Day: October 9, 2015

HPE Support 101: A Step-by-Step Guide to Raising ProLiant & Blade Server Cases | Lazy Admin Blog

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Is your ProLiant DL360 Gen11 throwing a pre-failure alert? Or perhaps a BL460c blade has gone “No Power” in the chassis? Since the segregation of HP into HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), the support portal has evolved.

If you are a “Lazy Admin,” you want to get your ticket in quickly so you can get back to what matters. Here is the streamlined approach to navigating HPE Support.

Step 1: Identify Your Product Family

Before heading to the portal, confirm which category your hardware falls into. HPE generally groups them as:

  • BL Series: ProLiant Server Blades (Enclosure-based)
  • DL Series: Rack-mount Servers (Multi-node and Standard)
  • ML Series: Tower Servers
  • MicroServer: For small office/home office environments
  • Apollo/Scalable Systems: High-density computing

Step 2: Use the Global Search

If you aren’t sure which specific “Packaged Cluster” or “Scalable System” you have, use the HPE Support Center search bar. Enter your specific model (e.g., ProLiant DL380 Gen10).

Why this page is useful: Before you even raise a case, the product page provides:

  • Top Issues & Solutions: Often, the fix for a known firmware bug is already listed here.
  • Drivers & Software: Essential for getting the latest SPP (Service Pack for ProLiant).
  • Warranty Check: Crucial! HPE will not open a case for hardware replacement if the serial number isn’t linked to an active contract or warranty.

Step 3: The HP Passport Login

To submit or manage cases, you must have an HPE Passport account. This is a single sign-on (SSO) service.

You can access the login page directly here: https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/home/

  • Tip: Link your company’s Support Agreement IDs (SAID) or Service Agreement IDs (SAR) to your Passport account before the server fails. It saves massive amounts of time during an actual emergency.

Step 4: Submitting the Case

Navigate to the Submit or manage support cases section. You will need:

  1. Serial Number (S/N): Found on the pull-out “luggage tag” on the front of the server or via iDRAC/iLO.
  2. Product Number (P/N): The specific hardware SKU.
  3. Logs: HPE will almost always ask for an Active Health System (AHS) log. Download this from the iLO before you start the ticket.

#HPE #ProLiant #ServerSupport #SysAdmin #DataCenter #ITOps #HPEPassport #Troubleshooting #LazyAdmin #EnterpriseIT

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