard disk drive (“HDD”) that I could manage with the HP Dynamic Smart Array B120i Controller. This opened up an interesting possibility of using a single drive RAID0 SSD as the OS drive attached to the ODD SATA port and using Bays 1 and 2 for a couple of 3TB drives in RAID1 for a data drive. While the ODD SATA port is a SATA II (3Gbps) it would still provide higher performance using a SSD than a HDD.

Figure 2 shows an empty spot for the Samsung 840 Pro, in the place where a low profile ODD would go if installed, and using a SATA cable (with 180 degree or straight connectors at both ends), a Dell MX714 FDD to SATA Power Converter cable (“Dell MX714”) – see Figure 5, and some electrical tape I installed the 256GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD. I use HP’s Smart Storage Administrator (“SSA”) to create a single disk RAID0 Logical Drive 01 on the Dynamic Smart Array B120i in the HP ProLiant DL320e Gen8 V2. The single disk is a 256GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD that is attached to the ODD SATA Port (identified in iLO as Port 5|Bay 5) – this would be my OS drive for Windows 8.1.

Figure 2 – The RED Arrows mark the locations of the ODD SATA port (Port 5|Bay 5) on the System Board and the 4-pin FDD connector from the PSU. Yellow electrical tape is on the metal frame where the Samsung 840 Pro will to be placed.

Figure 3 – A close-up view of the ODD SATA port (Port 5|Bay 5) on the System Board with a HighPoint SATA cable installed.

Figure 4 – A close-up view of the 4-pin FDD Connector from the PSU

Figure 5 – The Dell MX714 Floppy FDD to SATA Power Converter Cable that I removed from my ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer temporarily to test in the ProLiant DL320e Gen8 V2

Figure 6 – Close-up view of the Samsung 840 Pro installed with the SATA data cable connected, Dell MX714 connected for power, and secured to the DL320e Gen8 V2 with strips of electrical tape

Figure 7 – Another Close-up view of the Samsung 840 Pro installed with the SATA data cable connected, Dell MX714 connected for power, and secured to the DL320e Gen8 V2 with strips of electrical tape.

Figure 8 – The new Logical Drive 01 created with a single drive RAID0 by the HP Dynamic Smart Array B120i Controller can be seen derived from the single physical drive, Port 5|Bay 5, 256GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD.

Video 1 – I attach a Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD to the SATA ODD port (Bay 5) while also installing two 3TB Seagate ST3000DM001’s in drive Bays 1 & 2 of the HP ProLiant DL320e Gen8 V2.

Video 2 – I use HP’s Smart Storage Administrator to create a single disk RAID0 Logical Drive 01 on the Dynamic Smart Array B120i in a HP ProLiant DL320e Gen8 V2. The single disk is a 256GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD that is attached to the ODD SATA Port (identified in iLO as Port 5|Bay 5).

I had installed Windows 8.1 on my Gen8 MicroServer a number of times and found it relatively straightforward — so instead of installing a Server OS on the DL320e this time I chose to see how a Windows 8.1 installation would go on the ProLiant DL320e Gen8 V2. It went very well!

Using iLO4, I manually installed Windows 8.1 onto Logical Drive 01 of the HP ProLiant DL320e Gen8 V2. I downloaded CP022624.exe from HPs Driver download web site (Windows Server 2012 R2 drivers) for the DL320e (see reference at the end of this blog) and used the 7-Zip utility to remove the B120i drivers from the exe and place into a folder that I linked via iLO4 to the Windows 8.1 installer when asked for the storage drivers (see Video 3). After Windows 8.1 was installed I loaded the drivers for iLO, Maxtor, and the SSA (see reference at the end of this blog).

Video 3 – Using iLO4, I manually installed Windows 8.1 onto Logical Drive 01 of an HP ProLiant DL320e Gen8 V2. I downloaded CP022624.exe from HPs Driver download web site for the DL320e (see reference below) and used the 7-Zip utility to remove the B120i drivers from the exe and place into a folder that I linked via iLO4 to the Windows 8.1 installer when asked for the storage drivers. After Windows 8.1 was installed I loaded the drivers for iLO, Maxtor, and the SSA.

I then use HP’s Smart Storage Administrator to create a RAID1 Logical Drive 02 on the Dynamic Smart Array B120i using two ST3000DM001’s located in Bays 1 & 2.   Then I use Disk Management in Windows 8.1 to initialize Logical Drive 02 as GPT then I formatted it. Later I will do some performance testing.

Video 4 – After installing Windows 8.1 on Logical Drive 01 of a HP ProLiant DL320e Gen8 V2 I use HP’s Smart Storage Administrator to create a RAID1 Logical Drive 02 on the Dynamic Smart Array B120i using two ST3000DM001’s in Bays 1 & 2.

Figure 9 – The new Logical Drive 02 created with two physical ST3000DM001’s in RAID1 by the HP Dynamic Smart Array B120i Controller can be seen below the single drive RAID0 Logical Drive 01

Figure 10 – The view within HP’s Smart Storage Administrator of the 2 Arrays on the Dynamic Smart Array B120i Controller

I measured the performance of the Logical Drives 01 and 02 made with the Dynamic Smart Array B120i Controller in the HP ProLiant DL320e Gen8 V2 using HDTune, ATTO, and CrystalDiskMark (“CDM”).

