Red Hat Hardware Requirements and Compatibility: Dell PowerEdge, HPE ProLiant, Lenovo ThinkSystem Servers
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- May 1
- 6 min read
Updated: May 2
Red Hat’s hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) merges OpenShift Virtualization (KVM on Kubernetes) with Ceph Storage for scalable block and object storage. Running VMs, containers, and Ceph on a single hardware stack requires high throughput, low latency, and robust resources—precisely what modern servers like Dell PowerEdge Gen15, HPE ProLiant Gen11, and Lenovo ThinkSystem V3 offer. With powerful CPUs, DDR5, PCIe Gen5, fast NVMe SSDs, and 25–100GbE networking, these Red Hat-certified platforms are ideal for high-performance HCI.
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They’re also flexible and cost-efficient. You can tailor drive mixes (NVMe, SAS, SATA) for Ceph OSD optimization—e.g., NVMe for BlueStore DB/WAL, and HDDs or SSDs for data. Management tools like Dell iDRAC, HPE iLO, and Lenovo XClarity streamline operations. Plus, refurbished models make them accessible for budget-conscious teams. In short, these servers deliver the performance and compatibility to unify VMs, containers, and storage under Red Hat HCI—while reducing cost and complexity.
Red Hat Hardware Compatibility & Performance Matrix
Red Hat Minimum and Optimal Hardware Requirements
Component | Minimum | Recommended (Optimal) |
CPU | 2x Intel Xeon Scalable (Gen2 or newer) | Dual Xeon 4th/5th Gen or AMD EPYC (9004) |
Memory (RAM) | 128 GB per node | 512 GB to 2 TB DDR5 per node |
Storage Type | SATA/SAS SSDs or HDDs | All-NVMe or NVMe + HDD (hybrid Ceph) |
Disk Configuration | 1x NVMe for DB/WAL + 2x HDD for data | 3–8x NVMe for OSDs + optional HDDs |
PCIe Version | Gen3 (legacy) | Gen5 (for full NVMe and NIC performance) |
Networking | Dual 10GbE NICs | Dual 25/50/100GbE (Intel E810, Mellanox) |
NIC Features | Basic Ethernet | RDMA-capable NICs (RoCE/iWARP), OCP 3.0 |
Form Factor | Rackmount or tower servers | 1U/2U rackmount with redundant power |
Red Hat Recommended Servers
Feature | Dell PowerEdge (15th Gen) | HPE ProLiant (Gen11) | Lenovo ThinkSystem (V3) |
CPU | Intel Xeon 4th/5th Gen, AMD EPYC | Intel Xeon 4th/5th Gen, AMD EPYC | Intel Xeon 5th Gen, AMD EPYC |
Memory (DDR5) | Up to 8TB, ECC | Up to 8TB, ECC | Up to 8TB, ECC |
Storage Type | NVMe, SAS, SATA | NVMe, SAS, SATA | NVMe, SAS, SATA |
Storage Devices (OSD) | NVMe + HDD/SSD flexible combos | U.2 NVMe or LFF drives | NVMe front bays (24x 2.5") |
PCIe Version | Gen5, OCP 3.0 | Gen5, OCP 3.0 | Gen5, OCP 3.0 |
Network Speed | Up to 100GbE | Up to 100GbE | Up to 100/200GbE |
Red Hat Cert / Support | Fully certified | Fully certified | Fully certified |
Form Factor | R650 1U, R750 2U | DL360 1U, DL380 2U | SR630 1U, SR650 2U |
Example Platforms | R650, R750, R750xs | DL360, DL380 Gen11 | SR630 V3, SR650 V3 |
Red Hat Hardware Requirements and Compatibility: Next-Gen Hardware - DDR5, PCIe Gen5, NVMe, 100GbE
Modern servers pack cutting-edge components that significantly boost Red Hat Ceph and virtualization performance:
🚀 DDR5 Memory
New DDR5 DIMMs deliver much higher bandwidth and capacity (multi-terabyte per node) than DDR4.
