At the end of last year, when HP released their new Proliant MicroServer, they once and for all put an end to the stereotype of servers being big and noisy racks of power hungry machinery. HP has put the “Micro” in the title for a reason; this server truly packs the power but not the size nor the noise of the traditional servers.
If you need a server for a small business and want to have a centrally managed network the development of the new HP ProLiant MicroServer is an ideal solution. Any organized and professional small business that needs to be able to share files, print in one location, and have remote access to their data, will benefit from HP’s ProLiant MicroServer. Some obvious perks of this server are its ease of set up, management, and the affordable bottom line cost.
Unboxing the HP ProLiant MicroServer
Our MicroServer arrived in a really cool Benson Box which is a rugged and reusable lightweight plastic container for shipping fragile items. These boxes are constructed to last over numerous shipping cycles, however, your HP MicroServer is likely to be packaged differently hence we will skip the traditional unboxing ritual.
Hardware
The configuration of the MicroServer that was provided to us courtesy of HP includes an AMD Athlon II Neo N36L Dual Core Processor 1.30 GHz, 3GB memory and 160GB HDD. For testing we’ve
upgraded the HDD to 1x 2TB, 3X 1.5TB SATA drives, (the unit supports up to 8GB of memory and 8TB of storage), and a DVD-RW drive.
Full specification as follows:
| Item Number | HP ProLiant MicroServer |
| Processor | AMD Athlon™ II NEO N36L AMD RS785E/SB820M chipset |
| System Memory | Two (2) DIMM slots 1GB (1x1GB) Standard/8GB Maximum, using PC3-10600E DDR3 Unbuffered (UDIMM) ECC memory, operating at max. 800MHz |
| Storage Options | 4 Internal HDD Support Maximum internal SATA storage capacity of up to 8.0TB (4 x 2TB 3.5″ SATA drives) Embedded AMD SATA controller with RAID 0, 1 Embedded AMD eSATA controller for connecting external storage devices via the eSATA connector in the rear of the server |
| Networking | Embedded NC107i PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Server Adapter |
| USB 2.0 Ports | Seven (7) USB 2.0 ports: 4 front , 2 rear, 1 internal (for tape) |
| Power Supply | 150 Watts Non-Hot Plug, Non Redundant Power Supply |
| Operating System | Supports Windows and Red Hat Linux |
| Expansion Slots | Slot 1: PCI-Express Gen 2 x16 connector with x16 link Slot 2: PCI-Express Gen 2 x1 connector with x1 Link Slot 2-2: PCI-Express x4 slot for optional management card |
| Warranty | 1-Year Limited Warranty |
First Impressions
The size of the black server chassis is conveniently small to be kept on a shelf, in a corner of the office, or under a desk, even on top of the desk would work because it is aesthetically pleasing and as an added bonus the server doesn’t have a battery of lights flashing in your face. The HP logo at the front of the MicroServer is used to signal server health information –at initial boot-up the HP logo flashes bright red and then glows a mellow blue during normal operation. The HDD LED and NIC LED are comparatively tiny and subtle. The power button is located in the top-left corner and right below we find not two but four USB 2.0 ports ready for your peripherals.
The inside of the MicroServer holds four SATA drive bays which are connected to an embedded SATA controller that supports RAID 0 and 1, although the controller does not support drive hot-swapping per HP’s documentation – in testing we were able to perform hot-swapping with the appropriate driver support. The drive caddies feel solid but unfortunately don’t ship with additional screws, however, ordinary flat top HDD screws work perfectly.
Finishing off the external case tour, at the rear of the MicroServer we find the power supply outlet, 2x fans (PSU Fan & Rear System Fan), 2x PCI, 2x USB 2.0 Port, VGA (nice!!!), e-SATA connector and of course the embedded NC107i PCI Express gigabit Ethernet port.
Base Configuration
The list price for the base configuration is $329 which includes the AMD 1.3 GHz dual-core processor, 1GB DDR 3 Memory and 160GB HDD. Note that it does not include such things as a keyboard, mouse, or operating system.
The HP ProLiant MicroServer N36L base unit can be purchased online directly from HP, any additions to the base model can be purchased at that time as well; however any additional components will have to be installed by the customer themselves. If you are looking for a more customized model we suggest going through a reseller.
In order for us to use this server with Windows Home Server 2011 or Small Business Server 2011 Essentials, we are going to have to upgrade it – let’s get cracking!
HP ProLiant MicroServer Teardown
If you are following along, turn off the server and disconnect the AC power cable (if applicable) and disconnect any connected peripherals. Open the front door of the chassis using the MicroServer’s key and carefully pull out all of the HDD trays out of the backplane enclosure.
Use the tool located in the front door panel to carefully unscrew the motherboard from the chassis.
Next unplug all of the cabling…
Carefully slide and remove the 6.5” x 8” (W x L) motherboard from the chassis. The Athlon II Neo CPU is located under the large heat-sink in the center of the board. The mini SAS port near the bottom left corner of the board connects to the 4 HDD server backplane.
Memory Installation
The MicroServer supports up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, although some may find the 2 DIMM slots unwelcoming because the 4GB DIMMs required for those slots can be on the pricey side. (More so then if you were to get 4x 2GB DIMMs). That said, the memory module installation is straight forward. Simply open the memory holding clips securing the module and align the memory module’s notch on the bottom edge with the keyed surface of the DIMM slot and press the module filly into the memory slot. Don’t forget to lock the holding clicks to secure the module in place.
Installing the Optical Drive
You can install any full-size 5.25” optical disc drive such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM (recommended) but note that the motherboard does not support the IDE interface which means the optical drive must support the newer SATA interface. To play it safe, here are the officially supported HP parts:
- HP Optical Drives, HP Half-Height SATA DVD-RW Optical Kit [624192-B21]
- HP Half Height, SATA DVD ROM Optical Kit [447326-B21]
Once you have removed the plastic faceplate from the top cover of the MicroServer, carefully use a screwdriver to remove the metal faceplate.