Figure 11– Performance of Logical Drive 01 which is the OS Drive 256GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD set up as a single drive RAID0 in the Dynamic Smart Array B120i Controller running Windows 8.1. As can been seen particularly in CDM while the sustained transfer rates are capped at SATA II speeds the random read and write rates are excellent — substantially better than a typical HDD.

Figure 12 – Performance of Logical Drive 02 which is the RAID1 Data Drive made from 2 ST3000DM001’s set up in the Dynamic Smart Array B120i Controller

Current As-Built: Machine

• HP ProLiant DL320e Gen8 v2 Xeon E3-1280 v3

• 8GB ECC RAM

• OS: Windows 8.1

• OS Drive: 256GB RAID0 Logical Drive 01 made of 1 x 256GB Samsung 840 Pro attached to ODD SATA Port (Bay 5) on HP Dynamic Smart Array B120i RAID Controller
  • Dell MX714 FDD to SATA Power Converter Cable
  • Standard SATA cable 180 degrees (straight) both ends

• Data Drive: 3TB RAID1 Logical Drive 02 made of 2 x 3TB ST3000DM001 (Bays 1 & 2) on HP Dynamic Smart Array B120i RAID Controller

References:

Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 Drivers for HP ProLiant DL320e Gen8 v2 Server http://h20565.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/public/readIndex?sp4ts.oid=5379529&swLangOid=8&swEnvOid=4168

B120i Drivers: CP022624.exe http://h20565.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/public/detail?sp4ts.oid=5379529&swItemId=MTX_09a49efe5daf4d74bb214f355d&swEnvOid=4168

7-Zip http://www.7-zip.org/

iLO Drivers: CP024529.exe http://h20565.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/public/detail?sp4ts.oid=5379529&swItemId=MTX_08989f8839a1412ca0a9561b2e&swEnvOid=4168

iLO Drivers: CP024617.exe http://h20565.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/public/detail?sp4ts.oid=5379529&swItemId=MTX_6aae0f1005a34654859da67e4a&swEnvOid=4168

Maxtor Drivers: CP022422.exe http://h20565.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/public/detail?sp4ts.oid=5379529&swItemId=MTX_2e56fd2e83d24867acb28acea4&swEnvOid=4168

SSA Drivers (HP SSA): I used CP020938.exe but the current version is CP024254.exe https://h20566.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/public/detail?sp4ts.oid=5194887&swItemId=MTX_e4124c5963a3426fba009d33d3&swEnvOid=4168#tab1

SSA Drivers (HP SSACLI): I used CP020950.exe but the current version is CP024256.exe https://h20566.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/public/detail?sp4ts.oid=5194887&swItemId=MTX_05d4c11e7ed3433e85c89ea604&swEnvOid=4168

SSA Drivers (HP SSADU): I used CP020952.exe but the current version is CP024258.exe https://h20566.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/public/detail?sp4ts.oid=5194887&swItemId=MTX_f2b58c8ab0a04b489985b6ff71&swEnvOid=4168

Dell MX714 Floppy FDD to SATA Power Converter Cable http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-OEM-Dell-MX714-Floppy-FDD-to-Sata-Power-Converter-Cable-/400298253923?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d33a29e63 

Attaching a HDD to the ODD SATA Port in a HP ProLiant DL320e Gen8 v2 http://homeservershow.com/attaching-a-hdd-to-the-odd-sata-port-in-a-hp-proliant-dl320e-gen8-v2.html

Using SSD’s in a HP ProLiant DL320e Gen8 V2 http://homeservershow.com/using-ssds-in-a-hp-proliant-dl320e-gen8-v2.html

HP ProLiant DL320e Gen8 V2 and Windows Server 2012 R2 http://homeservershow.com/hp-proliant-dl320e-gen8-v2-and-windows-server-2012-r2.html

HP ProLiant DL320e Gen8 V2 and Windows Server Technical Preview http://homeservershow.com/hp-proliant-dl320e-gen8-v2-and-windows-server-technical-preview.html

Check out CSKenney’s Gen8 links thread in the HomeServerShow forums: http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/5639-proliant-microserver-gen8-links/

Check out the Gen8 Blog postings: http://homeservershow.com/tag/gen-8

Check out the MicroServer Blog postings: http://homeservershow.com/tag/microserver

My DL320e Gen8 V2 Playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn2DhE-6J02Swh-vU8vQGhdUrM-l6XEJs

By: JohnStutsman

Figure 1 — SDM-R2 with Screws and thick tape; Fan Mounting Kit; Two 7mm SSB’s; One 9.5mm SSB

In December 2013 I had the good fortune to test the Beta version of the Schoondoggy Drive Mount (“SDM-Beta”) that was designed to be used to mount additional two 2.5” drives or one 3.5” lower profile drive inside the HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer (“MicroServer”) next to the Power Supply Unit (“PSU”) of the MicroServer. I wrote about my tests in The Schoondoggy Gen8 Drive Mount for the HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer First Look .

