Dell PowerEdge R910 Technical Guide
Dell
This document is for informational purposes only. Dell reserves the right to make changes without further notice to any products herein. The content provided is as is and without express or implied warranties of any kind. Dell, PowerEdge, EqualLogic, PowerVault, OpenManage, and ReadyRails are trademarks of Dell, Inc. Citrix® and XenServer™ are trademarks of Citrix Systems, Inc. and/or one or more of its subsidiaries, and may be registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Intel, Xeon, and Speedstep are registered trademarks and MMX and Core are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. HP and COMPAQ are trademarks of Hewlett-Packard Company. Broadcom is a registered trademark and NetXtreme is a trademark of Broadcom Corporation and/or its affiliates in the United States, certain other countries and/or the EU. CommVault Galaxy® or Simpana® are registered trademarks of CommVault Systems, Inc. InfiniBand is a registered trademark and service mark of the InfiniBand Trade Association. Matrox is a registered trademark of Matrox Electronic Systems Ltd. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Server, SQL Server, and BitLocker, and Hyper-V are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Mellanox is a registered trademark of Mellanox Technologies, Inc. and ConnectX, InfiniBlast, InfiniBridge, InfiniHost, InfiniRISC, InfiniScale, and InfiniPCI are trademarks of Mellanox Technologies, Inc. Red Hat is a registered trademark of Red Hat, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Symantec and Backup Exec are trademarks owned by Symantec Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. QLogic and PathScale are registered trademarks of Qlogic Corporation. VMware is a registered trademark and vSphere is a trademark of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell disclaims proprietary interest in the marks and names of others. ©Copyright 2010 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or translation of any part of this work beyond that permitted by U.S. copyright laws without the written permission of Dell Inc. is unlawful and strictly forbidden. Revision 1
December 2010
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Dell
Table of Contents 1
Product Comparison .............................................. 7 1.1 Overview of PowerEdge R910 Benefits ................................ 7 1.2 Comparison of PowerEdge R910 to PowerEdge R900........................ 8 2 New Technologies .............................................. 10 2.1 Overview ................................................ 10 2.2 Detailed Information ......................................... 10 2.2.1 Intel Xeon Processor 7500 Series ................................ 10
3 4
2.2.2
Internal Dual SD Module (IDSM) ................................ 11
2.2.3
10Gb Embedded NIC ....................................... 11
System Information ............................................. Mechanical .................................................. 4.1 Chassis Description........................................... 4.2 Dimensions and Weight ........................................ 4.3 Front Panel View and Features ................................... 4.4 Back Panel View and Features .................................... 4.5 Power Supply Indicators ........................................ 4.6 NIC Indicators .............................................. 4.7 Internal Chassis View ......................................... 4.8 Rails and Cable Management ..................................... 4.9 Fans ................................................... 4.10 Cabling .................................................. 4.11 Security ................................................. 4.11.1 Cover Latch ............................................
12 15 15 16 17 19 20 20 21 21 21 23 24 24
4.11.2
Bezel ................................................ 24
4.11.3
Hard Drive ............................................. 25
4.11.4
Trusted Platform Module (TPM) ................................ 25
4.11.5
Power Off Security ........................................ 25
4.11.6
Intrusion Alert .......................................... 25
4.11.7
Secure Mode ........................................... 25
4.12 USB Key ................................................. 4.13 Battery .................................................. 4.14 Field Replaceable Units (FRU).................................... 4.15 User Accessible Jumpers, Sockets, and Connectors ........................ 5 Electrical ................................................... 5.1 Clock Circuitry ............................................. 6 Power, Thermal, Acoustic ......................................... 6.1 Power Supplies and Power Subsystem ............................... 6.2 Environmental Specifications..................................... 6.3 Thermal................................................. 6.4 Acoustics ................................................ 7 Processors ................................................... 7.1 Overview ................................................ Dell PowerEdge R910 Technical Guide
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25 26 27 27 28 28 29 29 31 31 32 35 35
Dell 7.2 Features ................................................. 7.3 Supported Processors ......................................... 7.4 Processor Configurations ....................................... 7.5 Additional Processor Information .................................. 8 Memory .................................................... 8.1 Overview ................................................ 8.2 Slots/Risers ............................................... 8.3 Key Features of the R910 Memory Subsystem........................... 8.4 Memory Speed Limitations ...................................... 8.5 Sparing .................................................. 8.6 Mirroring ................................................. 8.7 RAID ................................................... 8.8 Supported Configurations ....................................... 9 Chipset .................................................... 9.1 Intel 7500 Chipset I/O Hub (IOH) .................................. 9.2 IOH QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) .................................. 9.3 PCI EXPRESS GENERATION 2 ..................................... 9.4 Direct Media Interface (DMI) ..................................... 9.5 Intel I/O Controller Hub 10 (ICH10) ................................. 9.6 PCI Express Connectors........................................ 10 BIOS ...................................................... 10.1 Overview ................................................ 10.2 System ID ................................................ 10.3 I2C .................................................... 11 Embedded NICs/LAN on Motherboard (LOM) ............................... 12 I/O Slots .................................................... 12.1 Overview ................................................ 12.2 Quantities and Priorities ....................................... 12.3 PCI Card Information ......................................... 13 Storage .................................................... 13.1 Overview ................................................ 13.2 Backplanes ............................................... 13.2.1 2.5‖ x4 Backplane ........................................ 13.2.2
35 36 36 36 37 37 39 39 39 39 40 40 40 41 41 41 41 41 41 42 43 43 43 43 44 45 45 46 46 47 47 47 47
2.5‖ x16 Backplane ....................................... 48
13.3 Flash BIOS Memory ........................................... 13.4 Drives .................................................. 13.5 RAID Configurations .......................................... 13.6 Storage Controllers .......................................... 13.6.1 PERC H200 .............................................
49 49 50 52 52
13.6.2
PERC H700 ............................................. 52
13.6.3
PERC H800 ............................................. 52
13.6.4
Storage Card Support Matrix .................................. 53
13.7 LED Indicators ............................................. 13.8 Optical Drives .............................................. 14 Video ...................................................... 15 Audio ...................................................... 16 Rack Information ............................................... Dell PowerEdge R910 Technical Guide
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54 54 55 56 57
Dell 16.1 Overview ................................................ 16.2 Rails ................................................... 16.3 Cable Management Arm (CMA) .................................... 16.4 Rack View ................................................ 17 Operating Systems .............................................. 18 Virtualization ................................................. 19 Systems Management ............................................ 19.1 Overview/Description ......................................... 19.2 Server Management .......................................... 19.3 Embedded Server Management ................................... 19.4 Lifecycle Controller and Unified Server Configurator ...................... 19.5 Optional iDRAC Express ........................................ 19.6 iDRAC6 Enterprise ........................................... 20 Peripherals .................................................. 20.1 USB peripherals............................................. 20.2 External Storage............................................
57 57 58 58 60 61 62 62 62 63 63 64 64 67 67 67
Tables Table 1. Table 2. Table 3. Table 4. Table 5. Table 6. Table 7. Table 8. Table 9. Table 10. Table 11. Table 12. Table 13. Table 14. Table 15. Table 16. Table 17. Table 18. Table 19. Table 20.
Product Comparison ......................................... 8 Summary of R910 features ..................................... 12 PSU System Configurations .................................... 30 Power Supply Specifications .................................... 31 Operating/Non-Operating (Storage) Requirements ...................... 32 Acoustics of the PowerEdge R910 ................................. 33 Configuration Corresponding to Acoustical Data Presented ................. 34 Intel Xeon Processor 7500 Series Cache Sizes .......................... 35 R910 Supported Intel Xeon Processor 7500 Series ....................... 36 R910 Supported HDDs ........................................ 49 RAID Configurations ......................................... 50 Storage Card Support Matrix.................................... 53 Supported Video Modes ...................................... 55 Rack Types Supported by the R910 ................................ 57 Rail Adjustability Range and Depth................................ 58 Unified Server Configurator Features and Description..................... 63 Features List for BMC, iDrac, and vFlash ............................ 64 External Storage........................................... 67 Standards Compliance ....................................... 68 R910 Volatility ............................................ 70
Figures Figure 1. R910 Front View with Bezel .................................... Figure 2. R910 Front View without Bezel .................................. Figure 3. R910 Rear View ........................................... Figure 4. R910 Dimensions .......................................... Figure 5. Front Panel View of R910 ..................................... Figure 6. R910 LCD ............................................... Dell PowerEdge R910 Technical Guide 5
15 15 16 17 18 19
Dell Figure 7. Back Panel View ........................................... 19 Figure 8. Power Supply Indicators ...................................... 20 Figure 9. NIC Indicators ............................................ 20 Figure 10. R910 Internal View ........................................ 21 Figure 11. R910 Fan Cage .......................................... 22 Figure 12. Cabling Diagram ......................................... 23 Figure 13. R910 Cover Latch ......................................... 24 Figure 14. R910 Bezel Lock ......................................... 24 Figure 15. USB Key Location ......................................... 26 Figure 16. Coin Cell Battery on Motherboard ............................... 27 Figure 17. R910 Power Supply ........................................ 29 Figure 18. PowerEdge R910 DIMM Naming and Numbering ....................... 38 Figure 19. PCIe I/O slots ........................................... 45 Figure 20. 2.5‖ x4 Backplane ........................................ 48 Figure 21. 2.5‖ x16 Backplane ....................................... 48 Figure 22. 2.5‖ HDD carrier......................................... 49 Figure 23. R910 ReadyRails Sliding Rails with Optional CMA ...................... 57 Figure 24. R910 Mounted in the B2 Sliding Rails ............................. 59 Figure 25. R910 CMA Mounted on the Side Opposite the Power Supplies (Recommended)..... 59
