HPE 96W Smart Storage Battery 260MM CBL - P01367-B21

HPE P01367-B21 Smart Storage Battery with 260mm Cable

Overview

The HPE P01367-B21 is a 96W Smart Storage Battery designed to protect cached write data on HPE Smart Array controllers during unexpected power loss events. Paired with a 260mm cable, this battery — built on the Mc96 battery model — is purpose-engineered for HPE Synergy and ProLiant server platforms where controller-level cache protection is a hard requirement, not an option. If you're running a P240nr, P542d, or P840ar controller without a cache-protection battery today, your cached writes are at risk every time the power blinks.

The P01367-B21 (often searched as P01367 B21) delivers 96 watts of backup power — enough to flush write cache to non-volatile storage and complete an orderly shutdown sequence before data corruption can occur. In 24/7 storage-intensive workloads, that window is the difference between a clean restart and a multi-hour rebuild cycle.

Key Features

• 96W Backup Power Capacity: At 96 watts, this battery provides sufficient energy to complete a full cache destage cycle on supported HPE Smart Array controllers. That means cached writes land safely on disk before the battery is exhausted — the core protection promise for any write-caching configuration.
• Mc96 Battery Model: HPE's Mc96 chemistry is a proven platform in the Smart Storage Battery family, balancing cycle life and discharge capacity for intermittent-use backup scenarios. You're not dealing with a generic cell — this is a controller-matched battery with firmware-level health monitoring built in.
• 260mm Integrated Cable: The included 260mm cable is sized for the specific chassis geometries of the supported platforms. Attempting to adapt a longer or shorter cable introduces routing compromises inside dense Synergy or ProLiant chassis — the correct cable length ships in the box.
• Smart Storage Intelligence: HPE Smart Storage Batteries communicate health status and charge level directly to the controller and to HPE's management stack. You get proactive alerts before the battery degrades below the threshold where it can guarantee a full cache flush — not a silent failure after the fact.
• Controller-Specific Compatibility: Validated for the HPE Smart Array P240nr, P542d, and P840ar controllers. These are distinct controller architectures; a battery that's not validated for your specific controller may not integrate with the controller's cache-protection logic even if it physically connects.
• Platform-Matched Server Support: Qualified on HPE Synergy 480 Gen9, 660 Gen9, ProLiant ML350 Gen10, and Apollo 4200 Gen9. Gen9 and Gen10 chassis have different power plane and bay geometries — HPE's compatibility matrix is not interchangeable, so matching the battery to your specific server generation matters.

Integration & Compatibility

The P01367-B21 is validated against a specific matrix of HPE controllers and server platforms. On the controller side: HPE Smart Array P240nr, P542d, and P840ar. On the server side: HPE Synergy 480 Gen9, Synergy 660 Gen9, ProLiant ML350 Gen10, and Apollo 4200 Gen9. Before ordering, confirm your controller part number against this list — the P840ar, for example, is a 12G SAS controller used in high-density storage configurations, while the P240nr is a non-RAID controller used in Synergy compute modules. Each has different cache sizes and different battery draw profiles; the 96W rating on the P01367-B21 is sized for the maximum draw across this controller family.

For HPE server deployments running write-caching on any of the above controllers in a storage server or converged infrastructure environment, the Smart Storage Battery is not an optional upgrade — it is the mechanism that makes the controller's write-back cache safe to enable. Without it, most HPE Smart Array controllers default to write-through mode, which eliminates the caching benefit entirely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Which HPE Smart Array controllers are compatible with the P01367-B21?

A: The P01367-B21 is validated for the HPE Smart Array P240nr, P542d, and P840ar controllers. Use HPE's compatibility matrix to confirm your specific controller revision before ordering.

Q: Which HPE server platforms support the P01367-B21?

A: Supported platforms include HPE Synergy 480 Gen9, Synergy 660 Gen9, ProLiant ML350 Gen10, and Apollo 4200 Gen9. Gen10 and Gen9 platforms are not universally interchangeable for battery accessories — verify your server generation.

Q: What happens to cached data if the P01367-B21 battery is not installed?

A: Without a Smart Storage Battery, HPE Smart Array controllers typically operate in write-through mode, bypassing the write cache entirely. This eliminates the performance benefit of write-back caching and means no battery-backed protection is in place during a power event.

Q: What does the 260mm cable length refer to?

A: The 260mm cable is the connector that runs from the battery unit to the controller or chassis power point. It is sized for the internal routing requirements of the supported server platforms. Using a mismatched cable length can create routing problems inside dense blade or rack chassis.

Q: What is the battery model used in the P01367-B21?

A: The P01367-B21 uses the Mc96 battery model, part of HPE's Smart Storage Battery family. This model supports firmware-level health monitoring and charge status reporting through HPE's management interfaces.

Q: Can the P01367-B21 be used with non-HPE controllers or third-party servers?

A: No. The P01367-B21 is designed exclusively for HPE Smart Array controllers (P240nr, P542d, P840ar) within the validated HPE server platform list. It is not designed or validated for third-party controllers or non-HPE chassis.

Ted Perry

The P01367-B21 is one of those components that only gets noticed when it's missing — and by then you're looking at a failed rebuild on a degraded array. The 96W output is the spec that matters most here: that's the rated energy floor HPE determined is necessary to complete a full cache destage on the P240nr, P542d, and P840ar controller family. Skimp on the battery spec and you're gambling that a partial flush is enough — it usually isn't.

Technical Highlights:

• 96W Backup Capacity: Sized to cover the worst-case cache flush scenario across all three supported controller SKUs. This is not a universal 'any battery will do' situation — HPE's Smart Array firmware verifies battery health and capacity before enabling write-back mode.
• Mc96 Battery Platform: The Mc96 chemistry supports cycle-count tracking and health reporting through HPE's iLO and SSA interfaces. You'll get advance warning on degradation rather than discovering a dead battery during a power event.
• 260mm Cable: Chassis-matched cable length for Synergy blade and ML350 rack geometries. Internal cable routing in blade enclosures is tight — the wrong cable length forces bends that stress the connector over time.

Deployment Considerations:

• Confirm your controller is specifically one of the three validated SKUs (P240nr, P542d, P840ar) before ordering. The P840 (non-ar) and P840ar are different controllers with different battery connector pinouts — part number precision matters here.
• The Gen9/Gen10 split in the server compatibility list is a real constraint. The ML350 Gen10 is on the list; the ML350 Gen9 is not. Don't assume generation interchangeability — HPE's battery-to-chassis validation is chassis-revision specific.

This battery is the right call for any HPE Synergy 480/660 Gen9 compute module running the P240nr controller in a write-back caching configuration, or for an ML350 Gen10 running the P840ar in a high-IOPS storage workload where write-through mode would be a measurable performance penalty.