MicroServer Gen8 is noisy

[PAC_]

HP documentation and PR state that the MicroServer Gen8 emits only 21dBa, yet I am reading 50dBa (front) to 55dBa (back) at idle.

I have tried resetting the BIOS to factory defaults as well as adjusting the HP power profile to no avail.

This is too noisy for a quiet home or office environment, should we expect lower noise levels as per the official specifications ?

P.S. This thread has been moved from ProLiant Servers (ML,DL,SL) to ProLiant Servers - Netservers.
-HP Forum Moderator

[Jimmy Vance]

I have 4 of these sitting in my cube right now and one at the house. They are very quiet even with 4 disks in them.  What does iLO show as far as fan speed and sensor temperatures?

UPDATE: I guess my cubicle environment isn't quiet enough to really notice the fan noise. After further investigation, I have now seen (and heard) the fan speed difference between B120i and SATA AHCI modes. I've reported this back to the MicroServer hardware team.

[ibhpgb]

It may depend on which disk controller one is using. 

http://b3n.org/installed-xeon-e3-1230v2-in-gen8-hp-microserver/

ACHI reported as noisy.

I would buy one, but don't want noise.

[PAC_]

Yes I had read reports about the fan speed going up with the Smart Array disabled but I have tried enabling and disabling AHCI controller mode to no avail.

Let me get back to you with fan speed and temperature once I get back home.

[Jimmy Vance]

I'm run them both in RAID mode and AHCI mode with no difference in fan noise level. The link provided is for people putting in faster CPU's, I'd expect the fan to spin up a bit with a faster CPU in the case.

[ibhpgb]

Actually, I think Stefan did not change his cpu, and was the one that noticed fan speed changed (for him) with different controllers. 

Maybe HP needs some firmware updates?

[PAC_]

There is a new firmware dating from August 14th available but the release notes do not contain information about this specific issue.

I will be updating over the week-end and report back.

[PAC_]

The fan spins at a constant 39%, all temperatures are nominal.

I have read one other report stating that the fan will go up when disabling the Smart Array B120i. It should apparently run at 6% under normal conditions ?

[ibhpgb]

That is a similar fan speed others have reported.

HP  ,

Update your firmware! 

I wonder if a rheostat fan control would work to quiet down the fan noise.

[PAC_]

The issue still applies to firmware 2013.08.24.

Apparently the B120i Smart Array would need to be configured for the fan control to kick in properly. I will test it out tonight.

[PAC_]

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@Jimmy Vance wrote:

I have 4 of these sitting in my cube right now and one at the house. They are very quiet even with 4 disks in them.  What does iLO show as far as fan speed and sensor temperatures?

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Did you configure B120i arrays with those disks ?

Would you be able to tell me how fast are your fans spinning at idle ?

[ibhpgb]

Can you tell me how you measured the sound level?

I hava a Radio Shack meter. It has A or C weighting and a slow/fast meter response.

If I place the mic near the exhaust stream from a fan, it measures of course very loud. If I make sure the mic is not directly in the fan breeze, it measures quieter. It is also quieter as I move away from the fan.

How far were you from the fan?

Was the mic in the stream?

If I measure my Lasko cylinder fan, it is about 54db Cweighted at 1 meter, mic not in the breeze on high speed. That is too noisy. On low speed, it measures about 48-50db, still too noisy, but for a breeze I will endure it on low.

I woud assume the microserver would have a similar noise level, which is really too loud unless there is a way to tame the noise. Of course I want ZFS, so AHCI is how I want to control the disks.

Thanks for pioneering!

[ibhpgb]

Fan problems here:

http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/6032-g8-microserver-be-aware-of-fan-issue-add-in-cards/

As others may know, if you set the Controller to AHCI or legacy the fan goes loud and stays loud at over 33%.

I decided to buy a P222/512 Smart Array to give me RAID5 plus option later to add an external 4 bay mini SAS housing for a further 4 drives controlled by the P222 (potentially 8 disks in RAID5)

All fitted and recognised perfectly in ACU but then the dreaded fan noise again but now at over 54%. Spent all day on it before finally starting a long chat session with HP.

To cut a long story short, the iLO4 can only handle built-in controllers and it totally handles temp monitoring/fan speed.

Long transcript attached if anyone wants to follow the details

So, Gen8 will usually have loud fans, and is not suitable for home use.

Must keep looking.

[Jimmy Vance]

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@PAC_ wrote:

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@Jimmy Vance wrote:

I have 4 of these sitting in my cube right now and one at the house. They are very quiet even with 4 disks in them.  What does iLO show as far as fan speed and sensor temperatures?

