ProLiant MicroServer Gen8 Links

[dengar69 1]

Thanks for the links.  First post here.  Im definitely planning on getting one of these.  

 

Newegg has also dropped the price to $414.99 and $469.99.

[Joe_Miner 254]

Thanks for the links.  First post here.  Im definitely planning on getting one of these.  

 

Newegg has also dropped the price to $414.99 and $469.99.

 

Nice Catch Dengar69!  +1

[cskenney 150]

A couple new links added in the first post.  I found the links in an email from HP today.

 

They are filed under the HP Small & Medium Business section.

[Pancakes 11]

I really wan't one, but I don't think I have a use for one...

[jcollison 25]

Don't forget about the HP Gen 8 first look!  http://theAverageGuy.tv/ht129

[Joe_Miner 254]

Updated the title page to show 2 more cpu upgrades that have been confirmed:

 

Xeon E3-1220L by Schoondoggy

 

Xeon E3-1270 V2 by Cadd70

 

Thanks guys!

[gstarks 15]

What'd ya think JM; I basically felt that Greg reiterated the use cases we talk about all the time around here. It does make me wonder about 1 thing though: Greg mentioned how HP strived for versatility of the G8 because they saw how people were modifying & upgrading their MicroServers. So why did they cut back to 1 PCIe slot? Seems to me this restricts versatility. I realise the x1 slot in the G7s was intended in some sense to be the ILO slot, and the G8s have ILO onboard, but that 2nd slot sure is handy.

 

Hey folks, great discussion!   As you can imagine, it was quite a challenge to balance all the different use-cases while keeping cost under control and keeping this machine from feature-creeping into the same specs as the ML310e.   Two of the most common uses for the second slot in the G7 was the RAC (Remote Access Card) and a second NIC.   It was a challenge but we managed to fit both of those onto the system board in the Gen8.   So while there were certainly other uses for 2nd slot, the balance of power, cooling, cost and value drove the decision for a single slot.  

 

Bringing the MicroServer fully into the ProLiant family did add some cost and require some system board space, but they were important things to add, like consistent management  across ALL out servers (true iLO 4), and being able to officially support the Smart Array P222.  

[ikon 439]

That's pretty much what I figured, and I do understand. I just bemoan the fact that versatility wasn't enhanced even more by retaining the slot. Same thing with the 4 drive bays. It's great that 2 of the bays are SATA III. It is an enhancement. But think how much better it would be if all 4 were SATA III. With 4 SATA III drives it would make a kick-a$$ RAID setup.

 

I realise there are hardware limitations to some of these things. Perhaps the chipset can only support 2 SATA III ports. Perhaps there just wasn't room to keep a x1 slot. I don't know. It's just that enthusiasts are always looking for more from their systems.

[Gen8Master 3]

Hey folks, great discussion!   As you can imagine, it was quite a challenge to balance all the different use-cases while keeping cost under control and keeping this machine from feature-creeping into the same specs as the ML310e.   Two of the most common uses for the second slot in the G7 was the RAC (Remote Access Card) and a second NIC.   It was a challenge but we managed to fit both of those onto the system board in the Gen8.   So while there were certainly other uses for 2nd slot, the balance of power, cooling, cost and value drove the decision for a single slot.  

 

Bringing the MicroServer fully into the ProLiant family did add some cost and require some system board space, but they were important things to add, like consistent management  across ALL out servers (true iLO 4), and being able to officially support the Smart Array P222.  

 

Thank you for the input. And not to mention the USB3 ports and SD reader.

 

I have a quick question I hope you can answer. Is there any possible way to use the Intel CPU graphics through the VGA port, i.e bypassing the Matrox?

If not possible is it a driver/firmware limitation or technical?

[gstarks 15]

Thank you for the input. And not to mention the USB3 ports and SD reader.

 

I have a quick question I hope you can answer. Is there any possible way to use the Intel CPU graphics through the VGA port, i.e bypassing the Matrox?

If not possible is it a driver/firmware limitation or technical?

Yes that's right, the USB 3.0 and SD slot are pretty cool and open up some interesting scenarios.    The Matrox is actually embedded in the iLO chip.   There's no way to route the Intel chipset graphics.   You can, of course, use a graphics card in the slot (it's a x16), but you will loose the remote graphical console capability that is enabled by the iLO Essentials or Advanced licenses.