Dell Poweredge C4130 EMC Servers Troubleshooting Guide User Manual Power Edge C6320p User's Guide15 En Us

User Manual: Dell poweredge-c4130 - Dell EMC PowerEdge Servers Troubleshooting Guide

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Dell EMC PowerEdge Servers
Troubleshooting Guide

Notes, cautions, and warnings
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your product.
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.

Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. Dell, EMC, and other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. Other
trademarks may be trademarks of their respective owners.

2017 - 12
Rev. A05

Contents
1 Introduction....................................................................................................................................................6
Audience..............................................................................................................................................................................6
Recommended tools.......................................................................................................................................................... 6
Documentation resources................................................................................................................................................. 7
Safety instructions............................................................................................................................................................. 8
2 Diagnostic indicators..................................................................................................................................... 9
Status LED indicators........................................................................................................................................................ 9
System health and system ID indicator codes.............................................................................................................. 10
iDRAC Quick Sync 2 indicator codes............................................................................................................................. 10
iDRAC Direct LED indicator codes.................................................................................................................................. 11
NIC indicator codes........................................................................................................................................................... 11
Power supply unit indicator codes..................................................................................................................................12
Non-redundant power supply unit indicator codes...................................................................................................... 14
Hard drive indicator codes...............................................................................................................................................15
uSATA SSD indicator codes.............................................................................................................................................16
Internal dual SD module indicator codes........................................................................................................................16
3 Running diagnostics..................................................................................................................................... 18
Receiving automated support with SupportAssist ......................................................................................................18
PSA/ePSA Diagnostics.................................................................................................................................................... 18
Running the PSA/ePSA Diagnostics........................................................................................................................ 18
PSA/ePSA Diagnostics error codes......................................................................................................................... 19
Debugging mini crash dump files using by WinDbg in Windows operating system................................................. 35
4 Troubleshooting hardware issues................................................................................................................. 40
Troubleshooting no power issues...................................................................................................................................40
Troubleshooting system startup failure.......................................................................................................................... 41
Troubleshooting external connections............................................................................................................................41
Troubleshooting the video subsystem............................................................................................................................41
Troubleshooting a USB device........................................................................................................................................ 41
Troubleshooting iDRAC Direct (USB XML configuration).....................................................................................42
Troubleshooting iDRAC Direct (Laptop connection)............................................................................................. 42
Troubleshooting a serial I/O device................................................................................................................................42
Troubleshooting a NIC..................................................................................................................................................... 43
Troubleshooting a wet system........................................................................................................................................43
Troubleshooting a damaged system.............................................................................................................................. 44
Troubleshooting the system battery.............................................................................................................................. 44
Troubleshooting cooling problems..................................................................................................................................45
Troubleshooting cooling fans.......................................................................................................................................... 45
Troubleshooting an internal USB key.............................................................................................................................46
Troubleshooting an SD card............................................................................................................................................46

Contents

Troubleshooting an optical drive.....................................................................................................................................47
Troubleshooting a tape backup unit............................................................................................................................... 47
Troubleshooting a storage controller............................................................................................................................. 48
Troubleshooting expansion cards................................................................................................................................... 48
Troubleshooting processors............................................................................................................................................ 49
Troubleshooting hard drives............................................................................................................................................49
Checking hard drive status in the PERC BIOS...................................................................................................... 50
FAQs.............................................................................................................................................................................51
Symptoms...................................................................................................................................................................53
Troubleshooting system memory................................................................................................................................... 53
Troubleshooting memory module issues....................................................................................................................... 54
Prerequisites to follow when installing or upgrading memory.............................................................................. 54
Memory population guidelines..................................................................................................................................54
Memory modes.......................................................................................................................................................... 55
Correctable and uncorrectable errors..................................................................................................................... 56
System stops responding during POST after upgrading or installing a memory module..................................56
How to resolve unsupported or mismatched memory module error messages reported during POST
on a PowerEdge system?......................................................................................................................................... 57
Troubleshooting power supply units...............................................................................................................................57
Troubleshooting power source problems.................................................................................................................57
Troubleshooting power supply unit problems......................................................................................................... 57
Troubleshooting RAID......................................................................................................................................................58
RAID configuration using OpenManage Server Administrator.............................................................................58
RAID configuration by using Unified Server Configurator..................................................................................... 61
Downloading and installing the RAID controller log export by using PERCCLI tool on ESXi hosts on
Dell’s 13th generation of PowerEdge servers.........................................................................................................64
Configuring RAID by using Lifecycle Controller......................................................................................................68
Starting and target RAID levels for virtual disk reconfiguration and capacity expansion..................................69
Reconfiguring or migrating virtual disks.................................................................................................................. 70
Foreign Configuration Operations............................................................................................................................ 72
Viewing Patrol Read report....................................................................................................................................... 73
Check Consistency report........................................................................................................................................ 75
Virtual disk troubleshooting ..................................................................................................................................... 75
Troubleshooting memory or battery errors on the PERC controller on Dell PowerEdge servers.................... 77
Slicing.......................................................................................................................................................................... 79
RAID puncture............................................................................................................................................................ 79
Blank or skipped RAID configuration screen during SMTD DVD installation...................................................... 82
Troubleshooting thermal issue........................................................................................................................................83
5 Server management software issues........................................................................................................... 84
How to set up Auto Dedicated NIC feature?............................................................................................................... 84
How do I configure RAID using operating system deployment wizard?................................................................... 85
How to set up e-mail alerts?.......................................................................................................................................... 85
How to export license using iDRAC web interface?....................................................................................................85
How to specify language and keyboard type?............................................................................................................. 86
How to configure network settings using Lifecycle Controller?................................................................................ 86

Contents

What are the different types of iDRAC licenses?.........................................................................................................87
What are the differences between iDRAC7 and iDRAC8?..........................................................................................87
Can I upgrade the iDRAC license from express to enterprise and BMC to express?..............................................87
How to activate license on iDRAC?...............................................................................................................................88
How to find out missing licenses?................................................................................................................................. 88
How to update BIOS on 13th generation PowerEdge servers?.................................................................................89
Which are the operating systems supported on PowerEdge servers?.....................................................................89
6 Troubleshooting operating system issues.....................................................................................................90
Troubleshooting blue screen errors (BSODs)...............................................................................................................90
Troubleshooting a Purple Screen of Death (PSOD).....................................................................................................91
Troubleshooting no boot issues for Windows operating systems...............................................................................91
No POST issues (iDRAC)................................................................................................................................................ 91
“First Boot Device cannot be set” error message is displayed when configuring a boot device during
POST............................................................................................................................................................................ 91
“Alert! iDRAC6 not responding.. Power required may exceed PSU wattage...” error message is
displayed at POST during a reboot.......................................................................................................................... 92
Troubleshooting a No POST situation........................................................................................................................... 92
Windows............................................................................................................................................................................93
FAQs............................................................................................................................................................................ 93
Symptoms...................................................................................................................................................................95
VMware.............................................................................................................................................................................95
FAQs............................................................................................................................................................................ 95
Symptoms...................................................................................................................................................................96
Linux.................................................................................................................................................................................. 96
FAQs............................................................................................................................................................................ 96
Symptoms...................................................................................................................................................................96
7 Getting help................................................................................................................................................. 97
Contacting Dell................................................................................................................................................................. 97
Locating Service Tag of your system.............................................................................................................................97

Contents

1
Introduction
Use this guide to learn how to identify and troubleshoot the Dell PowerEdge server issues.
In particular, this guide:
•

Provides troubleshooting procedures for issues related to Server Operating System, Server Hardware, and Server Management
Software.

•

Provides an overview of diagnostic indicators and describes how to use the indicator codes to facilitate troubleshooting.

•

Lists Dell PowerEdge server error messages and their probable causes, and provides the actions recommended to correct them.
NOTE: This guide does not cover every possible issue that might occur on Dell PowerEdge servers, however focuses on issues
that are frequently encountered or are frequently asked questions.

Topics:
•

Audience

•

Recommended tools

•

Documentation resources

•

Safety instructions

Audience
The information in this troubleshooting guide is intended primarily for administrators, who are responsible for managing the Dell PowerEdge
servers, however might be useful for all users of Dell servers.

Recommended tools
Lists the basic tools and equipment necessary to perform troubleshooting tasks on the Dell PowerEdge servers.
•

Key to the bezel lock
The key is needed only if your system includes a bezel.

•

Phillips #1 screwdriver

•

Phillips #2 screwdriver

•

Torx #T30 screwdriver

•

1/4 inch flat head screwdriver

•

#4 nut driver

•

Plastic scribe

•

Wrist grounding strap

•

ESD mat

You need the following tools to assemble the cables for a DC power supply unit:
•

AMP 90871-1 hand-crimping tool or equivalent

•

Tyco Electronics 58433-3 or equivalent

•

Wire-stripper pliers to remove insulation from size 10 AWG solid or stranded, insulated copper wire

Introduction

NOTE: Use alpha wire part number 3080 or equivalent (65/30 stranding).

Documentation resources
This section describes the troubleshooting documentation related to all components in a PowerEdge system.
Table 1. Additional documentation resources for your system
Task

Document

Location

Setting up your system

For information about installing the system into a
rack, see the Rack documentation included with
your rack solution.

Dell.com/poweredgemanuals
Dell.com/poweredgemanuals

For information about turning on the system and
the technical specifications of your system, see the
Getting Started With Your System document that
is shipped with your system.
Configuring your system

For information about the iDRAC features,
configuring and logging in to iDRAC, and managing
your system remotely, see the Integrated Dell
Remote Access Controller User's Guide.

Dell.com/idracmanuals

For information about installing the operating
system, see the operating system documentation.

Dell.com/operatingsystemmanuals

For information about understanding Remote
Dell.com/idracmanuals
Access Controller Admin (RACADM)
subcommands and supported RACADM interfaces,
see the RACADM Command Line Reference Guide
for iDRAC.
For information about updating drivers and
firmware, see the Methods to download firmware
and drivers section in this document.

Dell.com/support/drivers

Installing and servicing your
system

For information on installing or removing the
components in your system, see the Installation
and Service Manual for your system.

Dell.com/poweredgemanuals

Managing your system

For information about systems management
Dell.com/openmanagemanuals
software offered by Dell, see the Dell OpenManage
Systems Management Overview Guide.
For information about setting up, using, and
troubleshooting OpenManage, see the Dell
OpenManage Server Administrator User’s Guide.

Dell.com/openmanagemanuals

For information about installing, using, and
troubleshooting Dell OpenManage Essentials, see
the Dell OpenManage Essentials User’s Guide.

Dell.com/openmanagemanuals

For information about installing and using Dell
SupportAssist, see the Dell EMC SupportAssist
Enterprise User’s Guide.

Dell.com/SupportAssist Enterprise

For information about installing and using Active
System Manager (ASM), see the Active System
Manager User’s Guide.

Dell.com/asmdocs

Introduction

Task

Understanding event and error
messages

Document

Location

For understanding the features of Dell Lifecycle
Controller (LCC), see the Dell Lifecycle Controller
User’s Guide.

Dell.com/idracmanuals

For information about partner programs enterprise
systems management, see the OpenManage
Connections Enterprise Systems Management
documents.

Dell.com/openmanagemanuals

For information about checking the event and error Dell.com/openmanagemanuals > OpenManage
messages generated by the system firmware and
software
agents that monitor system components, see the
Dell Event and Error Messages Reference Guide.

Safety instructions
WARNING: Whenever you need to lift the system, get others to assist you. To avoid injury, do not attempt to lift the system by
yourself.
WARNING: Opening or removing the system cover while the system is powered on may expose you to a risk of electric shock.
CAUTION: Do not operate the system without the cover for a duration exceeding five minutes.
CAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should only perform troubleshooting and simple
repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team.
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions
that are shipped with your product.
CAUTION: Operating the system without the system cover can result in component damage.
NOTE: It is recommended that you always use an antistatic mat and antistatic strap while working on components inside the
system.
NOTE: To ensure proper operation and cooling, all bays in the system and system fans must be populated always with a
component or with a blank.

Introduction

2
Diagnostic indicators
The diagnostic indicators on the system indicates operation and error status.

Status LED indicators
The status LED indicators on the system front panel display error status during system startup.
NOTE: No status LED indicators are illuminated when the system is turned off. To start the system, plug it into a working power
source and press the power button.
NOTE: Status LED indicators are always off and only turn solid amber if any error occurs.
Table 2. Status LED indicators
Icon

Description

Condition

Corrective action

Hard drive
indicator

The indicator turns solid amber if
there is a hard drive error.

Check the System Event Log to determine if the hard
drive has an error. Run the appropriate Online Diagnostics
test. Restart the system and run embedded diagnostics
(ePSA). If the hard drives are configured in a RAID array,
restart the system and enter the host adapter
configuration utility program.

Temperature
indicator

The indicator turns solid amber if the
system experiences a thermal error
(for example, the ambient
temperature is out of range or fan
failure).

Ensure that none of the following conditions exist:
•
•
•
•

A cooling fan has been removed or has failed.
System cover, air shroud, EMI filler panel, memory
module blank, or back filler bracket is removed.
Ambient temperature is too high.
External airflow is obstructed.

If the problem persists, see the Getting help section.
Electrical indicator The indicator turns solid amber if the
system experiences an electrical error
(for example, voltage out of range, or
a failed power supply unit (PSU) or
voltage regulator).

Check the System Event Log or system messages for the
specific issue. If it is due to a problem with the PSU, check
the LED on the PSU. Reseat the PSU. If the problem
persists, see the Getting help section.

Memory indicator

The indicator turns solid amber if a
memory error occurs.

Check the System Event Log or system messages for the
location of the failed memory. Reseat the memory module.
If the problem persists, see the Getting help section.

PCIe indicator

The indicator turns solid amber if a
PCIe card experiences an error.

Restart the system. Update any required drivers for the
PCIe card. Reinstall the card. If the problem persists, see
the Getting help section.
NOTE: For more information about the supported
PCIe cards, see the Expansion card installation
guidelines section.

Diagnostic indicators

System health and system ID indicator codes

Figure 1. System health and system ID indicators
Table 3. System health and system ID indicator codes
System health and system ID indicator code

Condition

Blue solid

Indicates that the system is turned on, system is healthy and system
ID mode is not active. Press the system health and system ID button
to switch to system ID mode.

Blinking blue

Indicates that the system ID mode is active. Press the system health
and system ID button to switch to system health mode.

Amber solid

Indicates that the system is in fail-safe mode. If the problem persists,
see the Getting help section.

Blinking amber

Indicates that the system is experiencing a fault. Check the System
Event Log or the LCD panel, if available on the bezel, for specific error
message. For more information about error messages, see the Dell
Event and Error Messages Reference Guide at Dell.com/
openmanagemanuals > OpenManage software.

iDRAC Quick Sync 2 indicator codes
NOTE: iDRAC Quick Sync 2 module (optional) is located on the left control panel of your system.

Figure 2. iDRAC Quick Sync 2 indicators
Table 4. iDRAC Quick Sync 2 indicators
Wireless indicator code

Condition

Off (default state)

Indicates that the iDRAC Quick Sync 2
If the LED fails to turn on, reseat the left control panel
feature is turned off. Press the iDRAC Quick flex cable and check again. If the problem persists,
Sync 2 button to turn on the iDRAC Quick
see the Getting help section.
Sync 2 feature.

White solid

Indicates that iDRAC Quick Sync 2 is ready
to communicate. Press the iDRAC Quick
Sync 2 button to turn off.

If the LED fails to turn off, restart the system. If the
problem persists, see the Getting help section.

Blinks white rapidly

Indicates data transfer activity.

If the indicator continues to blink indefinitely, see the
Getting help section.

Diagnostic indicators

Corrective action

Wireless indicator code

Condition

Corrective action

Blinks white slowly

Indicates that firmware update is in
progress.

If the indicator continues to blink indefinitely, see the
Getting help section.

Blinks white five times rapidly and
then turns off

Indicates that the iDRAC Quick Sync 2
feature is disabled.

Check if iDRAC Quick Sync 2 feature is configured to
be disabled by iDRAC. If the problem persists, see the
Getting help section. For more information, see
Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller User's
Guide at Dell.com/idracmanuals or Dell
OpenManage Server Administrator User’s Guide at
Dell.com/openmanagemanuals.

Amber solid

Indicates that the system is in fail-safe
mode.

Restart the system. If the problem persists, see the
Getting help section.

Blinking amber

Indicates that the iDRAC Quick Sync 2
hardware is not responding properly.

Restart the system. If the problem persists, see the
Getting help section.

iDRAC Direct LED indicator codes
The iDRAC Direct LED indicator lights up to indicate that the port is connected and is being used as a part of the iDRAC subsystem. iDRAC
Direct LED indicator is located below the iDRAC Direct port on the front panel.
The following table describes iDRAC Direct activity when configuring iDRAC Direct by using your laptop or tablet and USB to micro USB
(type AB) cable:
Table 5. iDRAC Direct LED indicator codes
iDRAC Direct LED
indicator pattern

Condition

Solid green for two seconds Indicates that the laptop or tablet is connected.
Flashing green (on for two
seconds and off for two
seconds)

Indicates that the laptop or tablet connected is recognized.

Turns off

Indicates that the laptop or tablet is unplugged.

NIC indicator codes
Each NIC on the back panel has indicators that provide information about the activity and link status. The activity LED indicator indicates if
data is flowing through NIC, and the link LED indicator indicates the speed of the connected network.

Figure 3. NIC indicators
1

Link LED indicator

Activity LED indicator

Diagnostic indicators

Table 6. NIC indicators
Status

Condition

Link and activity indicators are off

The NIC is not connected to the network.

Link indicator is green and activity indicator is blinking green The NIC is connected to a valid network at its maximum port speed and
data is being sent or received.
Link indicator is amber and activity indicator is blinking
green

The NIC is connected to a valid network at less than its maximum port
speed and data is being sent or received.

Link indicator is green and activity indicator is off

The NIC is connected to a valid network at its maximum port speed and
data is not being sent or received.

Link indicator is amber and activity indicator is off

The NIC is connected to a valid network at less than its maximum port
speed and data is not being sent or received.

Link indicator is blinking green and activity is off

NIC identify is enabled through the NIC configuration utility.

Power supply unit indicator codes
AC power supply units (PSUs) have an illuminated translucent handle that serves as an indicator and DC PSUs have an LED that serves as
an indicator. The indicator shows whether power is present or a power fault has occurred.

Figure 4. AC PSU status indicator
1

AC PSU status indicator or handle

Table 7. AC PSU status indicator
Power indicator codes

Condition

Green

A valid power source is connected to the PSU and the PSU is operational.

Blinking amber

Indicates a problem with the PSU.

Not illuminated

Power is not connected.

Blinking green

When the firmware of the PSU is being updated, the PSU handle blinks green.
CAUTION: Do not disconnect the power cord or unplug the PSU when updating firmware. If
firmware update is interrupted, the PSUs do not function.

Blinking green and turns off

When hot-plugging a PSU, the PSU handle blinks green five times at a rate of 4 Hz and turns off. This
indicates a PSU mismatch with respect to efficiency, feature set, health status, or supported voltage.
CAUTION: If two PSUs are installed, both the PSUs must have the same type of label. For
example, Extended Power Performance (EPP) label. Mixing PSUs from previous generations of
PowerEdge servers is not supported, even if the PSUs have the same power rating. This results
in a PSU mismatch condition or failure to turn the system on.

Diagnostic indicators

Power indicator codes

Condition
CAUTION: When correcting a PSU mismatch, replace only the PSU with the blinking indicator.
Swapping the PSU 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 PSUs support both 240 V and 120 V input voltages with the exception of Titanium
PSUs, which support only 240 V. When two identical PSUs receive different input voltages, they
can output different wattages, and trigger a mismatch.
CAUTION: If two PSUs are used, they must be of the same type and have the same maximum
output power.
CAUTION: Combining AC and DC PSUs is not supported and triggers a mismatch.

Figure 5. DC PSU status indicator
1

DC PSU status indicator

Table 8. DC PSU status indicator codes
Power indicator codes

Condition

Green

A valid power source is connected to the PSU and the PSU is operational.

Blinking amber

Indicates a problem with the PSU.

Not illuminated

Power is not connected.

Blinking green

When hot-plugging a PSU, the PSU indicator blinks green. This indicates that there is a PSU mismatch
with respect to efficiency, feature set, health status, or supported voltage.
CAUTION: When correcting a PSU mismatch, replace only the PSU with the blinking
indicator. Swapping the PSU 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: If two PSUs are used, they must be of the same type and have the same
maximum output power.
CAUTION: Combining AC and DC PSUs is not supported and triggers a mismatch.

