Page 3 - Contents
Contents 1 Overview................................................................................................................. 9 Supported operating systems ............................................................................................................. 14 PERC card specifications...
Page 9 - Overview
1 Overview The Dell PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller (PERC) 9 Series of cards consist of the H330, H730, H730P, and H830 cards. • PERC H330: The PERC H330 is a general purpose RAID solution card. The card is available in Adapter (low profile and full height), Mini Monolithic, and Mini Blade form...
Page 14 - Supported operating systems
Figure 6. Features of PERC H830 adapter card 1. external SAS cable connectors 2. PERC H830 adapter 3. heat sink 4. battery cable 5. battery carrier Supported operating systems The PERC 9 series cards support the following operating systems: • Microsoft Windows Server 2012• Microsoft Windows Server 2...
Page 15 - PERC card specifications
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server version 11 SP3 (64-bit)• Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 7 NOTE: For the latest list of supported operating systems and driver installation instructions, see the system documentation at dell.com/support/manuals . For specific operating system service pack requirements...
Page 17 - Management applications for PERC cards; Comprehensive embedded management
Feature PERC H330 PERC H730 PERC H730P PERC H830 PERC FD33xD/ FD33xS PCIe Support Gen 3 Gen 3 Gen 3 Gen 3 Gen 3 Non-RAID or pass through mode Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Management applications for PERC cards Dell OpenManage Storage Management applications enable you to manage and configure the RAID system,...
Page 18 - Related documentation
NOTE: For more information, see the Dell OpenManage Storage Management User's Guide at dell.com/openmanagemanuals . Related documentation NOTE: • For all storage controllers and PCIe SSD documents, go to dell.com/storagecontrollermanuals . • For all Dell OpenManage documents, go to dell.com/openmana...
Page 19 - Getting started with your PERC card; Installing the operating system and the PERC card on a
2 Getting started with your PERC card The workflows outlined below list the procedures to getting started with the PERC card, based on your system configuration: • Installing the operating system and the PERC card on a base system • Installing the PERC card on a system with the operating system pre-...
Page 20 - Installing the PERC card on a system with the operating
5. Performing Background Initialization 6. Creating Secured Virtual Disks 7. Securing Pre-Existing Virtual Disks e. Managing controllers through BIOS 1. Enabling Boot Support 2. Enabling Boot Support For A BIOS-Enabled Controller 3. Enabling BIOS Stop On Error 4. Enabling Auto Import 4. Install the ...
Page 23 - Configuring settings of a replaced PERC card on a system
4. Initializing virtual disks 5. Performing Background Initialization 6. Creating Secured Virtual Disks 7. Securing Pre-Existing Virtual Disks e. Managing Controllers through BIOS 1. Enabling Boot Support 2. Enabling Boot Support For A BIOS-Enabled Controller 3. Enabling BIOS Stop On Error 4. Enabli...
Page 25 - Features; PERC 9 personality management; T10 protection information; Enabling T10 PI
3 Features PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) 9 series cards support the following features: • Personality mode management• T10 Protection Information (PI)• secure firmware update• improved RAID 10 configuration• 4KB block size disk drives PERC 9 personality management PERC 9 series of cards support t...
Page 26 - Disabling T10 PI; Secure firmware update
The Virtual Disk Management screen is displayed in the BIOS Configuration Utility window. If there is more than one controller, the main menu screen is displayed. Select a controller, and press <Enter>. The Virtual Disk Management screen is displayed for the selected controller. 2. Use the arr...
Page 27 - Configured spin down delay; Types of virtual disk initialization; Full initialization
There are four power-saving modes: No Power Savings ( default mode ) All power savings features are disabled. Balanced Power Savings Spin down is enabled only for unconfigured and hot spare disks. Maximum Power Savings Spin down is enabled for configured, unconfigured, and hot spare disks. NOTE: The...
