Question Issue getting SSD recognized in HPE ProLiant Microserver Gen10 Plus

[amoe_]

New user here, I'm trying to set up this HP microserver that I just bought.

I am using these pieces of hardware:

• Crucial BX500 CT120BX500SSD1(Z) 120 GB Internal SSD (3D NAND, SATA, 2.5 Inch)
• DSLRKIT 2.5" SSD to 3.5" SATA Hard Disk Drive HDD Adapter

The SSD is installed into the adapter and the adapter into the drive bay, but it is not recognized by the microserver. I feel it click into the SATA port on the server, but when I boot the server, I go to the boot or system configuration menu and it's not shown. I've tried all 4 slots and none of them recognize it. I've tested the same slots with other 3.5" drives and they work fine. I've also tested the 2.5" adapter and SSD in another (separate) drive enclosure, and that worked fine as well. I've just updated the firmware (the "system ROM") to the latest version without any change in the behaviour.

What can I do? It doesn't seem to make much sense.

 

[popatim]

Boot? Is there an OS already on this SSD?

 

[amoe_]

Sorry, no, there's no OS on the SSD, but the boot menu shows all connected drives, even when they're not bootable (and even when they're totally blank). I've also confirmed this behaviour persists when checking through the system configuration menu, I just used the boot menu as an example here because it brings you directly to the list of connected drives rather than having to navigate through a couple of menus first.

 

[popatim]

I don't have one of these units but most boot menu's only show you drives that it thinks are bootable.

Does the drive show up in the bios? I think that's what you mean by system configuration, have you checked for a firmware update for the HP?

{edit} When the ssd is in another system, can you run a diskpart clean command on it?
https://www.seagate.com/support/kb/...-a-drive-through-the-command-prompt-005929en/

 

[amoe_]

Both the 'system configuration' menu and the boot menu are part of the BIOS on this machine. Yeah, I've already updated the firmware to the latest version.

I don't use Windows, but I can partition the SSD in another system using fdisk without any problem.

Edit: I'm giving up on this approach. I bought an official HPE SSD converter but that didn't work either. All I can guess is that something about the Crucial firmware is incompatible with the MSG10+.

 

[mistaB]

Having the same issue here with a GEN10+ albeit with the 2TB version (Crucial BX500 2TB 2.5 SSD / CT2000BX500SSD1 - latest firmware) - the drives are intermittently detected regardless of bay yet test fine on other computers/readers & with Crucial's 'Storage Executive' software.

After a long call with HP they concluded the drives were faulty; given they work elsewhere I'm guessing it's just a incompatibility issue (as mentioned above) & the problem will probably be resolved in a future SSD firmware update.

N.B. we've also tried with 2x 1TB WD HDDs along with 2x 240GB PNY SSD's and they work fine, we're going to try 2x 2TB Kingston A400 SSDs next - I'll post an update once we know more.

 

[mistaB]

Update: Two new 2TB SSDs from a different manufacturer produced the same results - HP have now told us that the maximum supported size of individual SSDs on the Gen10+ is 240GB and that's why they're not recognised (!)

"Maximum Internal Storage: 960GB (4x 240GB) 2.5” SATA SSD"
(https://h20195.www2.hpe.com/v2/getdocument.aspx?docname=a00073554enw)

I find it hard to believe this limitation is by design given a lot of people will obviously want to use large SSDs for storage, also I know for a fact the Gen8 Microserver happily supports 1TB SSDs in a RAID 1 configuration; hopefully HP will fix this glaring shortcoming ASAP but in the meantime we won't be buying any more Gen10+ servers...

 

[amoe_]

Update: Two new 2TB SSDs from a different manufacturer produced the same results - HP have now told us that the maximum supported size of individual SSDs on the Gen10+ is 240GB and that's why they're not recognised (!)

That's slightly crazy. When I contacted support they told me that only the part P09685-B21 was supported, which is 240GB. In a way, I expected this line from 'enterprise'-level support that wants to continually upsell their own-brand gear. But at a technical level, it feels like it would actually be more effort to restrict support in this way than it would be to support a wider range of drives (even if unofficially).

 

[popatim]

Now I'm wondering how it is detecting the difference between an SSD and an HDD.
Why go thru all that bios programming to look for that?

 

[mistaB]

Now I'm wondering how it is detecting the difference between an SSD and an HDD.
Why go thru all that bios programming to look for that?

That's a good question, I know that SSD 'TRIM' functionality can be detected by the system (proving it's an SSD) but why this would break compatibility with larger SSDs is a mystery...

 

[popatim]

I've always thought Trim was an OS thing. It's supported on HDD's too, esp SMR drives.
There must be something identifying in the detection/negotiation phase besides the Make & model info.

 

[fe80grau]

In ProLiant ML30 Gen10, If u put "Embedded SATA Configuration" in SATA AHCI Support mode u can install 1TB and 2TB SSD but u can't create arrays with hpe soft