These are my impressions after using this server for a couple of months. I wouldn’t call it a review, since it will not be focused on numbers, megahertz and benchmarks, but on my first hand experience with this server in a home lab.
First of all, the HP DL360 Generation 7 is a quiet and energy efficient server, ideal for a home lab. It just seats in an open closet and I can barely hear it.
Mine has only one processor, a Xeon L5630, 24 GB of RAM and 3 SAS hard drives in a RAID 5 configuration. What I like about it is the tiny SD card slot which allows a hypervisor to be installed without sacrificing a USB port.
Power consumption is around 70 watt, which is probably around that of a desktop.
Some people argue that a 1U server is loud. Well, sorry folks, but this HP Dl360 Gen7 is just as quiet as my Dell R210 II, which is a benchmark for tiny little quiet servers. The Dell R610 is a bit noisier, but still on the accepted side in a quiet room.
The two power supplies are rated 460W, and can be used for redundancy or for efficiency. In the first case, one power supply will provide power and the second one will be in stand-by.
The drive caddies are plastic and feel a bit flimsy and less sturdy than Dell’s 2.5 inch ones. One will probably miss the front display, but any information can be checked in the iLO3 web page. I have to say, the management interface (HP calls it Integrated Light Out) is faster and easier to use than Dell’s iDRAC. It requires Internet Explorer and dotNET 3.5.
I’ve installed Windows Server and ESXi using only that, and, while taking longer that using a USB key or a DVD, it is a useful method when you are not in front or the server. By comparison, Dell Remote installation requires you to download a file, change the extension, install an older version of Java (7.something) and use it only once.
Other than that, this little server is fun to use and it has served me well over the past few months. I wouldn’t go lower that Generation 7 or the Xeon 56xx series. They are affordable enough for most of us. Generation 8 is lowering the prices already.
There are some photos. Have fun !
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