Dell XC730 User Manual

Dell XC730-16G Web-Scale Hyperconverged Appliance

Owner's Manual

Notes, cautions, and warnings

NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer.

CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem.

WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death.

© 2016 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. This product is protected by U.S. and international copyright and intellectual property laws. Dell and the Dell logo are trademarks of Dell Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.

2016 - 05

Rev. A02

Contents

1 About your system................................................................................................ 8

Supported configuration.......................................................................................................................8

Front-panel features and indicators.....................................................................................................8

Diagnostic indicators...........................................................................................................................10

Hard drive indicator codes.................................................................................................................. 11

iDRAC Direct LED indicator codes......................................................................................................12

Back-panel features and indicators.................................................................................................... 13

NIC indicator codes.............................................................................................................................15

Power indicator codes........................................................................................................................ 15

Documentation references.................................................................................................................18

2 Performing initial system configuration ........................................................19

Setting up your system........................................................................................................................19

Methods of setting up and configuring the iDRAC IP address ......................................................... 19

Logging in to iDRAC............................................................................................................................19

Installing the operating system.......................................................................................................... 20

Remote management.........................................................................................................................20

Downloading and installing drivers and firmware.............................................................................20

3 Pre-operating system management applications........................................ 21

Navigation keys....................................................................................................................................21

About System Setup............................................................................................................................22

Entering System Setup.................................................................................................................. 22

System Setup details......................................................................................................................22

System BIOS Settings details.........................................................................................................23

System Information details........................................................................................................... 23

Memory Settings details................................................................................................................24

Processor Settings details............................................................................................................. 25

SATA Settings details..................................................................................................................... 26

Boot Settings details......................................................................................................................29

Network Settings screen details................................................................................................... 30

Integrated Devices details............................................................................................................. 31

Serial Communication details.......................................................................................................32

System Profile Settings details...................................................................................................... 33

System Security Settings details................................................................................................... 34

Miscellaneous Settings details...................................................................................................... 36

About Boot Manager...........................................................................................................................36

Entering Boot Manager ................................................................................................................ 36

Boot Manager main menu............................................................................................................ 37

Changing the boot order.................................................................................................................... 37

Choosing the system boot mode.......................................................................................................37

Assigning a system and setup password............................................................................................38

Deleting or changing an existing system password and setup password........................................38

4 Installing and removing system components.............................................. 40

Safety instructions...............................................................................................................................40

Before working inside your system....................................................................................................40

After working inside your system.......................................................................................................40

Recommended tools...........................................................................................................................41

Front bezel...........................................................................................................................................41

Removing the front bezel..............................................................................................................41

Installing the front bezel............................................................................................................... 42

Removing the system cover............................................................................................................... 42

Installing the system cover................................................................................................................. 43

Inside the system................................................................................................................................ 44

Cooling shroud................................................................................................................................... 45

Removing the cooling shroud...................................................................................................... 45

Installing the cooling shroud........................................................................................................46

Cooling fans........................................................................................................................................ 46

Removing a cooling fan................................................................................................................46

Installing a cooling fan.................................................................................................................. 47

Cooling-fan assembly.........................................................................................................................48

Removing the cooling-fan assembly........................................................................................... 48

Installing the cooling-fan assembly............................................................................................. 49

System memory.................................................................................................................................. 49

General memory module installation guidelines......................................................................... 51

Sample memory configurations....................................................................................................51

Removing memory modules.........................................................................................................51

Installing memory modules.......................................................................................................... 52

SATADOM............................................................................................................................................54

Important information about SATADOM......................................................................................55

Removing the SATADOM..............................................................................................................55

Installing the SATADOM................................................................................................................56

Heat sinks and processors.................................................................................................................. 57

Removing a processor...................................................................................................................57

Installing a processor.................................................................................................................... 62

PCIe card holder................................................................................................................................. 64

Removing the PCIe card holder................................................................................................... 64

Installing the PCIe card holder..................................................................................................... 65

Opening and closing the PCIe card holder latch.........................................................................65

Cable retention bracket......................................................................................................................66

Removing the cable retention bracket.........................................................................................66

Installing the cable retention bracket...........................................................................................67

Integrated storage controller card.....................................................................................................68

Removing the integrated storage controller card....................................................................... 68

Installing the integrated storage controller card......................................................................... 69

Expansion cards and expansion-card risers.......................................................................................70

Expansion card installation guidelines..........................................................................................70

Removing an expansion card from expansion-card riser 2 or 3................................................. 71

Installing an expansion card into the expansion-card riser 2 or 3.............................................. 72

Removing an expansion card from the expansion-card riser 1...................................................73

Installing an expansion card into the expansion-card riser 1......................................................74

Removing expansion-card risers.................................................................................................. 75

Installing expansion-card risers....................................................................................................80

GPU card............................................................................................................................................. 80

GPU card installation guidelines...................................................................................................80

Removing a GPU card...................................................................................................................80

Installing a GPU card..................................................................................................................... 81

Internal dual SD module..................................................................................................................... 82

Removing an internal SD card...................................................................................................... 82

Installing an internal SD card........................................................................................................ 82

