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ProLiant is a brand of server computers that was originally developed and marketed by Compaq, Hewlett-Packard (HP), and currently marketed by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). ProLiant servers were first introduced by Compaq in 1993, succeeding their SystemPro line of servers in the high-end space.
After Compaq merged with HP in 2002, HP retired its NetServer brand in favor of the ProLiant brand.[1] HP ProLiant systems led the x86 server market in terms of units and revenue during first quarter of 2010.[2] HPE now owns the ProLiant brand after HP split up into two separate companies in 2015.
The HP/HPE ProLiant servers offer many advanced server features such as redundant power supplies, Out-of-band management with iLO or Lights-out 100, Hot-swap components and up to 8-Socket systems.[3]
History
Wordmark logo for ProLiant when it was still owned by Compaq
Compaq ProLiant 3000Compaq ProLiant 2500
The ProLiant series of server computers was originally introduced in 1993 by Compaq to replace their former SystemPro line of servers in the high-end space, with the mid-range space of the SystemPro being succeeded by the ProSignia line of servers and business PCs. The ProLiant and ProSignia brand of servers coexisted with each other up until the ProSignia brand was discontinued in 2000.
Throughout the 1990s up to the early 2000s, numbered models in the ProLiant line were produced such as the entry-level 400 series, the workgroup-oriented 800 and 1000 series, the departmental-oriented 2000 and 3000 series, and the enterprise-oriented 4000, 5000, 6000, 7000 and 8000 series.[4] On November 15, 1999, the ProLiant CL1850 was released as a cluster designed for affordability and space-efficiency to businesses and enterprises of all sizes, using a cube-shaped cabinet which can be either tower or rack mounted.[5]
Compaq ProLiant ML570
On January 31, 2000, Compaq introduced the ProLiant ML and DL line of servers as part of a new positioning framework for the ProLiant line, offering two separate and distinct lines to suit different needs in the server market. The ML (Modular Line) line of servers features a modular design that is designed for maximum system expansion, while the DL (Density Line) line of servers consists of powerful, density-optimized servers designed for rack mounted use.[6] The initial models produced under the new product lines were the ProLiant ML350, ML370 and ML530 for the ML line and the ProLiant DL380 for the DL line. The ProLiant CL380 was released on June 5, 2000, joining with the ProLiant CL1850 as part of the CL (Cluster Line) line of servers.[7] This generation of ProLiant servers is referred to as "Gen1" after the introduction of "Gen2" ProLiant servers on October 25, 2000, the latter of which featured new and improved hardware as well as an updated enclosure[8] that was previously previewed with the release of the ProLiant ML330 on April 26, 2000.[9][10]
In May 2002, Compaq was acquired by HP. As part of the merger with Compaq that year, HP discontinued their NetServer line of servers that had been produced the same year ProLiant servers debuted in the early 1990s in favor of Compaq's ProLiant line of servers. The 2002 merger also brought in other products that were made or offered by Compaq at the time, such as the NonStop line of servers (which were formerly owned by Tandem Computers, inc. and then brought out by Compaq in 1997), the Presario line of personal computers, and the iPAQ line of personal digital assistant (PDA) devices.
HP ProLiant ML350 G4
Following the 2002 merger, "Gen2" ProLiant servers became produced by HP and Compaq-provided software and tools were slowly replaced by HP-provided ones. Throughout the rest of the 2000s up until the early 2010s, Gen3, Gen4, Gen5, Gen6, and Gen7 ProLiant servers were produced.
In February 2012, HP announced the ProLiant Gen8.[11] The ProLiant DL580 Gen8 has been described as a "middle generation" between Gen8 and Gen9. It has some of new features introduced in Gen9, primarily the availability of a UEFI boot option.
In July 2013, HP announced a new blade server-based ProLiant, the HP Moonshot Server.
Starting August 28, 2014, HP ProLiant Gen9 series were available based on Intel Haswell chipset and DDR4 memory.[12] The first were the HP ProLiant ML350 Gen9 Server and HP ProLiant BL460c Gen9 Blade. Servers in this generation support both BIOS and UEFI.
On November 1, 2015, HP split up into two separate companies, HP Inc., and HPE. As part of the spilt, HPE inherited the ProLiant line of servers from the original HP along with a few other products, such as the NonStop line of servers originally produced by Tandem Computers, Compaq, and the original HP.
Starting Q4 2017, HPE ProLiant Gen10 servers[13][14] were available. Also in November 2017, HPE extended their Gen10 range to include AMD EPYC processors using EPYC's price v cores architectures claiming to lower cost per virtual machine (VM) by 50%.[15]
In April 2021, HPE introduced the ProLiant Gen10 Plus line of servers, which are built on third-generation Intel Xeon scalable processors. Equipped with PCIe Gen4 capabilities, the HPE ProLiant DGen10 Plus servers offer improved data transfer rates and higher networking speeds.
In Q4 2024, HPE introduced the ProLiant Gen12 line of servers, which featured HPE and Nvidia's next-generation AI technologies in certain AI-powered models. Those models featured an NVIDIA GH200 NVL2 superchip with 1.2TB of unified memory to accelerate AI workloads.