I was convinced that the SDM-Beta was as nearly perfect as could be achieved but Schoondoggy proved me wrong by making 4 significant improvements that he incorporated into the pre-production/production version of the SDM (“SDM-R1”):

• Tabs have been lengthened
• Tabs have been move down slightly to move the top of the SGDM/SDM to the Gen8 frame
• Screw slots in Tabs have been lengthened to allow for adjustment of SGDM/SDM placement next to the PSU
• Drive holes have been countersink

I wrote up my review of the SDM-R1 in SGDM-SDM Pre-Production Review: HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer in February 2014.

Figure 2 — SDM-R2 with Screws and thick tape plus Fan Mounting Kit in upper right

Recently, Schoondoggy designed a new version of the SDM-R1 called SDM-R2 that enhances the utility of the original designs. Specifically the SDM-R2:

• Retains all of the capability of the SDM-R1 (countersunk mounting holes for two 2.5” drives or one 3.5” low profile drive; lengthen tabs; screw slots in the tabs to allow mounting adjustment)
• Removes the top bar that ran across the top of the SDM-R1 and thus lower the weight making the SDM-R2 easier to mount
• Adds a cushioned double sided tape square to provide additional stability alongside the PSU
• Adds three counter sunk holes to allow the mounting of a 60mm fan in the left 2.5” drive space

Figure 3 — Two 7mm SSB’s and One 9.5mm SSB

To supplement the SDM-R2 Schoondoggy developed a number of kits:

• 7mm Stacking Brackets (“SSM”) that enable the stacking of two 7mm 2.5” drives (like SSD’s)
• 9mm Stacking Brackets (“SSM”) that enable the stacking of two 9mm 2.5” drives (like SSD’s, HDD’s)
• Fan Mount Kit that contains screws, nuts, and washers to mount a 60mm fan on the left 2.5” drive bay

With the 7 and 9mm SSM’s one can mount four 2.5” drives on the SDM-R2 or one could mount a fan in the left 2.5” drive bay and two 2.5” drives in the right drive bay!

Hypothetically, one could mount four drives on the SDM-R2 using some combination of SSB’s controlled by the B120i or an add-on controller card and still have the ODD SATA port on the System Board available for either an ODD or 2.5” drive in the ODD bay area. Of course, many other configurations are possible!

Video 1 – SDM-R2 Introduction Part 1 – HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer

Video 2 – SDM-R2 Introduction Part 2 – HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer

Video 3 – SDM-R2 Introduction Part 3 – HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer

Check out the next page of this review.  SDM-R2 Review: SSB — HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer

Questions?

Join us in the HSS Forums with any questions and/or comments on the above and other threads.

Reference:

Fan mounting Kit, 7mm & 9.5mm Schoondoggy Stacking Brackets, SDM-R2, => Schoondoggy Store: http://homeservershow.com/hp-microserver-gen8-drive-bracket.html

SDM-R2 — Forum Post: http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/5960-hp-ms-g8-25-drive-bracket-prototype-new-rev2-info/?p=95220

SSB Schoondoggy Stacking Brackets – Forum Post:   http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/8993-schoondoggy-stacking-brackets/?p=97099

For good background information and accessory parts lists see: SDM-R1 SGDM-SDM Pre-Production Review: HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer http://homeservershow.com/sgdm-sdm-pre-production-review-hp-proliant-gen8-microserver.html

For good background information and accessory parts lists see: SDM-R1 Pre-Production — Forum Post: http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/5960-hp-ms-g8-25-drive-bracket-prototype/page-4#entry76824

For good background information and accessory parts lists see: SDM-Beta The Schoondoggy Gen8 Drive Mount for the HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer First Look http://homeservershow.com/schoondoggy-gen8-drive-mount-hp-proliant-gen8-microserver-first-look.html

Brushless DC Blower Fan Model 6015S 0755-27936981 60x60x15mm http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/250957711173?lpid=82&chn=ps

Delta Electronics Blower Fan BFB0512LD 50x50x20mm 28dB 4.45CFM http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/BFB0512LD/603-1566-ND/2560689

Check out the Gen8 links: http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/5639-proliant-microserver-gen8-links/

Check out the Gen8 Blog postings: http://homeservershow.com/tag/gen-8

Check out the MicroServer Blog postings: http://homeservershow.com/tag/microserver

Video Playlist – Schoondoggy Gen8 Drive Mount for HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn2DhE-6J02RpMF4bJDh-m-y8GlDi1WOO

By: JohnStutsman

Figure 1 – Three SSB kits: Two 7mm SSB kits on the left; One 9.5mm SSB kit on the right

In February, 2015, Schoondoggy announced that he had made Schoondoggy Stacking Brackets (“SSB”) in 7mm and 9.5mm sizes.

The original intention was to be able to use the SSB’s on the SDM (SDM-R1 and SDM-R2) but clearances with the HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer (“MicroServer”) frame would only allow the use of the 7mm SSB on the left side of the SDM while the 9.5mm and 7mm SSB could be used on the right side of the SDM.

Video 1 – Schoondoggy Stacking Bracket or SSB Part 1 – HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer

One possible configuration is using a 7mm and a 9.5mm SSB kit on the SDM as shown in Figure 2 and Video 2.

Figure 2 – Two SSD’s, stacked using a 7mm SSB kit, mounted on a 3.5” to 2.5” drive bay convertor.   In the background Four drives are mounted on the SDM-R2 using a 7mm SSB kit for the SSD’s on the left and a 9.5mm SSB kit for the Western Digital 1TB HDD’s on the right.

