We use it for the 12 VMs we have on it. We are using VMware.
M. I. S. Manager at Ruby Mills Ltd
Easy to upgrade but not very stable and the installation is complex
Pros and Cons
- "It's easy to upgrade, and it is very easy to take care of the firmware upgrades."
- "It's very useful; it's easy to upgrade, and it is very easy to take care of the firmware upgrades."
- "The implementation should be simplified, it is not straightforward."
- "At this point in time, I would not say that it is a very stable product, because of the bad experience that we had."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
It's very useful.
It's easy to upgrade, and it is very easy to take care of the firmware upgrades.
With a complete bootable CD, we can do the upgrades quite remotely and pretty easily.
What needs improvement?
A black mark that we felt with HPE is that it failed within four to six months of use, even after it was addressed with HPE.
The implementation should be simplified, it is not straightforward.
The product should be better tested before they send it to the end-user.
The stability needs improvement.
Support could be improved to be faster in responding.
For how long have I used the solution?
We just purchased HPE ProLiant DL Servers six months ago.
We are using the latest version.
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HPE ProLiant DL Servers
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
At this point in time, I would not say that it is a very stable product, because of the bad experience that we had.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable to a certain extent. Not very much, but at least 20% scalable.
We have 300 users in our organization.
How are customer service and support?
We contacted technical support for the issues that we were facing.
I found them to be quite slow in their response.
We could put up with the delay because it had just been brought in, and the applications were being transferred.
In fairness, it could have been because of the COVID issue. But I found them to be pretty slow.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously we were using Dell, and we switched from Dell to HPE.
We have been very dedicated users of Dell and never had any issues with them. Unfortunately, we had to switch to HPE for a specific reason.
We switched from Dell because of some specific requirements that could not be met with Dell. Also, we switched because of some financial issues. Dell was more expensive and we couldn't afford it at that time.
How was the initial setup?
It wasn't straightforward.
We had some issues with some failures initially. Though it was taken care of by HPE, we still had some failures, which was surprising.
We have a team of ten admins, engineers, managers, and data entry guys to maintain and deploy this solution.
What about the implementation team?
We had the help of the HPE service providers.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have purchased this solution and it is under warranty. It is more economical than some other products.
What other advice do I have?
We will continue to use this solution, as we have purchased it and can't afford to just throw it away. If we continue to have further issues, we will consider changing it over.
With my current experience, I could not recommend this product to others.
I would rate this solution a six out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Product Manager at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Very stable, 100% scalable, and easy to deploy
Pros and Cons
- "It is very stable. This is the feedback that I'm getting from my customers for the hardware. It is also 100% scalable. HPE is also very specialized when it comes up to the server industry. It is not only about the rack servers; it is also about the blade servers. They were the first ones to bring these to the market more than ten years ago."
- "It is very stable; this is the feedback that I'm getting from my customers for the hardware, and it is also 100% scalable."
- "It has something called WorldView. They should do some enhancement over WorldView to run an operating system as a code. Such a feature would be amazing for running multiple servers. They are already working on this, and they can enhance the existing versions for this. It should also be cheaper. It is currently expensive."
- "It has something called WorldView. They should do some enhancement over WorldView to run an operating system as a code."
What is our primary use case?
It is mainly an x86 Intel server. There are some versions of AMD processors as well. You can use it for many purposes. You can use it as a web server, a backup server, a database server, or an application server. You can use it for any main purpose for which you need a server.
It is mainly on-premises, but you can also deploy it in a cloud.
What is most valuable?
It is very stable. This is the feedback that I'm getting from my customers for the hardware. It is also 100% scalable.
HPE is also very specialized when it comes up to the server industry. It is not only about the rack servers; it is also about the blade servers. They were the first ones to bring these to the market more than ten years ago.
What needs improvement?
It has something called WorldView. They should do some enhancement over WorldView to run an operating system as a code. Such a feature would be amazing for running multiple servers. They are already working on this, and they can enhance the existing versions for this.
It should also be cheaper. It is currently expensive.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been selling this solution for almost six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is 100% scalable. We have about a hundred customers.
How are customer service and technical support?
I don't directly get in touch with them, but I haven't heard anything bad about it.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not complicated for HPE or any other server.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is expensive. Its price should be better.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution. I would rate HPE ProLiant DL Servers an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
Buyer's Guide
HPE ProLiant DL Servers
May 2026
Learn what your peers think about HPE ProLiant DL Servers. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2026.
896,298 professionals have used our research since 2012.
IT Manager at a construction company with 10,001+ employees
Strong, easy to manage and monitor, and have very few failures
Pros and Cons
- "This is all I've ever used. These servers are strong, and they have very few failures on them. They are also easy to manage and monitor."
- "These servers are strong, and they have very few failures on them."
- "They are pretty solid servers, but, just like all servers, they become obsolete after some time. They can maybe provide a console to monitor the health of the servers. There should be some kind of console to which you can log in to remotely check on the health of a server, even when the server is off. The servers that we have are only scalable to some extent. They have got a limited amount of hard drive that you can insert. Their scalability should be improved."
