HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen10 review

Entry-level models start with HPE's S100i controller chip, which employs the motherboard's three embedded SATA ports to support up to twelve drives and RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 arrays. The S100i can actually handle fourteen drives and the remaining two are used for HPE's new dual uFF M.2 flash cartridge which fits at the rear and only occupies a single SFF drive bay.

All hard disks and NVMe drives use HPE's SmartDrive carriers which are loaded with status LEDs. Their white LED avoids costly mistakes, as any carrier with this illuminated mustn't be removed while the server is running.

The review server comes SAS3 ready and includes HPE's Smart Array P408i-a Gen10 snap-in module, which adds RAID5, 6, 50 and 60 arrays to the storage equation. It includes 2GB of flash-backed write cache (FBWC) protected by a 96W high performance Li-Ion battery.

Virtualization fans will find a pair of internal USB 3 ports for booting into an embedded hypervisor. There's a MicroSD card slot next door for the same function and HPE now offers a dual 8GB MicroSD USB 3 kit for hypervisor redundancy.

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Management features

The DL360 Gen10 shows off HPE's new iLO5 management controller and its freshly designed web interface. This is a big improvement over the iLO4 as it provides even more information about critical components, a new agentless management service (AMS), enhanced OS provisioning tools and a big boost in performance.

Security is a key focus as the iLO5's new ASIC uses HPE's Silicon Root of Trust fingerprinting for firmware validation and will stop the server booting if any tampering is detected. The iLO5 firmware is also validated and will be flashed with a fresh copy if it fails this test while the Advanced Premium Security Edition license runs scheduled firmware scans and repair processes.

With the lab's virtualized OneView app updated to v3.1, we added the DL360 Gen10 as a new monitored element. OneView is free if you're only using it to monitor your server and storage environment and we found it provides plenty of information about the CPUs, power and temperatures, plus tools for controlling power and running remote control sessions.

We used HPE's iLO Mobile iOS app on our iPad to remotely access the server and were presented with the same detailed interface as provided by a web browser. It's easy to add the server; we used a free QR code generator furnished with the server's address and credentials and scanned it in from the app.

 

Verdict

The DL360 G10 is a little powerhouse of a server, ideally suited to rack dense applications requiring a lot of processing horsepower. Support for the entire Xeon Scalable CPU family means it can be easily customized to suit just about any workload and the redesigned storage sub-system makes it highly versatile. Add in the great value and top-notch iLO5 management and security and we have no hesitation in awarding the ProLiant DL360 Gen10 a coveted IT Pro Editor's Choice award.

Verdict

A great choice for power hungry businesses, the low-profile ProLiant DL360 Gen10 is well designed, surprisingly expandable and eminently manageable

Chassis: 1U rack CPU: 2 x 12-core 2.3GHz Intel Xeon Gold 5118 Memory: 32GB ECC DDR4 2,400MHz (max 3TB/2,667MHz) Drive bays: 8 x hot-plug SFF (max 11) Storage: No HDDs included as standard RAID: HPE Smart Array S100i and P408i-a SAS3/2GB with FBWC/BBU Array support: RAID0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, 60, 1 ADM, 10 ADM Expansion: 3 x PCI-e Gen3 slots Network: 4 x Gigabit, dual 10/25GbE FlexibleLOM Other: Internal USB 2 (2), MicroSD card slot Cooling: 7 x hot-plug fans Power: 2 x 800W hot-plug PSUs Management: HPE iLO5 Standard with Gigabit Warranty: 3yrs on-site NBD

HP ProLiant DL360 Gen 10 is designed to meet the needs of medium and large businesses. Using this platform allows you to perform any resource-intensive tasks.

HP ProLiant DL360 Gen10 is the tenth generation HPE 360 series rack server. Platform characteristics:

• Compact 1U form factor for installation in a standard rack.
• High performance of two Intel Xeon processors with up to 28 cores.
• Improved vulnerability detection technology based on iLO 5.
• Storage flexibility with a maximum capacity of 48 TB (+support for multiple interfaces).
• Automation and increased security.

Today, we expand upon our previous article, click here "HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen10 Single Unit Server Overview", by delving deeper into the capabilities and features of the HP ProLiant DL360 Gen10.

