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The Gen8 Microserver upgrades thread

Neko

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So what upgrades have you done to your Microserver?

Currently I'm running 3 of these little workhorses.

Machine 1:
OS: Xpenology - Barebones
Drives: 4X 4TB Ironwolf 1X 250GB SSD in ODD Bay as Cache
Upgrades/Mods:
  • 2X 4GB ECC Memory Modules
  • 1X Xeon E3-1220 V2 @ 3.10GHz (I know it is over TDP!)
  • Using molex splitter and Sata Adapter in ODD bay to power the SSD

Machine 2:
OS: unRAID
Drives: 3X 4TB 1X 250GB SSD in ODD Bay as Cache
Upgrades/Mods:

Machine 3:
OS: pfsense (I really need to use it for more than just this!)
Drives: 1X 120GB SSD in ODD Bay
Upgrades/Mods:
 
No wonder I couldn't find any microservers for sale, @Neko has all of them!

I'm currently migrating the following services from a Pi 2 (which was meant to be a temp solution but it worked really well) to my Gen 8 Microserver. I'm hoping to get hold of 4/8GB of RAM and a Xeon E3-1220L v2.

The "Vault":
OS: OpenMediaVault (booted off a 16gb flash drive)
Docker Containers: Heimdall, NextCloud, Transmission/OpenVPN, Plex, Tautuli, Sonarr, Radarr
  • Celeron G1610T @ 2.3ghz
  • 2GB of RAM (borrowed from a colleague, thanks #BlackInept for selling me a machine with the wrong RAM)
  • 4TB + 3TB WD Red for media storage
  • 2TB for NextCloud
 
Only have 1 gen 8 machine, currently stock, with 4 gb booting from a 1tb wd black
got a Intel Xeon E3-1260L 2.40Ghz via Scotty's services, that I need to put in.
will plonk in some 2.5' to 3.5' adapters and run SSDs in them (I have a few NAS devices for storage, so don't need to run a raid storage)
will slowly look to bump up the memory, and then maybe run a vm or two (like maybe a firewall) and/or use it for scheduled tasks like backups. For VMs I will run the virtual disks on a ssd

got mine secondhand, barebones. so I will have to look for a power cable and whatever to use the odd bay
 
mine currently running win10, currently being used as a pc, but will look later most likely at hyper-v vms on a windows server datacenter. (benefits of having msdn)
 
@ThaGuy_ZA I would have loved to get the Xeon E3-1220L v2 chips, they are a bit on the expensive side. I bought my E3-1260Ls here: Intel E3-1260L 2.40Ghz Quad-Core LGA1155 CPU Xeon 8MB 45W SR00M HD Graphic | eBay (Shipped via Aramex)

I also bought a couple of iLO Advanced licences on Ebay too... These servers are awesome to setup,install and configure that way. If you are wondering if it is worth it get a trail licence key from HP.

@lowracer HP does have an ESXi image for these machines. If you are planning to run some VM's that might be the way to go.

While access to the SPP is restricted to customers with a service agreement You can just google the checksum to find an unofficial mirror/torrent.
Service Pack for ProLiant | Hewlett Packard Enterprise A lot of improvements were made to these machines over the years, so it is a good idea to update them.
 
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@Neko, thanks for the pointers! I'm leaning towards the E3-1220L v2 due to its very low power consumption but I'll keep the E3-1260L's in mind.

I'm also eyeing out a 3 year iLO licence for about R100.

This is a really newb question but what is the easiest way to update the BIOS/UEFI in these machines? I updated the iLO from the previous version which was from 2014 which was a massive step forward but I'm struggling to find an easy way to do the BIOS.
 
So I have a N40L microserver, does that preclude me from this thread :(
 
(booted off a 16gb flash drive)

How's this working out for you by the way, I though there were issues with using flash drive as a boot drive because they weren't designed for long term read/write use and eventually fail.
 