---

Did you configure B120i arrays with those disks ?

Would you be able to tell me how fast are your fans spinning at idle ?

---

As I stated in my message update above, I have now seen the difference in fan speed. B120i is 6% SATA AHCI varies a bit but is around 36%. During POST the fan is a 50%. I've contacted the MicroServer hardware team

[PAC_]

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@ibhpgb wrote:

Can you tell me how you measured the sound level?

I hava a Radio Shack meter. It has A or C weighting and a slow/fast meter response.

If I place the mic near the exhaust stream from a fan, it measures of course very loud. If I make sure the mic is not directly in the fan breeze, it measures quieter. It is also quieter as I move away from the fan.

How far were you from the fan?

Was the mic in the stream?

If I measure my Lasko cylinder fan, it is about 54db Cweighted at 1 meter, mic not in the breeze on high speed. That is too noisy. On low speed, it measures about 48-50db, still too noisy, but for a breeze I will endure it on low.

I woud assume the microserver would have a similar noise level, which is really too loud unless there is a way to tame the noise. Of course I want ZFS, so AHCI is how I want to control the disks.

Thanks for pioneering!

---

I measured using Faber Acoustical's SoundMeter using my iPhone 5S (the app is calibrated as per the microphone specification).

I took measurements on top of the unit near the back (out of the air stream) and right in front of the bezel. I was about 6 inches away from the unit.

I know the fan seems to be controlled by iLO 4 unless the controller is set to AHCI. It might be possible to replace the fan with a quieter 120mm model and forcing it to spin at 100% in the BIOS.

[PAC_]

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@Jimmy Vance wrote:

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@PAC_ wrote:

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@Jimmy Vance wrote:

I have 4 of these sitting in my cube right now and one at the house. They are very quiet even with 4 disks in them.  What does iLO show as far as fan speed and sensor temperatures?

---

Did you configure B120i arrays with those disks ?

Would you be able to tell me how fast are your fans spinning at idle ?

---

As I stated in my message update above, I have now seen the difference in fan speed. B120i is 6% SATA AHCI varies a bit but is around 36%. During POST the fan is a 50%. I've contacted the MicroServer hardware team

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It is possible to leave the B120i configured in the BIOS without actually configuring a drive array on the controller. The disks still get presented as JBOD to the OS but this does not help tame down the fan speed.

Did you contact the MicroServer hardware team through the regular support channels ? Did you hear back from them ?

Cheers

[Jimmy Vance]

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@PAC_ wrote:

Did you contact the MicroServer hardware team through the regular support channels ? Did you hear back from them ?

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I can contact the program team directly. I have not heard back yet.

[PAC_]

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@Jimmy Vance wrote:

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@PAC_ wrote:

Did you contact the MicroServer hardware team through the regular support channels ? Did you hear back from them ?

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I can contact the program team directly. I have not heard back yet.

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Have you heard back from the team ?

I have just opened an official support case on my end.

[Jimmy Vance]

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@PAC_ wrote:

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@Jimmy Vance wrote:

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@PAC_ wrote:

Did you contact the MicroServer hardware team through the regular support channels ? Did you hear back from them ?

---

I can contact the program team directly. I have not heard back yet.

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Have you heard back from the team ?

I have just opened an official support case on my end.

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Not yet, please send me a private message wit hthe case number

[dof]

just to share my experience :

http://h30499.www3.hp.com/t5/Community-Regional-Operating/Microserver-Gen8-Debian-FAN-noise-control/m-p/6204469

When I install RHEL 0 to 6 % fan Speed

When I install Debian 39%+ fan speed :(

If you have solution...

[PAC_]

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@dof wrote:

just to share my experience :

http://h30499.www3.hp.com/t5/Community-Regional-Operating/Microserver-Gen8-Debian-FAN-noise-control/m-p/6204469

When I install RHEL 0 to 6 % fan Speed

When I install Debian 39%+ fan speed :(

If you have solution...

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Interesting, I am running FreeNAS 9.1.1 (FreeBSD 9-STABLE).

Did you leave your BIOS thermal options to the default configuration ?

[dof]

yes I leave all by default

[Jimmy Vance]

dof, were these configurations with the B120i enabled or were you using plain SATA AHCI mode?

[dof]

I use both.

HP come here to change motherboard tomorrow.

[Jimmy Vance]

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@dof wrote:

I use both.

HP come here to change motherboard tomorrow.

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Changing the system board is a waste of everyones time. This issue will more than likely require a firmware update to resolve