DELL Technologies H350 PowerEdge RAID Controller User Guide

Contents hide

1 DELL Technologies H350 PowerEdge RAID Controller

2 Specifications

3 Product Information

4 Product Usage Instructions

5 FAQs

6 Dell Technologies PowerEdge RAID Controller 11

7 Applications and User Interfaces supported by PERC 11

8 Secure firmware update

9 Install and remove a PERC 11 card

10 Documents / Resources

10.1 References

11 Related Posts

DELL Technologies H350 PowerEdge RAID Controller

Specifications

Product Name: Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller 11
Controller Series: PERC H755, H750, H355, and H350
Regulatory Models: UCPA-1101, UCPF-1100, UCPF-1110, UCPN-1100, UCSA-1111, UCSF-1100, UCSM-1100
Revision: A05 (September 2023)

Product Information

The Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller 11 is a high-performance controller series designed for efficient data management and storage in server environments. It supports various RAID levels and drive configurations to meet different storage needs.

Compatibility Notes

Mixing disks of different speeds and band width while maintaining the same drive type and technology is supported.
Mixing NVMe drives with SAS and SATA is not supported.
Mixing hard drives and SSDs in a virtual disk is not supported.
Specific models do not support NVMe drives or certain RAID levels.

Additional Information

For detailed safety, regulatory, and ergonomic information related to the product, as well as information about the Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) or Lifecycle Controller (LC) remote management, refer to your platform documentation.

Product Usage Instructions

1. Drive Installation

When installing drives in the controller, ensure compatibility with supported drive types and technologies. Follow the platform manuals for specific instructions on drive installation.

2. RAID Configuration

Utilize the controller’s interface to configure RAID levels based on your storage requirements. Ensure compatibility with supported RAID levels for the specific model.

3. Firmware Update

Regularly update the firmware using Dell Update Package (DUP) to ensure optimal performance and compatibility with the latest features.

FAQs

Q: Can I mix different types of drives in a single virtual disk?
- A: No, mixing hard drives and SSDs in a virtual disk is not supported for this controller series.
Q: How can I migrate drives from local key management to enterprise key management?
- A: Refer to the user manual for instructions on migrating drives between key management systems with supported firmware versions.

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Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller 11 User’s Guide
PERC H755, H750, H355, and H350 Controller Series
Regulatory Model: UCPA-1101, UCPF-1100, UCPF-1110, UCPN-1100, UCSA-1111, UCSF-1100, and UCSM-1100 September 2023 Rev. A05

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.
© 2020-2022 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. Dell Technologies, Dell, and other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. Other trademarks may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Dell Technologies PowerEdge RAID Controller 11

Dell Technologies PowerEdge RAID Controller 11, or PERC 11 is a series of RAID disk array controllers made by Dell for its PowerEdge servers. The PERC 11 series consists of the PERC H755 adapter, PERC H755 front SAS, PERC H755N front NVMe, PERC H750 adapter SAS, PERC H755 MX adapter, PERC H355 adapter SAS, PERC H355 front SAS, PERC H350 adapter SAS, and PERC H350 Mini Monolithic SAS cards that have the following characteristics: Provides reliability, high performance, and fault-tolerant disk subsystem management Offers RAID control capabilities including support for RAID levels 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, 60 Complies with Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) 3.0 providing up to 12 Gb/sec throughput Supports Dell-qualified Serial Attached SCSI (SAS), SATA hard drives, solid state drives (SSDs), and PCIe SSD (NVMe) Supports drive speeds of 8 GT/s and 16 GT/s at maximum x2 lane width for NVMe drives.
NOTE: Mixing disks of different speeds (7,200 RPM, 10,000 RPM, or 15,000 RPM) and bandwidth (3 Gbps, 6 Gbps, or 12 Gbps) while maintaining the same drive type (SAS or SATA) and technology (hard drive or SSD) is supported.
NOTE: Mixing NVMe drives with SAS and SATA is not supported. Also, mixing hard drives and SSDs in a virtual disk is not supported.
NOTE: PERC H750 adapter SAS, PERC H355 front SAS, PERC H355 adapter SAS, PERC H350 adapter SAS, and PERC H350 Mini Monolithic SAS do not support NVMe drives.
NOTE: RAID levels 5, 6, 50, and 60 are not supported on PERC H355 adapter SAS, PERC H355 front SAS, PERC H350 adapter SAS, and PERC H350 Mini Monolithic SAS.
NOTE: PERC H350 Mini Monolithic SAS has form factor variations (Low Profile) for specific platforms. For more information, see your platform manuals.
NOTE: For the safety, regulatory, and ergonomic information that is associated with these devices, and for more information about the Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) or Lifecycle Controller (LC) remote management, see your platform documentation.
Topics:
· Features of PERC H755 adapter · Features of PERC H755 front SAS · Features of PERC H755N front NVMe · Features of PERC H755 MX adapter · Features of PERC H750 adapter SAS · Features of PERC H355 adapter SAS · Features of PERC H355 front SAS · Features of PERC H350 adapter SAS · Features of PERC H350 Mini Monolithic SAS · Operating systems supported by PERC 11 cards · Technical specifications of PERC 11 cards · Thermal specifications

Dell Technologies PowerEdge RAID Controller 11

Features of PERC H755 adapter
This section describes the features of PERC H755 adapter.

Figure 1. Features of PERC H755 adapter
1. Heatsink 3. Battery 5. Backplane connector B

2. PCIe connector 4. Backplane connector A 6. Battery cable connector

Features of PERC H755 front SAS
This section describes the features of PERC H755 front SAS.

Figure 2. Features of PERC H755 front SAS 1. Battery

2. PCIe input connector

Dell Technologies PowerEdge RAID Controller 11

3. Power card edge connector 5. Backplane connector A 7. Battery cable connector

4. Heatsink 6. Backplane connector B

Features of PERC H755N front NVMe

Figure 3. Features of PERC H755N front NVMe
1. Battery 3. Power card edge connector 5. Backplane connector A 7. Battery cable connector

2. PCIe cable connector 4. Heatsink 6. Backplane connector B

Features of PERC H755 MX adapter

Figure 4. Features of PERC H755 MX adapter
1. Battery under cover 3. PCIe cable connector 5. Backplane connector B

2. Heatsink 4. Backplane connector A

Dell Technologies PowerEdge RAID Controller 11

Features of PERC H750 adapter SAS

Figure 5. Features of PERC H750 adapter SAS
1. Heat sink 3. Battery cable connector 5. PCIe connector

2. Battery 4. Backplane connector A

Features of PERC H355 adapter SAS

Figure 6. Features of PERC H355 adapter SAS 1. Heat sink 3. Backplane connector A

2. Backplane connector B 4. PCIe connector

Dell Technologies PowerEdge RAID Controller 11

Features of PERC H355 front SAS

Figure 7. Features of H355 front SAS
1. PCIe input connector 3. Backplane connector B 5. Power card edge connector

2. Heat sink 4. Backplane connector A

Features of PERC H350 adapter SAS

Figure 8. PERC H350 adapter SAS
1. Heat sink 2. Backplane connector A 3. PCIe connector

Dell Technologies PowerEdge RAID Controller 11

Features of PERC H350 Mini Monolithic SAS
Figure 9. PERC H350 Mini Monolithic SAS 1. SAS cable connection 2. Heat sink
Operating systems supported by PERC 11 cards
See Dell Technologies Enterprise operating systems support for a list of supported operating systems by a specific server for the PERC 11 cards.
NOTE: For the latest list of supported operating systems and driver installation instructions, see the operating system documentation at www.dell.com/operatingsystemmanuals. For specific operating system service pack requirements, see the Drivers and Downloads section at www.dell.com/manuals.

Dell Technologies PowerEdge RAID Controller 11

Technical specifications of PERC 11 cards

The following table lists the specifications of PERC 11 cards:

Table 1. Technical specifications of PERC 11 cards

Feature

PERC H755 adapter

PERC H755 front PERC H755N front PERC H755

SAS

NVMe

MX adapter

PERC H750 adapter SAS

RAID levels

0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, 60 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, 60 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50 ,60

,60

NonRAID

Yes

Enclosures per port Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable Not applicable

Processor

Broadcom RAID- Broadcom RAID-

on-chip, SAS3916 on-chip, SAS3916

chipset

Broadcom RAID-on- Broadcom RAID- Broadcom RAID-on-

chip, SAS3916

on-chip,

chip, SAS3916

chipset

SAS3916 chipset chipset

Battery backup unit Yes

Yes

Local Key

Yes

Management

security

Yes

Controller queue depth

5120

Secure enterprise Yes

Yes

key manager

security

Yes

Non-volatile cache Yes

Yes

Cache memory

8 GB DDR4 2666 8 GB DDR4 2666

MT/s cache

8 GB DDR4 2666 MT/s cache

Cache function

Write back, write through, no read ahead, and read ahead

Max no of VDs in 240

240

RAID mode

240

Max no of disk

240

groups

240

Max no of VDs per 16

disk group

Hot swap devices Yes

Yes

supported

Yes

Autoconfig

Yes

Hardware XOR

Yes

engine

Yes

Online capacity

Yes

expansion

Yes

Dedicated and global Yes

Yes

hot spare

Yes

Drives types

3 Gbps SATA, 6 3 Gbps SATA, 6 Gbps SATA/SAS, Gbps SATA/SAS, and 12 Gbps SAS, and 12 Gbps SAS

Gen3 (8 GT/s) and Gen4 (16 GT/s) NVMe

3 Gbps SATA, 6 3 Gbps SATA, 6 Gbps

Gbps SATA/

SATA/SAS, and 12

SAS, and 12

Gbps SAS

Dell Technologies PowerEdge RAID Controller 11

Table 1. Technical specifications of PERC 11 cards (continued)

