Dell POWER EDGE 2900 User manual

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
Dell™ PowerEdge™ 2900 Systems
Hardware Owner’s Manual

Notes, Notices, and Cautions
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer.
NOTICE: A NOTICE indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the
problem.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death.
____________________
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
© 2005 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden.
Trademarksusedinthistext:Dell,theDELLlogo,Inspiron,DellPrecision,Dimension,OptiPlex,Latitude,PowerEdge,PowerVault,PowerApp,
PowerConnect, XPS, and Dell OpenManage are trademarks of Dell Inc.; Intel, Pentium,Xeon,and Celeron are registered trademarks of Intel
Corporation; Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; EMC is a registered trademark of EMC Corporation.
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 Inc. disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.
December 2005

Contents 3
Contents
1 About Your System
System Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Other Information You May Need . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Accessing System Features During Startup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Front-Panel Features and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Hard-Drive Indicator Codes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Back-Panel Features and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Connecting External Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Power Indicator Codes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
NIC Indicator Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
LCD Status Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Solving Problems Described by LCD Status Messages . . . . . . . . . . 26
Removing LCD Status Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Warning Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Diagnostics Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Alert Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
2 Using the System Setup Program
Entering the System Setup Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Responding to Error Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Using the System Setup Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
System Setup Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Main Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
CPU Information Screens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Integrated Devices Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

4Contents
Serial Communication Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
System Security Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Exit Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
System and Setup Password Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Using the System Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Using the Setup Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Disabling a Forgotten Password. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Baseboard Management Controller Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Entering the BMC Setup Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
BMC Setup Module Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
3 Installing System Components
Recommended Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Opening and Closing the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Removing the Bezel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Removing the Peripheral Bay Panel (Tower Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Installing the Peripheral Bay Panel (Tower Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Installing the Bezel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Opening the System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Closing the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Hot-Plug Hard Drives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Removing a Drive Blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Installing a Drive Blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Removing a Hot-Plug Hard Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Installing a Hot-Plug Hard Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Replacing a Hard-Drive Carrier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Removing a Hard Drive From a Hard-Drive Carrier. . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Installing a SAS Hard Drive Into a SATAu Drive Carrier . . . . . . . . . . 58
Installing a SATA Hard Drive Into a SATA Drive Carrier . . . . . . . . . . 59
Installing a SATA Hard Drive and Interposer Card Into a SATAu
Hard-Drive Carrier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Power Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Removing a Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Installing a Power Supply. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Contents 5
Removing the Power Supply Blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Installing the Power Supply Blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Fans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Removing and Installing a Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Removing or Installing the Cooling Shroud Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Expansion Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Installing an Expansion Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Removing an Expansion Card. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Internal SCSI Tape Backup Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Removing an Internal SCSI Tape Backup Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Installing an Internal SCSI Tape Backup Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Optical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Removing an Optical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Installing an Optical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Diskette Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Removing the Diskette Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Installing the Diskette Drive Into the Drive Carrier . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Installing the Diskette Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
System Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Replacing the System Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Cooling Shroud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Removing the Cooling Shroud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Installing the Cooling Shroud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Fan Brackets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Removing the Center Fan Bracket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Replacing the Center Fan Bracket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Removing the Back Fan Bracket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Replacing the Back Fan Bracket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Memory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
General Memory Module Installation Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Non-Optimal Memory Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Memory Sparing Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Memory Mirroring Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Installing Memory Modules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Removing Memory Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

6Contents
Installing a RAC Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Activating the Integrated NIC TOE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Microprocessor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Replacing a Processor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
1x8 SAS Backplane Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Removing the 1x8 SAS Backplane Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Installing the 1x8 SAS Backplane Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Optional 1x2 Flex Bay Drive Bracket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Removing the 1x2 Flex Bay Drive Bracket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Installing the 1x2 Flex Bay Drive Bracket. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
SAS Controller Daughter Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Replacing the SAS RAID Controller Daughter Card Battery . . . . . . . . 96
Removing the SAS Controller Daughter Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Installing the SAS Controller Daughter Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Cabling the SAS Backplane Boards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Cable Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Cabling the SAS Controller (Non-RAID) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Cabling the SAS RAID Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Configuring the Boot Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Control Panel Assembly (Service-Only Procedure) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Removing the Control Panel Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Installing the Control Panel Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
System Board (Service-Only Procedure) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Removing the System Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Installing the System Board. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Power Distribution Board (Service-Only Procedure) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Removing the Power Distribution Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Installing the Power Distribution Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
4 Troubleshooting Your System
Safety First—For You and Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Start-Up Routine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Contents 7
Checking the Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Troubleshooting IRQ Assignment Conflicts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Troubleshooting External Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Troubleshooting the Video Subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Troubleshooting the Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Troubleshooting the Mouse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Troubleshooting Basic I/O Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Troubleshooting a Serial I/O Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Troubleshooting a USB Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Troubleshooting a NIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Troubleshooting a Wet System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Troubleshooting a Damaged System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Troubleshooting the System Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Troubleshooting Power Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Troubleshooting System Cooling Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Troubleshooting a Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Troubleshooting System Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Troubleshooting a Diskette Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Troubleshooting an Optical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Troubleshooting an External SCSI Tape Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Troubleshooting a Hard Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Troubleshooting a SAS or SAS RAID Controller Daughter Card . . . . . . . 130
Troubleshooting Expansion Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Troubleshooting the Microprocessors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
5 Running the System Diagnostics
Using Server Administrator Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
System Diagnostics Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
When to Use the System Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Running the System Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

