Intel Quick Sync hardware acceleration on HPE GEN 10 (for Plex Hardware Acceleration): impossible to activate

[NeoMod]

Hi everyone,

 

I know the topic is “old and complex” and many answers have been provided – with many guides here on the forum – but I’m at a total loss and I can’t figure out what else to do.

 

My System:

 

• HPE Proliant Microserver GEN 10 Plus
• UNRAID 6.12.2
• RAM: 32 GB EEC
• CPU: Intel i9-9900T (I’ve done my due-diligence: Quick Sync is supported by this CPU. Intel Ark sheet)
• 4 HDD – 3 Drives and 1 Parity Disk
• 1 NVME SSD mounted on a PCIe SSD M2 Expansion Card as Cache
• 1 USB SSD, not assigned to the array. Used as external extra storage for docker config files.

 

What I have tried so far:

 

I’ve read most – if not all – the guides here on the forum, from oldest to newest including:

• guide-plex-hardware-acceleration-using-intel-quick-sync
• add-intel-igpu-qsv-quick-sync-encoding-to-official-plex-media-server-the-easy-way
• guide-plex-hardware-acceleration-using-intel-quick-sync
• devdri-is-missing
• solved-692-transcoding-with-intel-gpu-missing-devdri
• unable-to-get-intel-integrated-gpu-usable-in-unraid-containers

           

Then I did “the usual”:

 

• Install “Intel-GPU-TO”
• Install “GPU Statistics” – for a quick glance after each try
• Executed intel_gpu_top in console, which reported the following:
  
  
• 
  Tried executing

  modprobe i915

  and

  lsmod | grep i915

  which reported the following:
  
  
  

 

• Checked for the existence of the /dev/dri folder which contained the following: (in my understanding there should be something else except for card0 when things works out as intended)
  
  
   
• I tried searching the BIOS, and I ended up trying Disabling (and then Enabling) the “Embedded Video Connection” option is System Utilities --> System Configuration --> BIOS/Platform Configuration --> Advanced Options
   
• I made sure my Server has all the firmware modules updated: I have installed the SPP Service Pack “SPP2023030000.2023_0323.27” and the Patch Bundle “P64601_001_2023.03.00.02.17”.
   
• I even tried removing the HPE ILO Card because I’ve read somewhere (I can’t find it anymore) about it being the cause of the problem. Same results as above.

 

“That’s all folks” point of arrival:
 

Then I came along a bit of troubling news here: microserver-gen10-plus-and-intel-quick-sync
 

Quote

“(…) you can pull up any server on support.hpe.com and see if it has an SPS firmware package available. If it does, then no Quick Sync.”

If I’m not reading this wrong – and I sure hope so! – this would indicate and inherent problem with the “Plus” version of the HPE Microserver GEN 10. But there seem to be mixed feedback from “the internet” about this, and I’m not sure what to think.

 

Is there anything else which I could try to enable Quick Sync / iGPU / Transcoding on this server, according to your knowledge?

 

[ Thank you for your time just reading all this…]

 

 

[BeersTeddy]

On 7/9/2023 at 10:46 PM, NeoMod said:

Hi everyone,

 

I know the topic is “old and complex” and many answers have been provided – with many guides here on the forum – but I’m at a total loss and I can’t figure out what else to do.

 

My System:

 

• HPE Proliant Microserver GEN 10 Plus
• UNRAID 6.12.2
• RAM: 32 GB EEC
• CPU: Intel i9-9900T (I’ve done my due-diligence: Quick Sync is supported by this CPU. Intel Ark sheet)
• 4 HDD – 3 Drives and 1 Parity Disk
• 1 NVME SSD mounted on a PCIe SSD M2 Expansion Card as Cache
• 1 USB SSD, not assigned to the array. Used as external extra storage for docker config files.

 

What I have tried so far:

 

I’ve read most – if not all – the guides here on the forum, from oldest to newest including:

• guide-plex-hardware-acceleration-using-intel-quick-sync
• add-intel-igpu-qsv-quick-sync-encoding-to-official-plex-media-server-the-easy-way
• guide-plex-hardware-acceleration-using-intel-quick-sync
• devdri-is-missing
• solved-692-transcoding-with-intel-gpu-missing-devdri
• unable-to-get-intel-integrated-gpu-usable-in-unraid-containers

           

Then I did “the usual”:

 

• Install “Intel-GPU-TO”
• Install “GPU Statistics” – for a quick glance after each try
• Executed intel_gpu_top in console, which reported the following:
  
  
• 
  Tried executing

  modprobe i915

  and

  lsmod | grep i915

  which reported the following:
  
  
  

 

• Checked for the existence of the /dev/dri folder which contained the following: (in my understanding there should be something else except for card0 when things works out as intended)
  
  
   
• I tried searching the BIOS, and I ended up trying Disabling (and then Enabling) the “Embedded Video Connection” option is System Utilities --> System Configuration --> BIOS/Platform Configuration --> Advanced Options
   
• I made sure my Server has all the firmware modules updated: I have installed the SPP Service Pack “SPP2023030000.2023_0323.27” and the Patch Bundle “P64601_001_2023.03.00.02.17”.
   
