HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen11 Fans & Cooling

Fans & Cooling Overview

The HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen11 supports multiple cooling configurations based on processor TDP, processor count, chassis, memory, storage, networking, GPU, and other installed options.

Available solutions include Standard Fans and Heatsinks, High Performance Fans and Heatsinks, Closed-loop Liquid Cooling, and Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC).

The 4 LFF and 8+2 SFF chassis support Standard Fan Kits, 2P Standard Fan Kits, High Performance Fan Kits, and liquid cooling configurations. The 20 EDSFF chassis has additional thermal requirements and generally requires higher-performance cooling.

Cooling Components

The DL360 Gen11 QuickSpecs list the following heatsink, fan, closed-loop liquid cooling, and Direct Liquid Cooling components.

Standard Fan Kit

The HPE ProLiant DL3X0 Gen11 1U Standard Fan Kit P48907-B21 contains five dual-rotor 4056 standard fans.

The standard cooling configuration is intended for lower-TDP processors. HPE specifies the Standard Fan Kit for processors at or below 185W TDP when other installed components do not require increased cooling.

2P Standard Fan Kit

The HPE ProLiant DL3X0 Gen11 1U 2P Standard Fan Kit P54697-B21 contains two additional dual-rotor 4056 standard fans.

When a two-processor configuration uses Standard Heatsinks, HPE requires both the five-fan P48907-B21 Standard Fan Kit and the two-fan P54697-B21 2P Standard Fan Kit, producing the required seven-fan configuration.

High Performance Fan Kit

The HPE ProLiant DL3X0 Gen11 1U High Performance Fan Kit P48908-B21 contains seven dual-rotor 4056 performance fans.

HPE specifies the Performance Fan Kit for one or two processors from 186W through 270W TDP and also supports it with a single 300W processor when paired with the appropriate High Performance Heatsink.

Processors below 185W can also be configured with High Performance Heatsinks and the Performance Fan Kit. In that configuration, the Standard Heatsink and Standard Fan selections must first be removed.

Fan Redundancy

The DL360 Gen11 supports up to seven fans with fan redundancy built in. HPE states that failure of one fan rotor places the server into degraded mode while allowing the system to remain fully functional. Two fan rotor failures can result in a warning and imminent server shutdown.

Standard Heat Sink Kit

The HPE ProLiant DL3X0 Gen11 1U Standard Heat Sink Kit P48904-B21 is used with lower-TDP processor configurations.

• The quantity of processors and heatsinks must match.
• For processors at or below 185W, Standard Heatsinks and Standard Fans are the default cooling configuration.
• If a Standard Heatsink is selected, a Performance Fan cannot be selected.
• For a one-processor configuration, the P48907-B21 Standard Fan Kit must be selected.
• For a two-processor configuration, both P48907-B21 and P54697-B21 must be selected.

High Performance Heat Sink Kit

The HPE ProLiant DL3XX/560 Gen11 High Performance Heat Sink Kit P48905-B21 is used for higher thermal-load configurations.

• The quantity of processors and heatsinks must match.
• Processors above 185W and at or below 270W require Performance Heatsinks and Performance Fans.
• A single 300W processor can use air cooling with Performance Heatsinks and Performance Fans.
• A single-socket 300W air-cooled configuration cannot later be field-upgraded to two sockets using the same air-cooling configuration.
• If a Performance Heatsink is selected, Standard Fans cannot be selected.
• If a Closed-loop Liquid Cooling heatsink or DLC module is selected, the High Performance Heatsink cannot also be selected.

Cooling Requirements by Processor TDP

Processor TDP is one of the primary factors determining the required cooling solution, although other installed hardware can increase the cooling requirement.

Closed-loop Liquid Cooling

The HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen11 Closed-loop Liquid Cooling Heat Sink Fan FIO Bundle Kit P48906-B21 provides an integrated liquid cooling solution for high-TDP processor configurations.

The kit contains two cold plates, one per CPU, with a pump, tubes, seven 4028 fans, and a radiator. The solution uses cooled inlet air through the radiator to cool the processor liquid loop.

A maximum of one Closed-loop Liquid Cooling kit can be installed per system.

Closed-loop Liquid Cooling Restrictions

The Closed-loop Liquid Cooling kit is a Factory Installation Only option and is not designated as a Customer Self-Repair part. HPE does not allow customer self-installation or self-field upgrade of the liquid cooling module.

If the Closed-loop Liquid Cooling Heat Sink Fan FIO Bundle Kit is selected, separate Standard or High Performance Fan Kits cannot be selected. Standard and High Performance air heatsinks also cannot be selected with the liquid cooling bundle.

A single-socket DL360 Gen11 can be configured with Closed-loop Liquid Cooling at the factory, but CPU field upgrade is not allowed. HPE directs customers to HPE Service for processor upgrade requests.

Closed-loop Liquid Cooling Service Life

HPE specifies a maximum operational usage limitation of five years for the DL360 Gen11 Closed-loop Liquid Cooling solution. The solution must be replaced when the five-year usage limit is reached.

The kit is offered with the server's Standard 3/3/3 Warranty, with extended support available for years four and five. The five-year maximum usage limitation still applies under extended support.

For systems under a current Tech Care or Complete Care support contract, HPE states that failure before the five-year limit is covered. If the system approaches the five-year limit within six months while operating correctly, an iLO message should alert the customer to contact HPE Service. Once the five-year maximum usage limit has been reached, HPE states that repair or replacement cost is not covered.

