HPE DL320 G11 2SFF X4NVME U2/U3 BC Cage - P52749-B21

HPE P52749-B21 DL320 Gen11 2SFF x4 NVMe U.2/U.3 Backplane Cage

Overview

The HPE P52749-B21 is a 2SFF x4 NVMe U.2/U.3 backplane cage designed specifically for the HPE ProLiant DL320 Gen11 server platform. If you are expanding NVMe storage capacity in a DL320 Gen11 — whether for a high-throughput network video recorder backend, edge AI inference node, or dense data storage application — this cage provides the physical and electrical infrastructure to seat and connect up to two 2.5-inch small form-factor NVMe drives via U.2 or U.3 interfaces.

U.2 and U.3 both use the same SFF-8639 connector, but U.3 extends the spec to support multi-protocol operation (NVMe, SAS, SATA over one port), giving you flexibility to mix drive types as your storage architecture evolves — a meaningful consideration when planning tiered storage for video surveillance workloads or AI compute pipelines that require both fast cache and bulk capacity. This cage is sold as a server storage component and is specific to the DL320 Gen11 chassis — confirm your server's generation and bay configuration before ordering, as HPE drive cage assemblies are not cross-generation compatible.

Key Features

• 2SFF Dual-Drive Bay: accommodates two 2.5-inch SFF drives — doubles NVMe slot count in the target bay position without requiring a larger chassis footprint.
• x4 NVMe Lane Allocation: each drive receives a dedicated x4 PCIe lane allocation, preserving full bandwidth per drive rather than splitting a wider bus — important when running parallel read/write workloads across both bays simultaneously.
• U.2 and U.3 Interface Support: backward-compatible with U.2 NVMe SSDs while also supporting the newer U.3 multi-protocol standard — protects the investment if you standardize on U.3 drives going forward.
• Platform-Specific Design: engineered for the HPE ProLiant DL320 Gen11 (P52749-B21 often searched as P52749 B21) — HPE's drive cage assemblies include the backplane PCB, signal routing, and mechanical retention matched to the chassis mid-plane, so there is no ad-hoc cabling or bracket fabrication required.
• Commercial-Grade Construction: manufactured to HPE's ProLiant server component standards; country of origin CN, factory-new from channel-direct sourcing.

Integration & Compatibility

This cage is designed exclusively for the HPE ProLiant DL320 Gen11 1U platform. It is not compatible with DL320 Gen10 or earlier chassis, nor with other ProLiant family members (DL360, DL380, etc.) — HPE's backplane form factors and mid-plane connector positions differ between models and generations. Verify your server's existing bay population and the specific cage slot position (front vs. secondary) against HPE's DL320 Gen11 QuickSpecs before ordering. Pair with U.2 or U.3 NVMe SSDs sourced from HPE's supported drive list to ensure full firmware compatibility and Smart Array/controller integration.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What server is the P52749-B21 compatible with?

A: The P52749-B21 is designed specifically for the HPE ProLiant DL320 Gen11 server. It is not cross-compatible with earlier DL320 generations or other ProLiant models.

Q: Does the P52749-B21 support both U.2 and U.3 NVMe drives?

A: Yes. The cage supports both U.2 and U.3 NVMe drives via the SFF-8639 connector standard. U.3 additionally supports multi-protocol operation for mixed drive environments.

Q: How many drives does this cage support?

A: The 2SFF designation indicates two 2.5-inch small form-factor drive bays per cage assembly.

Q: Is this a hot-plug capable backplane?

A: Hot-plug capability depends on the server platform configuration and firmware. Verify hot-plug support against HPE's DL320 Gen11 QuickSpecs and your specific storage controller before assuming hot-swap operation in a live environment.

Q: Where is the P52749-B21 manufactured?

A: Country of origin is CN (China), consistent with HPE's standard ProLiant server component manufacturing.

Ted Perry

The P52749-B21 is a platform-locked component — its value is entirely in what it unlocks for the DL320 Gen11 chassis. If you are building out NVMe storage density in a 1U footprint for a surveillance recording backend or edge compute node, the x4 lane-per-drive allocation is the spec that matters most: you are not sharing bandwidth across drives on a bifurcated bus, which keeps per-drive latency predictable under concurrent read/write from multiple camera streams or inference pipelines.

Technical Highlights:

• 2SFF x4 NVMe per Bay: dedicated x4 PCIe lanes per drive slot means no bandwidth contention between the two drives — critical for sustained sequential write workloads like continuous video recording.
• U.2/U.3 Dual Protocol: U.3 multi-protocol support allows a future drive swap to SAS or SATA in the same bay without a new backplane — reduces reconfiguration cost if storage strategy changes after initial deployment.
• DL320 Gen11 Native Fit: HPE backplane assemblies integrate directly with the chassis mid-plane and iLO firmware; no third-party adapter or custom cabling is needed to get drive health reporting and predictive failure alerts in HPE OneView or iLO.

Deployment Considerations:

• Confirm the specific bay position (primary front vs. secondary) in the DL320 Gen11 chassis before ordering — HPE ships multiple cage SKUs for this platform and the mechanical fitment is position-specific.
• This cage does not include drives; pair with HPE-supported U.2 or U.3 NVMe SSDs to maintain full Smart Storage Administrator compatibility and avoid unsupported-drive warnings in iLO.

Best fit for integrators building dense 1U NVMe storage nodes inside the DL320 Gen11 — specifically where a surveillance recording server or edge AI appliance needs additional fast-tier drive bays without migrating to a larger chassis form factor.