• I even tried removing the HPE ILO Card because I’ve read somewhere (I can’t find it anymore) about it being the cause of the problem. Same results as above.

 

“That’s all folks” point of arrival:
 

Then I came along a bit of troubling news here: microserver-gen10-plus-and-intel-quick-sync
 

If I’m not reading this wrong – and I sure hope so! – this would indicate and inherent problem with the “Plus” version of the HPE Microserver GEN 10. But there seem to be mixed feedback from “the internet” about this, and I’m not sure what to think.

 

Is there anything else which I could try to enable Quick Sync / iGPU / Transcoding on this server, according to your knowledge?

 

[ Thank you for your time just reading all this…]

 

 

Did you get anywhere with this?

I'm having exactly the same problem with ml30 gen9 and e3-1275 v6 and no solution.

[NeoMod]

1 minute ago, BeersTeddy said:

Did you get anywhere with this?

I'm having exactly the same problem with ml30 gen9 and e3-1275 v6 and no solution.

 

Unfortunately, after much research, I'm sorry to say that it is "simply impossible". 

 

To make a long story short: HP has a very peculiar approach to kernel development for the motherboards used in their pro-sumer server line. Even though HPE is targeting this server to the SOHO/SMB group, which would put it in the middle of the Plex clientele, they decided to use the Intel SPS firmware which doesn't allow the Intel Quick Sync (aka hardware acceleration on CPU). (The pseudo-official statement is that "SPS firmware is required for the server features of the microserver Gen10 Plus" but I couldn't find any more than that).

 

There are only two roads ahead:

1. You could insert a low-power graphic card (nVidia Quadro p400 is the go-to choice due to low power requirements) and use it for hardware transcoding, even though this means sacrificing the use of a PCIE-to-nVME adapter board.
2. Or you could rely on CPU "brute-forcing" for Plex transcoding: I tested it with an i9-9900T up to two concurrent streams being transcoded and while it worked the core use was - predictably - crazy high, meaning that other apps (docker, VM) would be negatively affected.

I didn't want to sacrifice the nVME SSD and I wasn't too keen on using all my cores for the transcoding, since it was something I use a lot while travelling, so I decided to move Plex on a dedicated mini-host: I'm using and HP EliteDesk G2 equipped with an i5-9500T where the Intel QuickSync is available for Plex to take advantage while keeping the power requirement as low as possible.

 

Honestly, I wish I had known this before upgrading to the Gen 10 Plus and before investing into it: coming from a Gen 8 I was stupid enough to assume that Quick Sync would be supported also on Gen 10 Plus.

[BeersTeddy]

3 hours ago, NeoMod said:

 

Unfortunately, after much research, I'm sorry to say that it is "simply impossible". 

 

To make a long story short: HP has a very peculiar approach to kernel development for the motherboards used in their pro-sumer server line. Even though HPE is targeting this server to the SOHO/SMB group, which would put it in the middle of the Plex clientele, they decided to use the Intel SPS firmware which doesn't allow the Intel Quick Sync (aka hardware acceleration on CPU). (The pseudo-official statement is that "SPS firmware is required for the server features of the microserver Gen10 Plus" but I couldn't find any more than that).

 

There are only two roads ahead:

1. You could insert a low-power graphic card (nVidia Quadro p400 is the go-to choice due to low power requirements) and use it for hardware transcoding, even though this means sacrificing the use of a PCIE-to-nVME adapter board.
2. Or you could rely on CPU "brute-forcing" for Plex transcoding: I tested it with an i9-9900T up to two concurrent streams being transcoded and while it worked the core use was - predictably - crazy high, meaning that other apps (docker, VM) would be negatively affected.

I didn't want to sacrifice the nVME SSD and I wasn't too keen on using all my cores for the transcoding, since it was something I use a lot while travelling, so I decided to move Plex on a dedicated mini-host: I'm using and HP EliteDesk G2 equipped with an i5-9500T where the Intel QuickSync is available for Plex to take advantage while keeping the power requirement as low as possible.

 

Honestly, I wish I had known this before upgrading to the Gen 10 Plus and before investing into it: coming from a Gen 8 I was stupid enough to assume that Quick Sync would be supported also on Gen 10 Plus.

 

I was afraid you gonna come back with such info.

 

I've read somewhere that is possible to change SPS firmware to ME, although I haven't seen any information about how to actually do it.

Also I've found this guide below, which shows something that might help us. Strangelly I do not see such options when accessing RCBU, but currently can't even check as ILO4 refuses my default login. 
https://lukas.dzunko.sk/index.php/Hardware:_HP_Microserver_-_How_to_fix_ILO4_after_adding_second_graphics_card

I'm so disappointed in proliants

[Shuttleu]

You say you had intel quicksync working with a microserver gen 8, don't suppose you could provide a bit of insight into this? I've so far been unable to get it working for use with Plex.