Next we need to install the proper connections for the optical disc drive (ODD), to do so, connect the SATA power adapter to the spare power plug and tuck it under the optical disc drive tray. Then route the SATA data cable from the top of the chassis all the way down to the system board and connect it at the free SATA port labeled (J24).
The screws for the disc drive are located in the front door panel. Use the included tool and install the four screws (two on each side) on the side of the disc drive for sliding the module into the chassis through the slots on both sides of the chassis.
Software
The main configuration options for the system, such as RAID management, are within the BIOS, for everything else the product is shipped with a CD allowing the admin to install what is needed and not bloat the system with useless software. In addition, he CD is also good source of documentation.
Usability
After a couple of weeks of testing, we found the HP ProLiant MicroServer is very user-friendly, not much geek experience needed. The server can boot under a minute, RAID options are easily set up, overall putting in additional HDDs to daily manageability was all very trouble-free, almost effortless to accomplish.
Stay tuned for part two where we’ll cover a variety of supported and unsupported systems such as CentOS and Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials.
Its always useful to learn about the products that are out there. Thanks to the guys at HSL for doing the legwork so the rest of us can get the right product for our needs.
Nice revue.
gib
Hi,
nice Review.
Just one Addition: The additional Harddisk/OpticalDrive Screws are IN the front door
(I had to use external screws, until i found them located there)
greetings
Christoph
Christoph,I only found four screws in the front door panel which I used for the ODD http://www.homeserverland.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/IMG_0438.jpg — how many did you have?
The screws are at the bottom of the front door on the inside. You’ve got sixteen of them in the picture of the partially removed drive caddy!
wow! yes you are right, hahahaha –time to change my HDD screws. Thanks for letting me know =)
I just spied the onboard USB
great place to put restore drivers (:
sorry, i meant internal usb header
Nice review. I’d just like to add that although the specs say ECC memory, non-ECC memory can be used. Of course if ECC memory is used then it is supported my the motherboard.
Cheers,
Al
Newegg has this server in combo deal with WHS II for $345 free shipping, same specs except 250GB HDD. Not too shabby of a deal. The one reviewed here is $314 free shipping, but no WHS II combo. WHS II is on sale at the egg alone, 10 off w/ promo code MSSERV10, ends 7/22, so $59.99 shipped. That obviously makes the combo deal the better one if you need the OS also.
I am considering purchasing this unit.
Hi.
While surfing the web in search for my next soho nas system i came over this review. What a pretty device.
I found a german store – https://www.computeruniverse.net/ – which sells it.
I just ordered a HP ProLiant N36L (€ 154,–) + HP Remote Acess Mannagement Card (€ 80,–). The remote mannagement card (i love the iLO on HP servers) gives it a truly amazing touch – really professional.
See: http://blog.mpecsinc.ca/2011/04/hp-proliant-microserver-remote-access.html
LOL…that’s funny.
Item is no longer available for this price. New item is around 280 €
Me was the last one who could order one
Here is another shop but same price
http://www.hoh.de/PC-Systeme/HOH_Tipp/HP_ProLiant_MicroServer_N36L_i10757_126414.htm
Cheers….
Andi
Just bought one yesterday, will need to purchase a ODD. Currenly have 5GB Ram and 3x1TB samsung drive’s. Just need to install OS.
Which is the better OS to install Windows Server 2008 or Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials, I’ve heard people putting Windows 7 on, but feedback state screen lags?
Bought in the UK for £234 (Base Unit) and HP have extended the £100 cashback to end of Aug, so ends up being a real bargain.
Hello. Congrats for the review first of all. Very well documented and written.
Have you tried to install ESXi 4/5 on HP Microserver? It is hardware compatible with the ESX hardware requirements?
I wonder those extra caddies, does it come with it? Or must order it from the HP.
Since I want to buy other brand and insert it myself, it will be much cheaper in this way.
There is one significant “gotcha” to be aware of if you use RAID on an HP MicroServer running Windows Home Server.
Having replaced the original OS with WHS 2011 (I never even bothered to boot up the original OS) there are no utilities that might have come with the HP system. You have no visibility into the health of the RAID system and no ability to manage the RAID array.
While working on some changes to my system I happened to have a keyboard and monitor jacked into the MicroServer and noticed during POST that one of the drives had become “disconnected” from the RAID 1 array. (Some forum postings indicate that this is a not uncommon problem with the AMD RAID system on various machines. The drive health is fine, but the RAID controller no longer sees the drive as part of the array.) The “System Health” light on the front of the MicroServer did not indicate any problem. I would have had no clue about this failure if I hadn’t happened to connect the keyboard and monitor during a reboot.
Users of WHS 2011 and RAID on the HP MicroServer (or any other system with an AMD RAID controller) should download and install RAIDXpert from the AMD web site. (http://support.amd.com/us/kbarticles/Pages/CS1-AMDRAIDXpertDriver.aspx). The Login ID and Password are “admin / admin”. This utility lets you monitor and manage your RAID array. You should periodically run RAIDXpert to check the status of your RAID array on your WHS 2011 system. RAIDXpert is a browser app and may not refresh automatically.
Following instructions I found on some forums, rebuilding the RAID array was not difficult. You basically delete and re-link the disconnected drive. Doing this erases the drive, so be careful that you are deleting the correct drive. It took around 4 hours for the RAID controller to mirror the 2TB good drive onto the “new” drive.
I’d likt to know if it’s silent or noisy.
Hi
How to connect the server with your PC ?No diagram on this documents and I also battle to download the drives on line.
External cable connection with the PC