Dell PowerEdge Operate 2023 cheat sheet

PowerEdge naming: R = rack, T = tower, M = modular/blade, X = extreme density; the first digit denotes the series (1-2 entry, 3 midrange, 5/6 mainstream, 7/8 high-end), and the last two digits indicate the generation year (e.g., 15G = x5xx, 16G = x6xx).

15th generation models include R650/R750/R650xs/R750xs, T350/T550, MX750c, and C6520; 16th generation includes R660/R760/R6615/R7615, T360/T560, MX760c, and XE9680.

The iDRAC9 (15G) and iDRAC9-based iDRAC10 (16G) are the embedded management controllers; iDRAC10 adds support for the new System Erase, telemetry, and security features, but the core Lifecycle Controller workflows remain similar.

PERC RAID controllers: HBA355 (non-RAID HBA), H345/H355/H740/H750/H755/H840 are common 14G/15G PERCs; PERC 11 (H755, H965i) and PERC 12 (H965i) support NVMe RAID and higher queue depths.

Power supplies are Platinum/Titanium, 550W-2400W; mixing PSU wattage or efficiency in a redundant pair is not supported-both PSUs must match in capacity and rating.

Memory population rules: DDR4/DDR5 DIMMs must be populated in matched pairs (same capacity, speed, rank) per channel; unbalanced population reduces speed and may prevent boot; populate slots A1/A2, B1/B2, etc., per the server's service manual.

PCIe riser configurations vary by model; riser 1 is CPU1-attached, riser 2/3 may be CPU2-attached; verify slot-to-CPU mapping before installing a card to avoid reduced bandwidth.

Dell EMC PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) battery/cache: a battery or supercapacitor preserves cache during power loss; a failed battery may disable write-back cache until replaced.

Rack installation: use the rail kit specified for the server model (static vs. sliding vs. cable management arm); verify the rail is seated in the correct U positions and the CMA does not obstruct rear cabling.

Cabling best practice: separate power and data cables, use color-coded or labeled cables, and route through the CMA; never block PSU airflow or the rear exhaust.

Initial power-on: connect iDRAC management port, PSUs, and a monitor/keyboard if using local console; the first boot may take several minutes while iDRAC initializes.

iDRAC default network: DHCP enabled by default on the dedicated iDRAC port; if no DHCP, the default static IP is 192.168.0.120 with user root and password calvin (or the service tag-based password on newer firmware).

To configure iDRAC from the local console: press F2 during POST → iDRAC Settings → Network; set static IP, subnet, gateway, and DNS; enable IPMI over LAN if needed.

Lifecycle Controller initial setup: during first boot, the Initial Configuration Wizard prompts for language, network, iDRAC, and OS deployment; you can skip and configure later via iDRAC GUI or RACADM.

OS installation options: use the Lifecycle Controller OS Deployment wizard (with Dell-provided drivers) or boot from a virtual media ISO attached through iDRAC; ensure the virtual media is mapped before boot.

Cabling for redundancy: connect each PSU to a different PDU/circuit; connect iDRAC to the management network; for network redundancy, use separate NIC ports to different switches and configure teaming/LACP in the OS or via iDRAC.

iDRAC access methods: web GUI (https://), SSH/Telnet (racadm), Redfish REST API (/redfish/v1), IPMI, and serial console; the default web port is 443, SSH 22, and Redfish 443.

RACADM commands: racadm getsysinfo, racadm getsel, racadm serveraction powercycle, racadm set iDRAC.IPv4.Address <ip>, racadm racreset, racadm fwupdate -d <path>; use racadm help for command syntax.

Lifecycle Controller (LC) is a persistent flash partition on the iDRAC that stores system inventory, firmware, and configuration; it can be launched from the iDRAC GUI (Launch Virtual Console → Lifecycle Controller) or via F10 during POST.

LC features: Hardware Diagnostics, OS Deployment, Firmware Update, Component Replacement, Server Configuration Profile (SCP) export/import, and SupportAssist collection.

Virtual Console: iDRAC9 supports HTML5 and Java; enable the virtual console in iDRAC Settings → Virtual Console; virtual media can map an ISO from a network share (CIFS/NFS) or local file.