Removing the internal dual SD module ...................................................................................... 83

Installing the internal dual SD module ........................................................................................ 85

Network daughter card.......................................................................................................................85

Removing the network daughter card ........................................................................................ 85

Installing the network daughter card........................................................................................... 87

System battery.....................................................................................................................................87

Replacing the system battery........................................................................................................87

Power supply units..............................................................................................................................88

Hot Spare feature..........................................................................................................................89

Removing an AC power supply unit.............................................................................................89

Installing an AC power supply unit...............................................................................................90

Wiring instructions for a DC power supply unit........................................................................... 91

Removing a DC power supply unit...............................................................................................92

Installing a DC power supply unit.................................................................................................93

System board.......................................................................................................................................93

Removing the system board.........................................................................................................93

Installing the system board...........................................................................................................95

Trusted Platform Module....................................................................................................................98

Installing the Trusted Platform Module .......................................................................................98

Re-enabling the TPM for BitLocker users.................................................................................... 99

Re-enabling the TPM for TXT users............................................................................................. 99

Hard drives........................................................................................................................................ 100

Removing a 2.5 inch hard-drive blank (Front)........................................................................... 100

Installing a 2.5 inch hard-drive blank (Front)..............................................................................101

Removing a hot-swap hard drive................................................................................................101

Installing a hot-swap hard drive................................................................................................. 102

Removing a hard drive from a hard-drive carrier...................................................................... 103

Installing a hard drive into a hard-drive carrier..........................................................................103

Hard-drive backplane....................................................................................................................... 104

Removing the hard-drive backplane..........................................................................................104

Installing the hard-drive backplane............................................................................................106

Removing the control panel....................................................................................................... 107

Installing the control panel.........................................................................................................109

Removing the I/O panel..............................................................................................................109

Installing the I/O panel.................................................................................................................111

5 Troubleshooting your system.........................................................................112

Safety first—for you and your system............................................................................................... 112

Troubleshooting system startup failure............................................................................................112

Troubleshooting external connections............................................................................................ 112

Troubleshooting the video subsystem............................................................................................. 112

Troubleshooting a USB device..........................................................................................................112

Troubleshooting iDRAC Direct (USB XML configuration)................................................................ 113

Troubleshooting iDRAC Direct (laptop connection)........................................................................114

Troubleshooting a serial I/O device..................................................................................................114

Troubleshooting a NIC......................................................................................................................114

Troubleshooting a wet system..........................................................................................................115

Troubleshooting a damaged system................................................................................................ 116

Troubleshooting the system battery.................................................................................................116

Troubleshooting power supply units................................................................................................ 117

Power source problems...............................................................................................................117

PSU problems...............................................................................................................................117

Troubleshooting cooling problems..................................................................................................118

Troubleshooting cooling fans...........................................................................................................118

Troubleshooting system memory.....................................................................................................119

Troubleshooting an SD card.............................................................................................................120

Troubleshooting a hard drive........................................................................................................... 120

Troubleshooting a storage controller...............................................................................................121

Troubleshooting expansion cards.................................................................................................... 122

Troubleshooting processors.............................................................................................................122

System messages.............................................................................................................................. 123

Warning messages.......................................................................................................................123

Diagnostic messages...................................................................................................................123

Alert messages.............................................................................................................................123

6 Using system diagnostics................................................................................124

Dell Embedded System Diagnostics.................................................................................................124

When to use the Embedded System Diagnostics......................................................................124

Running the Embedded System Diagnostics from Boot Manager............................................124

Running the Embedded System Diagnostics from the Dell Lifecycle Controller.....................124

System diagnostic controls.........................................................................................................125

7 Jumpers and connectors................................................................................ 126

System board jumper settings.......................................................................................................... 126

System board connectors.................................................................................................................127

Disabling a forgotten password........................................................................................................129

8 Getting help.......................................................................................................130

Contacting Dell................................................................................................................................. 130

Dell SupportAssist............................................................................................................................. 130

Locating Service Tag of your system............................................................................................... 130

Quick Resource Locator ...................................................................................................................131

About your system

The Dell XC730-16G system is web-scale converged appliance based on the Dell PowerEdge R730 that supports two Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3 processors, up to 24 DIMMs, and 16 hard drives or solid-state drives (SSDs).

NOTE: The system support only internal drives.

Supported configuration

Table 1. Supported configuration

Systems Configurations

Sixteen hard-drive systems Up to sixteen 2.5-inch hard drives.

Front-panel features and indicators

Figure 1. Front-panel features and indicators

Table 2. Front-panel features and indicators

Item Indicator, button, or

connector

1 Power-on indicator,

power button

Icon Description

The power-on indicator lights when the system power is on. The power button controls the power supply output to the system.

Item Indicator, button, or

connector

Icon Description

NOTE: On ACPI-compliant operating systems, turning off the system using the power button causes the system to perform a graceful shutdown before power to the system is turned off.

2 NMI button

3 System identification

button

4 Video connector Enables you to connect a display to the system.

5 LCD menu buttons Enable you to navigate the control panel LCD

Used to troubleshoot software and device driver errors when running certain operating systems. This button can be pressed using the end of a paper clip.

