HPE Smart Array RAID Controllers for ProLiant Gen9 & Gen10

HPE Smart Array controllers for ProLiant servers

Refurbished HPE Smart Array RAID controllers and SAS HBAs for ProLiant Gen9 and Gen10 servers, along with the cabling and Fibre Channel adapters that sit alongside them. For parity RAID on a Gen10 rack server, a cached controller such as the P408i-a SR Gen10 with 2GB cache is the usual starting point, while the cacheless E208i-a for boot mirrors and HBA-mode storage keeps simpler builds simple. If you are maintaining a ProLiant DL380 Gen9 or DL360 Gen9, the P440ar 2GB Gen9 controller is the like-for-like part most of those builds shipped with.

Smart Array is HPE's own line of RAID controllers, and in most ProLiant servers it is the component that decides how drives are presented to the operating system, how quickly writes are acknowledged and what happens when a disk fails. Choosing the right one comes down to three things: the server generation you are working with, the slot or connector you have free, and whether your arrays need protected write cache. The notes below cover each of those, then match controllers to the workloads they suit.

At a glance

GenerationsGen9-era controllers such as the P440ar and P840, and the Gen10 Smart RAID (SR) family, including the E208i, P408i, P816i and P204i.

E-series and P-seriesE-series controllers carry no cache (listed as 0GB) and suit straightforward mirrors or pass-through HBA use. P-series controllers add flash-backed write cache, from 1GB on the P204i-c through 2GB on the P408i and P440ar to 4GB on the P816i-a and P840.

Form factorsAn "-a" suffix marks a modular controller for the dedicated storage controller position on supported ProLiant rack servers; the "ar" on the P440ar is its Gen9 counterpart. A "-p" suffix marks a standard PCIe card, here x8 full-height. A "-c" suffix marks a mezzanine controller for HPE blade and Synergy compute modules.

PortsThe "i" in each model name means internal ports. Two-port controllers cover most standard drive cages; the four-port P816i-a reaches more drives directly, which helps in densely populated chassis. The P204i-c is a 0-port mezzanine design rather than a cabled controller.

InterfaceSAS3 (12Gb/s) across the controller range, working with both SAS and SATA drives.

Cache protectionP-series write cache relies on an HPE Smart Storage Battery in the server to protect data in flight. Without one, write caching is typically disabled and parity RAID performance drops sharply. The P840 listing includes its battery cable.

ManagementArrays are built and monitored in HPE Smart Storage Administrator (SSA), reachable from Intelligent Provisioning at boot or from within the operating system, with controller health also reported through iLO.

Also in this rangeThe HPE StoreFabric SN1200E 16Gb dual-port Fibre Channel HBA, plus internal Mini-SAS cables for connecting controllers to drive backplanes.

Matching a controller to your server

Start with the generation. Gen10 SR controllers are built for Gen10 ProLiant platforms, and Gen9 controllers such as the P440ar and P840 belong in Gen9 machines; mixing them is rarely worth the trouble, even where a card physically fits. The HPE QuickSpecs for your exact model list the supported controllers, and if you send us the server model and drive configuration we can point you to the right part.

Next, decide where the controller will live. A modular "-a" controller keeps your PCIe slots free for networking or GPUs, which matters in a 1U DL360. A PCIe card such as the P408i-p full-height PCIe controller is the answer when the modular position is already taken, or when you want a second controller for a separate drive cage. Either way, check that you have the right SAS cable runs to the backplane; on a ProLiant DL380 Gen9, the 0.15m DL380 Gen9 Mini SAS cable is one of the short internal runs used between controller and drive cage.

Finally, think about cache. If your arrays use RAID 5 or RAID 6, a cached P-series controller with a working Smart Storage Battery is the difference between acceptable and painful write performance. For mirrors, or for drives handed straight to the operating system, an E-series controller does the job without the extra cost. Our guide to how hardware RAID controllers handle cache and parity goes into the detail.