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1 Product Comparison 1.1 Overview of PowerEdge R910 Benefits The Dell™ PowerEdge™ R910 provides performance and reliability in a scalable 4U, four-socket server allowing large workload consolidation or max virtualization machine density. With Intel® Advanced RAS (Reliability, Availability, Serviceability) Technology, internal dual SD modules for hypervisor redundancy, including design and component quality paired with Dell Lifecycle Controller, technicians avoid having to load diagnostics from other media. Dell built-in reliability saves valuable time and minimizes downtime for mission-critical workloads. Purpose Built for Reliability The PowerEdge R910 is built for reliability through factory integration and validation. The Dell ―onetouch‖ process is designed to ensure one person is responsible for the entire server build, resulting in greater quality control. Every fully configured Dell server is tested (and re-tested) before it leaves the factory providing customers a fully configured and tested ready-to-deploy server. Internal Dual SD module provides failover at the hypervisor; this feature was designed based on customer reliability feedback. Dell listened and delivered. With Intel Advanced RAS Technology features never before seen in an industry-standard server, the PowerEdge R910 can automatically monitor, report, and recover from hardware errors to maintain data integrity and keep mission-critical services online. Efficient Infrastructure Performance resources, power efficiency, I/O, and memory scalability are essential to maximizing workload in the data center. The PowerEdge R910 delivers the highest performing Xeon 7500 Series processors, up to 1TB of DDR3 memory, and 2 x 10Gb Optional LOM with 10 PCIe slots to help consolidate inefficient workloads. Energy-efficient system design built with Energy Smart technologies includes power management features enabling power capping, power inventory, and power budgeting within your specific environment. Logical component layout of the internal components aids with airflow direction, helping to keep the server cool. Intelligent Platforms, Connected Foundations The PowerEdge R910 follows the 11th Generation PowerEdge behavioral specifications with the same system design commonality and usability true to the entire portfolio. All 11th Generation servers are designed to make the user experience easier while saving time and money. Dell system management solutions focus on simplicity, efficiency, cost containment and reduction, and an adherence to open standards. Our systems management solutions are complemented by, connected to, and integrated with 3rd-party offerings, thereby delivering comprehensive solutions across the complete solutions stack. The Lifecycle Controller is a chip that is integrated on the server. It helps to simplify administrator tasks by performing a complete set of provisioning functions such as system deployment, system updates, hardware configuration, and diagnostics in a pre-OS environment—all from a single, intuitive interface called the Unified Server Configurator (USC). The PowerEdge R910 is easy to deploy, better to manage and maintain. Designed to save customers time and money to focus on what matters most, their people and business.
Dell
1.2 Comparison of PowerEdge R910 to PowerEdge R900 The Dell™ PowerEdge™ R910 is Dell’s 11th generation general purpose 4-socket 4U Intel® based rack server. The R910 features the highest level performance scalability, system availability, and I/O expandability, providing performance and capacity leadership with reliability built-in to run businesscritical applications. R900 is the predecessor of R910. The PowerEdge R910 and the rest of the 11th generation servers are designed around optimizing virtualization, system management, usability and industrial design, and best-in-class power and thermals. The PowerEdge R910 is ideal for large database, virtualization, and business-critical applications. Table 1. Feature/Spec
Product Comparison
PowerEdge R910 ®
®
PowerEdge R900 (predecessor)
Processor
Intel Xeon Processor 7500 Series Two or four 4-core, 6-core, or 8core 95W, 105W, and 130W TDP options
Intel® Xeon® Processor 7200, 7300, & 7400 Series Two or four 2-core, 4-core, or 6-core 80W, 90W, and 120W TDP options
Front Side Bus
Up to 6.4 GT/s Quick Path Interconnect (QPI) links
1066MHz
# Processors
2 or 4
2 or 4
# Cores
4, 6, or 8
2, 4, or 6
L2/L3 Cache
12MB or 18MB or 24MB
8MB or 12MB or 16MB
®
Chipset
Intel 7500
Intel® 7300
DIMMs
64 x DDR3 1066 MHz DDR3 RDIMM
32 x FBD 667MHz FBD
Min/Max RAM
4GB/1TB
2GB/256GB
HD Bays
Hot Swap HDD 16 x 2.5‖ HDD
Hot Swap HDD 8 x 2.5‖ HDD 5 x 3.5‖ HDD
HD Types
SAS, SSD
SAS, SATA, Near-line SAS
Ext Drive Bay(s)
External USB floppy & SATA optical drives
External USB floppy & SATA optical drives
Int. HD Controller
PERC Η200 or PERC Η700
SAS6iR or PERC6/I
Opt. HD Controller
PERC Η800 or 6Gbps SAS
PERC 6/E or SAS5/E
Availability
Hot Swap HDD Hot Swap Redundant PSU Redundant Cooling ECC memory Sparing, Mirroring Single Device Data Correction (SDDC)
Hot Swap HDD Hot Swap Redundant PSU Redundant Cooling ECC memory Sparing, Mirroring Single Device Data Correction (SDDC)
Server Management
OpenManage™ 6.2
OpenManage™ 5.4
I/O Slots
Standard: 7 PCIe Gen2 slots (2 x4, 4
7 PCIe Gen1 (4 x8, 3 x4)
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Dell Feature/Spec
PowerEdge R910
PowerEdge R900 (predecessor)
x8, 1 x16) Optional: 10 PCIe Gen2 (6 x4, 4 x8) Slot5 is Gen1 RAID
PERC H200, PERC H700, PERC H800, and 6Gbps SAS
PERC 6/I, SAS 6iR and PERC 6/E
NIC/LOM
1GbE or 10Gb embedded NIC options 4-port (4 x 1GbE) Embedded NIC Broadcom 5709c (or) 4-port (2 x 10Gb SFP+ & 2 x 1GbE) Embedded NIC Broadcom 57711 + Broadcom 5709c
1GbE embedded NIC 4 port Embedded NIC Broadcom 5708
USB
2 in the rear 2 in the front 1 internal
2 in the rear 2 in the front 1 internal
Power Supplies
Hot swap redundant PSUs 4 x 750W (Energy Smart PSU ) (or) 4 x 1100W (High Output PSU)
Hot swap redundant PSUs 2 x 1570W
Fans
Redundant Cooling
Redundant cooling
Chassis
4U Rack
4U Rack
Chassis depth
~29.6‖
~27.5‖
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2 New Technologies 2.1 Overview The PowerEdge R910 uses a number of new technologies:      
Intel 7500 chipset Intel Xeon processor 7500 series DDR3 RDIMM memory Internal Dual SD module 6G SAS technology 10GbE Embedded NIC
2.2 Detailed Information The Intel Xeon processor 7500 series 4S is the microprocessor designed specifically for server applications. The processor features 4-core, 6-core, and 8-core processing to maximize performance and performance/watt for data center infrastructures and highly dense deployments. The Intel Xeon processor 7500 series 4S also features Intel’s Core™ micro-architecture and Intel 64 architecture for flexibility in 64-bit and 32-bit applications and operating systems.
2.2.1 Intel Xeon Processor 7500 Series Key Features of the Intel Xeon processor 7500 series:                      
Up to eight cores per socket Up to 24MB shared L3 cache 45nm process technology Four full-width, bidirectional point-to-point Intel® QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) links at 6.4 GT/s Four Intel® Scalable Memory Interconnects (SMI) at 6.4 GT/s Socket – LS, LGA 1567 package No termination required for non-populated CPUs (must populate CPU socket 1 first) Integrated QuickPath DDR3 memory controller 64-byte cache line size RISC/CISC hybrid architecture Compatible with existing x86 code base Optimized for 32-bit code MMX support Execute Disable Bit Intel® Wide Dynamic Execution (Executes up to four instructions per clock cycle) Simultaneous Multi-Threading (SMT) capability (2 threads/core) Support for CPU Turbo Mode on certain SKUs (Increases CPU frequency if operating below thermal, power, and current limits) Streaming SIMD (Single Instruction, Multiple Data) Extension 4 Intel® 64 Technology Intel® VT-x and VT-d Technology for virtualization support Enhanced Intel® SpeedStep® Technology Demand-based switching for active CPU power management as well as support for ACPI PStates, C-States, and T-States
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2.2.2 Internal Dual SD Module (IDSM) The PowerEdge R910 also offers a second internal USB port dedicated for embedded Hypervisor for virtualization operating systems like Citrix® and VMware® through a dual SD-to-USB daughter card called an Internal Dual SD Module. The IDSM port is located on the back of the IO riser board. The SD Flash Cards contains a bootable OS image for virtualized platforms. IDSM consists of up to two SD cards that are mirrored when set in the redundant mode for the higher availability.
2.2.3 10Gb Embedded NIC 10Gb I/O cards (Embedded NICs) are designed to provide higher data throughput for demanding applications like virtualization. The 10Gb NICs are Broadcom® BCM57711 Gigabit MAC with BCM8727 SFP+ PHY. Features include:           
x8 PCI Express Gen2 capable interface SFP+ interface supported with SR and LRM optics or direct attached cable TOE (TCP Offload Engine) iSCSI controller RDMA controller (RNIC) (enabled through an optional hardware key) NC-SI (Network Controller-Sideband Interface) connection Wake-On-LAN (WOL) PXE 2.0 remote boot iSCSI boot IPv4 and IPv6 support Bare metal deployment support
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3 System Information Table 2.
Summary of R910 features
Feature
Details
Processor
Intel® Xeon® Processor 7500 Series Two or four 4-core, 6-core, or 8-core 95W, 105W and 130W TDP options
Front Side Bus
Intel® QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) links @ maximum of 6.4 GT/s
# Cores
4, 6, or 8 cores
L2/L3 Cache
12MB, 16MB, 24MB
Chipset
Intel® 7500
Maximum Internal Storage
Up to 4.8TB
DIMMs/Speed
64 RDIMM DDR3 – 1066 MHz Memory module capacities of 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB RDIMMs
Min/Max RAM
4GB/1TBB
HD Bays
Hot-swap HDDs Up to sixteen 2.5‖ SAS or SSD hard drives Mixing of SAS and SSD drives
HD Types
SAS and SSD
Ext Drive Bay(s)
External USB floppy Optional SATA half-height optical drives such as DVD-ROM or DVD+RW Optional SATA or SCSI half-height (or full-height) tape back-up drive
HD Controller
Internal: PERC Η200 or PERC Η700 Optional: PERC H800 and 6Gbps SAS
BIOS
4MB flash for system BIOS and Video BIOS
Video
Integrated Matrox® G200, 8MB shared video memory
Availability
Hot-swap Hard Drives, Hot-swap Power; Memory SDDC, ECC, Control Line Parity, Redundant Cooling, Add Interactive LCD with hot-swap HDD chassis
Server Management
Dell™ Embedded Server Management provides IPMI 2.0 compliance.
Remote Management
iDRAC6 Express + Optional iDRAC6 Enterprise
I/O Slots
Standard: 7 PCIe Gen2* slots (2 x4, 4 x8, 1 x16) Optional: 10 PCIe Gen2* (6 x4, 4 x8) *Slot5 is Gen1 The storage controller card has a dedicated slot (PCIe x8) apart from the available 10 PCIe slots.
RAID
PERC H200, PERC H700, PERC H800 and 6Gbps SAS
Network Interface Cards
Embedded NICs: 1GbE or 10Gb embedded NIC options with iSCSI offload 2x Broadcom® 5709c (4 ports x 1GbE Base-T Copper) Embedded NIC or
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Dell Feature
Details Broadcom® 57711 (2 ports x 10Gb SFP+) and Broadcom® 5709c (2 ports x 1GbE Base-T Copper) Embedded NIC Optional NICs: Broadcom® 57710 Single Port 10GbE NIC, Copper CAT6 PCIe-8 Intel® DA 10GbE NIC, Dual Port, Optical, PCIe-8 Intel® 10GbE Single Port 10GbE NIC, Copper, PCIe-8 Broadcom® NetXtreme® II 5709 Gigabit NIC w/TOE & iSOE, Quad Port, Copper, PCIe-4 Broadcom® 5709 Dual Port 1GbE NIC w/TOE PCIe-4, Low Profile Broadcom® 5709 Dual Port 1GbE NIC w/TOE iSCSI, PCIe-4, Low Profile Broadcom® 5709 Dual Port 1GbE NIC w/TOE iSCSI, PCIe-4 Broadcom® NetXtreme® II 5709 Gigabit NIC w/TOE & iSOE, Quad Port, Copper, PCIe-4, Low Profile Broadcom® 5709 Dual Port 1GbE NIC w/TOE PCIe-4 Broadcom® NetXtreme® II 57711 10GbE NIC w/TOE & iSOE, Dual Port, SFP+, PCIe-8 Intel® Gigabit ET NIC, Dual Port, Copper, PCIe-4, Low Profile Intel® Gigabit ET Dual Port NIC, PCIe-4 Intel® Gigabit ET NIC, Quad Port, Copper, PCIe-4, Low Profile Broadcom® 5709 Dual Port 1GbE NIC w/TOE PCIe-4, Low Profile Intel® Gigabit ET Quad Port NIC, PCIe-4
USB
Total: 5 , USB 2.0 compliant 2 in the rear 2 in the front 1 internal
Power Supplies
Hot-swap redundant PSUs 4 x 750W (Energy Smart PSU ) (or) 4 x 1100W (High Output PSU)
Front Panel
The system control panel is located on the front of the system chassis to provide user access to buttons, display, and I/O interfaces LCD on front panel for error messaging
System ID
System ID switch with LED indicator at rear side and LCD indication at front side 128x20 pixel LCD with controls on front panel for system ID and error messaging System ID for PE R910 is 0x02d3
Fans
Redundant Cooling
Chassis
4U rack-mount Chassis depth is ~29.6‖
Rack Support
ReadyRails™ sliding rails for tool-less mounting in 4-post racks with square or unthreaded round holes, with support for optional tool-less cable management arm
Operating Systems
Microsoft® Microsoft® Microsoft® Microsoft®
Windows® Essential Business Server 2008 Windows Server® 2008 SP2, x86/x64 (x64 includes Hyper-V™) Windows Server® 2008 R2, x64 (includes Hyper-V™ v2) Windows® HPC Server 2008
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Dell Feature
Details Novell® SUSE® Linux® Enterprise Server Red Hat® Enterprise Linux® For more information on the specific versions and additions, visit www.dell.com/OSsupport.
Systems Management
BMC, IPMI 2.0 compliant Dell™ OpenManage™ featuring Dell Management Console, Unified Server Configurator, Lifecycle Controller enabled via optional iDRAC6 Express, iDRAC6 Enterprise, and vFlash
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4 Mechanical 4.1 Chassis Description The PowerEdge R910 fits in a rack mount 4U chassis. The R910 chassis brings some new features over previous generations, including: 
DIMMs on memory risers