Use this button only if directed to do so by qualified support personnel or by the operating system documentation.

The identification buttons on the front and back panels can be used to locate a particular system within a rack. When one of these buttons is pressed, the LCD panel on the front and the system status indicator on the back flashes until one of the buttons is pressed again.

Press to toggle the system ID on and off.

If the system stops responding during POST, press and hold the system ID button for more than five seconds to enter BIOS progress mode.

To reset iDRAC (if not disabled in F2 iDRAC setup) press and hold the button for more than 15 seconds.

menu.

6 Information tag A slide-out label panel which allows you to record

system information such as Service Tag, NIC, MAC address, and so on, as per your need.

7 LCD panel Displays system ID, status information, and system

error messages. For more information, see LCD panel features.

8 Hard drives Up to sixteen 2.5-inch hot-swappable hard drives.

9 vFlash media card slot Enables you to insert a vFlash media card.

10 USB connector Enables you to connect USB devices to the system.

The ports are USB 2.0-compliant.

11 USB management port

or iDRAC Direct

The USB management port is USB 2.0 compliant. Enables you to connect USB devices to the system

Item Indicator, button, or

connector

Icon Description

or provides access to the iDRAC Direct features. For more information, see the Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller User’s Guide at Dell.com/

idracmanuals.

Diagnostic indicators

The diagnostic indicators on the system front-panel display error status during system startup.

NOTE: The diagnostic indicators are not present if the system is equipped with an LCD display.

NOTE: No diagnostic indicators are lit when the system is switched off. To start the system, plug it in to a working power source and press the power button.

Table 3. Diagnostic indicators

Icon Description Condition Corrective action

Health indicator If the system is turned on,

and in good health, glows solid blue.

None required.

Blinks amber if the system is turned on or in standby, and if any error exists (for example, a failed fan or hard drive).

Hard drive indicator

Electrical indicator Blinks amber if the system

Blinks amber if a hard drive experiences an error.

experiences an electrical error (for example, voltage out of range, or a failed power supply unit or voltage regulator).

See the system event log or system messages for the specific issue. For more information about the error messages, see the Dell Event and Error Messages Reference Guide at

Dell.com/openmanagemanuals > OpenManage software.

Invalid memory configurations can cause the system to stop functioning at startup without any video output. SeeGetting help.

See the system event log to determine the Hard drive that has an error. Run the appropriate online diagnostics test. Restart system and run embedded diagnostics (ePSA).

See the system event log or system messages for the specific issue. If it is because of a problem with the power supply unit (PSU), check the LED on the PSU. Reseat the PSU by removing and reinstalling it. If the issue persists, seeGetting help.

Temperature indicator

Blinks amber if the system experiences a thermal error

Ensure that none of the following conditions exist:

Icon Description Condition Corrective action

(for example, a temperature out of range or fan failure).

• A cooling fan is removed or has failed.

• System cover, cooling shroud, EMI filler panel, memory-module blank, or back-filler bracket is removed.

• Ambient temperature is too high.

• External airflow is obstructed.

SeeGetting help.

Memory indicator Blinks amber if a memory

error occurs.

PCIe indicator Blinks amber if a PCIe card

experiences an error.

Hard drive indicator codes

See the system event log or system messages for the location of the failed memory. Reinstall the memory device. If the issue persists, seeGetting

help.

Restart the system. Update any required drivers for the PCIe card. Reinstall the card. If the issue persists, seeGetting help.

NOTE: For more information about supported PCIe cards, seeExpansion card installation

guidelines.

Figure 2. Hard drive indicators

1. Hard drive activity indicator 2. Hard drive status indicator

3. Hard drive

NOTE: If the hard drive is in Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) mode, the status indicator (on the right side) does not function and remains off.

Table 4. Hard drive indicators

Drive-status indicator pattern Condition

Blinks green two times per second Identifying drive or preparing for removal. HDD or SSD

location is enabled for one or more HDDs or SSDs is in the failed state on the Nutanix Web GUI.

Blinks amber four times per second Drive failed

Steady green Drive online

iDRAC Direct LED indicator codes

This topic describes about the iDRAC Direct LED indicator codes.

NOTE: The iDRAC Direct LED indicator does not glow for the USB mode.

Figure 3. iDRAC Direct LED indicator

1. iDRAC Direct status indicator

The following table displays iDRAC Direct activity when configuring iDRAC Direct by using the management port (USB XML Import).

Table 5. iDRAC Direct by using the management port (USB XML Import).

Convention iDRAC Direct

LED indicator pattern

A Green Glows green for a minimum of two seconds at the beginning and

B Flashing green Indicates file transfer or any operation tasks.

Condition

end of a file transfer.

Convention iDRAC Direct

LED indicator pattern

Condition

C Green and turns

off

D Not lit Indicates that the USB is ready to be removed or that a task is

The following table describes about iDRAC Direct activity when configuring iDRAC Direct using your laptop and cable (Laptop connect).

Table 6.

iDRAC Direct LED indicator pattern Condition

Solid green for two seconds Indicates that the laptop is connected.

