Are HP ProLiant DL385 rackmount servers compatible with SSD6200/SSD7000/SSD7500SSD6540 Series NVMe RAID Controllers and Enclosures?

Compatibility Status: Compatible (Boot & Data RAID)

Link to Compatibility Report: 

Note: The compatibility reports we provide are based on research of the target platform / motherboard, using the manufacturer’s official specifications and product documentation.

Summary: HP ProLiant DL385 G10+ rackmount servers are capable of supporting HighPoint NVMe RAID controllers via riser cards. The system can support all current NVMe storage solutions; the system’s PCIe 4.0 interface is also backwards compatible with PCIe 3.0 devices. There are many riser card options for this platform (it can be reconfigured to support 3 or more GPU’s).

The current motherboards employ SOC (system on chip) architecture, and are designed to support AMD EPYC 7002 series processors. The motherboard BIOS provides UEFI support, and option ROM settings for UEFI and legacy devices.

Manufacturer Documentation: https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/docDisplay?docLocale=en_US&docId=a00094063en_us  

1. PCIe Host Interface: The DL385 rackmount platforms supports PCIe Gen4 (PCIe 4.0), and can support multiple PCIe 4.0 x16 (x16 electrical) controllers via riser cards. According to HP, the internal drive bays can be reconfigured to support M.2/U.2 NVMe SSD’s (up to 24 according to the user guide); though it is not clear what kind of backplane options are available. Customers will have to contact HP.

2. Boot RAID Support (NVMe arrays used to boot a system): The DL385 G10+ BIOS supports UEFI/Legacy modes, and provides option ROM settings for UEFI devices. It lists NVMe Boot Support as a feature for UEFI only boot modes.

3. Data RAID Support (NVMe arrays used for data storage): There are no apparent restrictions for data-only storage configurations.

4. Recommended Controllers:

• Bootable Configurations: SSD7505, SSD7502
• Maximum Performance: We would recommend the SSD7505. In addition, cross Sync appears to be possible, as the platform is capable of supporting multiple PCIe 4.0 x16 connections (if the customer opts for dual-processors and/or the corresponding riser card).
• Maximum Storage Capacity: We would recommend the 8-port SSD7540 (M.2) or SSD7580A/B (U.2). Customers could also use our PCIe 3.0 controllers, such as the SSD7140, SSD7180 and SSD7184.
• External Connectivity (NVMe Enclosures): We do not currently manufacture a PCIe 4.0 external NVMe RAID solution However, the DL385 could support our SSD6540 (4x U.2), SSD6540M (4x M.2), or the SSD6540S paired with the SSD7184 RAID controller (4x U.2 or M.2, depending on which drive bays the customer is using).