Server 2008 x64 on HP Proliant Servers

If you are about to purchase a 5th gen Proliant server that you intend to install Server 2008 x64 on, I want to save you a bit of trouble. Whether you image the box or build from scratch with SmartStart, if your BIOS rev is P56 2008.08.03 or earlier, once you get to the GUI portion of the setup you may get the following blue screen.

This will happen if you’re running dual or quad core Xeon CPUs that are different revisions. If your procs are identical then you won’t see this problem. This issue is fixed in the HP BIOS P56 2008.09.29 or later. Grab the firmware maintenance image from hp.com, connect via the ILO’s Virtual Media applet, and upgrade to the latest rev.