8Contents
System Diagnostics Testing Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Using the Custom Test Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Selecting Devices for Testing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Selecting Diagnostics Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Viewing Information and Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
6 Jumpers and Connectors
System Board Jumpers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
System Board Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
SAS Backplane Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Disabling a Forgotten Password. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
7 Getting Help
Technical Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Online Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
AutoTech Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Automated Order-Status Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Technical Support Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Dell Enterprise Training and Certification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Problems With Your Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Product Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Returning Items for Warranty Repair or Credit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Before You Call. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Contacting Dell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

About Your System 9
About Your System
This section describes the physical, firmware, and software interface features that provide and ensure
the essential functioning of your system. The physical connectors on your system’s front and back
panels provide convenient connectivity and system expansion capability. The system firmware,
applications, and operating systems monitor the system and component status and alert you when a
problem arises. System conditions can be reported by any of the following:
• Front or back panel indicators
• System messages
• Warning messages
• Diagnostics messages
• Alert messages
This section describes each type of message, lists the possible causes, and provides steps to resolve
any problems indicated by a message. The system indicators and features are illustrated in this
section.

10 About Your System
System Orientation
Figure 1-1 shows the rack and tower versions of your system. The illustrations in this document are based
on the rack version, unless otherwise indicated.
Figure 1-1. Tower and Rack-Mount Orientations
Other Information You May Need
CAUTION: The Product Information Guide provides important safety and regulatory information. Warranty
information may be included within this document or as a separate document.
• The Rack Installation Guide and Rack Installation Instructions included with your rack solution
describe how to install your system into a rack.
• The
Getting Started Guide provides an overview of system features, setting up your system, and
technical specifications.
• CDs included with your system provide documentation and tools for configuring and managing your
system.
• Systems management software documentation describes the features, requirements, installation, and
basic operation of the software.
1 system control panel (rack) 2 system control panel (tower)
2
1

About Your System 11
• Operating system documentation describes how to install (if necessary), configure, and use the
operating system software.
• Documentation for any components you purchased separately provides information to configure and
install these options.
• Updates are sometimes included with the system to describe changes to the system, software, and/or
documentation.
NOTE: Always check for updates on support.dell.com and read the updates first because they often
supersede information in other documents.
• Release notes or readme files may be included to provide last-minute updates to the system or
documentation or advanced technical reference material intended for experienced users or
technicians.
Accessing System Features During Startup
Table 1-1 describes keystrokes that may be entered during startup to access system features. If your
operating system begins to load before you enter the keystroke, allow the system to finish booting, and
then restart your system and try again.
Table 1-1. Keystrokes for Accessing System Features
Keystroke Description
<F2> Enters the System Setup program. See "Using the System Setup Program" on page 35.
<F10> Opens the utility partition, allowing you to run the system diagnostics. See "Running the System
Diagnostics" on page 136.
<Ctrl+E> Enters the Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) Management Utility, which allows access to
the system event log (SEL). See the BMC User’s Guide for more information on setup and use of
BMC.
<Ctrl+C> Enters the SAS Configuration Utility. See your SAS adapter User’s Guide for more information.
<Ctrl+R> Enters the RAID configuration utility, which allows you to configure an optional RAID card. For
more information, see the documentation for your RAID card.
<Ctrl+S> Option is displayed only if you have PXE support enabled through the System Setup Program (see
"Integrated Devices Screen" on page 40). This keystroke allows you to configure NIC settings for
PXE boot. For more information, see the documentation for your integrated NIC.
<Ctrl+D> If you have the optional Dell Remote Access Controller (DRAC), this keystroke allows access to
selected DRAC configuration settings. See the DRAC User’s Guide for more information on setup
and use of DRAC.

