HP N36L/N40L/N54L Microserver Updated AHCI BIOS Support.

So, this is weird. I just disassembled mine to replace the thermal paste. Thought as this is an older machine that might be about time to do. Well, after booting up server 2012 the bus speed is now 204 instead of 200. Meaning it's running 2248mhz and not 2200mhz as it normally would. Can't say that i'm disappointed to get an extra 48mhz.

Edit: And it's been running at 2248mhz just fine 24/7 for the past 5+ days.
 
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The Bay's BIOS is relevant as long as you do not intend to use Win 8.1 (or Server 2012 R2) or after OS.

If you plan to use a recent Windows OS's then you need a modded BIOS based upon the official HP Ver. 2013.10.01 (A) BIOS. (Or after if there is a more recent one)

Edited: To add, the issue would be with the on board NIC. ie. W8.1 or S2012R2 won't be able to get the NIC working with Bay's BOIS.
 
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Hi R-CAD

I have a external NIC plugged into the 1xPCI-e port so the problem of the onboard not working shouldn't be a issue (I was lead to believe the onboard one was dead from the original owner)

I have found Tobi Oo modded BIOS, but i need confirmation on what i have downloaded... if it is in fact his modded BIOS...

I went to this page [Sammelthread] HP ProLiant N36L/N40L/N54L Microserver
https://www.hardwareluxx.de/community/f101/hp-proliant-n36l-n40l-n54l-microserver-752079.html
If you scroll down to DOWNLOADS you will see BIOS: 2013.10.01 (A) (15 Nov 2013) gemodded von Tobi Oo - Q

Now that link itself is dead, so i clicked on the alternativ SP64420M.zip

IS THIS MOD FILE CORRECT THAT IS IN THIS ZIP??

Also, is it wise going to the official O41100113.ROM before going to the modded one?
 
This works if you are using Windows 10. I've done it.

UPDATE: WIN10 & NETWORK PORT ISSUE
I have followed this N40L BIOS MOD Guide.
Remove all drives/extra boards
Installed HP stock BIOS.
Installed MOD BIOS
From the BIOS MAIN Screen Go to
-> Chipset Menu
-> Southbridge Configuration
-> SB SATA Configuration =>
and set the following:
OnChip SATA Channel [Enabled]
OnChip IDE Type [IDE or Legacy IDE]
SATA IDE Combined Mode [Disabled] -- sets Ports 4 & 5 to use AHCI
SATA EPS on all PORT [Enabled] -- sets all Ports to be external SATA Ports
SATA Power on all PORT [Enabled]
Install Fresh Copy Of Windows 10

THIS is also a good help guide

It Works. Hope this helps people who want to go this route.
 
do you know which modded BIOS this is?
I know that the russian one (the one from Tobi Oo) changes the date in the BIOS to show the updated one.
the one from The Bay does not apparently.

Also, should I go to the official HP one first before going to the modded bios?
 
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You don't need to load the official BIOS first.

All the numbers tie up on your earlier post regarding Tobi Oo's, "seems" like it's the right one...

Unfortunately the files has been removed from the hardwareluxx forum where it was originally posted.

I've kept a copy of Tobi Oo's version of the BIOS, but not any of the instructions etc.

Here it is if it helps:

TobiOo-BIOS_Mod.zip

The old Link above expired due to Security update. There till seems a lot of interest in this BIOS Mod, so here's an updated link to the file:

TobiOo BIOS_Mod.zip
 
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Thank you for the .zip R-CAD

I'm pretty sure i could just use the steps in this blog Just substituting Tobi Oo's ROM.
Although... he says to remove all the drives and anything plugged into the system... surely this is a bit drastic, never heard of this before when doing updates

But... are these 2 mods then the same versions?
... guess i will just have to load it up and see
 
Agreed, you can just substitute out the ROM. I didn't personally remove drives etc.
 