Flashing green (on for two seconds and off for two seconds)

Turns off Indicates that the laptop is unplugged.

Indicates that the file transfer is complete.

complete.

Indicates that the laptop connected is recognized.

Back-panel features and indicators

Figure 4. Back-panel features and indicators

Table 7. Back-panel features and indicators

Item Indicator, button, or

connector

1 System identification

button

Icon Description

You can use the identification buttons on the front to locate a particular system within a rack. When one of these buttons is pressed, the LCD panel on the front and the system status indicator on the back flashes until one of the buttons is pressed again.

Press to toggle the system ID on and off. If the system stops responding during

Item Indicator, button, or

connector

Icon Description

POST, press and hold the system ID button for more than five seconds to enter the BIOS progress mode.

To reset iDRAC (if not disabled in F2 iDRAC setup) press and hold the button for more than 15 seconds.

2 System identification

connector

3 iDRAC8 Enterprise port Dedicated management port for

4 Half-height PCIe

expansion-card slot (3)

5 Serial connector Allows you to connect a serial device to

6 Video connector Allows you to connect a VGA display to

7 USB connector (2) Allows you to connect USB devices to

8 Full-height PCIe

expansion-card slot (3)

9 Ethernet connector (4) Four integrated 10/100/1000 Mbps NIC

Connects the optional system status indicator assembly through the optional cable management arm.

iDRAC8.

Allows you to connect up to three halfheight PCI Express expansion cards.

the system.

the system. The ports are USB 3.0compliant.

Allows you to connect up to three fullheight PCI Express expansion cards. These are reserved for Dell PERC H310 and LSI 9207-8i.

connectors or

Four integrated connectors that include:

• Two 10/100/1000 Mbps NIC connectors

• Two 100 Mbps/1 Gbps/10 Gbps SFP +/10 GbE T connectors

10 Power supply unit (PSU1)

11 Power supply unit

(PSU2)

12 vFlash media card slot Allows you to insert a vFlash media card.

AC 495 W, 750 W, or

1100 W

DC 495 W, 750 W, or

1100 W

NIC indicator codes

Figure 5. NIC indicators

1. link indicator 2. activity indicator

Table 8. NIC indicators

ConventionIndicator Indicator code

A Link and activity indicators are off The NIC (network interface card) is not connected to the

network.

B Link indicator is green The NIC is connected to a valid network at its maximum

port speed (1 Gbps or 10 Gbps).

C Link indicator is amber The NIC is connected to a valid network at less than its

maximum port speed.

D Activity indicator is blinking green Network data is being sent or received.

Power indicator codes

Each AC power supply unit (PSU) has an illuminated translucent handle and each DC power supply unit (when available) has an LED that serves as an indicator to show whether power is present or a power fault has occurred.

Figure 6. AC power supply unit status indicator

1. AC power supply unit status indicator or handle

Table 9. AC Power indicator

Convention Power indicator

Condition

pattern

A Green The handle indicator glows green indicating that a valid power

source is connected to the power supply unit and that the power supply unit is operational.

B Flashing green When updating the firmware of the power supply unit, the power

supply unit handle flashes green.

C Flashing green

and turns off

When hot-adding a power supply unit (PSU), the power supply unit handle flashes green five times at 4 Hz rate and turns off. This indicates that the power supply unit is mismatched with the other power supply unit (in terms of efficiency, feature set, health status, and supported voltage). Replace the power supply unit that has the flashing indicator with a power supply unit that matches the capacity of the other installed power supply unit.

NOTE: For AC power supplies, use only PSUs with the Extended Power Performance (EPP) label on the back. Mixing PSUs from previous generations of servers can result in a PSU mismatch condition or failure to turn on.

D Flashing amber Indicates a problem with the power supply unit.

Convention Power indicator

Condition

pattern

CAUTION: When correcting a power supply unit mismatch, replace only the power supply unit with the flashing indicator. Swapping the opposite power supply unit to make a matched pair can result in an error condition and unexpected system shutdown. To change from a High Output configuration to a Low Output configuration or vice versa, you must turn off the system.

CAUTION: AC power supply units support both 220 V and 110 V input voltages with the exception of Titanium power supply units, which support only 220 V. When two identical power supply units receive different input voltages, they can output different wattages, and trigger a mismatch.

CAUTION: If two power supply units are used, they must be of the same type and have the same maximum output power.

CAUTION: Combining AC and DC power supply units is not supported and triggers a mismatch.

E Not lit Power supply unit is not connected.

Figure 7. DC power supply unit status indicator

1. DC power supply unit status indicator

Table 10. DC Power indicator

Convention Power indicator

pattern

A Green The handle or LED indicator glows green indicating that a valid

B Flashing green When hot-adding a power supply unit, power supply unit LED

C Flashing amber Indicates a problem with the power supply unit.

Condition

power source is connected to the power supply unit and that the power supply unit is operational.

flashes green. This indicates that the power supply unit is mismatched with the other power supply unit (in terms of efficiency, feature set, health status, and supported voltage). Replace the power supply unit that has the flashing indicator with a power supply unit that matches the capacity of the other installed power supply unit.

