Adam Strickfaden

Author: root

  • HP DL 380 24 Bay G10 SAS Expander Tutorial

    HP DL 380 24 Bay G10 SAS Expander Tutorial

    The 16 and 24 bay models of the DL 380 G10 require a SAS expander to supply the front drive bays with SAS lanes. The 8 bay model does not require such a setup. The backplane is simply connected directly to the RAID controller. It’s actually quite rare to not see the SAS expander built into server backplanes but that was the design choice by HP for this model.

    You are first going to need the SAS expander itself which looks like the following:

    P/N AEC-83605/hp2

    On the card are 9 ports. It installs into Riser 1.

    The cables you need will route from the backplane to the SAS expander, and then connect to your RAID controller. You will actually notice 3 separate backplanes on this server. Each section of backplane are known as bays.

    From this view you can see 24 bays are split into 3 backplanes

    You have Bay 1, Bay 2, and Bay 3.

    The required cables will plug into Bay 1 ports 1/2, Bay 2 ports 1/2, and Bay 3 ports 1/2.

    Here’s the first set of cables:

    HP-SAS-Expander-Cables-1_v1
    P/N 776402-001

    These plug into the first ports labeled Bay 1 Ports 1 and 2. They will route along the left side of the chassis  On the expander you’ll plug these into ports 3 and 4. These are for the first 8 drive bays on the server. Note, ports 1 and 2 are reserved for the cables that go from the expander to the RAID controller. We will plug those in later.

    The next 2 bays will use the same cable. We call this the octopus cable.

    HP-SAS-Expander-Cables-G10_v1
    P/N 874686-001

    It has 4 Mini SAS connectors on both ends of the cable. One side plugs into the other 2 backplanes on the server. The other side plugs into the SAS expander on ports 5, 6, 7, and 8. The cable will be labeled so you know what goes where.

    It’s easiest to have the SAS expander card out of the riser when you begin plugging in the cables.

    SAS-Expander-HP-DL-380-G10_v1

    Lastly, you have ports 1 and 2. These are individual cables that go from the SAS expander to your RAID controller. They can vary in length. There are shorter cables designed to just go from the expander to a PCIe controller in the same riser. There are also longer cables designed to reach further out to a controller installed in the Mezzanine.

    Here you can see I’m using the short cables to go from the expander right to a PCIe controller. Both the expander and RAID controller are now installed in riser 1.

    DL-380-24-Bay-Inside-View_v1

    Once you’re cabled up turn it on and verify that your server can see the RAID controller and your drives. If it’s only seeing drives in some drive bays you may have a loose cable, the wrong cable, or a cable plugged into the wrong port.

     

  • Updating DELL Servers Tutorial

    Updating DELL Servers Tutorial

    This post will describe the process of updating DELL servers. The documentation will be split into 2 parts. Part 1 will describe the update process for 13 gen servers, or more specifically, any server that ships with the iDRAC 8 management system. Newer generations of servers starting with 14 gen ship with iDRAC 9 which is a slightly different process.

    Updating 13 gen servers (iDRAC 8)

    DELL use to have an easy online updater but since 2025 this service has been down. Now you must update using the local method. Local means the updates are first downloaded to your machine directly from DELL, and then uploaded to the server.

    To upload an update you must first obtain the IP address of the server. For communication to take place both your local machine and the server need to be on the same network. Often times you will receive a server that has a static address set by the previous owner. This must be changed so the server gets all of its networking information from the local DHCP server.

    First enter into the BIOS by hitting the F2 key during boot time:

    Then arrow down to iDRAC settings and hit enter:

    Resetting iDRAC

    It is not mandatory but highly recommended that you reset iDRAC prior to updating the server or updating the network configuration. Resetting iDRAC can resolve many hidden issues you may not see until it’s time to update. Resetting also clears out any custom passwords set by the previous owner of the server.

    Once in the iDRAC settings scroll all the way down:

    Highlight Reset iDRAC configurations to defaults and hit enter and then confirm. Wait until the system tells you that the process completed successfully.

    Configuring the network

    Now it’s time to properly configure the network. Return to the main screen in iDRAC Settings and arrow down to Network:

    From here scroll down to the section labeled IPV4 Settings. Make sure your settings match the following screenshot:

    Once properly configured hit ESC until you are asked to save the changes. Save the changes and continue hitting escape until the server resumes the boot process. Hit CTRL-ALT-DELETE. You must reboot the server to refresh the IP address displayed at boot time.