- "They can maybe provide a console to monitor the health of the servers. There should be some kind of console to which you can log in to remotely check on the health of a server, even when the server is off."
What is our primary use case?
We have installed VMware on DL Server, and the operating system sits on this DL Server host.
What is most valuable?
This is all I've ever used. These servers are strong, and they have very few failures on them. They are also easy to manage and monitor.
What needs improvement?
They are pretty solid servers, but, just like all servers, they become obsolete after some time.
They can maybe provide a console to monitor the health of the servers. There should be some kind of console to which you can log in to remotely check on the health of a server, even when the server is off.
The servers that we have are only scalable to some extent. They have got a limited amount of hard drive that you can insert. Their scalability should be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for more than ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
They are pretty stable servers. The hardware failures are very minor. We do have one or two hardware failures but very far spaced. The major failures are mostly operating system failures, but on the hardware, they have been working pretty well.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
They are scalable to some extent. For instance, you can only put a specific amount of hard drive on the base. You can insert the hard drives of a limited size, which makes them not very scalable. This could be dependent on the servers that you have. There are probably models that are more scalable than what we have.
We have about 200 people on the site, and they use it on a daily basis.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have not contacted them. We didn't have any major issues to escalate. The few issues that we had were easily resolvable. You can also use online support to check. There are quite a number of people using these servers. You can share problems and get some advice from someone who has faced the same problem before.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We will be switching to a combination of Cisco and Dell EMC. For computation, it will be Cisco, and for storage, it will be Dell EMC. The main reason for this switch is group policy. The group has decided that we move from HP and use Cisco with EMC Storage.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is a simple process. The old ones used to have a CD that would guide you through the process. Newer ones should also have a system where you go step-by-step and install your operating system and configure it.
What about the implementation team?
I deployed it myself. I got servers from a company and then installed and configured them. All servers were not deployed at once. I deployed just one server at a time. Typically, deploying a server, including the operating system and everything else, takes less than two hours. I also do the maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Proliant DL Servers have a reasonable cost. They are not as expensive as the Cisco servers. Everything is included when you purchase a server. You just have to install and configure it.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend these servers. I would rate HPE ProLiant DL Servers a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Telecommunication Department Head at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Good support, easy to set up, we haven't had downtime in three years, and it's within our budget
Pros and Cons
- "We have had our system working for between two and three years with no downtime."
- "We have had our system working for between two and three years with no downtime."
- "The technical support could be a little faster."
- "The technical support could be a little faster."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use for this product is our electronic faxing system. We have a number of applications that are hosted on it, working together.
What needs improvement?
The technical support could be a little faster.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using HPE ProLiant DL Servers for three years. We started using the most recent version, Gen10, a year ago.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have had our system working for between two and three years with no downtime. We plan to continue using it in the future.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have about 300 end-users who log into the system to use our applications.
We have to extend our electronic access system for our sites, and we will be purchasing another ProLiant.
How are customer service and technical support?
There is another team in our company who deals with technical support, and they have a lot of experience with the product. I can say that the support is very good, although it would be better if it were quicker.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We also have a similar solution by Dell, and I find that the ProLiant support is much better.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very easy. The ProLiant was complete, and we just had to plug it into power and check the hardware. We did not have to put in new parts, such as additional hard disks. They are made to order.
What about the implementation team?
We have four or five engineers for maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This product is within our budget.
What other advice do I have?
In summary, this is a good product and I can recommend it to others.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Telecommunication Department Head at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Stable with an easy initial setup and good scalability
Pros and Cons
- "The pricing of the product is fair and not too expensive."
- "The technical support is very, very good and the experience in our organization has made us interested in buying more HP ProLiant."
- "The technical support is pretty good, however, they could be a bit faster and more responsive."
- "The technical support is pretty good, however, they could be a bit faster and more responsive."
What is our primary use case?
The main use for the last order was for the applications and other items around an electronic fencing system.
What is most valuable?
The initial setup is very easy.
The solution scales well.
The pricing of the product is fair and not too expensive.
The product is very stable.
What needs improvement?
The solution is pretty complete, for what I have seen over the past three years. I can't recall if I've felt that any features were lacking within that time.
The technical support is pretty good, however, they could be a bit faster and more responsive.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using the solution for three years at this point.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is quite stable. It's worked for two or three years with no downtime whatsoever. There aren't bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's pretty reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We haven't had any issues with scaling over the time we've had the solution. If a company needs to scale, it should be able to do so relatively easily.
We have about 300 users that log into the system at any given time.
We plan to increase usage. We have to extend our electronic fencing system to our other sites, and we will likely purchase another product from ProLiant when that happens.
How are customer service and technical support?
There's another team for technical support. The technical support is very, very good and the experience in our organization has made us interested in buying more HP ProLiant. We're quite satisfied with the level of support they give to us.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
While the company hasn't used a different solution, I personally have experience with Dell. I generally prefer to use HP instead.
