HPE ProLiant DL345 Gen12 Storage Controllers
Genuine HPE storage controllers for the HPE ProLiant DL345 Gen12, new and refurbished. The Gen12 stack is built on the HPE MR controller family, each model offered as an OCP 3.0 module (-o) or a PCIe plug-in card (-p), with the x32-lane MR932i-p at the top, the Smart Array E208e-p for external SAS, and the NS204i-u v2 hot-plug boot device for the operating system.
DL345 Gen12 Storage Controller Specifications
- MR216i-o / MR216i-p Gen11: x16 lanes, no cache, SPDM — the entry tri-mode controller in OCP or PCIe form
- MR408i-o / MR408i-p Gen11: x8 lanes with 4GB cache, OCP or PCIe
- MR416i-o / MR416i-p Gen11: x16 lanes with 8GB cache, OCP or PCIe
- MR932i-p: x32 lanes, PCIe Gen5 plug-in, SPDM — the storage configuration tables pair it with 8SFF x4 and 8EDSFF bays at x4 lanes per drive, and with 16 drives at x2
- Smart Array E208e-p SR Gen10: 8 external 12G SAS lanes, no cache, for storage outside the server
- Cache protection: HPE Smart Storage Hybrid Capacitor, 96W Smart Storage Lithium-ion Battery or 16W Smart Hybrid Capacitor, each with a 145mm cable; HPE allows a maximum of one storage battery per server
- Direct attach: SATA direct-attach cable kits for LFF and 16SFF x1 bays, and NVMe direct-attach kits at x2 or x4 lanes for SFF and EDSFF bays, with no controller in the path
- Boot device: HPE NS204i-u v2 in 480GB, 960GB and 960GB SED versions — two M.2 NVMe SSDs in preconfigured hardware RAID 1 on x4 PCIe Gen3, hot-plug, mounted above power supply 1 with the rear cable kit or in front Box 2 with the front enablement kit
An -o controller and a -p controller are the same card in a different slot — but OCP slot B is not free. Slot B is not hardwired to the processor, so an MR module there needs one OCP Slot B enablement kit for x8 or two for x16, while a -p card simply takes a riser slot. And whichever cached controller you choose, HPE allows only one storage battery or capacitor per server.
Which DL345 Gen12 controller do you need?
| Controller | Lanes | Cache | Form | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MR216i-o / -p Gen11 | x16 | None | OCP or PCIe | SAS/SATA arrays without write-back cache, software-defined storage |
| MR408i-o / -p Gen11 | x8 | 4GB | OCP or PCIe | Cached RAID for an 8-bay box |
| MR416i-o / -p Gen11 | x16 | 8GB | OCP or PCIe | Cached RAID across 16 bays |
| MR932i-p | x32 | PCIe Gen5 | PCIe | NVMe U.3 and E3.S at full x4 per drive |
| Smart Array E208e-p SR Gen10 | 8 external | None | PCIe | External 12G SAS enclosures |
The -o and -p versions are the same controller in a different slot. An OCP module leaves the PCIe risers free for adapters and GPUs, but slot B is not hardwired to the processor — any device there needs one or two OCP B enablement kits depending on bandwidth. A PCIe card costs a riser slot and asks nothing else. Buy the cable kit for your chassis and box at the same time; every controller path has a DL345 Gen12-specific kit on the parts page.
Choosing the Right DL345 Gen12 Storage Controller
- Cache means a battery or capacitor. The MR408i and MR416i carry 4GB and 8GB of cache and want one of the three protection kits; HPE allows only one storage battery per server, so plan for a single cached controller.
- NVMe does not need a controller. The direct-attach cable kits connect SFF x4 and EDSFF bays straight to the processor at x2 or x4 lanes. A controller enters the NVMe path only for hardware RAID, and the MR932i-p is the one built for it.
- OCP slot B needs enabling. An MR-series -o module in slot B requires the OCP Slot B x8 enablement kit, and a second kit for x16 bandwidth.
- Boot from the NS204i-u, not the array. The hot-plug boot device keeps two M.2 drives in RAID 1 outside the data bays, at the front in Box 2 or at the rear above power supply 1, each with its own cable or enablement kit.
Complete Your DL345 Gen12 Build
Controllers and drives are bought together — see DL345 Gen12 drives for what each cage will hold, and the DL345 Gen12 parts listing for the cable kits and drive cages. Also available: DL345 Gen12 memory, processors, networking adapters and power supplies. The adjacent generation is DL345 Gen11 storage controllers, cache protection kits for every generation are under HPE Smart Array controller batteries, and background on the drive side is in our guide to NVMe drives in HPE servers. Every model we stock is indexed under HPE parts by server model.
DL345 Gen12 Storage Controllers FAQ
Which RAID controllers does the DL345 Gen12 support?
The HPE MR216i (x16, no cache), MR408i (x8, 4GB cache) and MR416i (x16, 8GB cache) Gen11 controllers, each in an OCP 3.0 (-o) or PCIe plug-in (-p) version, plus the x32-lane PCIe Gen5 MR932i-p. The Smart Array E208e-p SR Gen10 is listed for external SAS storage.
What is the difference between the -o and -p controllers?
The slot. An -o controller is an OCP 3.0 module that installs in rear OCP slot A or B; a -p controller is a PCIe plug-in card for a riser slot. Lanes and cache are the same for a given model, so the choice is about which slot you can spare.
Do I need a battery for a DL345 Gen12 storage controller?
Only for a cached controller - the MR408i or MR416i. HPE lists the Smart Storage Hybrid Capacitor, the 96W Lithium-ion battery and the 16W Smart Hybrid Capacitor, all with a 145mm cable, and allows a maximum of one storage battery per server.
Can the DL345 Gen12 run NVMe drives without a controller?
Yes. The direct-attach cable kits connect SFF x4 U.3 and EDSFF E3.S bays to the processor at x2 or x4 lanes per drive, including the 36-drive EDSFF configuration at x2. A controller is only needed for hardware RAID on NVMe, which is what the MR932i-p is for.
What boot device does the DL345 Gen12 use?
The HPE NS204i-u v2 hot-plug NVMe boot device, in 480GB, 960GB and 960GB self-encrypting versions. It holds two M.2 NVMe SSDs in preconfigured hardware RAID 1 on x4 PCIe Gen3 and mounts either above power supply 1 with the rear cable kit or in front Box 2 with the front enablement kit.
Does an OCP controller need anything extra?
In rear OCP slot A, no. In slot B, yes: slot B is not hardwired to the processor, so any device there needs one OCP Slot B x8 enablement kit for x8 bandwidth or two for x16.
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