HPE DL325 G11 Chassis Options
The HPE ProLiant DL325 Gen11 is a 1U 1P server with a unique compact design and workload-driven modular design that is purpose-built for edge computing delivering exceptional performance at 1P economics and an excellent choice for both virtualized and containerized workloads.
HPE DL325 Backplane / Drive Cages
Notes 8SFF CTO
- P54999-B21 - x1 Tri-Mode U.3 (lower performance)
- P55000-B21 - x4 Tri-Mode U.3 (more PCIe bandwidth)
- P56652-B21 - 2x 2.5" Drives Or ODD Media Bay
Notes GPU CTO
- P64521-B21 - Standard 4x NVMe drive cage.
- P64522-B21 - 8 EDSFF (E3.S) drive cage.
- P70287-B21 - Standard 4x NVMe + Dual OCP.
HPE DL325 Heatsink
- Seven (7) performance fan kits are required.
- 450mm Quick Disconnect for GPU-optimized server.
- 55cm Quick Disconnect for non-GPU-optimized configuration
HPE DL325 Fan Options
Liquid Cooling Fan Kit is Required with the Closed Loop Liquid Cooling Heat sink is selected.
M.2 Drive Options Device
M.2 Enablement Pass Through Card - P57014-B21
A PCIe-based add-in card that provides two M.2 slots (supporting both 2280 and 22110 form factors) for either SATA or NVMe SSDs via SlimSAS connection. Places is Slot 1, takes a PCIe slot.
- No RAID supported on this option
- Cannot be selected with the NS204i-u boot device
- Not compatible with EDSFF CTO server + Liquid Cooling Fan Kit
- Requires Performance or Liquid Cooling fans if used with SFF/LFF servers
NS204i-u Boot Device
A dedicated hot-plug boot device that mounts externally accessible at the rear of the server, housing two M.2 NVMe SSDs pre-configured in RAID 1 mirror. It does not occupy a PCIe slot but requires the secondary low-profile riser (P55029-B21)
- RAID 1 is pre-configured and cannot be changed
- Cannot be selected with the M.2 enablement kit
- Requires Performance or Liquid Cooling fans
- Not compatible with EDSFF CTO + Liquid Cooling Fan Kit
NS204i-u Options
- v1 - Supported by AMD 4th Gen
- v2 - Supported by AMD 5th Gen
MR vs SR — What's the Difference?
The MR (MegaRAID) and SR (SmartRAID) series use different RAID configuration tools and cannot be mixed in the same server. Both series support SAS, SATA, and NVMe drives when used with a tri-mode U.3 backplane, enabling mixed drive configurations. The server has no embedded software RAID — direct attached SATA drives operate in AHCI mode only, so a controller is required for any hardware RAID.
Choosing Between MR and SR
- Need OCP slot deployment → MR type-o only
- Simple RAID, no cache needed → MR216i-o or MR216i-p
- Need cache, moderate drive count → MR408i-o or MR416i-o/p
- Maximum drive count or throughput → SR932i-p
- External SAS/SATA storage → E208e-p (Gen10, type-p, external only)
HPE DL325 Gen11 PCI Risers
- The Primary riser default - PCIe Gen5 x16 FH HL.
- P55029-B21 - Required if NS204i-u (P48183-B21) is selected
- P64520-B21 - In a GPU Server this provides extra PCIe Lanes to support FH/FL Cards in Slot 1
HPE DL325 Gen11 GPU
The Manuals are very poor in this GPU section. They do not explain how 4 SW GPUs are installed in this server. They also dont have any information about supported GPUs other than the L4 SW GPU. Below are GPUs that work for the DL320 Gen 11.
Notes:
- Cannot mix GPUs Models.
- All 7 high-performance fans are required for any GPU installation
- Front-end GPU riser cage — Slot 4 and Slot 5
- Rear primary riser cage — Slot 1
HPE DL325 Gen11 Lights Out! iLO
HPE iLO 6 is the 6th-generation Integrated Lights-Out management processor built into HPE ProLiant Gen11 servers (including the DL325 Gen11).
It delivers secure out-of-band remote management, allowing you to monitor, control, and troubleshoot the server even when the OS is down or the server is powered off.
Key features include a hardware Silicon Root of Trust, enhanced security (secure boot, attestation), Redfish-compliant RESTful API, improved remote console, virtual media, and seamless integration with HPE Compute Ops Management and OneView.