Contents of Articles:

Innovations in comparison with Gen9

Let's consider some comparison parameters:

• Remote control – the interface mechanism of the new iLO5 is designed with a priority on security. The new iLO5 interface is able to accommodate a larger amount of information about the state of the system;
• Memory – RAM frequency increased to 2666 MHz with six channels per CPU;
• Disk drives – on the rear panel there is an additional compartment for small format drives (+ the ability to install two M.2);
• CPU – Intel Xeon Scalable chips up to 8100/8200 series with 28 cores are supported.

Other improvements:

• implementation of the DisplayPort interface,
• upgraded cooling system,
• new PCIe 3.0 expansion slots are available.

HP ProLiant DL360 Gen10 Specifications

Depending on the required load, any working assembly can be formed due to the dense placement of components in a small silver case.

The front part of the platform includes:

• Embedded USB 3.0 and iLO;
• Basket for 8 SAS/SATA disks with LED indicators;
• Multiple indicators responsible for monitoring the power supply, network connection and status of hard drives;
• Additional 2SFF basket.

Chipset

Flexible configuration of the required performance with the possibility of scaling is available due to a server motherboard operating on the basis of a two-socket Intel C621 chipset.

The server hardware supports the installation of the first and second generation Intel Xeon chips of the Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze family. The configuration depends on the selected CPU and their number. The configuration can vary from the total number of cores (from 4 to 56 with an operating clock frequency from 1.7 to 3.9 GHz) and third-level cache (from 8.25 to 38.5 MB).

The suffix in the CPU name reflects the features and capabilities of the application:

• V – guarantees the best conditions for dense virtualization;
• N – for working with virtualization of network functions;
• M – chips with RAM support up to 3TB;
• U – improved for use in single-socket mode.

 

Memory

HP ProLiant DL 360 G10 maximum RAM capacity can be three terabytes, provided the Intel Xeon is used with the suffix M. This volume is available thanks to 24 DIMM DDR4 slots on the motherboard, operating in 6-channel mode.

In case of power outage, any key components failure or other problems, the safety of cache data will be ensured due to the supported NVDIMM-N non-volatile memory modules (the capacity of one module is up to 16 GB).

Power supplies

N+1 redundancy scheme ensures uninterrupted platform operation. HP DL360 G10 server is equipped with two power supplies (500, 800 or 1600 Watt) depending on the vendor code. Redundancy is supported by both power supplies. Monitoring of the operation and condition of power supplies, as well as their timely and quick replacement is now much easier due to the convenient location of the display sensors.

 

Cooling

The passive cooling system, which includes monolithic radiators, controls the temperature regime of processors.

Active cooling is represented by 5 standard single-rotor fans with hot-swappable functionality for 4LFF and 8SFF chassis in single-CPU configurations (2 CPUs – 7 standard fans).

Controllers

The basic configuration implies the provision of all models with a standard Smart Array S100i SR Gen10 with three SATA ports on board. SATA ports make it possible to connect up to 12 drives in RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10 arrays.

A discrete RAID controller will be required for safe and stable operation, as well as for reliable data storage of large projects. This controller must be connected via one of three PCI-Express ports.

Disk basket

The server's disk storage is flexible, which makes it possible to combine NVMe drives and SAS/SATA SFF drives. The total file storage capacity can be up to 48 TB (at maximum load).

 

The 10SFF chassis is divided into two compartments:

1. A multifunctional front 2SFF basket installed via Universal Media Bay, required to connect one of the following options:

   • DVD ports together with USB 2.0 and DisplayPort,
   • NVMe drives,
   • four M.2.
2. Front 8SFF basket for hard drives with SAS/SATA interface.

Expansion slots

Two or three third generation PCI-Express ports can be used depending on the number of processors (1 or 2) located on the motherboard. Slots are located on the rear panel of the platform.

Taking into account the requirements, the slots can be used to connect:

• USB controllers;
• RAID controllers;
• Additional high-speed NVMe;
• Server video cards and accelerators.

Integrated Lights-Out

The iLO management mechanism developed by HPE has received a number of updates in the fifth version. Next, we will consider the list of changes:

• Updated interface.
• A wide range of tools for monitoring and managing critical components.
• Silicon Root of Trust technology has been implemented (fast recovery to a safe state).
• Machine learning algorithms are used in order to identify potential vulnerabilities.

 

Server software

A very important point is the availability of reliable software with a guarantee provided by an official developer.

Using devices from Microsoft — Windows Server — requires a paid license. Most Linux distributions are offered free of charge.

Purchasing a license is also necessary to use certain server DBMSs.

Typically, most virtualization software developers provide separate licenses for each processor.

Comparison of basic assemblies