I had bought the HP Proliant ML350 G6 about 2 months ago from Newegg. My objective was to run VMware vSphere4 with initially 3 virtual machines – FreeNas (Media Server), Windows Server 2008, and Windows 7 Professional Client. Before I start the review here is what the custom upgrade was going to be:
- Upgrade the processor from the supplied 2.0 GHz Quad Core Xeon to dual Quad-Core Intel Xeon 2.4o GHz (E5530)
- RAM Upgrade from the initial supplied 4GB to 12GB
- 4TB Hard Drives (Note to hard drives or hard drive cages are supplied)
I had the RAM upgrade in place with 12GB and the hard drive upgraded to 2TB.
My initial impressions, the server is a solid built. Its gorgeous to look at from the outside and on the inside. The cable management is spectacular. Nice neatly tucked away cables on the interior, fantastic upgrade options on the server such as dual Quad Core processors, memory upgrades to a maximum of 12 GB with one processor and 24 GB with two processors using 2-GB single- or dual-rank UDIMMs, redundant power supplies, just to name a few.
Server wise this machine performed magnificently but when it came down to upgrading the processor that is where the trouble started.
I bought my Quad processors from eBay for an awesome deal. Very close to half the price for both the processors combined. I was just dying to see the server in action with all that power under the hood. So I open her up to see what is involved for the upgrade. I required 3 parts to perform the processor upgrade. One was the DIMM baffle for second set of DIMM slots next to the second processor slot. Second was the heat sink for the processor. Finally a case fan to cool the second processor and the DIMM’s.
I obtained the part numbers from the already installed parts in the server. Searched on HP and every other site on the Internet for the parts but with no luck. Called HP Parts store, their authorized and unauthorized dealers, used 3 different set of part numbers supplied from 3 different HP manuals, went down to G5 parts to see if any of those parts were compatible but nothing. Basically what HP was telling me was if you want to upgrade the processor, you need to buy the processor kit from us. My argument was, alright so if my Processor heat sink needed to be replaced for some reason or the other you (HP) are going to make me buy another processor instead of just selling me the heat sink. There were a lot of aahhss and ummss. I have had a call from the Support manager, the product manager all assuring me they are working on the issue.
This was in June 2009, and I have yet to receive a call back from HP’s managers. My advice Do Not Buy this server from HP. I don’t know if things have changed since then, but if this is the support you are going to receive for a brand new recently release server from HP you might want to reconsider buying anything HP. Since then I have returned the server for a full refund (thank you Newegg). Following is an actual excerpt from my still open (to date) URGENT case below:
I just recently bought the HP Proliant ML350 G6 Entry level tower LFF. The Produ
ct number is 487932-001. It originally came with 1 processor. I have bought 2 E5
530 XEON Processors for the server to create a 8 core server.
The problem I am having is I can’t find the parts for this server anywhere on th
is planet. Specifically here are the parts I am looking for:
DIMM Baffle 512109-001
AC 1200W 498152-001 (I have had some luck finding this)
Fan Assembly 92mm 508110-001
Heatsink 499258-001
I got the parts numbers off HP’s Illustrated parts catalog for this specific ser
ver. I have called HP Parts center, 2 of HP’s authorized parts dealers and searc
hed extensively on the Internet including eBay. The parts are not to be found an
ywhere. HP’s Parts center, the authorized parts dealers and HP technical support
all have tried to find parts of G5 server that they may be substitute with for
my G6 but were not sure if those parts would fit or work.
This has been a frustrating and very disappointing experience so far and am hopi
ng HP has a solution soon before I decide to ship the server back and extensivel
y market my experience with HP support so far. Thanks.
Comments added: Jun 10, 2009 4:57:17 PM CDT
Hi Joshua,
A very good morning to you.
This is with reference to the case ID 3606226460 logged to inform about the unavailability of the spare parts for an HP ProLiant ML350 G6 Server.
Customer has checked with HP Parts Store as well as with Parts dealers however did not find the spare parts. He’s a bit frustrated on this. Finally he contacted the e-Sol support team for help. I tried ordering the parts through wfm too but couldn?t. Please refer to the case# 3606226460.
I alled the customer to know why he requires these many spare parts. He replied that he is trying to install one more CPU. As this is a brand new server and to keep up the customer satisfaction, I have informed him that I will be following up this case till the issue gets resolved.
From the given TSG link (http://intranet.hp.com/tsg/WW2/ISS/Pages/PIT/pitpm.aspx), I understand that you are the product support manager for HP ProLiant ML350 G6 Server. Hence seeking your advice and assistance in this matter.
Please revert for any further information you may need.
Comments added: Jun 15, 2009 3:36:30 PM CDT
Called 1-800-731-5544 after escalating the case. Got Maynor on line.They informed they are not the right person to handle the case as this is a hardware issue. Also informed to forward the case to MC team as they are the right team. Also he gave the direct number 1 800 314 1873 of MC team.
Comments added: Jun 16, 2009 9:55:48 PM CDT
Hi Umair,
This is regarding the Case: 3606226460
Thank you for your patience.
