This document provides an overview of the HP ProLiant DL160 Gen9 server, including key features, specifications for standard and regional SKU configurations, and comparisons to previous generation servers. The DL160 Gen9 is a 1-2 socket tower server that offers balanced performance, storage, reliability, manageability and efficiency in a dense chassis designed for a variety of workloads. Standard configurations are available worldwide, while regional SKUs target specific markets like the Americas, EMEA, and Brazil.
HP ProLiant DL160 Gen9 Server is our 1U Rack offered with either 1 or 2 processors with a maximum capacity of 24 TB of storage with either a maximum 4 Large Form Factor or 8 Small Form Factor drive bays.
SMBs can get what they need with the HP ProLiant DL160 Gen9 Server—a fully integrated platform designed to perform and scale. Offering standard HP Integrated Lights-Out capabilities for simplified IT infrastructure management, with up to 16 slots for DDR4 memory, eight drives, and two standard NIC ports, the ProLiant DL160 Gen9 Server offers the ideal set of features for meeting SMBs’ who want to start small, and scale easily and cost-effectively, as their businesses grow.
This chart shows the comparison of the HP ProLiant DL160 Gen9 to DL360e Gen8. The highlighted blue bold text shows the enhancements of this server over it’s predecessor.
To name a few you can see the DL160 Gen9 offers the latest intel processor, HP Smart Memory with a maximum capacity of 512 GB.
The DL160 Gen9 in addition to being ideal for SMBs, meets the requirements of service providers faced with an ever-growing customer base, they need an agile IT infrastructure that scales readily and consumes minimal space and energy.
Power Supplies:
Flex Slot architecture is supported on the Gen9 performance servers
1U ATX Non-RPS solution for Gen9 Essential Servers
25% increased power density to 50 watts/in2
Smart Memory:
16-slot server = DL180, 24-slot server = DL380
Smart Drives:
Best IOPS/$ compared to rotational media
SSD no spin up time = better performance
Mainstream endurance SSD to SFF SAS 15K comparison
Leverage HP Technology Services to address issues and shorten the path to resolution, saving you valuable time and increasing stability in your IT environment.
Using HP Proactive Care , our flagship service for ProLiant servers, customers have experienced up to 66% less unplanned downtime and experienced quicker problem resolution by connecting to HP. Let your systems securely connect to our support technology with highly accurate diagnostics to identify the problem and make recommendations with less time and effort spent by your IT administrators .
Access our online dashboard anytime, anywhere to stay informed of service coverage history and status to make informed decisions.
Notes on quants:
You are able to realize the value IT brings to your business with stable, agile HP ProLiant servers supported by HP Proactive Care. Because your staff utilizes best practices shared through proactive consultation and intelligence gathered by our tools and technology, your servers operate and perform as expected. If a concern arises, your staff’s questions receive enhanced responsiveness from our experts to quickly identify and address the concern. This means less time spent researching problems which allows your IT staff to confidently manage your IT environment and focus on responding to business needs and priorities.
In HP Proactive Care, we offer a flexible choice of coverage windows and response times to meet your IT and budget expectations:
For the most critical components where minutes matter, choose the highest level of coverage in the industry with a hardware call-to-repair commitment of six hours. No other leading server vendor is willing to make this level of commitment with standard services, easily purchased upfront with the server.
For other components, choose 24x7 coverage to enable connection to technical expertise anytime
An economical choice to consider is our “next business day” response which gives you all the advantages of proactive services and enhanced call management with an affordable onsite response time
Securely connect your HP ProLiant server to our support center to enable our diagnostics to monitor and report the health of your system and take full advantage of our proactive scans to keep your system running well.
Our hardware startup and implementation services will get you started right and our flexible education services will improve IT skills and knowledge.
For more comprehensive needs, consider our migration services to plan a strategy that enables you to address business initiatives while you reduce risk and improve the services your IT organization provides.
