P81160-B21: HPE NS204i-u V2 960GB NVMe Hot Plug Boot Optimized Storage Device
Also listed as: P81160-001 · made by Marvell
The HPE NS204i-u V2 960GB is an enterprise high-capacity hardware RAID1 boot device featuring dual 960GB M.2 NVMe SSDs in rear hot-pluggable sleeves for HPE ProLiant Gen11 and Gen12 servers. Engineered for environments with expanded local logging requirements, dense hypervisor installations, or embedded container runtime storage that exceed standard 480GB limits, it maintains complete hardware mirror redundancy transparent to the operating system. When purchasing used units, verify that both 960GB M.2 modules and locking sleeves are present, and verify through iLO that the RAID1 virtual volume is fully synchronized with low wear levels.
Specifications
| Part number | P81160-B21 |
|---|---|
| Brand | HPE |
| Made by | Marvell |
| Type | Boot devices |
| Other numbers | P81160-001 |
| Status | current |
| Capacity (GB) | 1,920 |
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x2 / NVMe hardware RAID1 |
| Form factor | Dedicated rear universal boot bay module |
| Speed | 2x 960GB M.2 NVMe SSDs in hardware RAID1 |
| Generation fit | Gen11 / Gen12 ProLiant servers |
About the P81160-B21
P81160-B21 is the high-capacity 960GB variant of HPE's NS204i-u V2 boot-optimized storage device designed for ProLiant Gen11 and Gen12 servers. While standard NS204i-u devices include dual 480GB SSDs, the P81160-B21 ships pre-populated with two 960GB enterprise M.2 NVMe SSDs configured in a hardware RAID1 mirror. This provides double the usable mirrored volume (960GB net capacity), specifically designed for hyperconverged infrastructure nodes (such as VMware vSAN or Nutanix), Kubernetes bare-metal container hosts, and complex logging environments where hypervisor crash dumps, container base images, and local swap exceed 480GB.
Compatibility
This device requires the dedicated universal rear boot slot in HPE ProLiant Gen11 and Gen12 servers, including the DL360 Gen11, DL380 Gen11, DL385 Gen11, DL325 Gen11, and DL560 Gen11. It operates independently of the server's primary storage controllers, cabling directly to the system motherboard via dedicated PCIe connections. It does not fit older ProLiant Gen10 servers or Gen10 Plus servers without the factory rear boot bay cutout. The retail order number is P81160-B21, with service replacement parts designated as P81160-001.
How to identify a genuine unit
A genuine P81160-B21 carries an HPE product label specifying part number P81160-B21, spare number P81160-001, and marking the 960GB capacity on the outer metal housing. In iLO 6, the device is recognized under the Storage page as an HPE NS204i-u V2 controller with two 960GB NVMe physical drives forming an active hardware RAID1 logical drive. M.2 modules swapped with unauthorized aftermarket drives will display degraded status alerts in iLO and will not authenticate against HPE system management tools.
Buying used
When purchasing second-hand P81160-B21 units, confirm that both genuine 960GB HPE M.2 NVMe SSD modules are present in their hot-plug sleds, as less scrupulous brokers occasionally replace them with smaller 480GB or generic commercial drives. Have the seller provide an iLO diagnostic report confirming that the RAID1 virtual disk is online and that flash endurance remaining is above 80 percent. Ensure that both drive ejection levers latch cleanly into the rear metal frame.
Reference prices (last 12 months, updated 2026-10-27)
New: USD 3,200 (1 sighting, Oct 2026)
All sightings
| Seller | Condition | Price | Note | Seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| serversupply.com | new | USD 3,200 | new in box with dual 960GB M.2 SSDs | 2026-10-27 |
Prices seen on public listings on the dates shown, before tax and shipping. Not an offer.
Fits these models
- HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11
- HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen11
- HPE ProLiant DL385 Gen11
- HPE ProLiant DL325 Gen11
- HPE ProLiant DL560 Gen11
FAQ
Why would an administrator choose the 960GB version over the standard 480GB NS204i-u?
The 960GB version provides double the mirrored local capacity, ideal for hyperconverged environments (such as VMware vSAN or Nutanix) requiring extensive local crash dumps, diagnostic logs, and container staging images.
Buying or selling P81160-B21?
New, refurbished or used. Tell us the quantity and condition and we connect you with a vetted reseller in your region, usually within one working day.
Sources
- HPE NS204i-u Boot Optimized Storage Device QuickSpecs, checked 2026-10-27