CAUTION: If two power supply units are used, they must be of the same type and have the same maximum output power.

CAUTION: Combining AC and DC power supply units is not supported and triggers a mismatch.

D Not lit Power supply unit is not connected.

Documentation references

For information about the Dell documents, see the Support Matrix specific for your product.

For information about the Nutanix documents that applies to a specific release of Nutanix solution software, see the Support Matrix specific for your product.

Performing initial system configuration

After you receive your system, you must set up your system, install the operating system if it is not preinstalled, and set up and configure the system iDRAC IP address.

Setting up your system

1. Unpack the server.

2. Install the server into the rack. For more information about installing the server into the rack, see your system Rack Installation Placemat at Dell.com/xcseriesmanuals.

3. Connect the peripherals to the system.

4. Connect the system to its electrical outlet.

5. Turn on the system by pressing the Power button or by using iDRAC.

6. Turn on the attached peripherals.

Methods of setting up and configuring the iDRAC IP address

You can set up the iDRAC IP address by using one of the following interfaces:

• iDRAC Settings utility

• Lifecycle Controller

• Dell Deployment Toolkit

• Server LCD panel

You can configure iDRAC IP by using:

1. iDRAC Web Interface.

For more information about setting up and configuring iDRAC, see the Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller User's Guide at Dell.com/idracmanuals.

2. Remote Access Controller ADMin (RACADM).

For more information, see the RACADM Command Line Interface Reference Guide and the Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller User's Guide at Dell.com/idracmanuals.

3. Remote Services that includes Web Services Management (WS-Man). For more information, see the

Lifecycle Controller Remote Services Quick Start Guide at Dell.com/idracmanuals.

Logging in to iDRAC

You can log in to iDRAC as an iDRAC local user, a Microsoft Active Directory user, or a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) user. You can also log in by using Single Sign-On or a Smart Card. The

default user name is root and password is calvin. For more information about logging in to iDRAC and iDRAC licenses, see the Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller User's Guide at Dell.com/ idracmanuals.

You can also access iDRAC by using RACADM. For more information, see the RACADM Command Line

Interface Reference Guide and the Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller User's Guide at Dell.com/ idracmanuals.

Installing the operating system

If the server is shipped without an operating system, install the supported operating system on the server by using one of the following methods:

• Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation media. See the operating system

documentation at Dell.com/operatingsystemmanuals.

• Dell Lifecycle Controller. See the Lifecycle Controller documentation at Dell.com/idracmanuals.

• Dell OpenManage Deployment Toolkit. See the OpenManage documentation at Dell.com/

openmanagemanuals.

For information about the list of operating systems supported on your system, see the operating systems support matrix at Dell.com/ossupport.

Remote management

To perform out-of-band systems management by using iDRAC, you must configure iDRAC for remote accessibility, set up the management station and managed system, and configure the supported Web browsers. For more information, see the Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller User’s Guide at Dell.com/idracmanuals.

You can also remotely monitor and manage the server by using the Dell OpenManage Server Administrator software application and OpenManage Essentials systems management console. For more information, go to Dell.com/openmanagemanuals.

Downloading and installing drivers and firmware

Dell recommends that you download and install the latest BIOS, drivers, and systems management firmware on your system.

Prerequisites

Ensure that you clear the web browser cache.

Steps

1. Go to Dell.com/support/home.

2. Under Support in the Customized support section type your Service Tag into the Enter your Service Tag or Express Service code box.

NOTE: If you do not have the Service Tag, select Detect My Product to allow the system to automatically detect your Service Tag, or under General support select your product page.

3. Click Drivers & downloads. The drivers that are applicable to your selection are displayed.

4. Download the drivers you require to a diskette drive, USB drive, CD, or DVD.

Pre-operating system management applications

The pre-operating system management applications for your system helps you manage different settings and features of your system without booting to the operating system.

Your system has the following pre-operating system management applications:

• System Setup

• Boot Manager

• Dell Lifecycle Controller

Dell Lifecycle Controller allows you to perform useful tasks such as configuring BIOS and hardware settings, deploying operating system, updating drivers, and saving hardware profiles. For more information about Dell Lifecycle Controller, see the documentation at Dell.com/idracmanuals.

Navigation keys

The navigation keys can help you access the pre-operating system management applications.

Key Description

Page Up Moves to the previous screen.

Page Down Moves to the next screen.

Up arrow Moves to the previous field.

Down arrow Moves to the next field.

Enter Enables you to type a value in the selected field (if applicable) or follow the link in

the field.

Spacebar Expands or collapses a drop-down list, if applicable.

Tab Moves to the next focus area.

NOTE: This feature is applicable for the standard graphical browser only.

Esc Moves to the previous page until you view the main screen. Pressing Esc in the

main screen exits System BIOS/iDRAC Settings/Device Settings/Service Tag Settings and proceeds with system boot.

F1 Displays the System Setup help.

F2 Enables you to enter System Setup

F10 Enables you to enter Dell Lifecycle Controller

Key Description

F11 Enables you to enter Boot Manager

F12 Enables you to enter PXE boot

About System Setup

Using System Setup, you can configure the BIOS settings, iDRAC settings, and device settings of your system.