Feature

PERC H755 adapter

PERC H755 front PERC H755N front PERC H755

SAS

NVMe

MX adapter

PERC H750 adapter SAS

Gen3 (8 GT/s), and Gen4 (16 GT/s) NVMe

Gbps SAS, Gen3 (8 GT/s), and Gen4 (16 GT/s) NVMe

VD strip size

64 KB, 128 KB, 64 KB, 128 KB, 256 64 KB, 128 KB, 256 256 KB, 512 KB, 1 KB, 512 KB, 1 MB KB, 512 KB, 1 MB MB

64 KB, 128 KB, 64 KB, 128 KB, 256 256 KB, 512 KB, KB, 512 KB, 1 MB and 1 MB

PCIe support

Gen 4

SAS/SATA maximum drive support

Without SAS Expander: 16 drives per controller
With SAS Expander: Limited by platform offerings

Not applicable

Limited by platform: 8 drives per controller

Without SAS Expander: 8 drives per controller
With SAS Expander: Limited by platform offerings

NVMe maximum drive support

Without PCIe Switch Expander: 8 drives per controller
With PCIe Switch Expander: Limited by platform offerings

Not applicable

Without PCIe Switch Expander: 8 drives per controller
With PCIe Switch Expander: Limited by platform offerings

Limited by platform:8 drives per controller

Not applicable

NOTE: PERC H755 adapter and PERC H755 MX supports either SAS, SATA, or NVMe drives depending on the backplane/ server configuration.
NOTE: PERC controller supports only conventional magnetic recording (CMR) drives, and does not support shingled magnetic recording (SMR) drives.
NOTE: PERC H755 family of controllers currently support SEKM starting with firmware version 52.14.0-3901.

NOTE: For information about the number of drives in a disk group per virtual disk, see Summary of RAID levels

NOTE: As 14G PowerEdge Servers do not support Gen 4 speeds, PERC H750 adapter SAS will downtrain to Gen 3 speeds.

Table 2. Technical specifications of PERC 11 cards

Feature

PERC H355 adapter PERC H355 front

SAS

RAID levels

0, 1, 10

NonRAID

Yes

Enclosures per port Not applicable

Not applicable

Processor

Broadcom RAIDonchip, SAS3816 chipset

Battery backup unit No

PERC H350 adapter PERC H350 Mini

SAS

Monolithic SAS

0, 1, 10

Yes

Not applicable

Broadcom RAIDonchip, SAS3816 chipset

Broadcom RAID-onchip, SAS3816 chipset

Dell Technologies PowerEdge RAID Controller 11

Table 2. Technical specifications of PERC 11 cards (continued)

Feature

PERC H355 adapter PERC H355 front

SAS

PERC H350 adapter PERC H350 Mini

SAS

Monolithic SAS

Local Key

Management security

Controller queue depth

1536

Secure enterprise key No

manager security

Non-volatile cache

Cache memory

Not applicable

Cache function

Write through, no read Write through, no read write through, no read write through, no read

ahead

Max no of VDs in RAID 32

mode

Max no of disk groups 32

Max no of VDs per

disk group

Hot swap devices

Yes

supported

Autoconfig

Yes

Hardware XOR engine Yes

Yes

Online capacity

Yes

expansion

Dedicated and global Yes

Yes

hot spare

Drives types

3 Gbps SATA, 6 Gbps SATA/SAS, and 12 Gbps SAS, Gen3 (8 GT/s)

VD strip size

64 KB

PCIe support

Gen 4

SAS/SATA maximum drive support

Without SAS Expander: 16
With SAS Expander: Limited by platform offering

Without SAS

Without SAS Expander: 8

Expander: 8 drives

drives per controller

per controller

With SAS Expander:

With SAS

Limited by platform

Expander: Limited

offering

by platform

offering

NVMe maximum drive Not applicable support

Not applicable

NOTE: As 14G PowerEdge Servers do not support Gen 4 speeds, PERC H350 adapter SAS and PERC H350 Mini Monolithic SAS will down train to Gen 3 speeds.

Thermal specifications
PERC 11 Controllers have an operating temperature range of 0C to 55C. System ambient temperatures may be less than or greater than these values.

Dell Technologies PowerEdge RAID Controller 11

NOTE: PERC Controllers may raise erroneous Battery, Disk, and Controller temperature errors if the controller is operating below the operational temperature range.

Dell Technologies PowerEdge RAID Controller 11

Applications and User Interfaces supported by PERC 11

PERC 11 card Management applications include the Comprehensive Embedded Management (CEM), Dell OpenManage Storage Management, The Human Interface Infrastructure (HII) configuration utility, and The PERC Command Line Interface (CLI). They enable you to manage and configure the RAID system, create and manage multiple disk groups, control and monitor multiple RAID systems, and provide online maintenance.
Topics:
· Comprehensive Embedded Management · Dell OpenManage Storage Management · Human Interface Infrastructure Configuration Utility · The PERC Command Line Interface
Comprehensive Embedded Management
Comprehensive Embedded Management (CEM) is a storage management solution for Dell systems that enables you to monitor the RAID and network controllers installed on the system using iDRAC without an operating system installed on the system. Using CEM enables you to do the following: Monitor devices with and without an operating systems installed on the system Provide a specific location to access monitored data of the storage devices and network cards Allows controller configuration for all PERC 11 cards
NOTE: If you boot the system to HII (F2) or Lifecycle Controller (F10), then you cannot view the PERC cards on the CEM UI. The PERC cards are displayed on the CEM UI only after the system boot is complete.
NOTE: It is not recommended that you create more than 8 VDs simultaneously with CEM.
Dell OpenManage Storage Management
Dell OpenManage Storage Management is a storage management application for Dell systems that provides enhanced features for configuring locally attached RAID disk storage. The Dell OpenManage storage management application enables you to perform controller and enclosure functions for all supported RAID controllers and enclosures from a single graphical or Command Line Interface (CLI). The User Interface (UI) is wizard-driven with features for novice and advanced users, and detailed online help. Using the Dell OpenManage storage management application, you can protect your data by configuring data-redundancy, assigning hot spares, or rebuilding failed physical disks. The fully featured CLI, which is available on select operating systems, allows you to perform RAID management tasks either directly from the console or through scripting.
NOTE: For more information, see the Dell OpenManage Storage Management User’s Guide at www.dell.com/openmanagemanuals.
Human Interface Infrastructure Configuration Utility
The Human Interface Infrastructure (HII) configuration utility is a storage management application integrated into the system BIOS <F2>. It is used to configure and manage your Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) virtual disks, and physical disks. This utility is independent of the operating system.
NOTE: The BIOS configuration utility <Ctrl> <R> is not supported on PERC 11 cards.

Applications and User Interfaces supported by PERC 11

The PERC Command Line Interface
The PERC Command Line Interface (CLI) is a storage management application. This utility allows you to set up, configure, and manage your Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) by using the Command Line Interface (CLI).
NOTE: For more information, see Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller CLI Reference Guide at www.dell.com/storagecontrollermanuals.

Applications and User Interfaces supported by PERC 11

3
Features of PowerEdge RAID Controller 11
Topics:
· Controller features · Virtual disk features · Virtual disk initialization · Reconfigure virtual disks · Background operations · Hard drive features · Fault tolerance
Controller features
This section lists the following controller features supported on Dell Technologies PowerEdge RAID Controller 11 cards in detail: Non-Volatile Memory Express Opal Security Management Hardware Root of Trust 1 MB I/O Auto Configure RAID 0 Disk roaming FastPath NonRAID disks Physical disk power management Profile Management Secure firmware update Snapdump
Non-Volatile Memory Express
Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) is a standardized, high-performance host controller interface and a storage protocol for communicating with non-volatile memory storage devices over the peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) interface standard. The PERC 11 controller supports up to 8 direct-attach NVMe drives. The PERC 11 controller is a PCIe endpoint to the host, a PowerEdge server, and configured as a PCIe root complex for downstream PCIe NVMe devices connected to the controller.
NOTE: The NVMe drive on the PERC 11 controller shows up as a SCSI disk in the operating system, and the NVMe command line interface will not work for the attached NVMe drives.
Conditions under which a PERC supports an NVMe drive
In NVMe devices the namespace identifier (NSID) with ID 1, which is (NSID=1) must be present. In NVMe devices with multiple namespace(s), you can use the drive capacity of the namespace with NSID=1. The namespace with NSID=1 must be formatted without protection information and cannot have the metadata enabled. PERC supports 512-bytes or 4 KB sector disk drives for NVMe devices.

