P3700 SSDPE2MD800G401 - device not detected

[idata]

Just got this brand new P3700 2TB 2.5inch drive part number SSDPE2MD800G401.

This is attached to server HP DL360 Gen9, RAID Controller card is P440ar using 8639 connector, the drive is connected to the raid controller port # 2.

Operating system is Windows 2012, somehow this drive is not being detected, doesn't come up as PCIDevice or Ven ID 8086 / DEV 0953. Tried installing latest drivers https://downloadcenter.intel.com/downloads/eula/23929/Intel-Solid-State-Drive-Data-Center-Family-for... Intel Windows NVMe driver 1.1.0.1004-x64.zip but no joy. Please help if someone has faced similar situation or any idea, does this require any BIOS settings to be tweaked?

[jbenavides]

Hello RomanthNirmal,

Checking the information of the HP* Smart Array P440ar Controller, it does not appear to be compatible with the Intel® SSD DC P3700 Series 800GB, 2.5in PCIe 3.0.

You might want to contact HP or the Place of Purchase to check if you can obtain an Intel® SSD Data Center - SATA series - to use with your server and RAID controller.

The http://www8.hp.com/h20195/v2/GetDocument.aspx?docname=c04346299 HP Smart Array 440ar Quickspecs, page 10, indicate that this RAID adapter uses SAS and SATA drives, and the P3700 is a PCIe device.

The SFF 8639 connector in the P3700 2.5 inch drive may look similar to SAS and SATA connectors, but the pins are different in the SFF-8639, it is actually for PCIe 3.0 connectivity, and requires a compatible backplane/connector.

For more information about the P3700 series SSDs, please review the following documents:

http://downloadmirror.intel.com/23929/eng/Intel%20SSD%20Data%20Center%20Family%20for%20PCIe%20Instal... Intel® Solid-State Drive Data Center Family for PCIe* P3700, P3600 and P3500 Series Installation Guide. Pages 5 and 6.

http://www.intel.com/content/dam/www/public/us/en/documents/product-specifications/ssd-dc-p3700-spec... Intel® Solid-State Drive DC P3700 Series Product Specification. Pages 1 and 20.

Please take into consideration that when you use a RAID controller, such as the Smart Array, the SDD will communicate directly with the RAID controller and the operating system will not see the SDD itself. The RAID adapter must be able to manage the SSD before you can use the storage space on the drive.

[idata]

Many Thanks Jonathan, that clears the doubt, looks like P440ar is the problem here.

Do you know if P3700 (SSDPEDMD020T401) PCI-E card version is compatible with HP DL360/DL380 Gen9?

[jbenavides]

Hello RomanthNirmal,

The Intel® SSD DC P3700 Series (2.0TB, 1/2 Height PCIe 3.0, 20nm, MLC) is compliant with standards for PCIe NVMe 3.0 drives. It should work well with systems meeting the requirements mentioned in Page 5 of the Specification document we posted before; however, we also advise you to contact HP in order to confirm compatibility or in case the servers have any limitations for this type of devices.

[idata]

Many Thanks Jonathan.