[SOLVED] HP DL380p Gen8. I can only boot from USB.

[WhiteTiger]

I have an HP DL380p Gen8 server with 25x300GB SAS HDDs and 2x480GB NVMe installed on PCI Express adapters.
I have installed Proxmox 7 on these two NVMe, but then the boot does not start.
I have read on the net that the server is too old to accept booting from PCI although they are seen in the server configuration panel.

Then installed Proxmox 7 on two HDDs in RAID1, but I still don't have the boot.
On the net I read that the integrated P420i controller in HBA mode and the disks managed by the Operating System does not allow booting from the disks.

Enabling RAID1 on the two HDDs from server configuration tool gives me the fatal error # 51.

At this point, to unlock the situation, I thought of installing Proxmox on a USB 2.0 stick or on the internal SD memory.
After the installation I wanted to do;

1. to create a volume with two HDDs in RAID1
2. to migrate all partitions from the USB stick / SD memory to this volume, except the /boot partition.

In this way the boot takes place from USB/SD and the operating system starts from the two disks in RAID1.

I appreciate your suggestions on the various steps to take.
I have 4/16/32GB USB sticks and 16GB SD memories.
I also have another 250GB NVMe drive on USB.

The server only has USB 2.0 ports

Thanks in advance.

 

[aaron]

Since I do (unfortunately) still run the same server myself, I recommend getting an HBA and use ZFS to get RAID redundancy on the disks. The H220 flashed to IT mode should be a decently cheap choice. You will need to replace the cables as well as the ones you currently have, will most likely have plugs with a 90° angle and might be too short anyway.

 

[WhiteTiger]

Since I do (unfortunately) still run the same server myself, I recommend getting an HBA and use ZFS to get RAID redundancy on the disks. The H220 flashed to IT mode should be a decently cheap choice. You will need to replace the cables as well as the ones you currently have, will most likely have plugs with a 90° angle and might be too short anyway.

I made a different choice; I launched the Debian 11 installation and during the installation process:

1. I created the mirroring of two HDDs
2. I created on this the LVM group pve and the two volumes root and data
3. I used the USB stick for /boot and Swap.

At the end of the installation I installed Proxmox using the guide for Debian 11.
Since every day has its pain , now I have a problem with the network, but for this thing I open a new post.

 

[Dunuin]

1. I used the USB stick for /boot and Swap.

That sounds like a terrible combination. Swapping will kill your stick quite fast and then the server won't boot anymore.

You really should think about a HBA. They only cost you 30€ if you buy a second hand branded HW raid controller that can be crossflashed into IT mode.

 

[WhiteTiger]

That sounds like a terrible combination. Swapping will kill your stick quite fast and then the server won't boot anymore.

You really should think about a HBA. They only cost you 30€ if you buy a second hand branded HW raid controller that can be crossflashed into IT mode.

I don't understand, with 64GB of RAM why should it use Swap?
Anyway I can't mount an HPA controller because I don't have any slot PCI free, but even free one, I don't know how to connect the disks. I now have two cables that go into the server's integrated controller. Can I always use these two?

 

[Dunuin]

I don't understand, with 64GB of RAM why should it use Swap?

I also got 64 GB RAM and it swaps. If you don't want it to swap don't create a swap partition/file at all.

Anyway I can't mount an HPA controller because I don't have any slot PCI free, but even free one, I don't know how to connect the disks. I now have two cables that go into the server's integrated controller. Can I always use these two?

That depends what cables you are talking about. But I guess they are SFF-8087, so they are the same a HBA like the H220 flashed to IT mode would use.

 

[WhiteTiger]

I also got 64 GB RAM and it swaps. If you don't want it to swap don't create a swap partition/file at all.

That depends what cables you are talking about. But I guess they are SFF-8087, so they are the same a HBA like the H220 flashed to IT mode would use.

OK, I keep /boot on the USB stick and the LVM volumes /root, /data and /swap on a 2x300GB HDDs in RAID1