Features of PowerEdge RAID Controller 11

Drive repair for NVMe initialization failure
If an NVME drive fails to initialize, the drive that is connected to PERC can be corrected in HII. The NVME initialization errors in the drives are listed as correctable and non-correctable errors in HII.
Repair drives with correctable NVMe initialization errors
Repair the drives with correctable NVMe initialization errors in HII to enable the drives to work properly.
About this task Repairs can lead to permanent data loss in drives. Also, certain types of repairs can take a long time.
Steps 1. Log in to HII. 2. Go to Main Menu > Hardware Components > Enclosure Management.
The drives with correctable and non-correctable errors are listed. 3. Select the drive and click Repair.
If the repair is successful, the drive is listed under physical drives and removed from the correctable error list. If the drive has other correctable errors, the drive is listed again in the correctable errors list. 4. If the repair is not successful, click Repair again.
NOTE: In case you want to stop the repair, stop the repair from the Ongoing repairs list.
If the error is still not resolved or if the drive has other non-correctable errors, the drive is moved to the non-correctable error list.
Opal Security Management
Opal Security Management of Opal SED drives requires security key management support. You can use the application software or The Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) to generate the security key that is set in the Opal drives and used as an authentication key to lock and unlock the Opal drives.
Hardware Root of Trust
Hardware RoT (RoT) builds a chain of trust by authenticating all the firmware components prior to its execution, and it permits only the authenticated firmware to perform and be flashed. The controller boots from an internal boot ROM (IBR) that establishes the initial root of trust and this process authenticates and builds a chain of trust with succeeding software using this root of trust.
1 MB I/O
PERC 11 controllers support a 1 MB I/O feature; if the capacity of I/O frame is greater than 1 MB, the I/O frame is broken into smaller chunks.
Autoconfigure RAID 0
The Autoconfigure RAID 0 feature creates a single drive RAID 0 on each hard drive that is in the ready state. For more information, see Auto Configure RAID 0.
NOTE: The Autoconfigure RAID 0 feature is not supported on PERC H355 adapter SAS, PERC H355 front SAS, PERC H350 adapter SAS, and PERC H350 Mini Monolithic SAS.

Features of PowerEdge RAID Controller 11

Autoconfigure behavior

The autoconfigure behavior automatically configures unconfigured drives during reboot and hot insertion. Unconfigured drives are configured according to the settings; but the configured drives remain unaffected. PERC 11 supports Off and NonRAID settings.

Table 3. Autoconfigure behavior settings

Settings

Description

Off

Autoconfigure behavior is turned off.

NonRAID

Unconfigured drives are configured as nonRAID disk during boot or during hot insertion; all the configured drives remain unaffected.

Off to NonRAID disk Unconfigured drives are converted to nonRAID disks; all the configured drives remain unaffected.

NonRAID disk to Off Unconfigured drives remain unconfigured good; all the configured drives remain unaffected.

NOTE: PERC H355 front SAS, PERC H355 adapter SAS, PERC H350 adapter SAS, and PERC H350 Mini Monolithic SAS converts an unconfigured good drive to non-RAID only if the drive has never been used before by that specific PERC.

Disk roaming
Disk roaming is when a physical disk is moved from one cable connection or backplane slot to another on the same controller. The controller automatically recognizes the relocated physical disks and logically places them in the virtual disks that are part of the disk group. If the physical disk is configured as a nonRAID disk, then the relocated physical disk is recognized as a nonRAID disk by the controller.
CAUTION: It is recommended that you perform disk roaming when the system is turned off.
CAUTION: Do not attempt disk roaming during RAID level migration (RLM) or online capacity expansion (OCE). This causes loss of the virtual disk.

Using disk roaming
About this task Perform the following steps to use disk roaming:
Steps 1. Turn off the power to the system, physical disks, enclosures, and system components. 2. Disconnect power cables from the system. 3. Move the physical disks to desired positions on the backplane or the enclosure. 4. Perform a safety check. Make sure the physical disks are inserted properly. 5. Turn on the system.
Results The controller detects the RAID configuration from the configuration data on the physical disks.

FastPath
FastPath is a feature that improves application performance by delivering high I/O per second (IOPs) for solid-state drives (SSDs). The PERC 11 series of cards support FastPath.
To enable FastPath on a virtual disk, the cache policies of the RAID controller must be set to write-through and no read ahead. This enables FastPath to use the proper data path through the controller based on command (read/write), I/O size, and RAID type. For optimal solid-state drive performance, create virtual disks with strip size of 64 KB.

Features of PowerEdge RAID Controller 11

NonRAID disks
A nonRAID disk is a single disk to the host, and not a RAID volume. The only supported cache policy for nonRAID disks is Write-Through.

Physical disk power management
Physical disk power management is a power-saving feature of PERC 11 series cards. The feature allows disks to be spun down based on disk configuration and I/O activity. The feature is supported on all rotating SAS and SATA disks, and includes unconfigured and hot-spare disks. The physical disk power management feature is disabled by default. You can enable the feature in the Dell Open Manage Storage Management application or in the Human Interface Infrastructure (HII) configuration utility. For more information on HII configuration and physical disk power management, see Enabling physical disk power management. For more information on using the Dell Open Manage Storage Management application, see the Dell OpenManage documentation at www.dell.com/openmanagemanuals.

Profile Management

PERC 11 supports the PD240 and PD64 profiles. It defines controller queue depth and the maximum number of physical and virtual disks.

Table 4. Supported profile on PERC 11

Feature

PD240

Controller

PERC H755 front SAS, PERC H755 MX adapter, and PERC H750 adapter SAS

PD64
PERC H355 front SAS, PERC H355 adapter SAS, PERC H350 adapter SAS, and PERC H350 Mini Monolithic SAS

Maximum virtual disk

240

supported

Controller queue depth 5120

1536

Secure firmware update

This feature provides a cryptographic method of updating the firmware using an RSA encryption-decryption algorithm. Only Dell-certified firmware is supported on your PERC controller.
Snapdump
The Snapdump feature provides the Dell support team with the debug information which can help to find the cause of firmware failure. In the instance of firmware failures, the firmware collects the logs and information at the time of failure, which are stored in a compressed file called a snapdump. Snapdumps are also generated manually to provide additional debug information. When a snapdump is generated, it is stored in the controller’s cache memory. This means in the event of a power loss the controller will offload the snapdump as part of its cache preservation mechanism. Snapdumps are preserved by default through four reboots before its deleted. To generate a snapdump, change the snapdump, delete a snapdump, and to download a stored snapdump settings, see Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller CLI Reference Guide at www.dell.com/storagecontrollermanuals.
Virtual disk features
This section lists the following virtual disk features supported on PERC 11 cards in detail: Virtual disk read cache policies Virtual disk write cache policies Virtual disk migration

Features of PowerEdge RAID Controller 11

Virtual disk initialization Reconfiguration of virtual disks Background operations

Virtual disk write cache policy

The write cache policy of a virtual disk determines how the controller handles writes to the virtual disk.

Table 5. Write cache policies

Feature

Description

Write-back

The controller sends a data transfer completion signal to the host when the controller cache has received all the data in a transaction. The controller then writes the cached data to the storage device in the background.
NOTE: The default cache setting for virtual disks is Write-back caching. Write-back
caching is also supported for single drive RAID 0 virtual disks.

Write-through

The controller sends a data transfer completion signal to the host system when the disk subsystem has received all the data in a transaction.
NOTE: Certain data patterns and configurations perform better with a write-through cache policy.

NOTE: All RAID volumes are presented as write-through to the operating system (Windows and Linux) independent of the actual write cache policy of the virtual disk. PERC cards manage the data in cache independently of the operating system or any applications.
NOTE: Use the Dell OpenManage storage management application or the HII Configuration Utility to view and manage virtual disk cache settings.

Conditions under which write-back is employed
Write-back caching is used under all conditions in which the battery is present and in good condition.

Conditions under which forced write-back with no battery is employed
CAUTION: It is recommended that you use a power backup system when forcing write-back to ensure there is no loss of data if the system suddenly loses power. Write-back mode is available when you select force write-back with no battery. When forced write-back mode is selected, the virtual disk is in write-back mode even if the battery is not present.

Virtual disk read cache policy

The read policy of a virtual disk determines how the controller handles reads to that virtual disk.

Table 6. Read policies

Feature

Description

Read ahead

Allows the controller to read sequentially ahead of requested data and to store the additional data in cache memory, anticipating that the data is required soon. This speeds up reads for sequential data, but there is slight improvement when accessing random data.

No read ahead

Disables the read ahead capability.

NOTE: Adaptive read ahead is no longer supported. Selecting adaptive read ahead is equivalent to selecting the read ahead option.

