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HP Microserver Gen8 is there someone with hard disks of 4TB or more installed in bay1 or bay2?


XPyno

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Hi,

 

Is there someone who have used, with the hp microserver gen8, hard disks of 4TB or higher installed in slot1 and/or slot2? If yes could you kindly tell me what models have you used?

 

For me it seems impossible to have the hard disks recognized and so I can't install xpenology (baremetal). With SATA controller set in AHCI mode, slot1 and slot2 don't recognize the hard disks, that are recognized if I set the controller in RAID mode (however useless for an xpenology baremetal install). The hard disks are recognized in slot3 and slot4 but so I remain with only two drives...

 

Many thanks to all

 

 

 

 

Edited by XPyno
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Hi.

 

Yes. I have two Gen8, each filled with 4x4TB in AHCI mode. One with 4x WD Red Pro, the other with 4x Seagate ST4000VN003. 

 

Which BIOS version does your Gen8 have? And did you try smaller models in port 1&2? Did you save your BIOS settings as user defaults?

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thanks for reply

 

I have the latest microserver gen8 (HPE branded front door) production date 2017. My BIOS is the latest J06 (11/02/2015). At the boot screen it says HP AHCI SATA Controller (v0.90) (this one don't recognize the hard disks) and then HP AHCI SATA Controller (v0.84).

 

I have tried to set again the controller in HP Smart Array RAID MODE for test and with F5 I have entered the smart array manager setup. Here I can see that the drive IS recognized again. Changed again the controller in SATA AHCI mode and it ISN'T recognized anymore, same as before. The diagnostic of the microserver is ok, no errors, and the hard disk too, I have checked it before I have installed it in the microserver and checked again after this problem, cables and backplane seems ok. The drives (4x WD GOLD WD4002FYYZ 4TB) were perfectly new, sealed and never used.

When I have booted the microserver for the very first time, the hard drive was recognized (the only time) with a strange message: "ATA security state of this disk is invalid" (from what I know is a security feature used most on laptop but for sure it was not enable on my WD GOLD).

 

It seems like the microserver have "blacklisted" the drive from using it in AHCI mode on port1 and port2, the ones sata3 because port3 and 4 are sata2 and when connected to these ports it works. If I listen the sound it emits when it is installed on the microserver, at the start I can hear the usual spin-up of the motor, then when the boot sequence arrives at "HP AHCI SATA controller....initializing /" I can hear the the motor spin-down and it isn't recognized (no message). Reset the server don't restart the the hard drive motor, the only thing is a shutdown of the microserver.Very strange...

 

I know that HP in the past have indicated that the maximum configuration supported on the microserver is 4x3TB, however later they have stated to have added support for maximum 4x4TB. And at the moment this is what is indicated on the manual of the microserver (4x4TB). At the moment I don't have a spare drive for test lower hard disk size, however your gentle reply have confirmed me that the size of hard disk is not important. Maybe it is something else so I have started to ask what model of disks have other people used...or HP have crippled something...

 

 

 

 

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Did you check your BIOS for any activated security options (User, Master, etc.)?

 

It would be interesting to place both drives in slot 1&2, enable the raid mode and boot a live linux. Within the live os you could try "hdparm -I /dev/sd*" (where * is a, b or c - boot stick and hdd1&2) from a console. The output should display informations like this:

 

Commands/features: Enabled Supported: * SMART feature set Security Mode feature set * Power Management feature set * Write cache Look-ahead * Host Protected Area feature set [...] Security: Master password revision code = 65534 supported not enabled not locked not frozen not expired: security count supported: enhanced erase [...]"

 

You should get a clue if any security features are enabled or not on the drives.

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3 hours ago, jensmander said:

Did you check your BIOS for any activated security options (User, Master, etc.)?

 

Where to look for these? I have checked in BIOS and I didn't found these options nor in Server Security menu nor in Advanced Options.

 

Thanks for suggestion, I will try hdparm with drive in slot3 and AHCI enabled for now. I would like to know why it isn't detected on slot1&2 when AHCI mode is enabled. If I change to RAID mode the controller reset itself and I can see the disk on slot1&2. When I'm in AHCI mode I can see the drive on slot3 so probably the hdparm result will be the same. Or I'm wrong?

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Interesting thing to note is that Ports 1&2 are SATA3, Ports 3&2 are SATA2.  Googling around shows lots of other hits from people having issues with these new Gold drives not being detected, and in one case somebody reported there were only working at SATA2 speeds.

 

I'd say there's probably a firmware bug in the drives that's affecting speed negotiation with the chipset at boot time, and the firmware that's loaded in AHCI vs RAID mode is different enough that it works.

 

Some WD SATA drives have jumpers where you can force the speeds of the drive back to SATA2, but doesn't look like this drive has any jumpers on it.

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On 6/19/2017 at 4:06 PM, JBark said:

Googling around shows lots of other hits from people having issues with these new Gold drives not being detected, and in one case somebody reported there were only working at SATA2 speeds.

 

Interesting thing, I will check also this. At the moment what is strange is that when I have booted the microserver for the very first time, the hard drive was recognized on port1 (the only time) with the added message: "ATA security state of this disk is invalid"...and there isn't this added message when it works (connected to port3/4 in AHCI mode or to port1/2/3/4 in RAID mode).

 

 

I have passed the last days on the net trying to find similar cases with maybe the hope to find a solution and there are also lots of cases from people having issues with other hard drive models/brands not being detected on port1 e port2 of microserver gen8, when the controller is set in AHCI mode. So at the moment I'm not sure if it is the drive that is "picky" or the microserver...

So I have asked what models of disks other have used on their microserver, because obviously I really need the AHCI mode for install xpenology, and there is a lot of people here that also use the gen8.

 

Many thanks to all for your help

 

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