The HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11 P71681-005 is a high-performance 2U rack server designed for modern enterprise environments where reliability, expandability and workload flexibility are essential. Built on HPE’s trusted ProLiant DL380 platform, this server is well suited for organisations that require a dependable infrastructure platform for virtualisation, database hosting, backup, private cloud, application hosting, file services and business-critical workloads.
This specific configuration is based on the HPE P71681-005 Smart Choice platform and has been upgraded to provide a powerful storage-focused server build. The base model includes an Intel Xeon Gold 6526Y processor, enterprise-grade DDR5 memory support, 8 × 2.5" SFF drive bay capability, redundant power supplies, high-performance cooling and HPE iLO 6 management. VeriLicense upgrades this configuration to 512GB DDR5 ECC Registered Memory and 6 × 7.68TB enterprise SSD/NVMe drives configured in RAID 5.
With 6 × 7.68TB drives installed, the server provides 46.08TB of raw storage capacity. When configured in RAID 5, the approximate usable capacity is 38.4TB before formatting, filesystem and operating system overhead. This makes the system ideal for customers who need a large internal storage pool within a single 2U server while still retaining fault tolerance against a single drive failure.
The 8 × 2.5" SFF drive bay chassis provides a clean and practical storage layout. Six of the eight front bays are used for the 7.68TB enterprise drives, leaving two front drive bays available for future expansion or alternative storage requirements. Depending on the selected drive type, the platform can be configured with SAS, SATA or NVMe/U.3 enterprise drives, subject to the correct backplane, controller, cabling and enablement components being installed.
The server also includes HPE’s NS204i-u Gen11 NVMe boot-optimised storage device, allowing the operating system to be separated from the main front drive storage array. This is useful for environments where the primary 6-drive RAID 5 volume is reserved for virtual machines, backup data, databases, file storage or application workloads.
For remote management, monitoring and lifecycle administration, the DL380 Gen11 platform includes HPE iLO 6. This gives IT teams secure out-of-band management capabilities, allowing administrators to monitor server health, manage firmware, access the system remotely and support the server throughout its lifecycle.
This upgraded P71681-005 build is ideal for organisations looking for a compact but powerful 2U platform with high memory capacity and strong internal SSD/NVMe storage. It is particularly well suited for VMware, Microsoft Hyper-V, backup repositories, database workloads, private cloud infrastructure, VDI deployments and general-purpose enterprise infrastructure refresh projects.
Key Configuration
Manufacturer: Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Model: HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11
HPE Part Number: P71681-005
Form Factor: 2U Rack Server
Processor: 1 × Intel Xeon Gold 6526Y 16-core processor
Base Memory: 128GB DDR5
Configured Memory: 512GB DDR5 ECC Registered Memory
Drive Bay Chassis: 8 × 2.5" SFF SAS/SATA or NVMe capable chassis
Storage Configuration: 6 × 7.68TB enterprise SSD/NVMe drives
Raw Storage Capacity: 46.08TB
RAID Configuration: RAID 5
Approximate RAID 5 Usable Capacity: 38.4TB before formatting
Boot Device: HPE NS204i-u Gen11 NVMe boot-optimised storage device
Power Supplies: 2 × HPE 1000W Flex Slot Titanium Hot Plug Power Supplies
Cooling: High-performance fan kit
Management: HPE iLO 6
Warranty: 3-year parts, 3-year labour, 3-year onsite support, depending on final supply route
Storage Capacity Explanation
This configuration uses 6 × 7.68TB enterprise drives.
Raw storage capacity:
6 × 7.68TB = 46.08TB raw
RAID 5 usable capacity:
5 × 7.68TB = 38.4TB usable before formatting
RAID 5 uses the equivalent capacity of one drive for parity protection. This means the array can tolerate the failure of one drive while retaining access to the stored data. Final usable capacity shown inside the operating system may be lower due to formatting, filesystem overhead and decimal versus binary capacity reporting.
Important RAID 5 Note
RAID 5 provides a balance of capacity and resilience, but it does not provide the same level of protection as RAID 6. RAID 5 can tolerate one drive failure. RAID 6 can tolerate two drive failures but reduces usable capacity further.
For customers who prioritise maximum usable capacity, RAID 5 is a common choice. For customers who prioritise stronger protection and reduced rebuild risk, RAID 6 may be recommended, especially where large-capacity SSDs are used.
Drive Bay Usage
Total front drive bays: 8 × 2.5" SFF
Drives installed: 6 × 7.68TB SSD/NVMe
Front bays remaining: 2 available
This gives the customer a neat internal storage configuration while still leaving limited room for future expansion.
Recommended Use Cases
Virtualisation hosts
VMware vSphere environments
Microsoft Hyper-V environments
Backup and recovery platforms
Database workloads
Private cloud infrastructure
VDI deployments
High-capacity file services
Application hosting
Storage-heavy workloads
Enterprise infrastructure refresh projects
Hybrid cloud environments
Disaster recovery platforms
Data centre consolidation
Customer Benefits
High-capacity storage inside a single 2U server
512GB DDR5 memory for demanding workloads
RAID 5 storage layout for capacity and single-drive fault tolerance
8 × 2.5" front drive bay chassis with 2 spare bays after configuration
Enterprise-grade HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11 platform
Ideal for virtualisation, backup, database and private cloud workloads
HPE iLO 6 management for remote administration
Redundant power supplies for improved resilience
High-performance fan kit for enterprise server cooling
Suitable for production infrastructure and business-critical applications
Technical Specification Table
Specification Details
Manufacturer Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Product Family HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11
HPE Part Number P71681-005
Form Factor 2U Rack Server
Processor Intel Xeon Gold 6526Y
Processor Cores 16 cores
Base Memory 128GB DDR5
Configured Memory 512GB DDR5 ECC Registered RAM
Drive Bay Chassis 8 × 2.5" SFF SAS/SATA or NVMe capable chassis
Installed Storage 6 × 7.68TB enterprise SSD/NVMe drives
Raw Storage 46.08TB
RAID Level RAID 5
RAID 5 Usable Capacity Approx. 38.4TB before formatting
Boot Storage HPE NS204i-u Gen11 NVMe boot device
Power 2 × 1000W Flex Slot Titanium Hot Plug PSUs
Cooling High-performance fan kit
Remote Management HPE iLO 6
Rack Rails Rail kit included depending on final supply route
Warranty 3-year warranty depending on final configuration and supply route
Website Bullet Points
HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11 2U enterprise rack server
Based on HPE SKU P71681-005
Intel Xeon Gold 6526Y 16-core processor
Upgraded to 512GB DDR5 ECC Registered Memory
8 × 2.5" SFF SAS/SATA or NVMe drive bay chassis
6 × 7.68TB enterprise SSD/NVMe drives
46.08TB raw storage capacity
RAID 5 configuration
Approx. 38.4TB usable capacity before formatting
HPE NS204i-u Gen11 NVMe boot device
Dual 1000W Titanium hot-plug power supplies
High-performance fan kit
HPE iLO 6 remote management
Ideal for virtualisation, backup, databases and private cloud