ProLiant ML370 G3 Excessive Fan Noise

[Thomas S. Finkelmeier J]

I have a ProLiant ML370 G3, and was never disappointed with the sound volume of it until recently. I had heard the 'full' fan speed at reboot, but once Windows 2000 booted it went to quiet mode. A few days ago it kicked into 'full' fan speed and has not let up. I opened it up and cleaned out the dust, and during the day we left the window open to keep the room cool and it did not relent. I have the redundant fans, and they are all green, no apparent hardware faults. I have subsequently upgraded all the firmware and software packs from the support pages and still no joy. The FAQ said to 'Use the ROM-Based Setup Utility (RBSU) to set the fan speed to Low.' I did that and it only made the fans go to what I would call 'medium high.' It also suggested 'To regulate the speed of the fans, install the HP Advanced System Management Controller Driver for Windows 2000.' I tried this, but when I downloaded cp005013.exe, it told me 'The software will not be installed on this system because the required hardware is not present in the system or the software/firmware doesn't apply to this system.' What gives? Is there some other way to control the speed of these fans? My staff is complaining about the noisy server in the copy room. It was never like this before. Any suggestions?

[Marco Hogeveen_1]

Hi Thomas,

As from BIOS 4.11 the fan speed has been increased to solve possible thermal problems in the server.
See http://h18023.www1.hp.com/support/files/server/us/revision/6870.html
Maybe downgrading to an older BIOS will slow down your fans but keep in mind that you take the risk getting thermal problems that might damage your server.

The cp005013 is not for ML370G3. You need the cp002568 from http://h18023.www1.hp.com/support/files/server/us/download/15667.html.

I hope this works!

Good luck, Marco.

[Thomas S. Finkelmeier J]

Hello Marco, thank you for the quick reply. Do you have any ideas why the system would have gone to fans at full with no changes? I now have the most current BIOS image, but I did that to try and correct this issue. It seems odd that something that worked fine for two years would just now get loud. Also, the cp002568 file doesn't like my system either, I get the error 'The software does not need to be installed on this system.' when I try to install it. Thanks again.

[David in Tennessee]

I can only respond for Windows 2003 Server. I have a pair of ML370G3 servers. I am using the update for the P28 ROM (SoftPaq 28837, 2004.09.15)) and the updated drivers from the ProLiant Support Pack for Windows 2003 Server version 7.20A dated Feb 14, 2005. I am not experiencing the fan noise that you report. As soon as the operating system gains control of the server, the fan noise is bearable.