Disappointed with new DL380 G6 fan noise

[GBand]

Hello. It seems that G6 series have a noise problem, when cards are added to the riser. Fans always work at 70% making the server extremely noisy.
HP does not accept this as a problem. They claim that 70% utilization of the fan and 60 degrees celcius at I/O board zone is normal and within the specifications of the machine. So they don't intend to do anything about it.
Strangely, i didn't have any problem with my IBM servers all these years. Perhaps new server's normal behavior is 70%.
Well any one who has worked with servers, can understand what is normal.

Regards, George

 

[blister911]

I assume, since you appear to have spoken with HP, that you have already applied the appropriate HP Support Pack for your OS. What model server and OS are you referring to?

We just got in our first two G6 servers (both are DL360). I'll check it out and see if we are experiencing the same issue. It may be difficult to tell as they will both be living in our datacenter (already noisey in there). We will be running SLES 10 on them.


Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

 

[GBand]

hello. yes i have. it's not a software update or bios settings. this behavior is by design.
perhaps you could test them before install them in the data center, if possible.

 

[blister911]

GBand,
We put the server in our lab and are installing SLES now. The server is pretty quiet. I had to put my ear next to it to hear it running. Granted the lab has other systems running in it, but it's nowhere near loud.

I reread your initial post. We did not install any additional cards into the system, so that may be the difference.

If it changes, I'll post an update.

blister


Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

 

[GBand]

OK, thanks. It would be nice if you could do this.
Regards

 

[SteveRoadWarrior]

The G6 DL380 series servers are very quiet, even loaded up with processors, memory and disks. We've not put more than one card in several 380's so far, so we may not be utilizing the riser as much as you.

To verify your agents are installed properly, try booting the system to the smart start CD. If the fans run quickly still, then it's not a software issue.

When you remove the cards, do the fans run at a normal clip? If not, how about resetting BIOS to factory defaults (especially the sections for HP Power Management, processor and Power Supply utilization). We've gotten good results with the default options, and have lately been leaving them alone. You may want to reseat fans and verify cable connectors are correct and solid.

If the machine runs well with the cards removed, perhaps you can determine which card is taking it over the edge by putting them in one at a time.

These are the sorts of integration issues which are supposed to get worked out on the bench, before the server is mounted. So, I hope I'm not asking too much in all this.

Lastly, did you speak to an expert at HP (not front line tech support) about this? Were you calling ASE or ASP support? Be aware that we're seeing a decline in quality in some of the workmanship of these servers, it just makes everyone's job harder because the servers need a little more QC before being put into production. If you don't get what you need, you can always apply to HP directly that this server is a 'lemon'. Customer service will work with your sales person to make it happen, even if they claim there is no such provision.

Best...