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Recently I've bought a Proliant ML370 G5 in tower case. After I got it the seller asked me to remove the "dongle" from it and return it back to him. The problem is I can't locate the "dongle" thing in or on the said server. I even opened the case but there's nothing that would resemble a "dongle".

Have You got an idea where to search for this thing?

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To echo @Ben, check the USB (and serial ports, if they are on that server model) and if nothing is in them then there's not really much you can do. –  tombull89 Aug 30 '11 at 19:49

2 Answers 2

A "dongle" in this context is a USB or serial-based software-enabler/licensing key.

The HP ProLiant ML370 G5 has an internal USB port on the motherboard Look for a small device attached to that port. See page 70 of the ML370 G5 service guide or look for something in the location noted in the following diagram:

The location of the internal USB connector is near the rear-left of the chassis (behind the PCI slots) on a rackmount server. On a tower server, the port is at the bottom of the chassis, beneath the PCI slots. enter image description here

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+1 Possible they have VMware on the USB drive and boot from it and it has their licenses –  Dave M Aug 30 '11 at 21:02

"Dongles" are usually USB thingies, which enable certain bits of very expensive software to work. It's kind of like a physical license key to ensure you can only use the software as per your license terms.

If it's not plugged in to a USB port on the server, check the box or contact the delivery company - they may have found it. It will probably look like a memory stick.

Ultimately though, as harsh as this sounds, it's their own stupid fault for leaving it plugged in and then sending the server to you. I'm no lawyer, but if you can't find it, I'd apologise and tell them you can't find it, but I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

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