HP ProLiant DL380 Gen9 Hard Drives: Bay Layouts, Interfaces and HPE Options

HP DL380 G9 hard drive bays

The DL380 Gen9 was built in several drive layouts, and the one in front of you decides what to buy. HPE's QuickSpecs list three main front configurations: 8 SFF (2.5-inch) bays, which can take an optional Universal Media Bay, another 8 SFF bays or 6 NVMe drives; 24 SFF; and 12 LFF (3.5-inch). The 24 SFF build can add 2 SFF drives at the rear, and the 12 LFF build can add 3 LFF drives at the rear.

There is also a 4 LFF chassis. HPE notes that it cannot be upgraded to 12 LFF in the field, so a four-bay server stays a four-bay server.

No hard drive ships standard with the server, so a DL380 Gen9 bought without drives needs a full set.

HP DL380 Gen9 hard drive compatibility: sizes in HPE's list

HPE has marked this QuickSpecs RETIRED. Its last version history entry, version 47 of 2 December 2019, records that obsolete SKUs were removed. Version 24, dated 28 November 2016, added LFF hard drives of up to 10 TB and took the DL380's maximum storage to 150 TB SAS. The option list we read also carries 12 TB drives, and HPE's 180 TB LFF maximum is built from fifteen of them with the optional rear cage.

Treat 12 TB as the largest size we found in HPE's document, not as a hardware ceiling. We have not found an HPE statement on whether larger drives work in this server. These option names from HPE's list show the pattern:

• HPE 12TB SATA 6G Midline 7.2K LFF (3.5in) SC, helium, 512e
• HPE 10TB SAS 12G Midline 7.2K LFF (3.5in) SC, helium, 512e
• HPE 2TB SAS 12G Midline 7.2K SFF (2.5in) SC, 512e

Each name carries the letters SC, and the 12 TB and 10 TB names include the words Digitally Signed Firmware. These are HPE-branded drives. A maker-branded drive in the tables below can match the size and the interface, but it is not one of these options.

3.5-inch SAS drives for the DL380 Gen9 LFF bays

The three tables on this page stop at 12 TB. That cap is our choice, set at the largest drive we found in HPE's Gen9 list; it is not a limit HPE states. Each shows up to 24 maker-branded enterprise drives in stock on Amazon.co.uk, priced in pounds inc VAT and ranked by price per terabyte. This first one is 3.5-inch SAS for the 12 LFF and 4 LFF chassis. It holds 24 listings right now, the lowest at £24.75/TB.

3.5-inch SATA drives for the HP DL380 G9

SATA is the other hard drive interface HPE lists for the LFF bays, and HPE's own option list includes a 12 TB SATA drive. This SATA table holds 24 listings right now, the lowest at £22.50/TB.

2.5-inch SAS drives for the 8 and 24 SFF bays

For the SFF builds, this table lists 2.5-inch SAS drives. HPE's SFF maximum, 52 TB in both SAS and SATA, is built from 2 TB drives with the optional rear cage. The table shows 21 listings right now.

Each row states whether the offer is new or used. A drive is listed for its size and interface only, which is physical fit and not HPE qualification. The Recording column is filled only where a maker document names that part number, so an empty cell makes no CMR claim.

HPE option drives on Amazon.co.uk

Some Amazon.co.uk listings use HPE's own -B21 option numbers. When any are in stock, the table below shows them, cheapest first.

HPE's SSD QuickSpecs mark all three SSDs Gen9 & 10 under Server Gen Supported (Select Platforms): a generation, not this server by name. For the hard drives, we have not found an HPE document that names a server model, so check your server's QuickSpecs first. The HPE drive documents we read are copies hosted by jarcomputers.com and router-switch.com, not hpe.com. HPE ProLiant hard drives covers HPE options more widely.

For the next generation, see HPE DL380 Gen10 hard drives. Drives pulled from other servers are covered on used server hard drives.