Updated industrial design including a new LCD, bezel, and hard drive carriers

Toolless rack latches

Pull-out tray for Express Service Tag and customer labels

Support for persistent storage (internal USB and SD card slots and external SD card slot)

Updated power supply removal process
Figure 1.
Figure 2.
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R910 Front View with Bezel
R910 Front View without Bezel
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Figure 3.
R910 Rear View
4.2 Dimensions and Weight The R910 weight with maximum configuration is 47.60 kg (105 lb). Weight empty is 26.31 kg (58 lb).
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Xa (Width w/ Rack Latches)
Xb (Width w/o Rack Latches)
48.24 mm (18.99 in)
42.20 mm (16.62 in)
Y (Height)
17.26 mm (6.8 in)
Figure 4.
Za (Depth w/ bezel)
Za (Depth w/o bezel)
Zb (Depth w/o power supply and bezel)
35.0 mm
20.4 mm
699.0 mm
Zc (Depth w/ power supply) 753.0 mm
R910 Dimensions
4.3 Front Panel View and Features
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Figure 5.
Front Panel View of R910
The following components and connectors are located on the front of the R910:         
Power-on indicator, Power button USB connectors; connects USB devices to the system; two 4-pin, USB 2.0-compliant LCD menu buttons which allow you to navigate the control panel LCD menu LCD panel which provides system ID, status information, and system error messages Non-Maskable Interrupt (NMI) button Ambient temperature sensor System identification button Optical drive (optional) Hard drives
The LCD panel is a graphics display controlled by the iDRAC. Error codes can be sent to the display by either ESM or BIOS. See LCD Panel Features in the Hardware Owner’s Manual for more information. BIOS will have the ability to enter a ―Secure Mode‖ through Setup, which will lock the Power and NMI buttons. When in this mode, pressing either button has no effect and does not mask other sources of NMI and power control. The system control panel is located on the front of the system chassis to provide user access to buttons, display, and I/O interfaces. See Front-Panel Features and Indicators in the Hardware Owner’s Manual. Features of the system control panel include:        
ACPI-compliant power button with an integrated green power LED (controlled by iDRAC6) 128x20 pixel LCD panel with controls Two navigation buttons One select button One system ID button Non-Maskable Interrupt (NMI) button (recessed) Ambient temperature sensor Two external USB 2.0 connectors
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Dell The LCD panel is a graphics display controlled by the iDRAC6. Error codes can be sent to the display by either iDRAC6 or BIOS. BIOS will have the ability to enter a ―Secure Mode‖ through Setup, which will lock the Power and NMI buttons. When in this mode, pressing either button has no effect but does not mask other sources of NMI and power control.
Figure 6.
R910 LCD
4.4 Back Panel View and Features
Figure 7.
Back Panel View
The following components and connectors are located on the rear panel of the R910:  15-pin VGA connector  DB-9 Serial Port connector  (4) RJ-45 Ethernet connectors with 1 GbE IO riser, OR  (2) RJ-45 Ethernet + (2) SFP+ connectors with 10Gb IO riser  Rear System ID button  Rear System Status/ID blue/amber LED Dell PowerEdge R910 Technical Guide
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Active ID Cable Management Arm (CMA) external led jack (2) USB ports (Optional) RJ-45 iDRAC6 Enterprise connector (Optional) vFlash card on the iDRAC6 Enterprise card
4.5 Power Supply Indicators
1
strap
2
power supply status indicator
Figure 8.
Power Supply Indicators
See Power Indicator Codes in the Hardware Owner’s Manual for information.
4.6 NIC Indicators
1 link indicator 2 activity indicator
Figure 9.
NIC Indicators
See NIC Indicator Codes in the Hardware Owner’s Manual for information. Dell PowerEdge R910 Technical Guide
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4.7 Internal Chassis View
Figure 10. R910 Internal View
4.8 Rails and Cable Management ReadyRailsTM Sliding Rails for 4-post racks support the following: 
Toolless installation in 19‖ EIA-310-E compliant square or unthreaded round hole 4-post racks including all generations of Dell racks (Note: Threaded 4-post racks require Dell’s fixed shelf or 3rd party adapter brackets available through Dell Software & Peripherals.)  Full extension of the system out of the rack to allow serviceability of key internal components  Optional cable management arm (CMA) except on racks less than 1m in depth including Dell 4200 & 2400 racks Measurements and adjustment ranges for the rack:    
Rail depth without the CMA: 755 mm Rail depth with the CMA: 883 mm Square-hole rack adjustment range: 686–883 mm Round-hole rack adjustment range: 672–876 mm
See Section 16 for more information.
4.9 Fans Six 120mm single-rotor hot-swappable fans are mounted in a fan bay in the rear of the chassis. Each fan has a single wire harness that plugs into the planar fan connectors (FAN1 through FAN6). The Embedded Server Management (ESM) logic in the system controls and monitors the speed of the fans. A fan speed fault or over-temperature condition results in a notification by ESM. The R910 Power Supply Units have integrated fans. The system requires a blank in place of the empty power supply slot. System fan speed is pulse-width modulated. The iDRAC6 controls and monitors the speed of the fans. A fan speed fault or over-temperature condition results in a notification by iDRAC6. Dell PowerEdge R910 Technical Guide
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Figure 11. R910 Fan Cage
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4.10 Cabling
VIDEO
iDRAC
STORA GE
X16
SLOT7
SLOT6
SLOT5
SLOT4
ICH 10
IOH 2
PDB
SERIA L
X4 X8
X8 X8 SLOT3
SLOT2
SLOT1
X4 X8
CPLD2
IO RISER
SIO
IOH 1 BAT
PDB POWER
INT USB
CPU 2
CPU 1
CPU 3
Mem Riser 1A
Mem Riser 1B
Mem Riser 3A
Mem Riser 3B
Mem Riser 2A
Mem Riser 2B
Mem Riser 4A
BP PWR PWR
Mem Riser 4B
Cntrl. Panel
CTRL. PANEL
BASEBOARD
R BP PW
SATA CABLE
SATA
CPU 4
SAS CABLE
CPLD1
SAS A
SAS B SAS EXP.
BACKPLANE CTRL. PANEL DVDROM Figure 12. Cabling Diagram Dell PowerEdge R910 Technical Guide
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4.11 Security 4.11.1
Cover Latch
A tooled latch is integrated in the side cover to secure it to the tower chassis. A locked bezel secures the cover latch.
Figure 13. R910 Cover Latch
4.11.2
Bezel
A lock on the bezel is used to protect unauthorized access to system hard drives and the system cover. System status (through the LCD) is viewable when the bezel is installed.
Figure 14. R910 Bezel Lock
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4.11.3
Hard Drive
The front bezel of the system contains a lock. A locked bezel secures the system hard drives.
4.11.4
Trusted Platform Module (TPM)
TPM is used to generate/store keys, protect/authenticate passwords, and create/store digital certificates. TPM can also be used to enable the BitLocker™ hard drive encryption feature in Windows Server 2008. TPM is enabled through a BIOS option and uses HMAC-SHA1-160 for binding. A Trusted Computing Module (TCM) version of the planar is available for use where TCM is the standard, for example, in China.
4.11.5
Power Off Security
The control panel is designed such that the power switch cannot be accidentally activated. The lock on the bezel secures the switch behind the bezel. In addition, there is a setting in the CMOS setup that disables the power button function
4.11.6
Intrusion Alert
A switch mounted on the cooling shroud is used to detect chassis intrusion. When the cover is opened, the switch circuit closes to indicate intrusion to the iDRAC6. When enabled, the software can provide notification to the customer that the cover has been opened.
4.11.7
Secure Mode
BIOS has the ability to enter a secure boot mode via Setup. This mode includes the option to lock out the power and NMI switches on the Control Panel or set up a system password.
4.12 USB Key An optional USB memory key installed inside your system can be used as a boot device, security key, or mass storage device. The USB connector must be enabled by the Internal USB Port option in the Integrated Devices screen of the System Setup program. To boot from the USB memory key, configure the USB memory key with a boot image and then specify the USB memory key in the boot sequence in the System Setup program. See Figure 15 below.
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Figure 15. USB Key Location
4.13 Battery A replaceable coin cell CR2032 3V battery is mounted on the planar to provide backup power for the Real-Time Clock and CMOS RAM on the ICH10 chip. See Figure 16 below.
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Figure 16. Coin Cell Battery on Motherboard
4.14 Field Replaceable Units (FRU) The planar contains a serial EEPROM to store FRU information including Dell part number, part revision level, and serial number. The backplane SEP and the power supply microcontroller are also used to store FRU data.
4.15 User Accessible Jumpers, Sockets, and Connectors For information on jumpers and connector settings, see Jumpers and Connectors in the Hardware Owner’s Manual.
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5 Electrical 5.1 Clock Circuitry System clock circuitry is based on Intel CK410B+ synthesizer and DB1200/DB800 driver specification. A clock synthesizer device is a single chip solution. The CK410B+ synthesizes and distributes a multitude of clock outputs at various frequencies, timings and drive levels using a single 14.318 MHz crystal.     
PCI Express Gen2 support Host clock support (133 MHz) Spread spectrum support 33 MHz, 48 MHz, 100 MHz clock support 14.318 MHz clock support
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6 Power, Thermal, Acoustic The PowerEdge R910 achieves enhanced power efficiency by implementing the following features:                    
User-selectable power cap (subsystems will throttle to maintain the specified power cap) Improved power budgeting Larger heat-sinks for processors and IOH Accurate inlet temperature PSU/VR efficiency improvements Switching regulators instead of linear regulators Closed loop thermal throttling Increased rear venting/3D venting PWM fans with an increased number of fan zones and configuration-dependent fan speeds Use of DDR3 memory (lower voltage than DDR2) CPU VR dynamic phase shedding Memory VR static phase shedding Random time interval for system start Allows an entire rack to power on without exceeding the available power BIOS Power/Performance options page BIOS-based CPU P-state manager (power management in a virtualized environment) Ability to slow down or throttle memory Ability to disable a CPU core Ability to turn off items not being used (i.e., USB ports, embedded NICs, unused PCIe lanes, etc.) Option to run PCIe at Gen1 speeds instead of Gen2
6.1 Power Supplies and Power Subsystem PowerEdge R910 supports two types of power supply units (PSUs):  
1100W High Output PSU 750W EnergySmart PSU
Figure 17. R910 Power Supply
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Dell The power supply bay is designed to prevent unsupported power supplies from being installed. Mixing of 1100W and 750W power supplies is not supported. R910 power supplies have embedded cooling fans and one bi-colored status LED. The PowerEdge R910 PSUs have a FRU EEPROM; FRU data is stored in the memory of the PSU Microcontroller. PSU Firmware can be updated by iDRAC over the PMBus. Power is “soft-switched,” allowing power cycling via a switch on the front of the system enclosure or through a software control (through server management functions). The power system is compatible with industry standards, such as ACPI and the Microsoft Windows Server Hardware Design Guide. If not using all 4 power supplies, it is preferred that the power supply be installed starting from PS1 bay in order to avoid power loss in the PDB Copper planes. However, there is nothing that prevents the use of the rest of the bays in that case. The empty bays should be populated with the PS sheet metal blanks for thermal reasons. The power supplies connect indirectly to the planar via the Power Distribution Board (PDB). There is a power cable that connects between the PDB and the backplane. Another cable also connects the PDB to the optical and/or tape drives. R910 has 4 power supply bays. PSU system configurations are shown in Table 3. Table 3.
PSU System Configurations
High Output Power Supply (1100W), Non-Redundant configuration (1+0) High Output Power Supply (1100W), Redundant Energy Optimal configuration (1+1) High Output Power Supply (1100W), Non-Redundant Full-power configuration (2+0) High Output Power Supply (1100W), Fail-over configuration (2+1) High Output Power Supply (1100W), Redundant Full-power configuration (2+2) Energy Smart Power Supply (750W), Non-Redundant configuration (1+0) Energy Smart Power Supply (750W), Redundant Energy Optimal configuration (1+1) Energy Smart Power Supply (750W), Non-Redundant Full-power configuration (2+0) Energy Smart Power Supply (750W), Fail-over configuration (2+1) Energy Smart Power Supply (750W), Redundant Full-power configuration (2+2) There are two different redundancy modes with 2 PSUs present in the system. One is (2+0) nonredundant capable of running full system configuration, and the other is (1+1) redundant running limited configuration. The user could switch the mode between (1+1) and (2+0) via iDRAC GUI only for the two PS case depending on if the system is capable of supporting the new mode or not. The other modes of redundancy are automatics based on the functional supplies present at the time when AC is applied and system is powered ON. See Power Supplies in the Hardware Owner’s Manual for more information. In the (2+2) mode, if the power supplies are evenly split across two separate grids on the AC line side, then this mode would also be considered ―AC or Grid‖ redundant in addition to power. The system power distribution consists of one, two, three or four AC-to-DC power supplies connected to the planar through the PDB. The power supply only provides +12V and +12Vaux. The power supplies connect directly to the planar via the Power Distribution Board (PDB). There are no cables involved for delivering the power from the PSUs to the motherboard. The 12V power is then distributed to the rest of the subsystems like the backplane and optical drive from the motherboard using cables. There are several voltage regulators in the system to supply different voltage levels needed by different logic devices. Dell PowerEdge R910 Technical Guide
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Dell Table 4.
Power Supply Specifications
AC Power supply (per power supply) Wattage
1100 W (High Output PSU) 750 W (Energy Smart PSU)
Voltage
90–264 V, 47–63 Hz, auto-ranging
Heat dissipation
8407 BTU/hr maximum (with two or four 1100 W PSUs) 5732 BTU/hr maximum (with two or four 750W PSUs)
Maximum inrush current
Under typical line conditions and over the entire system ambient operating range, the inrush current may reach 55 A per power supply for 10 ms or less
6.2 Environmental Specifications Airborne Contaminant Level: Class G2 or lower as defined by ISA-S71.04-1985 For additional information about environmental measurements for specific system configurations, see Product Safety, EMC, and Environmental Datasheets on Dell.com.
6.3 Thermal The R910 thermal solution includes:    
Optimized airflow impedance for optimum cooling efficiency Custom air baffling directs airflow through the components to maintain proper cooling Custom designed heat sinks maintain CPU, IOH, and Mill Brook chip temperatures within thermal design targets Highly Optimized Fan Control Algorithm o Base fan speeds are a function of hardware configuration and ambient temperature to minimize airflow for a given environment. o PID control algorithms are used for both CPU and DIMMs to maintain appropriate thermal margin o Double refresh switching allows for DIMM temperature excursions up to 95°C while maintaining performance and thermal design targets  The R910 thermal algorithm monitors the thermal sensor on each DIMM to maintain DIMM temperatures below the typical 85°C specification in normal operating conditions.  Under extreme operating conditions the thermal algorithm can switch the DIMMs into Double Refresh mode allowing an additional 10°C of thermal headroom. In Double Refresh mode DIMMs are allowed to operate as high as 95°C.
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Dell Table 5.
Operating/Non-Operating (Storage) Requirements
Temperature Operating
10o to 35 o C (50 o to 95 o F) with a maximum temperature gradation of 10o C per hour. Note: For altitudes above 2950 feet, the maximum operating temperature is derated 1o F/550 feet.
Storage
–40 o to 65 o C (-40 o to 149 o F) with a maximum temperature gradation of 20o C per hour
Relative Humidity Operating
20% to 80% (noncondensing) with a maximum humidity gradation of 10% per hour
Storage
5% to 95% (noncondensing) with a maximum humidity gradation of 10% per hour
Maximum Vibration Operating
0.26 Grms at 5-350 Hz in operational orientations
Storage
1.54 Grms at 10-250 Hz in all orientations
Maximum Shock Operating
Half sine shock in all operational orientations of 31G +/- 5% with a pulse duration of 2.6 ms +/- 10%
Storage
Half sine shock on all six sides of 71G +/- 5% with a pulse duration of 2 ms +/-10%; Square wave shock on all six sides of 27 G with velocity change @ 235 in/sec or greater
Altitude Operating
-16 to 3048 m (-50 to 10,000 ft) Note: For altitudes above 2950 feet, the maximum operating temperature is derated 1oF/550 feet
Storage
-16 to 10,600 m (-50 to 35,000 ft)
6.4 Acoustics The acoustical design of the PowerEdge R910 reflects the following: 