How's this working out for you by the way, I though there were issues with using flash drive as a boot drive because they weren't designed for long term read/write use and eventually fail.

I've only been doing it for about a week so I can't really comment but I know people who have been doing it for years without any issues.

OMV has a flash media plugin which will help preserve the lifetime of the flash drive.
 
had 2 before but only have one machine now.

Machine :
OS: Esxi
Drives: 4 x 1TB and 120GB SSD
Upgrades/Mods:
  • 2X 8GB ECC Memory Modules
  • 1X i3 32440 (looking for a xeon processor)
 
Running the SPP should in theory update everything?

And try and get a lifetime iLO instead if the 3year one. It is money very well spent. It does not get tied to a single machine so you can transfer it from machine to machine


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So I have a N40L microserver, does that preclude me from this thread :(

It is not quite as hackable as the Gen8s. I ran a few N54L machines before I found the charming Gen8s. The newer Gen10 ones aren’t quite as versatile either.

If you have an interesting setup we can replicate to the Gen8s please share! I’m always keen to try new ideas be it hardware or software.


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It is not quite as hackable as the Gen8s. I ran a few N54L machines before I found the charming Gen8s. The newer Gen10 ones aren’t quite as versatile either.

If you have an interesting setup we can replicate to the Gen8s please share! I’m always keen to try new ideas be it hardware or software.


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Fitted my N54L with an extra 2 x 3.5 HDD and SSD in the ODD bay.

Is this possible with the gen 8?

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Fitted my N54L with an extra 2 x 3.5 HDD and SSD in the ODD bay.

Is this possible with the gen 8?

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In the ODD bay - no. It is intended to fit a slimline optical drive. That said folks have managed to cram in quite a lot of drives.
HP Microserver Gen8 Drive Bracket and other mods
3D Printed Dual SSD mount for Gen8 MicroServer.
With the right controller you could feasibly fit and run upto 10 drives in the machine.

I personally want to try and get a HP P222 Controller.o_O
 
It is not quite as hackable as the Gen8s. I ran a few N54L machines before I found the charming Gen8s. The newer Gen10 ones aren’t quite as versatile either.

If you have an interesting setup we can replicate to the Gen8s please share! I’m always keen to try new ideas be it hardware or software.


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No :( just stuck a boot drive in the ODD, much like @megAmoB but mechanical not SSD
 
I uploaded the latest SPP here

The easiest way to mount and install is using the iLO remote mount feature
 
Wow, this thread is here at the right time.
So I recently got a HP Microserver Gen 7 N54L (I was actually keen on a Gen 8 but this came up at R1500 including 2 x 1TB drives - which ended up being 3 x 1TB drives)
So specs are:
N54L Turion CPU
4GB RAM
250GB OEM drive
3 x 1TB WD Blue Drives
DVD drive at the moment which I may stop out for drives at a later stage

Now, I wanted to install ESXi on this thing but 6.7 doesn't support the CPU and 6.5 HPE fails during installation due to memory size error (needs 4GB and picks up 3.85GB).
So going to try the standard edition of 6.5 U2 and see.

But yeah, once I get VM ware going, I am either going to go Linux or Windows 10.
Intention is to run a Plex Media Server (2 streams max where the PC doesn't need transcoding), Print server (have 2 servers that should be accessable from any PC on the network), storage access like Documents

This is all for now. I think I am going to definitely go Microserver Gen 8 either upgrade or second server.
Very nice form factor these servers and the Gen 8 is golden (great customisability).
 
@SynicalFox I would forget about running ESXi on the Gen7 No real point to it if you want to run a single OS. And it really doesn't have the resources to run both at the same time.

It should run windows 10 just fine as long as you get rid of all the crapware on it. Linux would be a good choice too.

There is a third option that does cost a bit: unRAID It is free to try for 30 days, and you can extend that too.
I'll be lazy and link this: LimeTech – What is unRAID?

