How to control the fan speed of HP DL380p Gen 8 server running ESXi

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I'm running ESXi on a HP DL380p Gen 8. The server has integrated P420i controller, which is known for running hot. I know the server has this "sea of sensors" and it manages the fan speeds according to them. But seeing as my P420i is running at 85°C and the fans on the side of the controller are spinning only at 20%, I'd like to increase their speed manually. Is there any way to influence the server's fan curve from ILO or shell tools available on HP build of ESXi?

Best Answer

I don't think there's a need to do this.

The server knows itself better than you do and can make intelligent decisions about its thermal and cooling needs. HP equipment has extensive self-diagnosis tools.

Assuming your hardware and firmware is up-to-date, what's prompting you to do this?

  • How are you viewing the Smart Array P420i temperature? That's an uncommon temperature and would be indicative of a serious problem. Nothing in your system should be at 85°C.
  • Do you have any indication of an error? This can be viewed in the ILO, IML Log or POST messages.
  • Are there any internal health or system status LEDs that are NOT green?
  • Have any fans failed?
  • Do you have any PCIe cards installed in the system?
  • Is there a specific problem that needs action?

Bottom line, your RAID controller should not be at that temperature. Increasing fan speed would only mask or be a shim for a deeper problem.

It's possible to increase fan speed in the BIOS, but depending on your answers to the above, you may be looking at a different problem.

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