Video 2 – Schoondoggy Stacking Bracket or SSB Part 2 – HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer

While another possible configuration is using two 7mm SSB kits on the SDM as shown in Figure 3 and Video 3.

Figure 3 — Two 1TB Western Digital 2.5” HDD’s, stacked using a 9.5mm SSB kit, mounted on a 3.5” to 2.5” drive bay convertor. In the background Four SSD’s are mounted on the SDM-R2 using two 7mm SSB kit’s.

Video 3 – Schoondoggy Stacking Bracket or SSB Part 3 – HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer

Check out the next page of this review as I start to look at a configuration that shows the real value of the SDM-R2 with SSB’s and illustrated by Figure 4.

Figure 4 – 60x60x15mm Blower Fan mounted in left 2.5” bay of SDM-R2 and Two 9.5mm SSD’s stacked using the 9.5mm SSB in the right 2.5” bay of SDM-R2

Note: In SGDM-SDM Pre-Production Review: HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer and The Schoondoggy Gen8 Drive Mount for the HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer First Look I used 15mm VelociRaptors which wouldn’t offer enough clearance to stack.

The next page of this review. SDM-R2 Review: Fan Mount and SDM-R2 Installation – HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer

The previous page of this review. SDM-R2 Review: Introduction – HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer

Questions?

Join us in the HSS Forums with any questions and/or comments on the above and other threads.

Reference:

SDM-R2 Review: Introduction – HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer  http://homeservershow.com/sdm-r2-review-introduction-hp-proliant-gen8-microserver.html 

Fan mounting Kit, 7mm & 9.5mm Schoondoggy Stacking Brackets, SDM-R2, => Schoondoggy Store: http://homeservershow.com/hp-microserver-gen8-drive-bracket.html

SDM-R2 — Forum Post: http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/5960-hp-ms-g8-25-drive-bracket-prototype-new-rev2-info/?p=95220

SSB Schoondoggy Stacking Brackets – Forum Post:   http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/8993-schoondoggy-stacking-brackets/?p=97099

For good background information and accessory parts lists see: SDM-R1 SGDM-SDM Pre-Production Review: HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer http://homeservershow.com/sgdm-sdm-pre-production-review-hp-proliant-gen8-microserver.html

For good background information and accessory parts lists see: SDM-R1 Pre-Production — Forum Post: http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/5960-hp-ms-g8-25-drive-bracket-prototype/page-4#entry76824

For good background information and accessory parts lists see: SDM-Beta The Schoondoggy Gen8 Drive Mount for the HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer First Look http://homeservershow.com/schoondoggy-gen8-drive-mount-hp-proliant-gen8-microserver-first-look.html

Brushless DC Blower Fan Model 6015S 0755-27936981 60x60x15mm http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/250957711173?lpid=82&chn=ps

Delta Electronics Blower Fan BFB0512LD 50x50x20mm 28dB 4.45CFM http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/BFB0512LD/603-1566-ND/2560689

Check out the Gen8 links: http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/5639-proliant-microserver-gen8-links/

Check out the Gen8 Blog postings: http://homeservershow.com/tag/gen-8

Check out the MicroServer Blog postings: http://homeservershow.com/tag/microserver

Video Playlist – Schoondoggy Gen8 Drive Mount for HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn2DhE-6J02RpMF4bJDh-m-y8GlDi1WOO

By: JohnStutsman

Figure 1 – Preparing to mount the SDM-R2 (with Fan mounted in Left 2.5” Drive space and Two 9.5mm Corsair GT’s mounted in the Right 2.5” Drive space using a 9.5mm SSB Kit) into my Gen8 MicroServer

I was excited to live test the SDM-R2 with a fan mounted in the Left 2.5” drive space and my two 9.5mm Corsair GT’s mounted in the Right 2.5” drive space using the 9.5mm SSB Kit.

The first thing I needed to do was add a connector onto the end of the 60x60x15mm box fan.

Figure 2 – Preparing to add power connector to end of 60x60x15mm Box Fan power leads

Video 1 – Preparing the Fan Connection before Mounting onto the SDM-R2

Next: I needed to mount the 60x60x15mm Box Fan onto the SDM-R2 next to my two stacked Corsair GT’s. See Figure 1.

Figure 3 – The layout of the SDM-R2 showing the Left and Right 2.5” Drive Bay’s – See also Figures 5 & 6 and Video’s on Mounting VelociRaptors & SSD’s on the SGDM in The Schoondoggy Gen8 Drive Mount HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer First Look . A single thin 3.5” drive can also be attached – see Figure 7 and Video “Mounting 3.5”Thin Hard Drive to the SGDM” in The Schoondoggy Gen8 Drive Mount HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer First Look

Video 2 – Mounting the Fan onto the SDM-R2

Next, I mounted the SDM-R2 in my MicroServer.

Figure 4 – The SDM-R2 is mounted at the two screw points highlighted on the MicroServer PSU. See also Figure 4 of The Schoondoggy Gen8 Drive Mount HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer First Look

Video 3 – Installing the SDM-R2 into my MicroServer

Video 4 – Finishing the Installation of the SDM-R2 into my MicroServer

Figure 5 shows the completed installation of the SDM-R2.