Adherence to Dell’s high sound quality standards. Sound quality is different from sound power level and sound pressure level in that it describes how humans respond to annoyances in sound, like whistles, hums, etc. One of the sound quality metrics in the Dell specification is prominence ratio of a tone, and this is listed in the table below. Noise ramp and descent at bootup. Fan speeds, hence noise levels, ramp during the boot process in order to add a layer of protection for component cooling in the case that the system were not to boot properly. Noise levels vs. configurations. Hardware configurations do result in different noise levels. For example, processor-power dependence is shown in the following table.
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Dell Table 6.
Acoustics of the PowerEdge R910
Typical Configuration(1) @ 23 ± 2 °C CPU
4 x Intel 105W procs
HDD
4 x 146GB SAS 15 krpm)
RAID
PERC H800
DIMM
16 x 2GB DIMM
Higher End Configuration @ 23 ± 2 °C CPU
4 x Intel 130W procs
HDD
4 x 600GB SAS (2.5‖/ 15k RPM)
RAID
PERC H800
Operating Mode
(Bels)
LpA(3) (dBA)
TONES(4)
Standby
3.2
16
No prominent tones
Idle
5.7
38
No prominent tones
Stress
5.6
38
No prominent tones
Operating Mode
LWAUL(2)
LpA(3)
DIMM
16 x 8GB DIMM
LWAUL(2)
(Bels)
(dBA)
TONES
Standby
3.2
16
No prominent tones
Idle
6.4
45
No prominent tones
Stress
6.4
45
No prominent tones
(1) Typical configuration means the system is populated with projected average quantity, type, capacity, speed, etc., of components, as shown in the table below (2) LwA – UL is the upper limit sound power level (LwA) calculated per section 4.4.2 of ISO 9296 (1988) and measured in accordance to ISO 7779 (1999). (3) LpA is the average bystander A-Weighted sound pressure level. The system is placed in a rack with its bottom at 25 cm from the floor, and four acoustical transducers are at bystander positions, ref ISO7779 (1999) Section 8.6.2. (4) Prominent tone: Criteria of D.5 and D.8 of ECMA-74 9th ed. (2005) are followed to determine if discrete tones are prominent. The system is placed in a rack with its bottom at 75 cm from the floor. The acoustical transducer is at front bystander position, ref ISO7779 (1999) Section 8.6.2.
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Dell Table 7.
Configuration Corresponding to Acoustical Data Presented
Component
Description
Qty ®
Processor
Highest attach-rate range bin Intel E7540 (105W)
4
Memory
2 GB(1066)
16
Power supply
Redundant, 1100-W
4
Hard Drives
146 GB SAS, 15 krpm
4
PCI Cards
PERC H800
1
ODD
DVD-ROM
1
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7 Processors 7.1 Overview The Intel Xeon processor 7500 series is designed specifically for high-end server applications. The processor features up to eight-core processing to maximize performance and performance/watt for data center infrastructures and highly dense deployments. The Intel Xeon processor 7500 series also features Intel® Core™ micro-architecture and Intel 64 architecture for flexibility in 64-bit and 32-bit applications and operating systems. The Intel Xeon processor 7500 series uses a 1567-contact Flip-Chip Land Grid Array (FC-LGA) package that plugs into a surface-mount socket (Socket-LS). The PowerEdge R910 provides support for up to four processors. Selective Intel Xeon processor 7500 series 4S SKUs also support Turbo Mode. Turbo Mode is an OScontrolled operation that automatically allows the processor to run faster than the marked frequency if the CPU is operating below power, temperature, and current limits. Table 8.
Intel Xeon Processor 7500 Series Cache Sizes
Cache
Size
L1 cache size
32 KB instruction 32 KB data
L2 cache size
1.0MB, 1.5MB or 2MB
L3 cache size
12MB, 18MB or 24 MB (shared)
7.2 Features Key features of the Intel 7500 processor series include:                  
Up to eight cores per processor Four point-to-point QuickPath Interconnect links at 6.4 GT/s 1567-pin FC-LGA(Flip Chip-Land Grid Array) package 45 nm process technology No termination required for non-populated CPUs (must populate CPU socket 1 first) Two Integrated DDR3 memory controllers Each Memory controller supports two Intel Scalable Memory Interconnects (SMI) for a total of 4 SMIs 64-byte cache line size RISC/CISC hybrid architecture Compatible with existing x86 code base MMX™ support Execute Disable Bit Intel Wide Dynamic Execution Executes up to four instructions per clock cycle Simultaneous Multi-Threading (SMT) capability Support for CPU Turbo Mode (on certain SKUs) Increases CPU frequency if operating below thermal, power and current limits Streaming SIMD (Single Instruction, Multiple Data) Extensions 2, 3, and 4
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Intel 64 Technology Intel VT-x and VT-d Technology for virtualization support Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology Demand-based switching for active CPU power management as well as support for ACPI PStates, C-States and T-States
7.3 Supported Processors Table 9.
R910 Supported Intel Xeon Processor 7500 Series
Model
Speed
TDP Power
Cache
Cores
QPI Speed
X7560
2.26GHz
130W
24M
8
6.4GT/s
X7550
2.00GHz
130W
18M
8
6.4GT/s
E7540
2.00GHz
105W
18M
6
6.4GT/s
L7555
1.86GHz
95W
24M
8
5.86GT/s
L7545
1.86GHz
95W
18M
6
5.86GT/s
E7530
1.86GHz
105W
12M
6
5.86GT/s
E7520
1.86GHz
105W
18M
4
4.8GT/s
7.4 Processor Configurations The system is designed such that at least both CPU1 & CPU2 processors are required to access all the I/O expansion slots. There are two IOH QPI-to-PCIe bridges in order to provide sufficient PCIe lanes to meet the MRD requirements. IOH1 is the legacy bridge that is connected to CPU1 and where as IOH2 is connected to CPU2. If only CPU1 is populated, the I/Os behind IOH2 (slots 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6) will not be available. The system will not boot up if the CPUs are not installed correctly. The supported CPU configuration is either 2-processors or 4-processors.
7.5 Additional Processor Information Refer to the Hardware Owner’s Manual for additional processor information.
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8 Memory 8.1 Overview The PowerEdge R910 uses DDR3 memory providing a high-performance, high-speed memory interface capable of low latency response and high throughput. The R910 supports Registered ECC DDR3 DIMMs (RDIMM). R910 uses Intel 7500 series CPUs that have two integrated memory controllers. Each of those memory controllers then has two Scalable Memory Interconnect (SMI) channels that connect to the memory buffer. The R910 has both the SMI channels from each controller routed to the memory riser with two memory buffers connected. The SMI channels from each controller operate in lockstep i.e. the DIMMs need to be populated in matched pairs behind lockstep channel. Each Millbrook buffer has two DDR3 channels that can support up to two DIMMs per channel. The DDR3 memory interface consists of 16 Mill Brook buffers, each of which has two DDR3 memory channels. Each channel supports up to two RDIMMs for single/dual/quad rank. By limiting to two DIMMs per DDR channel, the system can support DIMMs at 1067 MHz. The R910 memory interface supports memory demand and patrol scrubbing, single-bit correction and multi-bit error detection. Correction of a x4 or x8 device failure (―chip kill‖) is supported with SDDC. The following properties/rules apply to R910: • • • • • • • •
DIMMs must be populated in matched pairs for each CPU (A1/A2, A3/A4…). Single DIMM operation is not supported. If DIMMs of different speeds are mixed, all channels will operate at the fastest common frequency. (Note that R910 only supports DDR3 1067 modules) Memory Mirroring and Sparing configurations will be supported as follows: Memory sparing will be allowed on configurations with >= 64GB populated Memory Mirroring will be enabled on configurations with >=64GB populated The first DIMM slot in each channel is color-coded with white ejection tabs for ease of installation. In the case of mixed-rank population, populate the DIMM with the highest number of ranks first (in sockets with white ejection tabs) DIMM sockets are placed 0.450‖ (11.43 mm) apart, center-to-center in order to provide enough space for sufficient airflow to cool stacked DIMMs. DIMMs must be installed in each channel starting with the DIMM farthest from the processor (DIMM 1). Population order is identified by silkscreen and a label. The order is dependent on the memory configuration used. See Figure 18 for DIMM naming and population ordering.
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Figure 18. PowerEdge R910 DIMM Naming and Numbering
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8.2 Slots/Risers R910 has 8 memory risers; each memory riser has 8 DIMM slots. So there are a total of 64 DIMMs. See System Memory in the Hardware Owner’s Manual for detailed information.
8.3 Key Features of the R910 Memory Subsystem Registered (RDIMM) ECC DDR3 technology 
Each channel carries 64 data and 8 ECC bits

Support for up to 1TB of memory (with 64 16GB RDIMMs)

Support for 1066 MHz single, dual, and quad rank DIMMs

Support ODT (On Die Termination)

Clock gating (CKE) to conserve power when DIMMs are not accessed o
DIMMs enter a low power self-refresh mode
2

I C access to SPD EEPROM for access to RDIMM thermal sensors

Single-Bit Error Correction

SDDC (Single Device Data Correction — x4 or x8 devices)

Support for Closed Loop Thermal Management on RDIMMs

Multi-Bit Error Detection

Support for Memory Mirroring in limited configurations

Support for Memory (Rank) Sparing in limited configurations
8.4 Memory Speed Limitations The memory frequency is determined by a variety of inputs: 
Speed of the DIMMs

Speed supported by the CPU (note the DDR3 speed is 1/6 the frequency of the SMI link)

