| Feature | Requires License? | Notes | |--------|------------------|-------| | Basic RAID (0,1,5,6,10,50,60) | ❌ No | Free and built-in | | HPE SSA (GUI/CLI config tool) | ❌ No | Free download from HPE | | | ✅ Yes | Unlocks: RAID 6, 60, Online Spare, etc. But P420i already supports RAID 6/60 natively — so SAAP is irrelevant here. | | SSD Caching / CacheCade | ✅ Yes | Requires separate license key (not for P420i typically). | | Mixed drive types (SAS+SATA) in one array | ❌ No | P420i supports mixing without license. |
Note: Exact license names and what’s required can vary by server generation and by whether the controller firmware treats some features as dependent on physical modules (battery/flash) rather than just software keys. hp smart array p420i license key new
The HP Smart Array P420i requires a license key to unlock its full features. Here are some details on the licensing: | Feature | Requires License
This article cuts through the confusion. We will explain exactly what the P420i license is, which features require it, how to obtain a legitimate new key, and the modern alternatives that exist in 2025. | | SSD Caching / CacheCade | ✅
You must have a Flash Backed Write Cache (FBWC) module (minimum 512MB) installed to use these features, even with the updated firmware. 2. Features Still Requiring a License
For many Gen8 servers using the P420i controller, updating the firmware to version 4.68 or later