Diagnostic indicators

Non-redundant power supply unit indicator codes
Press the self-diagnostic button to perform a quick health check on the non-redundant power supply unit (PSU) of the system.

Figure 6. Non-redundant AC PSU status indicator and self-diagnostic button
1

Self-diagnostic button

AC PSU status indicator

Table 9. Non-redundant AC PSU status indicator
Power Indicator Pattern

Condition

Not lit

Power is not connected or PSU is faulty.

Green

A valid power source is connected to the PSU and the PSU is operational.

Diagnostic indicators

Hard drive indicator codes
Each hard drive carrier has an activity LED indicator and a status LED indicator. The indicators provide information about the current status
of the hard drive. The activity LED indicator indicates whether the hard drive is currently in use or not. The status LED indicator indicates
the power condition of the hard drive.

Figure 7. Hard drive indicators
1

Hard drive activity indicator

Hard drive

Hard drive status LED indicator

NOTE: If the hard drive is in the Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) mode, the status LED indicator does not turn on.
Table 10. Hard drive indicator codes
Drive-status indicator pattern

Condition

Flashes green twice per second

Identifying drive or preparing for removal.

Off

Drive ready for insertion or removal.
NOTE: The drive status indicator remains off until all hard
drives are initialized after the system is turned on. Drives are
not ready for removal during this time.

Flashes green, amber, and then turns off

Predicted drive failure.

Flashes amber four times per second

Drive failed.

Flashes green slowly

Drive rebuilding.

Steady green

Drive online.

Flashes green for three seconds, amber for three seconds, and Rebuild stopped.
then turns off after six seconds

Diagnostic indicators

uSATA SSD indicator codes

Figure 8. uSATA SSD indicators
1

uSATA SSD activity indicator

uSATA SSD

uSATA SSD status indicator

NOTE: If the SSD is in the Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) mode, the status indicator (on the right side) does not
function and remains off.
Table 11. Drive status indicator codes
Drive-status indicator pattern

Condition

Flashes green twice per second

Identifying drive or preparing for removal.

Off

Drive ready for insertion or removal.
NOTE: The drive status indicator remains off until all hard
drives are initialized after the system is turned on. Drives are
not ready for insertion or removal during this time.

Flashes green, amber, and turns off

Predicted drive failure.

Flashes amber four times per second

Drive failed.

Steady green

Drive online.

Flashes green for three seconds, amber for three seconds, and Rebuild stopped.
turns off after six seconds

Internal dual SD module indicator codes
The Internal Dual SD module (IDSDM) provides you with a redundant SD card solution. You can configure the IDSDM for storage or as the
OS boot partition. The IDSDM card offers the following features:
•

Dual card operation — maintains a mirrored configuration by using SD cards in both the slots and provides redundancy.
NOTE: When the Redundancy option is set to Mirror Mode in the Integrated Devices screen of System Setup, the information
is replicated from one SD card to another.

•

Single card operation — single card operation is supported, but without redundancy.

The following table describes the IDSDM indicator codes:

Diagnostic indicators

Table 12. IDSDM indicator codes
Convention

IDSDM indicator code

Description

Green

Indicates that the card is online.

Flashing green

Indicates rebuild or activity.

Flashing amber

Indicates card mismatch or that the card has failed.

Amber

Indicates that the card is offline, has failed, or is write-protected.

Not lit

Indicates that the card is missing or is booting.

Diagnostic indicators

3
Running diagnostics
Running diagnostics help you to identify the cause for a system issue. The diagnostics test your system hardware without requiring
additional equipment or risking data loss.
Topics:
•

Receiving automated support with SupportAssist

•

PSA/ePSA Diagnostics

•

Debugging mini crash dump files using by WinDbg in Windows operating system

Receiving automated support with SupportAssist
Dell SupportAssist is an optional Dell Services offering that automates technical support for your Dell server, storage, and networking
devices. By installing and setting up a SupportAssist application in your IT environment, you can receive the following benefits:
•

Automated issue detection — SupportAssist monitors your Dell devices and automatically detects hardware issues, both proactively
and predictively.

•

Automated case creation — When an issue is detected, SupportAssist automatically opens a support case with Dell Technical Support.

•

Automated diagnostic collection — SupportAssist automatically collects system state information from your devices and uploads it
securely to Dell. This information is used by Dell Technical Support to troubleshoot the issue.

•

Proactive contact — A Dell Technical Support agent contacts you about the support case and helps you resolve the issue.

The available benefits vary depending on the Dell Service entitlement purchased for your device. For more information about
SupportAssist, go to Dell.com/SupportAssist.

PSA/ePSA Diagnostics
Run the Embedded System Diagnostics (ePSA) if your system does not boot.

Running the PSA/ePSA Diagnostics
1

While the system is booting, press to enter Boot Manager. Alternatively, press to enter Lifecycle Controller.

Use the up and down arrow keys to select System Utilities → Hardware Diagnostics.

Note down the error code.

NOTE: For systems that do not have Lifecycle Controller, press to launch the Utility Mode (diags) option.
The following table describes the PSA/ePSA diagnostics error messages.

Running diagnostics

PSA/ePSA Diagnostics error codes
Error number (PSA and ePSA)

Error message

Description

Steps

PSA NA

CPU - exception occurred

An error occurred during the
tests that may involve the
system board.

ePSA 2000-0111

2
3

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0112

CPU - machine check exception
detected

An error occurred during the
tests that may involve the
system board.

1
2
3

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0114

CPU - Cache integrity test
discrepancy

An error occurred during the
tests that may involve the
system board.

1
2
3
4

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0115

CPU - Stress Thermal condition.
Limit (d)C. Actual (d)C

An error occurred during the
tests that may involve the
system board.

1
2
3
4

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0121

Memory - memory errors were
detected and repaired

An error occurred during the
tests that may involve the
system board or memory of the
system. However, the system
has self repaired.

1
2
3
4

PSA 1000-0122
ePSA 2000-0122

PSA Memory - test initialization
failure
ePSA Memory - memory errors
were detected and excessive
errors were detected

An error occurred during the
tests that may involve the
system board or memory of the
system. However, the system
has self repaired.

1
2
3

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support
Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support
Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
Check temperatures in
system health and check
that no airflow obstructed.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support
Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
Check temperatures in
system health and check
that no airflow obstructed.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support
Turn off the system and
reseat the memory
modules.
Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support
Turn off the system and
reseat the memory
modules.
Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.

Running diagnostics

Error number (PSA and ePSA)

PSA 1000-0123

Error message

ePSA 2000-0124
PSA NA

If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

An error occurred during the
tests that may involve the
system board or memory of the
system. However, the system
has self repaired.

Turn off the system and
reseat the memory
modules.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.

System Log - ,

This is information in the system
log to show time and messages
related to system events.

1
2

Clear the system log.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.

Event Log

The IPMI system event log is full
for various reasons or logging
has stopped because too many
ECC errors have occurred.

Clear the IPMI system
event log.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.

Memory - integrity test failed

ePSA 2000-0125

PSA NA

ePSA 2000-0131

Event Log

The event log(s) must be cleared 1
before testing can continue.
2

Clear the system event log.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.

Battery - the battery is not
installed

An error occurred during the
tests that may involve the main
system board or battery of the
system.

Turn off the system and
reseat the system battery.
Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support.

ePSA 2000-0126
PSA NA

Steps
4

ePSA 2000-0123

PSA NA

Description

1
2
3
4

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0132

Battery - the battery is reaching
the end of its usable life

An error occurred during the
tests that may involve the main
system board or battery of the
system.

1
2
3
4

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0133

Battery - the battery cannot
supply sufficient power

An error occurred during the
tests that may involve the main
system board or battery of the
system.

1
2
3
4

PSA 2000-0141
ePSA 2000-0141

Running diagnostics

Hard Drive - no drive detected

Your system BIOS is reporting
1
that no Hard Disk Drive is being
reported. If a Portable, reseat
the hard drive, if a Desktop,
2
reseat both ends of the data
cable and reseat the power cable

Turn off the system and
reseat the system battery.
Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support.
Turn off the system and
reseat battery.
Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support.
If you don't have a hard
disk drive (HDD), this may
be an automatic message
and requires no action.
If you have an HDD,
reconnect your HDD to the
system board.

Error number (PSA and ePSA)

PSA 1000-0142
ePSA 2000-0142

Error message

PSA Hard Drive - drive self test
failed

Description

Steps

to the drive. Repeat the PSA
diagnostics. If a known good
hard drive is available, see if the
good drive can be detected in
the system or try the suspect
drive in a working system.

3
4

Your hard disk drive has
indicated a failure.

1
2

ePSA Hard Drive - self test
unsuccessful

3
PSA 1000-0143
ePSA 2000-0143
PSA 1000-0144
ePSA 2000-0144
PSA 1000-0145
ePSA 2000-0145

Hard Drive - SMART read
command unsuccessful

Hard Drive - no support for drive Your hard disk drive has
self test
indicated a failure.
PSA Hard Drive - timeout
waiting for Drive Self Test to
complete

The hard drive test did not
complete the last test
attempted.

4
5
6

ePSA 2000-0146

Hard Drive - self test log
contains previous errors

Your hard drive has indicated a
failure.

1
2
3
4

PSA 1000-0147
ePSA 2000-0147

Update to the latest BIOS.
Turn off your computer and
reconnect your hard disk
drive (HDD) to the system
board for instructions.)
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.

Your hard disk drive has
indicated a failure.

ePSA Hard Drive - self test did
not complete

PSA 1000-0146

Update to the latest BIOS.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Technical Support

PSA Optical Drive - IDE status
failed.

Your CD or DVD drive has
indicated a failure.

1
2

Check Dell.com/support
for a firmware update for
your hard drive. Update the
firmware if one is available.
Reseat the drive, reseat the
data cable and power
connection at both ends if
it is desktop.
Turn off your computer and
reconnect your hard disk
drive (HDD) to the system
board. For more
information, see your
systems Owners Manual at
Dell.com/
poweredgemanuals.
Update to the latest BIOS.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support
Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Run a Chkdsk /r or format
your hard drive and reinstall
your operating system.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support
Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Turn off your computer and
reconnect your optical drive
to the system board.

Running diagnostics

Error number (PSA and ePSA)

Error message

Description

ePSA Optical Drive - self test -(s)
PSA 1000-0148
ePSA 2000-0148 replaced by
2000-0151, 2000-0152

PSA Optical Drive - BIST --(s)
ePSA Optical Drive - incorrect
status

Your CD or DVD drive has
indicated a failure.

Steps
3

Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Turn off your computer and
reconnect your optical drive
to the system board.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.

2
3

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0149

Optical Drive - no drive detected Your CD or DVD drive has
indicated a failure.

1
2
3

PSA NA

Hard Drive - No drive detected.

ePSA 2000-0150 replaced
2000-0141

PSA NA

Hard Drive - BIST --(s)

ePSA 2000-0151

Your system BIOS is reporting
that no Hard Disk Drive is being
reported. If a Portable, reseat
the hard drive, if a Desktop,
reseat both ends of the data
cable and reseat the power cable
to the drive. Repeat the PSA
diagnostics. If a replacement
working hard drive is available,
see if the working hard drive is
detected by the system or try
the suspect drive in a working
system.

3
4
5

The hard drive is showing an
1
incorrect status in the
diagnostic. Check for a firmware 2
update for your hard drive.
3
4

PSA NA

Optical Drive - BIST --(s)

ePSA 2000-0152

The CD or DVD Drive is showing
an incorrect status in the
diagnostic.

1
2
3
4

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0153

Hard Drive - Removable Hard
Drive [d] - Incorrect status = [x]
[s]

Check the installation of the
removable drive, cables, and
connections.

Running diagnostics

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Turn off your computer and
reconnect your optical drive
to the system board.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If you don't have a hard
disk drive (HDD), this may
be an automatic message
and requires no action.
If you have an HDD,
reconnect your hard disk
drive (HDD) to the system
board.
Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support
If you have a replacement
hard drive, install it.
Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support
Update to the latest BIOS.
Remove and reinstall your
optical drive.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Technical Support
If you have an HDD,
reconnect your hard disk
drive (HDD) to the system
board.
Update to the latest BIOS
version.

Error number (PSA and ePSA)

Error message

Description

Steps
3
4

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0154

Tape Drive - Tape Drive [s] - S/N Check installation of the tape
[d], incorrect status = [d] [d]
drive, cables and connections. If
the error persists, ensure that
the drive firmware is current.

1
2
3
4

PSA NA

Hard Drive - Not Installed

ePSA 2000-0155

This is an error displayed when
HDD is not inserted in the
notebooks.

1
2
3
4

PSA 1000-0212

System board - CMOS, Location An error occurred during the
= (x), Expected = (x), Found =
tests that may involve the main
ePSA 2000-0212 (Not used with
(x)
system board of the system.
UEFI BIOS)

1
2
3

PSA 1000-0213
ePSA 2000-0213 (Not used with
UEFI BIOS)

System board - CMOS battery
failure detected

PSA 1000-0221

PSA System board - Interval
timer Channel 0 (mode 0) is not
ePSA 2000-0221 (Not used with
generating interrupts
UEFI BIOS)
ePSA Timer - Interval timer not
functional

PSA 1000-0222

PSA System board - Interval
timer Channel 0 (mode 0) is not
ePSA 2000-0222 (Not used with
generating interrupts
UEFI BIOS)
ePSA Timer - Interval timer not
functional

An error occurred during the
tests involving the CMOS
battery (This maintains all the
settings in the BIOS when there
is no power to the system) On
desktop systems this is a easily
replaceable watch size battery,
some portable systems may have
a replaceable battery too.

An error occurred during the
tests that may involve the main
system board of the system. If a
memory error is detected, try
memory modules individually. If
no 2000-0123 memory error & If
diagnostics fail again after the
BIOS is current, contact
Technical Support to resolve the
problem.

An error occurred during the
tests that may involve the main
system board of the system. If a
memory error is detected, try
memory modules individually. If

2
3
4

Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Technical Support
Update to the latest BIOS.
Remove and reinstall your
tape drive.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Technical Support
Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Remove and reinstall your
Hard drive.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support
Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support.
Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
Remove and replace your
CMOS battery.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Reseat the CMOS battery.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics

Running diagnostics

Error number (PSA and ePSA)

Error message

Description

Steps

no 2000-0123 memory error & If 3
diagnostics fail again after the
BIOS is current, contact
Technical Support to resolve the
problem.

If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

System board - Timer - Interval
timer initial clock output level
ePSA 2000-0223 (Not used with
incorrect
UEFI BIOS)

An error occurred during the
1
tests that may involve the main
system board of the system. If a 2
memory error is detected, try
memory modules individually. If
3
no 2000-0123 memory error & If
diagnostics fail again after the
BIOS is current, contact
Technical Support to resolve the
problem.

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

PSA 1000-0224

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

System board - Failure in Interval An error occurred during the
1
timer in mode
tests that may involve the main
ePSA 2000-0231 (Not used with
system board of the system. If a 2
UEFI BIOS)
memory error is detected, try
memory modules individually. If
3
no 2000-0123 memory error & If
diagnostics fail again after the
BIOS is current, contact
Technical Support to resolve the
problem.

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

PSA 1000-0223

ePSA 2000-0224 (Not used with
UEFI BIOS)

System board - Interval timer
had wrong time period in mode

PSA 1000-0231

PSA 2000-0232
ePSA 2000-0232 (Not used with
UEFI BIOS)

PSA 2000-0233

System board - the RTC did not
generate periodic ticks

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

PSA System board - RTC
'seconds' count is not updating

An error occurred during the
1
tests that involve the Real Time
Clock (RTC) of the main system 2
board in the system. If a memory
error is detected, try memory
modules individually. If no

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics

ePSA 2000-0233 (Not used with
ePSA RTC - 'seconds' count is
UEFI BIOS)
not updating

Running diagnostics

Error number (PSA and ePSA)

Error message

Description

Steps

2000-0123 memory error & If
diagnostics fail again after the
BIOS is current, contact
Technical Support to resolve the
problem.

If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

PSA System board - timeout
waiting for RTC update flag to
ePSA 2000-0234 (Not used with
set
UEFI BIOS)
ePSA System board - HPET
incorrect time period.

Update to the latest
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

PSA 1000-0235

System board - PM timer 1 had
wrong time period.

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

BIOS - A20 gate not enabled

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

PSA System board - no interrupt An error occurred during the
1
detected for IRQ.
tests that may involve the main
ePSA 2000-0242 (Not used with
ePSA- System board - Interrupt system board of the system. If a 2
UEFI BIOS)
controller - IRQ (d) - %s not
memory error is detected, try
detected
memory modules individually. If
3
no 2000-0123 memory error & If
diagnostics fail again after the
BIOS is current, contact
Technical Support to resolve the
problem.

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

PSA 1000-0234

ePSA NA

PSA 1000-0241
ePSA 2000-0241 (Not used with
UEFI BIOS)

PSA 1000-0242

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0243

System board - USB device, IO
board, Daughter Card

An error occurred during the
1
tests that may involve the USB
controller or ports of the main
2
system board of the system.
Disconnect any USB devices and
run the diagnostic again. Test

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics

Running diagnostics

Error number (PSA and ePSA)

PSA NA

Error message

Description

Steps

USB devices in a different port.
Try a known good USB device.

If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

System board - USB device

An error occurred during the
1
tests that may involve the USB
controller or ports of the main
2
system board of the system.
Disconnect any USB devices and 3
run the diagnostic again. Test
USB devices in a different port.
Try a known good USB device.

Update to the latest BIOS
version
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

System board - USB device

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

Event Log - the log contains
failing records.

This relates to BIOS events in
servers only.

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.

ePSA 2000-0244

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0245

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0251

PSA NA

1
2

System board - Data errors.

ePSA 2000-0261

Multiple memory DIMMs failed,
presumed to be caused by
motherboard issues.

1
2
3

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0313

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0314

Touchpad - pointing stick/
touchpad not detected

Thermal - the (s) reading (dc)
exceeds the thermal limit.

The mouse, touchpad, or
trackstick is not being detected
by the diagnostic tools. Power
the system off, reseat any cable
connection and check the BIOS
to ensure that the touchpad or
mouse has not been disabled.

1
2
3
4

The system board, heat sink, fan, 1
or processor are failing the
diagnostic tools.
2
3

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0315

Running diagnostics

Sensor - the (s) reading (dc) is
lower than expected

The system board or sensor is
failing the diagnostic tools.

1
2
3

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support
Update to the latest BIOS
version.
If your mouse, touchpad, or
pointing stick is
disconnected, reconnect it.
For laptops, make sure that
your touchpad is active.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support
Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Check the logs, the fan and
for any other signs of
overheating.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support
Update to the latest BIOS
version
Check the system logs.
If failure continues, contact
Technical Support

Error number (PSA and ePSA)

Error message

Description

Steps

PSA 1000-0321

PSA LCD EDID - unable to
access EDID EEPROM

LCD Extended Display
Identification Data (EDID) unable to access the EDID
Electrically Erasable
Programmable Read-Only
Memory (EEPROM) in the LCD
display is indicating a data failure.
If there is video on the LCD, then
the Display does not need
replacement.

ePSA 2000-0321

PSA 1000-0322
ePSA 2000-0322

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0323

ePSA Unable to detect LCD

2
3
4

PSA LCD Panel - Error accessing LCD panel - unable to modify
1
the LCD inverter
brightness. Try to adjust the
brightness in Windows using the 2
ePSA LCD panel - unable to
modify brightness
hotkeys. Boot to the BIOS and
see if brightness can be adjusted 3
at that point outside of Windows
4

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Turn off your computer and
reconnect your LCD cable.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

LCD panel - Unable to detect
inverter lamp status.

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

Check LCD connector and
cables.

1
2
3

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0324

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0325

PSA 1000-0326
ePSA 2000-0326

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Turn off your computer and
reconnect your LCD cable.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics..
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

LCD panel - user reported LCD
BIST colors were not displayed

LCD panel - user provided no
input for LCD BIST

LCD panel - unable to turn lamp
on or off

You may get this error if you
answered No to the LCD
BIST test instead of Yes. If you
were able to clearly see red, blue,
green white and white screen
with text without distortion,
lines, or color problems, re-run
the diagnostic and if the screens
appear normal, click Yes

The backlight lamp was not able
to be turned on or off during the
diagnostic testing

1
2

2
3
4

3
4

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Turn off your computer and
reconnect your LCD cable.
Repeat the LCD BIST
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Turn off your computer and
reconnect your LCD cable.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Technical Support

Update to the latest BIOS.
Turn off your computer and
reconnect your LCD cable.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Technical Support

Running diagnostics

Error number (PSA and ePSA)

Error message

Description

Steps

PSA NA

LCD panel - unable to use BIOS
interface

The Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)
panel does not display the BIOS
screen correctly and the BIOS
screen is not visible on the LCD.

