HPE NS204i-p 2-Port M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 x8 OS Boot Device — P12965-B21

The HPE P12965-B21 is the NS204i-p 2-port M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 x8 OS boot device and is the standard option kit for HPE ProLiant Gen10 Plus and Gen11 servers. The NS204i-p connects to the system board's dedicated NS204i-p M.2 connector via PCIe 3.0 x8, providing two M.2 NVMe slots for dedicated RAID 1 mirrored OS and hypervisor boot — freeing all SFF/LFF drive bays for data storage without consuming standard PCIe expansion slots.

Key Features

• NS204i-p dual M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 x8 OS boot device option kit — standard procurement for Gen10 Plus/Gen11
• 2x M.2 NVMe slots for native RAID 1 mirrored OS boot without SFF bay or PCIe slot consumption
• System board NS204i-p M.2 connector — dedicated integration without using standard PCIe expansion slots
• Standard option kit — spare P12967-001 and HH-HL PCIe variant P14379-001 provide equivalent function

Product Specifications

• Part Number: P12965-B21
• Manufacturer: HPE
• Model: NS204i-p
• M.2 Ports: 2
• Interface: PCIe 3.0 x8 (host) / M.2 NVMe (drives)
• Purpose: OS Boot Device
• Target Platform: HPE ProLiant Gen10 Plus, Gen11

Interface Specifications

• Host Interface: PCIe 3.0 x8 via system board dedicated NS204i-p M.2 connector
• Drive Interface: 2x M.2 NVMe — accepts HPE-validated M.2 NVMe boot SSDs
• Boot Mode: Dedicated OS/hypervisor boot — RAID 1 mirror for redundancy
• Form Factor: Low-profile M.2 card for system board NS204i-p connector — no PCIe slot required

Port Specifications

• M.2 Slot 1: Primary NVMe boot SSD — HPE-validated M.2 NVMe (240GB or 480GB)
• M.2 Slot 2: Secondary NVMe boot SSD — RAID 1 mirror for OS boot fault tolerance
• Redundancy: Native RAID 1 mirror managed by integrated NS204i-p NVMe RAID controller
• Drive Support: P24188-B21, P24886-001, P41538-001 and other HPE-validated M.2 NVMe boot SSDs

Use Cases

• Standard option kit for Gen10 Plus/Gen11 NS204i-p M.2 NVMe OS boot builds
• VMware vSphere, Windows Server, and RHEL hypervisor boot with dual M.2 NVMe RAID 1
• All-flash and high-density storage builds where SFF bays are dedicated to data and boot is separate
• New Gen10 Plus/Gen11 server deployments requiring dedicated OS boot without PCIe slot consumption

Compatibility

• HPE ProLiant DL380/DL360 Gen10 Plus / Gen11 with system board NS204i-p M.2 connector
• HPE ProLiant ML350 Gen10 Plus / Gen11 supporting NS204i-p system board installation
• Interchangeable with P12967-001 (spare); P14379-001 provides equivalent function via HH-HL PCIe slot

Frequently Asked Questions

Is P12965-B21 the recommended option for new Gen10 Plus/Gen11 NS204i-p OS boot builds?

Yes — P12965-B21 is the standard option kit and the recommended new-deployment procurement SKU for the NS204i-p M.2 NVMe OS boot device on Gen10 Plus/Gen11. P12967-001 is the spare/field-replacement equivalent. P14379-001 is the PCIe HH-HL card variant for servers without the M.2 system board connector.

Does the NS204i-p require additional drivers for OS installation?

The NS204i-p is supported by standard NVMe drivers in Windows Server, RHEL, SLES, and VMware ESXi. For HPE-optimized driver support and RAID management integration with iLO and HPE Smart Storage Administrator (SSA), use drivers from the HPE Service Pack for ProLiant (SPP) for your specific Gen10 Plus/Gen11 platform and OS version.

Can P12965-B21 be added to an existing Gen10 Plus server post-deployment?

Yes — the NS204i-p can be added to a supported Gen10 Plus/Gen11 server post-deployment if the system board NS204i-p M.2 connector is available (not occupied). Consult HPE ProLiant DL380/DL360 Gen10 Plus maintenance guide for NS204i-p installation procedure and verify connector availability before ordering.

The HPE P12965-B21 NS204i-p 2-port M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 x8 OS boot device option kit delivers dedicated RAID 1 mirrored NVMe boot for HPE ProLiant Gen10 Plus and Gen11. Order today — in stock at the lowest price.