Some information about HP T620 Plus Flexible Thin Client machines for network appliance builds...

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yodaphone

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Feb 21, 2019
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In case someone is interested in the screws for mSATA SSD please DM me. I got a bunch (10 left) and i can mail them to you (2 for $1) including shipping (1st Class Mail)
 

SwanRonson

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Sep 27, 2018
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For those running pf/opn sense, what does your configuration look like? built-in NIC for WAN and Intel add-in card for LAN?

btw @BLinux why did you want to avoid the m.2 ssd? do these router OS not properly provision SSDs and kill them with r/w?
 

BLinux

cat lover server enthusiast
Jul 7, 2016
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btw @BLinux why did you want to avoid the m.2 ssd? do these router OS not properly provision SSDs and kill them with r/w?
For one, I was exploring all boot drive options when I was testing out pfsense on USB drive. My final setup is not using pfsense; that was just a test. But probably the more important factor for me was availability of replacement; where i live I can't buy a replacement M.2 SSD at the local stores easily, but I can run to the local 24-hr Walmart and buy a SanDisk USB drive within 20 minutes.
 
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TLN

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Feb 26, 2016
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Guys, what are alternatives to those boxes? Is there anything bit more powerful out there for reasonable money?
I see T630 and such - worth looking?
 

Molasar

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Jun 10, 2019
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Has anybody tried to install a (spinning) 2.5 SATA HDD in this machine (Rev. B)? Any help would be appreciated!
 

Samir

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Jul 21, 2017
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Has anybody tried to install a (spinning) 2.5 SATA HDD in this machine (Rev. B)? Any help would be appreciated!
Have you seen the STH review?
https://www.servethehome.com/hp-t620-plus-thin-client-and-firewall-vpn-appliance/

It mentions and even shows a carrier for a 2.5" ssd, which could also be a thin hdd--the problem they found (and didn't address) is where to get power for the drive.

There's a great site on thin clients (owner is super cool too) that has some good pictures and expansion options on the t620 (but only mentions traces for an msata connector):
HP Thin Client: t620
 

KopiJahe

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Aug 30, 2018
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Has anybody tried to install a (spinning) 2.5 SATA HDD in this machine (Rev. B)? Any help would be appreciated!
Have you seen the STH review?
https://www.servethehome.com/hp-t620-plus-thin-client-and-firewall-vpn-appliance/

It mentions and even shows a carrier for a 2.5" ssd, which could also be a thin hdd--the problem they found (and didn't address) is where to get power for the drive.

There's a great site on thin clients (owner is super cool too) that has some good pictures and expansion options on the t620 (but only mentions traces for an msata connector):
HP Thin Client: t620
I'm using a 2.5" SSD in one of mine. I'm using this adapter to achieve this:

It is just ~$4 shipped on AliExpress. I just tuck the SSD in the area that the adapter should have been. As you will be using an HDD, you might need to insulate the PCB to prevent a shorting. You also need to provide a SATA cable on your own (I use a short one).
 
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Molasar

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Jun 10, 2019
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I'm using a 2.5" SSD in one of mine. I'm using this adapter to achieve this:

It is just ~$4 shipped on AliExpress. I just tuck the SSD in the area that the adapter should have been. As you will be using an HDD, you might need to insulate the PCB to prevent a shorting. You also need to provide a SATA cable on your own (I use a short one).
Wow!!! Just what I was looking for! Thanks!!!
 

Molasar

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Jun 10, 2019
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Have you seen the STH review?
https://www.servethehome.com/hp-t620-plus-thin-client-and-firewall-vpn-appliance/

It mentions and even shows a carrier for a 2.5" ssd, which could also be a thin hdd--the problem they found (and didn't address) is where to get power for the drive.
This carrier does not look like the AT27Mini-EA or AT29Mini-EA brackets...

(https://www.servethehome.com/wp-con...T620-Plus-Thin-Client-Internal-2.5-in-Bay.jpg)




This one has green clamps on the top, which the AT27Mini-EA or AT29Mini-EA brackets don't have. Even the general bracket shape is different (one on the lower left):

(https://www.servethehome.com/wp-con...Client-Jamestown-Rev-B-and-A-Side-by-Side.jpg)



So does anybody know what this "green clamp" bracket is (P/N, etc.)?

Thanks!
 

arglebargle

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Jul 15, 2018
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I'm using a 2.5" SSD in one of mine. I'm using this adapter to achieve this:

It is just ~$4 shipped on AliExpress. I just tuck the SSD in the area that the adapter should have been. As you will be using an HDD, you might need to insulate the PCB to prevent a shorting. You also need to provide a SATA cable on your own (I use a short one).
I picked up a couple of these as well but haven't taken the time to install them. I was going to just stick the SSD in the case wherever I could find room. Nice to know they work as expected
 

Molasar

New Member
Jun 10, 2019
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This carrier does not look like the AT27Mini-EA or AT29Mini-EA brackets...