1
2

ePSA 2000-0327

3
4

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0328

LCD panel - unable to detect
variance in ambient light sensor

The Ambient light sensor that
automatically dims the LCD in
low light did not respond during
the diagnostics.

1
2
3
4

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0331

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0332

Video controller - no video
controller detected

Video memory - Video memory
integrity test discrepancy

The system is not detecting the
graphics adapter. If you are using
a desktop system and if a PCIe
expansion card is installed, reseat
the card and reconnect any
internal power connections to
the card. Then reconnect the
video cable and repeat the PSA
diagnostic.

1
2

3
4
5

PSA diagnostics detected a
1
video memory failure. Please
reset the system memory and
2
update the BIOS to most current 3
version.
4
5

PSA 1000-0333
ePSA 2000-0333

PSA Video - Graphics test timed PSA diagnostics did not record
out waiting for keyboard
the user input (Y or N) after the
response
video test. Ensure that you
accurately answer queries that
ePSA Video - User provided no
are prompted during the
input for graphics test
diagnostic.

2
3
4
5

PSA 1000-0334
ePSA 2000-0334

Running diagnostics

Video - user reported the
patterns were not displayed
correctly

You may get this error if you
answered No to the color test
instead of Yes. If you were able
to clearly see both the vertical

1
2

Update to the latest BIOS.
Turn off your computer and
reconnect your LCD cable.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support
Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Turn off your computer and
reconnect your LCD cable.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support
Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Desktop: Turn off your
computer and if equipped
with PCIe expansion card,
reseat the card.
Reconnect your LCD cable.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics..
If failure continues,, contact
Dell Technical Support
Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Reseat the system memory
Turn off your computer and
reconnect your LCD cable.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues,, contact
Dell Technical Support
Error occurs when a
graphics test times out
while waiting for you to
enter a response.
Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Turn off your computer and
reconnect your LCD cable.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support
You may get this error if
you answered No to the
color test instead of Yes.
Update to the latest BIOS
version.

Error number (PSA and ePSA)

PSA NA

Error message

Cables - not detected

ePSA 2000-0411

Description

Steps

and horizontal color bars without 3
distortion, lines, or color
problems, re-run the diagnostic
4
and if the bar appears normal,
click Yes.
5

Turn off your computer and
reconnect your LCD cable.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics..
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

Normally, the cable involved in
1
the error (LCD LVDS CABLE for
2
example) is indicated in the error
message. Reseat the cable
connection and inspect the cable
and connections for damage.
3

Update to the latest BIOS.
Turn off your system and
reconnect the cable,
jumper, or connection
indicated in the error
message.
Replace damaged cables or
devices.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

4
5
PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0412

Cables - auxiliary cable not
detected

Normally, the cable involved in
1
the error (LCD LVDS CABLE for
example) is indicated in the error 2
message. Reseat the cable
connection and inspect the cable
and connections for damage.
3
4
5

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0413

Cables - LCD cable not detected Normally, the cable involved in
1
the error (LCD LVDS CABLE for
example) is indicated in the error 2
message. Reseat the cable
connection and inspect the cable
and connections for damage.
3
4
5

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0414

Cables - Invertor cable not
detected

Normally, the cable involved in
1
the error (LCD LVDS CABLE for
example) is indicated in the error 2
message. Reseat the cable
connection and inspect the cable
and connections for damage.
3
4

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Turn off your system and
reconnect the cable,
jumper, or connection
indicated in the error
message.
Replace damaged cables or
devices.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support
Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Turn off your system and
reconnect the cable,
jumper, or connection
indicated in the error
message.
Replace damaged cables or
devices.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support
Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Turn off your system and
reconnect the cable,
jumper, or connection
indicated in the error
message.
Replace damaged cables or
devices.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.

Running diagnostics

Error number (PSA and ePSA)

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0415

Error message

Cables - Check the following
cables, jumper, connection, or
sensors: [s]

Description

Steps
5

If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

Normally, the cable involved in
1
the error (LCD LVDS CABLE for
example) is indicated in the error 2
message. Reseat the cable
connection and inspect the cable
and connections for damage.

3
4
5
PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0511

Fan - the (s) fan failed to
respond correctly

The cooling fan is not responding 1
to the diagnostics tool. Please
check nothing is obstructing the 2
fan.
3
4

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0512

Fan - the (s) fan is running faster This could be an issue with the
than expected.
system board, temperature
sensor, or cooling fan. Please
check everything is firmly
seated.

1
2

3
4
PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0620

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-0621

Network - Network [d] {Vendor supplied error}

Network - Network [d] - Driver
version [x] outdated. Version [x]
or newer required for "[s]"

The Network (Ethernet) device
may be faulty. Depending on the
system, this may be on the
motherboard, an adapter, or a
daughter card. Errors include
Register test failed or
Packet loopback test
failed.

The Network (Ethernet) device
Firmware may be out of date.

2
3
4

2
3

Running diagnostics

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Check your system for any
obstructions to the air
vents or cooling fan.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support
Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Check for any loose
connections, any
obstructed air vents, and
for any other signs of
overheating.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support
Update to the latest BIOS/
Firmware versions.
Check for any loose
connections or any bent
pins in the connectors.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support
Update to the latest BIOS/
Firmware versions.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Technical Support

Error number (PSA and ePSA)

Error message

PSA NA

BIOS - No BIOS support for
The motherboard BIOS revision 1
software interrupt [x] function[x] may not be current. Update the
[x]
BIOS to the most current version 2
and the issue should resolve.
3

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

BIOS - No BIOS support for SMI
interface function(x) or Sensor
[x] exceeded thermal zone [d].
Peak zone was [d].

The motherboard BIOS revision 1
may not be current. Update the
BIOS to the most current version 2
and the issue should resolve.
3

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

BIOS - Fan - Unable to set
Manufacturing Mode

The motherboard BIOS revision 1
may not be current. Update the
BIOS to the most current version 2
and the issue should resolve.
3

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

BIOS - Fan - Unable to
determine fan speeds

The motherboard BIOS revision 1
may not be current. Update the
BIOS to the most current version 2
and the issue should resolve.
3

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

LCD - LCD BIST not supported

The LCD BIST may not exist on
all systems.

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

ePSA 2000-8001

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-8002

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-8003

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-8004

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-8005

Description

Steps

1
2
3

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-8006

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-8007

BIOS - Fan - Unable to set fans
to ([d], [d], or [d]) speed or No
chipset event timer.

The motherboard BIOS revision 1
may not be current. Update the
BIOS to the most current version 2
and the issue should resolve.
3

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

BIOS - Log contains Fan events
or Timer expected [d] observed
[d]

This message is informational
only - it provides a record of fan
events.

Clear Log.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

1
2
3

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-8008

Diagnostics - A. Out of memory!
fMalloc() Failed!

The system may be unstable and 1
should be rebooted.

B. Unable to allocate memory for
object data. Unable to [s]
testable memory

2
3

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

Running diagnostics

Error number (PSA and ePSA)

Error message

Description

Steps

C. Unable to start application
processors
D. Unable to stop all APs
PSA NA

Diagnostics - Software Error

ePSA 2000-8009

The System may be unstable and 1
should be rebooted.
2
3

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-800B

BIOS - Retrieve vendor ID
function error

The system may be unstable.

1
2
3

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-800C

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-800D

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-800E

ePSA 2000-800F

The motherboard BIOS revision 1
may not be current. Update the
BIOS to the most current version 2
and the issue should resolve.
3

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

BIOS - Set lamp off function
error. Vendor: [s] Revision: [d]

The motherboard BIOS revision 1
may not be current. Update the
BIOS to the most current version 2
and the issue should resolve.
3

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

BIOS - Set lamp on function
error. Vendor: [s] Revision: [d]

The motherboard BIOS revision
may not be current.

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

1
2

BIOS - Restore function error.
Vendor: [s] Revision: [d].

The motherboard BIOS revision
may not be current.

1
2
3

PSA NA

System Board

ePSA 2000-8010

High-Precision event timer not
found.

1
2
3

Running diagnostics

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

BIOS - Get/Set inverter mode
function error. Vendor: [s]
Revision: [d]

3
PSA NA

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

Error number (PSA and ePSA)

Error message

PSA NA

USB Device Diagnostics - Invalid The attached USB device is
status returned from the device returning an invalid status to the
BIOS.

ePSA 2000-8011

Description

Steps
1
2
3

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-8012

Diagnostics - Invalid parameter
passed to the device. Unknown
test [d] selected

An unexpected parameter was
passed to a device under test.

1
2
3

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-8013

Diagnostics - LCD [s] doesn't
support test commands

Update the BIOS to the most
current version and the issue
should resolve.

1
2
3

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-8014

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-8016

Diagnostics - Battery - unable to The motherboard BIOS revision
retrieve battery health
may not be current.

Reseat the Battery
Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

1
2

BIOS - Battery - BIOS has no
support for battery health

This optional feature may not be
supported.

1
2
3

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-8018

Diagnostics - Fatal: The module
reported multiple test results!!

The system may be unstable.

1
2
3

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-8019

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support
Update to the latest BIOS.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

ePSA 2000-8017

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

Diagnostics - ADDF module ([s]) The diagnostics program has run 1
device ([s]) failed with error
an external module, which has
2
code [x], number [x]. No EPSA
reported an unusual error.
beep code mapped!
3

PSA NA

Reseat the USB Device.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

Diagnostics - Unable to log to
NVRAM

The system may be unstable.

1
2
3

Running diagnostics

Error number (PSA and ePSA)

Error message

Description

Steps

PSA NA

Diagnostics - Low memory. [d]k
bytes free!

The system may be unstable.

ePSA 2000-8020

2
3

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-8115

Diagnostics - Unable to stop all
APs

The system may be unstable.

1
2
3

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-8154

Tape Drive - Tape Drive [d] - S/N Install the correct tape drive
[s], ULTRIUM [d] media found
media.
but drive. Requires ULTRIUM [s]
for [s]

1
2
3

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-8155

Tape Drive - Tape Drive [d] - S/N Try different tape drive media.
[s], data read does not match
data written

1
2
3

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-8156

Tape Drive - Tape Drive [d] - S/N Insert writable tape drive media.
[s], no media cannot test drive

1
2
3

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-8157

Tape Drive - Tape Drive [d] - S/N Tape drive model is unknown and 1
[s], drive is not a supported drive not supported by diagnostics.
2
3
4

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-8158

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-8160

Use correct tape drive
media.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support
Use different tape drive
media.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support
Insert writable media.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support
Reseat the Drive.
Test with a known good
drive if possible.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

The string indicates the
1
backplane, expander, or
removable hard drive is reporting 2
an incorrect status.
3

Reseat the drives/cables/
connections.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

PERC - PERC Battery [d] incorrect status = [x], [s]

The [s] string may be one of the
following messages:

Reseat parts.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

•

Running diagnostics

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

Backplane - [DRIVE] Drive [d] incorrect status = [x], [s]

•

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

Battery missing or
disconnected
Replace battery pack

1
2
3

Error number (PSA and ePSA)

Error message

Description
•

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-8165

PSA NA

OS - MBR code is unknown,
possibly infected by a virus

ePSA 2000-8170

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-8415

Remaining capacity low

The Master Boot Record on the
Hard Disk Drive has
unrecognized code present
which is an indication of a virus
infecting the system. It is
recommended that you scan
your system with an up-to-date
antivirus application.

OS - Detected virus (s)

A virus appears to be infecting
the system. It is recommended
that you scan your system with
an up-to-date antivirus
application.

Update and run your antivirus software.

PCIe - Training error on device
PciTag [s] VendorID [x] DeviceID
[x] SVid [x] SDid [x] Link
Degraded, maxLinkWidth = x[d],
negotiatedLinkWidth = x[d]

The system is reporting an error
on a PCIe adapter.

1
2

Reseat the PCIe adapter.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

Cables - BIOS reports no
testable cable/jumper/
connector/sensor

An internal failure of the
diagnostic tool, not a hardware
failure.

ePSA 2000-8166

PSA NA

Steps

1
2
3

PSA NA
ePSA 2000-8611

Audio - User reported not
hearing speaker tones

If the beep was not heard, verify
that the internal speakers are
connected properly. On some
systems, internal speakers are a
purchased option. For a given
system, if the speaker is optional,
it might not exist on that system.
If audio is not heard, make sure
to unplug anything plugged into
an external headphone jack and
re-run the test. External HP
jacks can mute the internal
speakers at the hardware level.

1
2
3
4

Update and run your antivirus software.
Update or reinstall your OS.

Update to the latest BIOS
version.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support
Unplug all external Audio
Jacks.
Reseat the internal speaker
connector.
Repeat the PSA
diagnostics.
If failure continues, contact
Dell Technical Support

Debugging mini crash dump files using by WinDbg in
Windows operating system
Prerequisites
1

Click Start > Control Panel > System.

Running diagnostics

Figure 9. Opening the Systems page
2

In the System page, click Advanced system settings in the left pane.

Figure 10. Advanced system settings page
3

In the System Properties window, click Settings under the Startup and Recovery section.

Running diagnostics

Figure 11. System Properties window
4

In the Startup and Recovery window, System failure section, do the following:
a

Select Write an event to the system log to ensure that the minidump file is created in the event of a system failure.

Select Automatically restart to restart the system after a blue screen of death (BSOD) occurs.
NOTE: For servers, it is recommended that you select the Automatically restart option so that the server can function
if the error is not critical.

Verify that the Overwrite any existing file option is not selected. This ensures that a record of failures is maintained if there are
repeated occurrences of system failures.

Running diagnostics

Figure 12. Startup and Recovery window
5

When a BSOD occurs, collect the minidump files by navigating to C:\windows\minidump.

Download and install the Windows Debugger (WinDbg) tool from https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/
hh852365.aspx.

Steps
1
Open WinDbg.
2

Click File → Symbol File Path or press Ctrl + S on the keyboard.

In the Symbol Path field, enter SRV**http://msdl.microsoft.com/download/symbols where, is the path
where you want to download the symbol files.

Click OK.

Click File → Open Crash Dump or press Ctrl + D.

Navigate to the folder where the mini dump file is saved.

Select the mini dump file and click OK.

Click No when the system prompts to save information for workspace.
Debugging starts.

Click !analyze –v to get detailed debugging information.

Note down the values for the following parameters:
a
b

DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID
MODULE_NAME

Running diagnostics

c
11

IMAGE_NAME

Call Dell Technical Support for further assistance.

Running diagnostics

4
Troubleshooting hardware issues
This section helps you troubleshoot hardware issues in your system.
NOTE: If the issue still persists, contact Dell Technical Support for assistance.

Topics:
•

Troubleshooting no power issues

•

Troubleshooting system startup failure

•

Troubleshooting external connections

•

Troubleshooting the video subsystem

•

Troubleshooting a USB device

•

Troubleshooting a serial I/O device

•

Troubleshooting a NIC

•

Troubleshooting a wet system

•

Troubleshooting a damaged system

•

Troubleshooting the system battery

•

Troubleshooting cooling problems

•

Troubleshooting cooling fans

•

Troubleshooting an internal USB key

•

Troubleshooting an SD card

•

Troubleshooting an optical drive

•

Troubleshooting a tape backup unit

•

Troubleshooting a storage controller

•

Troubleshooting expansion cards

•

Troubleshooting processors

•

Troubleshooting hard drives

•

Troubleshooting system memory

•

Troubleshooting memory module issues

•

Troubleshooting power supply units

•

Troubleshooting RAID

•

Troubleshooting thermal issue

Troubleshooting no power issues
Prerequisite
Ensure all power supplies are firmly seated, power cables are connected, and both power supplies are operating.
Steps
1
Swap the AC power cable with a known-good power cable.
If the system works with a known-good AC power cable, replace the power cable.
2

Check the status of the power indicator on the power supply unit (PSU).

Troubleshooting hardware issues

•
•
•

If the power indicator is lit Green, reseat the PSU. If this does not fix the issue, test the system with a good PSU.
If the power indicator is lit Amber, this indicates a PSU fault condition. Replace the PSU with a good PSU and check the indicator
status.
If the issue is resolved, consider replacing the PSU.

Troubleshooting system startup failure
If you boot the system to the BIOS boot mode after installing an operating system from the UEFI Boot Manager, the system stops
responding. To avoid this issue, you must boot to the same boot mode in which you installed the operating system.
For all other startup issues, note the system messages that appear on the screen.

Troubleshooting external connections
Before troubleshooting any external devices, ensure that all external cables are securely attached to the external connectors on your
system before troubleshooting any external devices.

Troubleshooting the video subsystem
Prerequisite
NOTE: Ensure the Local Server Video Enabled option is selected in the iDRAC Graphical User Interface (GUI), under Virtual
Console. If this option is not selected, local video is disabled.
Steps
1
Check the cable connections (power and display) to the monitor.
2

Check the video interface cabling from the system to the monitor.

Run the appropriate diagnostic test.

If the tests run successfully, the problem is not related to video hardware.
Next step
If the tests fail, see the Getting help section.

Troubleshooting a USB device
Prerequisite
NOTE: Follow steps 1 to 5 to troubleshoot a USB keyboard or mouse. For other USB devices, go to step 6.
Steps
1
Disconnect the keyboard and/or mouse cables from the system and reconnect them.
2

If the problem persists, connect the keyboard and/or mouse to another USB port on the system.

If the problem is resolved, restart the system, enter System Setup, and check if the non-functioning USB ports are enabled.

In iDRAC Settings Utility, ensure that USB Management Port Mode is configured as Automatic or Standard OS Use.

If the problem is not resolved, replace the keyboard and/or mouse with a known working keyboard or mouse.
If the problem is not resolved, proceed to step 6 to troubleshoot other USB devices attached to the system.
If the problem is not resolved, proceed to troubleshoot other USB devices attached to the system.

Turn off all attached USB devices, and disconnect them from the system.

Restart the system.

If your keyboard is functioning, enter System Setup, verify that all USB ports are enabled on the Integrated Devices screen. If your
keyboard is not functioning, use remote access to enable or disable the USB options.

If the system is not accessible, reset the NVRAM_CLR jumper inside your system and restore the BIOS to the default settings. See the
System board jumper setting section

Troubleshooting hardware issues

In the IDRAC Settings Utility, ensure that USB Management Port Mode is configured as Automatic or Standard OS Use.

Reconnect and turn on each USB device one at a time.

If a USB device causes the same problem, turn off the device, replace the USB cable with a known good cable, and turn on the
device.

Next step
If all troubleshooting fails, see the Getting help section.

Troubleshooting iDRAC Direct (USB XML configuration)
For information about USB storage device and system configuration, see Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller User's Guide at
Dell.com/idracmanuals.
Steps
1

Ensure that your USB storage device is connected to the front USB Management Port, identified by

icon.

Ensure that your USB storage device is configured with an NTFS or an FAT32 file system with only one partition.

Verify that the USB storage device is configured correctly. For more information about configuring the USB storage device, see
Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller User's Guide at Dell.com/idracmanuals.

In the iDRAC Settings Utility, ensure that USB Management Port Mode is configured as Automatic or iDRAC Direct Only.

Ensure that the iDRAC Managed: USB XML Configuration option is either Enabled or Enabled only when the server has default
credential settings.

Remove and reinsert the USB storage device.

If import operation does not work, try with a different USB storage device.

Next step
If all troubleshooting fails, see the Getting help section.

Troubleshooting iDRAC Direct (Laptop connection)
For information about USB laptop connection and system configuration, see the Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller User's Guide at
Dell.com/idracmanuals.
Steps
1

Ensure that your laptop is connected to the front USB Management Port, identified by

icon with a USB Type A/A cable.

On the iDRAC Settings Utility screen, ensure that USB Management Port Mode is configured as Automatic or iDRAC Direct Only.

If the laptop is running Windows operating system, ensure that the iDRAC Virtual USB NIC device driver is installed.

If the driver is installed, ensure that you are not connected to any network through WiFi or cabled ethernet, as iDRAC Direct uses a
non-routable address.

