878712-B21

HPE 878712-B21 is a ProLiant DL385 Gen10 7251 1P 16GB-R E208i-a 8LFF SATA 500W PS Entry Server. It belongs to the ProLiant DL385 10 Server range.

What to check before you buy. Three things decide whether a server will suit the job. The generation, because the processors, memory and controllers that fit one generation generally do not fit the next even where the chassis looks identical. The drive configuration, because a chassis built for small form factor disks cannot take large form factor ones without a different cage and backplane. And how it is specified to be populated, since a second processor usually needs its own heatsink and may enable memory slots that are otherwise unusable. It is also worth asking what is physically included: rails, bezel, drive carriers and the remote management licence are all commonly sold separately from the chassis.

How we supply it. Supplied new where available, otherwise as tested stock with warranty, subject to availability. Tell us the chassis or model it has to work with and we will confirm the part before anything ships. Quotes go out the same or next working day.

This is HPE part 878712-B21: an HPE ProLiant DL385 Gen10, supplied as a complete, pre-configured server rather than a chassis to specify yourself — AMD EPYC 7251; 16 GB RDIMM; 8 x 3.5-inch (LFF).

The HPE ProLiant DL385 is HPE’s two-socket AMD platform, where the draw is core count and memory bandwidth per socket.

This build ships with 1 of 2 processors fitted. There is room to add more, but on these platforms some memory slots and expansion slots only come alive with the later sockets populated, so a part-populated server is not simply a fraction of a full one. Ask us what adding a processor would involve before you need it.

What is in this configuration

The E208i-a storage controller

The E208i-a is an entry hardware controller with eight internal ports. It supports SAS and SATA and does RAID in hardware, but it has no write cache, so write-heavy workloads will feel the difference against a cached controller. For a general-purpose server with a modest number of drives it is a sensible, cost-effective choice.

This server ships with registered memory

The -R suffix means RDIMM, registered memory, which is what mainstream ProLiant servers use. It allows far higher total capacity than unbuffered memory and it is what you want if the server will grow. Registered and unbuffered memory cannot be mixed, so any upgrade needs to be RDIMM too.

Power supplies, and whether this build is redundant

This build lists a single 500 W power supply and no redundant cage. On the smaller ProLiant chassis these supplies are often not hot-plug either, so a failure means downtime and a visit. If this server matters, tell us and we will check whether the chassis supports a redundant pair.

Drive bays

These are 3.5-inch (LFF) bays. Large-form-factor bays take the big nearline drives, which is the cheaper route to bulk capacity and the usual choice for backup targets and archives. The bays are hot-plug, so a failed drive can be replaced with the server running.

Worth checking before you order

• The E208i-a has no write cache. For write-heavy work, ask us what a cached controller would add.
• Single power supply, no redundancy. Ask us before you assume this chassis takes a second one.
• Not all sockets are populated. Adding a processor later means matching the exact model, and some memory and expansion slots only become available once it is in.
• Pre-configured does not mean fixed. We can change the memory, drives, controller or network adapters before despatch, which is usually cheaper than buying the base build and upgrading it afterwards. Tell us what it needs to do.
• Drives are not normally included in these configurations. Confirm what you need and we will quote them with the server so the caddies and firmware match.
• Tell us what this server is replacing and what it has to run, and we will confirm this build is the right one rather than just the one you found.