I have escalated the case to higher levels and they have come up informing that as the parts are not setup and the server is being built by subcontractor, we cannot get the parts right now. Customer should be directed to go through sales.
Hence I suggest you to contact the Parts Store.
That is the complete jest of it so far. Ofcourse I am planning on returning the server, any lawyers out there want to get in on this? Its like selling a car and not having any parts for it.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I feel your pain. Spent hours trying to find the parts. Below is a link to the heatsink. You can also get the extra 92mm fans(511774-001)and Memory baffle ( 511773-001). Heatsink number is 508876-001. I don’t remember exact prices but they were all below $60. Hope this helps others out who may find this post in their search for these rediculously hard to find parts.
http://www.dectrader.com/_search.php?page=1&q=508876-001
Jason,
Thank you so much for sharing. It was so painful going through all those support calls and being bounced back and forth among departments. Its surprising even at this stage you still have to get the parts from elsewhere. I think I did a good job on raising the awareness of the issue over at HP, but am surprised nothing has been done about it yet.
Hey Umair,
I'm going to buy a ML350 G6 as well (same as you) but i want to install 1 Western Digital 1TB harddisk SATA 2 (just a simple and normal harddisk). Is it possible to instal this normal harddisk or is it essential to install the REAL HP harddisks with cage. Normal harddisks are 70 euro and the REAL HP harddisks with cage are 450 euro in holland.
Or can i just put every harddisk in the server.
Second question is, is there any space to put 4 NORMAL 1TB Western Digital harddisk WITHOUT cage ?
Thanks Mark
Hi Mark,
I actually returned my ML350 G6 within 30 days of purchase due to lack of parts availability. But I would love to answer your questions. There are 2 versions of the ML350 G6, there is the SFF (Short Form Factor) and the LFF (Large Form Factor). For your purposes you will need the LFF version of the Server. What the difference between the 2 versions is that the LFF will take up to 6 3.5" SATA or SAS Hard Drives. These are what you may refer to as your normal hard drives, the 1 to 2TB. The SFF will accept up to 8 2.5" Hard Drives. These are the more expensive and lower capacity hard drives.
If you already have the SFF form factor not all is lost. You can insert up to 4 SATA 3.5" HDD below your DVD-Rom. Make sure you get a nice long SATA cable. The distance is considerable from the drive bay to the motherboard. But if you have the LFF form factor and wish to use the cage here is the catch. You have to buy the trays that hard drives go in separately and then you can insert any 3.5" HDD you like in them. They don't have to be from HP. When you buy them from HP they come with the tray. So what I did was used eBay and ordered the trays from this really great parts seller Nautilusnet.com. I also did a quick search on eBay and found the trays you would be needing here http://cgi.ebay.com/HP-3-5-LFF-SAS-FC-Tray-Caddy-...
Please make sure you read through the description before you order. I am not recommending that these are the only sellers you should buy the trays from, just a point in the right direction
So, you meatheads buy a server, source bits and pieces from ebay etc and then moan like a bunch of little girls when you don't have all the parts necessary? Lets wonder why the CPU kits you bought were cheaper than HPs.
maybe because they didnt have all the parts required with them. You buy the upgrade parts from HP and you will get all the required pieces. you then blame HP for being shoddy. Can you not understand that in your haste to save a few bucks you've made the job, long and painful and ultimately probably more expensive then doing it right in the 1st place.
spastics.
Hi Alberto, and thank you for your comment. Really there is no reason to be uncivil. I understand your point on the CPU kit, since it comes with the heatsink. Lets take the following example. I have two CPU's in my server. By some miracle one of the heatsinks I pulled out to reapply the thermal paste got run over by a car. Now HP is telling me to purchase a kit worth $600 to get only the heatsink I need that would probably be worth $60. Prices are for arguments sake. They won't sell me just the heatsink. That is the point we are trying to make here. So if we don't turn to eBay or other sources it really doesn't make sense to buy a kit with a CPU when I have a perfectly working CPU and am only missing the heatsink.
Hey Umair,
Was it noisy? I read that it is impossibly loud for a home office.
Thanks, Alex
Hey Alex,
Oh yes, when the server was doing some activity it would go loud. I mean just at times I would turn the server on, and those 120mm fans would blow like a plane taking off. Apart from that if the server isn't doing any CPU intensive tasks (sharing files for instance) it was humming like a bird. But as soon as you hit it with some serious work, wow. I am not sure if there was a way to control the fans, but I am assuming there could be one.
May I know which server you buy after you return this? Do you recommend any product instead of ML350 G6?
Hi Jay. Actually I ended up custom building a FreeNas server instead after I returned this server. Finances sort of played a role in my decision to not pursue the branded path. I have more details regarding the custom server in my post: http://blog.fourfridays.com/2010/02/21/home-media...
As for my recommendations I have had my eyes on the servers out there for quite a bit. I guess the preference depends on the needs. If you need it just for storage, then you are basically not overly concerned about processing, but more on the ability of inserting as many hard drives as possible, and maybe rack mountable (if that is a concern). If its processing and serving up virtual machines, I would recommend (if budget allows), two Quad Core Xeon's with 12GB of Ram minimum.