DL20 Gen10 Plus Fans are all running at 46%

[Susan Hebel]

I have seen a lot of posts on here about fans running too high for no good reason.  But not all the fans at the same time.  All the sensors on the ILO 5 are within range.  It is an LFF server with 2 HPE 4TB drives in it.

Here is my big problem that this is brand new out of the box and no OS on it yet and doing it. I updated all the firmware by booting to the SSP. I have tried changing the fans choices in the BIOS with no change. 

I opened up a case with HPE.  We have gone back and forth trading emails on the issue.  They finally came back and told me that this was normal.  And  the tech referenced some posts here. 

I don't think this is normal. Unless it runs this way before the installation of an OS???  And the software in the OS will shift them down in speed???

I am selling this server and I don't want to sell them something that is not working properly.  They are paying me to put he hard drives in it, update it and test it.  

Any ideas??

TIA

Susan

[Tam92]

Hello Susan,

Please find the below HPE advisory for the query posted.

https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/docDisplay?docId=emr_na-a00083154en_us

Alternatively, if you connect the drives to the additional P/E Class controller, rather than connecting the SATA drives to the onboard controller, you will notice that the fan speed is normal even if no OS is installed.

Thanks,

TAM

[Susan Hebel]

I can't find the "AHCI HD Max" in ILo when I look at it. 

So are you saying that this is normal behavior.  And that I should give it to the customer this way?  

[Tam92]

Hello Susan,

This is an expected behavior of DL20 Gen10 Series. You need to install a supported OS with the Agentless management system installed to control the fan speed.

If SATA drives are connected to the onboard controller, the fan speed will be at a higher side certainly.

Thanks,

TAM

[jlbevo]

Rubbish this is an issue that HP aren't willing to admit, I have the same problem with DL20 GEn10 plus an been down the same path with HPE support. This server is a lemon and HP should recall it. I'm going to make a youtube video and run over it with my car and make sure everyone knows not to buy this server, absolute piece of crap

I have multiple DL20 Gen9s that run no problems at all

[shiva_jr]

Hi Susan,
Please refer the following links and suggestions. Let me know if still the issue persists-

Update bios to 2.30. Refer the document.

If AHCI mode is enabled, please refer this document.

Install AMS tools in OS for supporting drives thermal sensor reading for thermal fan control, otherwise may experience acoustic noise impact.  Refer the document.

Along with these, please follow the below points-
1) Please get and analyze the report of Temperature, CPU, DISK, IO and Fan from iLO System information page.
2) Verify the fan airflow path is not blocked by cables or other material.
3) Make sure the iLO, SystemROM are updated properly to the latest version.
4) Check that the while booting, the POST error messages related to fan, temparature voilation, processor, heat sink errors visible.

Regards,
Shiva_JR
Please mark as 'Accepted solution' if my post worked and give me the Kudos.

[juicecom]

I have an DL20 G10 plus and I installed Windows Server 2022 (on VROC RAID enabled) with all the updates and I installed AMS 2.51.4.0 - iLO confirms connection to AMS but HD Max or AHCI HD Max sensors are still missing.

Bios Version is 1.7.2
iLO is 2.95

Fans are constantly on 46-48% - what should I do?

here the firmware versions:

and more software info:

[jlbevo]

Exact same setup and I have the exact same issue cannot get any HD Max sensors to register temperature readings and fans, HP need to sort this out I can't give it to the customer as is

[Vinky_99]

Good day!

You may give it a try to below instructions:

>> Ensure that you have the latest BIOS version and firmware updates installed for your server.

>> Make sure that the version of AMS you have installed is compatible with Windows Server 2022. Check the HPE website(support.hpe.com) for any updates or compatibility information.

>> Since iLO is confirming the connection to AMS, it's a positive sign. However, ensure that AMS is correctly integrated with iLO, and all necessary components are installed. Sometimes, a reinstallation of AMS might help.

>> If the HD Max or AHCI HD Max sensors are still missing, it could indicate a driver issue or a problem with the RAID configuration. Make sure that the correct RAID drivers are installed, and the RAID array is properly configured.

>> High fan speeds can be a result of several factors. One common reason is that the server is operating in a high-temperature environment. Check the ambient temperature around the server, and if possible, provide adequate cooling.

>> Within the server's BIOS or iLO settings, there might be options to adjust the fan speed profile. You can try selecting a different fan speed profile (e.g., Balanced) to see if that helps reduce the fan speed while maintaining acceptable temperatures.

>> Use iLO or HPE System Management tools to monitor the server's temperature sensors. If temperatures are excessively high, it might trigger the fans to run at higher speeds. Make sure that the server is properly ventilated and there are no obstructions to airflow.

>> If you've tried the above steps and still face issues, it might be a good idea to reach out to HPE's technical support. They can provide more specific guidance based on your server model and configuration.

Hope this helps! 

