By
Joe_Miner
By: JohnStutsman
Figure 1 – HPE ProLiant ML30 Gen9 on static mat ready for Windows 10 pro x64 install via iLO4
Figure 2 – This shows my Samsung 840 Pro (This will be my OS drive) set up in a single drive RAID0 in the B140i using SSA
After manually installing Windows Server 2016 easily on HPE’s ProLiant ML30 Gen9 I was anxious to see if an install of Window 10 Pro would be just as trouble free. It was!
Besides having Hyper-V capabilities, Windows 10 Pro, is being looked on by many as the basis of a low cost Home Server as illustrated in “Building a Windows 10 Home Server – Anniversary Update Edition”. Check out HPE’s Operating System Support Matrices for insights on the many OS’s that the ML30 Gen9 supports. But, what will work goes beyond what’s officially supported by HPE in the “Matrices”. Windows 10 Pro is not listed in the Matrices but Windows Server 2016 is and Server 2016 shares much of the code with Windows 10 Pro as does Server 2012R2 shares with Windows 8.1 pro and Server 2012 shares with Windows 8. In order to manually load Windows 10 Pro I downloaded drivers for Server 2016. The simplest procedure, for me, is to use SPP to update all the ML30 Gen9 firmware first, then use the drivers for the B140i to load Windows 10 Pro, then after Windows 10 Pro is loaded and updated use HPSUM to load all the relevant drivers and software into Windows 10 Pro.
Like Server 2016, Windows 10 Pro has its own generic drivers that will work with the ML30 Gen9’s NIC and Video so the B140i drivers is all that’s needed to get Windows 10 Pro onto the ML30 Gen9! HPSUM run (with Administrator Privileges) will load all of the missing HPE drivers I need in one step – including the NIC’s, Video, and SSA – just to name a few.
Step-By-Step: Windows 10 Pro on HPE ProLiant ML30 Gen9
I used iLO4 to remote into the ML30 Gen9 and began to install Windows 10 Pro x64 manually (i.e. without using IP) in the following general steps:
Since I had just recently done steps 1-7 not long ago I skipped to 5 then did 7 through 16 below.
Download Service Pack for ProLiant (SPP) from Hewlett Packard Enterprise Support Center – Drivers & Software – the current version is 2016.10.0 (24 Oct 2016) – check also threads about SPP at HSS Forum MS Gen8
Load the SPP ISO in “virtual drives” in remote desktop of iLO4
Boot the ML30 Gen9 – with no drives in the ML30 Gen9 in my case – and let SPP run automatically and update all firmware – See Figure 3 below.
Shut down the ML30 Gen9
Next: I removed the Samsung 840 Pro 256GB that I had loaded Server 2016 on (giving me the flexibility to switch OS’s by switching SSD’s in the ML30 Gen9) and loaded another Samsung 840 Pro 256GB into drive 1 of the Icy Dock ToughArmor MB994SP-4SB-1
Go to the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Support Center – Drivers & Software – and download the file cp028631.exe that is the Dynamic Smart Array B140i Controller Driver for 64-bit Microsoft Windows Server 2012/2016 Editions (Since Windows 10 has the same core as Server 2016 I plan to use it for manual installation of Windows 10 64-bit Pro in the ML30 Gen9 – the HPE Drivers & Software site does not have Drivers & Software for non-server OS’s) – the current version is 62.12.0.64 (24 Oct 2016)
Extract the files in cp028631.exe and load those into a file folder that I then attach/load in “virtual drives” of remote desktop of iLO4 (during Windows install this will be the folder I browse to so that Windows 10 can pull in the driver and see the Samsung 840 Pro )
Load the Windows 10 Pro x64 ISO in “virtual drives” of remote desktop of iLO4
Boot the ML30 Gen9
During boot go into IP (press F10) and select SSA (Smart Storage Administrator)
In SSA I set up the Samsung 840 Pro as a single drive RAID0 to be used as my OS drive – See Figure 2 earlier.
Exit SSA & IP and Restart the ML30 Gen9
Proceed with the normal Windows 10 Pro x64 install – During install Windows 10 will ask for location of drivers so it can see the drive(s) – in browse lead it to the location to the file folder of B140i driver(s) in the “virtual drives” C: -- if your OS drive had been previously formatted as MBR you will have to delete that so it can be formatted as GPT. See Video 1 below.
