Where to get missing brackets for 560SFP+ PCI card? Part numbers?

[anthony11]

I have a couple of DL360p G8 systems that were ordered by someone else - they came with the 560SFP+ card anomalously installed in the high-profile slot.  My VAR is drawing a blank (har har) on sourcing the parts to fix this:  a low-profile bracket for the card and a high-profile filler.  I believe that when one orders the card standalone it comes with both high and low-profile brackets, but these systems were ordered CTO pre-integrated and don't seem to have come with the spare parts.

So, I would be eternally grateful for any thoughts on how I could source both the high-profile PCI blank and the low-profile card bracket for the 560SFP+ , a place to buy them or even part numbers.

Thanks.

[David_Schwartzs]

Unfortunately, checking HP Partsurfer, the only "spare part" for the 560SFP+ is the card itself, it doesn't list the brackets out separately as items you can order...

Make sure your VAR next time chooses to configure the card into the low profile slot, or better yet, orders it separately a la carte so you get both brackets and you can install wherever you'd like.

In the meantime, I'd have your VAR engage their HP Enterprise Group (and/or specific Industry Standard Server) Partner Business Manager, and have them escalate the issue. This seems like something that HP would have to figure out internally.

[anthony11]

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@David_Schwartzs wrote:
Unfortunately, checking HP Partsurfer, the only "spare part" for the 560SFP+ is the card itself, it doesn't list the brackets out separately as items you can order...

Make sure your VAR next time chooses to configure the card into the low profile slot, or better yet, orders it separately a la carte so you get both brackets and you can install wherever you'd like.

In the meantime, I'd have your VAR engage their HP Enterprise Group (and/or specific Industry Standard Server) Partner Business Manager, and have them escalate the issue. This seems like something that HP would have to figure out internally.

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Thanks, David.  The systems in question are on a different continent, unfortunately.  I'm trying to get the local folks to engage their supplier but thought I should check in parallel what I could come up with.  In the US the systems we bought all came with the card installed in the low-profile slot, but the factory in Singapore has now twice put it in the high-profile slot, with the same CTO configuration ordered as the US systems.  At this point I don't even't know who they're bought through over there.  I did ask for this to be sorted out before delivery, but the message doesn't seem to have gotten through.  I had specified the system CTO in part to get the 10SFF chassis, but also to avoid having to talk various overseas personnel through opening the chassis and adding a card, but if this is going to be a global and recurring issue, I may just have to ask them to order separately -- which may/may not actually be done, I provide a spec and have to rely on someone in each country to place the order locally.  I was hoping to be able to just source a dozen or so of the things so that worst-case I could just mail them over.

I'm actually surprised that HP doesn't have global standards for how things are integrated.

If anyone else reading this has a handful of brackets gathering dust, drop me a line and I'll send you cookies or something.

[David_Schwartzs]

They do have standards - but unfortunately, when you're configuring the CTO in one of the various CTO tools HP makes available, you can easily select whether to populate the card into a "slot 1" or "slot 2", and it's easy to simply put the card in the wrong slot when it's a card like the 560SFP+ which supports both high and low profile brackets.
The overseas reseller / HP direct would have to essentially rebuild the CTO config in those other regions, and they're probably simply selecting the wrong slot in the configurator.  Other than instructing them one way or the other, though, there's probably not much you can do about it other than complain to the local HP support resources in that region to see if HP can make it right via their customer service initiatives.

[anthony11]

Ack, thanks.

[Sbrown]

You can whittle down other nic risers to fit, i know it's ghetto but it works. or call up solarflare, they are pretty cool.

Too bad these cards don't have decent ESXi support :( the 1024 SR-IOV functions per port (2048 total) would be awesome for hosting!

I picked up a pair of these cards off ebay for $250 each (new non-hp) and they came with both brackets so I'm not sure why hp didn't sell them the same way.

If you sit them down next to other cards, you'll see its not that hard to make similar fitment. I know its ghetto but man if its a make or a break situation, just get er' dun.

