HP NC364T Quad Port 1 Gbe NIC

[TallGraham]

Hi Everyone

After my incompatible issue with the Intel Pro 1000 PT Quad port NICs and my Intel DQ77MK motherboard I thought I would ask some advice on these HP NICs.

• Has anyone got them running?
• Do they work with Windows Server 2012 R2 and VMware ESXi 5.5 and later?
• Does anyone know if they work properly in the Intel DQ77MK motherboards PCIe v2.0 x4 slot?

I really want to finalise my virtual stack build and the Intel PT problem has ground me to a halt

I was looking at 10Gbe stuff but the switches all seem too loud and expensive at the moment.

All input is greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance

 

[badskater]

I know they work well with ESXi 5.5+ (Even 6.0 just saying ) For Windows Server 2012 R2, i didn't test it... But i know people who does, and they work fine for them. I got 10 of them running in a vSphere 5.5U2 cluster.

 

[Marsh]

1) Yes
2) ESXi5.5 and Windows Server 2012r2 work, HP NC364 and HP NC360 are my goto card. I own over 30 of the HP nic.
The HP NC360 card is the only card in my experience that could boot Windows from iSCSI 100% of the time.
3) Don't know, I don not have Intel DQ77MK

 

[TallGraham]

Great feedback so far

Thank you very much to @badskater and @Marsh

I will hopefully be booting my diskless hypervisor machines in the Cluster from iSCSI. This will enable me to run both Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V and VMware ESXi on the same hardware as and when I need to. Although I hope to boot the iSCSI from the Brocade BR-1020 cards that will be running the iSCSI connections.

I have seen a few of these cards on eBay so will keep my eyes peeled for a deal. If anyone does have an Intel DQ77MK board and can test one in there then I would be very grateful to here the outcome.

 

[Marsh]

The problem with iSCSI diskless booting of Windows is Microsoft OS issue, I tried using many system board with Intel network chipset with iSCSI rom, as well as few highend Intel card. I still have a hack of time getting Windows to complete the diskless boot.
To get around the Windows diskless boot, I just get some $25 HP NC360 card, and save myself hundreds of hours of frustration

 

[badskater]

I've personally never used boot from SAN with Windows Server, only with vSphere in a vblock and a flexpod environment, so full of Cisco UCS at 10gbps with FCoE.

 

[TallGraham]

Yay! I got two of these cards from eBay. Plugged them into the Intel DQ77MK motherboard and they work brilliantly. Oddly enough Windows 2012 R2 Server reports them as Intel Pro 1000 NICs lol

 

[badskater]

HP NC series are OEM from Intel. So it's a bit normal in Windows Server. With the normal ESXi iso, it also does that, while with the HP, it shows nc364t. Don't know what's different within the drivers.