Enables larger VM/container memory and bigger Ceph cache (OSD cache, file system cache).
Reduces I/O bottlenecks and improves overall throughput.
Improved efficiency and higher data rates help virtualization and Ceph journaling run faster and smoother.
🔧 PCIe Gen5
PCIe 5.0 doubles throughput vs. Gen4.
NVMe SSDs and smart NICs can achieve over 32 GB/s per x16 slot.
Eliminates interface bottlenecks for high-speed Ceph operations.
Allows 100GbE NICs to operate at full capacity for storage/network traffic.
⚡ NVMe SSDs
Native NVMe drives offer ultra-low latency and high IOPS – critical for Ceph.
Ideal for BlueStore DB/WAL devices and data OSDs in all-flash clusters.
Delivers near-SATA SSD speeds for VMs running on Ceph RBD volumes.
High-throughput NVMe SSDs shorten rebuild and recovery times.
🌐 100GbE Networking
Supports high-speed interconnect for Ceph replication and OpenShift traffic.
Handles VM-to-VM and container east-west networking efficiently.
Reduces latency and network congestion in large clusters.
Supports offloads (iSCSI/NVMe-oF, RDMA) to reduce CPU load.
Red Hat Hardware Requirements and Compatibility: Dell PowerEdge 15th Gen Servers
🔧 High Performance & Density
Dell’s 15th-gen servers (e.g. R650, R750) support dual Xeon 4th/5th-Gen CPUs or AMD EPYC.
Up to 32 DDR5 DIMMs per server (multi-terabyte capacity).
Supports up to 12 NVMe drives in 1U and 24 in 2U chassis.
Provides massive compute and I/O capability for Ceph and virtualization.
🛠️ Flexible I/O & Storage
Includes multiple PCIe Gen5 x16 slots plus an OCP NIC port.
Supports dual 100GbE NICs and mixed NVMe/SAS/SATA storage.
Optimized Ceph layouts: NVMe per CPU core for DB/WAL, HDD/SSD pairs for data.
Dell chassis offers full flexibility for hybrid or all-flash setups.
💻 Robust Management & Support
iDRAC controller and OpenManage tools simplify deployment and lifecycle management.
Red Hat HCI reference architectures and Dell joint support available.
Enterprise features: redundant PSUs, hot-swap drives, optional GPUs for acceleration.
💡 Use Case
Ideal for large-scale HCI clusters and intensive workloads.
Example: 8-node Dell R750 cluster with 100GbE networking supports thousands of VMs/containers.
Suitable for dense Ceph storage backbones.
Dell’s financing and refurbished options allow cost-effective testing and scaling.
Red Hat Hardware Requirements and Compatibility: HPE ProLiant Gen11 Servers
💪 Compute & Memory
Dual-socket support for Intel Xeon 4th/5th Gen or AMD EPYC.
DL360 (1U): up to 16 DIMMs and 8TB DDR5.
DL380 (2U): even more memory/headroom.
High memory boosts VM density and enhances Ceph cache performance.
🏭 Flexible Storage Bays
DL380 Gen11 2U chassis supports up to 20 U.2 NVMe SSDs or 12 LFF drives.
Supports all-NVMe layouts or hybrid NVMe + high-capacity HDDs.
BlueStore design: NVMe per CPU for DB/WAL, SAS for bulk data.
Optimizes performance vs. cost.
⚙️ Networking & Expansion
FlexibleLOM and OCP 3.0 support up to 100GbE networking.
Compatible with Mellanox 100G NICs.
PCIe Gen5 slots allow NVMe cards and GPU integration.
iLO 6 management integrates with Ansible and OneView.
Simplifies automation and maintenance tasks.
🔐 Validation & Support
Listed in Red Hat Hardware Catalog for Ceph and OpenShift.
Joint support contracts available from HPE and Red Hat.
Popular for Red Hat HCI clusters: e.g. 3–5 DL360 nodes with 100GbE redundancy and shared Ceph storage.
