The HP ProLiant DL385 is a versatile and powerful dual-socket 2U form factor platform based on AMD's EPYC 7000 series processors. Supporting up to 64 cores and 4 terabytes of RAM per processor, it opens new horizons for virtualization and other resource-intensive tasks.
The DL385 stands out for its superb price-to-performance ratio, making it an ideal choice for medium and large businesses facing demanding tasks like machine learning, Big Data analytics, and deploying dense virtual machine networks. Read on for an in-depth look at this powerhouse server.
What's New in the 10 Plus Generation
Hewlett Packard continues to surprise with their product naming strategies. In the case of their new server line, instead of announcing a Gen 11, they added a "Plus" suffix to the popular Gen 10 devices, despite significant hardware innovations:
- Latest AMD EPYC 7002 series processor support
- Enhanced data transfer speeds with PCIe 4th generation
- Increased operational memory speed up to 3200 MT/s
- SSD and NVMe support for intensive reading
- New OCP network adapters
While the external front of the device remains unchanged, the back now features an OCP 3.0 slot for OCP standard network controllers. Disk bay configurations also remain unchanged in the new generation. In 2021, HP went a step further, releasing the Gen 10 Plus V2 update, chiefly characterized by support for the latest, third-generation AMD EPYC processors.
HP DL385 Gen10 Plus Specifications
The DL or Density Line is known for its component density, and HP has excelled in this aspect: a compact 2U rack-mountable chassis accommodates 32 DIMM slots, 6 hot-swappable fans, a dual-width GPU riser, and various disk bay configurations.
The iLO5 Secure Start module ensures device security, while the user-friendly iLO console interface significantly simplifies system component monitoring.
Processors
The motherboard's two SP3 sockets support AMD EPYC 7001 series processors (for the first version of DL385) and the 7002 series (for the V2 model), with 8 - 64 cores per chip.
Cooling
The HP DL385 G10 Plus employs a passive cooling system with energy-efficient radiators, varying the number of fans based on the disk bay configuration.
Memory
Each processor can support up to 16 DDR4 DIMM modules, operating at speeds up to 3200 MT/s in an 8-channel mode, allowing for a total of 32 memory modules and up to 4 TB of RAM.
Disk Subsystem
The flagship DL385 Gen 10 model stands out for its storage capacity and flexible disk bay configurations, supporting up to 428 TB of data across various chassis types.
Controllers
The basic configurations include the HPE Smart Array P408i RAID controller with 2 GB of flash memory, supporting 5, 6, 50, and 60 arrays.
Power Supplies
The new line models use two halogen-free power supplies with redundancy and hot-plug capabilities, available in various wattages.
Network Connection
The DL385's versatility extends to peripheral connectivity, with 4 GbE ports, two 10/25 Gb modules, and up to 8 PCIe 4.0 expansion slots on the rear panel.
The Updated DL385 Gen 10 Plus V2
In 2021, AMD announced its third-generation EPYC server microprocessors, leading Hewlett Packard to update their DL 385 model to the Gen 10 Plus V2 in April. The update brought hardware improvements, including support for the newest AMD EPYC 7003 series chips and three-mode controllers for SAS, SATA, and NVMe disks.
Choosing the Right Configuration
Selecting the appropriate configuration for the HP Proliant DL385 Gen10 Plus, whether the first or second version, is crucial. Underestimating your processing or RAM needs can lead to insufficient resources for high-demand virtualization tasks, while overestimating can result in unnecessary expenses.