Page 28 - Fast initialization; Background initialization; Consistency checks
NOTE: For better performance, you can perform full initialization on virtual disks. Full initialization does not support RAID 6 and RAID 60 virtual disks with the PI feature enabled. BGI runs instead. NOTE: If the system reboots during a full initialization, the operation aborts and a BGI begins on ...
Page 29 - Disk roaming; Using disk roaming; Configuring FastPath-capable virtual disks
Consistency Check (CC) and BGI both correct parity errors. However, CC reports data inconsistencies through an event notification, but BGI does not. You can start CC manually, but not BGI. Disk roaming Disk roaming is moving the physical disks from one cable connection or backplane slot to another o...
Page 30 - Virtual disk migration; Migrating virtual disks
The following table summarizes the FastPath-eligibility of read and write IOs across the supported RAID levels. Table 1. FastPath eligibility across supported RAID levels RAID 0 RAID 1 RAID 5 RAID 6 RAID 10 Read Yes Yes (Optimal and Degraded) Yes (Optimal and Degraded) Yes (Optimal and Degraded) Yes...
Page 31 - Virtual disk write cache policies; Conditions under which write-back is employed; Virtual disk read cache policies
NOTE: For more information on Foreign Configuration View , see Foriegn Configuration View . 5. Exit the BIOS Configuration Utility and reboot the system. Virtual disk write cache policies The write cache policy of a virtual disk determines how the controller handles writes to the virtual disk. The w...
Page 32 - Reconfiguration of virtual disks
Reconfiguration of virtual disks An online virtual disk can be reconfigured in ways that expands its capacity and/or change its RAID level. NOTE: Spanned virtual disks such as RAID 10, 50, and 60 cannot be reconfigured. NOTE: Reconfiguring Virtual Disks typically impacts disk performance until the r...
Page 34 - Fault tolerance; The SMART Feature
Source RAID Level Target RAID Level Number of Physical Disks (Beginning) Number of Physical Disks (End) Capacity Expansion Possible Description RAID 6 RAID 5 4 or more 4 or more Yes Removes one set of parity data and reclaims disk space used for it. RAID 6 RAID 6 4 or more 5 or more Yes Increases ca...
Page 35 - Patrol Read
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), ...
Page 36 - Controller cache preservation
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 dell.com/ support/manuals . Physic...
Page 37 - Battery Transparent Learn Cycle; Non-RAID disks support
Recovering cache data If a system power loss or improper system shutdown has occurred: 1. Restore the system power. 2. Boot the system. 3. To enter the BIOS Configuration Utility , select Managed Preserved Cache in the controller menu. For more information, see Entering the BIOS configuration utilit...
Page 39 - Deploying the PERC card; Removing the PERC 9 adapter
4 Deploying the PERC card 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...
Page 41 - Removing the PERC 9 mini monolithic controller
Installing the PERC 9 adapter 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 ...
Page 42 - Replacing the battery of a H730P mini monolithic card
b. Grasp the cable on both sides of the cable connector, and pull the cable up and away from the PERC card. 5. Angle the card so that the other end of the card disengages from the storage-controller card holder on the system board. 6. Replace the storage controller card and connect the cable. For mo...
Page 45 - Removing a H730P slim card
CAUTION: To prevent damage to the card, you must hold the card by its edges only. 4. Lower the other end of the card into the card holder on the system board. 5. Connect the storage controller cable: a. Grasp the cable on both sides of the cable connector and connect to the PERC card. b. Attach the ...
Page 46 - Replacing the battery of a H730P slim card
Figure 11. Removing and installing a H730P slim card 1. standoff (2) 2. H730P slim card cable connector 3. pull tag 4. H730P slim card 5. H730P slim card release latch 6. lock and unlock icon on the H730P slim card bracket Replacing the battery of a H730P slim card The battery attached to the H730P ...
