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I'm trying to install CentOS 7 on a HP DL120 gen 9 server with a b140i controller. I have 4 1TB HDD setup in a raid 1+0 and the CentOS installer doesn't seem to recognize the logical drive created from the storage utility.

From my understanding i need some drivers for CentOS 7 to recognize the B140i controller. Also, the driver seems to be closed source by HP.

What is my approach here? Is there any other free linux OS that i can use on this server and that would recognize the raid controller?

Thank you.

Bogdan-Stefan Cernat
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2 Answers2

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Ok, so after countless hours spent searching for the B140i Dynamic Storage Array drivers, I managed to find the driver by downloading the HP service pack for Proliant, mounting the iso locally and finding the hpdsa driver inside a folder named DUD.

The steps I did in order to successfully install CentOS 7 on my HP Proliant DL120 gen 9 are the following:

  1. Download CentOS Image and write it on a USB;
  2. Download HP Proliant Service Pack and locate the hpds driver inside it (download only the b140i drivers from here);
  3. Use dd to write the appropriate driver (u0 or u1) on a separate USB drive;
  4. Insert the CentOS USB in the server, boot from it but at the install menu, press e in case of an UEFI system and add on the linuxefi line the following inst.dd modprobe.blacklist=ahci;
  5. Press Ctrl+x or the keys needed to continue the installation;
  6. Insert the usb drive with the driver;
  7. Press r to refresh the drive list and choose the appropriate drive;
  8. After it unpacks, continue with the installation as usual;

Special thanks to @ewwhite and @michael-hampton :)

Hope this helps someone else who is facing this problem and is not experienced with servers.

Bogdan-Stefan Cernat
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  • If you need never versions of these drivers navigate through ; https://support.hpe.com/hpsc/swd/public/detail?swItemId=MTX-ea8a87ed4fa94c73943ef3158a#tab-history – A. Mesut Konuklar Nov 08 '18 at 13:22
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You need to use a driver disk. For EL7, use the RHEL drivers on a USB key for ease.

Here is the driver disk download and installation instructions.

Also see: Install Oracle Linux 6.4 on HP ProLiant DL380e Gen8 server

Community
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ewwhite
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    You may also need to add `modprobe.blacklist=ahci` to the kernel command line. The [HP Intelligent Provisioning User Guide for Gen9 Servers](http://www.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c04419967.pdf) notes a known issue: "Because the AHCI driver attaches before the HP Dynamic Smart Array B140i Controller drivers, the logical driver is not recognized." – Michael Hampton Sep 10 '15 at 18:15
  • @ewwhite I see that on the link you've provided with the driver disk, there are 2 files. Which one do I use? – Bogdan-Stefan Cernat Sep 10 '15 at 20:55
  • @ewwhite, I managed to figure out which image to use. I've followed the steps provided in the instrucitons link but unfortunately my centos won't see the logical drive. I've added to the linuxefi kernel boot line `inst.dd modprobe.blacklist=ahci` , i event ran `modprobe sg` after the installer window showed up. Any ideas? The raid controller is a dynamic smart array... – Bogdan-Stefan Cernat Sep 11 '15 at 10:28