[TUTORIAL] Hp smart array p420i HBA mode complete guide.

Hi, bin neu in dem ganzen und versuche mich mal dran.
ist es am Ende dann so das Proxmox auf der SD-Karte installiert ist oder versteh ich das falsch?
Weil von dieser kann er ja immer booten auch wenn HBA aktiviert ist.
 
Hi
I have a ProLiant ML350 Gen9 with the P440ar controller. At first, I setup two hardware RAIDs as follows:
  • Logical Drive 01
    • Capacity 447 GiB
      Fault Tolerance RAID 1/RAID 1+0
      Logical Drive Type Data LUN
      Encryption Status Not Encrypted
    • Storage: 2x SSDs each 480 GB
  • Logical Drive 02
    • Capacity 2235 GiB
      Fault Tolerance RAID 6
      Logical Drive Type Data LUN
      Encryption Status Not Encrypted
    • Storage: 3x 1200 GB HDDs and 1x 1800 GB HDD

If I remember it well, there was an option on the BIOS where I could set the mode to RAID, which I did. Right now, I'm not at the office, so, I can't check the hardware physically. I can remotely access ILO, but I don't see anything regarding the controller mode, only what I already put on the top of this post.

I'm having the problem described on this thread:
E

Thread 'Issues with HP P420i and SMART'

Hi everyone, this is my first post here.
I'm running Proxmox on my homelab (a HP P360p Gen8) and I'm having issues reading SMART values from my drives.

The drives are connected to the onboard RAID controller that I set to HBA mode because otherwise I could not have had more than one disk showing to the OS.
Code: 
root@fullser:~# ssacli ctrl all show config

Smart Array P420i in Slot 0 (Embedded) (sn: 00143802831AA10)


Port Name: 1I

Port Name: 2I


HBA Drives

physicaldrive 1I:0:1 (port 1I:box 0:bay 1, SATA HDD, 500 GB, OK)
physicaldrive 1I:0:2 (port 1I:box 0:bay 2, SATA HDD, 2 TB, OK)...
  • Like

At the very end of it, it is mentioned that newer versions of Proxmox already have an updated version of smarctl, which doesn't require you to use the patch mentioned on that thread. However, it is also mentioned that you need to enable "HBA mode". For the interested, my version of Proxmox VE is 8.4.1, so at the time of this writing, it is the last one.

Can I still have the hardware RAID after enabling the HBA mode? Or you can only use the hard drives with zfs? To be honest, I prefer a hardware rather than a software solution and that's why I won't use zfs, but a hardware RAID + xfs.

It also seems that the procedure described here doesn't apply to my Proliant server. According to this thread:
https://community.hpe.com/t5/prolia...-hp-smart-array-p410i-controller/td-p/6994149

For my controller: P440ar, I can do it from the SSA utility. I will try it when I come back to the office.

By the way, while posting this message, I thought that I had all the BIOS and Firmware updates, which I installed manually:
  • iLO: 2.82 Feb 06 2023 (last version)
  • System ROM P92 v3.40 (08/29/2024)
Now I realized that for this component:
  • Smart Array P440ar Controller: 3.56
There is indeed a newer Firmware, version 5.15(D):
https://support.hpe.com/connect/s/product?language=en_US&kmpmoid=7274889&tab=driversAndSoftware

I guess I will also have to update it before trying something else.

Best regards
Josef
 
Last edited:
jmeile said:
Logical Drive 02
  • Capacity 2235 GiB
    Fault Tolerance RAID 6
    Logical Drive Type Data LUN
    Encryption Status Not Encrypted
  • Storage: 3x 1200 GB HDDs and 1x 1800 GB HDD
Click to expand...
Why a raid6 from only 4 disks ?? Then better go with raid10.
HBA mode is just needed if you want zfs native on the disks behind the raid ctrl.
You could update the P440ar or not, it will run anyway and you could do that later anytime too.
 
waltar said:
Why a raid6 from only 4 disks ?? Then better go with raid10.
Click to expand...
Because I may add more hard drives. At the moment I only have four.

waltar said:
HBA mode is just needed if you want zfs native on the disks behind the raid ctrl.
Click to expand...
I was reading a lot of posts and I think I will go with HBA + Zfs. First: proxmox will see the SMART attributes and second: from I have read, if I set it to RAID and my controller gets damaged, then I will have to replace it with exactly the same one; it seems that with HBA this is not the case.
 
I've followed your guide to the t and just cant get this working, no matter what i do my dl360 just skips the usb drive and tries every other boot option. are you certain this method would still be working with the most recent version of proxmox (8.4.1 at the time of writing). I did manage to get the p420i into hba mode thanks to your guide but the boot section is just not working for me. Ideally im going to boot primarily from pxe or ipxe but want the usb as a failover just in case.

Have just tried for the (lost count) time but instead used proxmox-boot-tool init /dev/sdc2 grub to no avail. I'm using a usb installed in the internal slot, I've tried everything I can think of however my knowledge on linux is limited. Just fyi I have tried using promox iso mounted via ilo and on a usb and still no dice. my boot order is standard with the usb boot option set to internal drive first (usb not sd) and the only thing that is any different to your guide is when returning back to the promox installer i have to press ctr-alt-f1, aside from that everything looks to go as it should. Please someone give me some direction I'm at my wits end.
 
Last edited:
spec0ps said:
I've followed your guide to the t and just cant get this working, no matter what i do my dl360 just skips the usb drive and tries every other boot option. are you certain this method would still be working with the most recent version of proxmox (8.4.1 at the time of writing). I did manage to get the p420i into hba mode thanks to your guide but the boot section is just not working for me. Ideally im going to boot primarily from pxe or ipxe but want the usb as a failover just in case.

Have just tried for the (lost count) time but instead used proxmox-boot-tool init /dev/sdc2 grub to no avail. I'm using a usb installed in the internal slot, I've tried everything I can think of however my knowledge on linux is limited. Just fyi I have tried using promox iso mounted via ilo and on a usb and still no dice. my boot order is standard with the usb boot option set to internal drive first (usb not sd) and the only thing that is any different to your guide is when returning back to the promox installer i have to press ctr-alt-f1, aside from that everything looks to go as it should. Please someone give me some direction I'm at my wits end.
Click to expand...
Are you using UEFI and SecureBoot? It could be that you have to add the Proxmox SecureBoot key from the ISO image into the BIOS. I opted to use Ventoy, a nice utility to add several iso files to the same USB stick. The nice thing of this: if SecureBoot blocks it from booting, you will be presented a menu to add the SecureBoot key from the USB stick, so, you don't have to go to the BIOS and do it.
 
jmeile said:
Are you using UEFI and SecureBoot? It could be that you have to add the Proxmox SecureBoot key from the ISO image into the BIOS. I opted to use Ventoy, a nice utility to add several iso files to the same USB stick. The nice thing of this: if SecureBoot blocks it from booting, you will be presented a menu to add the SecureBoot key from the USB stick, so, you don't have to go to the BIOS and do it.
Click to expand...
no im on a hp dl360p gen 8, no uefi only legacy bios. Which I did realise not long after writing this that these instructions were uefi based. What should I change to do this for legacy bios?
 
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