Proliant DL380G3 Fan RPM

[Remon van Gijn]

Is there any way/tool to see the actual fan speed RPM , or their current speed set by the system's control ?

Server Proliant DL380G3, bios of 06-2004
IM agents: 7.10
OS: W2K SP4

many thanks

[Remon van Gijn]

Reason for this request is the complaints that the dl380 makes to much fan noise (all redundant fans together), and I need to prove that the intergrated fan control system is working OK with the software drivers, and the speeds are controlled proportionally to the heat.

The operation's suspicion is that this actually is not functioning. The System homepage says fan speed "NORMAL".

Normally the HP Proilaint Advanced System Managent driver controols the fans, but this package refuses to let itself be installed. Reporting it is not required.

[JohnWRuffo]

Remon:

There have been errata for the DL360 server reqiring that SW2 System Maintenance Switch S3 is set to the "OFF" position along with the bios update and the system health driver installed.

You could try this fix on the server and see if you get the fans to spin down.

1. Install latest bios.
2. Install latest health drivers.
Shutdown and open the top cover.
3. Set SW2 pin 3 to OFF
Reboot

Let us know if you have success with this? If so, we need to let HP know this issue is also on the DL380.

[Remon van Gijn]

John, thanks for the remarks. But unfortunately the DL360 solution does not apply to the DL380. (no SW2 on the board for instance)
There are numerous entries in the forum about the dl380 fans, some are even mine. But so far no solution found.
The latest bios, SP710, and all filmmwares updates did not do the trick.

I created a online case no to HP, and hope this will produce anything usefull. At least something I could prove with it is actually regulating it via some other software driver.

Maybe a HP engineer could look into this.

[Remon van Gijn]

One time kick.

No Engineer who knows a way to check this ?
Thanks.

[Tom Mayer]

I too am having problems with my DL380 G3 and its fans shunting down to a normal speed. I initially installed Windows 2003 Server without using SmartStart to configure the server.... but after trying everything HP support had to throw at I took their suggestion and rebuilt this server from scratch using the Smartstart setup... Unfortunately... the fans are still NOT shunting down to the normal speeds.
If anyone finds the resolution... Please contact me with your information on this fix.
I really hate to put this noisy creature in the server room... my operators will hunt me down and look for the hanging tree...

[Remon van Gijn]

I was asked by HP to perform a test on this.
When booting woth the smartstart cd , a small os of linux base is loaded. this OS also contains the rpm controll driver.

The test was to boot from this cd with the top cover off, and hear if the fans did trim doen when booted from the cd. With us the test failed. The fans did not slow down even with the cd.

We repeated the test with only the notrmal fans in the server, removing the redundant ones, but same result.

Maybe you can do the same?

[JohnWRuffo]

After performing that test, did the HP engineer recommend a parts replacement? If so, what parts?

[Remon van Gijn]

No the investigation is ongoing, this test was done by be yesterday evening.

But I will keep posting on this issue on each change. I know how it feels being hunted by the operators.
I caught them yesterday having placed rack side panels we had spare in front of the racks to block he sound off. No harm done, but it illustrates the level of irritation well.

[Felix Tsoi]

I also got a DL380G3 w/ 3.06G CPU. I've a Engineer came last week because I also have that fan noise issue.

He did test with the SmartStart CD, and also replaced the system board. The fan speed did not slow down at the noise is still at the same level.

I think HP should work on this.

[Remon van Gijn]

Very well.
Do you have a case ID of that visit ? And your region you are in?
I'll attend the engineer to the case then as well, so that will save time.
More people with the exact same dl380G3 fan speed problem should report it please.

[Felix Tsoi]

Actually we're in Hong Kong. The case number here is 194328.

[Prashant (I am Back)]

Hi,

there is no option to check the rpm for the fan on dl 380 g3. Where as noise level is concered,
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=PSD_CN0354W
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=PSD_CN0158W
see the link. It will explain.
Where i can suggest is reflash the latest bios and navigate the bios as in older bios there is option for fan control.

REgards,
Prashant S.

[Remon van Gijn]

Thank you Prashant, these are know documents on this case. And neither offer any solution, just constructs in more detail on whats wrong in our servers.

The health driver is not functioning in our servers, and won't even let itself be installed. Not that is matters it seems, as the smartstart cd is unable to control the fans as well. See the above history.

The latest bios is in offcourse, but it holds no change on fan control compared with the one before.

[Felix Tsoi]

My concern is: if there is a way to slow down the fans, we should do it. If the fans run at high speed all the time, they will have shorter lifetime.

[Prashant (I am Back)]

hi,

Please share teh survey.txt for the same server.

Regards,
Prashant S.

[Remon van Gijn]

The problem is 'solved'.
Not regarding the noise, because that seems for real to be the low noise level these baby's make.

A HP engineer came onsite and we went through all the items, and the documentation.

The HP documentation on how these fans should work in the G3 is very thin. So thin that they have made an extra IQ (hp internal) document on it. To bad it is not openly shared.
The open documentation of the fans by HP is incomplete as well.

It turns out the normal health driver (HP Proliant advanced management driver) has been included in another larger version called HP proliant ILO advances management driver. This driver can be found back inyour system as cpqasm2.dll. That is why the normal one reports it does not need to be installed.
There is and should by design be no speed change at loading of the health driver. The server at hardware-boot allready start the fans in the lowest possible speed.
This is about 20-30% of the max rpm of the fans. Once you heared the max of these fans it will become evident that the 20-30% speed is actually quite silent compared.

HP was able in my presence to proof that these actually was a driver loaded that regulated the fan speed by software. We did this by making the fans go to high speed in 'hardware mode', and making the OS then load, at transfer of the fan control to software the rpm drops down.

Test:
-Take cover off
-When booting at the Press F9 to enter setup press PAUSE
-The server now is pending boot.
-Block the middle fans and cpu fans with some hard paper (we used cd's in paper covers).
-When the temp now goes up the fans will go to high speed. this is very clear in noise.
remove the blocks.
-Make the os boot.
-The fans will drop when the driver is loaded.

The 380G3 proliant specs say the server makes 51dB of noise.
We still think the servers make allot of noise, but its not a system error.

This only leaves the option to file a generic complaint to HP that the fans are not trimmed back far enough to our feeling related to the present environment temprature. If they can by temprature they should go lower.
But this then would require a design change.

Including the survey.txt has littel use i believe now.

[Peter Boleski]

Not a solution, per say, but if you want lower/quieter fan speeds, install Windows 2000 Server instead of 2003 Server.
I have several HP DL380G3 machines and the ones I've loaded with 2K kick down a notch (considerably quieter) when the OS starts and the ones with 2K3 don't.
This seems like some sort of driver issue where it isn't compatible with 2K3 and HP should do something about it.

[Remon van Gijn]

Peter, thanks for the reply. But as you might have read avove. We use Windows 2000.

What you describe though should not be happening with any OS. When the server is started and is is hardware mode, the fans are started at the low speed allready. When the driver loads and takes over this should not be noticable. HP says it works like that, and the tests we did confirmed it. (also with smartstart CD, see test above)

[Peter Boleski]

My mistake. I don't know what I was thinking. I just tested it out on a DL380 I have sitting in my office and I was wrong. I even tried previous versions of Smart Start (back to 6.1). I remember working on a server or servers at one point where the fan speed kicked down after the OS was loaded. Now I'm thinking it may have been a Dell I was working on at the time. We are mostly a Compaq/HP shop so I was thinking it was a DL380 when it was probably one of the few Dells that we have.
Sorry for the confusion, if any.

-Peter