[anthony11]

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@Sbrown wrote:

You can whittle down other nic risers to fit, i know it's ghetto but it works. or call up solarflare, they are pretty cool.

Too bad these cards don't have decent ESXi support :( the 1024 SR-IOV functions per port (2048 total) would be awesome for hosting! I picked up a pair of these cards off ebay for $250 each (new non-hp) and they came with both brackets so I'm not sure why hp didn't sell them the same way. If you sit them down next to other cards, you'll see its not that hard to make similar fitment. I know its ghetto but man if its a make or a break situation, just get er' dun.

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Thanks Sbrown, but I'm a bit confused by your response.  The 560 is an Intel card (not sure what the non-HP model number is, though that sure might help, it's a 82599EB chip), I think it's the 570 that's Solarflare.  Are you saying that the Solarflare cards don't have decent ESXi support, or the Intel?  If the Intel, we've got problems because we do plan to convert these systems (and yet-to-be-ordered twins) to ESXi virtualization hosts, so we can have 2x1U chassis per remote site vs. the 4x or 5x older 1U systems we currently have and need to update.

Re getting medieval with other brackets - I'm honestly not sure where I'd source them, and don't have the wherewithal to modify them.  I'd even have to buy another 560 to test fit on since the nearest one to me is 703 miles away -- and I think trying to walk the folks in Southeast Asia through doing so would not be productive :-/

When the card is ordered separately it does come with both brackets, but these systems are CTO and came integrated.  Given the above advice when specifying future systems to be ordered overseas I'll either make very VERY sure that the placement is specified or perhaps that the card just be non-integrated so that both brackets are available.  I'm somewhat apprehensive about trying to talk overseas folks through installation, but they're used to doing router cards, so perhaps it won't be totally foreign to them.

[Sbrown]

Sorry ! The numbers got messed in my head that late!

Intel is #1 for sure!

Ask HP for the brackets! or take a close look at the REAL X520 card :)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LOT-5-LOW-SHORT-PROFILE-BRACKET-FOR-Intel-X520-DA2-X520-SR2-E10G42BTDA-5PCS-/171071533494?pt=US_Internal_Network_Cards&hash=item27d4a871b6

Sorry!

BTW you know most people order the 560 FLR card! When you use virtual functions, which is popular Like solareflare, you might have 4 virtual functions per port. 3 nic and 1 iscsi/fcoe - FLR function Level Reset is cool because instead of reset all 4 VF's you can reset individual functions ! These cards are far cheaper too! but you only get one!

You'd be surprised at what you can find in asia! It is after all close to where everything is made :)

Sorry about the 560/570 mixup. I own the 570 sadly and it stinks to not be able to use every feature in esxi :(

[anthony11]

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@Sbrown wrote:
Sorry ! The numbers got messed in my head that late!

Intel is #1 for sure!

Ask HP for the brackets! or take a close look at the REAL X520 card :)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LOT-5-LOW-SHORT-PROFILE-BRACKET-FOR-Intel-X520-DA2-X520-SR2-E10G42BTDA-5PCS-/171071533494?pt=US_Internal_Network_Cards&hash=item27d4a871b6

Sorry!

BTW you know most people order the 560 FLR card! When you use virtual functions, which is popular Like solareflare, you might have 4 virtual functions per port. 3 nic and 1 iscsi/fcoe - FLR function Level Reset is cool because instead of reset all 4 VF's you can reset individual functions ! These cards are far cheaper too! but you only get one!

You'd be surprised at what you can find in asia! It is after all close to where everything is made :)

Sorry about the 560/570 mixup. I own the 570 sadly and it stinks to not be able to use every feature in esxi :(

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@SO the X520 is the same card and the above brackets would work?  Sheesh, $15 a pop.  We have a couple of Emulex/Qlogic cards, but after discovering that one has to boot a @#$@# .iso image to update firmware I had enough of that, then the Intel card showed up and I figured it would be a safe bet.

[Sbrown]

yeah man, for $15 i'd just bend the brackets or find a similar dual ethernet bracket and grind it out.

Intel is #1 !! emulex is #2

Intel is #1 in resale value!