You are able to resolve problems with your HP hardware or software using the support resources available with HP Foundation Care. Foundation Care customers have a choice of coverage window and response times to meet your IT and budget expectations:
For the most critical components where minutes matter, choose the highest level of coverage in the industry with a hardware call-to-repair commitment of six hours. No other leading server vendor is willing to make this level of commitment with standard services, easily purchased upfront with the server.
For other components, choose 24x7 coverage to enable connection to technical expertise anytime
An economical choice to consider is our “next business day” response which gives you all the advantages of proactive services and enhanced call management with an affordable onsite response time
Foundation Care on your HP server entitles you to firmware updates even after the server warranty has expired.
Securely connect your HP ProLiant server to our support center to enable our diagnostics to monitor and report the health of your system and take full advantage of our proactive scans to keep your system running well.
Our hardware startup and implementation services will get you started right and our flexible education services will improve IT skills and knowledge.
For more comprehensive needs, consider our migration services to plan a strategy that enables you to address business initiatives while you reduce risk and improve the services your IT organization provides.
HP Dynamic Smart array provides more customer choice with higher levels of data protection for embedded controllers, these data protection levels were earlier only available to standup controllers.
With Dynamic Smart Array controllers customers will be able to better use the emerging storage media, i.e. Solid State Disks.
The Dynamic Smart Array controllers share the same easy and consistent UI with standup Smart Array controllers, thus making storage management and deployment easier for IT workers.
Note: Please upgrade to standup card or HP Flexible Smart Array controller
Disk Drive Interface
6Gb/s SATA (Serial ATA)
Server Interface
Embedded x4 PCIe 2.0, SATA controller
SAS Connectors
Cache Memory
10 internal SATA ports
None
SAS Speed
Logical Drives Supported
6Gb/s SATA links
Up to 10 logical volumes (10 physical drives)
Host Memory Addressing
64-bit, supporting greater than 4GB server memory space
Hot Plug Support
RAID Support
Yes
RAID 5 (Distributed Data Guarding)
RAID 1 (Mirroring)
RAID 0 (Striping)
Other
Upgradeable firmware with recovery ROM
Why did HP choose to support Lithium ION (Li-ION) batteries in Gen9 as the main source for backup power for Smart Array controllers?
Lithium ION batteries are used across the industry as main power source for laptops, tablets and phones.
Cache module capacity is increasing and the supercap size is not meeting the needs. It takes approximately 1 minute for 4GB of data to be transferred from DRAMs to flash component on the cache module. With the HP Smart Storage Battery, up to 16 devices can be supported.
Info Lithium battery has a life of 7 years as long as the temperature of airflow thru the battery is less than 40 degrees Celsius. For HP ProLiant Gen9 servers, we have placed the battery in the front where this can be achieved.
What are the advantages for this battery versus SuperCap?
The Smart Storage battery supports multiple devices without the need to route multiple cables.
The battery can also support larger sizes of cache modules.
Supports new technologies such as NVDIMM that will be available in the market in 2015 timeframe.
The cost of the HP Smart Storage Battery is the same as the SuperCap (that can support 4GB cache sizes).
How long is the battery life?
The design for this solution is accounting for a 7 year lifetime for both forms of the battery – 96W and 12W versions. Achieve this by overprovisioning the battery capacity and by placing the battery pack in an thermally conducive environment (lesser than 50C ). Warranty will be for 3 years.
What is the effect of heat on life expectancy?
The 7 year Life expectancy numbers is taking into account that server designs will position the battery pack in an area inside the server that will keep it at a temperature lesser than 50C.
Above 50C, every ten Celsius degree more will halve the life.
Have provided this as an internal thermal requirement to the server thermal teams.
Is there NEBS certification?
The batteries are industry standard products that are UL certified by the supplier of the battery pack.
HP will be getting safety certificates UL, TUV and CB.
HP believes that there is not any additional special end product certification required in addition to the battery certifications.
HP will have servers go through HP standard certifications process.
Is it environmental certified?
Yes, the servers are certified.