BIOS can limit frequency to DDR3 800 based on user power savings configuration in the SETUP menu
The PowerEdge R910 supports DDR3 1067 DIMMs. Some CPU SKU’s will have lower SMI link speeds resulting in slower DDR3 buses. The supported frequencies are as follows:   
SMI link speed at 4.8GT/sec => DDR3 800 SMI link speed of 5.86 GT/sec => DDR3 978 SMI link speed of 6.4 GT/sec => DDR3 1067
8.5 Sparing For Rank sparing, one rank on each lockstep Mill Brook pair will be reserved as a spare, and in the event that another rank exceeds a threshold of correctable ECC errors, the ―failing‖ rank will be copied to the spare. Once that operation is complete, the failed rank will be disabled.
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8.6 Mirroring For mirroring, the PowerEdge R910 supports 2P/4P configurations for 64GB and larger only. When mirroring is enabled, only half of the physical memory is visible to the system software. A full copy of the memory is maintained, and in the event of an uncorrectable error, the system will switch over to the mirrored copy. The R910 uses intra-socket mirroring.
8.7 RAID The PowerEdge R910 does not support memory RAID.
8.8 Supported Configurations See System Memory in the Hardware Owner’s Manual for detailed information.
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9 Chipset The R910 system-board incorporates the Intel 7500 chipset (Boxboro‐EX) for I/O and processor interfacing. The Intel 7500 chipset is designed to support Intel’s 6500 and 7500 4S processor family, QPI interconnect, DDR3 memory technology, and PCI Express Generation 2. The Intel 7500 chipset consists of the EX IOH, Intel® 7500 Scalable Memory Buffer, and the ICH10 South Bridge.
9.1 Intel 7500 Chipset I/O Hub (IOH) The R910 motherboard incorporates dual Intel 7500 chipset IOH to provide a link between the Intel Xeon 6500 and 7500 series 4S processors and the I/O components. The main components of the IOH consist of two full-width QPI links (one to each processor), 72 lanes of PCIe Gen2, and a x4 DMI link to connect directly to the ICH10 South Bridge.
9.2 IOH QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) The QuickPath Architecture consists of serial point-to-point interconnects for the processors and the IOH. The PowerEdge R910 has a total of four QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) links including one link connecting the processors and links connecting both processors with the IOH and links connecting both IOHs. Each link consists of 20 lanes (full-width) in each direction with a link speed of 6.4 GT/s. An additional lane is reserved for a forwarded clock. Data is sent over the QPI links as packets. The QuickPath Architecture features four layers. The Physical layer consists of the actual connection between components. It supports Polarity Inversion and Lane Reversal for optimizing component placement and routing. The Link layer is responsible for flow control and the reliable transmission of data. The Routing layer is responsible for the routing of QPI data packets. Finally, the Protocol layer is responsible for high-level protocol communications, including the implementation of a MESIF (Modify, Exclusive, Shared, Invalid, Forward) cache coherence protocol.
9.3 PCI EXPRESS GENERATION 2 PCI Express is a serial point to point interconnects for I/O devices. PCIe Gen2 doubles the signaling bit rate of each lane from 2.5 Gb/s to 5 Gb/s. Each of the PCIe Gen2 ports is backwards compatible with Gen1 transfer rates.
9.4 Direct Media Interface (DMI) The DMI (previously called the Enterprise Southbridge Interface) connects the Boxboro‐EX Legacy IOH with the Intel I/O Controller Hub (ICH). The DMI is equivalent to a x4 PCIe Gen1 link with a transfer rate of 1 GB/s in each direction.
9.5 Intel I/O Controller Hub 10 (ICH10) ICH10 is a highly integrated I/O controller, supporting the following functions: • • • • • • •
Six x1 PCIe Gen1 ports, with the capability of combining ports 1-4 as a x4 link These ports are used on PowerEdge R910 for slot 5 PCI Bus 32-bit Interface Rev 2.3 running at 33 MHz Up to six Serial ATA (SATA) ports with transfer rates up to 300 MB/s R910 features one SATA port for optional internal optical drive Six UHCI and two EHCI (High-Speed 2.0) USB host controllers, with up to twelve USB ports (R910 has four external USB ports and one internal ports dedicated for IDSM and embedded storage) Power management interface (ACPI 3.0b compliant)
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Platform Environmental Control Interface (PECI) Intel Dynamic Power Mode Manager I/O interrupt controller SMBus 2.0 controller Low Pin Count (LPC) interface to Super I/O, Trusted Platform Module (TPM), and SuperVU Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) support for up to two devices (R910 BIOS flash device is connected to the ICH10 using SPI)
9.6 PCI Express Connectors The R910 planar incorporates four 164-pin PCI Express-style x8 (slots 1, 2, 3 and 5) and three 164-pin PCI Express-style x16 connectors (slots 4, 6 and 7) for connectivity to the PCIe cards. Only one x16 (slot 7) out of the three physical connectors is electrically x16 as well. The other two (slots 4 & 6) are electrically x8 using a x16 physical connector for double wide GPGPU adapters.
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10 BIOS 10.1 Overview The R910 BIOS is based on the Dell BIOS core, and supports the following features:                 
Intel Xeon Processor 7500 Series Support Simultaneous Multi-Threading (SMT) support CPU Turbo Mode support PCI 2.3 compliant Plug n’ Play 1.0a compliant MP (Multiprocessor) 1.4 compliant Boot from hard drive, optical drive, iSCSI drive, USB key, and SD card ACPI support Direct Media Interface (DMI) support PXE and WOL support for on-board NICs Memory mirroring and spare bank support SETUP access through key at end of POST USB 2.0 (USB boot code is 1.1 compliant) F1/F2 error logging in CMOS Virtual KVM, CD, and floppy support Unified Server Configurator (UEFI 2.1) support Power management support including DBS, Power Inventory and multiple Power Profiles
10.2 System ID The System ID for the PowerEdge R910 is 0x02d3.
10.3 I2C I2C is a simple bi-directional 2-wire bus for efficient inter-integrated circuit control. All I2C-bus compatible devices incorporate an on-chip interface which allows them to communicate directly with each other via the I2C-bus. These I2C devices perform communication functions between intelligent control devices (e.g., microcontrollers), general-purpose circuits (e.g., LCD drivers, remote I/O ports, memories) and application-oriented circuits. The PE R910, BIOS accesses the I2C through the ICH10 (Intel I/O Controller Hub 10). There are two MUXes on ICH10’s I2C bus.   
One MUX (U_ICH_SPD) controls the DIMM SPDs through four split segments The other MUX (U_ICH_MAIN) controls the clock buffers, TOE, USB Hub through four split segments. BIOS controls both the MUXes through the two select lines using GPIO pins.
Clock chip, USB hub, and the front panel EEPROM device addresses are located on the IOH I2C bus.
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11 Embedded NICs/LAN on Motherboard (LOM) R910 supports two options for Embedded NICs (I/O riser card): • •
4-port 1GbE using 2x Broadcom 5709c 4-port (2 x 10Gb SFP+ & 2 x 1GbE) using 1 x Broadcom 57711 & 1 x Broadcom 5709c
iSCSI offload is standard on both options. Option 1: 1GbE I/O riser Two dual-port Broadcom BCM5709C Gigabit Ethernet controllers with support circuitry are embedded on the R910 1GbE IO riser board. Features of the LAN device include: • • • • • • • • • • • • •
x4 PCI Express Gen2 capable interface o R910 operates dual-port controllers at Gen1 speed MAC and PHY integrated 3072x18 Byte context memory 64 KB receive buffer TOE (TCP Offload Engine) iSCSI controller RDMA controller (RNIC) (enabled through an optional hardware key) NC-SI (Network Controller-Sideband Interface) connection Wake-On-LAN (WOL) PXE 2.0 remote boot iSCSI boot IPv4 and IPv6 support Bare metal deployment support
Option 2: 10Gb I/O riser In addition to a Broadcom BCM5709C dual port Ethernet controller, there is a dual-port 10 Gb MAC controller along with the external PHY embedded on the R910 10 Gb IO riser board. The devices are Broadcom BCM57711 Gigabit MAC with BCM8727 SFP+ PHY. Features include:           
x8 PCI Express Gen2 capable interface SFP+ interface supported with SR and LRM optics or direct attached cable TOE (TCP Offload Engine) iSCSI controller RDMA controller (RNIC) (enabled through an optional hardware key) NC-SI (Network Controller-Sideband Interface) connection Wake-On-LAN (WOL) PXE 2.0 remote boot iSCSI boot IPv4 and IPv6 support Bare metal deployment support
NOTE: Four functional PSUs (2+2 config) are required in order to use the 10Gb I/O riser.
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12 I/O Slots 12.1 Overview The R910 planar provides seven PCI Express expansion slots as the base. There is an option to expand the x16 Slot7 with a PCIe riser to four x4 additional slots, bringing the total number of open expansion slots to ten with the riser option. There is also a dedicated storage slot.          
One x4 PCIe Gen2 slot full height with x8 physical connector (Slot 1) One x4 PCIe Gen1 slot full height with x8 physical connector (Slot 5) Two x8 PCIe Gen2 slots full height with x8 physical connector (Slots 2 & 3) Two x8 PCIe Gen2 slots full height with x16 physical connector (Slots 4 & 6) One x16 PCIe Gen 2 slot full height with x24 physical connector (Slot 7) Four x4 PCIe Gen 2 slots half height with x8 physical connector on optional riser (Slots 710) One x8 PCIe Gen2 slot for dedicated storage controller card—connected to the IOH System supports 25 W maximum power capability for each expansion slot R910 does not support hot-swapping of PCIe cards R910 does not support full length PCIe cards
Figure 19. PCIe I/O slots
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12.2 Quantities and Priorities See Expansion Cards and Expansion Card Riser in the Hardware Owner’s Manual for information on PCI slot priorities and installation order.
12.3 PCI Card Information PCI card dimensions and limitations are as follows:    
Standard height (4.376‖) The R910 does not support full-length cards (Half length cards are 6.6’, Full length cards are 12.283‖) No support for hot-swap or hot-removal Compliant with the PCI Express Card Electromechanical Specification Rev 2.0
The PowerEdge R910 supports x16 cards that meet the following requirements:  Standard height (4.376”)  Half length (6.6”)  Support for full bandwidth of x16 Gen2 link  No support for hot-swap or hot-removal  Maximum power of 25W  R910 provides +12V, +3.3V, and +3.3Vaux in accordance with Power Supply Rail Requirements.  x16 slot is not compliant with the PCI Express x16 Graphics 150W-ATX Specification  x16 cards must be compliant with the PCI Express Card Electromechanical Specification Rev 2.0  x16 cards could occupy the space of two slots (dual wide)  x16 card is limited to 25W initial start-up power until it is configured as a high power device. If no value is set for the Slot Power Limit, the card is limited to 25W. The card must then either scale down to 25W or disable operation per PCI Express Base Spec Rev 2.0  x16 card must be able to support a maximum operating temperature of 55°C as defined in the Dell PCI Environmental Spec and the PCI Express Card Electromechanical Spec (See Product Safety, EMC and Environmental Datasheets on Dell.com). The R910 provides a minimum transverse air velocity of “x” LFM (linear feet per minute) to the x16 card. For more information, please refer to the following specifications: 
PCI Express Base Specification, Rev 2.0, 12/20/06

PCI Express Card Electromechanical Specification, Rev 2.0, 4/11/07

PCI Express x16 Graphics 150W-ATX Specification, Rev 1.0, 10/25/04

PCI Environmental Specification, Rev A00, 2/14/05
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13 Storage 13.1 Overview The R910 system supports up to sixteen 2.5” hard disk drives.      
Support for 10,000 and 15,000 rpm 2.5” SAS drives Support for SATA 2.5” solid state drives (SATA SSD) Support for 7,200 rpm 2.5” Enterprise SATA drives (only 1 SATA HDD supported) Hard drives must use the 2.5” drive carrier Mixing of SAS and SATA 2.5” drives in the same system is not supported Mixing of SAS and SSD drives in the same system is supported
13.2 Backplanes R910 supports either a (1) sixteen drive backplane or a (2) four drive backplane for 2.5” drives. Depending on the type of backplane, there are sixteen or four hot-swap capable Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) or Serial ATA (SATA) drive slots with two LED indicators per slot, up to two Mini-SAS cable connectors for connecting the backplane to the integrated PERC H200 or H700 storage adapters, and a 20-pin planar signal/power connector. PERC H200 storage adapter will only be supported with the 2.5” 4-drive HDD backplane.
13.2.1
2.5” x4 Backplane
The 4-drive 2.5‖ HDD backplane assembly is as follows:   
Only 2.5” HDD are supported in this configuration One Mini-SAS cable is used to connect channel “A” of the integrated PERC H200 or H700 storage controller card to the four-drive backplane. Mixing SATA and SAS is NOT supported.
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SAS A
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Figure 20. 2.5” x4 Backplane
13.2.2
2.5” x16 Backplane
The 16-drives 2.5‖ HDD backplane assembly is as follows:
SAS A
  
Only 2.5” HDD are supported in this configuration Two Mini-SAS cables are used to connect both channels of the integrated PERC H700 storage card to the sixteen-drive backplane. A SAS expander is used to map 16 HDD to the PERC H700 (2 x4 SAS) controller Mixing SATA and SAS is NOT supported. Mixing SAS and SSD is supported. SAS B
 