Closed-loop Cooling Design Notes

The cooling liquid is described by HPE as a mixture of purified water and ethylene with additives for corrosion resistance. The system does not include leak detection, but the pumps inside the solution are redundant.

If a pump or another component in the cooling solution fails, processor or internal server temperature can increase and generate an HPE iLO alert.

The internal radiator increases airflow resistance, which can reduce airflow available to components downstream from the radiator. This is one reason other installed components affect the supported configuration.

Direct Liquid Cooling

The DL360 Gen11 also supports Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC) configurations using cold plate modules and an external liquid cooling connection.

HPE lists separate cold plate module FIO kits based on the server configuration, along with a Quick Disconnect tube set used to extend the DLC connection from the rear wall of the server.

DLC Enablement

The P62046-B21 Direct Liquid Cooling Quick Disconnect Tube Set provides the extension tube from the rear wall of the server when a DLC module is selected.

HPE allows a maximum of one tube set per server. If a DLC module is selected, the DLC hose/tube set must also be selected.

The QuickSpecs allow a maximum of one liquid cooling choice from the Closed-loop Liquid Cooling solution, DLC Module from the NS204i-u cage, or DLC Module from the PCIe slot.

20 EDSFF Cooling Requirements

The 20 EDSFF CTO chassis has more demanding thermal requirements than standard 4 LFF and 8+2 SFF configurations. HPE states that when the EDSFF CTO model is selected, a Performance Heatsink, Closed-loop Liquid Cooling Heat Sink Fan Bundle, or Direct Liquid Cooling Module must be selected.

The EDSFF chassis supports Performance Fan and Closed-loop Liquid Cooling configurations rather than relying on the basic five-fan standard cooling configuration.

Components That Can Require Increased Cooling

Cooling requirements are not determined by processor TDP alone. The QuickSpecs identify several components and configurations that can require Performance Fans, Performance Heatsinks, or liquid cooling.

256 GB Memory Thermal Considerations

The 256 GB DIMM has additional thermal requirements. HPE states that 256 GB DIMMs require Performance Heatsinks, Closed-loop Liquid Cooling, or DLC.

Without DLC, 256 GB memory configurations can also be subject to reduced ambient temperature, fan, networking, and storage limits. HPE limits 256 GB DIMMs to 1DPC with up to eight DIMMs per socket under the normal thermal guidance.

If Closed-loop Liquid Cooling is selected with 256 GB DIMMs or an internal or rear NS204i-u, the maximum EDSFF drive count can be reduced from 20 to 10. If Closed-loop Liquid Cooling is selected with 256 GB DIMMs and a rear NS204i-u, the maximum NVMe drive count can be reduced from 10 to four.

NVMe and SAS4 Cooling Requirements

HPE states that if NVMe or SAS4 is selected, the server must use a Performance Heatsink, Closed-loop Liquid Cooling heatsink, or DLC module.

Storage limits can become more restrictive when Closed-loop Liquid Cooling is combined with high-TDP processors, GPUs, high-speed networking, 256 GB DIMMs, or NS204i-u boot devices.

High-Speed Networking Cooling Requirements

If Networking or InfiniBand at 100G or greater is installed, HPE requires a Performance Heatsink, Closed-loop Liquid Cooling heatsink, or DLC module. Specific high-speed adapters can have additional ambient temperature and chassis restrictions listed in the Networking section of the QuickSpecs.

GPU Cooling Requirements

If a GPU is installed, Standard Heatsinks and Standard Fan Kits are not supported. HPE requires High Performance Fans and specifies that the BIOS cooling setting must be changed to Increased Cooling rather than the default Optimal Cooling setting.

GPU configurations can have additional restrictions when combined with processors above 270W and Closed-loop Liquid Cooling. In an 8 SFF CTO configuration with NVIDIA graphics and Closed-loop Liquid Cooling, HPE limits the server to a maximum of eight NVMe/SAS/SATA drives. In an EDSFF CTO configuration with NVIDIA graphics and Closed-loop Liquid Cooling, EDSFF drives are not supported.

DIMM Blanks and Liquid Cooling

If Closed-loop Liquid Cooling or Direct Liquid Cooling is installed and system memory uses 16 GB, 32 GB, 96 GB, or 128 GB DIMMs, HPE states that the DIMM blanks must be removed.

When 256 GB DIMMs are installed, DIMM blanks remain installed by default under both air-cooled and liquid-cooled configurations.

Choosing the Correct Cooling Configuration

The correct DL360 Gen11 cooling configuration depends on the entire server configuration. Processor TDP establishes the baseline cooling requirement, but memory capacity, NVMe storage, networking bandwidth, GPUs, NS204i-u devices, chassis type, drive count, and ambient temperature can increase the required cooling level.

A basic configuration using processors at or below 185W can generally use Standard Heatsinks and Standard Fans. Processors from 186W through 270W generally require High Performance Heatsinks and seven High Performance Fans. Processors above 270W generally require Closed-loop Liquid Cooling or DLC, although HPE specifically supports air cooling for certain single-socket 300W configurations.

For configurations involving 20 EDSFF, 256 GB DIMMs, high-speed networking, GPUs, or high-TDP processors, the detailed thermal restrictions in the QuickSpecs should be checked before selecting the cooling components.