At it's core it is a network storage system - that you can expand with community plugins or containers. So while it would do your Documents network share it can also run a VM, a docker container
or just a plugin. So yes it would run Plex for you. I saw there is also a plugin for CUPS that does support printing (Including Google Print and Apple AirPrint) - I haven't personally tested this plugin.
 
@SynicalFox I would forget about running ESXi on the Gen7 No real point to it if you want to run a single OS. And it really doesn't have the resources to run both at the same time.

It should run windows 10 just fine as long as you get rid of all the crapware on it. Linux would be a good choice too.

There is a third option that does cost a bit: unRAID It is free to try for 30 days, and you can extend that too.
I'll be lazy and link this: LimeTech – What is unRAID?

At it's core it is a network storage system - that you can expand with community plugins or containers. So while it would do your Documents network share it can also run a VM, a docker container
or just a plugin. So yes it would run Plex for you. I saw there is also a plugin for CUPS that does support printing (Including Google Print and Apple AirPrint) - I haven't personally tested this plugin.
Yeah..... The only reason I was recommended VM Ware ESXi was because it was meant to make the remote desktop side of it easier. Not sure if it's remote desktop or a web client?

Unraid I've seen and it doesn't seem bad. There was also OpenMediaVault.

I'm just trying to figure out which of these OS will make logging into the server even when out the house, easier.

Then obviously Plex, Print Server and storage server. Which these things should be capable of.
I think maybe for VM Ware I need more RAM. Friend of mine is running an older version (6.0) with no issues on his microserver Gen 7

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@SynicalFox I would forget about running ESXi on the Gen7 No real point to it if you want to run a single OS. And it really doesn't have the resources to run both at the same time.

It should run windows 10 just fine as long as you get rid of all the crapware on it. Linux would be a good choice too.

There is a third option that does cost a bit: unRAID It is free to try for 30 days, and you can extend that too.
I'll be lazy and link this: LimeTech – What is unRAID?

At it's core it is a network storage system - that you can expand with community plugins or containers. So while it would do your Documents network share it can also run a VM, a docker container
or just a plugin. So yes it would run Plex for you. I saw there is also a plugin for CUPS that does support printing (Including Google Print and Apple AirPrint) - I haven't personally tested this plugin.

Yeah, turns out even 6.0 still has the needs 4GB RAM and picks up 3.82GB.
So now I'm going to try Ubuntu Server 18.04 LTS. I'll see how this goes and update.
Definitely feel a Microserver Gen 8's have the upgradability going for them in the porcessor department.
I think I just need more RAM for this server though?
 
Yeah, turns out even 6.0 still has the needs 4GB RAM and picks up 3.82GB.
So now I'm going to try Ubuntu Server 18.04 LTS. I'll see how this goes and update.
Definitely feel a Microserver Gen 8's have the upgradability going for them in the porcessor department.
I think I just need more RAM for this server though?

I used a couple of N54Ls for quite some time. That said it was the iLO that really sold me on the Gen8s.I wouldn't trade up to the Gen10s (It really is a serious downgrade in my opinion)
@SynicalFox You'll notice two of my machines only have 4Gb RAM, more would be nice to have but it is not critical.


And for those of you that want to add another OS to tinker with on these: have a look at ClearOS
 
I used a couple of N54Ls for quite some time. That said it was the iLO that really sold me on the Gen8s.I wouldn't trade up to the Gen10s (It really is a serious downgrade in my opinion)
@SynicalFox You'll notice two of my machines only have 4Gb RAM, more would be nice to have but it is not critical.


And for those of you that want to add another OS to tinker with on these: have a look at ClearOS

Is it possible to get iLO or out of band with a PCI-E card?
It is a nice feature, being able to reinstall the OS and access BIOS over Ethernet.

For now it's not too difficult for me to setup a keyboard, mouse and monitor but after OS is setup I want it to run Headless. I'm just concerned on power dips and restarting the server after a power out (I am planning to put the server on a UPS though).

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