HPE ProLiant DL320e Gen8 v2 Drives
Genuine HPE hard drives and SSDs for the HPE ProLiant DL320e Gen8 v2, new and refurbished, tested before shipping. The cage is fixed when the server is built — four SFF bays or two LFF bays — and HPE states the two are not upgradeable from one to the other.
DL320e Gen8 v2 Drive Specifications
- Bays: 4 SFF (2.5-inch) hot-plug, or 2 LFF (3.5-inch) hot-plug or non-hot-plug — no drives ship standard on Base or Performance models
- Cage rule: LFF is not an upgradeable option from SFF or the reverse, and the same holds between non-hot-plug and hot-plug LFF
- Carriers: Gen8 SmartDrive (SC) carriers, plus Smart Carrier Converter (SCC) parts that seat a 2.5-inch drive in a 3.5-inch bay
- Interfaces: 12G SAS, 6G SAS and 6G SATA hard drives and SSDs — but the embedded B120i is SATA-only, so SAS needs a stand-up card
- Documented maximums: 16.0TB on two 8TB LFF drives, 4.8TB on four 1.2TB SFF SAS drives, 3.2TB on four 800GB SFF SSDs
- Mixing rule: mixing standard SAS drives with SAS SSDs limits the server to two separate RAID 0 volumes; other drive types must not be mixed
The cage is decided before you buy the drive. A DL320e Gen8 v2 is built either as 4 SFF or as 2 LFF, and HPE states LFF is not an upgradeable option from SFF or the reverse. Documented maximums are 16.0TB on two 8TB LFF drives, 4.8TB on four 1.2TB SFF SAS drives, and 3.2TB on four 800GB SFF SSDs.
What drives fit the DL320e Gen8 v2?
| Drive family | Interface | Form factor | Capacities listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise hard drives, 15K/10K | 12G and 6G SAS | SFF SC, LFF SCC converter | 146GB to 1.2TB |
| Midline hard drives, 7.2K | 12G / 6G SAS, 6G SATA | SFF and LFF, some 512e | 500GB to 8TB |
| Solid state drives | 6G SATA | SFF SC and LFF SCC | 80GB to 3.84TB |
| Solid state drives | 12G SAS | SFF SC | 200GB to 3.84TB |
| Drive blanks | — | SFF and LFF | 666987-B21, 666986-B21 |
The controller decides how much of that you can use. HPE's note on the embedded B120i is that it runs 6Gb/s only with ports 0 and 1 populated, and drops to 3Gb/s in 4 SFF with more than two drives installed. Our SAS versus SATA guide and the SmartDrive carrier history cover the rest.
Choosing the Right DL320e Gen8 v2 Drives
- Know your cage before you shop. SFF and LFF are separate builds, and HPE does not support converting between them.
- Capacity per bay is everything here. Two 8TB LFF drives reach the documented 16.0TB; four 1.2TB SFF SAS reach 4.8TB.
- A SAS drive is a two-part purchase. The B120i is SATA-only, so SAS also means a DL320e Gen8 v2 storage controller.
- Match SSD endurance to the workload — Write Intensive for heavy writes, Mixed Use for virtualization, Read Intensive for serving; see the WI, MU and RI comparison.
- Order blanks with a partial fill: 666987-B21 for SFF, 666986-B21 for LFF.
Complete Your DL320e Gen8 v2 Build
Drives pair with DL320e Gen8 v2 storage controllers, then memory, networking adapters and rack options, or the full parts page. Neighbors: DL320e Gen8 drives and ML310e Gen8 v2 drives. Catalog-wide: SFF SAS SmartDrive hard drives and parts by server model.
DL320e Gen8 v2 Drives FAQ
How many drives does the HPE ProLiant DL320e Gen8 v2 hold?
Four SFF hot-plug drives, or two LFF drives in a hot-plug or non-hot-plug cage. No hard drives ship standard on the Base or Performance models, and pre-configured servers arrive with some drive blanks already installed.
What is the maximum internal storage of the DL320e Gen8 v2?
HPE's Maximum Internal Storage table lists 16.0TB from two 8TB LFF drives, 4.8TB from four 1.2TB SFF SAS drives, 3.2TB from four 800GB SFF SSDs, and 6TB from two 3TB non-hot-plug LFF SATA drives. The Overview paragraph in the same document still says up to 8TB, which predates the 8TB drives.
Can I convert a 2 LFF DL320e Gen8 v2 to 4 SFF?
No. The QuickSpecs state that LFF versions are not an upgradeable option from SFF models, or the other way round, and that the same applies between non-hot-plug LFF and hot-plug LFF. The cage is chosen when the server is built.
Can the DL320e Gen8 v2 use SAS drives?
Yes, but not on the embedded controller. The HPE Dynamic Smart Array B120i is a SATA controller with six internal SATA connectors, so 12G or 6G SAS drives need a stand-up Smart Array card such as the P222 or an H221 or H222 host bus adapter.
Why are my DL320e Gen8 v2 drives negotiating 3Gb/s?
That is documented behaviour of the B120i. HPE states it runs at 6Gb/s only when ports 0 and 1 are the ones populated, and at 3Gb/s in the 4 SFF cage with more than two drives installed. Full 6Gb/s requires a stand-up Smart Array controller.
Can I mix SAS hard drives and SAS SSDs in a DL320e Gen8 v2?
HPE supports it, with a catch: the mix limits the RAID configuration to two separate RAID 0 volumes, and mixing other drive types is not supported. Hard drives carry either a one year or three year warranty depending on the drive.
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