Does it follow transportation restrictions?
Yes, get UN38.3 certification to ship out of China.
Hazardous Material/Compliance
Yes, battery packs fulfill UN38.3 requirements.
Are there any safety hazard / flammability preventions?
Yes, HP overprovisions the capacity and uses only 80% of the total allocated.
HP Smart Storage Battery has fuses at multiple levels in the circuitry that detect and protect from catastrophic failures.
HP Smart Storage Battery monitors aggressively for cell imbalance and voltage, and shuts the charging if detects anything beyond specification.
HP Smart Storage Battery allows to charge only up to 80% of the total capacity to protect from over charging.
HP Smart Storage Battery and host system both monitor wire disconnections at both ends and shut the micro controller if any shorts or opens are detected.
We have conducted an in depth FMEA on this solution and we can go over the details if needed.
HP Smart Storage Battery has several Fail Safe protection mechanisms implemented in the Battery Pack such as Over Current, Over Voltage, Over Heated, Voltage and Current sensing Malfunction.
What is normal operating temperature range?
Normal charging: 7C-50C
Normal discharging: 0C-70C
Normal non-discharging voltage output: 0C-53C
Normal operating temperature: 7C-50C
What is battery maximum life discharging cycle?
400 full depth of discharge (DOD) cycles
800 cycles at a 50% DOD
1600 cycles at a 25% DOD
8000 cycles at a 5% DOD
What is battery protection list?
Input
Over Voltage
Under Voltage
Charge Over Voltage
Charge Over Current
Over Temperature Charge
Cell Balancing
Output
Under Voltage Discharge
Over Voltage Discharge
Short Circuit
Over Temperature Discharge
Permanent Failure Protections
How long does it take for HP Smart Storage Battery to charge?
Maximum 2 Hours for 96W
Maximum 1 Hour for FP
How long is the time to charge to specific load?
Maximum 45 Minutes to SOC 30% (O load)
From 30%, around 3 minutes for one more load
HP Smart Storage Battery has a register to tell remaining time from current charging status to target load count.
How to dispose HP Smart Storage Battery ?
The HP Smart Storage Battery products are essentially large battery packs, similar to those used in notebook computers.
The marking and recycling requirements are detailed in “HP Standard 011-4 General Specification for the Environment – Product Requirements”
As recycling processes vary by country, please direct customers to the site:
http://www.hp.com/recycle. Search the section that covers “Batteries from notebooks and smartphones” for additional information on who to contact to recycle the battery.
How does HP Smart Storage Battery connect to Gen9 systems?
Each HP Smart Storage Battery uses a single cable to connect to MLB of Gen9 system.
Which systems have the connections wired?
Almost all the platforms.
How does HP Smart Storage Battery show up in embedded health?
It shows up in IML, and AHS, etc.
How many separate HP Smart Storage Battery SKUs does HPS support?
4 SKUs
What is the intended and accepted charge level that HP Smart Storage Battery will be shipped at from vendors and from HP factories?
Typically 40%
Data has exploded – you need to be able to access it, analyze it, and act on it-often in the blink of an eye.
Power discovery services: Common human error (qualitative statement) – gen8 statement
DDR3 1.5v DDR4 1.2v – voltage to current calculation to get the 37%
Hermann Wienchol, HP DDR4 engineer, Houston, TX & Reza Bacchus, HP distinguished technologist for memory as of 7-9-14
At 2DPC (2 DIMMs per channel), HP will perform with RDIMM and LRDIMM @ 2133MHz whereas Intel suggests 2DPC @ 1866MHz
((2133 – 1866)/1866 )*100 = 14%
In Blades under fully loaded system, HP Blades will work @ 2133MHz whereas Intel suggested @1600MHz
((2133-1600)/1600) * 100 = 33%
At 3DPC, HP LRDIMM will perform @ 1600MHz vs. Intel @ 1600MHz
Enables future increased performance features:
Architecture enables for future enhancement such as improving better coordination with HP OneView
Plus enable servers to adopt new memory technology
HP Smart Array controllers have been the core of our HP Smart Storage portfolio since the inception of HP ProLiant servers. HP Smart Array Controllers are enterprise-class RAID controllers designed to maximize performance, data availability and storage capacity for your HP ProLiant servers. HP was one of the first RAID controller vendors introducing Smart Array in 1989 and we have continued to build on that legacy of innovation. HP Smart Array has been the cornerstone of our Smart Storage portfolio and HP has been instrumental in driving RAID controller innovation in the market, including RAID 6 and flash-based cache for write caching and supporting encryption from the controller.