[juicecom]

I did all of that and checked every possible thing installed all drivers exactly how they are supposed to be installed in the lastest versions directly from hpe download center.

nothing helped. (as a sidenote - with an "unsupported" ubuntu server install the fans immediately spin down - so there the communications and sensors seem to be there)

But in the end I just gave up and payed another 150€ and got a E208i-a RAID Card for the server - no problems with the fans and windows since then...

[florianpreuss]

I also got a DL-20 Gen10 Plus Server with the E-2336 CPU and 32GB of RAM. I tried several configurations. The OS was EsXi 8 with HPE Addons and the Firmware is up to date, state SSP from March 2023:

- No RAID and third party SATA drives --> fans seem normal (idle <10%)
- No RAID, SSD passthrough card with Samsung NVMe and third party sata drives --> fan 3 normal, fan 1+2 never less than 50%
- No RAID, SSD passthrough card with HPE NVMe and third party sata drives --> same behaviour as with Samsung SSD
- E208i-a Smart Array and third party sata drives --> fan 3 is freaking out, runs with 100% sometimes
- E208i-a Smart Array SSD passthrough card with HPE NVMe and third party sata drives --> fan 3 runs with 80-100%,  fan 1+2 never less than 50%

So problems seem to come up with the addition of expansion cards to the system. Official supported HPE expansion cards. Does anyone have an idea how I can get them working? 

@juicecom how did you do to get the  E208i-a RAID Card working? Are you using official HPE Drives with it? For me the third fan freaks out as soon as I have the RAID controller connected, probably to cool the area. Isn't that happening for you?

[MattK2]

@florianpreuss ,

I also have a DL20 Gen10 Plus with the E2336.

I have the same issue with the 2 NVME SSD Passthrough card that mounts to the side of the server. I used an HPE NVMe SSD. Even installing the card empty is enough to crank fan 1+2 to 50%. It isn't an issue with the NVMe drive used, but the passthrough card itself.

I can run HPE and non NVMe SSDs quietly in a 3rd party PCIe card. SATA SSDs are also quiet with AMS loaded.

I've gone through HPE Support a couple times with no help. They just ask to collect logs over and over again.

[florianpreuss]

@MattK2 

It seems like we're not the only ones with these problems. I had the exact same behaviour with the SSD card, I'll give up this one. A third party SSD card is a good idea, I'll probably try that too for my boot volume.

But then there's still the issue with the E208i-a RAID Card ... Do you use no RAID at all to run the machine quiet? Would be still interesting how @juicecom figured that out.

It's unfortunate that HPE is not addressing this problem with the DL20 Gen10 Series, since many people seem to have the same problems and this machine would be perfect for small size offices. Currently I'm not convinced that this server should be implemented for such customers

[jlbevo]

Hi all, I have been pursuing this issue with HPE for awhile now and this is the response I got last week. Haven't had time to try it out yet, I actually ended up buying a new DL160 because this issue with DL20 was driving me crazy and no way I could give it to the customer as is. I will be asking for a refund for the DL20 as it's not fit for purpose.

Have received the below update from the HPE Engineering team :

Please wait for further updates, I am already working on a couple of DL20 Gen10 Plus servers with fan noise issues and replacing the E208 controller will not fix the issue. It is the HPE Agentless Management Service (AMS) which appears to be causing the issue. Please get the HPE Agentless Management Service downgraded to check the issue - https://support.hpe.com/connect/s/softwaredetails?language=en_US&softwareId=MTX_fb1e01c0f8504851a3b747fe89

[Susan Hebel]

Have you guys seen this Service Advisory

Document - Advisory: (Revision) HPE ProLiant DL20 Gen10/Gen10 Plus Server - Fans Run at Higher Speed When Embedded Storage Control Is Set to Advance Host Controller Interface (AHCI) Mode or Intel Virtual RAID on CPU (VROC) | HPE Support

[juicecom]

yes of course!
it does not help to install AMS - even iLO says that AMS connection is okay but the sensor is missing and fans stay on high speed. only under linux I managed to install the ams package and the fans returned to normal - or now that I installed a RAID card its also fine with windows.

[jlbevo]

Same, doesn't matter which version of AMS I install either as suggested by HPE to try downgrade AMS to a previous version my fans still run 46%

This server is a joke

[jlbevo]

@juicecom 

HPE are going to send me a E208i-p storage controller for testing, just wanted to confirm you got this working with Windows Server and your fans are normal?

[juicecom]

I chose the E208i-a variant instead of E208i-p because there is space for the a variant so I didnt want to use an additional pci slot.
And since the card is in there are no issues with the fans. (I switched the onboard controller back to ahci just to be sure)

[florianpreuss]

@juicecom 

Was it just mounting the card or also installing a newer firmware version to get this working? And do you use HPE disks or third party ones?

With the exact same card, third party disks and running ESXi with AMS, for me Fan 1+2 behave normal but Fan 3 freaks out (up to 100%)