How was the initial setup?
The implementation is not complex at all. We find the initial setup to be quite straightforward.
The product was ordered and came complete and ready to go. It was basically plug and play, so that there really wasn't a deployment period per se. We just had to power it up and check the hardware. We put in the discs and had the spare parts on hand as well. They deliver it ready to go, so it's pretty fast.
We have five individuals that handle the implementation and maintenance. They are all engineers.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I don't consider it an expensive product. We're quite happy with the pricing so far. It's reasonable.
What other advice do I have?
We're just customers. We don't have a business relationship with HP.
We're using the latest version of the solution. We purchased Gen 10 about a year or so ago.
I'd recommend the solution to other organizations.
Overall, I would rate the product at a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
System Administrator at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Robust, easy to use, and user friendly
Pros and Cons
- "The robustness of the design of the server is the most valuable. HP servers are easy to use and user-friendly. The server is not complicated, and it is easy to use ILO systems."
- "The robustness of the design of the server is the most valuable; HP servers are easy to use and user-friendly, the server is not complicated, and it is easy to use ILO systems."
- "In DL 500 systems, the flow of air is not good enough, and some components get overheated. IBM systems have better airflow and scalability. We have a data center that has limited physical space. Therefore, we need to maximize the processing or compute systems that we use. In HP servers, such as DL 500, there are only four processors, whereas IBM servers, such as SR 916, have eight processors. We don't get any support from HP because of our geographical location. We solve all problems ourselves by doing research on the internet. It would be good to get HP support."
- "We don't get any support from HP because of our geographical location. We solve all problems ourselves by doing research on the internet."
What is most valuable?
The robustness of the design of the server is the most valuable. HP servers are easy to use and user-friendly. The server is not complicated, and it is easy to use ILO systems.
What needs improvement?
In DL 500 systems, the flow of air is not good enough, and some components get overheated. IBM systems have better airflow and scalability.
We have a data center that has limited physical space. Therefore, we need to maximize the processing or compute systems that we use. In HP servers, such as DL 500, there are only four processors, whereas IBM servers, such as SR 916, have eight processors.
We don't get any support from HP because of our geographical location. We solve all problems ourselves by doing research on the internet. It would be good to get HP support.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using HP products for six or seven years. We use HP Proliant DL 300 family and DL 500 family and blade servers like Enclosure C7000.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It works fine for general use or specific use of most enterprises, but for mission-critical servers, I don't think it is the best fit.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
IBM systems have better scalability.
In our company, we have about 4,000 users. We also have a lot of outside users.
How are customer service and technical support?
We haven't had any technical support yet because our country is not in the technical support area.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have been using HP products from the beginning.
How was the initial setup?
In the latest versions, such as G9 or G10, we have a very user-friendly installation. It took about 30 minutes to 1 hour. RAID is easy to install, and so is the server, but in earlier products or versions, it was somehow challenging.
What about the implementation team?
I deployed it myself. We have about six persons for the deployment and maintenance of the servers. They are system administrators for physical servers. For virtual environments, we have different teams to administer the use of our environment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have ILO licenses. We use this feature.
What other advice do I have?
HPE ProLiant DL Servers are easy to use and suitable for mid-range users. HP has other products for enterprise users. I don't compare them with this family. We had the physical servers for all services, but now we are migrating to virtual servers using VMware.
I would rate HPE ProLiant DL Servers an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Service manager at Crescent Technologies
Scalable solution, but its customer support service needs improvement
Pros and Cons
- "The solution's initial setup is straightforward."
- "They should improve the solution's built-in quality."
What needs improvement?
They should improve the solution's built-in quality.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using the solution for two decades.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is very much scalable. It is possible to deploy and merge more servers to it. But the scalability varies depending on the particular model requirements.
How are customer service and support?
The solution's customer support service needs improvement. The team responds immediately but could be more knowledgeable about various issues.
There are different warranty models available for technical support with the vendors. However, it affects the business workflow because the response gets scheduled according to the subscription plan.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The solution's initial setup is straightforward. We need to follow the basic steps.
What other advice do I have?
HP has come up with the GreenLake model. Wherein they set up private clouds using CapEx and OpEx models for customers. They also provide integration with other networking and security components.
I advise others to follow the basic instructions for deployment. Also, they should learn about the solution's framework and features while making a purchase decision. I rate the solution as a seven.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IT Engineer at KBS LLP
Scalable, high quality, and good technical support
Pros and Cons
- "The quality and the technical support are the most valuable features."
- "The cost of the solution has room for improvement."
What is our primary use case?
We have several HPE ProLiant DL Server models in use, DL360, 380, and 580.
We use the servers for multiple business services.
What is most valuable?
The quality and the technical support are the most valuable features.
What needs improvement?
The cost of the solution has room for improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I am currently using HPE ProLiant DL Servers.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I give the solution a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Download our free HPE ProLiant DL Servers Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: May 2026
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