    Here you can see the new IP address is displayed during boot time:

    Make note of the IP address as the server boots and plug this IP into your web browser.

    If a proper network connection has been established you will be greeted with a login prompt. If you’ve never logged into the server before your computer will warn you of an unsecure connection. Go ahead and continue through the warning to reach the login page.

    Login to the server with the following credentials:

    Username: root

    Password: calvin

    If the default credentials do not work you need to reset iDRAC as described previously.

     

    Expand iDRAC Settings and select Update and Rollback:

    Here is where you will upload the individual updates. There’s a few things to keep in mind. Firstly, each server will have its own BIOS file. Some servers will share the same BIOS. Other servers require its own unique BIOS file.

    Refer to the following table to see which servers share the same BIOS and which ones differ:

    BIOS-sharing groups in 13G

    BIOS Family Servers
    R630 Platform BIOS PowerEdge R630, PowerEdge R730, PowerEdge R730xd
    R430 Platform BIOS PowerEdge R430, PowerEdge R530
    R330 Platform BIOS PowerEdge R330, PowerEdge T330
    R230 Platform BIOS PowerEdge R230, PowerEdge T130
    R930 Platform BIOS PowerEdge R930 only
    R830 Platform BIOS PowerEdge R830 only
    FC630 Platform BIOS PowerEdge FC630 only
    M630 Platform BIOS PowerEdge M630 only
    T630 Platform BIOS PowerEdge T630 only

    The 2 most important updates you must apply are the BIOS and iDRAC updates. These can be located on the DELL website under drivers.

    Once you have the update simply click on choose file. Browse to the update file and then click upload. Here we will update the iDRAC firmware. iDRAC firmware is the same across all platforms that use the iDRAC 8 interface.

    After your file is uploaded the server will give you the option to install. Put a checkmark next to the update and then click install.

    Depending on the type of update the server may reboot. BIOS updates always require a reboot. This is done automatically. Other updates like iDRAC do not require a reboot.

    You can monitor the update in the Job Queue. You will be asked if you want to go to the queue once you click install.

    A successful update looks like the following:

    After updating the iDRAC you will be logged out. Simply log back into the server and repeat the previous steps for the other updates.

    Updating iDRAC 9 Servers

    DELL 14/15/16 use iDRAC version 9 so the following documentation can be used to update these generations of servers.

    Follow the previous steps to reset iDRAC back to default settings and configure the network. These steps have not changed.

    Once logged in to the iDRAC 9 interface click Maintenance and then System Update:

    In the dropdown menu labeled Location Type, select HTTPS. For HTTPS Address type in downloads.dell.com.

    At the bottom click Check For Updates.

    The server will then reach out to DELL to see what updates are available for your system.

    Put a checkmark next to all the updates it finds and then click install and reboot.

    The server may reboot multiple times. Allow the server to finish the process and do not unplug power until the update process has completed.

    You can view the progress of the updates by monitoring the Job Queue.

    Troubleshooting

    It is possible that you don’t have the option to download updates because you have a very old version of iDRAC or have an EXPRESS license. In some cases an Enterprise license is required to download updates from the internet.

    You might also find that iDRAC did not update during the process but everything else did. In such a case it’s necessary to stair step the iDRAC update.

    As an example, you cannot jump from version 3.20 all the way to the latest version. You must first update to 3.30 before attempting to update to the latest version.

     

     

     

  • DELL R640 freezes loading BIOS drivers

    DELL R640 freezes loading BIOS drivers

    I’ve probably had hundreds of servers freeze at this particular screen over my time dealing with servers. It gets to the loading bios drivers screen. You count the dots one by one and watch closely. One dot. two dots. 5 dots. And then nothing. The dots stop coming.

    In almost every case I’ve found bad memory to be the culprit. In fact, I am documenting this while dealing with the exact problem. An R640 with 16 sticks of memory. It’s freezing. I know there’s a bad stick somewhere.

    The only question is what’s the fastest way to locate the bad stick so you can move on with your life?

    With a lot of memory I like to remove all the DIMMs from the black slots first. It’s up to you. The whole idea is to keep removing DIMMs until the darn thing boots up. If you remove sticks and it still freezes, that means the sticks you pulled out were good. In a 2 CPU configuration remove them evenly from both sides to prevent unbalanced memory errors.