Figure 5 – Installation of SDM-R2 completed

Figure 6 – Before switching out the SDM-R1 for the SDM-R2 I had been running Windows Server 2012-R2 on My Gen8 MicroServer. I continued with this install of S2012R2 for my testing.

Figure 7 – Firmware on my Gen8 MicroServer.

Figure 8 — Storage Configuration on my Gen8 MicroServer. The Two Corsair GT’s are in a RAID0 on the B120i and hold my OS while the P222 has Four ST3000DM001’s in RAID5 for my Data

Check out the next page of this review as I start to look at performance and temperature tests with different fan configurations.

The next page of this review. SDM-R2 Review: Testing and Wrap-Up – HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer

The previous page of this review. SDM-R2 Review: SSB – HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer

Questions?

Join us in the HSS Forums with any questions and/or comments on the above and other threads.

Reference:

SDM-R2 Review: Introduction – HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer  http://homeservershow.com/sdm-r2-review-introduction-hp-proliant-gen8-microserver.html 

Fan mounting Kit, 7mm & 9.5mm Schoondoggy Stacking Brackets, SDM-R2, => Schoondoggy Store: http://homeservershow.com/hp-microserver-gen8-drive-bracket.html

SDM-R2 — Forum Post: http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/5960-hp-ms-g8-25-drive-bracket-prototype-new-rev2-info/?p=95220

SSB Schoondoggy Stacking Brackets – Forum Post:   http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/8993-schoondoggy-stacking-brackets/?p=97099

For good background information and accessory parts lists see: SDM-R1 SGDM-SDM Pre-Production Review: HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer http://homeservershow.com/sgdm-sdm-pre-production-review-hp-proliant-gen8-microserver.html

For good background information and accessory parts lists see: SDM-R1 Pre-Production — Forum Post: http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/5960-hp-ms-g8-25-drive-bracket-prototype/page-4#entry76824

For good background information and accessory parts lists see: SDM-Beta The Schoondoggy Gen8 Drive Mount for the HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer First Look http://homeservershow.com/schoondoggy-gen8-drive-mount-hp-proliant-gen8-microserver-first-look.html

Brushless DC Blower Fan Model 6015S 0755-27936981 60x60x15mm http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/250957711173?lpid=82&chn=ps

Delta Electronics Blower Fan BFB0512LD 50x50x20mm 28dB 4.45CFM http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/BFB0512LD/603-1566-ND/2560689

Check out the Gen8 links: http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/5639-proliant-microserver-gen8-links/

Check out the Gen8 Blog postings: http://homeservershow.com/tag/gen-8

Check out the MicroServer Blog postings: http://homeservershow.com/tag/microserver

Video Playlist – Schoondoggy Gen8 Drive Mount for HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn2DhE-6J02RpMF4bJDh-m-y8GlDi1WOO

By: JohnStutsman

Figure 1 – One of the Test configurations using two 50x50x20mm Box Fans in addition to the 60x60x15mm Box Fan on the SDM-R2

One of my first group of tests was to measure the performance of my MicroServer’s OS and Data drives.

Figure 2 — Storage Configuration in my Gen8 MicroServer

Figure 3 – The OS drive (Drive C) is two Corsair GT SSD’s in RAID0 on the B120i

Figure 4 – The data drive (Drive D) is Four ST3000DM001’s in RAID5 on the P222/512FBWC

Test 1. 50x50x20mm Box Fan on upper right frame directed left towards stacked Corsair GT SSD’s using 9.5mm SSB plus 50x50x20mm Box Fan on lower right frame directed left towards P222

The fan configuration for this test (Test 1) can be seen in Figure 1 above but with the power leads for the 60x60x15mm Box Fan disconnected.

Figure 5 – TEST 1: The Temps at 10-PCI 1 = 59C; 05-Chipset = 50C;

Test 2. 60x60x15mm Box Fan on SDM-R2 plus 50x50x20mm Box Fan on upper right frame directed left towards stacked Corsair GT SSD’s using 9.5mm SSB plus 50x50x20mm Box Fan on lower right frame directed left towards P222

The fan configuration for this test (Test 2) can be seen in Figure 1 above.

Figure 6 – TEST 2: The Temps at 10-PCI 1 = 57C; 05-Chipset = 48C;

Test 3. 60x60x15mm Box Fan on SDM-R2 plus 50x50x20mm Box Fan on lower right frame directed left towards P222

Figure 7 – Fan configuration for Test 3: 60x60x15mm Box Fan on SDM-R2 plus 50x50x20mm Box Fan on lower right frame directed left towards P222

Figure 8 – TEST 3: The Temps at 10-PCI 1 = 58C; 05-Chipset = 50C;

Test 4. 60x60x15mm Box Fan on SDM-R2 plus 50x50x20mm Box Fan on lower right frame directed down towards chipset on System Board

The fan configuration for this test can be seen in Figure 5 of SDM-R2 Review: Fan Mount and SDM-R2 Installation – HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer

Figure 9 – TEST 4: The Temps at 10-PCI 1 = 63C; 05-Chipset = 44C;

CONCLUSION

Table 1 – Summary of Temperatures from each test – Fan speeds in all cases were roughly the same at 26% while BIOS cooling profile is set on “Increased Cooling”

After completing the four test configurations above, I believe that the optimal configuration for me is shown by Test 3. Using a 60x60x15mm Box Fan on SDM-R2 plus a 50x50x20mm Box Fan on lower right frame directed left towards P222 – with 2 SSD’s stacked in the right bay of the SDM-R2. If I had 2 HDD’s stacked in the right bay of the SDM-R2 and thus putting off much more heat than the SSD’s I think Test 2 would be the better configuration for me.