Red Hat Hardware Requirements and Compatibility: Lenovo ThinkSystem V3 Servers
💼 Versatile and Cost-Efficient
ThinkSystem SR630 and SR650 V3 (dual-socket) deliver excellent price/performance.
Supports Intel Xeon 5th-Gen or AMD EPYC CPUs.
Up to 32 DDR5 DIMMs per node (8 TB max).
Offers wide drive configurations for flexibility.
Lenovo often provides attractive pricing on new and refurbished units.
Helps lower TCO for HCI deployments.
🔄 ThinkAgile VX for HCI
Lenovo and Red Hat partner on pre-integrated ThinkAgile VX appliances.
Includes OpenShift and Ceph, certified and optimized.
Guarantees one-call support from Lenovo for Red Hat HCI.
Custom server builds also possible with Red Hat certification.
🏗️ High I/O and Expansion
SR650 V3 supports up to 24x 2.5″ NVMe/SAS drives or 12x 3.5″ HDDs.
Up to 10 PCIe Gen5 slots for expansion.
OCP 3.0 NIC available for 25–100GbE networking.
Ideal for all-flash Ceph or hybrid NVMe+HDD clusters.
XClarity Controller enables real-time firmware and system health monitoring.
🎯 Enterprise Reliability
Built for high durability and operational efficiency.
Certified for Red Hat OpenShift and Ceph.
Features hot-swap components, TPM, ECC memory.
Used by enterprises for cloud/virtualization infrastructure.
Refurbished X8/X9 series often used for lab or edge HCI scenarios.
Red Hat Hardware Requirements and Compatibility: Deployment Scenarios
🏢 Enterprise
Clusters with 6–20+ nodes.
Use full NVMe, 100GbE, and maximum DDR5 memory.
Built for thousands of VMs/containers.
Redundancy: multi-100GbE fabrics + RAID controllers for Ceph OSDs.
Dell and HPE high-end platforms common.
Ideal for private clouds, big data, and multi-tenant virtualization.
Ceph erasure coding saves 50–60% vs. traditional 3x replication.
🏠 SMB / Midmarket
Clusters with 3–5 nodes.
Budget-focused setups with 1–2 U.2 NVMe drives + large SATA/SAS HDDs.
Refurbished Gen14/15 servers like Dell R640 or HPE DL360 Gen10.
Still fully capable of running OpenShift and Ceph.
Typical networking: 25–40GbE.
OEM and Red Hat support available.
🌐 Edge / ROBO
Deployed in remote or branch locations (2–3 nodes).
Space-constrained 1U servers preferred.
Use smaller SSDs or NVMe + flash mixes.
Networking: 10/25GbE to HQ.
Edge HCI handles local workloads + central replication.
Examples: Lenovo ThinkEdge, compact Dell PowerEdge.
Considerations: power efficiency, ruggedness, thermal tolerance.
🧪 Lab / Refurbished
For dev/test or proof-of-concept clusters.
Any Red Hat-compatible hardware works.
Common lab builds: Dell R730, HPE Gen9/10, Lenovo X6 (DDR4).
Cheap and widely available.
Typical setup: 3-node Ceph cluster with 2 SSDs + 2 HDDs per node.
Focus is on learning, not peak performance.
Great for validating Red Hat HCI designs affordably.
Refurbished and secondhand servers from Dell, HPE, and Lenovo help stretch IT budgets while still supporting Red Hat HCI effectively. With warranties and solid networking (even 25GbE NICs), these systems can match much of the performance of new hardware—especially in labs or SMB deployments. The key is using reliable NVMe drives and compatible NICs.
Whether you're building a high-end data center with 15th-Gen servers or deploying compact refurbished nodes at the edge, you can achieve enterprise-grade performance and reliability at a fraction of the cost.
Dell, HPE and Lenovo Servers: Save Up To 80%
✔️ No Upfront Payment Required - Test First, Pay Later!
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