Next step
If all troubleshooting fails, see the Getting help section.

Troubleshooting a serial I/O device
Steps
1
Turn off the system and any peripheral devices connected to the serial port.
2

Swap the serial interface cable with a known working cable, and turn on the system and the serial device.
If the problem is resolved, replace the interface cable with a known working cable.

Turn off the system and the serial device, and swap the serial device with a compatible device.

Turn on the system and the serial device.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

Next step
If the problem persists, see the Getting help section.

Troubleshooting a NIC
Steps
1
Run the appropriate diagnostic test. For more information, see the Using system diagnostics section for the available diagnostic tests.
2

Restart the system and check for any system messages pertaining to the NIC controller.

Check the appropriate indicator on the NIC connector:
•

If the link indicator does not glow, the cable connected might be disengaged.

•

If the activity indicator does not glow, the network driver files might be damaged or missing.
Install or replace the drivers as necessary. For more information, see the NIC documentation.

•

Try another known good network cable.

• If the problem persists, use another connector on the switch or hub.
Ensure that the appropriate drivers are installed and the protocols are bound. For more information, see the NIC documentation.

Enter System Setup and confirm that the NIC ports are enabled on the Integrated Devices screen.

Ensure that all the NICs, hubs, and switches on the network are set to the same data transmission speed and duplex. For more
information, see the documentation for each network device.

Ensure that all the NICs and switches on the network are set to the same data transmission speed and duplex. For more information,
see the documentation for each network device.

Ensure that all network cables are of the proper type and do not exceed the maximum length.

Next step
If the problem persists, see the Getting help section.

Troubleshooting a wet system
Prerequisite
CAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should only perform troubleshooting and simple
repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team.
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions
that are shipped with your product.
Steps
1
Turn off the system and attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet.
2

Remove the system cover.

Remove the following components (if installed) from the system:
•

Power supply unit(s)

•

Optical drive

•

Hard drives

•

Hard drive backplane

•

USB memory key

•

Hard drive tray

•

Cooling shroud

•

Expansion card risers (if installed)

•

Expansion cards

•

Cooling fan assembly (if installed)

•

Cooling fan(s)

•

Memory modules

Troubleshooting hardware issues

•

Processor(s) and heat sink(s)

• System board
Let the system dry thoroughly for at least 24 hours.

Reinstall the components you removed in step 3 except the expansion cards.

Install the system cover.

Turn on the system and attached peripherals.
If the problem persists, see the Getting help section.

If the system starts properly, turn off the system, and reinstall all the expansion cards that you removed.

Run the appropriate diagnostic test. For more information, see the Using system diagnostics section.

Next step
If the tests fail, see the Getting help section.

Troubleshooting a damaged system
Prerequisite
CAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should only perform troubleshooting and simple
repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team.
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions
that are shipped with your product.
Steps
1
Turn off the system and attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet.
2

Remove the system cover.

Ensure that the following components are properly installed:
•

cooling shroud

•

expansion card risers (if installed)

•

expansion cards

•

power supply unit(s)

•

cooling fan assembly (if installed)

•

cooling fan(s)

•

processor(s) and heat sink(s)

•

memory modules

• hard drive carriers or cage
Ensure that all cables are properly connected.

Install the system cover.

Run the appropriate diagnostic test. For more information, see the Using system diagnostics section.

Next step
If the problem persists, see the Getting help section.

Troubleshooting the system battery
Prerequisites
CAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should only perform troubleshooting and simple
repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team.
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions
that are shipped with your product.
NOTE: If the system is turned off for long periods of time (for weeks or months), the NVRAM may lose the system configuration
information. This situation is caused by a defective battery.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

NOTE: Some software may cause the system time to speed up or slow down. If the system seems to operate normally except for
the time set in System Setup, the problem may be caused by a software, rather than by a defective battery.
Steps
1
Re-enter the time and date in System Setup.
2

Turn off the system, and disconnect it from the electrical outlet for at least an hour.

Reconnect the system to the electrical outlet, and turn on the system.

Enter System Setup.
If the date and time displayed in System Setup are not correct, check the System Error Log (SEL) for system battery messages.

Next step
If the problem persists, see the Getting help section.

Troubleshooting cooling problems
CAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should only perform troubleshooting and simple
repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team.
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions
that are shipped with your product.
Ensure that the following conditions exist:
•

System cover, cooling shroud, EMI filler panel, memory module blank, or back filler bracket is not removed.

•

Ambient temperature is not higher than the system specific ambient temperature.

•

External airflow is not obstructed.

•

A cooling fan is not removed or has not failed.

•

The expansion card installation guidelines have been followed.

Additional cooling can be added by one of the following methods:
From the iDRAC web GUI:
1

Click Hardware > Fans > Setup.

From the Fan Speed Offset drop-down list, select the cooling level required or set the minimum fan speed to a custom value.

From F2 System Setup:
1

Select iDRAC Settings > Thermal, and set a higher fan speed from the fan speed offset or minimum fan speed.

From RACADM commands:
1

Run the command racadm help system.thermalsettings

For more information, see the Integrated Dell Remote Access User’s Guide at Dell.com/idracmanuals.

Troubleshooting cooling fans
Prerequisites
CAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should only perform troubleshooting and simple
repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team.
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions
that are shipped with your product.
NOTE: The fan number is referenced by the management software of the system. In the event of a problem with a particular fan,
you can easily identify and replace it by noting down the fan numbers on the cooling fan assembly.
1

Follow the safety guidelines listed in the Safety instructions section.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

Follow the procedure listed in the Before working inside your system section.

Steps
1
Reseat the fan or the fan's power cable.
2

Restart the system.

Next steps
1

Follow the procedure listed in the After working inside your system section.

If the problem persists, see the Getting help section.

Troubleshooting an internal USB key
Prerequisite
CAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should only perform troubleshooting and simple
repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team.
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions
that are shipped with your product.
Steps
1
Enter System Setup and ensure that the USB key port is enabled on the Integrated Devices screen.
2

Turn off the system and attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet.

Remove the system cover.

Locate the USB key and reseat it.

Install the system cover.

Turn on the system and attached peripherals, and check if the USB key is functioning.

If the problem is not resolved, repeat step 2 and step 3.

Insert a known working USB key.

Install the system cover.

Next step
If the problem persists, see the Getting help section.

Troubleshooting an SD card
Prerequisites
CAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should only perform troubleshooting and simple
repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team.
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions
that are shipped with your product.
NOTE: Certain SD cards have a physical write-protect switch on the card. If the write-protect switch is turned on, the SD card is
not writable.
Steps
1
Enter System Setup, and ensure that the Internal SD Card Port is enabled.
2

Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet.

Remove the system cover.
NOTE: When an SD card failure occurs, the internal dual SD module controller notifies the system. On the next restart, the
system displayed a message indicating the failure. If redundancy is enabled at the time of SD card failure, a critical alert will
be logged and chassis health will degrade.

Replace the failed SD card with a new SD card.

Install the system cover.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

Reconnect the system to its electrical outlet and turn on the system, including any attached peripherals.

Enter System Setup, and ensure that the Internal SD Card Port and Internal SD Card Redundancy modes are set to the needed
modes.
Verify that the correct SD slot is set as Primary SD Card.

Check if the SD card is functioning properly.

If the Internal SD Card Redundancy option is set to Enabled at the time of the SD card failure, the system prompts you to perform a
rebuild.
NOTE: The rebuild is always sourced from the primary SD card to the secondary SD card.

Troubleshooting an optical drive
Prerequisite
CAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should only perform troubleshooting and simple
repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team.
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions
that are shipped with your product.
Steps
1

Try using a different CD or DVD.

If the problem is not resolved, enter System Setup and ensure that the integrated SATA controller and the drive's SATA port are
enabled.

Run the appropriate diagnostic test.

Turn off the system and attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet.

If installed, remove the bezel.

Remove the system cover.

Ensure that the interface cable is securely connected to the optical drive and to the controller.

Ensure that a power cable is properly connected to the drive.

Install the system cover.

Next step
If the problem persists, see the Getting help section.

Troubleshooting a tape backup unit
Prerequisite
CAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should only perform troubleshooting and simple
repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team.
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions
that are shipped with your product.
Steps
1

Use a different tape cartridge.

Ensure that the device drivers for the tape backup unit are installed and are configured correctly. See your tape drive documentation
for more information about device drivers.

Reinstall the tape-backup software as instructed in the tape-backup software documentation.

Ensure that the interface cable of the tape drive is connected to the external port on the controller card.

Perform the following steps to ensure that the controller card is properly installed:
a
b
c
d
e

Turn off the system and attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet.
Remove the system cover.
Reseat the controller card in the expansion card slot.
Install the system cover.
Turn on the system and attached peripherals.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

Run the appropriate diagnostic test. For more information, see the Using system diagnostics.

Next step
If you cannot resolve the problem, see the Getting help section.

Troubleshooting a storage controller
CAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should only perform troubleshooting and simple
repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team.
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions
that are shipped with your product.
NOTE: When troubleshooting a controller, see the documentation for your operating system and the controller.
1

Run the appropriate diagnostic test. See the Using system diagnostics section.

Turn off the system and attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet.

Remove the system cover.

Verify that the installed expansion cards are compliant with the expansion card installation guidelines.

Ensure that each expansion card is firmly seated in its connector.

Install the system cover.

Reconnect the system to the electrical outlet, and turn on the system and attached peripherals.

If the problem is not resolved, turn off the system and attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet.

Remove the system cover.

Remove all expansion cards installed in the system.

Install the system cover.

Reconnect the system to the electrical outlet, and turn on the system and attached peripherals.

Run the appropriate diagnostic test. See the Using system diagnostics section. If the tests fail, see the Getting help section.

For each expansion card you removed in step 10, perform the following steps:
a

Turn off the system and attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet.

Remove the system cover.

Reinstall one of the expansion cards.

Install the system cover.

Run the appropriate diagnostic test. See the Using system diagnostics section.

If the problem persists, see the Getting help section.

Troubleshooting expansion cards
Prerequisites
CAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should only perform troubleshooting and simple
repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team.
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions
that are shipped with your product.
NOTE: When troubleshooting an expansion card, you also have to see the documentation for your operating system and the
expansion card.
Steps
1
Run the appropriate diagnostic test. See the Using system diagnostics section.
2

Turn off the system and attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet.

Remove the system cover.

Ensure that each expansion card is firmly seated in its connector.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

Install the system cover.

Turn on the system and attached peripherals.

If the problem is not resolved, turn off the system and attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet.

Remove the system cover.

Remove all expansion cards installed in the system.

Install the system cover.

Run the appropriate diagnostic test. See the Using system diagnostics section.
If the tests fail, see the Getting help section.

For each expansion card you removed in step 8, perform the following steps:
a Turn off the system and attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet.
b Remove the system cover.
c Reinstall one of the expansion cards.
d Install the system cover.
e Run the appropriate diagnostic test. See the Using system diagnostics section.

Next step
If the problem persists, see the Getting help section.

Troubleshooting processors
Prerequisite
CAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should only perform troubleshooting and simple
repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team.
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions
that are shipped with your product.
Steps
1
Run the appropriate diagnostics test. See the Using system diagnostics section.
2

Turn off the system and attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet.

Remove the system cover.

Ensure that the processor and heat sink are properly installed.

Install the system cover.

Run the appropriate diagnostic test. See the Using system diagnostics section.

If the problem persists, see the Getting help section.

Troubleshooting hard drives
Prerequisites
CAUTION: This troubleshooting procedure can erase data stored on the hard drive. Before you proceed, back up all files on the
hard drive.
CAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should only perform troubleshooting and simple
repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team.
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions
that are shipped with your product.
NOTE: Ensure that the sleds internal SATA cables are connected correctly.
Steps
1
Run the appropriate diagnostic test. See the Using system diagnostics section.
Depending on the results of the diagnostics test, proceed as required through the following steps.
2

If your system has a RAID controller and your hard drives are configured in a RAID array, perform the following steps:
a Restart the system and press F10 during system startup to run the Dell Lifecycle Controller, and then run the Hardware
Configuration wizard to check the RAID configuration.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

See the Dell Lifecycle Controller documentation or online help for information about RAID configuration.
Ensure that the hard drives are configured correctly for the RAID array.
Take the hard drive offline and reseat the drive.
Exit the configuration utility and allow the system to boot to the operating system.

b
c
d
3

Ensure that the needed device drivers for your controller card are installed and are configured correctly. For more information, see the
operating system documentation.

Restart the system and enter the System Setup.

Verify that the controller is enabled and the drives are displayed in the System Setup.

Next step
If the problem persists, see the Getting help section.

Checking hard drive status in the PERC BIOS
1

Press Ctrl + R during the POST process to open PERC BIOS Configuration Utility.

Figure 13. PERC Configuration Utility VD Mgmt screen
2

To check if the hard drive is participating in the RAID array, perform the following steps:
a

Press Ctrl + N to go to the PD Mgmt (Physical Disk Management) screen and check if any hard drives are offline or missing.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

Figure 14. PERC Configuration Utility PD Mgmt screen

Hard drive status

Description

Offline

Hard drive is not part of the RAID array.

Online

Hard drive is part of the RAID array.

Ready

Hard dive is ready to be a part of the RAID array.

FAQs
How do I identify a hard drive failure?
Hard drive failures may occur because of logical, head, or mechanical failures. The following table describes the symptoms of failing hard
drives:
Symptom

Description

Noisy hard drives

Noisy hard drives indicate head crash, noisy bearings, or a failed
motor.

Data and disk errors

Files may not get saved or programs may stop responding.

Hard drive not detected

Operating system does not detect the hard drive.

System crash

Blue screen errors.

Slow read-write process

Delay in reading or writing data on the hard drive.

Perform the following steps if any of these symptoms occur:
1

Check if the hard drives are installed correctly.

Check the hard drive indicators. For more information, see Hard drive indicator codes section.

For systems with LED indicators, check the diagnostic LEDs. For more information, see Status LED indicators section.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

NOTE: The diagnostic LED indicators might be different for different
systems.
4

For systems with LCD panel, check for the following error codes:
Error Code

Error Message

Description

E1810

Hard drive
fault.

Hard drive has had a fault as determined by the SAS subsystem.

E1811

Hard drive
rebuild aborted.

Drive has had its rebuild aborted.

E1812

Hard drive
removed.

Drive has been removed from the system.

Check the hard drive status in SupportAssist.

Check the hard drive status in the RAID BIOS. For more information, see Checking hard drive status in the PERC BIOS section.

If you have any of the above error conditions, contact Dell Technical Support. When you call, keep the SupportAssist report and the
troubleshooting logs ready.

How do I extract RAID-Controller Logs using MegaCLI for Windows and
Linux?
NOTE: To export information about the status of the RAID controller and the connected hard drives, use the MegaCLI tool by LSI
(Avagotech).
To create the appropriate diagnostic files, perform the following steps:
1

Download the appropriate version of the MegaCli tool for Windows Operating systems from the Avagotech support site.
NOTE:
For the most popular Linux operating systems, you also need the following file to ensure a smooth execution: Lib_Utils-1.00-09.noarch.rpm

Unzip the downloaded files and copy them in any directory on the server or host system according your installed operating system.
For example, on Windows the path can be C:\temp\megacli, and on Linux the path can be /tmp/megacli.

Open a terminal in Linux or a command prompt in Windows operating systems and navigate to the newly created directory.

Now, run the following commands:
•

To create the RAID controller logs in Windows, use the command MegaCli.exe -FwTermLog -Dsply –aALL >
ttylog.txt.

•

To create the Event Log in Windows, use the command MegaCli.exe -AdpEventLog -IncludeDeleted -f
deleted.txt -aALL.

•

To create the RAID controller logs in Linux, use the command ./MegaCli64 -FwTermLog -Dsply –aALL > /tmp/
ttylog.txt.

•

To create the Event Log in Linux, use the command ./MegaCli64 -AdpEventLog -IncludeDeleted -f
deleted.txt -aALL.
NOTE: The deleted.txt file is always stored in the MegaCli folder.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

Symptoms
Hard disk drive making noise
Description
Clicking or other loud noise is heard from the hard drive. The noise can be intermittent and may or may not coincide with read or write
operations.
Resolution
1

Run the custom ePSA diagnostics and obtain the error code. For more information on ePSA diagnostics, see PSA/ePSA Diagnostics.

If the diagnostics fail, call Dell Technical Support for further assistance.

If the diagnostics pass, reseat the hard drive.

If the problem persists, call Dell Technical Support for further assistance.

Troubleshooting system memory
Prerequisite
CAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should only perform troubleshooting and simple
repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team.
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions
that are shipped with your product.
Steps
1

If the system is operational, run the appropriate diagnostic test. See the Using system diagnostics section for the available diagnostic
tests.
If the diagnostic tests indicate a fault, follow the corrective actions provided by the diagnostic tests.

If the system is not operational, turn off the system and attached peripherals, and unplug the system from the power source. Wait at
least for 10 seconds, and then reconnect the system to the power source.

Turn on the system and attached peripherals, and note the messages on the screen.
If an error message is displayed indicating a fault with a specific memory module, go to step 12.

Enter System Setup, and check the system memory setting. Make any changes to the memory settings, if needed.
If the memory settings match the installed memory but the problem still persists, go to step 12.

Turn off the system and attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet.

Remove the system cover.

Check the memory channels and ensure that they are populated correctly.
NOTE: See the system event log or system messages for the location of the failed memory module. Reinstall the memory
device.

Reseat the memory modules in their sockets.

Install the system cover.

Enter System Setup and check the system memory setting.
If the problem is not resolved, proceed with step 11.

Remove the system cover.

If a diagnostic test or error message indicates a specific memory module as faulty, swap or replace the module with a known working
memory module.

To troubleshoot an unspecified faulty memory module, replace the memory module in the first DIMM socket with a module of the
same type and capacity.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

If an error message is displayed on the screen, this may indicate a problem with the installed DIMM type(s), incorrect DIMM
installation, or defective DIMM(s). Follow the on-screen instructions to resolve the problem.
14

Install the system cover.

As the system boots, observe any error message that is displayed and the diagnostic indicators on the front of the system.

If the memory problem persists, repeat step 12 through step 15 for each memory module installed.

Next step
If the problem persists, see the Getting help section.

Troubleshooting memory module issues
Following are guidelines to troubleshoot memory module issues:
•

Check for the LCD status messages. The server’s LCD screen displays text messages that indicate multi-bit and single-bit errors were
detected in the System Event Log (SEL).

•

Run the Dell SupportAssist to identify a faulty DIMM in the memory modules or in the System Event Logs (SEL) logs.

•

Run the MPMemory diagnostics, which checks the logs first and then checks the DIMMs. If there is an issue, the test results display an
error.

•

Check for POST messaging error beep codes.

•

Check for the POST status on the LCD screen.

•

Check for memory and system compatibility.

•

Delete the Single Bit Errors in the SEL log by using the OMSA, SupportAssist and CTRL-E to clear the SEL logs.

•

Clear the Single-Bit Error (SBE) Log and Multi-Bit Error (MBE) Log to resolve the memory issues.

•

Check for CPU socket for any bent pins.

•

Ensure that the system is using the latest BIOS version. If not, update the BIOS and check if the error occurs.

Prerequisites to follow when installing or upgrading memory
•

Identify the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor installed in the system.

•

While installing the memory module, ensure that you follow the memory population rules. For more information, see the Memory
population guidelines section.

•

Ensure that the memory configurations set in the System BIOS matches with the memory modules installed in the system.

Memory population guidelines
Your system supports Flexible Memory Configuration, enabling the system to be configured and run in any valid chipset architectural
configuration. The recommended guidelines for installing memory modules are as follows:
•

Populate DIMM sockets only if a processor is installed in the system.

•

Populate release levers for all sockets in the following order-first white, then black, and then green.

•

Mixing of different DIMM types is not supported. For example, only RDIMMs, only UDIMMs, or only LRDIMMs can be installed in a
system.

•

x4 and x8 DRAM based DIMMs can be mixed.

•

Memory modules of different ranks can be mixed. For example, single rank and dual rank memory modules can be mixed. While mixing
DIMMs with different capacities, ensure that you populate the sockets by highest rank count in the following order—first in sockets
with white release levers, then black, and then green. For example, if you want to mix single-rank and dual-rank memory modules,
populate dual-rank memory modules in the sockets with white release tabs and single-rank memory modules in the sockets with black
release tabs. You can only mix maximum of two different rank DIMMs in the system.

