HPE Smart Array E208i-a SR Gen10 12G SAS Modular RAID Controller — 836259-001 / 804329-001 / 804326-B21

Used, fully tested and working. Controller only — no SAS cables are included.

Read this before you buy

This is the modular type-a (AROC) card, not a PCIe plug-in card. It has no gold-finger edge connector and no PCI bracket. It seats on the dedicated Smart Array modular controller connector on the server system board and is held by two blue captive thumbscrews. It is not the E208i-p, which is the standard plug-in version with a bracket. The two are not interchangeable — if you have an empty PCIe slot rather than the modular connector, you need the -p card instead.

Compatibility

• Named in both HPE QuickSpecs documents for this controller: ProLiant DL360 Gen10, DL380 Gen10, DL385 Gen10 and ML350 Gen10.
• The broader HPE Smart Array SR Gen10 QuickSpecs also lists DL325 Gen10, DL560 Gen10, DL580 Gen10, ML110 Gen10, MicroServer Gen10, and Apollo XL170r / XL190r / XL450 / XL230k / XL270d Gen10.
• Note: the E208i-a specific QuickSpecs states that DL560 Gen10 takes the low-heatsink (LH) variant, which is option 869079-B21 / spare 871039-001. This card is the standard-heatsink 804326-B21 version, so please do not buy it for a DL560 Gen10 without checking.
• This is a Gen10 part. We do not claim Gen10 Plus or V2 compatibility — those platforms use a different modular controller connector.

Please confirm against your server's service guide before buying.

Specifications

• HPE Smart Array E208i-a SR Gen10, Essential class
• 8 internal SAS lanes across 2 internal x4 ports (Mini-SAS HD, SFF-8643), marked PORT 1 and PORT 2
• 12 Gb/s SAS, 6 Gb/s SATA per lane
• Host link: PCI Express 3.0 x8, carried through the modular connector
• No cache. HPE's own product name is "E208i-a SR Gen10 (8 Internal Lanes/No Cache)". There is no cache module and no upgrade path.
• RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10. This controller does not support RAID 6, 50, 60 or the ADM levels — those are P-series only.
• Supports up to 238 physical drives and 64 logical drives
• No HPE Smart Storage energy pack is required or applicable — an energy pack is only needed for Performance (P-series) controllers with cache.

Not the P408i-a

The P408i-a looks almost identical and mounts the same way, but it adds 2GB flash-backed write cache, RAID 6/50/60 and the ADM levels, and it requires an energy pack. If you need those, you need the P408i-a (836260-001), not this card.

What is included

• The E208i-a controller board only.
• No SAS cables, no drives, no server, no screws beyond the two captive thumbscrews fitted to the card, no software and no licences.

Condition

Used and fully tested: installed in a server, detected by the host and initialised normally. Cosmetically clean with light handling marks. Both internal Mini-SAS ports undamaged, modular edge connector clean, both captive thumbscrews present, heatsink secure.

Part numbers

836259-001 (spare) · 804329-001 (assembly) · 804326-B21 (option kit) · RMN HSTNS-B108 · E208i-a

Ships free from the United States in anti-static packaging.