Gen 8 Micro server Boot off SSD and install windows 10

easyrider · 5 Dec 2016 at 11:27

I was going to post this in the Micro server thread but I just need basic instructions...

I have googled but there seems to be many configs to choose from.

All I want to do is install an SSD in the CD drive bay using the sata header on the mobo.

Then install windows 10 on the ssd

Boot off the ssd to windows 10

Install stablebit drivepool and add my disks from the old pool and old server.

Can I do this and whats the easiest method?

I understand I loose AHCI mode? is this true? what speed is the mobo sata connector?

I don't want to use raid at all

cheers

swain90 · 5 Dec 2016 at 12:07

If you want to use the CD/DVD sata for an OS, you have to enable raid.

I have 1xSSD and 2x3TB all drives at raid 0 on my setup. To clarify, each disk is setup as it's own raid 0 array. None of the disks rely on each other, they're all independent.

As far as I'm aware there's no way around it.

Beans on toast Dave · 5 Dec 2016 at 12:13

IIRC i used the first HDD slot as i think the first 2 are sata 6 everything else is sata 3 so slower??

easyrider · 5 Dec 2016 at 13:24

This is the problem...I don't want Raid....

nutcase · 5 Dec 2016 at 13:50

RAID 0 with one disk is not RAID as swain90 says.

easyrider · 5 Dec 2016 at 13:54

Raid means the disks wont spin down...

swain90 · 5 Dec 2016 at 14:32

nutcase_1uk said:
RAID 0 with one disk is not RAID as swain90 says.

Technically it isn't RAID, however in order to use each disk as a separate disk, you have to said the disks as raid 0 in the HP RAID manager.

DIABLO · 5 Dec 2016 at 14:39

You also lose SMART monitoring when in RAID mode.

swain90 · 5 Dec 2016 at 14:42

At a push(please correct me if I'm wrong) you could install an OS on a USB stick and use the internal USB port. This would get round your RAID problem, however I'm not sure how well the system would run.

easyrider · 5 Dec 2016 at 14:45

DIABLO said:
You also lose SMART monitoring when in RAID mode.

This would mean my stablebit scanner becomes redundant....

DIABLO · 5 Dec 2016 at 14:47

I remember reading about some hacky way to get the gen 8 to boot froma drive in the optical bay in AHCI mode.

swain90 · 5 Dec 2016 at 15:04

DIABLO said:
I remember reading about some hacky way to get the gen 8 to boot froma drive in the optical bay in AHCI mode.

Think this is what you might be referring too;
http://homeservershow.com/forums/in...d-in-the-odd-bay-discussion/page-3#entry67539

however looking at that, it is quite the bodge.

Mel_P · 5 Dec 2016 at 18:18

swain90 said:
If you want to use the CD/DVD sata for an OS, you have to enable raid.

I have 1xSSD and 2x3TB all drives at raid 0 on my setup. To clarify, each disk is setup as it's own raid 0 array. None of the disks rely on each other, they're all independent.

As far as I'm aware there's no way around it.

You don't need raid BUT in this case you have to install the OS on a drive (SSD or HDD, <2TB) in the first slot (Bay 1, LHS) - if you use ACHI then the system will always boot from Drive bay 1. You can then install 3 x HDDs in bays 2, 3, and 4.

I have a 120GB SSD in bay 1 (via a physical adapter to lift it) with Win 7 Home Premium installed on it, and 2x 6TB and 1 x 4TB drives (NON Raid) in Bays 2, 3, and 4. When I set this up Win 10 drivers were not available. They may be now.

The DVD slot at the top is bay 5 and a non raid system will not boot from it.

I installed the OS from a DVD via a USB 2 connected portable DVD drive (the USB 3 slots do not have drivers until OS installed).

Mel

easyrider · 5 Dec 2016 at 18:27

Mel_P said:
You don't need raid BUT in this case you have to install the OS on a drive (SSD or HDD, <2TB) in the first slot (Bay 1, LHS) - if you use ACHI then the system will always boot from Drive bay 1. You can then install 3 x HDDs in bays 2, 3, and 4.

I have a 120GB SSD in bay 1 (via a physical adapter to lift it) with Win 7 Home Premium installed on it, and 2x 6TB and 1 x 4TB drives (NON Raid) in Bays 2, 3, and 4. When I set this up Win 10 drivers were not available. They may be now.

The DVD slot at the top is bay 5 and a non raid system will not boot from it.

I installed the OS from a DVD via a USB 2 connected portable DVD drive (the USB 3 slots do not have drivers until OS installed).

Mel

Could you then use the 5th odd SATA connector for a 5th drive?

Mel_P · 5 Dec 2016 at 18:30

easyrider said:
Could you then use the 5th odd SATA connector for a 5th drive?

Probably (as it's slot 5) but only using an SSD as space is limited. Not sure how fast it would be as HP have only designed as a CD/DVD slot. Once I got mine working I have left well alone!!! (apart from swapping a 3 TB drive to a 6TB drive recently. When I tried to install the OS on bay 5 it would not recognise the drive unless I put it in raid 0. I seem to remember then that as soon as I put non-raided drives into slot 1, 2, 3, 4 the system treid to boot from Bay 1 - which had no OS installed. I am quite happy with potentially 18TB of storage in Bays 2, 3, and 4. Suppose if I was mad I could buy 3 x 8TB and throw money down the drain!

Mel

GDL · 5 Dec 2016 at 18:39

challengedavid said:
IIRC i used the first HDD slot as i think the first 2 are sata 6 everything else is sata 3 so slower??

The left most two are SATA3, the right most two are SATA 2.
The singular port is 2 IIRC. (It's been a while since I've used mine.)

Mel_P · 5 Dec 2016 at 18:46

May be bays 3 and 4 are slower but in real life have not been bothered by (lack of) speed of storage drives. I tend to back up stuff to server as a background task.

I think OS on bay 1 and storage in bays 2, 3 and 4 is only non raid / ACHI way to install on the microserver?

GDL · 5 Dec 2016 at 20:21

Yup.
Realistically the fastest you can get data to the disks on the Gen8 is around 240/MBs that's using both NIC's in a team but even that is dependent on the source(s) /switch or OS setups.

For a backup or media server you won't notice unless you really start looking at singular disk performance.

Mel_P · 5 Dec 2016 at 20:41

easyrider said:
Then install windows 10 on the ssd

cheers

Be advised that installing a non-server edition of windows is pretty much a manual process. Only windows server editions install all drivers etc. (well it was with win 7 - equivalent to win server 2008)

benjo · 5 Dec 2016 at 21:02

Could I use the internal USB to boot ESXi, and install the hosts on an ssd in bay 1? Then have the remaining bays as storage accessible to the VMs?

Would that be a sensible setup?