•

Memory modules of different capacities can be mixed. For example, 4 GB and 8 GB memory modules can be mixed. While installing
memory modules of different capacities, ensure that you populate the sockets with memory modules with highest capacity first. For

Troubleshooting hardware issues

example, if you want to mix 4 GB and 8 GB memory modules, populate 8 GB memory modules in the sockets with white release tabs
and 4 GB memory modules in the sockets with black release tabs. You can mix maximum of two memory modules of different capacity.
•

In a dual-processor configuration, the memory configuration for each processor should be identical through the first eight slots. For
example, if you populate socket A1 for processor 1, then populate socket B1 for processor 2, and so on.
NOTE: For more information about the system memory guidelines specific to your system, see the Owner’s Manual at Dell.com/
poweredgemanuals.

Memory modes
There are four types of memory modes:
•

Advanced ECC (Lockstep)

•

Memory Optimized (Independent Channel)

•

Memory Sparing

•

Memory Mirroring

You can configure the memory modes in the System BIOS. For more information, see the Configuring memory modes section.

Configuring memory modes
About this task
To configure memory modes, follow the procedure listed below:
Steps
1
Turn on or restart your system.
2

Press F2 immediately after you see the following message: = System Setup.

Click System Setup Main menu > System BIOS > Memory Settings.

In the Memory Operating Mode field, select the memory mode you want.

Memory Mirroring
In the memory mirroring mode, half of the installed memory is used to mirror the active DIMMs. When an uncorrectable error is detected,
the system switches over to the mirrored copy. This mode offers SDDC and multi-bit protection and also provides strongest DIMM
reliability mode compared to all other modes.

Memory Sparing
In this mode, one rank per channel is reserved as a spare. If persistent correctable errors are detected on a rank, the data from this rank is
copied to the spare rank and the failed rank is disabled.
With memory sparing enabled, the system memory available to the operating system is reduced by one rank per channel. For example, in a
dual-processor configuration with sixteen 4 GB dual-rank DIMMs, the available system memory is: 3/4 (ranks/channel) × 16 (DIMMs) × 4
GB = 48 GB, and not 16 (DIMMs) × 4 GB = 64 GB.
NOTE: Memory sparing does not offer protection against a multi-bit uncorrectable error.
NOTE: Both Advanced ECC or Lockstep and Optimizer modes support Memory Sparing.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

Memory optimized (independent channel)
This mode supports SDDC only for memory modules that use x4 device width, and the mode does not impose any specific slot population
requirements.

Advanced ECC
Advanced ECC mode extends SDDC from x4 DRAM based DIMMs to both x4 and x8 DRAMs. This protects against single DRAM chip
failures during normal operation.

Memory lane failure
The disabling of the memory module in the channel results in memory lane failure.
Memory lane failure may occur due to the following reasons:
•

The system is not using latest BIOS

•

The memory modules are not seated properly on the DIMM sockets in the system.

•

The system has a faulty DIMM socket.

Correctable and uncorrectable errors
Correctable errors can be detected and corrected if the chipset and DIMM support this functionality. Correctable errors are generally single
bit errors (SBE). Most of the Dell servers are capable of detecting and correcting single bit errors. In addition, Dell servers with Advanced
ECC mode support can detect and correct multi-bit errors.
Correctable errors can be classified as hard errors and soft errors. Hard errors typically indicate a problem with the DIMM. Although hard
correctable memory errors are corrected by the system and will not result in system downtime or data corruption, they indicate a problem
with the hardware. Soft errors do not indicate any issue with the DIMM. A soft error occurs when the data or ECC bits or both data and
ECC bits on the DIMM are incorrect, but the error will not continue to occur after the data or ECC bits or both data and ECC bits on the
DIMM have been corrected.
Uncorrectable errors are always multi-bit memory errors. While correctable errors do not affect the normal operation of the system,
uncorrectable memory errors will immediately result in a system crash or shutdown of the system when not configured for Mirroring or
RAID AMP modes. Uncorrectable memory errors can typically be isolated down to a failed Bank of DIMMs, rather than the DIMM itself.

System stops responding during POST after upgrading or
installing a memory module
Issue:
During POST, the system stops responding or displays MEMTEST lane failure error message.
Resolution
Ensure the following:
•

The system is using the latest BIOS.

•

The memory modules are seated properly on the DIMM sockets in the system.

•

The system has a no faulty DIMM socket.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

How to resolve unsupported or mismatched memory module
error messages reported during POST on a PowerEdge
system?
Description:
After installing or upgrading a memory module, when you try to boot the system, an error message appears reporting an unsupported or
mismatched memory module.
Resolution:
•

If the memory module was replaced or upgraded, ensure that the maximum memory capacity and the memory type are supported by
the processor installed in the system.

•

While installing the memory module, ensure that you follow the memory population rules. For more information, see the Memory
population guidelines section.

Troubleshooting power supply units
CAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should only perform troubleshooting and simple
repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team.
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions
that are shipped with your product.
The following sections provide information on troubleshooting power source and power supply units problems.

Troubleshooting power source problems
1

Press the power button to ensure that your system is turned on. If the power indicator does not glow when the power button is
pressed, press the power button firmly.

Plug in another working power supply unit to ensure that the system board is not faulty.

Ensure that no loose connections exist.
For example, loose power cables.

Ensure that the power source meets applicable standards.

Ensure that there are no short circuits.

Have a qualified electrician check the line voltage to ensure that it meets the needed specifications.
NOTE: Few power supply units require 200-240V AC to deliver their rated capacity. For more information, see the system
Technical Specifications section in the Installation and Service Manual available at Dell.com/support/manuals.

Troubleshooting power supply unit problems
1

Ensure that no loose connections exist.
For example, loose power cables.

Ensure that the power supply handle LED indicates that the power supply is working properly.

If you have recently upgraded your system, ensure that the power supply unit has enough power to support the new system.

If you have a redundant power supply configuration, ensure that both the power supply units are of the same type and wattage.
If the LED You may have to upgrade to a higher wattage power supply unit.

Ensure that you use only power supply units with the Extended Power Performance (EPP) label on the back.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

Reseat the power supply unit.
NOTE: After installing a power supply unit, allow several seconds for the system to recognize the power supply unit and
determine if it is working properly.
If the problem persists, see the Getting help section.

Troubleshooting RAID
RAID configuration using OpenManage Server Administrator
For more information about the OpenManage Server Administrator RAID Configuration video, go to https://www.youtube.com/playlist?
list=PLe5xhhyFjDPfL6NsJ29FXLVsP9uE-AFO0.

Create Virtual Disk Express Wizard
The Create Virtual Disk Wizard allows you to select the wizard type and the RAID level. The Create Virtual Disk Express Wizard
calculates the appropriate virtual disk configuration based on the available space and controller requirements. To make your own selections
for the virtual disk configuration, select the Advanced Wizard option.
About this task
This task is not supported on PERC hardware controllers running in HBA mode. To create a virtual disk by using the Create Virtual Disk
Express Wizard, perform the following steps:
Steps
1
On the upper-left corner of the Server Administrator page, expand Storage .
2

Click PERC Controller.

Click Virtual Disks.
The Virtual Disk(s) on Controller page is displayed.

Click Go to the Create Virtual Disk Wizard.
The Create Virtual Disk Wizard page is displayed.

Select the Express Wizard option and the RAID level from the drop-down menu.

Click Continue.
The Create Virtual Disk Express Wizard - page displays the summary of attributes of the selected RAID level.
The attributes include Bus Protocol, Stripe Element Size, Read Policy, and the selected physical disk. The default values of the
virtual disk attributes excluding the RAID level are recommended for the selected RAID level.

In the Name field, type a name for the virtual disk.
The virtual disk name can contain only alphanumeric characters, spaces, dashes, and underscores. The maximum length of the virtual
disk name depends on the controller. In most cases, the maximum length is 15 characters. The name cannot start with a space or end
with a space.
NOTE: Dell recommends that you specify a unique name for each virtual disk. If you have virtual disks with the same name,
it is difficult to differentiate the generated alerts.

In the Size field, type the size of the virtual disk.
The virtual disk size must be within the minimum and maximum values displayed against the Size field.
In some cases, the virtual disk is slightly larger than the size you specify. The Create Virtual Disk Wizard adjusts the size of the virtual
disk to avoid rendering a portion of the physical disk space unusable.

If you want to change your selections, click Go Back To Previous Page to return to Create Virtual Disk Express Wizard page.

Click Finish to complete the virtual disk creation or click Exit Wizard to cancel the virtual disk creation.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

For PERC H700 and PERC H800 controllers, if any of the drives you selected is in the spun down state, the following message is
displayed:
The below listed physical drive(s) are in the Spun Down state. Executing this task on these
drive(s) takes additional time, because the drive(s) need to spun up.
The message displays the ID(s) of the spun down drive(s).
NOTE: When the hard drive is in the spun down state, the drive is not in active use.
The virtual disk is displayed on the Virtual Disk(s) on Controller page.

Create virtual disk Advanced Wizard
The Create Virtual Disk Advanced Wizard allows you to specify the read, write, cache policy, and parameters such as RAID level, bus
protocol, media type, and encrypted disk for the virtual disk. You can also select the physical disks and the controller connector. You must
have a good knowledge of RAID levels and hardware to use the Advanced Wizard. If you want the wizard to recommend a virtual disk
configuration for you, select the Express Wizard option.
About this task
NOTE: This task is not supported on PERC hardware controllers running in HBA mode.
To create a virtual disk using the Create Virtual Disk Advanced Wizard:
Steps
1
On the upper-right corner of the Server Administrator page, click Storage.
2

Click .

Click Virtual Disks.
The Virtual Disk(s) on Controller page is displayed.

Click Go to the Create Virtual Disk Wizard.
The Create Virtual Disk Wizard page is displayed.

Select the Advanced Wizard option.

To make sure that only encrypted physical disks are used to create the virtual disk, select Yes from the Create Encrypted Virtual Disk
drop-down list.
The RAID levels are available for selection based on the number of encrypted physical disks.
If you select No, the RAID levels are available based on the total number of physical disks present on the system.

Select the required RAID level from the drop-down menu.

Select Bus Protocol.
The options are:
•

SAS

• SATA
Select Media Type.
The available options are:
•

HDD

• SSD
Click Continue.
NOTE: If you are creating an encrypted virtual disk, only the encrypted physical disks are displayed. Else, both encrypted
and unencrypted physical disks are displayed.
Example:
Connector 0

Troubleshooting hardware issues

The Connector section of the page displays the connectors on the controller and the disks attached to each connector. Select the
disks you want to include in the virtual disk. In this example, the controller has a single connector with five disks.
•

Physical disk 0:0

•

Physical disk 0:1

•

Physical disk 0:2

•

Physical disk 0:3

•

Physical disk 0:4

Physical Disks Selected
The Physical Disks Selected section of the page displays the disks you have chosen. In this example, two disks are selected.
•

Physical disk 0:0

•

Physical disk 0:1

Each RAID level has specific requirements for the number of disks that must be selected. RAID 10, RAID 50, and RAID 60 also have
requirements for the number of disks that must be included in each stripe or span.
If the controller is a SAS controller with firmware version 6.1 and later, and you selected RAID 10, RAID 50, and RAID 60, the user
interface displays the following:
•

All Disks—Enables you to select all the physical disks in all the enclosures.

•

Enclosure—Enables you to select all physical disks in the enclosure.
NOTE: The All Disks and Enclosure options enable you to edit spans after selecting the physical disks that comprise them.
You can remove a span and specify a span again with different physical disks before proceeding.

•

Number of Disks per Span — Enables you to select the number of disks in each span (default = 2). This option is available only on
SAS controllers with firmware version 6.1 and later.
NOTE: This option is available only if Intelligent Mirroring is selected on the Create Virtual Disk Advanced Wizard page.
NOTE: On a SAS controller with firmware version 6.1 and later, RAID 10 supports only even number of disks per span and a
maximum of 8 spans with 32 disks in each span.
Let us consider that the controller has three enclosures with six physical disks each (total number of available disks = 3 x 6 =18
disks). If you select four disks per span, the controller creates four spans (18 disks/4 disks per span = 4 spans). The last two disks
of the last enclosure are not part of RAID 10.

•

Select the number of disks to create a single spanned virtual disk list box — Enables you to create a single span virtual disk with
22 or 26 physical drives for PERC controllers. This list box option is displayed only if you have selected RAID 10 in step 1 and the
system has 22 or more physical drives.

NOTE: Only physical disks that comply with the virtual disk parameters, selected in the Create Virtual Disk Wizard page
are displayed.
Select the required connector and the corresponding physical disk, and click Continue.

In the Name field, type a name for the virtual disk.
The virtual disk name can contain only alphanumeric characters, spaces, dashes, and underscores. The maximum length depends on
the controller. In most cases, the maximum length is 15 characters.
The name cannot start with a space or end with a space. If you have virtual disks with the same name, it is hard to differentiate the
generated alerts, Dell recommends that you specify a unique name for each virtual disk.

In the Size field, type the size of the virtual disk.
The virtual disk size must be within the minimum and maximum values displayed near the Size field.
In some cases, the virtual disk is slightly larger than the size you specify. The Create Virtual Disk Wizard adjusts the size of the virtual
disk to avoid rendering a portion of the physical disk space unusable.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

NOTE:
•

If a physical disk is receiving a SMART alert, it cannot be used in a virtual disk.

•

For a controller that has more than one channel, it may be possible to configure a virtual disk that is channelredundant.

Depending on the RAID level you selected and the virtual disk size, this page displays the disks and connectors (channels or ports)
available for configuring the virtual disk.
NOTE: The Size field displays the default size of the virtual disk depending upon the RAID configuration you selected.
However, you can also specify a different size based on your requirement. The virtual disk size must be within the minimum
and maximum values displayed against the Size field. In some cases, the virtual disk is slightly larger than the size you
specify. The Create Virtual Disk Wizard adjusts the size of the virtual disk to avoid rendering a portion of the physical disk
space unusable.
14

Select a stripe size from the Stripe Element Size drop-down list box. The stripe size refers to the amount of space that each stripe
consumes on a single disk.

Select the required read, write, and disk cache policy from the respective drop-down list box. These selections can vary depending on
the controller.
NOTE:
•

There is limited support for write policy on controllers that do not have a battery. The cache policy is not supported on
controllers that do not have a battery.

•

If you have selected the Create Encrypted Virtual Disk option in Create Virtual Disk Advanced Wizard, then in the
Summary of Virtual Disk Attributes, an Encrypted Virtual Disk attribute is displayed with a value Yes.
Click Span Edit to edit the spans created in Create Virtual Disk Advanced Wizard.
CAUTION: If you click Span Edit, Intelligent Mirroring that has already been applied becomes invalid.
NOTE: The Span Edit option is available in the following two cases:
•

Only if the controller is a SAS controller with firmware 6.1 and later.

• If you selected RAID 10 while using Create virtual disk Advanced Wizard.
If you want to change your selections, click Go Back To Previous Page to return to Create Virtual Disk Advanced Wizard page.

Click Finish to complete the virtual disk creation or click Exit Wizard to cancel the virtual disk creation.
The virtual disk is displayed in the Virtual Disk(s) on Controller page.
For PERC H700 and PERC H800 controllers, if any of the drives you selected is in the spun down state, the following message is
displayed:
The below listed physical drive(s) are in the spun down state. Executing this task on these
drive(s) takes additional time, because the drive(s) need to spun up.
The message displays the ID(s) of the spun down drive(s).
The Create Virtual Disk Advanced Wizard - page displays a checkbox next to each physical disk that is suitable
as a dedicated hot spare. Select a Physical Disk checkbox if you want to assign a dedicated hot spare.
The Physical Disk checkbox is not available if the controller does not have a physical disk that is a suitable hot spare for the virtual
disk you are creating. For example, the available physical disks may not be sufficient to protect the virtual disk. If the Physical Disk
checkbox is not available, specify a smaller virtual disk, use a different RAID level, or change the disk selection.
NOTE: If you are creating an encrypted virtual disk, then encrypted physical disks are listed as candidates for hot spare.

RAID configuration by using Unified Server Configurator
The Unified Server Configurators (USC)’s main features include operating system deployment, firmware updates, hardware configuration,
and diagnostics. The UEFI specification creates framework for many powerful applications that run without an operating system. The UEFI

Troubleshooting hardware issues

specification includes the Trusted Computing Group (TCG) protocol that allows for Trusted Platform Module (TPM) measurements and
secure updates which USC leverages to its fullest extent.
1

Select the RAID configuration tab to create the virtual disk as the boot device.

On the View Current Configuration screen, you can view a list of current controllers and virtual disks installed in the system.
a

If the virtual disk or disks exist in the system, click Exit to exit the screen and continue with operating system installation. if the
virtual disk or disks do not exist in the system, continue with the new virtual disk creation process.

On the Select RAID Controller screen, select the controller on which to configure a virtual disk.
•

If the selected controller contains a foreign configuration, the Foreign Configuration Detected screen is displayed.

•

Depending on the foreign configuration, you have the option to either Clear, Import or Ignore the foreign configuration.

•

If you select the Clear Foreign Configuration option, all the data gets deleted on the drives containing the foreign configuration,
thereby allowing the drives to be used in a new configuration.

•

Selecting Import Foreign Configuration attempts to import the foreign configuration.

•

Selecting Ignore Foreign Configuration leaves the drives in their current state and uses free drives to create a new configuration.
NOTE: Selecting the Ignore Foreign Configuration causes the system to generate alerts and error messages every time the
system is started.

Select either the Express Wizard or Advanced Wizard window on the Select a Configuration Option screen.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

Figure 15. Flowchart of Unified Server Configurator’s RAID configuration process
5

The Express option selects the appropriate disks depending upon the RAID type selected for virtual disk creation.
The Summary screen is displayed. You can review the choices selected during the Express wizard.

Click Finish to create the virtual disk to be used for operating system installation.

The Advanced option takes you to a series of more screens. Select the RAID type on the Basic Settings screen. On the Select
Physical Disks screen, select the physical disks that are the part of the virtual disk.
The Additional Settings screen is displayed to define additional parameters for the virtual disk, such as stripe element size, read and
write policy, and whether or not to assign a hot spare disk. The Summary of virtual disk attributes is displayed.

Click Finish to create virtual disk to be used for operating system installation.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

Downloading and installing the RAID controller log export by
using PERCCLI tool on ESXi hosts on Dell’s 13th generation of
PowerEdge servers
To export information about the status of the RAID controller and its attached hard drives, you can use the PERCCLI tool. To download and
install the RAID controller log export by using PERCCLI tool on ESXi hosts on Dell’s 13th generation of PowerEdge servers, perform the
following steps:
1

Download the latest verison of PERCCLI for ESX tool from Dell.com/support/home.

To upload the PERCCLI tool to Datastore:
a
b

Select the host (1), and then click on the Configuration tab (2).
In the Hardware panel, select Storage (3) and right-click datastore1.

Figure 16. vSphere Client
a

In Datastore Browser, click Upload, and then click Upload File.

Figure 17. Datastore Browser
3

To enable Secure Socket Shell (SSH) select host (1), and then click on the Configuration tab (2). In the Software panel, select
Security Profile (3). In Services, click Properties (4) at the upper-right corner of the screen.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

Figure 18. Configuration tab
a

In the Services properties window, select SSH (1), and then click Options... (2)

Troubleshooting hardware issues

Figure 19. Open SSH Options
b

In the SSH Options window, click Start (1), and then click OK (2) to activate the service.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

Figure 20. Start SSH Service
4

To unzip vmware-esx-perccli, open an SSH connection via PUTTY and run the command: unzip /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/
vmware-esx-perccli-1.05.08.zip
PUTTY is a free and open-source terminal emulator, serial console and network file transfer application. It supports several network
protocols, including SCP, SSH, Telnet, rlogin, and raw socket connection. You can download it from Google. The files vmware-esxperccli-1.05.08.vib and Readme.txt are now extracted to: /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/
WARNING: Please check the correct path (e.g. datastore1) according to your installation package

Install PERCCLI by using command: esxcli software vib install -v /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/vmware-esxperccli-1.05.08.vib --no-sig-check

Figure 21. Install PERCCLI
6

Go to directory /opt/lsi/perccli by using command: cd /opt/lsi/perccli

Collect the logs by using command: ./perccli /c0 show termlog

Troubleshooting hardware issues

The log is created with the name: #### MegaSAS.log

Figure 22. Log creation
8

Copy MegaSAS.log to datastore by using command:cp /opt/lsi/perccli/MegaSAS.log /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/

Copy the file to desktop with Datastore Browser.