NOTE: There are a several generic server settings that appear during system setup that do not apply to this system, such as RAID or UEFI.

You can access System Setup in two methods:

• Standard Graphical Browser — This is enabled by default.

• Text Browser — This is enabled by using Console Redirection.

To enable Console Redirection:

• On the System Setup page, click System BIOS.

• On the Serial Communications page, click Serial Communication, and then select On with Console

Redirection.

NOTE: By default, help text for the selected field is displayed in the graphical browser. To view the help text in the text browser, press F1.

From System Setup, you can:

• Change the NVRAM settings after you add or remove hardware

• View the system hardware configuration

• Enable or disable integrated devices

• Set performance and power management thresholds

• Manage system security

Entering System Setup

1. Turn on or restart your system.

2. Press F2 immediately after you see the following message:

F2 = System Setup

If your operating system begins to load before you press F2, allow the system to finish booting, and then restart your system and try again.

NOTE: If an error message is displayed while the system is starting, make a note of the message. For more information, see System messages.

NOTE: After installing a memory upgrade, it is normal for your system to display a message the first time you start your system.

System Setup details

The System Setup Main Menu screen details are explained as follows:

Option Description

System BIOS Enables you to configure BIOS settings.

iDRAC Settings Enables you to configure iDRAC settings.

The iDRAC settings utility is an interface to set up and configure the iDRAC parameters by using UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface). You can enable or disable various iDRAC parameters by using the iDRAC settings utility. For more information about this utility, see Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller User’s

Guide at Dell.com/idracmanuals.

Device Settings Enables you to configure device settings.

System BIOS Settings details

The System BIOS Settings screen details are explained as follows:

Option

System Information

Memory Settings Specifies information and options related to the installed memory.

Processor Settings Specifies information and options related to the processor such as speed and

SATA Settings Specifies options to enable or disable the integrated SATA controller and ports.

Boot Settings Specifies options to specify the boot mode (BIOS or UEFI). Enables you to modify

Network Settings Specifies options to change the network settings.

Integrated Devices

Serial Communication

System Profile Settings

System Security Specifies options to configure the system security settings, such as system

Miscellaneous Settings

Description

Specifies information about the system such as the system model name, BIOS version, and Service Tag.

cache size.

UEFI and BIOS boot settings.

Specifies options to manage integrated device controllers and ports and specify related features and options.

Specifies options to manage the serial ports and specify related features and options.

Specifies options to change the processor power management settings, memory frequency, and so on.

password, setup password, Trusted Platform Module (TPM) security. It also manages the power and NMI buttons on the system.

Specifies options to change the system date, time, and so on.

System Information details

The System Information screen details are explained as follows:

Option

System Model Name

Description

Specifies the system model name.

Option Description

System BIOS Version

System Management Engine Version

System Service Tag

System Manufacturer

System Manufacturer Contact Information

System CPLD Version

UEFI Compliance Version

Specifies the BIOS version installed on the system.

Specifies the current version of the Management Engine firmware.

Specifies the system Service Tag.

Specifies the name of the system manufacturer.

Specifies the contact information of the system manufacturer.

Specifies the current version of the system complex programmable logic device (CPLD) firmware.

Specifies the UEFI compliance level of the system firmware.

Memory Settings details

The Memory Settings screen details are explained as follows:

Option

Description

System Memory Size

System Memory Type

System Memory Speed

System Memory Voltage

Video Memory Specifies the amount of video memory.

System Memory Testing

Memory Operating Mode

Specifies the memory size in the system.

Specifies the type of memory installed in the system.

Specifies the system memory speed.

Specifies the system memory voltage.

Specifies whether the system memory tests are run during system boot. Options are Enabled and Disabled. This option is set to Disabled by default.

Specifies the memory operating mode. The options available are Optimizer Mode,

Advanced ECC Mode, Mirror Mode, Spare Mode, Spare with Advanced ECC Mode, Dell Fault Resilient Mode and Dell NUMA Fault Resilient Mode. This option is set

to Optimizer Mode by default.

NOTE: The Memory Operating Mode option can have different default and available options based on the memory configuration of your system.

NOTE: The Dell Fault Resilient Mode option establishes an area of memory that is fault resilient. This mode can be used by an operating system that supports the feature to load critical applications or enables the operating system kernel to maximize system availability.

Option Description

Node Interleaving Specifies if Non-Uniform Memory architecture (NUMA) is supported. If this field is

set to Enabled, memory interleaving is supported if a symmetric memory configuration is installed. If the field is set to Disabled, the system supports NUMA (asymmetric) memory configurations. This option is set to Disabled by default.

Snoop Mode Specifies the Snoop Mode options. The Snoop Mode options available are Home

Snoop, Early Snoop, and Cluster on Die. This option is set to Early Snoop by default. This field is available only when the Node Interleaving is set to Disabled.

Processor Settings details

The Processor Settings screen details are explained as follows:

Option

Logical Processor Enables or disables the logical processors and displays the number of logical

QPI Speed Enables you to control QuickPath Interconnect data rate settings.