Simplicity
The HP Smart Storage Administrator is actually available on your system as a web-based GUI application, as a Command Line Interface and as a scripting application. In addition, the HP Array Diagnostics and SmartSSD Wear Gauge Utility diagnostic features are integrated into SSA.
SSA is the one stop shop for management, configuration, diagnostics and scripting for the storage attached to your HP Smart Array controllers.
SSA also provides advanced scripting features allowing you to set up custom scripts for common tasks performed on the arrays in your datacenter. In addition, advanced diagnostics provides detailed configuration reports outlining information about your devices and problems.
The web-based GUI provides a simplified and intuitive interface and functionality to help you manage the arrays on your system.
SSA is also available in multiple formats to meet the needs of your datacenter from a web-based GUI, to a Command Line Interface to a scripting application with the ability to create custom scripts to perform common array management and configuration tasks.
Common data format between generations of controllers allows for compatibility between models of controllers. This allows you to upgrade your current JBOD to a new controller of the same generation or to a new controller of the next generation to get higher performance, capacity or availability. Customers can also migrate the data from a B-series controller to a P-series controller without having to reinstall an operating system or do a backup and restore task.
Agility
HP SmartCache is a controller-based caching solution that caches hot data onto lower latency SSDs to dynamically accelerate application workloads, providing up to 4x better workload performance. This solution leverages SSD technology inside the ProLiant server to boost workload performance by offloading frequently accessed data – or hot data – onto lower latency SSDs to boost workload performance.
- The Smart Array driver chooses the optimum path to access each SSD. With up to 2.5X better SSD read performance, HP SSD Smart path chooses the optimum path to the SSD
and accelerates reads for all RAID levels and RAID 0 writes. HP SSD Smart Path is ideal for read intensive workloads and is included as a base feature on HP Smart Array P-series controllers.
- The 12Gb/s SAS Expander Card provides servers with internal storage scalability while protecting data.
Efficiency
- Power efficiency is another area that we are introducing into the Gen9 controllers, customers can also control/adjust the power level of the controller to meet the workload
With the drive capacity increasing to 6TB and more, it takes a longer time to rebuild if a drive fails and thus putting the data on that drive at risk of being lost/gone. HP has improved its Rapid Rebuild feature in the firmware stack to make it super fast to rebuild a drive.
Reliability
HP Smart Array is about providing Reliable RAID fault tolerance for your ProLiant server storage to maximize your system uptime. One great example is our Advanced Data Mirroring which provides a 3 drive mirror – an HP exclusive.
Online spares—Up to two spare drives can be installed prior to drive failure; if a failure does occur, recovery begins with an online spare and data is reconstructed automatically, reducing
the risk of additional drive failures, which could result in data loss
HP Secure Encryption is a controller-based data encryption solution for HP ProLiant Gen8 rack and tower servers and server blades that protects data at rest on any bulk storage attached to a HP Smart Array Px3x controller. Plus it is scalable from local to remote management mode.
For Gen9, we are introducing the Flexible Smart Array and Smart SAS HBA thus providing choice to customers for their specific workload
Scale internal server
External DAS, shared storage – scalability
HP SAS Host Bus Adapters provide reliable high performance SAS and SATA storage connectivity for ProLiant Gen9 servers. These host adapters are really ideal in storage environments where fault tolerance is not a requirement and the focus is a reliable high performance SAS connection to your storage.