Figure 23. Log file in Datastore Browser
Now the logs are exported on ESXi hosts on the Dell 13th generation PowerEdge servers.

Configuring RAID by using Lifecycle Controller
Prerequisite
If your system has one or more supported PERC RAID controllers with PERC 8 firmware or later, or software RAID controllers, use the
RAID Configuration wizard to configure a virtual disk as the boot device.
NOTE: Create boot virtual disk only from a disk drive populated across slots 0–3 of the system. For slot information, see the
server Owner’s Manual at Dell.com/poweredgemanuals.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

Steps
1

Launch the Lifecycle Controller home page, click Hardware Configuration, and then click Configuration Wizards.
The Configuration Wizards window is displayed.

In Storage Configuration Wizards, click RAID Configuration.

Select the RAID controller to view its current virtual disk configuration and disk attributes. Click Next.

Select the RAID level for the virtual disk that you want to create and click Next.

On the Select Physical Disks screen, the default values for Protocol, Media Type, and Encryption capability are displayed.

Select the required physical disks that you want to include in the virtual disk, and then click Next.

On the Virtual Disk Attributes screen, type the virtual disk name.
NOTE: The virtual disk name should not contain any space or special characters.

Type the size of the physical disk.
The values for Stripe Element Size, Read Policy, and Write Policy are displayed by default.

If you want to change the values for Stripe Element, Read Policy and Write Policy, select the required values from the respective
drop-down lists.
The Summary of virtual disk attributes is displayed.

Click Finish .

On the RAID Configuration Warning window, click Yes if you wish to continue with the creation of virtual disk.
The RAID Configuration window is displayed. Note that this operation might take approximately one minute to complete.

When the virtual disk is created successfully, the RAID Configuration Success window is displayed. Click OK.
You are taken to the Hardware configuration window. Click Back to go to the home page.

You can verify, if the RAID operation was successful by checking the events in the Lifecycle Log.
a
b

Click View Lifecycle Log History. The View Lifecycle Log window is displayed. Note that this operation might take few minutes.
On the View Log History page, you can verify if the RAID operation is successful. For more information about Dell Lifecycle
controller, go toDell.com/ techcenter/LC .

For more information about the Dell Lifecycle Controller RAID Configuration video, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=JFPmeHNENV4

Starting and target RAID levels for virtual disk reconfiguration
and capacity expansion
After you have created a virtual disk, the possibilities for reconfiguring the virtual disk depend on the controller, RAID level, and available
physical disks.
Table 13. Possible scenarios for reconfiguring a virtual disk
Controller

Starting RAID Level

Target RAID Level

Comments

RAID 0

RAID 1

Add a single disk

RAID 0

RAID 0, RAID 5

Add at least one additional disk.

RAID 0

RAID 6

RAID 6 requires a minimum of 4
disks.
Reconfiguration from RAID 0 to
RAID 6 requires at least 2
additional disks even when this
exceeds the 4-disk minimum
required by RAID 6

RAID 1

RAID 0

With or without adding
additional disks

Troubleshooting hardware issues

Controller

Starting RAID Level

PERC H330 Adapter, PERC
RAID 1
H330 Mini Monolithic, PERC
H330 Mini Blades, PERC H330
Embedded, PERC H730 Adapter,
PERC H730 Mini Monolithic,
RAID 5
PERC H730 Mini Blades, PERC
H730P Adapter, PERC H730P
RAID 5
Mini Monolithic, PERC H730P
Mini Blades, PERC H730P Slim,
PERC H830 Adapter, PERC
FD33xD/FD33xS
RAID 6

Target RAID Level

Comments

RAID 5, RAID 6

Add at least one additional disk.
RAID 6 requires a minimum of 4
disks.

RAID 0

With or without adding
additional disks

RAID 5, RAID 6

Add at least one additional disk.
RAID 6 requires a minimum of 4
disks.

RAID 0, RAID 5

With or without adding
additional disks

RAID 6

Add at least one additional disk

RAID 10

Without adding additional disks

SAS 6/iR

N/A

PERC S100, S110, S130, and
S300

RAID 0

With or without additional disks

RAID 1

Without additional disks

RAID 5

With or without additional disks

RAID 10

Without additional disks

NOTE: The order of the controllers displayed on Storage Management may differ from the order of the controllers displayed in
the Human Interface (HII) and PERC Option ROM. The order of the controllers does not cause any limitation.
NOTE: When creating virtual disks using software RAID controllers, the information related to the physical disks linked to the
virtual disk is enumerated or displayed on Storage Management after a short delay. This delay in displaying the information does
not cause any functional limitation. If you are creating partial virtual disks, Dell recommends that you provide Storage
Management adequate time between each partial virtual disk creation process.
NOTE: RAID 10 virtual disk reconfiguration operation is not supported with Intelligent Mirroring.

Reconfiguring or migrating virtual disks
About this task
Reconfiguring or migrating a virtual disk (VDs) enables you to increase the capacity or change the RAID level of the virtual disk.
NOTE: In the PERC BIOS Configuration Utility window, with software RAID S110 and S130 controllers, if a physical disk (SATA
SSD or HDD) is removed from a virtual disk and the same physical disk is reinserted (hot plug) into the virtual disk instantly, then
the virtual disk state is displayed as Ready or Non RAID (for the PERC S110 and S100) and the physical disk state is displayed as
Online. However, if the same physical disk is reinserted after a short delay, then the virtual disk state is displayed as Degraded
and the physical disk state is displayed as Ready.
To reconfigure a virtual disk:
Steps
1

Review the information in the Starting and Target RAID Levels for Virtual Disk Reconfiguration and Capacity Expansion section in this
document.

In the tree view, locate the controller on which the virtual disk resides. Expand the controller object until the Virtual Disks object is
displayed.

Select the Reconfigure task from the virtual disk’s Tasks drop-down list box and click Execute.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

Complete the Reconfigure task using the Reconfigure wizard.

Starting and target RAID levels for virtual disk reconfiguration and
capacity expansion
After you have created a virtual disk, the possibilities for reconfiguring the virtual disk depend on the controller, RAID level, and available
physical disks.
Table 14. Possible scenarios for reconfiguring a virtual disk
Controller

Starting RAID Level

Target RAID Level

Comments

PERC 6/E, PERC 6/I, PERC
H800 Adapter, PERC H700
Adapter, PERC H700 Integrated,
and PERC H700 Modular, PERC
H310 Adapter, PERC H310 Mini
Monolithic, PERC H310 Mini
Blades, PERC H710 Adapter,
PERC H710 Mini Blades, PERC
H710 Mini Monolithic, PERC
H710P Adapter, PERC H710P
Mini Blades, PERC H710P Mini
Monolithic, PERC H810 Adapter,
PERC H330 Adapter, PERC
H330 Mini Monolithic, PERC
H330 Mini Blades, PERC H330
Embedded, PERC H730 Adapter,
PERC H730 Mini Monolithic,
PERC H730 Mini Blades, PERC
H730P Adapter, PERC H730P
Mini Monolithic, PERC H730P
Mini Blades, PERC H730P Slim,
PERC H830 Adapter, PERC
FD33xD/FD33xS

RAID 0

RAID 1

Add a single disk

RAID 0

RAID 0, RAID 5

Add at least one additional disk.

RAID 0

RAID 6

RAID 6 requires a minimum of 4
disks.
Reconfiguration from RAID 0 to
RAID 6 requires at least 2
additional disks even when this
exceeds the 4-disk minimum
required by RAID 6

RAID 1

RAID 0

With or without adding
additional disks

RAID 1

RAID 5, RAID 6

Add at least one additional disk.
RAID 6 requires a minimum of 4
disks.

RAID 5

RAID 0

With or without adding
additional disks

RAID 5

RAID 5, RAID 6

Add at least one additional disk.
RAID 6 requires a minimum of 4
disks.

RAID 6

RAID 0, RAID 5

With or without adding
additional disks

RAID 6

Add at least one additional disk

RAID 10

Without adding additional disks

SAS 6/iR

N/A

PERC S100, S110, S130, and
S300

RAID 0

With or without additional disks

RAID 1

Without additional disks

RAID 5

With or without additional disks

RAID 10

Without additional disks

Troubleshooting hardware issues

NOTE: When creating virtual disks using software RAID controllers, the information related to the physical disks linked to the
virtual disk is enumerated or displayed on Storage Management after a short delay. This delay in displaying the information does
not cause any functional limitation. If you are creating partial virtual disks, Dell recommends that you provide Storage
Management adequate time between each partial virtual disk creation process.
NOTE: RAID 10 virtual disk reconfiguration operation is not supported with Intelligent Mirroring.

Foreign Configuration Operations
Foreign configuration is virtual disk data residing on physical disks that have been moved from one controller to another.
The Foreign Configuration Operations task provides a preview of the foreign configurations that you can import.
NOTE: On the PERC BIOS Configuration Utility screen, foreign configuration operations are not supported on PERC hardware
controllers running in HBA mode.
NOTE: Foreign Configuration Operations task is available only on PERC 6 and SAS controllers with firmware versions 6.1 and
later.
NOTE: It is not recommended to remove an external enclosure cable while the operating system is running on the system.
Removing the cable could result in a foreign configuration when the connection is re-established.
The Foreign Configuration Operations task is displayed only when a controller detects a foreign configuration. Select this option and click
Execute to display the Foreign Configuration Preview page.
The Foreign Configuration Preview page provides a preview of the foreign disks and enables you to perform operations such as, importing,
recovering, or clearing the foreign disks. You can also import or clear a locked foreign configuration.
If any foreign configurations that are locked by using Local Key manager (LKM) are detected, the associated Encryption Key Identifier is
displayed prompting you to provide the corresponding passphrase to unlock the drives.
To avoid unlocking foreign configurations and to proceed to preview, import, or clear a foreign configuration that has not been locked, on
the PERC BIOS Configuration Utility Foreign Configuration screen, click Skip or Continue.
If you do not want to import or clear the foreign configurations, or in case of loss of the associated passphrase of the corresponding
Encryption Key Identifier, execute the Instant Encrypt Erase task for the physical disks.
CAUTION: Executing the Instant Encrypt Erase task erases all data on the physical disk.
Some conditions, such as an unsupported RAID level or an incomplete disk group, can prevent the import or recovery of foreign virtual
disks.

Foreign Configuration properties
The following table describes the properties that are displayed on the PERC BIOS Configuration Utility Foreign Configuration screen for
the Foreign Disks and Global Hot Spares.
Table 15. Foreign Configuration Properties
Property

Definition

Status

These icons represent the severity or health of the storage component.

•

—Normal/OK

•

—Warning/Non-critical

Troubleshooting hardware issues

Property

Definition
•

—Critical/Failure/Error

Name

Displays the name of the foreign configuration and is available as a link. This link enables you to
access the physical disks that constitute the foreign disk.

State

Displays the current state of the foreign configuration. Possible values are:
•
•
•

Ready — The foreign disk can be imported and functions normally after import.
Degraded — The foreign disk is in degraded state and rebuilds after import.
Failed — The foreign disk has encountered a failure and is no longer functioning. You cannot
import the foreign configuration.

The foreign configuration may be in degraded or failed state due to any of the following reasons:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Missing physical disk — One of the physical disk(s) in the potential virtual disk is missing or not
available.
Missing span — One or more spans of a hybrid virtual disk is missing.
Stale physical disks — One or more physical disks in the configuration may contain out-of-date
data relating to other disks of that virtual disk. Hence, the data integrity of the imported virtual
disk is not intact.
Unsupported configuration of the virtual disk — The virtual disk has an unsupported RAID level.
Import and Export — The virtual disks available for import exceed the number of virtual disks
available for export.
Incompatible physical disks — Configuration on the physical disks is not recognized by the RAID
firmware.
Orphan drive — A physical disk in the foreign configuration has configuration information that
matches another physical disk that is already a part of an array (either a foreign or a native
array).

Layout

Displays the RAID level of the foreign configuration.

Remarks

Provides information about the foreign virtual disk. If the virtual disk cannot be imported, the reason
for failure is displayed.
•
•
•
•
•
•

Dedicated Hot Spare

Exceeded maximum — The number of virtual disks selected for import has exceeded the
maximum number of supported disks.
Missing physical disk or Missing span — One or more physical disk(s) or span(s) in the virtual
disk to be imported is missing.
Unsupported — The selected RAID level is not supported on this controller.
Orphan drive — The physical disk has been replaced and is no longer a part of the RAID
volume. The configuration should be cleared.
Stale physical disk — The physical disk to be imported in the virtual disk has outdated data.
Partially foreign — The virtual disk is part of an already existing configuration. Some physical
disks in this virtual disk are foreign.

Displays whether the foreign disk is a dedicated hot spare.

Based on the properties information, you can decide whether you want to import, recover, or clear the foreign configuration.

Viewing Patrol Read report
The patrol read report provides information on all the patrol reads performed on the controller in the chronological order. It provides
information such as last run time and result. If a patrol read fails, the reason for the failure is displayed.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

Setting Patrol Read mode
NOTE: This task is not supported on PERC hardware controllers running in HBA mode.
Patrol read identifies disk errors in order to avoid disk failures and data loss or corruption. The Set Patrol Read task is applicable only for
disks used as virtual disks or hot spares.
The Set Patrol Read task runs in the background and corrects the disk errors, when possible. When the Set Patrol Read mode is set to
Auto, patrol read is initiated when the controller is idle for a specific period of time and when no other background tasks are active. In this
scenario, the patrol read enhances the system performance as disk errors can be identified and corrected when there is no input/output
activity on the disk.
The controller adjusts the amount of system resources dedicated for patrol read based on the amount of controller activity that is
competing with the Patrol Read task. When the controller activity is high, fewer system resources are dedicated to the patrol read task.
Patrol Read does not run on a physical disk in the following circumstances:
•

The physical disk is not included in a virtual disk or is assigned as a hot spare.

•

The physical disk is included in a virtual disk that is currently undergoing one of the following:
•

Rebuild

•

Reconfiguration or reconstruction

•

Background initialization

•

Check consistency

In addition, the Patrol Read is suspended during heavy I/O activity and resumes when the I/O is finished.
To set Patrol Read mode, select the desired Patrol Read Mode option. The options available are:
•

Auto — Initiates the Patrol Read task. After the task is complete, it automatically runs again within a specified period. For example, on
some controllers the Patrol Read runs every four hours and on other controllers, the Patrol Read runs every seven days. The Patrol
Read task runs continuously on the system starting again within the specified period after each iteration of the task completes. If the
system reboots while the Patrol Read task is running in Auto mode, the Patrol Read restarts at zero percent (0%). When the Patrol
Read task is set to Auto mode, you cannot start or stop the task. Auto mode is the default setting.

•

Manual — Enables you to start and stop the Patrol Read task using Start and Stop Patrol Read. Setting the mode to Manual does not
initiate the Patrol Read task. If the system reboots while Patrol Read is running in Manual mode, Patrol Read does not restart.

•

Disabled — Prevents the Patrol Read task from running on the system.

NOTE: For more information on how often the Patrol Read task runs when in Auto mode, see your controller documentation.

To set Patrol Read mode
Select the desired Patrol Read Mode option. The options available are:
•

•

Disabled — Prevents the Patrol Read task from running on the system.

NOTE: For more information on how often the Patrol Read task runs when in Auto mode, see your controller documentation.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

Check Consistency report
The check consistency report provides information on all the consistency checks performed on the controller in a chronological order. It
provides information such as last run time and result. If the consistency check fails, it provides the reason for the failure.

Performing a Check Consistency
The Check Consistency task verifies the accuracy of the redundant (parity) information. This task only applies to redundant virtual disks.
When necessary, the Check Consistency task rebuilds the redundant data. If the virtual disk is in a Failed Redundancy state, running a
check consistency may return the virtual disk to a Ready state.

Canceling a Check Consistency
The Cancel Check Consistency task stops a check consistency operation while it is in progress.

Pausing a Check Consistency
The Pause Check Consistency task pauses a check consistency while it is in progress.
NOTE: The Pause Check Consistency task updates the virtual disk State property to Resynching Paused immediately. The
Progress property may continue to increment for up to three seconds. This time delay occurs because the polling task may take
up to three seconds to query the task information and update the display.

Resuming a Check Consistency
The Resume Check Consistency task resumes check consistency after it has been paused.
To locate view Check Consistency report in Storage Management:
1

In the Server Administrator window, under the system tree, click Storage.

Select View Check Consistency Report from the Select Report drop-down menu.

Click Execute.

To locate view Check Consistency report in Storage Management
1

In the Server Administrator window, under the system tree, click Storage.

Select View Check Consistency Report from the Select Report drop-down menu.

Click Execute.

Virtual disk troubleshooting
Rebuilding of virtual disk does not work
Rebuilding of virtual disk does not work in the following situations:
•

The virtual disk is non redundant — For example, a RAID 0 virtual disk cannot be rebuilt because RAID 0 does not provide data
redundancy.

•

There is no hot spare assigned to the virtual disk — As long as the virtual disk is redundant, to rebuild it:
•

Remove the failed physical disk and replace it. A rebuild automatically starts on the new disk.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

•

Assign a hot spare to the virtual disk and then perform a rebuild.

•

You are attempting to rebuild onto a hot spare that is too small — Different controllers have different size requirements for hot spares.

•

The hot spare is unassigned from the virtual disk — This occurs on some controllers if the hot spare is assigned to more than one
virtual disk and is being used to rebuild a failed physical disk for another virtual disk.

•

The virtual disk includes failed or corrupt physical disks — This situation may generate alert 2083. For information on alert messages,
see the Server Administrator Messages Reference Guide at Dell.com/support/home.

•

The rebuild rate setting is too low — If the rebuild rate setting is quite low and the system is processing a number of operations, then
the rebuild may take an unusual amount of time to complete.

•

The rebuild is canceled — Another user can cancel a rebuild that you have initiated.

Rebuilding of virtual disk completes with errors
About this task
A rebuild completes with errors when a portion of the disk containing redundant (parity) information is damaged. The rebuild process can
restore data from the healthy portions of the disk but not from the damaged portion.
When a rebuild is able to restore all data except data from damaged portions of the disk, it indicates successful completion while also
generating alert 2163. For information on alert messages, see the Server Administrator Messages Reference Guide at Dell.com/support/
home.
The rebuild may also report sense key errors. In this situation, take the following actions to restore the maximum data possible:
Steps
1
Back up the degraded virtual disk onto a fresh (unused) tape drive.
•

If the backup is successful — If the backup completes successfully, then the user data on the virtual disk has not been damaged.
In this case, you can continue with step 2.

•
2

If the backup encounters errors — If the backup encounters errors then the user data has been damaged and cannot be
recovered from the virtual disk. In this case, the only possibility for recovery is to restore from a previous backup of the virtual disk.
Perform Check Consistency on the virtual disk that you have backed up onto a tape drive.

Restore the virtual disk from the tape drive onto healthy physical disks.

Cannot create a virtual disk
You may be attempting a RAID configuration that is not supported by the controller. Check the following:
•

How many virtual disks already exist on the controller? Each controller supports a maximum number of virtual disks.

•

Is there adequate available space on the disk? The physical disks that you have selected for creating the virtual disk must have an
adequate amount of free space available.

•

The controller may be performing other tasks, such as rebuilding a physical disk, that must run to completion before the controller can
create the new virtual disk.

A virtual disk of minimum size is not visible to Windows Disk Management
If you create a virtual disk using the minimum allowable size in Storage Management, the virtual disk may not be visible to Windows Disk
Management even after initialization. This occurs because Windows Disk Management is only able to recognize extremely small virtual disks
if they are dynamic. It is advisable to create virtual disks of larger size when using Storage Management.

Virtual disk errors on systems running Linux
About this task
On some versions of the Linux operating system, the virtual disk size is limited to 1TB. If you create a virtual disk that exceeds the 1TB
limitation, your system may experience the following behavior:

Troubleshooting hardware issues

•

I/O errors to the virtual disk or logical drive.

•

Inaccessible virtual disk or logical drive.

•

Virtual disk or logical drive size is smaller than expected.

If you have created a virtual disk that exceeds the 1TB limitation, you must:
Steps
1
Back up your data.
2

Delete the virtual disk.

Create one or more virtual disks that are smaller than 1TB.

