You cannot buy a used key from eBay and expect it to work. HP licenses are typically locked to the Server Serial Number or Controller UUID .
: Select the existing HDD logical drive that you want to accelerate. Set Policy : Choose between Write-Through (read acceleration only, safer) or Write-Back hp smartcache license key
This article dives deep into what the license key is, why you need it, how to obtain it, and step-by-step instructions for activation. You cannot buy a used key from eBay and expect it to work
The RAID controller must rewrite its metadata to redirect I/O through the cache tier. This is a premium feature reserved for licensed deployments. Without the key, the option in HP SSA (Smart Storage Administrator) or the BIOS will be greyed out or return an error: "Feature not licensed." Set Policy : Choose between Write-Through (read acceleration
"License Type: SmartCache" in the output.