Test configuration 1 would be optimal if 4 drives were stacked on the SDM-R2.

Test 4 offers some interesting prospects that I hope to look at further down the road. Test 4’s configuration substantially cooled the Chipset – if the exhaust of the 60mm fan could be directed more at the P222 it could bring the PCI-1 temperatures down from 63C.

Video 1 – SDM-R2 Wrap-Up – HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer

Figure 10 – SDM-R2 removed from my Gen8 MicroServer

As Built as shown in Figure 1

Machine

• HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer Xeon E3-1265Lv2
• 16GB ECC RAM
• OS: Windows Server 2012 R2
• OS Drive: RAID0 Logical Drive 01 made of 2 x 240GB Corsair GT SSDs on HP Dynamic Smart Array B120i RAID Controller
• Data Drive: RAID5 Logical Drive 01 made of 4 x ST3000DM001 on HP Dynamic Smart Array P222/512FBWC RAID Controller
• Data Drive: USB3 External 3TB drive
• Forward SFF-8087 Cable for internal drives using B120i: StarTech Model SAS8087S450 19” (50cm) Serial Attached SCSI SAS Cable – SFF-8087 to 4x Latching SATA
• SDM R2 (“Schoondoggy Drive Mount R2”)
• SSB 9.5mm (“Schoondoggy Stacking Bracket 9.5mm”)
• 2 x Delta Electronics Blower Fan BFB0512LD 50x50x20mm
• Brushless DC Blower Fan Model 6015S 0755-27936981 60x60x15mm mounted on SDM R2

The previous page of this review. SDM-R2 Review: Fan Mount and SDM-R2 Installation – HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer

The first page of this review. SDM-R2 Review: Introduction – HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer

Questions?

Join us in the HSS Forums with any questions and/or comments on the above and other threads.

Reference:

SDM-R2 Review: Introduction – HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer  http://homeservershow.com/sdm-r2-review-introduction-hp-proliant-gen8-microserver.html 

Fan mounting Kit, 7mm & 9.5mm Schoondoggy Stacking Brackets, SDM-R2, => Schoondoggy Store: http://homeservershow.com/hp-microserver-gen8-drive-bracket.html

SDM-R2 — Forum Post: http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/5960-hp-ms-g8-25-drive-bracket-prototype-new-rev2-info/?p=95220

SSB Schoondoggy Stacking Brackets – Forum Post:   http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/8993-schoondoggy-stacking-brackets/?p=97099

For good background information and accessory parts lists see: SDM-R1 SGDM-SDM Pre-Production Review: HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer http://homeservershow.com/sgdm-sdm-pre-production-review-hp-proliant-gen8-microserver.html

For good background information and accessory parts lists see: SDM-R1 Pre-Production — Forum Post: http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/5960-hp-ms-g8-25-drive-bracket-prototype/page-4#entry76824

For good background information and accessory parts lists see: SDM-Beta The Schoondoggy Gen8 Drive Mount for the HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer First Look http://homeservershow.com/schoondoggy-gen8-drive-mount-hp-proliant-gen8-microserver-first-look.html

Brushless DC Blower Fan Model 6015S 0755-27936981 60x60x15mm http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/250957711173?lpid=82&chn=ps

Delta Electronics Blower Fan BFB0512LD 50x50x20mm 28dB 4.45CFM http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/BFB0512LD/603-1566-ND/2560689

Check out the Gen8 links: http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/5639-proliant-microserver-gen8-links/

Check out the Gen8 Blog postings: http://homeservershow.com/tag/gen-8

Check out the MicroServer Blog postings: http://homeservershow.com/tag/microserver

Video Playlist – Schoondoggy Gen8 Drive Mount for HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn2DhE-6J02RpMF4bJDh-m-y8GlDi1WOO

By: John Stutsman

Figure 1 — HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer with 256GB Samsung 840 Pro attached to ODD SATA port (SATA II 3Gbps) and powered from 4-pin FDD connector

The HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer is designed to accommodate a low profile optical disk drive (“ODD”) via an ODD SATA port (SATA II 3Gbps) on the system board and a 4-pin FDD connector from the power supply unit (“PSU”).

Early on, I had learned that it was possible to attach a drive to the ODD SATA port and by setting it up as a single drive RAID0 (Port 5 on the Dynamic Smart Array B120i) it could be used for an OS drive leaving the main 4-drive (Ports 1 through 4 on the Dynamic Smart Array B120i) bay available for 3.5 inch data drives.  After recently doing this with the HP ProLiant DL320e Gen8 v2 I wanted to try it with my HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer.