Alternate RTID (Requestor Transaction ID) Setting

Virtualization Technology

Address Translation Service (ATS)

Adjacent Cache Line Prefetch

Hardware Prefetcher

DCU Streamer Prefetcher

DCU IP Prefetcher Enables or disables the Data Cache Unit (DCU) IP prefetcher. This option is set to

Execute Disable Enables you to run the disable memory protection technology. This option is set to

Logical Processor Idling

Description

processors. If this option is set to Enabled, the BIOS displays all the logical processors. If this option is set to Disabled, the BIOS displays only one logical processor per core. This option is set to Enabled by default.

Modifies Requestor Transaction IDs, which are QPI resources. This option is set to Disabled by default.

NOTE: Enabling this option may negatively impact the overall system performance.

Enables or disables the additional hardware capabilities provided for virtualization. This option is set to Enabled by default.

Defines the Address Translation Cache (ATC) for devices to cache the DMA transactions. This option provides an interface between CPU and DMA Memory Management to a chipset's Address Translation and Protection Table to translate DMA addresses to host addresses. This option is set to Enabled by default.

Optimizes the system for applications that need high utilization of sequential memory access. This option is set to Enabled by default. You can disable this option for applications that need high utilization of random memory access.

Enables or disables the hardware prefetcher. This option is set to Enabled by default.

Enables or disables the Data Cache Unit (DCU) streamer prefetcher. This option is set to Enabled by default.

Enabled by default.

Enables you to improve the energy efficiency of a system. It uses the operating system core parking algorithm and parks some of the logical processors in the system which in turn allows the corresponding processor cores to transition into a lower power idle state. This option can only be enabled if the operating system supports it. It is set to

Disabled by default.

Option Description

Configurable TDP Enables you to reconfigure the processor Thermal Design Power (TDP) levels

during POST based on the power and thermal delivery capabilities of the system. TDP verifies the maximum heat the cooling system is needed to dissipate. This option is set to Nominal by default.

NOTE: This option is only available on certain stock keeping units (SKUs) of the processors.

X2Apic Mode Enables or disables the X2Apic mode.

Dell Controlled Turbo

Controls the turbo engagement. Enable this option only when System Profile is set to Performance.

NOTE: Depending on the number of installed CPUs, there may be up to four processor listings.

Number of Cores per Processor

Processor 64-bit Support

Processor Core Speed

Processor 1

Controls the number of enabled cores in each processor. This option is set to All by default.

Specifies if the processor(s) support 64-bit extensions.

Specifies the maximum core frequency of the processor.

The following settings are displayed for each processor installed in the system:

Option Description

Family-ModelStepping

Brand Specifies the brand name.

Level 2 Cache Specifies the total L2 cache.

Level 3 Cache Specifies the total L3 cache.

Number of Cores Specifies the number of cores per processor.

SATA Settings details

NOTE: Depending on the number of CPUs, there may be up to four processors listed.

Specifies the family, model, and stepping of the processor as defined by Intel.

The SATA Settings screen details are explained as follows:

Option

Embedded SATA Enables the embedded SATA option to be set to Off, ATA, AHCI, or RAID modes.

Security Freeze Lock

Write Cache Enables or disables the command for Embedded SATA drives during POST.

Description

This option is set to AHCI by default.

Sends Security Freeze Lock command to the Embedded SATA drives during POST. This option is applicable only for ATA and AHCI modes.

Option Description

Port A Sets the drive type of the selected device. For Embedded SATA settings in ATA

mode, set this field to Auto to enable BIOS support. Set it to OFF to turn off BIOS support.

For AHCI or RAID mode, BIOS support is always enabled.

Option Description

Model Specifies the drive model of the selected device.

Drive Type Specifies the type of drive attached to the SATA port.

Capacity Specifies the total capacity of the hard drive. This field is

undefined for removable media devices such as optical drives.

Port B Sets the drive type of the selected device. For Embedded SATA settings in ATA

mode, set this field to Auto to enable BIOS support. Set it to OFF to turn off BIOS support.

For AHCI or RAID mode, BIOS support is always enabled.

Option Description

Model Specifies the drive model of the selected device.

Drive Type Specifies the type of drive attached to the SATA port.

Capacity Specifies the total capacity of the hard drive. This field is

undefined for removable media devices such as optical drives.

Port C Sets the drive type of the selected device. For Embedded SATA settings in ATA

mode, set this field to Auto to enable BIOS support. Set it to OFF to turn off BIOS support.

For AHCI or RAID mode, BIOS support is always enabled.

Option Description

Model Specifies the drive model of the selected device.

Drive Type Specifies the type of drive attached to the SATA port.

Capacity Specifies the total capacity of the hard drive. This field is

undefined for removable media devices such as optical drives.

Port D Sets the drive type of the selected device. For Embedded SATA settings in ATA

mode, set this field to Auto to enable BIOS support. Set it to OFF to turn off BIOS support.

For AHCI or RAID mode, BIOS support is always enabled.

Option Description

Model Specifies the drive model of the selected device.

Drive Type Specifies the type of drive attached to the SATA port.

Option Description

Capacity Specifies the total capacity of the hard drive. This field is

undefined for removable media devices such as optical drives.