Features of PowerEdge RAID Controller 11

Virtual disk migration
The PERC 11 series supports migration of virtual disks from one controller to another without taking the target controller offline. The controller can import RAID virtual disks in optimal, degraded, or partially degraded states. You cannot import a virtual disk that is offline. When a controller detects a configured physical disk, it marks the physical disk as foreign, and generates an alert indicating that a foreign disk was detected. Disk migration pointers: Supports migration of virtual disks from H740P, H745, H745P MX, and H840 to the PERC 11 series except for H345. Supports migration of volumes that are created within the PERC 11 series. Does not support migration from the PERC 11 series to PERC H345, H740P, H745, H745P MX, and H840. Does not support migration from PERC H330, H730, and H830 to the PERC 11 series.
NOTE: The source controller must be offline before performing the disk migration.
NOTE: Importing nonRAID drives and uneven span RAID 10 virtual disks from PERC 9 to PERC 11 is not supported.
NOTE: Disks cannot be migrated to older generations of PERC cards.
NOTE: Importing secured virtual disks is supported as long as the appropriate local key management (LKM) is supplied or configured.
NOTE: Virtual disk migration from PERC H755 adapter, PERC H755 front SAS, PERC H755N front NVMe, PERC H750 adapter SAS, PERC H755 MX adapter to PERC H350 adapter SAS, PERC H350 Mini Monolithic SAS,PERC H355 front SAS, and PERC H355 adapter SAS is not supported.
CAUTION: Do not attempt disk migration during RLM or online capacity expansion (OCE), this causes loss of the virtual disk.
Virtual disk initialization
PERC 11 series controllers support two types of virtual disk initialization: Full initialization Fast initialization
CAUTION: Initializing virtual disks erases files and file systems while keeping the virtual disk configuration intact.
Full initialization
Performing a full initialization on a virtual disk overwrites all blocks and destroys any data that previously existed on the virtual disk. Full initialization of a virtual disk eliminates the need for the virtual disk to undergo a Background Initialization (BGI). Full initialization can be performed after the virtual disk is created. You can start a full initialization on a virtual disk by using the Slow Initialize option in the Dell OpenManage storage management application. For more information on using the HII Configuration Utility to perform a full initialization, see Configure virtual disk parameters.
NOTE: If the system reboots during a full initialization, the operation aborts and a BGI begins on the virtual disk.
Fast initialization
A fast initialization on a virtual disk overwrites the first and last 8 MB of the virtual disk, clearing any boot records or partition information. The operation takes only 23 seconds to complete, but it is followed by BGI, which takes a longer time to complete. To perform a fast initialization using the HII Configuration Utility, see Configure virtual disk parameters.
NOTE: During full or fast initialization, the host cannot access the virtual disk. As a result, if the host attempts to access the virtual disk while it is initializing, all I/O sent by the host will fail.

Features of PowerEdge RAID Controller 11

NOTE: When using iDRAC to create a virtual disk, the drive undergoes fast initialization. During this process all I/O requests to the drive will respond with a sense key of “Not Ready” and the I/O operation will fail. If the operating system attempts to read from the drive as soon as it discovers the drive, and while the fast initialization is still in process, then the I/O operation fails and the operating system reports an I/O error.

Reconfigure virtual disks

An online virtual disk can be reconfigured in ways that expands its capacity and changes its RAID level. NOTE: Spanned virtual disks such as RAID 50 and 60 cannot be reconfigured.

NOTE: Reconfiguring virtual disks typically impacts disk performance until the reconfiguration operation is complete.

Online Capacity Expansion (OCE) can be done in following ways:
1. If there is a single virtual disk in a disk group and free space is available, the capacity of a virtual disk can be expanded within that free space. If multiple virtual disks exist within a common disk group, the capacities of those virtual disks cannot be expanded. NOTE: Online capacity expansion is allowed on a disk group with a single virtual disk that begins at the start of the physical disk. It is not allowed when there is a free space at the beginning of a disk.
2. Add additional physical disks to a virtual disk to increase its capacity. 3. After replacing all array members with larger drives than the original members, use the PERC CLI utility to expand the
existing virtual disk to a larger size using the expandarray parameter. For more information, see Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller Command Line Interface Reference Guide.
RAID level migration (RLM) refers to changing a virtual disk’s RAID level. Both RLM and OCE can be done simultaneously so that a virtual disk can simultaneously have its RAID level that is changed and its capacity increased. When an RLM or an OCE operation is complete, a reboot is not required.

CAUTION: Do not attempt disk migration during RLM or OCE operations. This causes loss of the virtual disk.

NOTE: If an RLM or an OCE operation is in progress, then an automatic drive rebuild or copyback operation will not start until the operation is complete.
NOTE: If the controller already contains the maximum number of virtual disks, you cannot perform a RAID level migration or capacity expansion on any virtual disk.
NOTE: The controller changes the write cache policy of all virtual disks to write-through until the RLM or OCE operation is complete.

NOTE: You cannot initiate an OCE or an RLM on any virtual disk on the controller where a virtual disk with an ID of 0 exists.

See the following table for a list of RLM or OCE options: The source RAID level column indicates the virtual disk RAID level before the RLM or OCE operation and the target RAID level column indicates the RAID level after the RLM or OCE operation.

Table 7. RAID level migration

Source RAID Level

Target RAID Level

Number of Physical Number of Disks (Beginning) Physical Disks
(End)

RAID 0

1 or more

2 or more

RAID 0

RAID 1

RAID 0

RAID 5

1 or more

3 or more

Capacity Expansio n Possible

Description

Yes

Increases capacity by adding

disks.

Yes

Converts a non-redundant virtual

disk into a mirrored virtual disk

by adding one disk.

Yes

Adds distributed parity

redundancy; at least one disk

must be added.

Features of PowerEdge RAID Controller 11

Table 7. RAID level migration (continued)

Source RAID Level

Target RAID Level

Number of Physical Number of Disks (Beginning) Physical Disks
(End)

RAID 0

RAID 6

1 or more

4 or more

RAID 1 RAID 1 RAID 1 RAID 5

RAID 0 RAID 5 RAID 6 RAID 0

2 2 2 3 or more

2 or more 3 or more 4 or more 2 or more

RAID 5 RAID 5 RAID 6

RAID 5 RAID 6 RAID 0

3 or more 3 or more 4 or more

4 or more 4 or more 2 or more

RAID 6 RAID 6 RAID 10

RAID 5 RAID 6 RAID 10

4 or more 4 or more 4 or more

3 or more 5 or more 6 or more

Capacity Expansio n Possible

Description

Yes

Adds dual distributed parity

redundancy; at least two disks

must be added.

Yes

Removes redundancy while

increasing capacity.

Yes

Maintains redundancy while

adding capacity.

Yes

Adds dual distributed parity

redundancy and adds capacity.

Yes

Converts to a non-redundant

virtual disk and reclaims disk

space that is used for distributed

parity data; one disk can be

removed.

Yes

Increases capacity by adding

disks.

Yes

Adds dual distributed parity

redundancy; at least one disk

needs to be added.

Yes

Converts to a non-redundant

virtual disk and reclaims disk

space that is used for distributed

parity data; two disks can be

removed.

Yes

Removes one set of parity data

and reclaims disk space used for

it; one disk can be removed.

Yes

Increases capacity by adding

disks.

Yes

Increases capacity by adding

disks; an even number of disks

must be added.

NOTE: You cannot perform a RAID level migration and expansion on RAID levels 50 and 60.

Background operations

Background initialization
Background initialization (BGI) is an automated process that writes parity or mirror data on newly created virtual disks. BGI does not run on RAID 0 virtual disks. You can control the BGI rate in the Dell OpenManage storage management application. Any change to the BGI rate does not take effect until the next BGI is performed.
NOTE: You cannot disable BGI permanently. If you cancel BGI, it automatically restarts within five minutes. Unlike full or fast initialization of virtual disks, background initialization does not clear data from the physical disks. Consistency Check (CC) and BGI typically cause some loss in performance until the operation completes.

Features of PowerEdge RAID Controller 11

PERC H355 adapter SAS, PERC H355 front SAS, PERC H350 adapter SAS, and PERC H350 Mini Monolithic SAS background operations will not run until the operating system boots.
Consistency check and BGI perform similar functions in that they both correct parity errors. However, CC reports data inconsistencies through an event notification, while BGI does not. You can start CC manually, but not BGI.
Consistency checks
Consistency Check (CC) is a background operation that verifies and corrects the mirror or parity data for fault tolerant virtual disks. It is recommended that you periodically run a consistency check on virtual disks. You can manually start a CC using the HII Configuration Utility or the Dell OpenManage storage management application. You can schedule a CC to run on virtual disks using the Dell OpenManage storage management application. To start a CC using the HII Configuration Utility, see Perform consistency check.
NOTE: CC or BGI typically causes some loss in performance until the operation completes.
CC and BGI both correct parity errors. However, CC reports data inconsistencies through an event notification, while BGI does not. You can start CC manually, but not BGI.
Hard drive features
This section lists the following hard drive features supported on PERC 11 cards in detail: Self-Encrypting Disks (SED) Instant Secure Erase (ISE) 4 KB sector disk drives
Self-Encrypting Disks
Select PERC 11 cards support self-encrypting disks (SEDs) for protection of data against loss or theft of SEDs. For information about cards supported, see Technical specifications. Protection is achieved by the use of encryption technology on the drives. There is one security key per controller. You can manage the security key using local key management (LKM) or OpenManage Secure Enterprise Key Manager also referred as Secure Enterprise Key Manager (SEKM). The controller use the security key to lock and unlock access to encryption-capable physical disks. To take advantage of this feature, you must: Have SEDs in your system, and Create a security key. PERC cannot use SEDs that are secured by a non-PERC entity. Ensure that the SED is reprovisioned in an applicable manner by that non-PERC entity before connecting to PERC. For more information, see the Security key and RAID management section.
NOTE: You cannot enable security on non-optimal virtual disks.
NOTE: PERC 11 supports Trusted Computing Group Enterprise (TCG) Security Subsystem Classes (SSC) SAS or SATA SED drives and TCG Opal SSC NVMe drives.
Instant secure erase
Instant Secure Erase (ISE) drives use the same encryption technology as SED drives but do not allow the encryption key to be secured. The encryption technology allows the drive to be re-purposed and securely erased using the cryptographic erase function.
NOTE: ISE drives do not provide protection against theft.
4 KB sector disk drives
PERC 11 controllers support 4 KB sector disk drives, which enables you to efficiently use the storage space.