I don't know if it helps anyone but I added an LSI 9200 SAS card to my N54L today and realised I couldn't access the cards BIOS as Interrupt 19 Capture wasn't enable or available as an option in the modded O41 BIOS I was using.

I saw the old BIOS here from TheBay had the option enabled but didn't have the support for latest OS' and I couldn't be bothered flashing backwards and forwards.

I've modified the latest O41 BIOS to enable the Interrupt 19 Capture option so you can enable that and then access the SAS card BIOS all while retaining the Windows 10 / 2012R2 / 2016 support.

Link is here
MEGA

The file I modified was the one available here:
How to Install Modified BIOS for Microserver N40L Step by step guide

Probably a bit late in the day but I hope it helps someone.
 
Hi all, has anyone got Windows 10 running ok on an N36l? I have TheBay's BIOS on mine as Windows is running on an SSD connected to the internal eSata connection, but the onboard NIC seems to be a problem with it.
Any ideas or advice?
 
From W8.1 on the on board NIC is not supported with the "Old" BIOS

You could look into Tobi Oo's BIOS mod

Have a look from post #291 and at #357 from this thread ...but also the post prior to yours
 
Hi all, has anyone got Windows 10 running ok on an N36l? I have TheBay's BIOS on mine as Windows is running on an SSD connected to the internal eSata connection, but the onboard NIC seems to be a problem with it.
Any ideas or advice?

This works if you are using Windows 10. I've done it.

UPDATE: WIN10 & NETWORK PORT ISSUE
I have followed this N40L BIOS MOD Guide.
Remove all drives/extra boards
Installed HP stock BIOS.
Installed MOD BIOS
From the BIOS MAIN Screen Go to
-> Chipset Menu
-> Southbridge Configuration
-> SB SATA Configuration =>
and set the following:
OnChip SATA Channel [Enabled]
OnChip IDE Type [IDE or Legacy IDE]
SATA IDE Combined Mode [Disabled] -- sets Ports 4 & 5 to use AHCI
SATA EPS on all PORT [Enabled] -- sets all Ports to be external SATA Ports
SATA Power on all PORT [Enabled]
Install Fresh Copy Of Windows 10

THIS is also a good help guide

It Works. Hope this helps people who want to go this route.
 
Thanks guys, I tried Aido's modified bios and it seems to have worked, although everytime I try to RDP in the RDP crashes - strangely I can tramviewer in with no problems.

I didn't do any of the above, probably best to do those as this will be a backup PC backing up to Carbonite so I want it as stable as poss!

....although will flashing back to the original BIOS mean I can no longer run Windows from the esata port?
 
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Hi, would anyone in here with a valid Microserver HP Warranty contract be able to download this BIOS update file for me Drivers & Software - HPE Support Center. I bought a used HPE Microserver N36L with old BIOS version from 2010-09-30 (09/30/2010) and painfully found out that HP want a valid warranty to be able to download the newest BIOS. Buying a new warranty contract will be at least double the amount I paid for the Microserver itself. Dell/Fujitsu are mostly more generous when it comes to allowing downloads even if the warranty is out. So anyone that would be willing to help me upgrade my box? Thanks in advance :) Cheers!
 
Hi, would anyone in here with a valid Microserver HP Warranty contract be able to download this BIOS update file for me Drivers & Software - HPE Support Center. I bought a used HPE Microserver N36L with old BIOS version from 2010-09-30 (09/30/2010) and painfully found out that HP want a valid warranty to be able to download the newest BIOS. Buying a new warranty contract will be at least double the amount I paid for the Microserver itself. Dell/Fujitsu are mostly more generous when it comes to allowing downloads even if the warranty is out. So anyone that would be willing to help me upgrade my box? Thanks in advance :) Cheers!
SP64420.exe mirror - Google Search
First hit Clint Boessen's Blog: HP Proliant MicroServer G7 N40L not working with 2012 R2 has a mirror link to the file.
 