Typical deployments

Boot and hypervisor mirrors

A pair of SSDs in RAID 1 for ESXi, Hyper-V or a Linux root volume needs no cache at all. An E208i-a or the E208i-p PCIe HBA keeps the boot volume redundant at the lowest cost, leaving budget for memory and CPUs.

Virtualisation datastores

Local datastores see mixed random I/O from many VMs at once. RAID 10 across SSDs or 10K SAS drives behind a 2GB cached controller such as the P408i-a absorbs write bursts well. Prioritise cache and drive count over raw capacity, and keep host builds identical if you plan to migrate VMs between them.

SQL and database servers

Separate volumes for data, logs and tempdb matter more than any single setting. The P816i-a with 4GB cache and four ports reaches enough drives directly to split those volumes cleanly, and the larger cache helps with log writes. Use RAID 10 for anything write-heavy.

File, backup and archive

Large LFF drives in RAID 6 give you capacity with two-drive fault tolerance, but parity writes lean hard on the controller. This is where cache and a healthy battery earn their place. In a Gen9 server, the P840 4GB PCIe controller with battery cable is a strong fit for big backup targets.

Software-defined storage

ZFS, Ceph, vSAN and Storage Spaces Direct want raw access to each disk, not a RAID volume. Run the controller in HBA mode so the software owns redundancy and can see drive health directly. An E-series controller is the natural choice here, since cache adds nothing when the controller is passing drives through.

Blade and SAN-attached hosts

Compute modules use mezzanine storage such as the P204i-c SR Gen10 mezzanine controller for local boot. Where data lives on a SAN instead, the HPE SN1200E 16Gb dual-port Fibre Channel HBA connects the host to the fabric, with two ports for multipathing across separate switches.

Why buy from Compuwyze

Controllers, cables and HBAs carry a 12-month return-to-base warranty; see our warranty terms for components for the detail.
Free UK delivery on orders over £50, shipped by Royal Mail, FedEx, FDC or DHL.
Order simple items before 2pm and we aim to ship them the same day.
UK delivery is normally next working day once shipped, so a replacement controller can be in the rack quickly.
International orders go by FedEx economy or priority, usually arriving in 2 to 5 days.
Returns accepted within 30 days, with return shipping paid by the customer.

Frequently asked questions

Can I fit a Gen10 Smart Array controller in a Gen9 ProLiant?

Plan on matching the controller to the server generation. Gen10 SR controllers are designed for Gen10 platforms and Gen9 controllers for Gen9, and a card that fits the slot is not necessarily supported by the system firmware. Check the QuickSpecs for your model, or send us the server model and we will suggest the right controller.

Will my existing arrays survive a controller swap?

Smart Array stores its array configuration on the drives themselves, so a like-for-like replacement will usually recognise existing logical drives once connected. Moving between different generations or models is less predictable. Always take a verified backup first, and update the controller firmware to a version supported by your server before bringing arrays back online.

Do I need a Smart Storage Battery?

For a P-series controller, yes, if you want write cache to work. The battery protects cached data during a power loss, and without it the controller will typically run with write caching disabled. E-series controllers have no cache, so they do not need one.

Can a Smart Array controller present drives as JBOD?

Gen10 SR controllers and many Gen9 models support HBA mode, which passes each drive straight to the operating system, and some Gen10 controllers can mix RAID volumes and pass-through drives. The mode is set in Smart Storage Administrator. Changing it on a populated controller means rebuilding your volumes, so decide before you load data.

What is the difference between the P408i-a and the P408i-p?

They are the same controller class with 2GB cache and two internal ports, in different form factors. The P408i-a fits the modular storage controller position on supported Gen10 rack servers, keeping PCIe slots free. The P408i-p is a full-height PCIe x8 card for servers where that position is in use or not available.

Is the SN1200E a RAID controller?

No. The HPE StoreFabric SN1200E is a 16Gb dual-port Fibre Channel host bus adapter, sold by HPE under option code Q0L14A. It connects a server to a SAN rather than managing local drives, and it sits happily alongside a Smart Array controller handling the boot volume.

HPE Smart Array Controllers