The drive attached to the ODD SATA port (SATA II 3Gbps) does not have to be an SSD but an SSD, in my opinion, offered the fewest issues and additional hardware requirements. Though with very little additional effort one could employ a Schoondoggy Drive Mount (SDM-R2) to attach a low height 3.5 inch HDD or 2.5 inch VelociRaptor. The options are many across the spectrum from a 3.5 inch HDD to 2.5 inch laptop drives and 2.5 inch VelociRaptors to SSDs.

Figure 2 – The RED Arrow marks the location of the 4-Pin FDD Connector; The PURPLE Arrow marks the location of the ODD SATA port (SATA II 3Gbps) on the System Board; The GREEN Arrow identifies the MX714 FDD to SATA Power Converter that will be plugged into the 4-Pin FDD Connector; AND The BLUE Arrows identify the Standard SATA cable I will use. Yellow Electrical Tape was placed on the metal frame where the 256GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD will to be placed.

Figure 3 – A close-up view of the ODD SATA port (SATA II 3Gbps) on the System Board with a HighPoint SATA cable installed.

Figure 4 – A close-up view of the 4-pin FDD Connector from the PSU and the MX714 FDD to SATA Power Converter

Figure 5 – The Dell MX714 Floppy FDD to SATA Power Converter Cable that I use in my ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer

Figure 6 – Close-up view of the Samsung 840 Pro SSD installed with the SATA data cable connected, Dell MX714 connected for power, and secured to the HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer with strips of electrical tape

Figure 7 – Another Close-up view of the Samsung 840 Pro SSD installed with the SATA data cable connected, Dell MX714 connected for power, and secured to the HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer with strips of electrical tape.

Video 1 – Attaching a SSD to the ODD SATA Port in my HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer

Questions or comments? Join us in the Forums at http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/forum/88-gen-8/

Current As-Built: Machine

• HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer w/Xeon E3-1265Lv2
• 16GB ECC RAM
• OS Drive C: 256GB Logical Drive 01 made of 1 x Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD’s in RAID0 on HP Dynamic Smart Array B120i RAID Controller
  • Dell MX714 FDD to SATA Power Converter Cable
  • Standard SATA cable 180 degrees (straight) both ends
• OS: varies – check future blogs

• Data Drive: 6TB Logical Drive 02 made of 4 x 3TB ST3000DM001 in RAID10 on HP Dynamic Smart Array B120i RAID Controller

References:

Windows 8.1 with RAID0 SSD on the ODD SATA Port in a ProLiant DL320e Gen8 V2 http://homeservershow.com/windows-8-1-with-raid0-ssd-on-the-odd-sata-port-in-a-proliant-dl320e-gen8-v2.html

Dell MX714 Floppy FDD to SATA Power Converter Cable http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-OEM-Dell-MX714-Floppy-FDD-to-Sata-Power-Converter-Cable-/400298253923?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d33a29e63 

Schoondoggy Drive Mount (“SDM-R2”) an Introduction http://homeservershow.com/sdm-r2-review-introduction-hp-proliant-gen8-microserver.html

Check out CSKenney’s Gen8 links thread in the HomeServerShow forums: http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/5639-proliant-microserver-gen8-links/

Check out the Gen8 Blog postings: http://homeservershow.com/tag/gen-8

Check out the MicroServer Blog postings: http://homeservershow.com/tag/microserver

By: JohnStutsman

Figure 1 – Schoondoggy Drive Mount (“SDM”) – R3 for the HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer

The Schoondoggy Drive Mount (“SDM”) is used to mount additional HDD’s and SDD’s inside the HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer beyond the 4 positions provided in the main 4 drive bay and the space in the ODD area of the MicroServer. When used with the Schoondoggy Stacking Bracket (“SSB”) up to 4 drives can be mounted on the SDM-R3. The SDM-R3 is provided with mounting holes for 3 optional fans to help cool a card (such as a Video Card or a P222) in the MicroServer expansion slot and the HDDs/SSDs mounted on the SDM-R3.

Figure 2 – Top view of SDM-R3 with four (4) 2.5” 9.5mm HDD’s mounted using the 9.5mm SSB’s.

Figure 3 – Overhead view of SDM-R3 with four (4) 2.5” 9.5mm HDD’s mounted using the 9.5mm SSB’s.

Figure 4 – Side view of SDM-R3 with four (4) 2.5” 9.5mm HDD’s mounted using the 9.5mm SSB’s.

Figure 5 – view of SDM-R3 with four (4) 2.5” 9.5mm HDD’s mounted using the 9.5mm SSB’s with Cable connections.

Figure 6 – SDM-R3 with four (4) 2.5” 9.5mm HDD’s Attached to the PSU side of my HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer. The Bottom edge of the P222 Controller Card in the PCIe slot can be see behind the SDM-R3.

Figure 7 – SDM-R3 with four (4) 2.5” 9.5mm HDD’s Attached to the PSU side of my HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer. Two 7mm Samsung SSD’s mounted together with a 7mm SSB set sitting on the Static Mat beside my MicroServer.

Figure 8 – My HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer with SDM-R3 powered up. Note that Power meter is showing 78.5W. Normally, the power meter displays consumption in this configuration between 75-105W.

Figure 9 – iLO4 Storage information showing the three Logical Drives off of the B120i Dynamic Smart Array Controller as well as the single Logical Drive off of the P222/512 FBWC Dynamic Smart Array Controller Card that is driving the four HDD’s mounted on the SDM-R3.

