HPE ProLiant MicroServer Gen10 User manual

Intelligent Provisioning User Guide for
HPE ProLiant Gen10 Servers and HPE
Synergy
Part Number: 881706-004a
Published: April 2019
Edition: 2
Abstract
This document details how to access and use the Intelligent Provisioning and SMB Setup
software, including tasks such as installing an OS, updating firmware, software, and drivers,
and performing some diagnostic tests. Intelligent Provisioning is included in the optimized
server support software from the Service Pack for ProLiant (SPP). This document is intended
for administrators experienced in using ProLiant Gen10 servers and HPE Synergy compute
modules.

© Copyright 2017, 2019 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
Notices
The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for Hewlett
Packard Enterprise products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying
such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained
herein.
Confidential computer software. Valid license from Hewlett Packard Enterprise required for possession,
use, or copying. Consistent with FAR 12.211 and 12.212, Commercial Computer Software, Computer
Software Documentation, and Technical Data for Commercial Items are licensed to the U.S. Government
under vendor's standard commercial license.
Links to third-party websites take you outside the Hewlett Packard Enterprise website. Hewlett Packard
Enterprise has no control over and is not responsible for information outside the Hewlett Packard
Enterprise website.
Acknowledgments
Microsoft® and Windows® are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the
United States and/or other countries.
Linux® is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries.
Red Hat® is a registered trademark of Red Hat, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

Contents
Introduction............................................................................................. 6
Intelligent Provisioning.................................................................................................................. 6
F10/Remote console features............................................................................................ 6
Always On Intelligent Provisioning .................................................................................... 7
Intelligent Provisioning operation....................................................................................... 7
Navigating Intelligent Provisioning .................................................................................... 8
About HPE SMB Setup................................................................................................................. 8
Software installed with Intelligent Provisioning............................................................................. 9
Accessing Intelligent Provisioning..................................................... 10
Accessing Intelligent Provisioning from the iLO web interface .................................................. 10
Accessing Intelligent Provisioning using an iLO remote console session...................................10
F10 mode options..................................................................................11
Selecting F10 mode to use..........................................................................................................11
Initial configuration in Intelligent Provisioning..............................................................................11
Using the First Time Setup wizard....................................................................................11
Entering First Time Wizard settings.......................................................................11
Re-enabling Intelligent Provisioning.................................................................................12
Reinstalling Intelligent Provisioning .................................................................................12
Reinstalling from an ISO image.............................................................................13
Reinstalling from an RPM package (Linux only)................................................... 13
Initial configuration in HPE SMB Setup.......................................................................................14
Configuring a RAID with HPE SMB Setup overview........................................................ 14
Creating an advanced RAID array manually......................................................... 15
Using the HPE SMB Setup main menu.................................................................16
About RAID arrays...................................................................................................................... 16
RAID 0 .............................................................................................................................17
RAID 1 and RAID 1+0 (RAID 10)..................................................................................... 17
RAID 5..............................................................................................................................18
Dedicated spare............................................................................................................... 19
Failure spare activation.................................................................................................... 19
Configuring the server and installing an operating system ............ 20
Configuring the server and installing an OS with Intelligent Provisioning................................... 20
Server support and special characters.............................................................................20
Source media types and installation methods supported for each OS............................ 20
Selecting hardware settings............................................................................................. 20
Selecting the OS.............................................................................................................. 23
Reviewing your settings................................................................................................... 24
Checking installation parameters..................................................................................... 25
Using the HPE SMB Setup main menu...................................................................................... 25
Installing an operating system with HPE SMB Setup.......................................................26
Performing maintenance...................................................................... 27
3

