Moving current 5.0.5 setup from HP N36L to a HP Microserver Gen8

[fido666]

I am currently running UnRAID 5.0.5 on a HP N36L Microserver with a 2 x 2TB Hitachi, 2 x 4TB HGST, and 1 x WDC 500GB cache drive setup.  The OS is running off a Lexar Firefly 4.0GB USB for the OS.  I am wanting to shift this array over to a HP Microserver Gen8 G1610T Microserver.  Once I have everything up and running I will be replacing the 2TB HDDs with new Toshiba 5TB HDDs.  Obviously I will need to replace the current 4TB parity drive first, then it will become a replacement for one of the 2TB ones.

 

Has anyone set up UnRAID on a Gen8 that can give me some pointers?  Do I need to do anything special in the array controller page or BIOS settings for example?

[neilt0]

I run mine with the controller set to AHCI. Do a full (ISO boot) upgrade of the BIOSes first.

[fido666]

Thanks Neil.  I am just testing a couple of new Toshiba MD04ACA500 5TB HDDs in the box for compatability prior to attempting any migration of the existing array, I have not yet installed any version of UnRAID on it.  I'm in the HP array configuration page and it is asking me for Strip Size (default is set to 256kb) and Sectors/Track (default is set to 32). I'm not sure what to set these to.  I also can't seem to find the full specs for the Toshiba drives online, trying to confirm if they have 4K sectors or not. I will need to know to preclear the drives for UnRAID use later.

[HellDiverUK]

I had a Gen8.  I gave up on it, it's a terrible machine.  The iLO sucks, the fan control sucks, it's too noisy, it uses far too much power, and the drives run too hot.

 

HP made a total balls-up of the Gen8.

 

My advice would be sell the Gen8 and get something better, like a Lenovo TS140/TS440 or a Fujtisu TX1310.

 

 

 

All that said, if the iLO is asking about stripe size and all the nonsense, it means you're in RAID mode, which you DO NOT want for UnRAID.  You want AHCI mode, which you can change in the BIOS.  Prepare to go back to 1991 when entering the BIOS.  The blue screen will amaze and awe you.  Compaq's finest work right there.

[neilt0]

The June 2015 update fixes the fan control in AHCI. I certainly wouldn't have bought the Gen8 at the original price, but mine was £100, so it's a bargain. 

 

It's much quieter than my N54L. 

 

My drives ran cool in mine, albeit in a different location from my N54L.

 

I like ILO a lot. What's wrong with it?

 

I did look at the TS140, but was too late to hop on the deal for that.