POWER
6 Gb SAS EXPANDER
Figure 21. 2.5” x16 Backplane
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13.3 Flash BIOS Memory A Flash EEPROM resides on the SPI Bus for BIOS and configuration storage. A 16 Mbit device is utilized for this function. The Flash memory permits the BIOS to be upgraded in the field. The Flash BIOS may be write-protected by software
13.4 Drives The PowerEdge R910 supports the new 2.5‖ hard drive carriers. These carriers implement new industrial design to match the front bezel. For the slots that are not occupied by drives, a carrier blank is provided to maintain proper cooling, maintain a uniform appearance to the unit, and provide EMI shielding. R910 supports diskless configuration.
Figure 22. 2.5” HDD carrier
Each hard drive carrier has two LED indicators visible from the front of the system. One is a green LED for disk activity and the other is a bicolor (Green/Amber) LED for status information. The activity LED is driven by the disk drive during normal operation. The bicolor LED is controlled by the SEP device on the backplane. Both LEDs are used to indicate certain conditions under direction of a storage controller. Table 10.
R910 Supported HDDs
SAS HDD (2.5‖)
146GB, 300GB
SATA HDD (2.5‖)
160GB
SATA SSD (2.5‖)
50GB, 100GB
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13.5 RAID Configurations Table 11.
RAID Configurations Non Mixed drives (all SATA HDD, all SAS HDD, or all SATA SSD or all SAS SSD) 2.5” Drives
Configuration Type
Configs
Description
x4 Backplane
x16 Backplane
Min Drives
Max Drives
Config Type
Max Drives
Diskless Configuration
C0
NCZ
Diskless Configuration
0
0
X
X
SAS HDD/SATA HDD/SATA SSD/SAS SSD – No RAID
C1
MSS
Integrated SAS HDD/SATA HDD/ SSD No RAID (PERC H200, PERC H700)
1
4
X
X
SAS HDD/SATA HDD/SATA SSD/SAS SSD – RAID
C2
MSSRO
Integrated SAS HDD / SSD RAID 0 (PERC H200, PERC H700)
2
4
2
16
C3
MSSR1
Integrated SAS HDD/ SSD RAID 1 (PERC H200, PERC H700)
2
2
2
2
C4
MSSR5
Integrated SAS HDD/ SSD RAID 5 (PERC H700)
3
4
3
16
C5
MSSR6
Integrated SAS HDD/ SSD RAID 6 (PERC H700)
4
4
4
16
C6
MSSR10
Integrated SAS HDD/ SSD RAID 10 (PERC H700, PERC H200)
4
4
4
16
C7
MSSR50
Integrated SAS HDD/ SSD RAID 50 (PERC H700)
X
X
6
16
C8
MSSR60
Integrated SAS HDD/ SSD RAID 60 (PERC H700)
X
X
8
16
C9
MSSR1R1
Integrated SAS HDD/ SSD RAID 1/ RAID 1 (PERC H700, PERC H200)
4 (2+2)
4 (2+2)
4 (2+2)
4 (2+2)
C10
MSSR1R5
Integrated SAS HDD/ SSD RAID 1/RAID 5 (PERC H700)
X
X
5 (2+3)
16 (2+14)
C11
MSSR1R6
Integrated SAS HDD/ SSD RAID 1/RAID 6 (PERC H700)
X
X
5 (2+4)
16 (2+14)
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Dell Mixed SATA SSD / SAS HDD 2.5” Drives Configuration Type
SSD/SAS HDD – RAID
Configs
Description
x4 Backplane
x16 Backplane
Min Drives
Max Drives
Min Drives
Max Drives
C12
MSSROR1-X
Integrated SSD/SAS HDD RAID 0/RAID 1 (PERC H200, PERC H700) RAID 0 set is SSD, RAID 1 set is SAS
1+2
1+2
1+2
14+2
C13
MSSR1R1-X
Integrated SSD/SAS HDD RAID 1/RAID 1 (PERC H200, PERC H700) RAID 1 set is SSD, second RAID 1 set is SAS
2+2
2+2
2+2
2+2
C14
MSSR1R5-X
Integrated SSD/SAS HDD RAID 1/RAID 5 (PERC H700) RAID 1 set is SSD, RAID 5 set is SAS
X
X
2+3
2+14
C15
MSSR1R10-X
Integrated SSD/SAS HDD RAID 1/RAID 10 (PERC H700) RAID 1 set is SSD, RAID 10 set is SAS
X
X
2+4
2+14
C16
MSSR1R50-X
Integrated SSD/SAS HDD RAID 1/RAID 50 (PERC H700) RAID 1 set is SSD, RAID 50 set is SAS
X
X
2+6
2+14
C17
MSSR10R50-X
Integrated SSD/SAS HDD RAID 10/RAID 50 (PERC H700) RAID10 set is SSD, RAID 50 set is SAS
X
X
4+6
8+8
Notes: All connection types are backplane. X indicates not supported. The x16 Backplane is supported only by PERC H700. The x4 Backplane is supported by both PERC H200 & PERC H700. SATA HDDs will be supported only on x4 Backplane. Max of only 1 SATA HDDs allowed and is only in C1 config.
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13.6 Storage Controllers 13.6.1
PERC H200
The PERC H200 integrated HBA is a SAS 2.0 6Gb native PCIe half-length half-height expansion card that plugs into a dedicated x8 storage slot. It supports RAID0, RAID1, RAID10 and non-RAID HDD configurations. It incorporates one four-channel mini-SAS internal connector (SFF8087) for connection to internal x4 2.5‖ drive backplane. Since there are a maximum of up to 4-drives, the second mini-SAS connector from H200 to the backplane would not get used. PERC H200 will only be supported when the 4-drive 2.5‖ backplane is present on R910.
13.6.2
PERC H700
For customers who need a more advanced hardware RAID solution, the PERC H700 (formerly known as PERC 7/iR) is an option. The PERC H700 is a SAS 2.0 6Gb half length PCIe x8 expansion card that uses the LSI 2108 ROC (RAID on Chip) processor running at 800MHz with a PCI Express host interface and DDR2 memory. It supports 512MB cache that is battery backed. It supports RAID0, RAID1, RAID5, RAID6, RAID50, RAID 60 and PRL-11 HDD configurations. It incorporates two four-channel mini-SAS connectors (SFF8087) for connection to internal x4 or x16 2.5‖ drive backplanes. The second mini-SAS connectors would not get used when connecting PERC H700 to the x4 internal backplane. For details of that card, see the PERC H700 Hardware Specification.
13.6.3
PERC H800
R910 can support up to four PERC 800 adapter cards for access to external SAS direct-attach storage. Features of the PERC H800 include:
• • • • • • •
LSI 2108 (Liberator) ROC 6Gb/s SAS x8 PCIe Gen2 800Mz Core PPC DDRII - 800MHz – mini-DIMM 512MB Dual Mini-SAS Connectors Supports connection to PowerVault MD1220 and PowerVault MD1200 6Gb enclosures only
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13.6.4
Storage Card Support Matrix Table 12.
SKU Product PERC H700 Integrate d
PERC SAS/SATA SAS HBA SAS/SATA ICH10 SATA
PowerEdge R910 Support
Slot
PCIe Con
PCI Bracket
I/O Con
No
2 x4 miniSAS int
RAID
BBU
0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, 60, PRL-11
BBU
0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, 60, PRL-11
TBBU
Internal Backplane Storage
Yes – Max 1
External SAS/SATA Storage
Yes – Max 4 (PowerVault MD1200 and PowerVault MD1220)
PCIe slot
x8
Yes
x4 ext x4 ext
PERC 6/E Adapter
External Legacy Storage
Backup to H800 – Max 2 (MD1000 PowerVault MD1000 only & MD1020 PowerVault MD1120)
PCIe slot
x8
Yes
x4 ext x4 ext
0, 1, 5, 10, 50
TBBU
PERC H200 Integrate d
Internal Backplane Storage
Yes – Max 1
Storage slot
x8
No
x4 miniSAS int
0, 1, 10
No
6Gbps SAS HBA
External SAS tape and RBODs
Yes – Max 2
PCIe slot
x8
Yes
x4 int
None
No
SAS 5/E Adapter
External SAS (DAS, Tape)
Backup to 6Gbps SAS HBA – Max 2
PCIe slot
x8
Yes
x4 ext x4 ext
None
No
On Planar via chipset
Internal SATA Optical (No HDD)
Yes 1 port for Optical
n/a
n/a
n/a
x1 int
n/a
n/a
LSI 2032 Adapter
External SCSI Tape or External legacy SCSI storage
PCIe slot
x4
Yes
SCSI (ext)
n/a
n/a
PERC H800 Adapter
LSI 2032 SCSI
Usage
Storage Card Support Matrix
Yes - Max 2
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13.7 LED Indicators Each hard drive carrier has two LED indicators visible from the front of the system. One is a green LED for disk activity and the other is a bicolor (Green/Amber) LED for status information. The activity LED is driven by the disk drive during normal operation. The bicolor LED is controlled by the SEP device on the backplane. Both LEDs are used to indicate certain conditions under direction of a storage controller. See Hard Drive Indicator Patterns in the Hardware Owner’s Manual for more information.
13.8 Optical Drives SATA optical drives are optional in all R910 systems and connect to the planar via the SATA interface to ICH10. IDE (PATA) optical drives are not supported. The following internal optical drives are available on R910: DVD-ROM and DVD+RW. If the optical drive is not ordered with the system, a blank is installed in its place.
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14 Video The R910 Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller 6 (iDRAC6) incorporates an integrated video subsystem, connected to the 32-bit PCI interface of the ICH10. This logic is based on the Matrox G200. The device only supports 2D graphics. The video device outputs are multiplexed between the front and rear video ports. If a monitor is connected to the front video connector, it will take precedence over the rear connection, thereby removing the display from the rear connection. The integrated video core shares its video memory with the iDRAC6’s 128 MB DDR2 application space memory. This memory is also used for the KVM buffer. The R910 system supports the following 2D graphics video modes: Table 13.
Supported Video Modes
Resolution
Refresh Rate (Hz)
Color Depth (bit)
640 x 480
60, 72, 75, 85
8, 16, 32
800 x 600
56, 60, 72, 75, 85
8, 16, 32
1024 x 768
60, 72, 75, 85
8, 16, 32
1152 x 864
75
8, 16, 32
1280 x 1024
60, 75, 85
8, 16
1280 x 1024
60
32
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15 Audio R910 does not support speakers or audio output.
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16 Rack Information 16.1 Overview The ReadyRails™ sliding rail system for the R910 provides tool-less support for racks with square or unthreaded round mounting holes including all generations of Dell racks. The optional cable management arm (CMA) can be mounted on either the left or right side of the sliding rails without the use of tools for fast and easy deployment. IMPORTANT NOTES:  The R910 is not compatible with any other Dell rails including previous generation rails, but it does use the same rails as the R810 & R815.  The R910 supports sliding rails only. Static rails are not supported.  Threaded hole racks require Dell’s fixed shelf or adapter brackets available from RackSolutions.  The CMA is not supported on racks that are less than 1m in depth including Dell’s 4200 & 2400 racks.
16.2 Rails The ReadyRails sliding rails for the R910 support tool-less mounting in 19‖-wide, EIA-310-E compliant square hole and unthreaded round hole racks and are available with or without the optional cable management arm (CMA).
Figure 23. R910 ReadyRails Sliding Rails with Optional CMA As noted below, the R910 rails do not support mounting in threaded hole or 2-post racks*. Table 14.
Rack Types Supported by the R910 Rack Types Supported
Rail Identifier B2
Mounting Interface ReadyRails™
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4-Post
2-Post
Square
Round
Thread
Flush
Center
√
√
X
X
X