Updating firmware ......................................................................................................................27
Determining the installed Intelligent Provisioning version................................................ 28
Setting Intelligent Provisioning Preferences .............................................................................. 28
Downloading Active Health System data ................................................................................... 29
Downloading an Active Health System log...................................................................... 29
Uploading an AHS log to AHSV....................................................................................... 30
Using Deployment Settings ........................................................................................................30
Creating a Deployment Settings package........................................................................31
Using Deployment Settings package to configure a single server................................... 32
Deployment Settings package-level actions.................................................................... 33
Deployment Settings package individual settings............................................................ 34
Version Information................................................................................................34
Array Configuration settings.................................................................................. 34
Entering operating system information..................................................................34
Entering ROM settings.......................................................................................... 35
Entering Intelligent Provisioning Preferences .......................................................35
Using the BIOS Configuration (RBSU) utility.............................................................................. 36
About iLO Configuration..............................................................................................................37
Running an iLO self-test...................................................................................................38
Management Settings...................................................................................................... 38
Configuring Manager iLO Management Settings.................................................. 38
Configuring iLO Management Manager Network Service and Virtual Network
Service Settings.....................................................................................................39
Configuring iLO Management SNMP Settings...................................................... 40
Network Interfaces........................................................................................................... 41
Configuring iLO Manager Dedicated Network Interface........................................41
Configuring iLO Manager Shared Network Interface............................................ 42
User Accounts..................................................................................................................44
Configuring iLO Account Services.........................................................................44
Editing User Account settings............................................................................... 44
Adding a user account...........................................................................................45
Resetting the iLO............................................................................................................. 45
Configuring Intelligent Storage....................................................................................................45
Creating a new array or logical drive................................................................................46
Configuring an array or logical drive................................................................................ 46
About Hardware Validation Tool..................................................................................................47
Using the hardware validation tool................................................................................... 47
Erasing server data.....................................................................................................................48
About erasing data in Intelligent Provisioning.................................................................. 48
Using One-button secure erase....................................................................................... 49
Impacts to the system after One-button secure erase completes......................... 50
One-button secure erase FAQ.............................................................................. 52
Using System Erase and Reset....................................................................................... 55
System Erase and Reset options.......................................................................... 55
Creating a RAID configuration with HPE SSA............................................................................ 56
Using HPE Smart Storage Administrator (HPE SSA)...................................................... 56
HPE SSA features.................................................................................................56
Accessing HPE SSA..............................................................................................56
Diagnostics/SmartSSD..........................................................................................57
Using the USB Key Utility.....................................................................58
Troubleshooting.................................................................................... 60
Basic troubleshooting techniques............................................................................................... 60
4

Troubleshooting general issues ................................................................................................. 60
iLO log on required during Intelligent Provisioning F10 boot........................................... 60
Intelligent Provisioning does not launch when F10 is pressed.........................................60
Intelligent Provisioning PXE flashing doesn't re-image Always On Intelligent
Provisioning......................................................................................................................61
OS Host name field missing.............................................................................................61
Accessing version information in deployment settings.....................................................62
A browser does not import a deployment profile correctly............................................... 62
Some Legacy BIOS Mode installs need specific instructions.......................................... 62
Always On Intelligent Provisioning does not display status of NICs................................ 62
Cannot create a custom partition size..............................................................................63
Intelligent Provisioning cannot launch One-Button secure erase.....................................63
One-Button secure erase is unsuccessful or reports errors.............................................64
One-Button secure erase succeeds but some drives are not erased.............................. 64
One-Button secure erase reports errors, but no specific details...................................... 65
Troubleshooting Windows-specific issues ................................................................................. 65
Windows Essentials does not install from USB source....................................................65
Windows does not install on AMD servers.......................................................................66
Troubleshooting Linux-specific issues ....................................................................................... 66
Unable to proceed with Assisted installation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7....................66
Assisted installation of Red Hat OS hangs...................................................................... 66
Troubleshooting VMware-specific issues ...................................................................................67
Server reboots during VMware Assisted installation........................................................67
Websites................................................................................................ 68
Support and other resources...............................................................69
Accessing Hewlett Packard Enterprise Support......................................................................... 69
Accessing updates......................................................................................................................69
Customer self repair....................................................................................................................70
Remote support.......................................................................................................................... 70
Warranty information...................................................................................................................70
Regulatory information................................................................................................................71
Documentation feedback............................................................................................................ 71
5