Page 49 - Replacing the tethered battery of a PERC 9 mini blade card
Figure 13. Removing and installing the PERC 9 mini blade controller 1. hard-drive/SSD backplane cable connector 2. slot on the PCIe extender/storage controller card 3. tabs on the PCIe extender/storage controller card support bracket 4. standoff (2) Replacing the tethered battery of a PERC 9 mini bl...
Page 54 - Removing the PERC FD33xD Card
CAUTION: To prevent damage to the card, you must hold the card by its edges only. 5. Align the following:a. screw holes on the PERC 9 mini blade controller with the standoffs on the system board connector. b. slots on the PERC 9 mini blade controller edge with the tabs on the support bracket. 6. Low...
Page 55 - Replacing the battery of a PERC FD33xD card
Figure 18. Removing and installing the PERC FD33xD card 1. PERC FD33xD card 2. screw (3) 3. touch point on the cable 4. cable screw (2) 5. touch point on the PERC card (4) 6. connector on midplane interface module 9. Close the system. 10. Reconnect the system to its electrical outlet and turn on the...
Page 56 - Installing the PERC FD33xD card
6. Slide the battery carrier in the direction of the arrow printed on the battery carrier, and then flip the battery carrier open. 7. Remove the battery from the PERC card. Figure 19. Removing the battery 1. PECR FD33xD card 2. battery carrier 3. battery cable 4. battery 8. Install the replacement b...
Page 58 - Creating the device driver media; Downloading drivers from the Dell support website
5 Driver installation The Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) 9 series of cards require software drivers to operate with the supported operating systems. This chapter contains the procedures for installing the drivers for the PERC 9 cards. NOTE: The drivers for PERC 9 for VMware ESXi is packaged w...
Page 59 - media; Windows driver installation
Downloading drivers from the Dell systems service and diagnostic tools media To download drivers from the Dell Systems Service and Diagnostic Tools media: 1. Insert the Dell Systems Service and Diagnostics Tools media in your system. The Welcome to Dell Service and Diagnostic Utilities screen is dis...
Page 60 - Linux driver installation
4. Click Next . 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. ...
Page 61 - Installing or updating the RPM driver package with KMOD support; 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. Installing or u...
Page 62 - BIOS Configuration Utility; Entering the BIOS Configuration Utility
6 BIOS Configuration Utility The BIOS Configuration Utility , (<Ctrl> <R>), is a storage management application embedded on the PERC 9 cards that configure and maintain RAID disk groups and virtual disks. <Ctrl> <R> is independent of the operating system. NOTE: Use the BIOS C...
Page 63 - Menu navigation controls
3. Press <Esc> again to reach the exit screen.A dialog box is displayed to confirm your choice. 4. Select OK to exit and press <Enter>. Menu navigation controls The following table displays the menu keys you can use to move between the different screens in the BIOS Configuration Utility ...
Page 64 - Setting up virtual disks
Notation Meaning and Use Example to press <Esc> to exit the BIOS Configuration Utility (<Ctrl> <R>). <Tab> Press <Tab> to move the cursor to the next control on a dialog box or page. Press <Tab> to move the cursor to the next parameter you want to change. <Shif...
Page 66 - BIOS Configuration Utility menu options; Virtual disk management
Parameter Description No-Read-Ahead specifies that the controller does not use read ahead for the current virtual disk. BIOS Configuration Utility menu options The first menu that is displayed when you access the BIOS Configuration Utility <Ctrl> <R> is the main menu screen. It lists the...
Page 68 - Virtual disk actions
Menu Item Selected in Left Panel Information Displayed in Right Panel • Space available on the physical disks• Number of free segments• Number of dedicated hot spares Total Free Capacity Disk Group # Properties:• Number of virtual disks (VD)• Number of physical disks (PD)• Space available on the phy...
Page 69 - Physical disk actions
Action Description Manage preserved cache Preserves the dirty cache from a virtual disk if it goes offline or is deleted. The dirty cache is preserved until you import the virtual disk or discard the cache. Delete a virtual disk Deletes the virtual disk and frees up disk space to create another virt...