Features of PowerEdge RAID Controller 11

Before installing Windows on 4 KB sector disk drives, see Windows operating system installation errors. NOTE: Mixing 512byte native and 512byte emulated drives in a virtual disk is allowed, but mixing 512byte and 4 KB native drives in a virtual disk is not allowed.
NOTE: 4 K is only supported in UEFI mode and not legacy BIOS.
NOTE: 4 K devices do not appear under the select boot device option. For more information, see Enable boot support.
Fault tolerance
The PERC 11 series supports the following: Self-Monitoring and Reporting Technology (SMART) Patrol read Physical disk failure detection Controller cache Battery Transparent Learn Cycle The next sections describe some methods to achieve fault tolerance.
The SMART feature
The SMART feature monitors certain physical aspects of all motors, heads, and physical disk electronics to help detect predictable hard drive failures. Data on SMART compliant hard drives can be monitored to identify changes in values and determine whether the values are within threshold limits. Many mechanical and electrical failures display some degradation in performance before failure. A SMART failure is also referred to as predicted failure. There are numerous factors that are predicted physical disk failures, such as a bearing failure, a broken read/write head, and changes in spin-up rate. In addition, there are factors that are related to read/write surface failure, such as seek error rate and excessive bad sectors.
NOTE: For detailed information about SCSI interface specifications, see t10.org and for detailed information about SATA interface specifications, see t13.org.
NOTE: PERC H355 adapter SAS, PERC H355 front SAS, PERC H350 adapter SAS, and PERC H350 Mini Monolithic SAS controllers do not monitor predictive failures for non-RAID disks.
Automatic Replace Member with predicted failure
A replace member operation can occur when there is a SMART predictive failure reporting on a physical disk in a virtual disk. The automatic replace member is initiated when the first SMART error occurs on a physical disk that is part of a virtual disk. The target disk needs to be a hot spare that qualifies as a rebuild disk. The physical disk with the SMART error is marked as failed only after the successful completion of the replace member. This prevents the array from reaching degraded state. If an automatic replace member occurs using a source disk that was originally a hot spare (that was used in a rebuild), and a new disk is added and set as a target disk for the replace member operation, the hot spare drive will revert to the hot spare state after the replace member operation successfully completes.
NOTE: To enable automatic replace member, use the Dell storage management application.
Patrol Read
The Patrol read feature is designed as a preventative measure to ensure physical disk health and data integrity. Patrol read scans and resolves potential problems on configured physical disks. The Dell storage management applications can be used to start patrol read and change its behavior. The following is an overview of patrol read behavior: Patrol read runs on all disks on the controller that are configured as part of a virtual disk, including hot spares. Patrol read does not run on physical disks that are not part of a virtual disk or are in Ready state.

Features of PowerEdge RAID Controller 11

The amount of controller resources dedicated to patrol read operations adjusts based on the number of outstanding disk I/O operations. For example, if the system is processing a large number of I/O operations, then patrol read uses fewer resources to allow the I/O to take a higher priority.
Patrol read does not run on disks that are involved in any of the following operations: Rebuild Replace member Full or background initialization CC RLM or OCE
NOTE: By default, patrol read automatically runs every seven days on configured SAS and SATA hard drives.
For more information about patrol read, see the Dell OpenManage documentation at www.dell.com/openmanagemanuals.

Physical disk failure detection
If a disk fails and it is replaced with a new disk, the controller will automatically start a rebuild on the new disk. See, Configured slot behavior. Automatic rebuilds can also occur with hot spares. If you have configured hot spares, the controller will automatically try to use them to rebuild the degraded virtual disk.

Using persistent hot spare slots

NOTE: The persistent hot spare slot feature is disabled by default.
The PERC 11 series can be configured so that the system backplane or storage enclosure disk slots are dedicated as hot spare slots. This feature can be enabled using the Dell storage management application.
Once enabled, any slots with hot spares configured automatically become persistent hot spare slots. If a hot spare disk fails or is removed, a replacement disk that is inserted into the same slot automatically becomes a hot spare with the same properties as the one it is replacing. If the replacement disk does not match the disk protocol and technology, it does not become a hot spare.
For more information on persistent hot spares, see the Dell OpenManage documentation at www.dell.com/openmanagemanuals.

Configured slot behavior

This feature is similar to persistent hot spare slot behavior. If a redundant VD is configured to the system and if a drive is replaced, the configured slot will automatically rebuild or copyback on the inserted drive regardless of the data on the drive. This operation will overwrite the data on the drive.

Table 8. Drive state/operation

Drive state/operation
Insert unconfigured drive into the system Insert configured drive into the system
Insert configured locked drive into the system (unlockable)

Unconfigured slot Ready Foreign
Foreign

Insert locked drive into the system (non-unlockable) Foreign locked

Slot configured in VD
Rebuild or copyback start
Rebuild or copyback start Original drive data lost Cryptographic Erase (If configured VD is not secured) Rebuild or copyback start Original drive data lost Foreign locked

Physical disk hot swapping
Hot swapping is the manual replacement of a disk while the PERC 11 series cards are online and performing their normal functions. The following requirements must be met before hot swapping a physical disk: The system backplane or enclosure must support hot swapping for the PERC 11 series cards.

Features of PowerEdge RAID Controller 11

The replacement disk must be of the same protocol and disk technology. For example, only a SAS hard drive can replace a SAS hard drive and only a NVMe drive can replace a NVMe drive.
Using replace member and revertible hot spares
The replace member functionality allows a previously commissioned hot spare to revert to a usable hot spare. When a disk failure occurs within a virtual disk, an assigned hot spare, dedicated, or global, is commissioned and begins rebuilding until the virtual disk is optimal. After the failed disk is replaced in the same slot and the rebuild to the hot spare is complete, the controller automatically starts to copy data from the commissioned hot spare to the newly inserted disk. After the data is copied, the new disk is a part of the virtual disk and the hot spare is reverted to being a ready hot spare. This allows hot spares to remain in specific enclosure slots. While the controller is reverting the hot spare, the virtual disk remains optimal. The controller automatically reverts a hot spare only if the failed disk is replaced with a new disk in the same slot. If the new disk is not placed in the same slot, a manual replace member operation can be used to revert a previously commissioned hot spare.
NOTE: A replace member operation typically causes a temporary impact to disk performance. Once the operation completes, performance returns to normal.
Controller cache
The PERC 11 series of cards contain local DRAM on the controllers. This DRAM can cache I/O operations for Write Back, Read Ahead virtual disks to improve the performance.
NOTE: Virtual disks consisting of SSDs may not see a difference in performance using controller cache and may benefit by Fastpath.
I/O workload that is slow to HDDs, such as random 512 B and 4 kB, may take some time to flush cached data. Cache is flushed periodically but for configuration changes or system shutdown, the cache is required to be flushed before the operation can be completed. It can take several minutes to flush cache for some workloads depending on the speed of the HDDs and the amount of data in the cache. The following operations require a complete cache flush: Configuration changes (add or delete VDs, VD cache setting changes, foreign configuration scan, and import) System reboot or shutdown Abrupt power loss causing cache preservation
NOTE: The iDRAC or OpenManage periodically scans for the foreign configurations when the foreign disks are present. This action degrades the performance. If a foreign disk is present, it is recommended that you import, clear, or remove the foreign disk to prevent an impact on the performance.
Controller cache preservation
The controller is capable of preserving its cache in the event of a system power outage or improper system shutdown. The PERC 11 series controller is attached to a battery backup unit (BBU) that provides backup power during system power loss to preserve the controller’s cache data.
Cache preservation with nonvolatile cache
The nonvolatile cache (NVC) allows controller cache data to be stored indefinitely. If the controller has data in the cache memory during a power outage or improper system shutdown, a small amount of power from the battery is used to transfer the cache data to non-volatile flash storage where it remains until power is restored and the system is booted. If the cache preservation process is interrupted by power-on, the controller may request an extra reset during the boot to complete the process. The system displays a message during boot as Dell PERC at Bus <X> Dev <Y> has requested a system reset. System will reboot in 5 seconds.
Recovering cache data
About this task Complete these steps if a system power loss or improper system shutdown has occurred.

Features of PowerEdge RAID Controller 11

Steps 1. Restore the system power. 2. Boot the system. 3. When preserved cache exists on the controller, an error message is shown. For more information about how to recover
cache, see Preserved Cache State.
Battery Transparent Learn Cycle
A transparent learn cycle is a periodic operation that calculates the charge that is remaining in the battery to ensure that there is sufficient energy. The operation runs automatically, and causes no impact to the system or controller performance. The controller automatically performs the transparent learn cycle (TLC) on the battery to calibrate and gauge its charge capacity once every 90 days. The operation can be performed manually if required.
NOTE: Virtual disks stay in write-back mode, if enabled, during transparent learn cycle. When the TLC completes, the controller sets the next TLC to +90 days.
Transparent Learn Cycle completion time
The time frame for completion of a learn cycle is a function of the battery charge capacity and the discharge and charge currents used. Typical time completion for a transparent learn cycle is between 4 to 8 hours. If the learn cycle is interrupted mid cycle, it begins at a new cycle.
Conditions for replacing the battery
The PERC battery is marked failed when the state or health of the battery is declared bad. If the battery is declared failed, then all the virtual disks in write-back mode transitions to write-through mode, and the firmware runs learn cycles in subsequent reboots until the battery is replaced. On replacing the battery, virtual disk transitions to write-back mode.
Linux operating system device enumeration
Virtual disks and non-RAID disks are presented to the operating system as SCSI devices. The operating system enumerates these devices based on the SCSI target device ID.
Enumeration order for PERC H355 adapter SAS, PERC H355 front SAS, PERC H350 adapter SAS, and PERC H350 Mini Monolithic SAS
Steps 1. Non-RAID disks are enumerated first. 2. Virtual disks (VDs) are enumerated second, based on virtual disk target ID. Target IDs are assigned to the VDs in the
ascending order when they are created. The first created VD is assigned the lowest available target ID, and the last created VD is assigned the highest available target ID. The first created VD is discovered first by the operating system.
NOTE: The PERC H355 adapter SAS, PERC H355 front SAS, PERC H350 adapter SAS, and PERC H350 Mini Monolithic SAS non-RAID disks may not appear in the slot order.
Enumeration order for PERC H755 front SAS, PERC H755 front SAS, PERC H755N front NVMe, PERC H750 adapter SAS, and PERC H755 MX adapter
This section describes the order of enumerating PERC H-series controlers.
Steps 1. Non-RAID disks are enumerated first based on slot ID.