Introduction
TIP: The information in this guide is for using Intelligent Provisioning with ProLiant Gen10 servers
and HPE Synergy compute modules. It includes information on using Intelligent Provisioning and
HPE SMB Setup. For information on using Intelligent Provisioning with ProLiant Gen8 and Gen9
Servers, see the Intelligent Provisioning user guides available on the Information Library at (http://
www.hpe.com/info/intelligentprovisioning/docs).
Intelligent Provisioning
Intelligent Provisioning is a single-server deployment tool embedded in ProLiant servers and HPE
Synergy compute modules. Intelligent Provisioning simplifies server setup, providing a reliable and
consistent way to deploy servers.
Intelligent Provisioning 3.30 and later includes HPE SMB Setup. When you launch F10 mode from the
POST screen, you are prompted to select whether you want to enter the Intelligent Provisioning or HPE
SMB Setup mode.
NOTE: After you have selected a mode, you must reprovision the server to change the mode that
launches when you boot to F10.
Intelligent Provisioning prepares the system for installing original, licensed vendor media and Hewlett
Packard Enterprise-branded versions of OS software. Intelligent Provisioning also prepares the system to
integrate optimized server support software from the Service Pack for ProLiant (SPP). SPP is a
comprehensive systems software and firmware solution for ProLiant servers, server blades, their
enclosures, and HPE Synergy compute modules. These components are preloaded with a basic set of
firmware and OS components that are installed along with Intelligent Provisioning.
IMPORTANT: HPE ProLiant XL servers do not support operating system installation with Intelligent
Provisioning, but they do support the maintenance features. For more information, see "Performing
Maintenance" in the Intelligent Provisioning user guide and online help.
After the server is running, you can update the firmware to install additional components. You can also
update any components that have been outdated since the server was manufactured.
To access Intelligent Provisioning:
• Press F10 from the POST screen and enter either Intelligent Provisioning or HPE SMB Setup.
• From the iLO web interface using Always On. Always On allows you to access Intelligent
Provisioning without rebooting your server.
More information
About HPE SMB Setup on page 8
F10/Remote console features
F10/Remote console allows you to:
• Access HPE Smart Storage Administrator for disk configuration.
• Perform a full set-up of Intelligent Provisioning.
F10/Remote console includes options that are not available in Always On Intelligent Provisioning.
6 Introduction

Always On Intelligent Provisioning
Always On Intelligent Provisioning allows you to:
• Perform functions when the server is off.
• Perform tasks when running an operating system without powering off the server.
In the Always On Intelligent Provisioning version, the Perform Maintenance screen contains utilities that
are not available in iLO. For more information, see the iLO user guide.
NOTE: To install an OS in Always On mode, extract the installation ISO on the FTP server.
Intelligent Provisioning operation
Intelligent Provisioning includes the following components:
• Critical boot drivers
• Active Health System (AHS)
• Erase Utility
• Deployment Settings
IMPORTANT:
• Although your server is preloaded with firmware and drivers, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
recommends updating the firmware upon initial setup. Also, downloading and updating the latest
version of Intelligent Provisioning ensures the latest supported features are available.
• For ProLiant servers, firmware is updated using the Intelligent Provisioning Firmware Update
utility.
• Do not update firmware if the version you are currently running is required for compatibility.
NOTE: Intelligent Provisioning does not function within multihomed configurations. A multihomed host is
one that is connected to two or more networks or has two or more IP addresses.
Intelligent Provisioning provides installation help for the following operating systems:
• Microsoft Windows Server
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
• VMware ESXi/vSphere Custom Image
• ClearOS
Not all versions of an OS are supported. For information about specific versions of a supported operating
system, see the OS Support Matrix on the Hewlett Packard Enterprise website (http://www.hpe.com/
info/ossupport).
Introduction 7

