HPE ProLiant Server Names: What Those Letters and Numbers Actually Mean
- Zo Jakab
- Oct 1, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 7
Have you ever wondered what the letters and numbers in HPE ProLiant server names actually mean? Let’s make sense of it.
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HPE Server Names — A Quick Background
HPE stands for Hewlett Packard Enterprise. The company was founded on November 1, 2015, in Palo Alto, California, after the split of the original Hewlett-Packard (HP):
HP Inc. focuses on printers and personal computers.
HPE focuses on business IT infrastructure, such as servers, storage, networking, and consulting.
Many IT professionals still say “HP servers,” since many older systems were made before the split and are still running today.
The First Letter in HPE ProLiant Server Names
The first letter tells you what type of server it is:
ProLiant DL (Density Line) – Rack servers designed for a balance between size and computing power.
ProLiant ML (Maximum Expansion) – Tower servers made for easy expansion and flexibility.
ProLiant BL (Blade Line) – Blade servers designed for C3000 or C7000 enclosures. These are no longer produced and were replaced by HPE Synergy composable systems.
ProLiant SL (Scalable Line) – Older rack servers used for high-density workloads such as HPC or big data. They were later replaced by the HPE Apollo line.
HPE ProLiant MicroServer – Compact servers for small offices or home labs. They can stand upright or lay flat depending on the setup.
Understanding the Numbers in HPE Server Names
The numbers after the letters describe the class, form factor, and CPU type.
Example: HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11
The first number (e.g., 1, 3, 5, 7) shows the server class.
100 Series – Entry-level, affordable systems.
300 Series – Mid-range, the most common in enterprises.
500 and 700 Series – High-end and scalable configurations.
The second number (e.g., 0, 6, 8) shows the position or form factor within the series.
Example: DL360 is a 1U rack server, while DL380 is a 2U version with more space for drives and memory.
The third number identifies the CPU manufacturer.
0 = Intel
5 = AMD(Example: DL380 = Intel; DL385 = AMD)
This pattern started with later generations (Gen9 and newer). Some older models may not follow it exactly.
So, DL380 means:
Rack-mountable (DL)
Mid-range class (3)
2U form factor (8)
Intel processor (0)
The Meaning of Letters After the Numbers - HPE Server Names
Older HPE servers sometimes include letters after the numbers, showing specific design goals:
p – Performance
e – Energy-efficient or budget-friendly
h – High density
m – Maximum memory
s – Storage-focused
t – Telecom-optimized
xd – Extreme density
These letters were more common in Gen8 and earlier systems. In modern generations, HPE rarely uses these suffixes.
Understanding Generations (Gen10, Gen11, etc.) - HPE Server Names
Each generation (Gen) represents a hardware and firmware refresh. For example:
Gen9 – Introduced DDR4 memory and Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3/v4 CPUs.
Gen10 – Improved security and introduced AMD EPYC options.
Gen11 – Uses Intel Xeon Scalable 5th Gen and AMD EPYC 9004 processors.
The “Plus” models (like Gen11 Plus) include improved components, faster networking, and firmware updates over the base version.
Example Comparison - HPE Server Names
Model | Type | Form Factor | CPU Type | Typical Use |
DL360 Gen11 | Rack (DL) | 1U | Intel | High-performance, space-efficient workloads |
DL380 Gen11 | Rack (DL) | 2U | Intel | General enterprise applications |
DL385 Gen11 | Rack (DL) | 2U | AMD | Virtualization and compute-intensive tasks |
ML350 Gen10 | Tower (ML) | Tower / Convertible | Intel | Office server or branch setup |
MicroServer Gen10 Plus | Compact | Mini-tower | Intel | Small office or lab environments |
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