Features of PowerEdge RAID Controller 11

2. Virtual disks (VDs) are enumerated, second based on the virtual disk target ID. Target IDs are assigned to the VDs in the descending order when they are created. The first created VD is assigned the highest available target ID, and the last created VD is assigned the lowest available target ID. Therefore, the last created VD is discovered first by the operating system. NOTE: Operating system enumeration may not be in this order if virtual disks or non-RAID disks are created while the
operating system is running. The operating system may name devices based on the order in which they were created
resulting in the operating system enumeration changing after reboot. It is recommended to reboot the system for the
final device enumeration after creating any virtual disks or non-RAID disks.

Features of PowerEdge RAID Controller 11

Install and remove a PERC 11 card

Topics:
· Safety instructions · Before working inside your system · After working inside your system · Remove the PERC H755 adapter · Install the PERC H755 adapter · Remove the PERC H755 front SAS card · Install the PERC H755 front SAS card · Remove the PERC H755N front NVMe card · Install the PERC H755N front NVMe card · Remove the PERC H755 MX adapter · Install the PERC H755 MX adapter · Remove the PERC H750 adapter SAS · Install the PERC H750 adapter SAS · Remove the PERC H355 adapter SAS · Install the PERC H355 adapter SAS · Remove the PERC H355 front SAS · Install the PERC H355 front SAS card · Remove the PERC H350 adapter SAS · Install the PERC H350 adapter SAS · Remove PERC H350 Mini Monolithic SAS · Install PERC H350 Mini Monolithic SAS
Safety instructions
NOTE: To avoid injury, do not lift the system on your own. Get others to assist you.
WARNING: Opening or removing the system cover while the system is turned on may expose you to a risk of electric shock..
CAUTION: Do not operate the system without the cover in place for a duration exceeding five minutes. Operating the system without the system cover in place can result in component damage.
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: To ensure proper operation and cooling, all system bays and fans must be always populated with a component or a blank.
NOTE: It is recommended that you always use an antistatic mat and antistatic strap while working on components inside the system.
NOTE: While replacing the hot swappable PSU, after next server boot; the new PSU automatically updates to the same firmware and configuration of the replaced one. For more information about the Part replacement configuration, see the Lifecycle Controller User’s Guide at https://www.dell.com/idracmanuals

Install and remove a PERC 11 card

NOTE: While replacing faulty storage controller/FC/NIC card with the same type of card, after you power on the system; the new card automatically updates to the same firmware and configuration of the faulty one. For more information about the Part replacement configuration, see the Lifecycle Controller User’s Guide at https://www.dell.com/idracmanuals NOTE: For detailed information on cabling the cards, see the system-specific owner’s manual at Installation and Service Manual available at https://www.dell.com/poweredgemanuals
Before working inside your system
Steps 1. Power off the system and all attached peripherals. 2. Disconnect the system from the electrical outlet, and disconnect the peripherals. 3. If applicable, remove the system from the rack.
For more information, see the Rail Installation Guide relevant to your rail solutions at www.dell.com/poweredgemanuals. 4. Remove the system cover.
After working inside your system
Steps 1. Replace the system cover. 2. If applicable, install the system into the rack.
For more information, see the Rail Installation Guide relevant to your rail solutions at www.dell.com/poweredgemanuals. 3. Reconnect the peripherals and connect the system to the electrical outlet, and then power on the system.
Remove the PERC H755 adapter
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: It is recommended that you always use a static mat and static strap while working on components in the interior of the system.
Steps 1. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet and
peripherals. NOTE: Perform a graceful shutdown of the system to ensure data in the cache is moved to the disk before the controller is removed.
2. Open the system. 3. Locate the PERC card in the expansion riser on the system board.
CAUTION: To prevent damage to the card, you must hold the card by its edges only.
4. Unfasten and lift the riser from the system board. Remove the PERC card. 5. Disconnect any cables connected to the card:
a. Press down and hold the metal tab on the cable connector. b. Pull the cable out of the connector.

Install and remove a PERC 11 card

6. Replace the storage controller card and reconnect the data cables before placing them in the riser. For more information on installing the card, see Install PERC H755 adapter.
7. Reinstall the riser on the system board and fasten the riser. 8. Close the system. 9. Reconnect the system to its electrical outlet and turn the system on, including any attached peripherals.

Figure 10. Remove the PERC H755 adapter
Install the PERC H755 adapter
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: It is recommended that you always use a static mat and static strap while working on components in the interior of the system.
Steps 1. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet. 2. Open the system. 3. Align the card-edge connector with the connector on the system board.
CAUTION: To prevent damage to the card, you must hold the card by its edges only.
4. Press the card-edge down until the card is fully seated. 5. Connect the data cable connectors to the card. 6. Route the data cable through the channel on the inner side of the chassis to the backplane. 7. Attach the connector to the corresponding connector on the backplane as labeled on the controller. 8. Close the system. 9. Reconnect the system to its electrical outlet and turn the system on, including any attached peripherals.

Install and remove a PERC 11 card

Figure 11. Install the PERC H755 adapter
Remove the PERC H755 front SAS 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: It is recommended that you always use a static mat and static strap while working on components in the interior of the system.
Steps 1. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet and
peripherals. NOTE: Perform a graceful shutdown of the system to ensure data in the cache is moved to the disk before the controller is removed.
2. Open the system. 3. Locate the PERC card in the controller carrier at the front of the system.
CAUTION: To prevent damage to the card, you must hold the card by its edges only.
4. Unscrew the fasteners on the controller carrier and slide the carrier away from the backplane, disconnecting the controller from the backplane. If you are removing a PERC H755 front SAS controller in the upside down orientation, you must remove both the backplane and the controller at the same time because of the limited clearance available: a. Uninstall all drives from the backplane. b. Disconnect all cables between the PERC and the backplane. c. Lift the backplane and PERC from the system.
5. Disconnect any cables connected to the card: a. Press down and hold the metal tab on the cable connector. b. Pull the cables out of the connector.
6. Remove the PERC controller from the controller carrier.

Install and remove a PERC 11 card

7. Insert the replacement controller into the carrier and secure it with the appropriate screws. 8. Take the replacement storage controller and reconnect the cables before reconnecting it to the backplane.
If you are removing a PERC H755 front SAS controller in the upside down orientation, reattach the PERC controller to the backplane first before reinstalling the backplane into the system. For more information on installing the card, see Install PERC H755 front SAS card.
9. Close the system. 10. Reconnect the system to its electrical outlet and turn the system on, including any attached peripherals.

Figure 12. Remove the PERC H755 front SAS card
Install the PERC H755 front SAS 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: It is recommended that you always use a static mat and static strap while working on components in the interior of the system.
Steps 1. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet.

Install and remove a PERC 11 card

NOTE: Perform a graceful shutdown of the sled to ensure that data in the cache is moved to the disk before the controller is removed.
2. Open the system. 3. Connect the PERC card to the carrier and ensure that the screws are properly fastened in place.
CAUTION: To prevent damage to the card, hold the card by its edges only.
4. Align the carrier with the guide pins until the controller is securely seated. 5. Slide the card into the connector until it is fully seated in the connector. Tighten the screws on the carrier that connect to
the chassis to secure the carrier. 6. Connect the cable connectors to the card.
NOTE: Ensure that you connect the cable according to the connector labels on the cable. The cable does not function properly if reversed.
7. Close the system. 8. Reconnect the system to its electrical outlet and turn on the system and any attached peripherals.

Figure 13. Install the PERC H755 front SAS card
Remove the PERC H755N front NVMe 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

Install and remove a PERC 11 card

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: It is recommended that you always use a static mat and static strap while working on components in the interior of the system.
Steps 1. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet and
peripherals. NOTE: Perform a graceful shutdown of the system to ensure that data in the cache is moved to the disk before the controller is removed.
2. Open the system. 3. Locate the PERC card in the controller carrier at the front of the system.
CAUTION: To prevent damage to the card, you must hold the card by its edges only.
4. Unscrew the fasteners on the controller carrier, and slide the carrier away from the backplane to disconnect the controller from the backplane. If you are removing a PERC H755N front NVMe controller in the upside down orientation, you must remove both the backplane and the controller at the same time because of the limited clearance available: a. Uninstall all drives from the backplane. b. Disconnect all cables between the PERC and the backplane. c. Lift the backplane and PERC from the system.
5. Disconnect any cables connected to the card: a. Press down and hold the metal tab on the cable connector. b. Pull the cable out of the connector.
6. Remove the PERC controller from the controller carrier. 7. Insert the replacement controller into the carrier and secure it with the appropriate screws. 8. Take the replacement storage controller and reconnect the cable before reconnecting it to the backplane.
If you are removing a PERC H755 front NVMe controller in the upside down orientation, reattach the PERC controller to the backplane first before reinstalling the backplane into the system.
9. Close the system. 10. Reconnect the system to its electrical outlet and turn the system on, including any attached peripherals.