Navigating Intelligent Provisioning
To navigate through and modify settings in this menu-driven interface, use the navigation icons displayed
at the top right-hand corner and bottom left- and right-hand corners of the Intelligent Provisioning window.
These navigation icons are screen sensitive and are not displayed on all screens.
Icon Function
Language Enables you to select the language to use.
Home Returns to the Intelligent Provisioning home page, with the Express OS Install and
Perform Maintenance menus. This icon is available only after completing the initial
configuration and registration tasks.
Job Cart Displays the job configuration viewer screen, which displays the status of jobs in the
queue. You can use this screen to monitor configuration tasks and jobs as they are
processed.
Help Opens the online help to the section about the current screen.
System
Information
Displays system information, including the Intelligent Provisioning version.
Power Off Powers down or reboots the server.
Log Out Logs the current user out of Intelligent Provisioning.
NOTE: This icon is only displayed in Always On mode.
Previous Returns you to the previous screen after validating and saving your choices.
Continue Takes you forward to the next screen after validating and saving your choices.
About HPE SMB Setup
HPE SMB Setup is a simple, fast, and easy way to:
8Introduction

• Manage BIOS settings.
• Configure a RAID on your system.
• Install ClearOS from the Internet.
• Install supported versions of Windows or VMware from USB or network share.
• Use Hardware Validation Tools.
NOTE: HPE SMB Setup does not support installing a Red Hat or SUSE Linux operating system.
Software installed with Intelligent Provisioning
When a Windows system is installed using Intelligent Provisioning with Internet access, all the software
applications are automatically downloaded and installed. On other operating systems or on a Windows
system without Internet access, the following applications are not automatically installed with Intelligent
Provisioning. To install the following applications, run SPP.
• ProLiant Agentless Management Service (AMS)
• Network Configuration Utility for Windows
• HPE Smart Storage Administrator (HPE SSA)
• Lights-Out Online Configuration Utility
• HPE SMB Setup
Introduction 9

Accessing Intelligent Provisioning
Accessing Intelligent Provisioning from the iLO web
interface
Procedure
1. Open a browser and enter https://<iLO host name or IP address> to log in to the iLO web
interface.
2. Enter a user account name and password, and click Log In.
3. Click Intelligent Provisioning in the navigation tree.
4. Click Always On.
The Intelligent Provisioning web interface opens in a new browser window.
Accessing Intelligent Provisioning using an iLO remote
console session
Procedure
1. Open a browser and enter https://<iLO host name or IP address> to log in to the iLO web
interface.
2. From the iLO web interface, navigate to the Remote Console & Media page.
3. Verify that your system meets the requirements for using the remote console application you want to
use.
4. Click the launch button for your selected application.
Alternatively, you can click an Integrated Remote Console link on the Information - iLO Overview
page.
5. Restart or power on the server.
The server restarts and the POST screen appears.
6. Press F10 when prompted during the server POST.
7. Select Intelligent Provisioning.
When accessing Intelligent Provisioning, one of the following happens:
If you are using Intelligent Provisioning for the first time, the First Time Setup wizard will guide you
through initial configuration and registration tasks. For more information, see Using the First Time Setup
wizard on page 11.
To exit Intelligent Provisioning, reboot the server by clicking the power icon at the top right of the page.
10 Accessing Intelligent Provisioning

F10 mode options
When you launch F10 mode from the POST screen, you are prompted to use Intelligent Provisioning or
HPE SMB Setup.
Both Intelligent Provisioning and HPE SMB Setup offer tools to provision and maintain servers.
Intelligent Provisioning HPE SMB Setup
Provisioning multiple servers. Provisioning one server at a time.
Configuring multiple RAID arrays. Configuring RAID arrays.
Users who have servers provisioned and deployed. Users provisioning new servers.
Selecting F10 mode to use
Procedure
1. Boot the server.
2. On the POST screen, press F10.
3. Select Intelligent Provisioning or SMB Setup.
Initial configuration in Intelligent Provisioning
Using the First Time Setup wizard
The first time Intelligent Provisioning runs on a server, the First Time Setup wizard guides you through
selecting preferences for your system.
The first time you launch Intelligent Provisioning you get the option to select Intelligent Provisioning or the
HPE SMB Setup interface.
Entering First Time Wizard settings
If you don't want to use the First Time Wizard, click the Skip button.
Procedure
1. Enter the following, or select the defaults:
•Interface Language
•Keyboard Language
•Time Zone
•Boot BIOS Mode
•System Date
•System Time
•Choose network interface for updates and installs
F10 mode options 11