(https://www.servethehome.com/wp-con...T620-Plus-Thin-Client-Internal-2.5-in-Bay.jpg)


This one has green clamps on the top, which the AT27Mini-EA or AT29Mini-EA brackets don't have. Even the general bracket shape is different (one on the lower left):

(https://www.servethehome.com/wp-con...Client-Jamestown-Rev-B-and-A-Side-by-Side.jpg)

So does anybody know what this "green clamp" bracket is (P/N, etc.)?

Thanks!
Never mind. It is the rear bracket for the AT27Mini-EA or AT29Mini-EA... End-of-Life Disassembly instructions, page 12: BRKT Rear Fiber-NIC (6070B0710201)
 

fossxplorer

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Mar 17, 2016
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Yes I have, but just as that site mentions, I have no idea where to get power, maybe except for getting power from one of the internal USB ports... just a thought.
And this is what i had in mind when i ordered mPCIe to SATA adapter with 2 SATA slot. I did not want to ruin the M.2 slot, nor the mSATA slot (for those with such model).
I did also order adapters to get power from one of the internal USB, but for this i need to do some manual wiring/soldering to get the current out to my SSD( i do have 2 of these mini SATA Micron SSDS). I did not have time to fix this part.

But i can confirm that the mPCIe (WLAN slot) to SATA WORKS JUST FINE USING THE mPCIe slot in the T620 plus. For the test i powered the disk using external PSU. So if i can get 2 of these mini SSD to be installed inside somehow, in addition to keeping the M.2 (and mSATA as a bonus for some), it'd be a huge win.
 
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-Tilde

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Apr 18, 2019
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How thick is this without the stand? Wanting to put it on a 1u shelf, only dimensions I can find are for with the stand, and if I scale it up to a 1:1 scale in GIMP and measure, it's apparently a bit over 40mm. Is that correct?
 

ullbeking

Active Member
Jul 28, 2017
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Has anybody tried to install a (spinning) 2.5 SATA HDD in this machine (Rev. B)? Any help would be appreciated!
What is this "Rev. B" you mention? Is it a property of your HP t620 plus? Is so then I will look for mine after I get a reply. If the code is inside the chassis then it will take a small effort to open it up and have a look, because I think the revision might be having an effect on different people's results. I am determined to get my HP t620 plus working, for many reasons.
 

ChrisM484

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Jun 27, 2019
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I recently tried to update the BIOS using the tool created by fohdeesha. Upon running the installer, I am getting a FFS checksum error. I have reset the BIOS to defaults and replaced the CMOS battery, yet the error persists. Could there possibly be an issue when trying to update the BIOS from version 2.08 straight to 2.19? Anyone else see similar issues?
 

ullbeking

Active Member
Jul 28, 2017
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I recently tried to update the BIOS using the tool created by fohdeesha. Upon running the installer, I am getting a FFS checksum error. I have reset the BIOS to defaults and replaced the CMOS battery, yet the error persists. Could there possibly be an issue when trying to update the BIOS from version 2.08 straight to 2.19? Anyone else see similar issues?
Yes, I was unable to get the BIOS updater working when I put a solution together myself on a USB flash drive. In the end I decided to drop it because I didn't really understand UEFI. I booted into a Windows machine [1], found an approved USB flash drive creation utility, downloaded the official Lenovo firmware files (for BIOS and EC updates), and created a USB flash disk that worked properly.

In my experience anything that tries to use UEFI during installation is still a gigantic mess unless it is Windows.

I will find the USB flash drive and see if I can either:
  1. Write instructions to describe exactly what I did;
  2. Or, make a block-level image of the USB flash drive and upload it somewhere so that other people can write their own flash drives more easily.
Personally I would use Option 1. You can reassure yourself that you've got legitimate software that way. Also, getting familiar with the HP & HPE ways of doing things is useful if you're going to be working with servers, even if you normally prefer Supermicro or ASRock Rack, for example.

[1] I have a Lenovo ThinkPad T430 with Windows 10 Pro installed on the bare metal. It's the only operating system. I don't use it often but it's very useful when I need to do things like this. For some reason, enterprise hardware companies such as HPE release their tools only for Windows.

There are ways of working around this by using Linux or *nix tools, but each vendor has its own quirks and you can easily waste a lot of time. Usually in these situations you just want to get the job done and then having easy access to a Windows computer is a big relief.​

I'll have a look when I get home later.

Edit: I haven't had time to look yet. Will update the thread when I do.

@ullbeking
 
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