Simplicity
The HP Smart Storage Administrator is actually available on your system as a web-based GUI application, as a Command Line Interface and as a scripting application.
- In addition to performance, the HP Smart HBAs are also very flexible in their device support. Our SAS HBAs support HDDs, SSDs, JBODs, P2000 G3 MSA and SAS tape drives and tape libraries. This also enhances your investment protection allowing you to redeploy a SAS HBA in your datacenter for use with another supported device.
- HP SAS HBA’s are also a very cost effective method for attaching SAS and SATA storage to ProLiant. HP Smart Array controller price points account for advanced features such as RAID fault tolerance and enhanced functionality. Many storage environments don’t need those advanced features so why pay for them? For example, SAS tape drives don’t need RAID functionality but they do need reliable, high performing cost effective connectivity to ProLiant. HP SAS HBA price points allow you to attach these types of SAS devices at a more cost effective price point which translates into a better overall total solution cost.
Agility
The primary customer benefit of HBAs – especially relative to RAID controllers – is they are optimized for performance. The primary reason for the faster performance is due to the fact that storage commands traveling through the controller software stack don’t have to travel through a fault tolerance layer. Therefore, if fault tolerance is not a requirement from your storage host adapter and you need optimized performance, HP SAS Host Bus Adapters are the ideal solution.
Smart HBA can operate in a simple RAID mode too – RAID 0, 1, 5. Best used for the purpose of booting up the OS.
Similar to the Smart Array Gen9, we offer the Flexible Smart HBA too giving the choice to the customer to either select the Smart Array or the Smart HBA as the primary storage controller for select Gen9 servers.
When you have HP ProLiant deployed in your data center, you want the options that are optimized and tested for HP ProLiant server environments. With HP SAS HBAs, you get an HP Qualified Option that is optimized for HP ProLiant servers and the benefits of having a single vendor to call if you have questions or concerns. Drivers and firmware are delivered via a ProLiant Support Pack (PSP)
So the ideal environments for SAS HBAs are customers needing:
Cost-effective non-RAID connectivity
SAS JBOD and P2000 G3 MSA connectivity
SAS tape attach
HP hard drives are engineered for Enterprise environments
Rotational vibration sensors monitor and correct both linear and rotational vibration to improve performance by making adjustments to how the drive seeks to accommodate detected vibration
Consistency and predictability (firmware)
Compatibility with controllers, optimize performance
Quality and reliability
Supplier RDT=1M hours (1000 drives x 1000 hours)
ACES =100,000 hours (100 drives x 1000 hours)
Psuite=150,000 hours (150 drives x 1000 hours)
Assurance of supply (multi-source)
Closed loop quality process-we will stop ship if drive goes out of bounds (supplier may not)
HP Enterprise Solid State Drives have the key features you need in your data center—full
data path error detection, surprise power loss protection, and SmartSSD Wear Gauge
support. We enable the SmartSSD Wear Gauge through the HP Smart Carrier. With
the new SmartSSD Wear Gauge utility, HP Enterprise SSDs monitor the amount of data
written and report when the device may be nearing its maximum supported lifetime.
Fully Tested and Qualified to work in HP ProLiant Server and HP BladeSystem solutions
- HP engineering evaluates many, many products and the “best of the best” make it into our HP Qualified Option Portfolio
- Our qualification process is very rigorous to ensure server compatibility
Products available on the open market – even with similar model numbers – may not be the same level of performance, endurance and quality. For example, the NAND or controller may be different!
HP Firmware ensures compatibility, consistency with our controllers and servers
Higher performance and lower latency
- SSDs have no moving parts or rotating platters that can cause latency problems, which results in faster access to your data.
Lower power consumption
- The lack of a motor greatly reduces an SSD’s power consumption and the drives draw less energy (lower heat and TCO)
Environmental ruggedness
- Can operate in environments up to 60 degrees Celsius
- Can tolerate significantly higher operating shock and vibration levels
- No acoustic noise
Investment protection
- The SSDs fit into existing hard drive hot-plug bays, requiring no modification to existing operating system or infrastructure tools.