•Use Proxy
•DHCP Auto-Configuration—Deselect this option to manually enter DHCP settings, including using
IPv6 protocol.
•Accept EULA
•Provide anonymous usage and error feedback to help improve this product
2. Click Next.
3. Read the EULA, and then select Accept Intelligent Provisioning EULA.
4. Click Next.
5. Enter the following information:
•Automatically optimize your server
NOTE: Required fields differ if you do not select Automatically optimize your server.
•What will this server be used for?
•Enable F10 functionality
Provide anonymous usage and error feedback
•Enable automatic application of software and firmware updates to this system
6. Click Next.
7. Enter the following information:
•Choose network interface for updates and installs
•System Software Update—The source where the server gets updates.
8. To save the changes, click Submit.
Re-enabling Intelligent Provisioning
Procedure
1. Reboot the server and, when prompted, press F9 to access the UEFI System Utilities.
2. From the System Utilities screen, select System Configuration > BIOS/Platform Configuration
(RBSU) > Server Security > Intelligent Provisioning (F10 Prompt), and then press Enter.
3. Select Enabled.
Reinstalling Intelligent Provisioning
NOTE: Changes to the HPE website and the firmware update process will cause firmware updates to
time out for versions below 1.63 (for Gen8) and below 2.50 (for Gen9). The older web sites associated
with hp.com have been retired and Intelligent Provisioning will be unable to find updates.
Older installations can be updated with the Intelligent Provisioning Recovery DVD.
12 F10 mode options

You can reinstall Intelligent Provisioning instead of using the Firmware Update Utility to ensure you have
the latest version. There are two methods for reinstalling Intelligent Provisioning.
Reinstalling from an ISO image
Procedure
1. Download the ISO image file for the latest Intelligent Provisioning recovery media by clicking
Download from the Intelligent Provisioning website (http://www.hpe.com/info/
intelligentprovisioning).
NOTE: The following servers and Intelligent Provisioning versions are supported:
• Gen8 supports Intelligent Provisioning 1.x.
• Gen9 supports Intelligent Provisioning 2.x.
• Gen10 supports Intelligent Provisioning 3.x.
2. To download the ISO image file, complete the onscreen instructions.
3. Mount the ISO file in one of the following ways:
• Using iLO virtual media.
• Burn the Intelligent Provisioning recovery media ISO file to a DVD and place it in the CD/DVD drive
of the server.
4. To power up the server Press ON.
5. To display the boot menu, press F11 during server POST.
6. Press 1 on the keyboard to boot from the CD/DVD.
7. To update or reinstall Intelligent Provisioning, select the interactive method. The server continues
booting from the Intelligent Provisioning recovery media.
8. Select Reinstall Intelligent Provisioning when the window opens.
9. Reboot the server when the installation is complete by pressing F10.
Reinstalling from an RPM package (Linux only)
Procedure
1. Download the RPM package file for the latest Intelligent Provisioning recovery RPM package from the
SDR website (https://downloads.linux.hpe.com/SDR/repo/ip/).
2. Execute the command:
rpm -i firmware-intelligentprovisioning-<version>.x86_64.rpm
3. Execute the command:
cd /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/firmware-intelligentprovisioning-ip-<version>/
4. Execute the command:
#./setup
5. Execute the command:
F10 mode options 13

