HPE P94883-005 ProLiant DL385 Gen11 2U Rack Server
The HPE ProLiant DL385 Gen11 — part number P94883-005 — is a 2U single-socket rack server built around AMD's EPYC 9115 processor, configured here with 64 GB of DDR5 Smart Memory and eight Small Form Factor drive bays. It's a purpose-built platform for workloads that demand high core density, fast memory bandwidth, and flexible PCIe Gen5 I/O expansion without requiring a dual-socket footprint. If you're sizing a rack server for a video management, analytics, or virtualization workload and want AMD's 4th/5th-gen architecture at a 1P power budget, this configuration is where to start.
Key Features
- AMD EPYC 9115 — 16 cores at 2.60 GHz, 64 MB L3 cache, 125W TDP: The EPYC 9115 delivers 16 Zen 4 cores in a single socket with a 125W TDP — that's a meaningful efficiency point for data-center operators counting watts per rack unit. The 64 MB L3 cache means latency-sensitive workloads (database reads, analytics query engines, VMS decompression pipelines) spend less time waiting on main memory. For a AMD EPYC rack server, this is the entry point into the Gen11 DL385 family without over-provisioning core count for workloads that don't parallelize past 16 threads.
- 64 GB DDR5 at 6400 MT/s (2×32 GB), expandable to 6 TB: The included 64 GB gets you running immediately; the 24 DIMM slots across 12 channels per processor mean you can scale to 6 TB without replacing the platform. DDR5 at 6400 MT/s roughly doubles the memory bandwidth of DDR4-3200, which matters directly for workloads doing large in-memory data sets — think 30+ channel VMS with live analytics, or virtualized workloads running multiple concurrent high-memory VMs. This is not a spec to gloss over: memory bandwidth is frequently the actual bottleneck in video analytics pipelines, not raw CPU speed.
- 8 Small Form Factor (SFF) drive bays with HPE MR408i-o Gen11 RAID controller (4 GB cache): Eight SFF bays give you enough raw slot count for a mixed workload storage tier — SSDs for the OS and hot-tier databases, HDDs for long-retention video. The MR408i-o controller carries a 4 GB cache to smooth out write bursts, which is the exact scenario a multi-channel NVR or VMS generates during peak recording. The OCP-connected controller also keeps the primary PCIe lanes free for network or GPU cards. See the NVR and server storage planning guide for retention sizing examples.
- PCIe Gen5 — 8 expansion slots, 2 OCP slots: Gen5 doubles the per-lane bandwidth over Gen4. In practice that means a 25GbE or 100GbE NIC or a high-throughput GPU won't be I/O-starved by the bus. The two OCP3 slots let you slot the included Broadcom BCM57416 10GbE dual-port adapter without consuming a primary PCIe slot — preserving all eight expansion slots for additional NICs, HBAs, or compute accelerators as the workload grows.
- Broadcom BCM57416 10Gb 2-port BASE-T OCP3 NIC, factory-installed: The included 10GbE dual-port adapter means the server ships network-ready without an add-in card purchase. BASE-T (copper RJ-45) simplifies cabling into standard switches — no SFP+ transceivers required. For a VMS server ingesting 30+ HD camera streams at 4–8 Mbps each, a single 10GbE uplink comfortably handles aggregate ingest and client playback simultaneously. Pair this with a managed PoE switch at the camera layer and you have a clean separation of transport tiers.
- Dual 800W Flex Slot Platinum Hot-Plug PSUs, Low Halogen: Redundant power supplies mean a single PSU failure doesn't bring the server down — critical for any production recording or analytics environment where downtime means lost footage. Platinum efficiency (92%+ at load) reduces heat output per watt delivered, which matters in dense racks where cooling is the binding constraint. Hot-plug means the failed unit swaps in live, without a maintenance window.
- HPE iLO 6 with Intelligent Provisioning: iLO 6 is HPE's out-of-band management interface — remote KVM, power control, hardware health monitoring, and firmware updates without a local technician. Intelligent Provisioning handles OS deployment and driver installation from the iLO console, which shortens commissioning time significantly for distributed deployments where physical access is expensive. If you're managing a fleet of servers across multiple sites, iLO 6 with a centralized HPE OneView or iLO Amplifier instance eliminates most on-site service calls.
- 6 standard system fans, tool-less 2U chassis: Six fans provide N+1 redundancy at the cooling layer — a single fan failure degrades performance before causing a shutdown, buying time for a service call. The 2U chassis keeps rack density practical: two DL385 Gen11 nodes in a 4U footprint is a standard building block for small VMS clusters or edge analytics deployments.