High Reliability
- Higher Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF)
- Less susceptible to operational and non-operational shock
- Less susceptible to effects of vibration
Based on NAND flash technology designed for the enterprise environment
Backlighting
Flexibility
Segregate the LEDs from the backplane
Self-Describing
Icons, More LEDs, intuitive design
Do not Remove indicator
Safe to eject drive, disappearing button icon
94% platinum power supply (titanium and other assets later)
Generation agnostic
- Generation agnostic
- Eliminate 25% data center outages based on an operational data center
Generation agnostic – supported on Gen8 and Gen9
Script:
HP Insight Online is a new capability which provides one stop, secure access to the information you need to support the devices in your IT environment with standard warranty and contract services. It is a new addition to the HP Support Center portal for your IT staff who deploy, manage and support systems, plus HP Authorized Resellers who support your IT Infrastructure. Through the HP Support Center, Insight Online can automatically display devices remotely monitored by HP. It provides the ability to easily track service events and support cases, view device configurations and proactively monitor your HP contracts and warranties. This allows your staff or HP Authorized Services Partner to be more efficient in supporting your HP environment. What’s more, they have the ability to do all this from anywhere and at anytime.
The embedded management capabilities built in to your ProLiant Gen8 server have been designed to seamlessly integrate with Insight Online and Insight Remote Support 7.0 and above.
Monitor, manage and support your infrastructure remotely from outside the firewall
Personalized dashboard for health monitoring, servicealerts and support status
Proactive contracts and warranty management
Auto-device discovery links device and supportinformation for one stop access
Seamlessly integrated into HP Support Center and Insight Remote Support 7.0
Ideal for channel partners providing proactive remote support
HP OneView revolutionizes firmware management and takes the sweat and headaches out of managing firmware.
HP ProLiant DL (rack) servers can now use HP OneView for firmware management using software-defined infrastructure (server profiles).
All HP ProLiant DL rack servers can use server profiles in HP OneView to drive firmware updates
HP ProLiant DL360 and DL380 servers can also use server profiles in HP OneView for BIOS management.
How does this work?
The use downloads the appropriate Solution Pack for ProLiant (SPP) to their HP OneView management appliance. The user might edit and customize this download for use in their environment.
The SPP is a tested set of firmware and drivers, for newly-released servers and also tested against previous generation servers.
When you download an SPP, you know that you have the HP-tested firmware – the same as the HP factory.
HP OneView uses the template as the policy to drive the firmware rollout. This might be an initial setup or a maintenance activity, for single servers or multiple racks of servers.
NOTE: A ‘template’ is like an ‘unassigned server profile’.
HP OneView utilizes the embedded HP SUM (Smart Update Manager) as the engine to implement the firmware changes. HP SUM is a world-class dependency engine for driver and firmware compatibilities, which is part of the iLO Management Engine capabilities that come with an HP Server purchase.
HP OneView builds upon these firmware update advancements (HP SUM and SPP) to convert a hard problem into an elegant solution.
To help customers operate and evolve their infrastructure today and tomorrow, we re-designed our support services unlike any other services available in the industry. We have simplified our portfolio to be easier to understand, easier to align to your business needs and easier to buy. Not only are these services easier to buy, but they are also more personalized, delivering the right information you need when and where you need it. The services are also more proactive, with a focus on preventing issues from occurring, improving performance, and quickly resolving any issues that arise. With a combination of experts and technology, we have revolutionized the way technology support is delivered for systems and for entire datacenters. In essence, you receive the right support experience for the new style of IT, making you ready for anything.
Our support services are focused on helping you achieve two major goals:
Maximizing Availability of the infrastructure
Evolving your infrastructure over time
We create industry-leading experiences around HP’s Converged Infrastructure products and solutions and we help you better operate what you have today, and help take you on the journey to Converged Cloud.