#reboot
Example
As an alternative to steps 2-4:
1. Execute the command:
export FIRMWARE_FLASH_NOW=1
2. Execute the command:
rpm -i firmware-intelligentprovisioning-ip-<version>.x86_64.rpm
Initial configuration in HPE SMB Setup
Configuring a RAID with HPE SMB Setup overview
When you boot the server and enter F10 mode, HPE SMB Setup prompts you to select your RAID setup.
Procedure
1. Power on the server, and then select F10 from the POST screen.
2. If prompted, read and accept the EULA to continue.
The software scans your system for RAID array information and hardware.
3. HPE SMB Setup provides RAID status and options vary based on the configuration. Do one of the
following:
Scenario Description Options
Server includes RAID driver and storage devices
that do not support automatic RAID configuration.
Message reads, Hardware RAID Installed
• To configure a new RAID array, click Manually
Configure.
• To continue to the main menu, click Continue.
Server includes RAID driver and storage devices
that support automatic RAID configuration.
Message reads, Hardware RAID Installed
• To configure a new RAID array, click Manually
Configure.
• To allow HPE SMB Setup to configure the
RAID array, click Continue.
Table Continued
14 F10 mode options

Scenario Description Options
Server has a RAID array configured.
Message reads, Logical Drives Exist.
NOTE: If the server already has a RAID array
configured, configuring a new RAID array might
cause a loss of data.
• To configure a new RAID, click Manually
Configure.
• To continue to the main menu, click Continue.
Server does not detect a supported RAID driver
or storage device.
Server displays the message, No available RAID
controller.
• To install an operating system, select an
available disk, and then click Continue. Select
a drive where you want to install the OS and
follow the onscreen instructions.
• To go to the main menu, click Skip.
HPE SMB Setup opens the Intelligent Storage Configuration screen or the HPE SMB Setup main
screen.
NOTE: HPE SMB Setup does not support using Intelligent Storage Configuration to configure RAID
arrays on an HPE ProLiant Gen9 system or Gen10 Microservers with a Marvell RAID driver.
Creating an advanced RAID array manually
Procedure
1. From the main page of Intelligent Storage Configuration screen, click + Create Array.
2. Select the drives you want to include in the RAID array, and select the drive usage. If you want a
spare drive, select it here.
3. Click Next.
4. Enter a Logical Name.
5. Select a RAID Mode. For example, RAID 1 or RAID 5.
6. (Optional) Select a stripe size.
7. Select an Accelerator. For example, cache.
8. (Optional) Select a RAID size.
9. Select a Spare Rebuild Mode.
10. Click Submit.
NOTE: You can create multiple RAID arrays.
11. Reboot the system.
More information
About RAID arrays on page 16
F10 mode options 15

Using the HPE SMB Setup main menu
After the RAID configuration options, the HPE SMB Setup takes you to the main menu. On this screen,
you can:
• Configure BIOS/RBSU settings, for example:
◦ System Options
◦ Processor Options
◦ Memory Options
◦ Virtualization Options
◦ Boot Options
◦ Network Options
◦ Storage options
◦ Power and performance options
◦ Embedded UEFI shell
◦ Server Security
◦ PCIe device configuration
◦ Advanced options
◦ Date and Time
◦ System default options
◦ Language settings
• Configure RAID settings.
• Perform hardware validation tests.
• Install a supported operating system.
More information
About Hardware Validation Tool on page 47
Configuring the server and installing an OS with Intelligent Provisioning on page 20
Using the BIOS Configuration (RBSU) utility on page 36
About RAID arrays
RAID arrays can help increase system performance and reduce the risk of drive failure. You can create
RAID arrays with drives with different specifications, but performance will be based on the smallest drive
or lowest speed. For example, if you create an array with a 1 TB drive and a 2 TB drive, then the array
can store a maximum 1 TB of data. The extra storage on the larger drive is not available until you
reformat the drive.
16 F10 mode options