Restore your data from backup.
Irrespective of whether your Linux operating system limits the virtual disk size to 1TB, the virtual disk size depends on the version of
the operating system and any updates or modifications that you have implemented. For more information on operating system, see
your operating system documentation.

Problems associated with using the same physical disks for both redundant
and nonredundant virtual disks
When creating virtual disks, you should avoid using the same physical disks for both redundant and nonredundant virtual disks. This applies
to all controllers. Using the same physical disks for both redundant and nonredundant virtual disks can result in unexpected behavior
including data loss.
NOTE: SAS controllers do not allow you to create redundant and nonredundant virtual disks on the same set of physical disks.

Troubleshooting memory or battery errors on the PERC
controller on Dell PowerEdge servers
Interpreting LCD and Embedded Diagnostic event messages
Issue:

The server LCD presents a error message, or an error message is generated when running the Enhanced Pre-Boot
System Assessment (ePSA).

Solution:

For more information about error messages, see the Dell Event and Error Messages Reference Guide at Dell.com/
openmanagemanuals > OpenManage software.
The Event Message Reference contains the error and event information generated by firmware and other agents
that monitor system components. These events might be logged and displayed on one of the system management
consoles, or both logged and displayed.
NOTE: To run the Embedded System Diagnostics (also known as Enhanced Pre-Boot System
Assessment):
1

As the system boots, press F11.

Use the up-and-down arrows keys to select System Utilities > Launch Dell Diagnostics.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

Troubleshooting conditions that lead to error message
NOTE: Troubleshooting the associated events may also prevent the error message from occurring. Error message can occur
normally when one of the following conditions occur.
•

OS indicates abnormal shutdown.

•

OS indicates error occurred (blue screen occurred in Windows).

•

Spontaneous power loss condition.

Try the following troubleshooting steps:
•

Reboot to OS
If the OS boot is successful, rebooting again should result in no message being displayed.

•

Clear Controller Cache
•

Ctrl + M for SCSI controllers (PERC 3, PERC 4).

•

Ctrl + R for SAS/SATA controllers (PERC 5, PERC 6 and newer controllers).

•

Wait for five minutes to allow contents of cache to purge.

•

Reboot back to controller BIOS.
NOTE: If error persists, the likelihood of a hardware error is increased. Contact Dell Technical Support for further
troubleshooting steps.

•

If error is eliminated, boot to OS.

•

If OS boot is still not successful and/or the error persists, this may indicate a problem with the OS. Contact Technical Support for
further troubleshooting steps.

Check the Physical PERC Controller.
a

Inspect the DIMM and DIMM Socket for Damage.
1

Turn off the system and remove the power cable(s) from the system.

Let the system sit for 30 seconds to allow any remaining flea power to drain.

Remove the PERC controller. For information about removing and replacing parts in this system, refer to the user guide
located at Dell.com/poweredgemanuals.

Remove the RAID memory battery. Ensure to reinstall the memory battery after inserting the DIMM.

Remove the memory DIMM from the controller, if applicable.

Check DIMM socket for any bent pins or other damage. Check the edge connector of the memory DIMM for any damage.

If the controller has embedded memory or the memory socket is damaged, contact Dell Technical Support.

If the memory is damaged, the controller memory may need to be replaced, contact Dell Technical Support.

If there is no damage, replace the memory DIMM and reinstall the controller.

Swap the controller memory a with known good memory, if possible.
1

If there is no known good memory available, contact Dell Technical Support.

if the error does not occur with the known good memory, contact Dell Technical Support.

If the error remains with a known good memory, contact Dell Technical Support.

Additional information for troubleshooting memory or battery errors on the
PERC controller
A RAID Controller error message is displayed during POST to indicate that the controller's cache does not contain all of the expected
information, or it contains data destined for a hard drive that cannot be or has not been written to the drive. The most common reasons
why this error may occur are:
•

Server did not perform a normal shutdown process – Power loss and/or spontaneous restarts can result in incomplete or corrupted
data to remain in cache that cannot be written to a drive.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

•

Cache memory is defective – Bad cache memory can cause data to become corrupted. This can cause OS-related issues and
spontaneous reboots.

•

Loss of battery power while server is shutdown – Controllers that do not use NVCACHE (Non-Volatile Cache) memory utilize batteries
that can retain the contents of cache for a limited time (24-72 hours) while the server is not powered on. Once the battery drains, the
entire contents of cache is lost and the controller recognizes that the cache memory does not contain all of the information expected.
Controllers that do utilize NVCache (some H700/H800 controllers and newer controllers such as H710, H710P, H810) are very unlikely
to encounter this issue since the battery only needs to maintain power for 30 seconds or less in most cases.

•

PERC Battery Maintenance
A PERC battery that is suspected to have failed or has a warning symbol displayed in OpenManage Server Administrator should have a
manual Learn Cycle performed. A Learn Cycle causes the battery to discharge and recharge, and restores the battery to a fully
functional condition. In some cases, multiple Learn Cycle procedures may be required to restore the battery to an effectively charged
state. To perform a manual Learn Cycle, select Start Learn Cycle from the Battery Tasks drop-down menu in Open Manage Server
Administrator (OMSA).

•

Cache Use
Hardware RAID controllers utilize cache (a temporary repository of information) for their normal operation. The normal operation cache
comprises DRAM memory, which, like system memory, retains data only when powered on.
Newer controllers utilize NVCache, which is utilized when the server is powered off. NVCache memory contains both DRAM memory
(for normal operation) and flash memory (non-volatile). The controllers battery (if operational) powers the DRAM memory during a
power loss so that the contents can be copied into the flash memory for indefinite storage.

The contents of cache can essentially be broken into three parts:
•

RAID configuration and metadata - Information about the RAID arrays including configuration information, disk members, role of disks,
etc.

•

Controller logs - RAID controllers maintain several log files. Dell technicians rely on the TTY log as the primary log for troubleshooting
various RAID and hard drive issues.

•

RAID data - This is the actual data destined to be written to the individual hard drives. Data is written into the cache of the controller in
both Write Through and Write Back cache policy modes.

Slicing
Configuring multiple RAID arrays across the same set of disks is called Slicing.

RAID puncture
A RAID puncture is a feature of Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) designed to allow the controller to restore the redundancy of the
array despite the loss of data caused by a double fault condition. Another name for a RAID puncture is rebuild with errors. When the RAID
controller detects a double fault and there is insufficient redundancy to recover the data in the impacted stripe, the controller creates a
puncture in that stripe and enables the rebuild to continue.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

•

Any condition that causes data to be inaccessible in the same stripe on more than one drive is a double fault.

•

Double faults cause the loss of all data within the impacted stripe.

•

All RAID punctures are double faults but all double faults are NOT RAID punctures.

Causes of RAID puncture
Without the RAID puncture feature, the array rebuild would fail, and leave the array in a degraded state. In some cases, the failures may
cause additional drives to fail, and cause the array to be in a non-functioning offline state. Puncturing an array has no impact on the ability
to boot to or access any data on the array.
RAID punctures can occur in one of two situations:
•

Double Fault already exists (Data already lost).
Data error on an online drive is propagated (copied) to a rebuilding drive.

•

Double Fault does not exist (Data is lost when second error occurs).
While in a degraded state, if a bad block occurs on an online drive, that LBA is RAID punctured.

This advantage of puncturing an array is keeping the system available in production till the redundancy of the array is restored. The data in
the affected stripe is lost whether the RAID puncture occurs or not. The primary disadvantage of this method is that while the array has a
RAID puncture in it, uncorrectable errors will continue to be encountered whenever the impacted data (if any) is accessed.
A RAID puncture can occur in the following three locations:
•

In blank space that contains no data. That stripe will be inaccessible, but since there is no data in that location, it will have no significant
impact. Any attempts to write to a RAID punctured stripe by an OS will fail and data will be written to a different location.

•

In a stripe that contains data that isn't critical such as a README.TXT file. If the impacted data is not accessed, no errors are generated
during normal I/O. Attempts to perform a file system backup will fail to backup any files impacted by a RAID puncture. Performing a
Check Consistency or Patrol Read operations will generate Sense code: 3/11/00 for the applicable LBA and/or stripes.

•

In data space that is accessed. In such a case, the lost data can cause a variety of errors. The errors can be minor errors that do not
adversely impact a production environment. The errors can also be more severe and can prevent the system from booting to an
operating system, or cause applications to fail.

An array that is RAID punctured will eventually have to be deleted and recreated to eliminate the RAID puncture. This procedure causes all
data to be erased. The data would then need to be recreated or restored from backup after the RAID puncture is eliminated. The resolution
for a RAID puncture can be scheduled for a time that is more advantageous to needs of the business.
If the data within a RAID punctured stripe is accessed, errors will continue to be reported against the affected bad LBAs with no possible
correction available. Eventually (this could be minutes, days, weeks, months, and so on), the Bad Block Management (BBM) Table will fill up
causing one or more drives to become flagged as predictive failure. As seen in the figure, drive 0 will typically be the drive that gets flagged
as predictive failure due to the errors on drive 1 and drive 2 being propagated to it. Drive 0 may actually be working normally, and replacing
drive 0 will only cause that replacement to eventually be flagged predictive failure as well.
A Check Consistency performed after a RAID puncture is induced will not resolve the issue. This is why it is very important to perform a
Check Consistency on a regular basis. It becomes especially important prior to replacing drives, when possible. The array must be in an
optimal state to perform the Check Consistency.
A RAID array that contains a single data error in conjunction with an additional error event such as a hard drive failure causes a RAID
puncture when the failed or replacement drive is rebuilt into the array. As an example, an optimal RAID 5 array includes three members:
drive 0, drive 1 and drive 2. If drive 0 fails and is replaced, the data and parity remaining on drives 1 and 2 are used to rebuild the missing
information on to the replacement drive 0. However, if a data error exists on drive 1 when the rebuild operation reaches that error, there is
insufficient information within the stripe to rebuild the missing data in that stripe. Drive 0 has no data, drive 1 has bad data and drive 2 has
good data as it is being rebuilt. There are multiple errors within that stripe. Drive 0 and drive 1 do not contain valid data, so any data in that
stripe cannot be recovered and is therefore lost.The result as shown in Figure 3 is that RAID punctures (in stripes 1 and 2) are created
during the rebuild. The errors are propagated to drive 0.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

Puncturing the array restores the redundancy and returns the array to an optimal state. This provides for the array to be protected from
additional data loss in the event of additional errors or drive failures.

How to fix a RAID puncture?
Issue:

How to fix RAID arrays that have been subjected to a puncture?

Solution:

Complete the following steps to resolve the issue:
WARNING: Following these steps will result in the loss of all data on the array. Ensure that you are
prepared to restore from backup or other means prior to following these steps. Use caution so that
following these steps does not impact any other arrays.
1

Discard Preserved Cache, if it exists.

Clear foreign configurations, if any.

Delete the array.

Shift the position of the drives by one.
Move Disk 0 to slot 1, Disk 1 to slot 2, and Disk 2 to slot 0.

Recreate the array as desired.

Perform a Full Initialization of the array (not a Fast Initialization).

Perform a Check Consistency on the array.

If the Check Consistency completes without errors, you can safely assume that the array is now healthy and the
puncture is removed. Data can now be restored to the healthy array.

Preventing problems before they happen and solving punctures after they
occur
Dell's RAID controllers contain a number of features to prevent many types of problems and to handle a variety of errors that do occur. The
primary job of a RAID controller is to preserve the integrity of the data contained on its array(s). Even in the more extreme cases of damage
(such as punctures), the array's data is often available and the server can remain in production. Part of any maintenance plan should be the
proactive maintenance of the RAID arrays. Dell's RAID controllers are highly reliable and very good at managing its arrays without user
intervention. Disregarding proper maintenance can cause even the most sophisticated technologies to experience problems over time.
There are a number of things that can help maintain the health of arrays, and prevent the majority of data errors, double faults and
punctures.
It is highly recommended to perform routine and regular maintenance. Proactive maintenance can correct existing errors, and prevent some
errors from occurring. It is not possible to prevent all errors from occurring, but most serious errors can be mitigated significantly with
proactive maintenance. For storage and RAID subsystems these steps are:
•

Update drivers and firmware on controllers, hard drives, backplanes and other devices.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

•

Perform routine Check Consistency operations (Dell recommends every 30 days).

•

Inspect cabling for signs of wear and damage and ensure good connections.

•

Review logs for indications of problems.
This doesn’t have to be a high level technical review, but could simply be a cursory view of the logs looking for extremely obvious
indications of potential problems. Contact Dell Technical Support with any questions or concerns.

Blank or skipped RAID configuration screen during SMTD DVD
installation
Issue:

Some Seagate drives used as internal server storage shipped with the incorrect Dell firmware and may experience
the following symptoms. (External storage is not affected)
1

During an installation from System Management Tool and Documentation (SMTD) DVD.
•

If there is no Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) configuration from Ctrl + R and the DVD is
booted, it will display a blank white screen where there should be array configuration setup.

•

If there is a RAID configuration from Ctrl + R already present on the drives, it boots to the SMTD DVD but
skip the RAID configuration screen. The menu item for RAID configuration in the left window does not
appear in the action list. Installation can be completed using this method.

Enclosure or server hard drives are being configured or added in an existing Linux installation.
The drives may not be seen in the Linux browser that is using OpenManage Storage Management to
configure the drives or the Vendor ID for the disk drive may appear with garbled characters.

Solution:

Model

Capacity

Part Number

Correct FW

Shipped FW

ST936751SS

36GB

RN829

SM04

SM07

ST973451SS

73GB

XT764

SM04

SM07

ST973402SS

73GB

HT952

S229

S22B

ST9146802SS

146GB

CM318

S229

S22B

ST373355SS

73GB

GY582

T211

T213

ST3146755SS

146GB

TN938

T211

T213

ST3300555SS

300GB

HT954

T211

T213

ST3400755SS

400GB

GY583

NS25

NS27

ST373455SS

73GB

GY581

S528

S529

ST3146855SS

146GB

HT953

S528

S529

ST3300655SS

300GB

TN937

S528

S529

If the shipped version in the above chart matches the current drive firmware version then a firmware flash is
required.
For drives that are installed in a server with an existing operating system, use the latest Dell Update Package
(DUP) to roll-back or update the drives.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

For drives that are experiencing the installation problem, use Release R212231 to flash the drives. R212231 will rollback the drives listed above to the correct firmware version without the need for user input. Create the bootable
USB or CD using the dddp.exe included in the release.
NOTE: If a drive has a version that is incrementally newer than the shipped version above then a rollback is not required.
The update will take about 5 minutes plus 1 minute for each additional drive in the server. Restart the server
installation after rolling-back the drives.

Troubleshooting thermal issue
Thermal issues can occur due to malfunctioning ambient temperature sensors, malfunctioning fans, dusty heat sinks, and malfunctioning
thermal sensors and so on.
To resolve the thermal issues:
1

Check the LCD and Embedded System Management (ESM) logs for any additional error messages to identify the faulty component.

Ensure that airflow to the machine is not blocked. Placing it in an enclosed area or blocking the air vent, can cause it to overheat. If
installed in a rack, ensure that the rack cooling system is working normally.

Check for the ambient temperature is within acceptable levels.

Check the internal system fans for obstructions and ensure that all fans are spinning properly. Swap any failing fans with a knowngood fan for testing.

Ensure that all the required shrouds and blanks are installed.

Check if all the fans are functioning properly, the heat sink is installed correctly, and thermal grease is applied.

Troubleshooting hardware issues

5
Server management software issues
This section helps to manage software issues related to the server management.
Topics:
•

How to set up Auto Dedicated NIC feature?

•

How do I configure RAID using operating system deployment wizard?

•

How to set up e-mail alerts?

•

How to export license using iDRAC web interface?

•

How to specify language and keyboard type?

•

How to configure network settings using Lifecycle Controller?

•

What are the different types of iDRAC licenses?

•

What are the differences between iDRAC7 and iDRAC8?

•

Can I upgrade the iDRAC license from express to enterprise and BMC to express?

•

How to activate license on iDRAC?

•

How to find out missing licenses?

•

How to update BIOS on 13th generation PowerEdge servers?

•

Which are the operating systems supported on PowerEdge servers?

How to set up Auto Dedicated NIC feature?
The Auto Dedicated NIC feature provides the option to automatically reroute the iDRAC management traffic for the scenarios such as
connecting a crash cart or reconfiguring network cables. When this feature is enabled, iDRAC automatically and dynamically detects a
system's network mode. It senses the system's network cable configuration and checks if a cable is connected to the system's dedicated
NIC port.
This feature was made available with iDRAC7 starting with the firmware version 1.30.30 with an Enterprise license. For the Dell PowerEdge
rack and tower servers of 600 series and above, the dedicated NIC port is standard on the system, but requires an iDRAC7 Enterprise
license to enable the port. Dell PowerEdge rack and tower servers of series 500 and below comes with an add-in card if ordered with an
Enterprise license at the point-of-sale. If an Enterprise license is purchased later than point-of-sale, the add-in card must also be purchased
to have the dedicated NIC port.
NOTE: This feature is not available on blade servers.
Enable the Auto Dedicated NIC feature using iDRAC web interface:
•

Log on to the iDRAC7 web interface.

•

Click Overview, select iDRAC Setting, and then select Network.

•

In the Network Settings section, select the Auto Dedicated NIC.

NOTE: The system must have a valid Enterprise license.

NOTE: Auto Dedicated NIC is disabled by default, this check box is no selected when you first log in to iDRAC7.

Server management software issues

NOTE: For the Dell PowerEdge blade servers, the NIC Selection field is always set at Dedicated which means that Auto
Dedicated NIC is always disabled and not supported. Auto Dedicated NIC is supported on the Dell PowerEdge tower and rack
servers only. A new read-only field Active NIC Interface displays the currently active network interface on the iDRAC7 web
interface.
For more information about Auto dedicated NIC feature, see En.community.dell.com/techcenter/extras/m/white_papers/20275980

How do I configure RAID using operating system
deployment wizard?
You can configure RAID using an operating System deployment wizard on the Dell Lifecycle controller. To configure RAID:
•

Launch the Lifecycle Controller.

•

In the left pane, click OS Deployment.

•

On the OS Deployment page, click Deploy OS.

•

On the Deploy OS page, click Configure RAID First, and then click Next.

•

The storage controllers available for configuration are displayed in the RAID Configuration page.

•

Select a storage controller. The RAID configuration options are displayed.

•

Follow the instruction on the screen, complete the RAID setting tasks, and then click Finish.

NOTE: Make sure that the selected controller is not in a non-RAID mode.

The RAID configuration is applied to the virtual disks.
To create virtual disks using RAID configuration at the preferred RAID level, watch the Dell Lifecycle Controller RAID configuration video on
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFPmeHNENV4

How to set up e-mail alerts?
You can set up an e-mail alert message which can be sent to one or more e-mail addresses. When iDRAC senses a platform event, such as
an environmental warning or a component failure, an alert message is sent to a designated e-mail address.
To configure e-mail alerts:
•

•

On the left pane, click Alerts.

•

Click SNMP and Email Settings tab.

•

Navigate to the Destination the Email Addresses section.

•

Select the State field, enter the Destination Email Addresses, and click Apply.
NOTE: Ensure that the platform event filters are configured before configuring the e-mail alert settings.
NOTE: If the mail server is Microsoft Exchange 2007, you must configure the iDRAC domain name to receive alerts from the
iDRAC.

How to export license using iDRAC web interface?
To export the license using iDRAC web interface:
•

•

On the left navigation pane of the System Summary screen, click Licenses.

•

If you have a single license, you can initiate the license export process by directly navigating to the License Options drop-down list. If
you have multiple licenses, expand the Licenses table and navigate to the particular license, and select Export from the License
Options drop-down list.

Server management software issues

•

Save and click OK.

The license is exported successfully. Check your download folder to verify if the export license process is successful.
For more information on the iDRAC licensing feature, see En.community.dell.com/techcenter/extras/m/white_papers/20067892

How to specify language and keyboard type?
To specify the language and keyboard type using Lifecycle Controller:
•

Launch the Lifecycle Controller.

•

On the left pane, click Settings.

•

On the Settings pane, click Language and Keyboard.

•

From the Language drop-down menu, select the language.

•

From the Keyboard Type drop-down menu, select the keyboard type.

•

Click Finish to save the new settings.

How to configure network settings using Lifecycle
Controller?
About this task
To configure network settings using Lifecycle Controller:
Steps
1
Launch the Lifecycle Controller.
2

On the left pane, click Settings.

On the Settings pane, click Network Settings.