    Now, if you remove a bunch of sticks and it boots up, that means the bad stick is in the group of DIMMs you just pulled out. To find the bad one you now put them back in the server one by one. Once it freezes up you have found the bad DIMM. Replace it.

    Sometimes you’ll do this process only to find the DIMMs just needed to be reseated. That’s fine, in the end it’s just about fixing the problem.

  • HP G10 Update Process

    HP G10 Update Process

    This post will describe the update process for the HP G10 platform. All G10 servers can be updated using this process. Keep in mind even though the process might be the same, individual BIOS and update packages might differ depending on the server. For example, the HP DL-360 and the HP DL-380 use different BIOS files.

    There are 2 ways you can update an HP G10 server.

    1. The traditional method is to use what HP calls a service pack. This service pack contains not only fully updated firmware for the BIOS and iLO, but also updated firmware for other devices like RAID controllers, network cards, etc. The service pack comes in an ISO format. It can be booted from a USB or can be mounted through the virtual KVM  inside the iLO.
    2. The other method is logging into the iLO and updating individual components directly. Often times you either have an outdated service pack, or no service pack at all, and can use this method instead. Try to find a service pack if you can.. In the absence of a service pack proceed to update the BIOS and iLO as individual components. HP requires a service account to download service packs so you don’t always have immediate access. Such restrictions are not applied to individual updates.

    Mounting the service pack ISO over virtual KVM

    To mount the ISO you must first login to the iLO. To login to the iLO simply note the IP address displayed at boot time:

    If no IP address is displayed please ensure your iLO interface has an ethernet cable attached. If an address outside of your network is displayed this usually means a static address has been configured and the iLO should be reset. Reset the iLO to default settings.

    Take this IP address and type it into your browser. You will be greeted with a login prompt:

    Login: Administrator

    Password: (See sticker located on top of server)

    If you are unable to login with the default credentials this is another sign that the iLO needs to be reset. Once logged in you will notice a thumbnail of the server screen in the lower left corner of the window. This is the virtual console:

    Click the thumbnail and then select HTML 5 console to launch the virtual KVM.
    You will now see the active video output of your server. From here click the little icon that looks like a CD, then click CD/DVD, then click Local *.iso file.

    Now simply browse to the service pack to mount and begin the boot process.

    Once attached, the server will attempt to boot from the ISO during the boot cycle. Wait a few moments for the server to cycle through the boot order. This is the screen you want to see:

    There is nothing more to do at this point other than wait for the update process to complete. The system may restart several times. Once completed you should verify the installation by making note of the current BIOS version. The current BIOS version is displayed at boot time and both the BIOS and iLO versions can be found in the iLO as well.

    Updating individual components

    As mentioned, in absence of a service pack components can be updated individually. The 2 most important items we must update are the BIOS and the iLO firmware.

    Let’s start with the BIOS. First, login to the iLO as described previously in this document and then navigate to Firmware & OS Software. Then click Update Firmware:

    The following window appears:

    Select choose file and then attach the firmware package for the BIOS. The latest firmware can be obtained directly from HP. The correct file will have a .FLASH extension or a .FWPKG extension depending on the server.

    You will see a progress bar indicating that the file is being uploaded. If accepted, the firmware will install.

    Flashing firmware means the file was accepted and the update process has started.

    After each update it may be necessary to power cycle the server. You can do this simply by manually turning the server on or off, or rebooting the system inside of the iLO.

    Repeat this process for the other individual components.

  • Mini Controller means sacrificing a x16 PCIe slot on the R740xd

    Mini Controller means sacrificing a x16 PCIe slot on the R740xd

    On the DELL R740xd there are 3 variations of riser 1.

    2 of these variations are incompatible with a mini controller because of their length, and the fact that they use up the slot on the motherboard required by the mini controller. To install the mini controller, an interposer must be installed first.

    The interposer is essentially an interface between the controller and the motherboard.

    There is only 1 riser compatible with the mini controller and unfortunately it only has 3 x8 PCIe slots. No x16.

    The variations that do have x16 slots are too long and slot in to the same slot required by the interposer, as shown below:

    This riser has 2 x16 slots but incompatible with a mini controller.

    So if you need a lot of x16 slots consider that you’ll need to use a PCIe RAID controller and not the mini.