HPE ProLiant ML350 Gen10 - swapping from SFF to LFF

[epiphanyplx]

I'm trying to swap from 1x 8 SFF drive cage to 3x 4 LFF drive cages as well as swapping from HPE Smart Array P408i-a SR Gen10 to HPE Smart Array S100i SR Gen10 (onboard) with drives in AHCI mode.

The goal is to install TrueNAS and it wants the drives passed trough as plainly as possible and I believe the above will accomplish this.

My questions:

- Am I able to use 874566-B21 drive cages with the HPE Smart Array S100i SR Gen10? If so what cables do I need? I cannot find a single picture online of the back of 874566-B21. It seems to me it would use the same cables as the SFF drive cage but cannot confirm.
- If it is it seems that they wouldn't all fit due to the way the cables are bent...is this intentional?

- If I am able to do so what cables do I need to purchase? Is it a SAS cable? Is it a particular type? The only one I can find online is from HP and is almost $300. In that case I will abandon project and sell the server since I believe I would need 3 of those...

Thanks

[support_s]

System recommended content:

1. HPE ProLiant ML350 Gen10 Server - Product Information Reference | Server options

2. HPE ProLiant ML350 Gen10 Server - Product Information Reference | Power supplies

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[epiphanyplx]

Yes, I have reviewed those documents as well as others.

So for this cable:

4 LFF Hot-Plug drive SATA cable spare kit

Embedded SATA cable kit for 4-bay LFF configuration - Includes 4-LFF SAS 12 Gb/s 470 mm long (18.5 in) cable and 250 mm (9.8 in) long cable

879463-001

Why is it 2 cables? Presumably it is so you can reach the top cage as well as a lower cage - in that case would I need to buy 2 of this item instead of 3? And then I would have one extra? What power cables do I need to power the 3 cages? Or are they included?

Are the 4-LFF SAS 12 Gb/s 470 mm long (18.5 in) cable and 250 mm (9.8 in) long cable the same as the cables provided for 8 SFF cage? I know part number is different but why would you engineer 2 different cables? Is it just length?

Lastly, what is the form factor of these cables? Are they HP specific only? Or can I buy a SAS cable from Amazon for $15 instead of spending $250 from HP?

[ngnear]

Hi There,

Thanks for reaching out.

Please let us know how many drives are we installing? Reason - Depending on the amount of drives, we need to check how many cages you'd need. Based on that, we potentially could also be looking at a SAS expander card.

To answer the question in regards to cabling, here is ML350 Gen10 cabling guide. This might help - https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/docDisplay?docId=a00036357en_us&docLocale=en_US

HPE always recommends using OEM parts as 3rd party devices might void your warranty/support!

[epiphanyplx]

I would like a total of 12 LFF drives.
I need 3 cages.
I don't think I need a sas expander if I am swapping to the onboard raid controller, correct?

I read the cabling guide already, it is referenced in some of my questions.

[ngnear]

Hi there,

Checking the previous comments, I noticed that you are looking to swap the P408i-A SR Gen10 controller for S100i SR Gen10 (Embedded controller).

Do note that S100i supports SATA drives. (https://www.hpe.com/psnow/doc/a00021852enw.pdf?jumpid=in_pdp-psnow-qs (Page 24))
Here is the picture for back of Drive Cage in question -  874566-B21, https://partsurfer.hpe.com/Search.aspx?SearchText=874566-B21.

You would need compatible SATA HDDs, 3 drive cages (For 12 SATA LFF HDDs) and the following cabling kit - https://partsurfer.hpe.com/Search.aspx?SearchText=877578-B21

[epiphanyplx]

Do I only need one of the cabling kits?

[epiphanyplx]

I also don't quite understand the cabling kit when comparing it to the back of the image of the drive cage you linked.
Backplane seems to have the SAS port and then a port for power. My understanding is that power cable comes with 874566-B21.
So what is the second cable that comes with 877578-B21?

Shown here: https://www.servertechsupply.com/877578-b21/

[BunnyPon]

Can you try just leaving all the existing drives in the SFF cage in JBOD mode and see if truenas can see them as the controller should just pass them through.

If that works, you can probably just swap the SFF to 2 LFF and use as is, then the remaining one you can use the onboard controller which I think also has one of those fancy connectors too. 

[epiphanyplx]

Everything I've read says that RAID controller needs to be in IT mode to be used by TrueNAS. Or, ideally, don't use a RAID controller.

(I have actually swapped tracks a bit and am going to use Unraid now as I have a large mix of different sized drives, but the same seems to be true of it.)


It seems like no matter which one I use I would need some new cables. I have ordered some generic ones off of Amazon, figured I could return them if they don't work. If not then I'll see if HP tells me how many of the cable kit I need and try that.

Unfortunately I don't think I can use the SFF cables simple because they have a 90 degree angle that prevents me from being able to use them if utilizing all the ports marked "SATA".

My plan is to sell the RAID controller and SFF cage to help cover cost of LFF cage but we'll see - if the cables don't work and HP says I will need 3 of the cable kits maybe I will try it - they are quite expensive.