Install and remove a PERC 11 card

Figure 14. Remove the PERC H755N front NVMe card
Install the PERC H755N front NVMe 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: It is recommended that you always use a static mat and static strap while working on components in the interior of the system.
Steps 1. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet.
NOTE: Perform a graceful shutdown of the sled to ensure that data in the cache is moved to the disk before the controller is removed.
2. Open the system. 3. Connect the PERC card to the carrier and ensure the screws are properly fastened in place.
CAUTION: To prevent damage to the card, hold the card by its edges only.
4. Align the carrier with the guide pins until the controller is securely seated.

Install and remove a PERC 11 card

5. Slide the card until it is fully seated in the connector. Tighten the screws on the carrier that connect to the chassis to secure the carrier.
6. Connect the cable connectors to the card. NOTE: Ensure that you connect the cable according to the connector labels on the cable. The cable does not function properly if reversed.
7. Close the system. 8. Reconnect the system to its electrical outlet and turn on the system and any attached peripherals.

Figure 15. Install the PERC H755N front NVMe card
Remove the PERC H755 MX adapter
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.
CAUTION: To prevent damage to the card, hold the card by its edges only.
NOTE: It is recommended that you always use a static mat and static strap while working on components in the interior of the system.

Install and remove a PERC 11 card

Steps 1. Turn off the sled, including any attached peripherals, and remove the sled from the MX chassis.
NOTE: Perform a graceful shutdown of the system to ensure that data in the cache is moved to the disk before the controller is removed.
2. Open the sled. 3. Locate the PERC card on the system board.
CAUTION: To prevent damage to the card, hold the card by its edges only.
4. Using the blue tab, rotate the lever of the controller. 5. Pull the release lever upward to disengage the controller from the connector. 6. Disconnect the cable from the card. To disconnect the cable:
a. Press and hold the metal tab on the cable connector. b. Pull the cable out of the connector. 7. Lift the card from the system board. 8. Replace the storage controller card and connect the cable. For information on installing the card, see Install the PERC H755 MX adapter. 9. Close the sled. 10. Insert the sled into the MX chassis and turn on the system and any attached MX chassis peripherals.

Figure 16. Remove the PERC H755 MX adapter
Install the PERC H755 MX adapter
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

Install and remove a PERC 11 card

Figure 17. Install the PERC H755 MX adapter

Install and remove a PERC 11 card

Remove the PERC H750 adapter SAS
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: It is recommended that you always use a static mat and static strap while working on components in the interior of the system.
Steps 1. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet and
peripherals. 2. Open the system. 3. Locate the PERC card on the system board.
CAUTION: To prevent damage to the card, you must hold the card by its edges only.
4. Lift the card to remove it from the connector on the system board. 5. Disconnect the SAS cables connected to the card:
a. Press down and hold the metal tab on the SAS cable connector. b. Pull the SAS cable out of the connector. 6. Replace the storage controller card and connect the cable. For more information on installing the card, see Install the H750 adapter SAS. 7. Close the system. 8. Reconnect the system to its electrical outlet and turn the system on, including any attached peripherals.

Figure 18. Remove PERC H750 adapter SAS

Install the PERC H750 adapter SAS
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.

Install and remove a PERC 11 card

NOTE: It is recommended that you always use a static mat and static strap while working on components in the interior of the system.
Steps 1. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet. 2. Open the system. 3. Align the card-edge connector with the connector on the system board.
CAUTION: To prevent damage to the card, you must hold the card by its edges only.
4. Press the card-edge down until the card is fully seated. 5. Connect the SAS data cable connector to the card.
NOTE: Ensure that you connect the cable according to the connector labels on the cable. The cable does not function properly if reversed.
6. Route the SAS data cable through the channel on the inner side of the chassis to the backplane. 7. Attach the connector labeled SAS A to connector SAS A on the backplane. 8. Close the system. 9. Reconnect the system to its electrical outlet and turn the system on, including any attached peripherals.

Figure 19. Install PERC H750 adapter SAS
Remove the PERC H355 adapter SAS
Describes the tasks to remove a PERC H355 adapter SAS controller from a server.
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: It is recommended that you always use a static mat and static strap while working on components in the interior of the system.
Steps 1. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet and
peripherals.

Install and remove a PERC 11 card

2. Open the system. 3. Locate the PERC card in the expansion riser on the system board.
CAUTION: To prevent damage to the card, you must hold the card by its edges only.
4. Unfasten and lift the riser from the system board. Remove the PERC card. 5. Disconnect any SAS cables connected to the card:
a. Press down and hold the metal tab on the SAS cable connector. b. Pull the SAS cable out of the connector. 6. Replace the storage controller and reconnect the SAS cable before placing them in the riser. For more information on installing the card, see Install the PERC H355 adapter. 7. Reinstall the riser on the system board and fasten the riser. 8. Close the system. 9. Reconnect the system to its electrical outlet and turn the system on, including any attached peripherals.

Figure 20. Remove the PERC H355 adapter SAS
Install the PERC H355 adapter SAS
Describes the tasks to install a PERC H355 adapter SAS controller in a server.
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: It is recommended that you always use a static mat and static strap while working on components in the interior of the system.
Steps 1. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet. 2. Open the system.

Install and remove a PERC 11 card

3. Align the card-edge connector with the connector on the system board. CAUTION: To prevent damage to the card, you must hold the card by its edges only.
4. Press the card-edge down until the card is fully seated. 5. Connect the SAS data cable connectors to the card.
NOTE: Ensure that you connect the cable according to the connector labels on the cable. The cable does not function properly if reversed.
6. Route the SAS data cable through the channel on the inner side of the chassis to the backplane. 7. Attach the connector labeled SAS A to connector SAS A on the backplane, and attach the connector labeled SAS B to
connector SAS B on the backplane. 8. Close the system. 9. Reconnect the system to its electrical outlet and turn the system on, including any attached peripherals.

Figure 21. Install the PERC H355 adapter SAS
Remove the PERC H355 front SAS
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: It is recommended that you always use a static mat and static strap while working on components in the interior of the system.
Steps 1. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet and
peripherals. NOTE: Perform a graceful shutdown of the system to ensure data in the cache is moved to the disk before the controller is removed.

Install and remove a PERC 11 card

2. Open the system. 3. Locate the PERC card in the controller carrier at the front of the system.
CAUTION: To prevent damage to the card, you must hold the card by its edges only.
4. Unscrew the fasteners on the controller carrier and slide the carrier away from the backplane, disconnecting the controller from the backplane.
If you are removing a PERC H355 front SAS controller in the upside down orientation, you must remove both the backplane and the controller at the same time because of the limited clearance available:
a. Uninstall all drives from the backplane. b. Disconnect all cables between the PERC and the backplane. c. Lift the backplane and PERC from the system.
5. Disconnect any cables connected to the card: a. Press down and hold the metal tab on the cable connector. b. Pull the cables out of the connector.
6. Remove the PERC controller from the controller carrier. 7. Insert the replacement controller into the carrier and secure it with the appropriate screws. 8. Take the replacement storage controller and reconnect the cables before reconnecting it to the backplane.
If you are removing a PERC H355 front SAS controller in the upside down orientation, reattach the PERC controller to the backplane first before reinstalling the backplane into the system. For more information on installing the card, see Install the PERC H355 front. 9. Close the system. 10. Reconnect the system to its electrical outlet and turn the system on, including any attached peripherals.

Figure 22. Remove the PERC H355 front SAS

Install and remove a PERC 11 card

Install the PERC H355 front SAS 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: It is recommended that you always use a static mat and static strap while working on components in the interior of the system.
Steps 1. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet.
NOTE: Perform a graceful shutdown of the sled to ensure that data in the cache is moved to the disk before the controller is removed.
2. Open the system. 3. Connect the PERC card to the carrier and ensure that the screws are properly fastened in place.
CAUTION: To prevent damage to the card, hold the card by its edges only.
4. Align the carrier with the guide pins until the controller is securely seated. 5. Slide the card into the connector until it is fully seated in the connector. Tighten the screws on the carrier that connect to
the chassis to secure the carrier. 6. Connect the cable connectors to the card.
NOTE: Ensure that you connect the cable according to the connector labels on the cable. The cable does not function properly if reversed.
7. Close the system. 8. Reconnect the system to its electrical outlet and turn on the system and any attached peripherals.

Install and remove a PERC 11 card

Figure 23. Install the PERC H755 front SAS card
Remove the PERC H350 adapter SAS
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: It is recommended that you always use a static mat and static strap while working on components in the interior of the system.
Steps 1. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet and
peripherals. 2. Open the system. 3. Locate the PERC card on the system board.
CAUTION: To prevent damage to the card, you must hold the card by its edges only.
4. Lift the card to remove it from the connector on the system board. 5. Disconnect the SAS cables connected to the card:
a. Press down and hold the metal tab on the SAS cable connector. b. Pull the SAS cable out of the connector.

Install and remove a PERC 11 card

6. Replace the storage controller card and connect the cable. For more information on installing the card, see Install the PERC H350 adapter.
7. Close the system. 8. Reconnect the system to its electrical outlet and turn the system on, including any attached peripherals.