Server Configuration Profile (SCP): export a server's settings to an XML file (racadm get -f file.xml or iDRAC GUI) and import to another server; use racadm set -f file.xml to apply; SCP includes BIOS, iDRAC, RAID, and NIC settings.

iDRAC licensing: Express (default, basic monitoring), Enterprise (adds virtual console, virtual media, remote file share), and Datacenter (adds telemetry, auto-certificate); license is installed via iDRAC GUI → Licenses or racadm license import.

iDRAC reset: racadm racreset (soft) or racadm racreset hard; a reset does not power-cycle the host; use racadm serveraction for host power control.

Firmware update methods: iDRAC GUI (Update → Firmware), Lifecycle Controller (Firmware Update), Dell Repository Manager (DRM) to create custom bundles, OpenManage Enterprise (OME) for fleet updates, and racadm fwupdate.

Update sources: Dell FTP (ftp.dell.com), local file (uploaded to iDRAC), network share (CIFS/NFS), and HTTP/HTTPS; iDRAC can also check for updates from downloads.dell.com.

Firmware update order: update iDRAC first, then BIOS, then other components (PERC, NIC, PSU, etc.); some updates require a host reboot, while iDRAC updates may only require an iDRAC reset.

Driver updates: use Dell Command | Update (DCU) on the host OS, or Lifecycle Controller OS Driver Pack during OS deployment; for VMware, use Dell EMC customized ESXi images or vSphere Update Manager with Dell VIBs.

Dell Repository Manager (DRM): creates a repository of Dell Update Packages (DUPs) for a specific server model and firmware baseline; can export to a share for iDRAC/LC to consume.

OpenManage Enterprise (OME): centralized console for firmware baselines, compliance, and updates across PowerEdge fleet; supports firmware catalogs and update groups.

Firmware rollback: iDRAC allows rollback to a previous firmware version if the update fails or causes issues; use iDRAC GUI → Update → Rollback or racadm fwupdate -rollback.

Driver pack: the OS Driver Pack is a collection of drivers for a specific server generation; it is embedded in Lifecycle Controller or downloadable from Dell support; used during OS deployment to inject mass-storage and NIC drivers.

System Event Log (SEL): stored in iDRAC; view via iDRAC GUI → System → Logs → SEL, or racadm getsel; clear with racadm clrsel; SEL entries include sensor name, severity, and timestamp.

Lifecycle Controller Log: records configuration changes, firmware updates, and hardware events; view via iDRAC GUI → Lifecycle Log or racadm lcldevlog.

Embedded Hardware Diagnostics: available from Lifecycle Controller (F10 → Hardware Diagnostics) or iDRAC GUI → Troubleshooting → Diagnostics; run memory, CPU, disk, and network tests.

SupportAssist collection: generates a bundle of logs (iDRAC, LC, OS, hardware) for Dell support; run via iDRAC GUI → SupportAssist → Start Collection or racadm supportassist collect.

Component replacement: after replacing a part (e.g., PERC, NIC, PSU), use Lifecycle Controller → Component Replacement to update firmware and restore configuration from the persistent storage.

Predictive failure: iDRAC monitors PSU, memory, and disk predictive failure alerts; replace components proactively when a predictive failure is logged.

Hot-swap components: PSUs, fans, and SAS/SATA/NVMe drives are hot-swappable; memory and CPUs are not; follow proper procedures (e.g., power off for CPU/memory).

Diagnostic indicators: iDRAC GUI shows system health (green/amber/red) for all sensors; amber indicates a warning, red indicates a critical failure; use the health page to drill down to the failing component.

RAID levels supported by PERC: 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, 60; also non-RAID (HBA mode) and pass-through for NVMe.

Virtual disk creation: use iDRAC GUI → Storage → Controllers → Create Virtual Disk, or Lifecycle Controller → Configuration → RAID, or OpenManage Enterprise; select disks, RAID level, and initialization method (fast/full).

Initialization: fast init writes metadata only; full init writes zeros to all blocks and takes longer; background init runs after creation without blocking I/O.

Hot spare: assign a global or dedicated hot spare to a virtual disk; if a drive fails, the hot spare automatically rebuilds; ensure the hot spare is equal or larger capacity than the failed drive.

Rebuild: automatic if a hot spare exists; manual rebuild via iDRAC GUI → Storage → Virtual Disk → Rebuild; monitor rebuild progress in iDRAC.

PERC cache policy: write-back vs. write-through; write-back improves performance but requires a functional battery/supercapacitor; if battery fails, policy may switch to write-through.

Disk replacement: replace a failed drive with a same or larger capacity, same type (SAS/SATA/NVMe), and same speed; the controller may automatically start a rebuild if a hot spare is not present.

