Fan presence bypass and low-noise fan modification for HP ProLiant DL380p Gen8 servers.
This project documents a tested method to make the HP ProLiant DL380p Gen8 accept non-original fan modifications without fan errors in iLO.
✅ Fan presence hack verified ✅ All fans detected as OK ✅ Fan redundancy restored ✅ Health status OK ✅ Tested on iLO 4 v2.77 ✅ Tested on iLO 4 v2.82 ✅ Warm reboot test passed ✅ POST fan check passed ✅ Stress test passed
| Component | Details |
|---|---|
| Server | HP ProLiant DL380p Gen8 |
| CPU | 2x Intel Xeon E5-2690 |
| iLO | iLO 4 |
| Firmware tested | 2.77 and 2.82 |
| OS | Proxmox VE |
| Fan mod | Fan presence bypass |
| Planned fans | Thermalright TL-B6B PWM 60x60x25mm |
HP ProLiant Gen8 servers are known to report fan errors or increase fan speed when non-original fans are used.
Typical symptoms:
- Fan Failed
- Fan Redundancy Failed
- Health status warning
- High fan speed
- Fan errors during POST or reboot
The goal was to reduce fan noise while keeping iLO health status green.
The 6-pin fan connector used in this system follows this layout:
| Pin | Function |
|---|---|
| 1 | 12V |
| 2 | Not connected |
| 3 | Speed control / PWM 0–3.3V |
| 4 | Rotation detect |
| 5 | Ground loop / presence |
| 6 | Ground |
The tested bypass connects the fan presence related pins to ground.
Tested bridge:
Pin 4 ─┐
Pin 5 ─┼── Ground
Pin 6 ─┘
| iLO Version | Result |
|---|---|
| iLO 4 v2.77 | ✅ Working |
| iLO 4 v2.82 | ✅ Working |
After applying the modification:
- All fans detected correctly
- Fan redundancy restored
- Health Summary reports OK
- No fan-related warnings
- No fan-related POST errors
- Stable operation after reboot
- Stable operation under load
The server was tested under sustained CPU load using both processors.
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Cold Boot | ✅ Passed |
| Warm Reboot | ✅ Passed |
| POST Fan Detection | ✅ Passed |
| Fan Redundancy | ✅ Passed |
| Health Status | ✅ Passed |
| Stress Test | ✅ Passed |
Observed during testing:
- CPU package temperatures remained within safe operating limits
- iLO reported all fans as healthy
- No unexpected fan ramp-up events
- No thermal warnings generated
After successful boot:
- Fan 1: ~32%
- Fan 2: ~35%
- Fan 3: ~40%
- Fan 4: ~40%
- Fan 5: ~40%
- Fan 6: ~37%
All fans reported OK and system redundancy remained active.
Planned validation steps:
- Thermalright TL-B6B PWM installation
- Tachometer signal verification
- PWM speed control verification
- Long-term stability testing
- Additional iLO firmware testing
This modification is experimental and performed at your own risk.
Always monitor temperatures after modifying server cooling hardware.
The author assumes no responsibility for hardware damage, overheating, or data loss resulting from modifications described in this repository.