ML110 Gen11 - Fan Noise - SOLVED (Oct 2024)

[RJC10]

TL;DR : I downgraded the BIOS to 1.46 and this fixed the excessively loud fan noise.

Details:

Out of the box, the server had BIOS ver 2.12. When turned ON, the fan noise was unbearably loud and would remain at this level the whole time. With other HPE servers in our environment, the fan noise would die down to "normal" - i.e. tolerable in a server cabinet in an office area - after everything loaded (<3 mins) but not so in this case.

It's hard to believe that this anomaly exists on a brand new server but there you have it. I know there are lots of posts suggesting removing drives, downgrading iLO firmware revisions, etc, but they seemed complicated or long winded - and I had an irate client muttering over my shoulder that "...we can't have that noise in here!!!"  - so what worked for me was:

- boot server and go into Intelligent Provisioning mode (F10) [NOTE: this method/mode is very slow. Took me over 10 minutes to get through it]

- go into BIOS/Platform Configuration section and look for new updates.  Interestingly, BIOS v1.46 was listed as a new update even though it is a "lower" version that what was running on the server

- download and install this BIOS update  (I can't remember if the resultant reboot is automatic or if you have to initiate it yourself)

- as the POST messages come up, check that the BIOS version in now 1.46

- the fan will be noisy for a short time (< 1min) but should quieten down and stay at a bearable level

- result: happy client and very relieved me (!!)

- meanwhile, I hope I haven't lost any capability by downgrading the BIOS 

YMMV

[Sunitha_Mod]

Hello @RJC10, 

That's Excellent! 

We are extremely glad to know your were able to find the solution and we appreciate you for keeping us updated. We hope this helps the other users in the Community.