Details
ProLiant servers are separated into several different product lines - ML, DL, RL, CL, SL, BL, SY, XL (Apollo), and MicroServer - which generally denote form factor.
ProLiant servers produced by Compaq includes tower-based and rack-mounted servers, which were produced in various different configurations and models since its introduction in 1993. Numbered ProLiant models were produced until the current ML and DL product lines were introduced in 2000. The ProLiant ML line comprises tower-based servers (convertible to rack mount) with capacity for internal expansion of disks and interconnects, while the DL line comprises general-purpose rack mount servers. Both the ProLiant ML and DL lines were inherited by HP (and HPE) after Compaq was acquired by HP in 2002.
The RL line compromises cloud-native servers that can handle cloud-native workloads, The CL line compromises affordable and space-efficient clusters for business-critical applications, and the SL line compromises of rack mounted servers designed for use in data centers and environments where high computing power is required. The BL line comprises blade servers which fit within the HP BladeSystem, the SY line comprises Synergy Blades, and the XL line (also known as Apollo) comprises servers for scale out and High Performance Computing environments. The MicroServer product line addresses home and small businesses.
ProLiant servers are also split into several series which denote processor configuration. The 100, 200, 300 and 400 series comprise single and dual socket capable systems, the 500 and 600 series comprise quad socket capable systems, and the 700 and 900 series comprise eight socket capable systems. The 900 series supports up to 80 CPU cores and up to 4TB of RAM. Models with a '0' in the last digit use Intel processors while models with a '5' in the last digit use AMD processors.[16]
ProLiant servers made by Compaq were offered with the company's own SmartStart and Insight Manager among other utilities for management. They were replaced with their HP equivalents in the years since the merger with Compaq and HP in 2002, with Insight Manager being succeeded by HP Systems Insight Manager and HP/HPE Insight Management Agents in 2003, and SmartStart being offered until 2012 with the introduction of ProLiant Gen8. The ProLiant forms part of the HP Converged Systems, which use a common Converged Infrastructure architecture for server, storage, and networking products.[17] Designed to support 50 to 300 virtual machines, the HP ConvergedSystem 300 is configured with ProLiant servers.[18] A system administrator can manage ProLiant servers using HP OneView for converged infrastructure management.[19] HP also provide drivers a software for managing servers such as Management Component Pack which includes hp online configuration utility (hponcfg), Agentless Management Service amsd, Smart Storage Administrator (SSA) ssa, Smart Storage Administrator (SSA) CLI ssacli and Smart Storage Administrator Diagnostic Utility (SSADU) CLI ssaducli.[20]
Product lines
Available models through product generations (2000–present)
ML server models are tower-based. They aim towards maximum expandability.
Density Line (DL) and RISC Line (RL)
HP ProLiant DL380 G5
DL server models are rack-based. They aim towards a balance between density and computing power.
RL server models are rack-based like DL server models, but they are cloud-native servers designed to optimize cloud-native workloads.
Cluster Line (CL)
CL server models are cabinet-based, aimed at simplifying clustering for business-critical applications. They contained two server nodes and shared storage in a cost-effective, space-efficient cabinet, which can be either tower-based or rack-based depending on the configuration.
There were two models that used a cabinet-based enclosure: the Compaq ProLiant CL1850 and Compaq ProLiant CL830.
Scalable Line (SL)
SL server models are rack-based like DL and RL server models, which are mostly used in data centers and environments where a maximum of computing power is desired.
BL server models are enclosure-based. They are made specially for use in a blade enclosure and cannot be used without such. Blade systems aim towards maximum density and manageability at limited rack space.
There are two models of blade enclosures: HPE BladeSystem c3000 Enclosure (8 Bays for Blades), and HPE BladeSystem c7000 Enclosures (16 Bays for Blades).
One advantage of HP/HPE Blade Enclosures compared to competitors (such as IBM Blade Systems) has been that the older generation enclosures have been able to accommodate new generation BL servers just by upgrading the firmware for OA in the enclosure (Onboard Administrator). However improvements to back-plane of the enclosure in the new generation enclosures have enabled faster I/O capabilities (such as 10Gbit/s Ethernet adapters and switches, and Infiniband). The physical design of the enclosures has not changed since the first versions (other than the larger LCD screen at the front compared to the first generation enclosures, and new plastic covers and HPE branding on the 3rd generation enclosures).
ProLiant MicroServer
ProLiant MicroServer N36L
The HPE ProLiant MicroServer line of products are entry-level, low power, compact, and affordable servers meant for small business, home office, or edge computing. They offer user upgradable components and easy access to hard drives. There is the option to purchase the server with ClearOS installed in order for users to be able to enable applications via an easy-to-use web-GUI with minimal effort.
↑Morgan, Timothy Prickett. (April 29, 2013). “HP mashes up ProLiant, Integrity, BladeSystem, and Moonshot server business,” The Register.com.
↑Tiano, Luigi. (September 28, 2013). “HP OneView Managing the Converged Infrastructure Data Center,” 1CloudRoad. Archived April 15, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
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