After Windows 10 is installed and updated – reattach SPP ISO in remote desktop of iLO4
In the Windows desktop go to the SPP ISO in File Explorer and Execute the Batch file for HPSUM (i.e. execute: launch_hpsum.bat as Administrator) – I chose “Localhost Guided Update” – Automatic Mode
After running HPSUM (and rebooting) the HPE software shown in Figure 4 below was installed. Enjoy!
Figure 3 – After running SPP’s ISO the firmware of the ML30 Gen9 is up to date.
Video 1 – Browsing to select the file folder with B14i S2016 drivers during install of Windows 10 Pro on HPE ProLiant ML30 Gen9
Figure 4 – Software installed by HPSUM in Windows Server 2016
Figure 5 – Temperatures in the ML30 Gen9 via iLO4. BIOS is set on optimal cooling and my single System Fan is running at 6% and the two 40mm fans on the MB994SP-4SB-1 are turned on.
Figure 6 – System information showing Windows 10 Pro as the OS
Figure 7 – Basic information showing Windows Server loaded onto my HPE ProLiant ML30 Gen9 running from a single SSD RAID0 in bay 1 of the Icy Dock ToughArmor MB994SP-4SB-1
All in all Windows 10 Pro was easy to load onto the HPE ProLiant ML30 Gen9 providing a relatively cheaper platform (compared to Windows Server 2016) for a home lab for setting up and testing applications in Hyper-V for instance.
In the As-Built that follows I list how this ML10v2 is loaded. Be sure to check out more on this at ML10 and ML10v2 Forum and Windows 10 Pro on HPE ProLiant ML30 Gen9 Forum Thread.
As-Built (I named my Computer: Serenity)
HPE ProLiant ML30 Gen9 (Product No. 830893)
Xeon E3-1240v5 (SkyLake LGA 1151)
8GB ECC RAM (Expandable to 64GB)
OS: Windows 10 Pro
B140i Dynamic Smart Array: Ports 1-4: (4*3.5” Drive Tray Caddies for Main Drive-Cage Assembly Bays 1-4)
B140i Dynamic Smart Array: Ports 5-6: Icy Dock MB994SP-4SB-1 in Top 5.25” half-height Bay; with/ 2*18” SATA III (6 Gb/s) cables attached to Bays 1 & 2 (Bays 3 & 4 are available for future); Molex to Molex & Fan Y-Connector Cable; Samsung 840 Pro 256GB in Bay 1;
Please join us in the HomeServerShow Forums to discuss this and tell us what you are building at home.
References:
Check HSS Forum Post: Other HSS ML30 Blog Postings: http://homeservershow.com/tag/ML30
HSS HP ProLiant ML30 Forum postings (In HSS Forum ML10 & ML10v2): http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/forum/98-ml10-and-ml10v2/
HP MicroServer Gen8 – Service Pack for ProLiant – 24th Oct 2016 http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/12034-hp-microserver-gen8-service-pack-for-proliant-24th-oct-2016/
iLO Advanced License Keys http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/9511-ilo-advanced-license-keys-1850-2400/
Icy Dock “ToughArmor” MB994SP-4SB-1 http://www.icydock.com/goods.php?id=142
Scsi4me.com 3.5” Drive Tray Caddy 4 HP ProLiant ML350e ML310e SL250s Gen8 Gen9 G9 651314-001 http://www.ebay.com/itm/231001449171
HPE ProLiant ML30 Gen9 Server QuickSpecs http://h20195.www2.hp.com/v2/GetDocument.aspx?docname=c04834998&doctype=quickspecs&doclang=EN_US&searchquery=&cc=us&lc=en
HPE ProLiant ML30 Gen9 Server “Maintenance and Service Guide”; Part Number: 825545-002; November 2016; Edition: 2 => http://h20565.www2.hpe.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?sp4ts.oid=1008556812&docLocale=en_US&docId=emr_na-c04905980 Or go to => http://h20565.www2.hpe.com/portal/site/hpsc/public/psi/home/?sp4ts.oid=1008556812&ac.admitted=1489520211680.125225703.1851288163#manuals
Check out my HPE ML30 Gen9 Play-List:
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