HP ProLiants Gen8/Gen9: MMIO / Large BAR support

[radizi]

Hello,

I have the following ProLiant server system models:

1. HP ProLiant DL580 Gen8 (3x)
   4x E7-4880 v2
   1.5 TB DDR3 and 2 TB DDR3
   System ROM P79 v2.22 (06/03/2019)
   
   
2. HP ProLiant DL380 Gen9
   2x E5-2698 v3
   768 GB DDR4
   System ROM P89 v2.92 (11/23/2021)
   
   
3. HP ProLiant DL560 Gen9
   4x E5-4669 v4
   1.5 TB DDR4
   System ROM P85 v2.96 (05/17/2022)
   
   
4. HP ProLiant DL580 Gen9
   4x E7-8880 v4
   4 TB DDR4
   System ROM U17 v3.16 (04/20/2023)

Questions

1. What configuration options are available for the following server models to provide extensive MMIO resources?
   In all six systems, I only found the "PCI Express 64-bit BAR Support" option in the BIOS, partly activated directly via "Advanced System ROM Options", partly via the hidden "Service Options" menu using the key combination [Ctrl] + [A].
   I didn't find an "Above 4G addresses" option or anything similar in any system.
2. What maximum MMIO resource sizes can be provided by the respective server system?
3. Which BIOS version (System ROM) is relevant for the advanced MMIO features?

I appreciate any help you can provide.

[radizi]

Hello, dear community,

Links to documents containing the information I requested would also be beneficial. The relevant HP documents for the server models mentioned do not contain any information about the maximum available MMIO resources.

Of course, I previously carried out an extensive search using Google and numerous sessions with ChatGPT 4o / o1-preview and Perplexity Pro. Unfortunately, I didn't get exact results in this case.

I have direct access to all these devices, including the PCIe components, having different MMIO requirements depending on the operating mode. With a lot of time, I could try out all possible constellations, but without any firm knowledge of the respective cause. The different and outdated BIOS versions, currently without the possibility of easily updating them, contribute further uncertainties to the analysis.

Comprehensible information on the requested technical data of the server models mentioned above would greatly assist me in making the next decisions.

[SydUmar_1]

Hello @radizi 
We would request you to log a support ticket with the HPE support team, as they would need to engage the HPE Engineering team to get answers to these queries. 

[radizi]

Hello @SydUmar_1,

many thanks for your response.

I purchased these six HPE servers and all their components from professional remanufacturers and assembled and configured them because I have the necessary training and experience. Unfortunately, I am now missing technical data on the HP servers in question, which I cannot find in any publicly available HPE publications. I'll know what to do again as soon as I get this.

Unfortunately, I don't have a support contract with HPE and therefore probably can't log a support ticket.
The following is still active at HPE for the server system model "HP ProLiant DL580 Gen9": HPE Complete Care Svc 31 Dec 2024
But I guess that doesn't help me here.

Can you establish contact with a representative to obtain an overview of the costs that I would incur for fulfilling the required contractual prerequisites, to make a decision?

[SydUmar_1]

Hello @radizi 
We would request you to log a support ticket with the asset which has active support contract and request for assistance on these queries. Support team should be able to lead you through to the Sales team as well regarding the costs of renewal. 

[radizi]

Hello @SydUmar_1 

As mentioned above, I do not have a support contract with HPE. I just purchased another used HPE server system (HP DL580 Gen9) and while registering the serial number in the HPE Support Center, I noticed an active support contract for this system.

I do not know whether I can use this service contract since the server system now belongs to me, nor do I know which services I can still use based on this contract until the end of 2024. For example, I can't download the latest BIOS update!

That's why I don't have any contact with HPE Support who I could ask about my issue.

I have added a new case via the HPE Support Center linked to the system with the support contract.

[SydUmar_1]

Hello @radizi 
Please reach out with the HPE support team - https://www.hpe.com/us/en/collaterals/collateral.a00039121enw.html and share the serial number of the server which has an active support contract and they should be able to assist you with the queries posted in the community and they should be able to engage the Sales team to assist you with the query regarding the cost as well.