NOTE: If HPE SMB Setup can automatically create a RAID array, HPE SMB Setup creates the following
automatically:
• If your server has five drives, the software creates one mirrored array (two drives) with RAID 1 and a
data array (remaining drives) with RAID 5.
•If your server has between six and eight drives, the software creates one mirrored array (two drives)
with RAID 1 and a data array using the remaining drives with RAID 5.
HPE SMB Setup can automatically configure a RAID array if the drives are the same type, the same
speed, and the same size.
RAID 0
A RAID 0 configuration provides data striping, but there is no protection against data loss when a drive
fails. However, it is useful for rapid storage of large amounts of noncritical data (for printing or image
editing, for example) or when cost is the most important consideration. The minimum number of drives
required is one.
This method has the following benefits:
• Useful when performance and low cost are more important than data protection.
• Has the highest write performance of all RAID methods.
• Has the lowest cost per unit of stored data of all RAID methods.
• All drive capacity is used to store data (none allocated for fault tolerance).
RAID 1 and RAID 1+0 (RAID 10)
In RAID 1 and RAID 1+0 (RAID 10) configurations, data is duplicated to a second drive. The usable
capacity is C x (n / 2) where C is the drive capacity with n drives in the array. A minimum of two drives is
required.
When the array contains only two physical drives, the fault-tolerance method is known as RAID 1.
F10 mode options 17

When the array has more than two physical drives, drives are mirrored in pairs, and the fault-tolerance
method is known as RAID 1+0 or RAID 10. If a physical drive fails, the remaining drive in the mirrored pair
can still provide all the necessary data. Several drives in the array can fail without incurring data loss, as
long as no two failed drives belong to the same mirrored pair. The total drive count must increment by 2
drives. A minimum of four drives is required.
This method has the following benefits:
• It is useful when high performance and data protection are more important than usable capacity.
• This method has the highest write performance of any fault-tolerant configuration.
• No data is lost when a drive fails, as long as no failed drive is mirrored to another failed drive.
• Up to half of the physical drives in the array can fail.
RAID 5
RAID 5 protects data using parity (denoted by Px,y in the figure). Parity data is calculated by summing
(XOR) the data from each drive within the stripe. The strips of parity data are distributed evenly over
18 F10 mode options

every physical drive within the logical drive. When a physical drive fails, data that was on the failed drive
can be recovered from the remaining parity data and user data on the other drives in the array. The
usable capacity is C x (n - 1) where C is the drive capacity with n drives in the array. A minimum of three
drives is required.
This method has the following benefits:
• It is useful when usable capacity, write performance, and data protection are equally important.
• It has the highest usable capacity of any fault-tolerant configuration.
• Data is not lost if one physical drive fails.
Dedicated spare
The dedicated spare drive activates any time a drive within the array fails.
Failure spare activation
Failure spare activation mode activates a spare drive when a member drive within an array fails using
fault tolerance methods to regenerate the data.
Assigning one or more online spare drives to an array enables you to postpone replacement of faulty
drives.
F10 mode options 19

Configuring the server and installing an
operating system
Follow the instructions to configure the hardware and install an OS on your server.
Configuring the server and installing an OS with Intelligent
Provisioning
Follow the onscreen prompts in the Intelligent Provisioning Express OS Install menu to complete the
following tasks:
Procedure
1. Selecting hardware settings on page 20
2. Selecting the OS on page 23
3. Reviewing your settings on page 24
More information
Using the HPE SMB Setup main menu on page 16
Server support and special characters
• ProLiant XL Servers do not support operating system installations with Intelligent Provisioning. These
servers do support the maintenance features described in Performing maintenance on page 27,
except deploying the operating systems installations.
• You can only use special characters in passwords. Do not use special characters in any other data
fields. Special characters, punctuation, and spaces are not supported in any pathname.
Source media types and installation methods supported for each OS
Each Express OS Install screen provides a guided method for configuring the server, installing an OS,
and updating the system software.
IMPORTANT: Intelligent Provisioning only supports original, licensed vendor media or Hewlett
Packard Enterprise-branded versions. Demo or developer versions of the OS, or media that has
been modified to slipstream custom software or service packs, are not supported and might not be
correctly identified by the installation process.
For more information about source media and installation methods supported by each OS, see the
Intelligent Provisioning Release Notes.
Selecting hardware settings
Procedure
1. Select Express OS Install on the Intelligent Provisioning home screen.
The Operating System Installation screen appears.
2. Select a RAID Configuration option.
20 Configuring the server and installing an operating system