12 About Your System
Front-Panel Features and Indicators
Figure 1-2 shows the controls, indicators, and connectors located behind the optional rack bezel on the
system's front panel. Table 1-2 provides component descriptions.
Figure 1-2. Front-Panel Features and Indicators
9
10
11
7
6
1 4
258
3
Table 1-2. Front-Panel Components
Item Component Icon Description
1 Power-on indicator, power
button
The power-on indicator lights when the system power
is on.
The power button controls the DC power supply output
to the system.
NOTE: If you turn off the system using the power button
and the system is running an ACPI-compliant operating
system, the system performs a graceful shutdown before
the power is turned off. If the system is not running an
ACPI-compliant operating system, the power is turned off
immediately after the power button is pressed.
2 NMI button Used to troubleshoot software and device driver errors
when using certain operating systems. This button can
be pressed using the end of a paper clip.
Use this button only if directed to do so by qualified
support personnel or by the operating system's
documentation.

About Your System 13
3 System identification button The identification buttons on the front and back panels
can be used to locate a particular system within a rack.
When one of these buttons is pushed, the LCD panel
on the front and the blue system status indicator on the
back blink until one of the buttons is pushed again.
4 LCD panel Provides system ID, status information, and system error
messages.
The LCD lights during normal system operation. Both
the system management software and the identification
buttons located on the front and back of the system can
cause the LCD to flash blue to identify a particular
system.
The LCD lights amber when the system needs
attention, and the LCD panel displays an error code
followed by descriptive text.
NOTE: If the system is connected to AC power and an
error has been detected, the LCD lights amber regardless
of whether the system has been powered on.
5 USB connectors (2) Connects USB 2.0-compliant devices to the system.
6 Video connector Connects a monitor to the system.
7 Diskette drive Optional.
8 Hard drives Eight hot-pluggable bays for 3.5-inch SAS or SATA hard
drives connected to a 1x8 SAS backplane.
9 Flex bay Optional flex bay drive bracket with 1x2 SAS backplane
for two additional 3.5-inch, hot-pluggable SAS or SATA
hard drives.
10 Tape backup unit Optional half-height SCSI tape backup unit (requires
optional SCSI controller). Optional full-height SCSI
tape backup unit also available.
11 Optical drive Optional.
Table 1-2. Front-Panel Components (continued)
Item Component Icon Description

14 About Your System
Hard-Drive Indicator Codes
The hard-drive carriers have two indicators—the drive-activity indicator and the drive-status indicator. See
Figure 1-3 . In RAID configurations, the drive-status indicator lights to indicate the status of the drive. In
non-RAID configurations, only the drive-activity indicator lights; the drive-status indicator is off.
Figure 1-3. Hard-Drive Indicators
1 drive-status indicator (green
and amber)
2 green drive-activity indicator
1
2

About Your System 15
Table 1-3 lists the drive indicator patterns for RAID hard drives. Different patterns are displayed as drive
events occur in the system. For example, if a hard drive fails, the "drive failed" pattern appears. After the
drive is selected for removal, the "drive being prepared for removal" pattern appears, followed by the "drive
ready for insertion or removal" pattern. After the replacement drive is installed, the "drive being prepared for
operation" pattern appears, followed by the "drive online" pattern.
NOTE: For non-RAID configurations, only the drive-activity indicator is active. The drive-status indicator is off.
Table 1-3. Hard-Drive Indicator Patterns for RAID
Condition Drive-Status Indicator Pattern
Identify drive/preparing for
removal
Blinks green two times per second
Drive ready for insertion or
removal
Off
Drive predicted failure Blinks green, amber, and off.
Drive failed Blinks amber four times per second.
Drive rebuilding Blinks green slowly.
Drive online Steady green.
Rebuild aborted Blinks green three seconds, amber three seconds, and off six seconds.