Figure 10 – iLO4 Temperature data with 27% system fan speed set in BIOS on Increased Cooling.

Figure 11 – iLO4 Temperature Graph with 27% system fan speed set in BIOS on Increased Cooling.

VIDEO 1 – SDM-R3 (“Schoondoggy Drive Mount – R3”) on my HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer

In conclusion, I really like the quality of the SDM-R3 and using the SDM-R3 I can now install, for the first time, four (4) 2.5” HDD’s that are 9.5mm thick. This is huge, in my opinion. Using the two (2) 30mm blower fans on the HDD’s and the 30mm fan that directs through the cutout towards the P222 heat sink appears to cool the controller card adequately (the chipset did get up to 55C but the Controller Card (PCI 1) was below 60C) during my testing.

You can find the SDM-R3 and other products in the Schoondoggy Store.

Please join us in the HomeServerShow Forums with any Questions or Comments.

As Built (Computer Name: MACHINE):

• HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer
• Xeon E3-1265Lv2 (LGA 1155)
• 16GB ECC RAM
• B120i Logical Drive 01: OS Drive – 1 x Corsair GT 240GB RAID0 on HP Dynamic Smart Array B120i RAID Controller – 1 x Icy Dock EZConvert Air – mounted in Slots 1 of 4 drive main cage – Port 1 SATA III (6GB/s)
• B120i Logical Drive 02: Data Drive – 1 x WD VelociRaptor WD1000DHTZ 1TB RAID0 on HP Dynamic Smart Array B120i RAID Controller – mounted in Slot 2 of 4 drive main cage – Port 2 SATA III (6GB/s)
• B120i Logical Drive 03: Data drive – 2 x Seagate ST3000DM001 3TB HDDs RAID1 on HP Dynamic Smart Array B120i RAID Controller – ports 3-4 SATA II (3GB/s) – mounted in Slots 3 & 4 of 4 drive main cage
• P222 Logical Drive 01: Data Drive – 4 x WD10JUCT RAID5 on HP Dynamic Smart Array P222/512FBWC RAID Controller – Ports 1-4 SATA III (6GB/s) – mounted on SDM-R3
• SDM-R3 (Schoondoggy Drive Mount Revision 3)
• 2 x 9.5mm SSB (Schoondoggy Stacking Bracket)
• 2 x 30mmx10mm Blower Fans Delta Electronics BFB0312HA (fan connector attached) and mounting hardware
• 1 x 30mmx15mm Fan Sunon MC30151V1-000U-A99 MagLev B5635R (fan connector attached) and mounting hardware
• 2 x Molex to Molex Y power Splitter
• 2 x Molex to SATA Y power Splitter
• Forward SFF-8087 Cable (I used: StarTech Model SAS8087S450 50cm Serial Attached SCSI SAS Cable – SFF-8087 to 4x Latching SATA)
• 3 x Molex to Fan connector
• OS: Windows 8.1 Pro x64 with HyperV Enabled
• In ODD space for additional drive later: Dell MX714 Floppy FDD to SATA power connector; 1 x SATA 18” Data cable from System Board ODD SATA Port (B120i) to ODD Space

Reference:

Reference (important – please review):

SDM-R3 Prototype – Forum Post with Pictures and Drawing http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/5960-hp-ms-g8-25-drive-bracket-prototype-rev2-info-new-rev-3-info/?p=108589  http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/5960-hp-ms-g8-25-drive-bracket-prototype-rev2-info-new-rev-3-info/?p=109829 http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/5960-hp-ms-g8-25-drive-bracket-prototype-rev2-info-new-rev-3-info/?p=109892

SDM-R2 Review: Testing and Wrap-Up – HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer http://homeservershow.com/sdm-r2-review-testing-and-wrap-up-hp-proliant-gen8-microserver.html

SDM R2 prototype — Forum Post: http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/5960-hp-ms-g8-25-drive-bracket-prototype-new-rev2-info/?p=95220

SSB Schoondoggy Stacking Brackets – Forum Post:   http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/8993-schoondoggy-stacking-brackets/?p=97099

For good background information and accessory parts lists see: SDM R1 SGDM-SDM Pre-Production Review: HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer http://homeservershow.com/sgdm-sdm-pre-production-review-hp-proliant-gen8-microserver.html

For good background information and accessory parts lists see: SDM R1 Pre-Production — Forum Post: http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/5960-hp-ms-g8-25-drive-bracket-prototype/page-4#entry76824

For good background information and accessory parts lists see: SDM Beta: The Schoondoggy Gen8 Drive Mount for the HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer First Look http://homeservershow.com/schoondoggy-gen8-drive-mount-hp-proliant-gen8-microserver-first-look.html

Schoondoggy Store: http://homeservershow.com/hp-microserver-gen8-drive-bracket.html

Check out the Gen8 links: http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/5639-proliant-microserver-gen8-links/

Check out the Gen8 Blog postings: http://homeservershow.com/tag/gen-8

Check out the MicroServer Blog postings: http://homeservershow.com/tag/microserver

Video Playlist – Schoondoggy Gen8 Drive Mount for HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn2DhE-6J02RpMF4bJDh-m-y8GlDi1WOO