Page 70 - Rebuild
Table 8. Physical disk actions Action Description Rebuild Regenerates all data to a replacement disk in a redundant virtual disk (RAID level 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, or 60) after a disk failure. A disk rebuild normally occurs without interrupting normal operations on the affected virtual disk. Replace Membe...
Page 71 - Controller management actions
screen to perform actions on the controller and BIOS. You can perform functions such as enable or disable the controller BIOS, enable or disable the BIOS during bootup in the event of BIOS errors, and enable or disable the option to Auto Import . In addition, you can select a virtual disk from which...
Page 72 - Foreign configuration view
Foreign configuration view When a foreign configuration is present, you can select Foreign Configuration View to display the configuration. The screen shows the foreign configuration as it would be if you import it. You can preview the foreign configuration before you decide whether to import it or ...
Page 73 - Selecting virtual disk parameters
The virtual disk size is displayed in GB format. 13. Press <Tab> to access the VD Name field, and type a virtual disk name. 14. Press <Tab> to move the cursor to Advanced settings 15. Press the spacebar to make the settings active so that you can change them.An X is displayed beside Adva...
Page 75 - view screen
The VD Mgmt screen is displayed by default. 2. On the VD Mgmt screen, highlight the Controller # . 3. Press <F2> to display the available actions. 4. Navigate to the Foreign Config option and press the right arrow key to display the available actions: a. Import b. Clear NOTE: Ensure that your ...
Page 76 - Break mirror
a. Select Foreign Config to display the foreign configuration information on the Foreign Config screen. b. Press <F2> to display the options ( Import , Clear ). NOTE: You must have all the disks in the system before you perform the import operation. c. Select Import to import the foreign confi...
Page 77 - Managing preserved cache
NOTE: The Break Mirror operation is not available within the booted operating system environment. It is only available in the BIOS Configuration Utility (<Ctrl> <R>) utility and the UEFI RAID configuration utility. Break mirror in BIOS configuration utility The RAID 1 virtual disk that y...
Page 79 - Physical Disk Management; Setting LED blinking
Perform the following steps in the BIOS Configuration Utility (<Ctrl> <R>) to delete the virtual disks: 1. Press <Ctrl> <N> to access the VD Mgmt screen. 2. Use the arrow keys to move the cursor to Virtual Disks . 3. Press <F2>.The action menu is displayed. 4. Select De...
Page 82 - Controller Management; Enabling boot support
A list of physical disks is displayed. The status of each disk is displayed under the heading State . 2. Press the down-arrow key to highlight a physical disk that is in failed state. 3. Press <F2> to display a menu of available actions.The Rebuild option is highlighted at the top of the menu....
Page 84 - Restoring factory default settings
Restoring factory default settings You can use the Ctrl Mgmt menu screen to restore the default settings for the options in the Settings box. The settings are Enable Controller BIOS , Enable BIOS Stop on Error , and Enable Auto Import . Perform the following steps to restore default settings: 1. Pre...
Page 85 - UEFI/HII RAID configuration utility
7 UEFI/HII RAID configuration utility The UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) RAID configuration utility is a storage management application integrated into the System BIOS <F2>. It is used to configure and manage RAID disk groups, virtual disks, and physical disks. This utility is in...
Page 86 - Configuration management
The Device Settings screen displays a list of NIC ports and the Dell PERC 9 configuration utility. 2. To enter PERC 9 configuration utility, click Dell PERC 9 Configuration Utility . Displays the list of Configuration Options : • Controller Management — allows you to configure, manage, and view the ...
Page 87 - Creating profile based virtual disks; Converting physical disks to RAID capable disk; Converting physical disks to non-RAID disk; Viewing disk group properties
• Full: The entire virtual disk is initialized. 16. Click Create Virtual Disk and the virtual disks are created with the specified parameters. Creating profile based virtual disks 1. Enter the Dell PERC 9 Configuration Utility . See Navigating to PERC 9 Configuration Utility . 2. Click Configuration...