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*Adapter brackets are available from RackSolutions that allow the R910 sliding rails to mount in threaded racks. The only option available for 2-post racks is to mount the system on a fixed shelf.
Other factors to consider when deploying the R910 include the spacing between the front and rear mounting flanges of the rack, the type and location of any equipment mounted in the back of the rack such as power distribution units (PDUs), and the overall depth of the rack. For example, use of the CMA requires racks that are a minimum of 1m in depth with the PDUs or other rack accessories positioned on the sides or rear of the rack away from the CMA.
Table 15.
Rail Adjustability Range and Depth Rail Depth (mm)
Rail Adjustability Range (mm) Square
Round
Threaded
Min
Max
Min
Max
Min
Max
without CMA
with CMA
686
883
672
876
-
-
755
883
NOTE: The min-max values listed above represent the allowable distance between the front and rear mounting flanges in the rack. Rail depth without the CMA represents the minimum depth of the rail with the outer CMA brackets removed (as measured from the front mounting flanges of the rack).
16.3 Cable Management Arm (CMA) The optional cable management arm (CMA) for the R910 organizes and secures the cords and cables exiting the back of the server and unfolds to allow the server to extend out of the rack without having to detach the cables. Some key features of the R910 CMA include:      
Large U-shaped baskets to support dense cable loads Open vent pattern for optimal airflow Fully reversible (can be mounted on either side) with no conversion required Utilizes hook-and-loop straps rather than plastic tie wraps to eliminate the risk of cable damage during cycling Includes a low profile fixed tray to both support and retain the CMA in its fully closed position Both the CMA and the tray mount without the use of tools via simple and intuitive snap-in designs
16.4 Rack View The R910 ReadyRails sliding rails are a ―drop-in‖ design, meaning that the system is installed vertically into the rails by inserting the shoulder nuts on the sides of the system into the J-slots in the inner rail members with the rails in the fully extended position.
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Figure 24. R910 Mounted in the B2 Sliding Rails The R910 CMA can be mounted to either side of the rails without the use of tools or the need for conversion, but it is recommended that it be mounted on the side opposite the power supplies to allow easier access to the power supplies for service or replacement.
Figure 25. R910 CMA Mounted on the Side Opposite the Power Supplies (Recommended)
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17 Operating Systems For the most up-to-date information, see the Operating System Support Matrix for Dell PowerEdge Systems on Dell.com.
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18 Virtualization The following virtualization software is supported:   
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V VMware ESXi Version 4.0 update1 Citrix® XenServer™ 5.6
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19 Systems Management 19.1 Overview/Description Dell aims on delivering open, flexible, and integrated solutions that help you reduce the complexity of managing disparate IT assets by building comprehensive IT management solutions. Combining Dell PowerEdge Servers with a wide selection of Dell-developed management solutions gives you choice and flexibility, so you can simplify and save in environments of any size. To help you meet your server performance demands, Dell offers Dell OpenManage™ systems management solutions for:
• • •
Deployment of one or many servers from a single console Monitoring of server and storage health and maintenance Update of system, operating system, and application software Dell offers IT management solutions for organizations of all sizes—priced, sized, and supported right.
19.2 Server Management A Dell Systems Management and Documentation DVD and a Dell Management Console DVD are included with the product. ISO images are also available. A brief description of available content:
• •
• •
• • •
•
Dell Systems Build and Update Utility: Dell Systems Build and Update Utility assists in OS install and pre-OS hardware configuration and updates. OpenManage Server Administrator: The OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA) tool provides a comprehensive, one-to-one systems management solution, designed for system administrators to manage systems locally and remotely on a network. OMSA allows system administrators to focus on managing their entire network by providing comprehensive one-toone systems management. Management Console: Our legacy IT Assistant console is also included, as well as tools to allow access to our remote management products. These tools are Remote Access Service, for iDRAC, and the BMC Management Utility. Active Directory Snap-in Utility: The Active Directory Snap-in Utility provides an extension snap-in to the Microsoft Active Directory. This allows you to manage Dell specific Active Directory objects. The Dell-specific schema class definitions and their installation are also included on the DVD. Dell Systems Service Diagnostics Tools: Dell Systems Service and Diagnostics tools deliver the latest Dell optimized drivers, utilities, and operating system-based diagnostics that you can use to update your system. eDocs: The section includes Acrobat files for PowerEdge systems, storage peripheral, and OpenManage software. Dell Management Console DVD: The Dell Management Console is a Web-based systems management software that enables you to discover and inventory devices on your network. It also provides advanced functions, such as health and performance monitoring of networked devices and patch management capabilities for Dell systems. Server Update Utility: In addition to the Systems Management Tools and Documentation and Dell Management Console DVDs, customers have the option to obtain Server Update Utility DVD. This DVD has an inventory tool for managing updates to firmware, BIOS and drivers for either Linux or Windows varieties.
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19.3 Embedded Server Management The PowerEdge R910 implements circuitry for the next generation of Embedded Server Management. It is Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) v2.0 compliant. The optional iDRAC (Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller) is responsible for acting as an interface between the host system and its management software and the periphery devices. The optional upgrade to iDRAC6 provides features for managing the server remotely or in data center lights-out environments. Advanced iDRAC features require the installation of the optional iDRAC6 Enterprise card.
19.4 Lifecycle Controller and Unified Server Configurator Embedded management is comprised of several interdependent pieces:
• • • •
Lifecycle Controller Unified Server Configurator iDRAC6 vFlash Lifecycle controller powers the embedded management features. It is integrated and tamperproof storage for system-management tools and enablement utilities (firmware, drivers, etc.). It is flash partitioned to support multiple, future-use cases. Dell Unified Server Configurator (USC) is a local 1:1 graphical user interface embedded on Lifecycle Controller that aids in local server provisioning in a pre-OS environment. For servers with iDRAC Express, the Lifecycle Controller offers OS install, platform updates, platform configuration, and diagnostics capabilities. For servers without iDRAC Express, this utility has limited functionality and offers OS install and diagnostics capabilities only. To access the Unified Server Configurator, press the key within 10 seconds of the Dell logo’s appearance during the system boot process. Current functionality enabled by the Unified Server Configurator includes: Table 16.
Unified Server Configurator Features and Description
Feature
Description
Faster O/S Installation
Drivers and the installation utility are embedded on system, so no need to scour DELL.COM
Faster System Updates
Integration with Dell support automatically directed to latest versions of the Unified Server Configurator, iDRAC, RAID, BIOS, NIC, and Power Supply
Update Rollback
Ability to recover to previous “known good state” for all updatable components
More Comprehensive Diagnostics
Diagnostic utilities are embedded on system
Simplified Hardware Configuration
Detects RAID controller and allows user to configure virtual disk and choose virtual disk as boot device, eliminating the need to launch a separate utility. Also provides configuration for iDRAC, BIOS, and NIC/LOM.
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19.5 Optional iDRAC Express The optional iDRAC Express is the first tier of iDRAC6 upgrades. In addition to upgrading the system with a Lifecycle Controller, the iDRAC6 Express offers the following key features:
• • • •
Graphical web interface Standard-based interfaces Server Sensor monitoring and fault alerting Secure operation of remote access functions including authentication, authorization, and encryption • Power control and management with the ability to limit server power consumption and remotely control server power states • Advanced troubleshooting capabilities For more information on iDRAC6 Express features see table below.
19.6 iDRAC6 Enterprise The optional iDRAC6 Enterprise card provides access to advanced iDRAC6 features. The iDRAC6 Enterprise connects directly to the R910 planar and is mounted parallel to the planar with stand-offs. Key features for the iDRAC6 Enterprise include:
• • • •
Scripting capability with Dell’s Racadm command-line Remote video, keyboard, and mouse control with Virtual Console Remote media access with Virtual Media Dedicated network interface Additionally, the iDRAC6 Enterprise can be upgraded by adding the vFlash Media card. This is a 1 GB Dell branded SD card that enables a persistent 256 MB virtual flash partition. In the future, vFlash will be expanded to include additional features. A more detailed feature list for iDRAC6 Enterprise and vFlash is included in the table below. Table 17. Feature
Features List for BMC, iDrac, and vFlash
BMC
iDRAC 6 Express
iDRAC6 Enterprise
vFlash Media
Interface and Standards Support



