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Which settings at the HP software are necessary to make a bootable Ubuntu-server on HP ProLiant MicroServer Gen8 with 1 hard disk drive 1 of 4 slots?

I installed several times Ubuntu from a USB drive (made by 3 different software). After the installation comes the reboot (without USB drive). The boot was never completed. The error message says:

Non System disk or disk error Replace and strike any key when ready Press “F9” key for ROM-Based Setup Utility Press “F10” key forIntelligent Provisioning System will automatically reboot in 5 seconds (counts to 1 and then shows again 5 seconds and so on)

The HP Microserver has also a own ROM from which the server boots and allows many basic settings. I read the long HP configuration instructions. But I did not understand what to do where and when when starting the server.

4 Answers 4

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You need to run the onboard Raid controller in ACHI mode (BIOS setting), as there are no released RAID drivers for 14.04 (just some in development ones that are not frequently updated). Downside of this, is if you need Raid, you will have to install a separate controller card or use software Raid.

For more details , see my answer: https://askubuntu.com/a/498137/48474

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  • Answer solved my problem. I ignored the notes of Ubuntu certification. To completely understand your answer: (1) Do you mean with "controller" hardware or software ? (2) Is the controller substitution possible only with open source software ? (3) Do you recommend the controller substitution if I need only one HDD in the server ? (4) Does there exist a possibility to substitute all close source HP software by open source software on the HP ProLiant Microserver Gen8 (maybe with some small hardware substitutions)?
    – Robert
    Oct 8, 2014 at 22:22
  • Hi, I meant a RAID card (hardware) OR using software RAID - help.ubuntu.com/14.04/serverguide/… (which is built into Ubuntu/Linux (and therefore open source). If you are only using one drive you will have no need for RAID, so just ACHI mode alone. I don't if its possible to substitute HP software with open source alternatives.
    – NGRhodes
    Oct 10, 2014 at 11:33
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The problem is that HP haven't got their RAID driver included into the distribution.

You have 2 choices: either set your BIOS to SATA AHCI compatible mode, or download the driver from and follow the instructions here:

http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docId=emr_na-c03742583

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For the records (and since the MicroServer Gen8 is currently available for approx. 200 € incl. CPU and 2 GByte RAM):

Installing Ubuntu 14.04.2 LTS and Kubuntu 14.04 LTS on a new HP machine (BIOS 06/06/2014) works out of the box, with a the onboard RAID controller in RAID mode and 4 SATA HDDs installed (not yet in use). So far, I installed the OS to the internal microSD card (Ubuntu, holding the MBR) and an internal USB stick (Kubuntu).

Additionally, HP offers some of their software (the Management Component Pack for ProLiant, MCP) for *buntu at http://downloads.linux.hp.com/SDR. I did not try too much, but installed a few of them on the Ubuntu system, using kernel 3.16.0-45-generic #60~14.04.1-Ubuntu SMP but hplog -t already provides some output:

ID     TYPE        LOCATION      STATUS    CURRENT  THRESHOLD 
 1  Basic Sensor Ambient         Normal    73F/ 23C 107F/ 42C 
 2  Basic Sensor CPU (2)         Normal   104F/ 40C 158F/ 70C 
 3  Basic Sensor Mem. Brd. (3)  Normal    86F/ 30C 188F/ 87C 
 5  Basic Sensor System Board    Normal   136F/ 58C 221F/105C 
 6  Basic Sensor System Board    Normal   109F/ 43C 154F/ 68C 
 7  Basic Sensor System Board    Normal   111F/ 44C 190F/ 88C 
 9  Basic Sensor System Board    Normal   109F/ 43C 161F/ 72C 
11  Basic Sensor I/O Zone        Normal    96F/ 36C 147F/ 64C 
12  Basic Sensor Chassis         Normal   104F/ 40C 154F/ 68C 

Other hplog options produce plausible output as well. So does hpasmcli -s "show dimm".

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I had lots of issues installing Ubuntu on this server, the solution in the end was to

  1. Update the firmware by creating a usb bootup using the service pack.

    http://h17007.www1.hpe.com/us/en/enterprise/servers/products/service_pack/spp/index.aspx
    To make the usb key - the hp way (download Windows program): http://h20564.www2.hpe.com/hpsc/swd/public/detail?swItemId=MTX_948972949139480992fcb5b558#tab2

  2. Set the Raid controller to ACHI mode (BIOS setting).

  3. Do not set up Raid using HP as this writes to the disk.
  4. Make sure the disk you are installing Ubuntu to is in slot one (furthest left).
  5. Install Ubuntu with Grub on the same disk.
  6. Set bios to boot to disk C (probably already set).
  7. reboot.

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