Page 88 - Managing foreign configurations on a RAID controller; Deleting existing configurations on a RAID controller; Controller management; Restoring factory settings for the controller; Saving controller events
3. You can view the following properties of the disk group: Option Description Capacity Allocation Displays the associated virtual disks for the disk group and the available free capacity, if any. Secured Indicates if the disk group is secured. Protected Indicated if the disk group is protected. NOT...
Page 89 - Enabling security for the controller; Saving debug log; Switching the controller to HBA mode
6. Click Save Events . A screen is displayed asking if you are sure you want to perform the operation. 7. Click Yes to continue. Enabling security for the controller 1. Enter the Dell PERC 9 Configuration Utility . See Navigating to PERC 9 Configuration Utility . 2. Click Controller Management → Ena...
Page 90 - Switching the controller to RAID mode; Viewing virtual disk properties; Viewing physical disks associated with a virtual disk
Switching the controller to RAID mode 1. Enter the Dell PERC 9 Configuration Utility . See Navigating to PERC 9 Configuration Utility . 2. Click Controller Management → Switch to RAID mode . The controller is switched to the RAID mode. You must reboot the system for the change to be effected. NOTE: ...
Page 91 - Physical disk management; Viewing physical disk properties; Hardware components management; Viewing battery properties
Physical disk management Viewing physical disk properties 1. Enter the Dell PERC 9 Configuration Utility . See Navigating to PERC 9 Configuration Utility . 2. Click Physical Disk Management . All the physical disks associated with the RAID controller are displayed. 3. To view the properties, click o...
Page 92 - Viewing physical disks associated with an enclosure
The additional advanced properties of the physical battery are displayed. Viewing physical disks associated with an enclosure 1. Enter the Dell PERC 9 Configuration Utility . See Navigating to PERC 9 Configuration Utility . 2. Click Hardware Components → Advanced Hardware Components → Enclosure Mana...
Page 93 - Security key and RAID management; Security key implementation
8 Security key and RAID management NOTE: The H330 PERC card does not support security key and RAID management features. Security key implementation The Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) 9 series of cards support Self-Encrypting Disks (SED) for protection of data against loss or theft of SEDs. Pr...
Page 95 - Securing pre-existing virtual disks
6. Enter an identifier for your Security Key. 7. Press <Tab> to enter a new passphrase. NOTE: You need to provide the current passphrase in order to change the security key on the controller. 8. Press <Tab> and select OK to accept the settings and to exit the window. Select Cancel to exi...
Page 96 - migration
Perform the following steps when securing a pre-existing virtual disk on a secured controller: 1. During the host system bootup, press <Ctrl> <R> when the BIOS screen is displayed.The Virtual Disk Management screen is displayed. If there is more than one controller, the main menu screen ...
Page 97 - Instant secure erase
7. Press <Tab> and select OK to finish importing the secured foreign configuration or select Cancel to exit this menu.If you select Cancel for the secured foreign import, the disks remain inaccessible until imported or instant secure erased. See Instant Secure Erase . Instant secure erase Inst...
Page 98 - Troubleshooting; BIOS configuration utility error messages; Discovery error message
9 Troubleshooting To get help with your Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) 9 series of cards, you can contact your Dell Technical Service representative or see dell.com/support . BIOS configuration utility error messages The controller BIOS read-only memory (ROM) provides Int 13h functionality (d...
Page 100 - BIOS disabled error message; Drive Configuration Changes Error Message
power off your system and check your cables to ensure all disks are present. If you continue, the data in cache will be permanently discarded. Press 'X' to acknowledge and permanently destroy the cached data. Probable Cause: The controller preserves the dirty cache from a virtual disk if the disk be...