Web-based GUI



SNMP



WSMAN



SMASH-CLP





IPMI 2.0

Racadm commandline Conductivity Shared/Failover Network Modes




IPv4




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Dell Feature
BMC
iDRAC6 Enterprise
vFlash Media



IPv6



Dynamic DNS





VLAN Tagging

iDRAC 6 Express
Dedicated NIC Security and Authentication Role-based Authority




Local Users




Active Directory



SSL Encryption



Remote Management and Remediation Remote Firmware Update




Server power control




Serial-over-LAN (with proxy)




Serial-over-LAN (no proxy)



Power capping



Last crash screen capture



Boot capture



Serial-over-LAN



Virtual media


Virtual console


Virtual console sharing

 
Virtual flash Monitoring



Real-time Power Monitoring



Real-time Power Graphing



Historical Power Counters



Sensor Monitoring and Alerting

Logging Features
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Dell Feature System Event Log
BMC

RAC Log Trace Log
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iDRAC 6 Express
iDRAC6 Enterprise
vFlash Media








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20 Peripherals 20.1 USB peripherals PE R910 supports the following USB devices:    
DVD (bootable; requires two USB ports) USB Key (bootable) Keyboard (only one USB keyboard is supported) Mouse (only one USB mouse is supported
20.2 External Storage Table 18.
External Storage
Type
Model
SAN Support
EMC's AX Arrays (SCSI, FC and iSCSI) EMC's CX Arrays (SCSI, FC and iSCSI) Equal Logic's PS5XXX Arrays (iSCSI)
SAS Management SW for xBOD
OMSS for MD1000 OMSS for MD1020
PowerVault NAS
Attachment to PV NX1950 including iSCSI and clustering support Attachment to Win Storage Server on PE Attachment to EMC NS500G (S&P)
PV DAS
MD1000 JBOD MD3000 RBOD MD1120 2.5 SAS/SATA JBOD MD1100 3.5 SAS/SATA JBOD
PV SAN
MD3000i iSCSI RAID array
EqualLogic™
PS5000 family PS5500 family
IDM
IDM support
SAS xBOD SW
OpenManage Storage Manager
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Appendix A.
Regulatory Certifications Table 19.
Standards Compliance
Standard
URL for Information and Specifications
ACPI Advance Configuration and Power Interface Specification, v2.0c
http://www.acpi.info/
Ethernet IEEE 802.3-2005
http://standards.ieee.org/getieee802/802.3.html
IPMI Intelligent Platform Management Interface, v2.0
http://www.intel.com/design/servers/ipmi/
DDR3 Memory DDR3 SDRAM Specification, Rev. 3A
http://www.jedec.org/download/search/JESD79-3A.pdf
LPC Low Pin Count Interface Specification, Rev. 1.1
http://developer.intel.com/design/chipsets/industry/lpc.htm
PCI Express PCI Express Base Specification Rev. 2.0
http://www.pcisig.com/specifications/pciexpress/
PMBus Power System Management Protocol Specification, v1.1
http://pmbus.info/specs.html
SAS Serial Attached SCSI, v1.1
http://www.t10.org/ftp/t10/drafts/sas1/sas1r10.pdf
SATA Serial ATA Rev. 2.6; SATA II, Extensions to SATA 1.0a, Rev. 1.2
https://www.sata-io.org/secure/spec_download.asp http://www.sata-io.org/docs/S2Ext_1_2_Gold.pdf
SMBIOS System Management BIOS Reference Specification, v2.6
http://www.dmtf.org/standards/smbios/
TPM Trusted Platform Module Specification, v1.2
https://www.trustedcomputinggroup.org/downloads/specific ations/tpm/tpm
UEFI Unified Extensible Firmware Interface Specification, v2.1
http://www.uefi.org/specs/
USB Universal Serial Bus Specification, Rev. 2.0
http://www.usb.org/developers/docs/
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Dell Standard
URL for Information and Specifications
Windows Logo Windows Logo Program System and Device Requirements, v3.10
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/winlogo/hwrequirements. mspx
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Appendix B.
R910 Volatility Table Table 20.
R910 Volatility
Server BIOS Memory (SPI Flash, IC) Size:
4 MB
Type [e.g., Flash PROM, EEPROM]:
Flash EEPROM (Serial Peripheral Interface)
Can user programs or operating system write data to it during normal operation?
No
Does it retain data when powered off?
Yes
Purpose? [e.g., boot code]
Boot Code, Configuration Information, EUFI environment
How is data input to this memory?
Loading flash memory requires a vendorprovided firmware file and loader program which is executed by booting up the system from a floppy or OS-based executable containing the firmware file and the loader. System loaded with arbitrary data in firmware memory will not operate.
How is this memory write protected?
Software write protected
Server CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) Memory Size:
512 Bytes
Type [e.g., Flash PROM, EEPROM]:
Battery-Backed NVRAM
Can user programs or operating system write data to it during normal operation?
No
Does it retain data when powered off?
Yes
Purpose? [e.g., boot code]
RTC and storing system configuration settings
How is data input to this memory?
F2 Setup Menu during POST
How is this memory write protected?
N/A
Remarks
Jumper on motherboard can be used to clear to factory default settings. Removing CMOS battery will clear to factory defaults settings as well.
Server BMC (Baseboard Management Controller)/iDRAC Express Boot Block Flash Size:
2 MB
Type [e.g., Flash PROM, EEPROM]:
Serial Flash
Can user programs or operating system write data to it during normal operation?
No
Does it retain data when powered off?
Yes
Purpose? [e.g., boot code]
iDRAC boot loader and configuration (i.e. MAC address), Lifecycle log.
How is data input to this memory?
Data pre-programmed or update using Dell utility which is a DOS or Windows or Linux based
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Dell executable containing firmware file and loader How is this memory write protected?
Software write protected
Remarks
Bad contents yield the iDRAC inoperable and is unrecoverable in the customer environment. Note the lifecycle log is automatically updated by the iDRAC as various system component FW, HW and SW versions are changed.
Server BMC/iDRAC Express Internal Flash Size:
1 GB
Type [e.g., Flash PROM, EEPROM]:
NAND Flash
Can user programs or operating system write data to it during normal operation?
No
Does it retain data when powered off?
Yes
Purpose? [e.g., boot code]
iDRAC Operating System plus Managed System Services Repository (i.e., Unified Server Configurator, OS drivers, diagnostics, rollback versions of various programmables)
How is data input to this memory?
iDRAC OS: Loading flash memory requires a vendor-provided firmware file and loader program which is executed by booting up the system from a floppy or OS-based executable containing the firmware file and the loader. System loaded without a good iDRAC firmware image yields a non-functional iDRAC. Managed Services Repository: Various partitions are loaded via vendor-provided firmware file and loader program just like iDRAC OS.
How is this memory write protected?
Software write protected
System Event Log (SEL) Memory and Baseboard FRU Size:
4 KB
Type [e.g., Flash PROM, EEPROM]:
SERIAL EEPROM
Can user programs or operating system write data to it during normal operation?
No
Does it retain data when powered off?
Yes
Purpose? [e.g., boot code]
Store system events from BMC and BIOS. FRU information for board such as PPID, MAC addresses etc.
How is data input to this memory?
For SEL, BMC writes to it. For FRU, data is pre-programmed or input using Dell utility at ICT/Functional Tester during board assembly.
How is this memory write protected?
Software write protected
FRU Memory for the I/O Risers (1GbE or 10Gb) and Memory Riser Size:
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Dell Type [e.g., Flash PROM, EEPROM]:
EEPROM
Can user programs or operating system write data to it during normal operation?
No
Does it retain data when powered off?
Yes
Purpose? [e.g., boot code]
FRU information for boards such as board name, PPID, manufacturing date etc.
How is data input to this memory?
Data pre-programmed or using Dell utility at ICT/Functional Tester during board assembly.
How is this memory write protected?
Not write protected
DIMM Modules SPD (Serial Presence Detect) EEPROM (up to 64 depending on the number of DIMM modules present) Size:
256 Bytes
Type [e.g., Flash PROM, EEPROM]:
EEPROM
Can user programs or operating system write data to it during normal operation?
No
Does it retain data when powered off?
Yes
Purpose? [e.g., boot code]
DIMM information and temperature settings
How is data input to this memory?
Data preprogrammed by the DIMM vendors (lower 128 bytes). Also during boot sequence, data is written to SPD EEPROM (upper 128 Bytes).
How is this memory write protected?
Not write protected
TPM (Trusted Platform Module) (if applicable) Size:
128 Bytes
Type [e.g., Flash PROM, EEPROM]:
EEPROM
Can user programs or operating system write data to it during normal operation?
No
Does it retain data when powered off?
Yes
Purpose? [e.g., boot code]
Stores encryption keys for TPM functionality
How is data input to this memory?
Data is pre-programmed by vendor. Keys are updated using TPM-enabled operating systems.
How is this memory write protected?
Software write protected
Remarks
F2 BIOS setup option to enable/activate/clear
TPM Alternative Plug-in Module (if applicable) Size:
256 Bytes
Type [e.g., Flash PROM, EEPROM]:
EEPROM
Can user programs or operating system write data to it during normal operation?
No
Does it retain data when powered off?
Yes
Purpose? [e.g., boot code]
Stores encryption keys for TPM functionality
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Dell How is data input to this memory?
Data is pre-programmed by vendor. Keys are updated using TPM enabled operating systems.
How is this memory write protected?
Software write protected
Remarks
F2 BIOS setup option to enable/activate/clear
Server CPLD Devices (x2 per baseboard) Size:
2280 macro-cells and 256 macro-cells
Type [e.g., Flash PROM, EEPROM]:
Internal Flash EEPROM
Can user programs or operating system write data to it during normal operation?
No
Does it retain data when powered off?
Yes
Purpose? [e.g., boot code]
System power sequence control, error/config detection, and BIOS-BMC interaction.
How is data input to this memory?
Programming CPLD(s) requires a vendorprovided logic file and loader program which is executed by booting up the system from a floppy or OS-based executable containing the logic file and the loader. System loaded with arbitrary data in CPLD(s) will not operate.
How is this memory write protected?
Software write protected
Remarks
Need AC cycle after updating CPLD
Broadcom® 5709/57711 PCI-e Network Interface Controller Flash Size:
1MB
Type [e.g., Flash PROM, EEPROM]:
Serial Flash
Can user programs or operating system write data to it during normal operation?
No
Does it retain data when powered off?
Yes
Purpose? [e.g., boot code]
Embedded Network Controller FW and config data
How is data input to this memory?
Loading flash memory requires a vendorprovided firmware file and loader program which is executed by booting up the system from a floppy or OS-based executable containing the firmware file and the loader. System loaded with arbitrary data in firmware memory would not have the network ports operational.
How is this memory write protected?
Software write protected
Remarks
There is a quantity of 2 SPI flash on both the I/O risers. On 1GbE I/O riser, both flash parts are for the two 5709C controllers where as on 10Gb I/O riser, one is for 5709C and the other one is for 57711 network controller.
Broadcom 8727 PHY (Physical Layer) EEPROM (applicable to only 10Gb I/O riser) Size:
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Dell Type [e.g., Flash PROM, EEPROM]:
Serial EEPROM
Can user programs or operating system write data to it during normal operation?
No
Does it retain data when powered off?
Yes
Purpose? [e.g., boot code]
Stores the PHY firmware
How is data input to this memory?
Data is preprogrammed or update using Dell LOM FW update utility. System loaded with arbitrary data in firmware memory will not have the 10Gb SFP+ network ports operational
How is this memory write protected?
Software write protected
Remarks
10Gb I/O riser is optional
10 Gb I/O riser CPLD (applicable to only 10Gb I/O riser when present) Size:
64 Macrocells
Type [e.g., Flash PROM, EEPROM]:
CPLD
Can user programs or operating system write data to it during normal operation?
No
Does it retain data when powered off?
Yes
Purpose? [e.g., boot code]
Stores the standby power delivery routing to 10Gb network controller and its PHY
How is data input to this memory?
Data is preprogrammed at board build
How is this memory write protected?
Software write protected
Remarks
10Gb I/O riser is optional
Dell PERC H700i storage controller CPLD/Flash/NVSRAM etc. (if applicable) Size:
FRU: 256 Bytes Boot ROM: 8 KB Flash: 8 MB CPLD: 128 Macrocells NVSRAM: 128 KB iButton key EEPROM: 128 Bytes Battery-Backed Cache: 512 MB
Type [e.g., Flash PROM, EEPROM]:
FRU, EEPROM, Flash, CPLD, Non-volatile SRAM and a 1-wire EEPROM
Can user programs or operating system write data to it during normal operation?
No
Does it retain data when powered off?
Yes
Purpose? [e.g., boot code]
Flash stores the storage controllers firmware CPLD controls the power sequencing & battery backup logic NVSRAM stores the controller configuration FRU stores the PPID, manufacturing date etc. Battery-Backed Cache: Stores the data if the cache is not cleared and battery backup unit is
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Dell enabled in the case of a power loss. How is data input to this memory?
FRU/CPLD data is preprogrammed at board build. NVSRAM is updated by the storage controller Flash is updated by Dell provided update package Cache stores the data before getting written to the disks when WriteBack policy is enabled with battery backup.
How is this memory write protected?
FRU is not write protected but other components detailed above in the Size row are software write protected.
Remarks
PERC H700i controller is optional
Dell PERC H200i storage controller Flash/NVSRAM/FRU (if applicable) Size:
FRU: 256 Bytes Boot ROM: 8 KB Flash: 8 MB NVSRAM: 128 KB
Type [e.g., Flash PROM, EEPROM]:
Flash (NOR), EEPROM and NVSRAM
Can user programs or operating system write data to it during normal operation?
No
Does it retain data when powered off?
Yes
Purpose? [e.g., boot code]
Flash stores the storage controllers firmware NVSRAM stores the controller configuration FRU stores the PPID, manufacturing date etc.
How is data input to this memory?
FRU data is preprogrammed at board build. NVSRAM is updated by the storage controller Flash is updated by Dell provided update package
How is this memory write protected?
FRU is not write protected but everything else is software write protected
Remarks
PERC H200i controller is optional
Server (4- or 16-drive SAS) Backplane Storage Controller Memory Size:
32KB
Type [e.g., Flash PROM, EEPROM]:
Embedded Microcontroller Flash
Can user programs or operating system write data to it during normal operation?
No
Does it retain data when powered off?
Yes
Purpose? [e.g., boot code]
Stores the server storage backplane FW and FRU
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Loading flash memory requires a vendorprovided firmware file and loader program which is executed by booting up the system from a floppy or OS-based executable containing the firmware file and the loader. System loaded with arbitrary data in firmware memory would not operate.
How is this memory write protected?
Software write protected
Remarks
There is quantity of ―1‖ PSoC device on the 4drive backplane versus ―2‖ on the 16-drive backplane.
Server (16-drive SAS only) Backplane SAS Expander EEPROM Size:
4MB
Type [e.g., Flash PROM, EEPROM]:
Flash EEPROM
Can user programs or operating system write data to it during normal operation?
No
Does it retain data when powered off?
Yes
Purpose? [e.g., boot code]
Store SAS expander firmware and configuration data
How is data input to this memory?
Data pre-programmed or update using Dell utility which is a DOS-based executable containing the firmware file and loader.
How is this memory write protected?
Software write protected
Remarks
Ensure that SAS x16 BP cables are attached to planar prior to update. After update, the system should be AC cycled before update takes effect.
Power Supply Firmware and FRU (Field Replacement Unit) Memory Size:
1100W LiteOn: 4KB FLASH with 256 Bytes RAM 1100W/750W Emerson: 8K and 16K FLASH with 384 and 1024 Bytes RAM respectively 750W Delta: Flash ROM size 48K bytes and EEPROM size 1K bytes
Type [e.g., Flash PROM, EEPROM]:
FLASH, EEPROM
Can user programs or operating system write data to it during normal operation?
No
Does it retain data when powered off?
Yes
Purpose? [e.g., boot code]
Stores PSU controller firmware. FRU information for boards such as name, manufacturing date etc.
How is data input to this memory?
FRU and firmware data pre-programmed by the PSU vendors. PSU firmware can be updated by Dell provided update package.
How is this memory write protected?
Software write protected
Remarks
The number of these devices depends on the
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Dell number of PSUs installed. Dell Internal Dual SD Module (IDSM) microcontroller flash (if present) Size:
256 KB
Type [e.g., Flash PROM, EEPROM]:
EEPROM
Can user programs or operating system write data to it during normal operation?
No
Does it retain data when powered off?
Yes
Purpose? [e.g., boot code]
Store firmware for IDSM functionality
How is data input to this memory?
Loading flash memory requires a vendorprovided firmware file and loader program. IDSDM module loaded with arbitrary data in firmware memory would not operate.
How is this memory write protected?
Software write protected
Remarks
IDSM is an option
Dell Internal Dual SD Module (IDSM) write journal flash (if present) Size:
8 MB
Type [e.g., Flash PROM, EEPROM]:
EEPROM
Can user programs or operating system write data to it during normal operation?
No
Does it retain data when powered off?
Yes
Purpose? [e.g., boot code]
Store write journal for shutdown recovery
How is data input to this memory?
IDSM microcontroller writes to and read from these memory via SPI interface during operation.
How is this memory write protected?
Software write protected
Remarks
IDSM is an option
SD card(s) (if present) for IDSM (one or two SD cards depending on the redundancy mode ordered with it) Size:
Multiple (1GB, 2GB, 8GB)
Type [e.g., Flash PROM, EEPROM]:
Secure Digital NAND Flash
Can user programs or operating system write data to it during normal operation?
No
Does it retain data when powered off?
Yes
Purpose? [e.g., boot code]
Normal usage is embedded Hypervisor OS but not limited
How is data input to this memory?
Factory load, OS run time usage and OS updates and configuration changes.
How is this memory write protected?
Media-write protection or software-write protected
Remarks
IDSM is an option
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Dell vFlash for iDRAC Enterprise Size:
Multiple
Type [e.g., Flash PROM, EEPROM]:
Secure Digital NAND Flash
Can user programs or operating system write data to it during normal operation?
No
Does it retain data when powered off?
Yes
Purpose? [e.g., boot code]
Storage of logs, user images like files, drivers, OS’s etc.
How is data input to this memory?
Preloaded media before installation, or remote out-of-band upload of user data (i.e., ISO images, files) or local server read/write capability to use like a hard disk.
How is this memory write protected?
Media write protection or Software write protected
Remarks
iDRAC Enterprise and vFlash are optional
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