From the NIC Card drop-down menu, select the NIC port that you want to configure.

From the IPV4 Network Settings→ IP Address Source drop-down menu, select one of the following options:

NOTE: You can use only one NIC at a time to communicate with the network.
•

No Configuration—indicates that the NIC must not be configured.

•

DHCP—indicates that the NIC must be configured using an IP address from a DHCP server. If DHCP is selected, a DHCP IP
address is displayed on the Network Settings page.

•
6

Static IP—indicates that the NIC must be configured using a static IP. Type the IP Address Properties—IP Address, Subnet
Mask, Default Gateway, and DNS Address. If you do not have this information, contact your network administrator.
From the IPV6 Network Settings→ IP Address Source drop-down menu, select one of the following options:
•

No Configuration—indicates that the NIC must not be configured.

•

DHCPv6—indicates that the NIC must be configured using an IP address from a DHCPv6 server. If DHCPv6 is selected, a
DHCPv6 IP address is displayed on the Network Settings page.
NOTE: While configuring DHCP server with IPv6, the configuration fails if you disable forwarding or advertising
options.

•
7

Static IP—indicates that the NIC must be configured using a static IP. Type the IP Address Properties—IP Address, Subnet
Mask, Default Gateway, and DNS Address. If you do not have this information, contact your network administrator.
Click Enabled, and type the VLAN ID and Priority under Lifecycle Controller VLAN Settings.
You cannot configure the VLAN settlings of the following NICs:

•

Emulex SeaHawk-2 (FH) PCIe Adapter

•

Emulex SeaHawk-2 (LP) PCIe Adapter

•

Emulex Vindicator-2 rNDC

•

Emulex Sea Stallion-2 Mezzanine Card

•

Emulex Pave Low-2 bNDC

Server management software issues

•

Emulex SeaHawk-2 (FH) NIC Only PCIe Adapter

•

Emulex SeaHawk-2 (LP) NIC Only PCIe Adapter

•

Emulex Vindicator-2 NIC Only rNDC

•

Emulex Sea Stallion-2 NIC Only Mezzanine Card

• Emulex Pave Low-2 NIC Only bNDC
Click Next.

NOTE: If the Lifecycle Controller settings are not correctly configured, an error message is
displayed.
NOTE: If you are unable to connect to a network, verify the settings. For information about correct network settings,
contact your network administrator.

What are the different types of iDRAC licenses?
There are three types of the iDRAC licenses:
•

Basic Management — Basic Management which was earlier known as BMC, was the default iDRAC version for the 11th generation of
the servers ranging between 200– 500 series.

•

Express — iDRAC Express is the standard, default offering that is part of the base configuration for 600 series and above. It does not
require license installation, back up, or license management. Express offers embedded tools, console integration, and simplified remote
access.
•

•

Express for Blades — For the 12th and 13th generation blade servers, there is a new Express for Blades iDRAC version. It offers a
single-user virtual console session and virtual media in addition to the standard Express offerings.

Enterprise — There are two types of Enterprise licenses, based on the type and the duration.
•

Evaluation - This license is for a 30-day trial of certain features. It can be used on any system.

•

Perpetual - This license is valid for the life of the product. It does not expire and never needs to be renewed. It must be bound to
only one service tag at a time.

NOTE: This is not recommended for the production environment.

For more information on the iDRAC licensing feature, see En.community.dell.com/techcenter/extras/m/white_papers/20067892

What are the differences between iDRAC7 and
iDRAC8?
The overview of the key features and the differences between iDRAC7 and iDRAC8 are compiled in the En.community.dell.com/
techcenter/extras/m/white_papers/20440743. It provides the different licenses that are available for the servers and also includes key
features of each license.

Can I upgrade the iDRAC license from express to
enterprise and BMC to express?
You can upgrade the iDRAC license from Express to Enterprise or BMC to either Express or Enterprise without having to open the box or
install any hardware.
Request for the type of the iDRAC license you require by providing the service tag number of your server. Once you receive the license file
in the .xml format, save it in your local drive to replace the license with the existing one.
To upgrade/ replace the existing license:
•

•

On the left navigation pane, clickOverview, click Server, and then click Licenses.

Server management software issues

•

From the License Options drop-down list, select Replace. Click Browse to navigate to the local folder where the license file is saved.

•

Select the license file and click Open.

•

Click Apply to upgrade/ replace the new license file.

The purchase of a new PowerEdge server with iDRAC8 is the same as it was with iDRAC7. For the 600 series servers and above, all the
hardware required for iDRAC Enterprise is on the motherboard. Not only does this eliminate the possibility of a card unseating during
shipping, but it also allows for an upgrade if available. If Enterprise is ordered from Dell at point of sale on 200-500 series servers, the
necessary hardware is installed in the factory. This piece of hardware is the Dell Ports card, which sits in a PCIe slot and has the RJ-45
connector for the Dedicated NIC and the slot for the vFlash SD card.
For more information on the iDRAC licensing feature, see En.community.dell.com/techcenter/extras/m/white_papers/20067892

How to activate license on iDRAC?
You can manage your licenses by creating your account and access License Management portal. It enables you to view your digital
licenses, obtain a replacement license, or reassign licenses to different hardware.
To create an account:
•

Go to www.dell.com/support/retail/lkm.

•

Click Create an Account

•

Enter the required information and click Create Account.

•

Click Sign In, the end user license agreement is displayed.

•

Review the Dell Software License Agreement, and click Yes, I Agree button. You are redirected to the License Management portal.

To activate the license:
•

•

Click Activate Licenses tab.

•

To activate license, navigate to the license and click Assign License.
NOTE: All the licenses must be associated with the asset. The Activate Licenses tab lists the licenses that must be bound to
an asset.

For more information on the iDRAC licensing feature, see En.community.dell.com/techcenter/extras/m/white_papers/20067892

How to find out missing licenses?
If you misplace your original license and need to retrieve the original license, follow the steps to find out missing license:
•

•

Click Manage Licenses tab.
NOTE: All the licenses must be associated with the asset. The Manage Licenses tab lists the licenses that are associated with
an asset.

•

To download license, navigate to the license and click Get Key. Deliver My License Key window is displayed.

•

To download the license directly to your computer, select Download and then click Submit. Select Email if you want the license key on
an email.

For more information on the iDRAC licensing feature, see En.community.dell.com/techcenter/extras/m/white_papers/20067892.

Server management software issues

How to update BIOS on 13th generation PowerEdge
servers?
The 13th generation of Dell PowerEdge servers offers various methods namely local or remote, with or without an operating system, to
update the system BIOS. The different methods are listed below. You can choose the method that best suits your need and environment.
•

Executing the BIOS Dell Update Package (DUP) from within the operating system.

•

Using the UEFI-based BIOS flash utility in a preboot environment.

•

Using the Lifecycle Controller Platform Update option—F10.

•

Using the Update and Rollback feature in the iDRAC web GUI.

•

Using the WS-MAN based one to many Remote Update method—Remote Enablement
NOTE: Legacy DOS-based BIOS update utility is no longer supported.

For detailed information about different methods of updating BIOS see En.community.dell.com/techcenter/extras/m/white_papers/
20440526

Which are the operating systems supported on
PowerEdge servers?
Dell collaborates extensively with Microsoft to ensure the consistent and reliable performance of the Microsoft operating systems running
on the Dell PowerEdge servers. For more information on the Microsoft Server operating systems supported on specific PowerEdge
servers, see En.community.dell.com/techcenter/extras/m/white_papers/20438149/download.aspx

Server management software issues

6
Troubleshooting operating system issues
This section helps you troubleshoot operating system issues in your system.
NOTE: If the problem persists, contact Dell Technical Support for further assistance.

Topics:
•

Troubleshooting blue screen errors (BSODs)

•

Troubleshooting a Purple Screen of Death (PSOD)

•

Troubleshooting no boot issues for Windows operating systems

•

No POST issues (iDRAC)

•

Troubleshooting a No POST situation

•

Windows

•

VMware

•

Linux

Troubleshooting blue screen errors (BSODs)
1

Identify the stop code or the stop message when the system displays the blue screen of death.

Figure 24. Blue screen of death
2

Run the PSA/ePSA diagnostics. For more information, see PSA/ePSA Diagnostics.

If the diagnostics pass and the issue persists, identify the stage in which the blue screen error occurs.

If the BSOD occurs during the boot process, check for minimum to POST components. For more information, see Troubleshooting a
No POST situation.
If the issue persists, call Dell Technical Support.

If the BSOD occurs during pre-logon, boot into Safe Mode and disable all startup entries. Isolate one startup entry at a time until you
find the causing agent.

Troubleshooting operating system issues

NOTE: If you are unable to boot into Safe Mode, call Dell Technical Support.
6

If the issue persists, check for minimum to POST components. For more information, see No POST .
If the issue persists, call Dell Technical Support.

If the BSOD occurs intermittently or during post-logon, debug mini crash dump files using WinDbg. For more information, see
Debugging mini crash dump files using by WinDbg in Windows operating system.
After debugging, call Dell Technical Support with the minidump file.

Troubleshooting a Purple Screen of Death (PSOD)
For information on Troubleshooting a PSOD, see Troubleshooting a Purple Screen of Death and Interpreting a purple screen of death.

Troubleshooting no boot issues for Windows operating
systems
1

Check the hard drive status in the PERC BIOS. For more information, see Checking hard drive status in the PERC BIOS.

Boot the server in the safe mode.
NOTE: If the server is a domain controller, boot the server in Directory Services Repair Mode (DSRM).
If the server boots successfully, the issue is with an installed driver, application, or service. Proceed to Step 4.

For Windows Server, you can perform the following recovery options:
•

Use the bootrec command to troubleshoot startup issues. For more information, see https://support.microsoft.com/en-in/kb/
927392.

•

Use the chkdsk tool to determine whether there is a disk problem. For more information, see https://technet.microsoft.com/enus/library/cc730714.aspx

•

Use DiskPart to verify the status of disk partitions. For more information. see https://technet.microsoft.com/en-in/library/
bb490893.aspx.

•

Use the bcdedit utility to view or modify the boot configuration database (BCD). For more information, see https://
technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc731662.aspx.
NOTE: For additional recovery console commands, see https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/326215.
NOTE: For more troubleshooting steps, see https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/325375.

From within the safe mode or DSRM, use the msconfig utility to disable startup applications and non-Microsoft services on the server.

Reboot the server in the normal mode.

If the server boots, use the msconfig utility to identify the disrupting service or application by enabling services and startup
applications one at a time and rebooting the server until the server fails to boot.

If the issue persists, use Dell's Linux-based OMSA LiveCD to boot the system and run diagnostic tests to determine whether any
hardware is malfunctioning.
OMSA LiveCD can also be used to recover data from a server whose operating system does not start.

No POST issues (iDRAC)
This section provides details on troubleshooting iDRAC issues.

“First Boot Device cannot be set” error message is displayed
when configuring a boot device during POST.
Description

Troubleshooting operating system issues

The error message “First Boot Device cannot be set. Either the system BIOS is out-of-date, or the server needs a reboot for the settings to
take effect” displays in the POST mode.
Resolution
Allow the server to completely boot to the OS or turn off the server before setting a vFlash partition to the first boot device. This allows
the server to boot to the vFlash partition and the error will no longer be seen.

“Alert! iDRAC6 not responding.. Power required may exceed
PSU wattage...” error message is displayed at POST during a
reboot.
Description
An error message “Alert! iDRAC6 not responding.. Power required may exceed PSU wattage. Alert! Continuing system boot accepts risk
that system may power without warning. Strike the F1 key to continue, F2 to run the system setup program" is displayed at POST during a
reboot.
Resolution
Perform the following steps:
1

Reboot the server to resolve the issue.

Remove the AC power for 30 seconds. Once AC power is re-applied, allow two minutes for the iDRAc to complete POST or initialize.

Check if the Network Adapter is updated to the latest firmware.

Troubleshooting a No POST situation
Power On Self Test (POST) is a series of diagnostic tests that run automatically when you turn on your system. POST tests the memory,
the keyboard and the disk drivers. If the test is successful, the computer boots itself, else the system displays an LED error or an error
message in the LCD panel. This situation is called No POST.
Prerequisites
CAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should only perform troubleshooting and simple
repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team.
Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions
that are shipped with your product.
NOTE: When removing or replacing parts, always turn off the server, remove the power cord, and wait for ten seconds for the
static flea power to drain. Reconnect the power cord, wait for a minute and turn on the server. This allows time for the
Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) to power up. Error messages may not be reported correctly if the static flea power is
not fully drained. For more information on removing and installing hardware components, see your system’s Owner’s Manual at
Dell.com/poweredgemanuals.
NOTE: Ensure that you give enough time for the server to POST. Newer systems may take up to three minutes before any video
appears during the POST. During this period, a message on the LCD screen is displayed, which indicates that the server is
booting.
Steps
1

Check the LCD screen or LED indicators for any error messages.
For more information about the error messages, see the Dell Event and Error Messages Reference Guide at Dell.com/
openmanagemanuals > OpenManage software.

Ensure that the server is turned on by verifying that the power supply LED glows green.
If the power LED is lit amber, see Power supply unit indicator codes.

Remove all the Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) from the server.

Troubleshooting operating system issues

a
b
c
d
e

Turn off the server.
Disconnect all cables from the server including the power cable.
Press and hold the power button for 60 seconds to discharge.
Reconnect the power and video cable only.
Turn on the server.
If the server fails to POST, proceed to the next step.

Disconnect all cables from the server including the power cable.

Bring the server to the minimum configuration for the POST.
NOTE: Minimum to POST configuration is the config that has the minimum components required to complete POST.
Typically, the minimum to POST configuration for rack servers is PSU1, CPU1, memory module in A1 slot, and the default
riser without expansion cards. For tower servers, the minimum to POST configuration is PSU1, CPU1, and memory module
in A1 slot. For modular servers, the minimum to POST configuration is CPU1 and memory module in A1 slot.

Reconnect the power and video cable only.

Attempt to POST the server.

If the server completes the POST, turn off the server and plug the components one at a time until the defective part is found.

If you identify the defective part, contact Dell Technical Support with information about the defective part.
If you are unable to identify the defective part, go to the next step.

Disconnect the hard drives, optical drives, and tape drives from the server and attempt to POST the server.
a

If the server completes the POST, plug the hard drives back one at a time until the defective hard drives are found.

If you identify the defective part, contact Dell Technical Support with information about the defective part.
If you are unable to identify the defective part, go to the next step.

Reseat the control panel connector.

Ensure that the processors and heat sinks are seated correctly.

If the server does not complete the POST, clear the NVRAM using the jumper.
For more information , see your system’s Owner’s manual at Dell.com/poweredgemanuals.

Next step
If the issue still persists, contact Dell Technical Support for assistance.

Windows
FAQs
How to resolve the yellow bangs in device manager for Dell 12th
Generation Servers?
Description
After installing Windows Server 2012 R2 on Dell PowerEdge 12th Generation Servers, two yellow bangs appear in the Device Manager
under Hidden Devices: PCI SIMPLE COMMUNICATIONS CONTROLLER. These devices do not impact the server.
Resolution
Download and install chipset drivers from Dell.com/support for the respective servers.

Troubleshooting operating system issues

Why are the USB keyboard and mouse not detected during the Windows
Server 2008 R2 SP1 installation?
Cause
This issue occurs because Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 does not have native USB 3.0 driver support.

Resolution
1

In System Setup, ensure that the USB 3.0 option on the Integrated Device Settings screen is set to Disable.
NOTE: By default, the USB 3.0 option is disabled. If enabled, the operating system fails to detect the USB devices such as
keyboard, mouse, and USB DVD. Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 supports out-of-box drivers for USB 3.0, and are available
at Dell.com/support.

Install the drivers after installing the OS

Restart the system.

In System Setup, ensure that the USB 3.0 option on the Integrated Device Settings screen is set to Enable.
NOTE: Ensure that you first install the drivers, and then restart the system to enter System
Setup,

Why does the installation wizard stop responding during the Windows OS
installation?
Cause
This issue occurs because the Windows 2008 R2 SP1 does not support Secure Boot.

Resolution:
Before installing Windows 2008 R2 SP1, ensure that the Secure Boot option in System Setup is set to Disable.
NOTE: Secure Boot is supported only on Windows 2012 R2 and Windows 2012 R2 with native storage controller and out-of-box
drivers. Secure Boot is supported only in the UEFI mode.

Why does Windows OS installation using Lifecycle Controller, on
PowerEdge Servers fail at times with an error message?
Cause
This issue occurs when the size of the drivers exceed the temporary storage space provided by the OS.

Resolution:
Before installing the OS, ensure that there are no add-on devices installed on the system. To avoid removing the hardware manually, you
can also disable the PCIe slots in the BIOS configuration utility.

Troubleshooting operating system issues

Why does Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 display a blank screen in UEFI
mode after installation?
After installing Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 in the UEFI mode, either using Lifecycle Controller (LC) or manually, may display a blank
screen while booting to the OS.

Cause
This issue occurs because the Windows Server 2008 R2 does not support Graphics Output Protocol (GOP).

Resolution
In the BIOS configuration utility, ensure that Load Legacy Option Rom on the Miscellaneous Settings screen is set to Enable.
Restart your system and boot to the operating system again.

Symptoms
Booting to iSCSI or FCoE fails
Description
When trying to install Windows Server 2012 R2 operating system on an iSCSI or FCOE LUN, you may see a failure either during the
operating system installation or at first boot.
Resolution
This is a known issue. This issue has been fixed in operating systems pre-installed by Dell and in the recovery media shipped with your
system. For more information, see the knowledge base article KB2894179 at support.microsoft.com.

VMware
FAQs
Why are VMs configured with Fault Tolerance not in a protected state in
ESXi 6.0?
For some PowerEdge systems with AMD 6300 series processor, VMs configured with Fault Tolerance (FT) might not be in a protected
state. Sometimes, secondary VM takes more time to attain the protected state. This is a known issue. Affected systems include PowerEdge
systems R815, R715 and M915.

Troubleshooting operating system issues

Symptoms
Dell PowerEdge Express Flash NVMe PCIe SSD device is not detected
during hot-plug in ESXi 6.0
Description
When the Express Flash NVMe PCIe SSD namespace is set as Offline and hot-plug operation is performed in the same slot, the SSD does
not initialize and is not detected.
This is a known issue. Perform one of the following steps:
1

Reconnect the drive to a different drive slot, if available.

Restart the sfcbd-watchdog service and reinsert the drive.

Linux
FAQs
Why are network ports displayed as unknown in YaST2 network
configuration in SUSE Linux Enterprise?
While configuring a bonding interface, the configured bond-slaves are listed as Unknown Network Device. The YaST installer is unable to
write the device name in to the ifcfg files. Delete the existing configuration of previously configured network interfaces.

Symptoms
Unable to boot from iSCSI when static IPv6 address is assigned to the
initiator
Description
The SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 does not boot from iSCSI over IPv6 address after successful installation, when static IPv6 address is
assigned to the initiator.
Resolution
Use Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) address for the initiator.

Troubleshooting operating system issues

7
Getting help
Topics:
•

Contacting Dell

•

Locating Service Tag of your system

Contacting Dell
Dell provides several online and telephone based support and service options. If you do not have an active internet connection, you can find
contact information about your purchase invoice, packing slip, bill, or Dell product catalog. Availability varies by country and product, and
some services may not be available in your area. To contact Dell for sales, technical assistance, or customer service issues:
1

Go to Dell.com/support.

Select your country from the drop-down menu on the lower right corner of the page.

For customized support:
a
b

Enter your system Service Tag in the Enter your Service Tag field.
Click Submit.
The support page that lists the various support categories is displayed.

For general support:
a
b
c

Select your product category.
Select your product segment.
Select your product.
The support page that lists the various support categories is displayed.

For contact details of Dell Global Technical Support:
a
b

Click Global Technical Support.
The Contact Technical Support page is displayed with details to call, chat, or e-mail the Dell Global Technical Support team.

Locating Service Tag of your system
Your system is identified by a unique Express Service Code and Service Tag number. The Express Service Code and Service Tag are found
on the front of the system by pulling out the information tag. Alternatively, the information may be on a sticker on the chassis of the
system. The mini Enterprise Service Tag (EST) is found on the back of the system. This information is used by Dell to route support calls to
the appropriate personnel.

Getting help

Figure 25. Locating Service Tag of your system
1

Information tag (top view)

Information tag (back view)

Open Manage Mobile (OMM) label

MAC address and secure password label

Service tag label

Getting help

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