HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10 Plus support and HCL?

[markovencelj]

Hello.

I know there was posts in the past regarding DL380 Gen10 Plus open servers and Gaia 81.10.

Server is not on HCL, but as far as i know there are many instalations with this server.

Any info, if it is gonna be on HCL anytime soon? 🙂

BR

[the_rock]

Personally, I would check with your local SE on that. 

[HeikoAnkenbrand]

It is very difficult to order old "HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10" servers at the moment.
When will newer systems be officially supported?
For example "HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10 Plus"

[Chris_Atkinson]

Out of interest have you tried it with R81.20 already or don't have the hardware?

Regardless if this is a critical requirement it will likely require a formal HCL request to be verified and supported.

[Tobias_Moritz]

Well, Gen 11 is now finally there and Check Point HCL team still has not validated the previous platform (Gen10 Plus). How many customers have to place a formal request until a industry standard platform like a HPE DL server is validated by HCL team?

To give another example: We have a placed a formal HCL request to support any buyable 10GBase-T NIC on HPE platform about 400 days ago. That was already a long time after the 10GBase-T NICs on HCL (561T) were not sold anymore. It should be a very easy task, because the successor "HPE Ethernet 10Gb 2-port FLR-T X550-AT2 Adapter" uses the same chip like the Intel "Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X550-T2" which is already on the HCL. But today there is still no validation done by CP HCL team.

I appreciated the commitment to continue support Open Server during the R81.20 TechTalk. However, this means that there must be a suffient ressource commitment to HCL team. And features like Dynamic Balancing, HyperFlow and LightSpeed that are not supported on Open Server also do not underline the Open Server commitment.

[PhoneBoy]

It's quite possible this or any hardware requires (versions of) drivers that are not present in current versions.
This requires some development effort (either to backport the necessary drivers or upgrade the kernel).
This is why HCL requests are treated as an RFE and should be worked closely with your Check Point SE. 

R81.20 was released with a newer version of the Linux kernel (and related drivers), which should help with future HCL certification efforts.

[Oleg_Umanets · Accepted solution]

Will add additional comment to the above,

By adding the product to HCL, Check Point commits on full support for it under specified software version. 
It means end customer will be fully covered by TAC and R&D in case he will need an assistance. 

Check Point appliances are passing all needed tests by default. This is our main branch of hardware.
However, understanding the needs, we are trying our best to certify also 3rd party equipment which has bunch of varieties. Also we are not focusing on one specific brand, proving wide angle of choice. 
This concept has pros and cons as any other. And despite of numerous pros, the cons is a time needed for certification. 

This why we decided, first of all, go based on customer's requirement and considered RFE as the most suitable way of getting the certification requests. 
It helps to get organized information, understand the exact hardware requirements (as again 3rd party has many different option for extra hardware), prioritize and track all of them.

So, for those who need to use an open server which is not in HCL,
Please contact with your local SE to discuss your needs and submit RFE to Check Point. 

[Chris_Atkinson]

Oleg is there an estimated timeframe for updating the HCL with R81.20 information?

[Oleg_Umanets]

We are working on it, should be ready next month. 

[Pablo_Carchi]

Hi Oleg_Umanets

Please, do you have any configuration of the HPE Gen10Plus or Gen11 that has been tested with R81.20 and we are able to use as compatible hardware? I believe that there was any RFE about it that finished and maybe you can suggest us to utilize.

If not, please, could you tell me what is the estimated date when you expect to finish the evaluation?

Thanks for your answer Oleg_Umanets. 

[PhoneBoy]

The currently supported list of hardware is always here: https://www.checkpoint.com/support-services/hcl/
Some HP Gen10 devices are on the list, but not 10Plus or 11.

As for if/when future hardware will be supported, you should consult your local Check Point office.

[Magnus-Holmberg]

By this are you meaning that you as in Check Point are looking on discontinue the support and future expansion on new hardware for openserver?

The last update on the HCL list is from december 2022 more or less a year ago.
Its alot harder for customers to buy servers, if its even possible the older generation servers.

[PhoneBoy]

The RFE process (initiated through your local Check Point office) is used to help prioritize which platforms we target to support for Open Servers.
Our ability to support any given hardware depends on Linux kernel/driver support, both of which will be updated as part of R82.

[Magnus-Holmberg]

What version of the Linux kernel is used for R81.20?

[Chris_Atkinson]

From a machine with the EA.

[_Val_]

Same 3.10

[PhoneBoy]

Major version is still 3.10, yes.
However, it’s a newer release of 3.10 aligned with the latest RHEL 7 release, as I understand it.

[Tobias_Moritz]

R81.20 uses 3.10.0-1160.15.2 which is based on RHEL 7 from 2021-02-02.

R81.10, R81 and R80.40 uses 3.10.0-957.21.3 which is based on RHEL 7 from 2019-06-17.