NVMe RAID: supported on PERC 11/12 (H755, H965i) with NVMe drives; requires specific backplane and cabling; NVMe RAID uses PCIe switches and may have different performance characteristics.

NIC partitioning: iDRAC supports NPAR (NIC Partitioning) and NPAR-EP for some Broadcom/Intel cards; NPAR allows a single physical port to appear as multiple PCIe functions; configure via iDRAC or BIOS.

SR-IOV: enabled in BIOS and supported by the NIC; allows virtual functions to be assigned directly to VMs; requires an SR-IOV-capable NIC and OS support.

iDRAC network configuration: dedicated port vs. shared LOM; dedicated port is isolated from host traffic; shared LOM uses a host NIC and may impact performance; configure via iDRAC Settings → Network.

VLAN configuration: iDRAC supports VLAN tagging for the management interface; set VLAN ID and priority in iDRAC network settings; ensure switch port is configured for the same VLAN.

Teaming/LACP: configure in the OS or via iDRAC (for supported NICs); LACP requires switch-side configuration; active-backup, ALB, and LACP are common modes.

Fibre Channel: PowerEdge supports FC HBAs (QLogic/Emulex); configure zoning on the FC switch; use iDRAC to view FC HBA status and WWN.

iSCSI: configure iSCSI boot via BIOS or iDRAC; use CHAP authentication; iSCSI offload supported on some NICs.

Network diagnostics: iDRAC provides NIC statistics and link status; use racadm getniccfg to view iDRAC network config; use OS tools (ethtool, ip) for host NICs.

OpenManage Enterprise (OME): web-based console for managing PowerEdge servers, firmware baselines, compliance, and automation; supports discovery, groups, and alert policies.

OpenManage Enterprise Modular (OME-M): manages modular infrastructure (MX7000 chassis, M1000e) including compute sleds and switches.

Dell Command | Monitor (DCM): agent-based monitoring for PowerEdge servers in an OS; provides hardware inventory and health to third-party consoles.

iDRAC REST API (Redfish): standard API for automation; use GET/POST/PATCH to /redfish/v1/Systems/System.Embedded.1, /Managers/iDRAC.Embedded.1, etc.; supports authentication via basic auth or session.

RACADM scripting: use racadm in scripts for configuration; racadm -r <idrac-ip> -u <user> -p <pass> getsysinfo for remote execution; use --nocertwarn to skip cert warnings.

Ansible modules: dellos9, dellemc.openmanage.idrac_* modules for iDRAC configuration, firmware updates, and user management; use idrac_firmware for updates.

Server Configuration Profile (SCP): export/import XML for automation; use racadm get -f file.xml and racadm set -f file.xml; SCP can be used with OME for bulk deployment.

Alerting: configure iDRAC alert destinations (SNMP, email, IPMI) via iDRAC GUI → Alerts or racadm set iDRAC.AlertDest; OME can receive alerts and trigger actions.

iDRAC user accounts: local users (up to 16) with roles (Administrator, Operator, ReadOnly, None); configure via iDRAC GUI → iDRAC Settings → Users or racadm set iDRAC.Users.<index>.UserName.

Authentication: local, Active Directory (AD), LDAP, and generic LDAP; AD integration requires configuring directory service and role groups; enable via iDRAC GUI → iDRAC Settings → User Authentication.

SSL certificates: iDRAC uses a self-signed certificate by default; replace with a CA-signed certificate via iDRAC GUI → iDRAC Settings → SSL → Upload; enable Auto Certificate Enrollment with OME.

Secure Boot: enable in BIOS to ensure only signed OS loaders run; requires UEFI boot mode; configure via BIOS → System Security → Secure Boot.

TPM: Trusted Platform Module 2.0 supported; enable in BIOS; used for BitLocker and measured boot; TPM must be enabled before OS installation for BitLocker.

System Erase: securely erases drives and resets iDRAC/BIOS to default; use iDRAC GUI → Troubleshooting → System Erase or racadm systemerase; options include erase drives, reset iDRAC, reset BIOS.

Audit logging: iDRAC logs user actions in the Lifecycle Log and SEL; enable remote syslog via iDRAC GUI → iDRAC Settings → Syslog; configure up to two syslog servers.

Password policy: enforce strong passwords; iDRAC supports password complexity rules; default password calvin should be changed immediately; use racadm set iDRAC.Users.2.Password.