Figure 24. Remove the PERC H350 adapter SAS
Install the PERC H350 adapter SAS
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: It is recommended that you always use a static mat and static strap while working on components in the interior of the system.
Steps 1. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet. 2. Open the system. 3. Align the card-edge connector with the connector on the system board.
CAUTION: To prevent damage to the card, you must hold the card by its edges only.
4. Press the card-edge down until the card is fully seated. 5. Connect the SAS data cable connector to the card.
NOTE: Ensure that you connect the cable according to the connector labels on the cable. The cable does not function properly if reversed.
6. Route the SAS data cable through the channel on the inner side of the chassis to the backplane. 7. Attach the connector labeled SAS A to connector SAS A on the backplane. 8. Close the system. 9. Reconnect the system to its electrical outlet and turn the system on, including any attached peripherals.

Install and remove a PERC 11 card

Figure 25. Install the PERC H350 adapter SAS
Remove PERC H350 Mini Monolithic SAS
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.
Steps 1. Using Phillips #2 screwdriver, loosen the screws that secure the storage controller cable to the connector on the system
board. 2. Lift the storage controller cable to disconnect it from the connector on the system board.

Install and remove a PERC 11 card

Figure 26. Remove the cable
3. Lift one end of the card and angle it to disengage the card from the card holder on the system board. 4. Lift the card out of the system.

Figure 27. Remove the PERC H350 Mini Monolithic SAS

Install and remove a PERC 11 card

Install PERC H350 Mini Monolithic SAS
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.
Steps 1. Angle the integrated storage controller card and align the end of the card with the storage controller card connector on the
system board. 2. Lower the connector side of the storage controller card into the storage controller card connector on the system board.
NOTE: Ensure that the slots on the system board align with the screw holes on the storage controller card connector.

Figure 28. Install PERC H350 Mini Monolithic SAS
3. Route the storage controller card cable along with the wall of the system. 4. Align the screws on the integrated storage controller card cable with the screw holes on the connector. 5. Using Phillips #2 screwdriver, tighten the screws to secure the integrated storage controller card cable to the card
connector on the system board.

Install and remove a PERC 11 card

Figure 29. Install the cable

Install and remove a PERC 11 card

5
Driver support for PERC 11
The PERC 11 series require software drivers to operate with the supported operating systems. This chapter contains the procedures for installing the drivers for the PERC 11 cards.
NOTE: The driver for PERC 11 for VMware ESXi is packaged within the VMware ESXi ISO image downloaded from Dell. For more information, see the VMware documentation at www.dell.com/virtualizationsolutions. It is not recommended to have drivers from controllers prior to PERC 11 on the same system. The two methods for installing a driver discussed in this chapter are: Installing a driver during operating system installation: Use this method if you are performing a new installation of the operating system and want to include the drivers. Updating existing drivers: Use this method if the operating system and the PERC 11 family of controllers are already installed and you want to update to the latest drivers.
Topics:
· Creating the device driver media · Windows driver installation · Linux driver installation · Load the driver while installing an operating system
Creating the device driver media
Use one of the following two methods to create the device driver media: Downloading Drivers From The Dell Support Website Downloading Drivers From The Dell Systems Service And Diagnostic Tools Media
Download and save PERC 11 drivers from the support site
About this task To download drivers from the Dell Support website:
Steps 1. Go to www.dell.com/support/home. 2. Enter the service tag of your system in the Choose by Service Tag to get started field or select Choose from a list of
all Dell products. 3. Select the System Type, Operating System, and Category from the drop-down list.
The drivers that are applicable to your selection are displayed. 4. Download the drivers that you require to a USB drive, CD, or DVD. 5. During the operating system installation, use the media that you created to load the driver. For more information on
reinstalling the operating system, see the relevant section for your operating system later in this guide.
Download and save PERC 11 drivers from the Dell Systems Service and Diagnostic Tools
About this task To download drivers from the Dell Systems Service and Diagnostic Tools media:

Driver support for PERC 11

Steps 1. Insert the Dell Systems Service and Diagnostics Tools media in your system.
The Welcome to Dell Service and Diagnostic Utilities screen is displayed. 2. Select your system model and operating system. 3. Click Continue. 4. From the list of drivers displayed, select the driver you require. 5. Select the self-extracting ZIP file and click Run. 6. Copy the driver to a CD, DVD, or USB drive. 7. Repeat steps 1 to 6 for all the drivers you require.
Windows driver installation
Before you install the Windows driver for PERC 11, you must first create a device driver media. Read the Microsoft Getting Started document that shipped with your operating system. Ensure that your system has the latest BIOS, firmware, and driver updates. If required, download the latest BIOS, firmware,
and driver updates from www.dell.com/support/home. Create a device driver media using one of the methods listed below:
USB drive CD DVD
Install PERC 11 driver while newly installing the Windows Server 2016 and later
About this task To install the driver:
Steps 1. Boot the system using the Windows Server 2016, or newer media. 2. Follow the on-screen instructions until you reach Where do you want to install Windows Server 2016 or later window
and then select Load driver. 3. As prompted, insert the installation media and browse to the appropriate location. 4. Select a PERC 11 series card from the list. 5. Click Next and continue installation.
Install PERC 11 driver on which the Windows Server 2016 is already installed and later
About this task Perform the following steps to configure the driver for the RAID controller on which the Windows Server 2016 is already installed:
Steps 1. Turn off the system. 2. Install the new RAID controller in the system.
For detailed instructions on installing the RAID controller in the system, see Install and remove a PERC 11 card. 3. Turn on the system.
The Found New Hardware Wizard screen displays the detected hardware device. 4. Click Next.

Driver support for PERC 11

5. On the Locate device driver screen, select Search for a suitable driver for my device and click Next. 6. Browse and select the drivers from the Locate Driver Files screen. 7. Click Next.
The wizard detects and installs the appropriate device drivers for the new RAID controller. 8. Click Finish to complete the installation. 9. Reboot the system when prompted.
Update PERC 11 driver that runs on Windows Server 2016 and later
Prerequisites
NOTE: Close all applications on your system before you update the driver.
Steps 1. Insert the media containing the driver. 2. Select Start > Settings > Control Panel > System.
The System Properties screen is displayed. NOTE: The path to System might vary depending on the operating system family.
3. Click the Hardware tab. 4. Click Device Manager.
The Device Manager screen is displayed. NOTE: The path to Device Manager might vary depending on the operating system family.
5. Expand Storage Controllers by double-clicking the entry or by clicking on the plus (+) symbol next to Storage Controllers.
6. Double-click the RAID controller for which you want to update the driver. 7. Click the Driver tab and click Update Driver.
The screen to update the device driver wizard is displayed. 8. Select Install from a list or specific location. 9. Click Next. 10. Follow the steps in the wizard and browse to the location of the driver files. 11. Select the INF file from the drive media. 12. Click Next and continue the installation steps in the wizard. 13. Click Finish to exit the wizard and reboot the system for the changes to take place.
NOTE: Dell provides the Dell Update Package (DUP) to update drivers on systems running Windows Server 2016 and newer operating system. DUP is an executable application that updates drivers for specific devices. DUP supports command line interface and silent execution. For more information, see https://www.dell.com/support.
Linux driver installation
The driver update disk (DUD) images are created only for those operating system releases in which the native (in-box) driver is insufficient for installation. In the event that an operating system is being installed with a corresponding DUD image, see, Installing or updating the RPM driver package with KMOD support. If not, proceed with using the native device driver and then skip to the topic Installing or Updating the RPM Driver Package With KMP Support.
NOTE: The driver update disk (DUD) images are created only for those operating system releases in which the native (in-box) driver is insufficient for installation. In the event that an operating system is being installed with a corresponding DUD image, follow the instructions below.
NOTE: To view the complete list of boot loader options, see the installation guide of your operating system.
NOTE: If using out-of-box drivers with RHEL 7 and higher, a tainted kernel message will be displayed in the log. RedHat does not provide a mechanism to sign external drivers for RHEL.

Driver support for PERC 11

Install or update a RPM driver package using the KMOD support
Prerequisites NOTE: This procedure is applicable for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.x and higher.
About this task Perform the following steps to install the RPM package with KMOD support:
Steps 1. Uncompress the gzipped tarball driver release package. 2. Install the driver package using the command: rpm ihv kmodmegaraid_ sas-<version>.rpm.
NOTE: Use rpm -Uvh <package name> when upgrading an existing package.
3. If the previous device driver is in use, you must reboot the system for the updated driver to take effect. 4. Verify the loaded driver version by running the following command: modinfo megaraid_sas.
Install or update a RPM driver package using the KMP support
Prerequisites NOTE: This procedure is applicable for SUSE Enterprise Linux 15.x.
About this task Perform the following steps to install the RPM package with KMP support:
Steps 1. Uncompress the gzipped tarball driver rele

Documents / Resources

DELL Technologies H350 PowerEdge RAID Controller [pdf] User Guide
PERC H755, H750, H355, H350, H350 PowerEdge RAID Controller, H350, PowerEdge RAID Controller, RAID Controller, Controller

References

User Manual

DELL Technologies H350 PowerEdge RAID Controller

Specifications

Product Information

Product Usage Instructions

FAQs

Dell Technologies PowerEdge RAID Controller 11

Applications and User Interfaces supported by PERC 11

Secure firmware update

Install and remove a PERC 11 card

Documents / Resources

References

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