Got a Microserver N36L running with MS Windows Server 2016.
Config: 8GB RAM plus 5x4TB in Raid5 plus hot spare on a 3ware 9650SE-8LPML

Installation memo:

- The server certainly needed the latest HP ROM linked above: https://sites.google.com/site/cbblogspotfiles/SP64420.zip . The machine had a ROM 041 (2011) already on it but the network card HP N107i posted a 'no cable connected' error after installation. The ROM 041 (2013) fixed that.

- The Raid controller needs to be on firmware version 4-10-00-027. Drivers here:
Support Documents and Downloads

- Created a 200GB boot partition via the 3ware Bios. 'Alt-3' key during boot. Left the remaining 14TB as a single partition.

- Upgraded firmware for the NIC
Drivers & Software - HPE Support Center.

- Latest HP driver for the NIC to lock it to 1GB speed via advanced options: Drivers & Software - HPE Support Center.
 
Sorry if this is obvious but will the N54L and the 40 work fine with a 8TB WD Red or Seagate IronWolf drive..?

Amazed at how these little servers still work as well as they do :)
 
What are people using these for? I dug mine out last night. It was used to host media but not long after buying it streaming took off.

Cheers
 
For me it is media still and also as part of a back up solution, this one being on-site. Still has a use and relevance for our needs.

For what reason have you dug your out..?
 
To get rid of it. Going to remove WHS 2011 and install something simple and see if anyone local has an interest in it.
 
It was when I cleared out the loft that I found a N40L that I forgot I had, amazing what you can find...!
 
I recently installed Openmediavault on it and been quite pleased. Mostly used as a NAS, Plex server (no transcode), and a Logitech Media Server.

Blu rips still look awesome, even compared to 4k streaming
 
My N40L is still alive and kicking, running CentOS 6 as a NAS. I added some extra RAM and an Adaptec 5445 RAID controller cheap (CL find) way back shortly after when I bought my N40L new back in Nov 2011 (I think it was a black friday special price). The connector for the 4 drive bays hooked right into the RAID controller, I added a 5th drive to the 5.25" bay that's plugged into the motherboard.

It might not have the fastest CPU, but file serving via SAMBA & NFS it runs great, it's small, low power, and it's quiet.

I just updated the firmware to the modified one posted above, even though I run linux you never know if windows will end up on it one day. I also updated the linux nic driver, which I had to find the SRC rpm on the broadcom site and compile it because the HP site's latest RPM was for an earlier kernel version. I tried to run the firmware updater and it didn't do anything, then after reading over the release notes and comparing the existing version it was already running the latest bootcode or whatever.
 
Got a Microserver N36L running with MS Windows Server 2016.
Config: 8GB RAM plus 5x4TB in Raid5 plus hot spare on a 3ware 9650SE-8LPML

Installation memo:

- The server certainly needed the latest HP ROM linked above: https://sites.google.com/site/cbblogspotfiles/SP64420.zip . The machine had a ROM 041 (2011) already on it but the network card HP N107i posted a 'no cable connected' error after installation. The ROM 041 (2013) fixed that.

- The Raid controller needs to be on firmware version 4-10-00-027. Drivers here:
Support Documents and Downloads

- Created a 200GB boot partition via the 3ware Bios. 'Alt-3' key during boot. Left the remaining 14TB as a single partition.

- Upgraded firmware for the NIC
Drivers & Software - HPE Support Center.

- Latest HP driver for the NIC to lock it to 1GB speed via advanced options: Drivers & Software - HPE Support Center.
Hi FoxPro - This is very useful info, I tired of dealing with onboard RAID controllers on my N40L, can you please share:
1) for what reason you picked the "3ware 9650SE-8LPML"?
2) Have you had any issues with configuring it or loosing RAID config? (that what happened to me with the onboard RAID)
3) What are the drives - that you are using in your config
4) if you are coping large files within the RAID - what is the file transfer speed?

I would appreciate your detailed answer.

Best,
 

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