Problem with HP ProLiant ML350 G6 Server? How to get it to boot from SATA Hard drive?

[CM786]

Hi guys,

 

Bit of a long story but I have a school that has just bought this:

 

HP ProLiant ML350 G6 Tower Server - Misco.co.uk

 

And were supplied with 3 x SATA Hard drives.

 

Unfortuantly these are not proper HP SAS drives but normal SATA drives. I am having trouble getting the server to boot up from the SATA drives!

 

I can put the Windows Server 2008 CD in or the HP Prolient Setup CD and it will run setup and detect the hard drives fine and install but when I reboot the Server it does not boot from the hard drives.

 

I have played with the boot priority but still get the same problem. Anyone got any ideas?

 

I don't have the option of buying HP SAS drives due to budget restrictions in that they have hardly any money left spend until April.

 

Surely the Server can boot from a standard SATA drive?

 

Thanks

cm786

[SYNACK]

How are the SATA drives connected, via the integrated RAID controller or a third party controller. If they are via the integrated controller then it should boot from it fine. Have you checked the boot order in the BIOS making sure it queries the right RAID controller.

 

If they are connected by some kind of third party controller or right to the SATA ports on the MB then they may not boot from there directly as this is not a primary controller (but again check the BIOS to see if the onboard SATA ports are an option.

 

What I did with SATA drives was to grab some of the caddies that allow them to fit into the hotswap SAS/SATA bays at the front and run them right through the RAID controller which is much faster and cleaner. Should be able to pick up the caddies (plastic surrounds really) of ebay.

 

The nasty hack way which I have used once on a very nearly dead server to keep it going for a couple of months more was to just leave an installer CD in the drive, when the press any key bit times out the bootloader chains to the next avalible boot device even if the BIOS won't go there directly and so it starts. As I say this is the absolute last option to use but it usually works.

[amix5]

I have the same issue as this, i have tried the above with no luck.

[m25man]

This unit has a P410i Raid controller.

The drives need to be configured as an array and the P410 designated as the boot device.

 

Use the Smart Start DVD to load the OS and everything is automated.

 

I've set up dozens of these and never had a problem....