Page 101 - Virtual disks offline error message; Virtual disks partially degraded error message
Offline or missing virtual drives with preserved cache error message Error Message: There are offline or missing virtual drives with preserved cache. Please check the cables and ensure that all drives are present. Press any key to enter the configuration utility . Probable Cause: The controller pres...
Page 102 - Foreign configuration found error message
Memory or battery problem error message Error Message: Memory/Battery problems were detected. The adapter has recovered, but cached data was lost. Press any key to continue Probable Cause: The message occurs under the following conditions: • The adapter detects data in the controller cache that has ...
Page 103 - Previous configuration cleared or missing error message; Invalid SAS topology detected error message; Configured disks removed or not accessible error message; Degraded state of virtual disks
If you insert a physical disk that was previously a member of a virtual disk in the system, and that disk’s previous location has been taken by a replacement disk through a rebuild, you must manually remove the foreign configuration flag of the newly inserted disk. Previous configuration cleared or ...
Page 104 - Security key errors; Secured foreign import errors
Memory errors Memory errors can corrupt cached data, so the controllers are designed to detect and attempt to recover from the memory errors. Single-bit memory errors can be handled by the controller and do not disrupt normal operation. A notification is sent if the number of single-bit errors excee...
Page 105 - Failure to delete security key; General Issues; PERC card has yellow bang in device manager; PERC card not seen in device manager; Physical disk issues; Physical disk in failed state
create an unsecured virtual disk even if there is a security key. Select the Secure VD option as No in the Create New VD menu. For steps on how to create an unsecured virtual disk, see Creating virtual disks . Failure to delete security key A security key is used to lock or unlock access to a securi...
Page 107 - Rebuilding a failed physical disk; Virtual disk fails during rebuild using a global hot spare
Rebuilding a failed physical disk Issue: Rebuilding a physical disk that is in a failed state. Corrective Action: If you have configured hot spares, the PERC card automatically tries to use one of the hot spares to rebuild a physical disk that is in a failed state. Manual rebuild is necessary if no ...
Page 108 - SMART errors; Replace member errors
SMART errors SMART monitors the internal performance of all motors, heads, and physical disk electronics and detects predictable physical disk failures. NOTE: For information about where to find reports of SMART errors that could indicate hardware failure, see the Dell OpenManage storage management ...
Page 109 - Linux operating system errors; Virtual disk policy is assumed as write-through error message
Source disk fails during replace member operation Issue: The source disk fails during the Replace Member operation. Corrective Action: If the source data is available from other disks in the virtual disk, the rebuild begins automatically on the target disk, using the data from the other disks. Targe...
Page 110 - Unable to register SCSI device error message; Disk Carrier LED Indicators; UEFI error messages; Unhealthy Status of the Drivers
Unable to register SCSI device error message Error: smartd[smartd[2338] Device: /dev/sda, Bad IEC (SMART) mode page, err=-5, skip device smartd[2338] Unable to register SCSI device /dev/sda at line 1 of file /etc/smartd.conf . Corrective Action: This is a known issue. An unsupported command is enter...
Page 112 - Appendix: RAID description; Summary of RAID levels; Disk striping
10 Appendix: RAID description RAID is a group of independent physical disks that provides high performance by increasing the number of disks used for saving and accessing data. CAUTION: In the event of a physical disk failure, a RAID 0 virtual disk fails, resulting in data loss. A RAID disk subsyste...
Page 114 - Parity data
Parity data Parity data is redundant data that is generated to provide fault tolerance within certain RAID levels. In the event of a disk failure, the parity data can be used by the controller to regenerate user data. Parity data is present for RAID 5, 6, 50, and 60. The parity data is distributed a...
Page 115 - Getting help; Contacting Dell; Documentation feedback; Locating your system Service Tag
11 Getting help You can get help with your Dell product by contacting Dell, or send feedback on product documentation. Contacting Dell Dell provides several online and telephone-based support and service options. If you do not have an active Internet connection, you can find contact information on y...
