ML350p Gen8 + AMD FirePro W7000 + VMware Horizon 5.3 = vSGA. Possible?

[TonyJr]

Hello,

I have a ML350p Gen8, and would like to install an AMD FirePro W7000 into it to enable vSGA in VMware Horizon 5.3. This is for a very small setup, a small business of 5 users.

Reading the HCL on VMware's website, the W7000 is certified to work with their software.

Reading AMD's website, all the FirePro's that are certified to work with VMware Horizon 5.3, are only 'supported' in Dell R720 or HP WS460c.

Has anyone had one of the FirePro series work with vSGA in a server other than the two 'supported' models? If so, how about a ML350p Gen8?

I am a bit confused by the term 'supported' as this could mean that either it actually works in only these servers, or that the technical support only covers when the card is intalled in these servers (works on others).

I hope that I can use this card. The reason I have chosen the W7000 over the S7000 is that it is actively cooled, rather than being passively cooled.

I hope that I have explained this clearly enough!

EDIT: My other thought/question was: On an ML350p Gen8, can you choose the default graphics card in the setup utility? A requirement for vSGA is that the card to be used is NOT selected as the Primary or Default monitor in the BIOS or EFI of the server.

Kind Regards,

TonyJr

[Suman_1978]

Hi,

I think its not possible because of the requirements for W7000.

> OS Support: Microsoft Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Linux (32- or 64-bit)
> A power supply and one AUX power connector (6-pin)

If you see the above requirements, the server wont support these OS and it may not have a AUX power connector (6-pin).

If you see the AMD site http://www.amd.com/en-us/products/graphics

There is no graphics card for Servers but there are cards for Cloud and HPC.

Thank You!
I am a HP employee.

Useful Links for ProLiant Servers

[TonyJr]

Hello,

Thank you for yor reply.

The W7000 is certified to be supported by VMware ESXi 5.5 to 5.5 U2. Click here to view the VMware's website to see this, then select 'All' from the first column, then click 'Update and View Results'. I am running ESXi 5.5 U1.

I have already installed the 'HP 660582-B21 Graphic Card Support Kit' into my ML350p Gen8, which provides to appropriate power cable, to power one graphics card for me.

I would still like to know if anyone has had any of the vSGA certified FirePro cards working in a HP server with VMware  ESXi 5.5 - 5.5U2 and Horizon View 5.3.

Kind Regards,

TonyJr

[TonyJr · Accepted solution]

IT WORKS!

Well I bought the card, and all I had to do  was install the AMD VIB, shutdown, physically install it in slot 3 (single processor), connect the graphics card power cable, cover up and boot. Nothing else required to be configured, as long as the VDI Pool is already setup for either Automatic or Hardware Only graphics rendering, as per VMware's recommendations (10 seconds of clicking in Horizon Admin console).

I have attached a few screenshots that I managed to quickly grab.

I am going to try vSGA tomorrow, and shall post the results.

Tonyjr