HPE Proliant Microserver Gen10 with E208I-P

[J_Rad]

I am trying to setup a Gen10 Microserver with E208I-P Array Controller but am facing a lot of issues trying to configure an array. The Smart Storage Administrator (SSA) is nolonger available in an Offline version and the documentation tells me to use Intelligent Provisioning Recovery or Service Pack for ProLiant (SPP). I have tried both and they each tell me my system is not supported. I also tried building my own WinPE and injecting the SSA MSI into it but that's not working either.

Is there a way to run SSA without an OS present?

Thanks.

[Suman_1978]

Hi,

May be you need to reinstall Intelligent Provisioning.
https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/docDisplay?docId=a00132048en_us

Please see these posts, it may help.
https://community.hpe.com/t5/server-management-remote-server/intelligent-provisioning-broken/td-p/7127461
https://community.hpe.com/t5/proliant-servers-ml-dl-sl/upgrading-intelligent-provisioning-failed-on-new-microserver/td-p/7197095

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

[J_Rad]

Hi Suman_1978,

Thanks for your reply. I am not sure this is the case, I am running the Gen10, not Gen10 Plus. When trying to run IP or SPP from ISO (USB) they both say the platform is not supported. Can you confirm if IP or SPP work with the Gen10 Microserver? 
HPE ProLiant MicroServer Gen10 

Thanks,
Jared

[Suman_1978]

Hi,

SPP and IP are not supported on "Microserver Gen10".  Only Gen10 Plus is supported.
https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/docDisplay?docId=a00058567en_us
https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/docDisplay?docId=a00106359en_us
https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/docDisplay?docId=a00127063en_us

Installing a supported OS, please refer to page# 24 onwards.
https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/docDisplay?docId=c05355808
https://support.hpe.com/connect/s/product?language=en_US&kmpmoid=1009955118

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

[J_Rad]

Hi @Suman_1978 ,

The issue is not installing the OS but configuring the E208i-p HBA. The E208i-p is listed as a supported option for the Microserver but I cannot work out how to configure the HBA, only the on-board Marvel controller.

A lot of the documentation seems to contradict other documentation and I am finding it quite hard to work out how to run the Smart Storage Array configuration software.

[KW17]

The E208i-p HBA is indeed perfectly fine configurable in BIOS menu.

BUT it might not be visible according to improperly applied secure boot certificates - fell over that both the two times I upgraded from the onboard RAID controller to the E208i-p!

If you have secure boot enabled, and don't have the Microsoft 3rd Party UEFI CA certificate (Microsoft Corporation UEFI CA 2011) installed, the entry for the E208i-p isn't shown! If you disable secure boot or if you install the proper 3rd party certificate it will become listed.

See the certs for the allowed signatures database. The 3rd party certificate is used to sign all firmwares for hardware not located on the motherboard itself.

This is a machine that already has been updated from the Microsoft Windows Production PCA 2011 to the Windows UEFI CA 2023 according to MS kb5025885.  If you don't have applied the manual changes listed in this update there wouldn't be listed the Windows UEFI CA 2023 but the Microsoft Windows Production PCA 2011 instead. The latter is in my case now is listed in the dbx - forbidden signatures database.

Don't let MS fool you with the names:

[Moderator edit: Erased the confidential info.]