Port E Sets the drive type of the selected device. For Embedded SATA settings in ATA

mode, set this field to Auto to enable BIOS support. Set it to OFF to turn off BIOS support.

For AHCI or RAID mode, BIOS support is always enabled.

Option Description

Model Specifies the drive model of the selected device.

Drive Type Specifies the type of drive attached to the SATA port.

Capacity Specifies the total capacity of the hard drive. This field is

undefined for removable media devices such as optical drives.

Port F Sets the drive type of the selected device. For Embedded SATA settings in ATA

mode, set this field to Auto to enable BIOS support. Set it to OFF to turn off BIOS support.

For AHCI or RAID mode, BIOS support is always enabled.

Option Description

Model Specifies the drive model of the selected device.

Drive Type Specifies the type of drive attached to the SATA port.

Capacity Specifies the total capacity of the hard drive. This field is

undefined for removable media devices such as optical drives.

Port G Sets the drive type of the selected device. For Embedded SATA settings in ATA

mode, set this field to Auto to enable BIOS support. Set it to OFF to turn off BIOS support.

For AHCI or RAID mode, BIOS support is always enabled.

Option Description

Model Specifies the drive model of the selected device.

Drive Type Specifies the type of drive attached to the SATA port.

Capacity Specifies the total capacity of the hard drive. This field is

undefined for removable media devices such as optical drives.

Port H Sets the drive type of the selected device. For Embedded SATA settings in ATA

mode, set this field to Auto to enable BIOS support. Set it to OFF to turn off BIOS support.

Option Description

For AHCI or RAID mode, BIOS support is always enabled.

Option Description

Model Specifies the drive model of the selected device.

Drive Type Specifies the type of drive attached to the SATA port.

Capacity Specifies the total capacity of the hard drive. This field is

undefined for removable media devices such as optical drives.

Port I Sets the drive type of the selected device. For Embedded SATA settings in ATA

mode, set this field to Auto to enable BIOS support. Set it to OFF to turn off BIOS support.

For AHCI or RAID mode, BIOS support is always enabled.

Option Description

Model Specifies the drive model of the selected device.

Drive Type Specifies the type of drive attached to the SATA port.

Capacity Specifies the total capacity of the hard drive. This field is

undefined for removable media devices such as optical drives.

Port J Sets the drive type of the selected device. For Embedded SATA settings in ATA

mode, set this field to Auto to enable BIOS support. Set it to OFF to turn off BIOS support.

For AHCI or RAID mode, BIOS support is always enabled.

Option Description

Model Specifies the drive model of the selected device.

Drive Type Specifies the type of drive attached to the SATA port.

Capacity Specifies the total capacity of the hard drive. This field is

undefined for removable media devices such as optical drives.

Boot Settings details

The Boot Settings screen details are explained as follows:

Option

Boot Mode Enables you to set the boot mode of the system.

Description

CAUTION: Switching the boot mode may prevent the system from booting if the operating system is not installed in the same boot mode.

Option Description

If the operating system supports UEFI, you can set this option to UEFI. Setting this field to BIOS allows compatibility with non-UEFI operating systems. This option is set to BIOS by default.

NOTE: Setting this field to UEFI disables the BIOS Boot Settings menu. Setting this field to BIOS disables the UEFI Boot Settings menu.

Boot Sequence Retry

Hard-Disk Failover Specifies the hard drive that is booted in the event of a hard drive failure. The

Boot Option Settings

BIOS Boot Settings

UEFI Boot Settings Enables or disables UEFI Boot options. The Boot options include IPv4 PXE and IPv6

Enables or disables the Boot Sequence Retry feature. If this option is set to Enabled and the system fails to boot, the system reattempts the boot sequence after 30 seconds. This option is set to Enabled by default.

devices are selected in the Hard-Disk Drive Sequence on the Boot Option Setting menu. When this option is set to Disabled, only the first hard drive in the list is attempted to boot. When this option is set to Enabled, all hard drives are attempted to boot in the order selected in the enabled for UEFI Boot Mode.

Configures the boot sequence and the boot devices.

Enables or disables BIOS boot options.

NOTE: This option is enabled only if the boot mode is BIOS.

PXE. This option is set to IPv4 by default.

NOTE: This option is enabled only if the boot mode is UEFI.

Hard-Disk Drive Sequence. This option is not

Network Settings screen details

The Network Settings screen details are explained as follows:

Option

Description

PXE Device n (n = 1 to 4)

PXE Device n Settings (n = 1 to

Enables or disables the device. When enabled, a UEFI boot option is created for the device.

Enables you to control the configuration of the PXE device.

UEFI iSCSI Settings screen details

You can use the iSCSI Settings screen to modify iSCSI device settings. The iSCSI Settings option is available only in the UEFI boot mode. BIOS does not control network settings in the BIOS boot mode. For BIOS boot mode, the option ROM of the network controller handles the network settings.

To view the UEFI ISCSI Settings screen, click System Setup Main Menu → System BIOS → Network Settings → UEFI ISCSI Settings.

The UEFI ISCSI Settings screen details are explained as follows:

+ 101 hidden pages