Proliant ML350 G6 HDD firmware WD5002ABYS

[Eppie252]

I need to keep our ML350 G6 running for another year and I have run out of HDD spares.  It is using WD5002ABYS RE3 in a RAID 5 configuration.  I can find WD5002ABYS RE3 drives on Amazon, but I am concerned about the drive firmware.  The drives in use have a bar code with F/W: HPG1.  None of the drives that I find on-line show a firmware version on the label.  Will these drives function in an ML350 G6 or will I need to flash the firmware?  If so, I would also need the flash utility and firmware file.

The company I was getting my spare drives from ran out of stock and sent an HP MB0500EBZQA instead with F/W HPG2.  This drive was not recognized by the server and had a red status light when inserted.  Is this drive compatible with the ML350 G6 or is the firmware revision the issue?  If it's the firmware, could I flash back to HPG1?

[Suman_1978]

Hi,

Drive model starting with WB may not be a HP Drive, can you please check the drive Option part or Spare part number?

You can check the Drive part numbers in these links:
https://partsurfer.hpe.com/search.aspx
https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/docDisplay?docId=c01724557
https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/docDisplay?docId=c00305257

ML350 G6 QuickSpecs for checking compatible drives.

Thank You!
I work with HPE but opinions expressed here are mine.

[Eppie252]

Thank you for th reply.  The WD5002ABYS is a Western Digital drive that came with the unit when new and what we have been using for years.  Part number on the label is 494429-002 but that is not listed in the QuickSpecs.  Those drives were supplied by HP.  The question is, if I purchase another WD5002ABYS that did not come out of an HP server, does it have to have HPG1 firmware installed to work in a ML350G6?  The server is using a drive array control in RAID 5 config.

The MB0500EBZQA is an HP drive.  It says on the drive label: HP MODEL: MB0500EBZQA.  HP P/N: 649401-001.  Both the WD and the HP drives are 500GB 7200 RPM 3.5" SATA drives.  The one difference I see is that the HP drive is labeled FW: HPG2 while the WD is HPG1.  Would this explain why the HP drive does not function in this system and can I flash back to HPG1?

[Suman_1978 · Accepted solution]

Hi,

The WD drives with that model and/or part number is not available at hpe.com as of today.  May be it was available when it was hp.com

Coming to this model, MB0500EBZQA, the current FW version is HPG2(B). Can I flash back to HPG1, well this is quiet difficult, we cannot tell if it can be flashed or if the drive works after going back to previous FW.

If the server has a P410 controller, please check if updating the controller firmware makes both drives work.

NOTE: It’s important to keep data backup before performing this activity.
Data integrity is customer responsibility. HPE recommends having data backup frequently and before performing any activity so that it can be restored during disaster recovery.

Thank You!
I work with HPE but opinions expressed here are mine.

[Eppie252]

Thank your for the link to the array controller firmware.  I have downloaded the latest two versions so that I have them avaiable.

For others who may come across this thread, I was able to get the spare HP MB0500EBZQA drive to function.  I needed to leave the drive attached for a longer period of time for the array controller to recognize and configre it.  The drive LED is initially red or orange when you first plug it in but after a minute the controller will recognize the drive and enable it.  I double checked and I have a mixture of HPG1 and HPG2 firmware on these drives, so either version of the HDD firmware will work with the 410i controller.  I now have a functional spare in the array and an extra HDD in storage.  I plan to retire this server this year but needed the hard drive backups to ensure data integrity until the upgade.