Integration and Compatibility
The P94883-005 (often searched as P94883 005) runs any standard x86 operating system: Windows Server 2019/2022, RHEL, Ubuntu Server, and VMware ESXi are all validated on the DL385 Gen11 platform. For physical security applications, it's a compatible host for video management system software including Milestone XProtect, Genetec Security Center, Avigilon Control Center, and Hanwha Wisenet WAVE — any VMS that runs on Windows Server or a supported Linux distribution will install without platform-level restrictions. The server's PCIe Gen5 lanes accommodate NVIDIA GPU cards for AI-based video analytics inference workloads; the EPYC 9115's memory bandwidth makes it a practical base for running inference on multiple camera streams simultaneously. HPE's Smart Array ecosystem is directly compatible, and the MR408i-o controller supports RAID 0/1/5/6/10 configurations for local storage protection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What warranty is included with the HPE P94883-005?
A: The P94883-005 includes a 3-year parts, 3-year labor, and 3-year on-site warranty from HPE. Extended Tech Care service contracts (3-year and 5-year, Basic and Essential tiers) are available as add-ons for organizations needing faster response SLAs.
Q: How many drives does the P94883-005 support, and what controller is included?
A: The server ships with 8 Small Form Factor (SFF) drive bays and the HPE MR408i-o Gen11 RAID controller with a 4 GB cache over an OCP x8 lane connection. Drive type (SSD or HDD) and RAID level are configured at deployment — drives are not included in the base P94883-005 SKU.
Q: Can the P94883-005 be expanded beyond the included 64 GB of RAM?
A: Yes. The DL385 Gen11 platform supports 24 DIMM slots across 12 channels per processor. With a single EPYC 9115 installed, the P94883-005 can be expanded to up to 3 TB of DDR5 memory at 6400 MT/s using HPE DDR5 Smart Memory DIMMs.
Q: Does the P94883-005 include a network adapter?
A: Yes. A factory-installed Broadcom BCM57416 dual-port 10Gb BASE-T OCP3 adapter is included, providing two RJ-45 copper 10GbE ports without consuming a standard PCIe slot.
Q: What operating systems are supported on the HPE DL385 Gen11?
A: The DL385 Gen11 platform is validated for Windows Server 2019 and 2022, RHEL, Ubuntu Server, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, and VMware ESXi. HPE Intelligent Provisioning (via iLO 6) streamlines OS deployment during initial commissioning.
Q: Is the P94883-005 suitable as a video management server for large camera deployments?
A: It's a practical platform for mid-to-large VMS deployments. The 16-core EPYC 9115 with 6400 MT/s DDR5 bandwidth handles concurrent decoding and analytics across 30–60+ camera streams depending on resolution and analytics load. The 8 SFF bays support local storage tiers, and the included 10GbE NIC handles aggregate ingest comfortably. For very large deployments (100+ cameras), evaluate scaling to a higher core-count EPYC variant or a dual-socket DL385 configuration.
The P94883-005 is the configuration I'd spec for an integrator building a dedicated VMS or analytics head-end where the workload is I/O-intensive but doesn't yet justify a dual-socket platform. The EPYC 9115's 12-channel DDR5 memory subsystem at 6400 MT/s is the real selling point here — most VMS bottlenecks under heavy analytics load come from memory bandwidth before they come from core count, and this chip's memory architecture addresses that directly in a 125W TDP envelope.
Technical Highlights:
- DDR5 at 6400 MT/s, 24 DIMM slots: Starting at 64 GB (2×32 GB) with 22 slots still open means you can double or quadruple memory in the same chassis as camera count grows — no platform change required until you're north of 3 TB, which is an enormous amount of headroom for any VMS application.
- PCIe Gen5 with 8 expansion slots + 2 OCP slots: The BCM57416 10GbE NIC sits in the OCP slot, leaving all eight PCIe slots clear. That's meaningful when you want to add a 25GbE or 100GbE uplink, an NVIDIA inference card, and an additional HBA without playing slot Tetris.
- Dual 800W Platinum hot-plug PSUs: For a production recording server, redundant hot-plug power isn't optional — a single PSU failure at 2 AM shouldn't require a dispatch. Platinum efficiency (92%+) also means lower heat per watt at load, which is a real consideration in dense camera-head racks where every BTU costs cooling capacity.
Deployment Considerations:
- Drives are not included with this SKU. Plan your storage tier separately — for VMS use cases, a common pattern is 1–2 NVMe SSDs for the OS and database, plus 6 large-capacity SAS or SATA HDDs for video retention. The MR408i-o controller and 8 SFF bays support this split natively.
- Watch the single-socket ceiling: the EPYC 9115 is a 1P configuration. If your analytics workload scales past 16 threads concurrently, evaluate a higher core-count EPYC 9004/9005 variant in the DL385 Gen11 family before committing to this SKU — platform is the same, CPU swap is straightforward before deployment, not after.
For a regional integrator standing up a dedicated Milestone XProtect or Genetec recording server handling 40–80 cameras with edge analytics enabled, the P94883-005 hits a practical balance: enough memory bandwidth and PCIe headroom for the next two to three years of camera adds, in a standard 2U chassis that fits any rack without a power-budget conversation.