16 About Your System
Back-Panel Features and Indicators
Figure 1-4 shows the controls, indicators, and connectors located on the system's back panel.
Figure 1-4. Back-Panel Features and Indicators
Connecting External Devices
When connecting external devices to your system, follow these guidelines:
• Most devices must be connected to a specific connector and device drivers must be installed before the
device operates properly. (Device drivers are normally included with your operating system software or
with the device itself.) See the documentation that accompanied the device for specific installation
and configuration instructions.
• Always attach an external device while your system and the device are turned off. Next, turn on any
external devices before turning on the system (unless the documentation for the device specifies
otherwise).
1 serial connector 2 video connector 3 USB connectors (4)
4 NIC1 connector 5 NIC2 connector 6 remote access connector
(optional)
7 expansion-card slots (6) 8 system status indicator 9 system identification button
10 system status indicator
connector
11 power supply 2 (optional) 12 power supply status indicators
13 power supply 1
15
10 8
13 12
4
9
37
26
11

About Your System 17
See "Using the System Setup Program" on page 35 for information about enabling, disabling, and
configuring I/O ports and connectors.
Power Indicator Codes
The power button on the front panel controls the power input to the system's power supplies. The power
indicator lights green when the system is on.
The indicators on the optional redundant power supplies show whether power is present or whether a
power fault has occurred (see Table 1-4 and Figure 1-5).
Figure 1-5. Redundant Power Supply Indicators
Table 1-4. Redundant Power Supply Indicators
Indicator Function
Power supply status Green indicates that the power supply is operational.
Power supply fault Amber indicates a problem with the power supply.
AC line status Green indicates that a valid AC source is connected to the power supply.
1 power supply status 2 power supply fault 3 AC line status
3
2
1

18 About Your System
NIC Indicator Codes
Each NIC on the back panel has an indicator that provides information on network activity and link
status. See Figure 1-6. Table 1-5 lists the NIC indicator codes.
Figure 1-6. NIC Indicators
LCD Status Messages
The system's control panel LCD provides status messages to signify when the system is operating
correctly or when the system needs attention. The LCD lights blue to indicate a normal operating
condition and lights amber to indicate an error condition. The LCD scrolls a message that includes a
status code followed by descriptive text.
Table 1-6 lists the LCD status messages that can occur and the probable cause for each message. The
LCD messages refer to events recorded in the system event log (SEL). For information on the SEL and
configuring system management settings, see the systems management software documentation.
CAUTION: Only trained service technicians are authorized to remove the system cover and access any of the
components inside the system. See your Product Information Guide for complete information about safety
precautions, working inside the computer, and protecting against electrostatic discharge.
NOTE: If your system fails to boot, press the System ID button for at least five seconds until an error code appears
on the LCD. Record the code, then see "Getting Help" on page 147.
1link indicator 2activity indicator
Table 1-5. NIC Indicator Codes
Indicator Indicator Code
Link and activity indicators are off The NIC is not connected to the network.
Link indicator is green The NIC is connected to a valid link partner on the network.
Activity indicator is amber blinking Network data is being sent or received.
12

About Your System 19
Table 1-6. LCD Status Messages
Code Text Causes Corrective Actions
N/A
SYSTEM NAME A 62-character string that can be
defined by the user in the System
Setup program.
The
SYSTEM NAME displays
under the following conditions:
• The system is powered on.
• The power is off and active
POST errors are displayed.
This message is for information
only.
You can change the system string
in the System Setup program. See
"Using the System Setup
Program" on page 35.
E1000 FAILSAFE, Call
Support See "Getting Help" on page 147.
E1114 Temp Ambient Ambient system temperature is
out of acceptable range.
See "Troubleshooting System
Cooling Problems" on page 123.
E1116 Temp Memory Memory has exceeded acceptable
temperature and has been
disabled to prevent damage to the
components.
See "Troubleshooting System
Cooling Problems" on page 123.
E1210 CMOS Batt CMOS battery is missing, or the
voltage is out of acceptable range.
See "Troubleshooting the System
Battery" on page 122.
E1211 ROMB Batt RAID battery is either missing,
bad, or unable to recharge due to
thermal issues.
Reseat the RAID battery. See
"Replacing the SAS RAID
Controller Daughter Card
Battery" on page 96, and
"Troubleshooting System Cooling
Problems" on page 123.
E12
nn XX PwrGd Specified voltage regulator has
failed.
See "Getting Help" on page 147.
E1229 CPU # VCORE Processor # VCORE voltage
regulator has failed.
See "Getting Help" on page 147.
E1310 RPM Fan ## RPM of specified cooling fan is
out of acceptable operating range.
See "Troubleshooting System
Cooling Problems" on page 123.
E1313 Fan Redundancy The system is no longer fan-
redundant. Another fan failure
will put the system at risk of over-
heating.
Check control panel LCD for
additional scrolling messages. See
"Troubleshooting System Cooling
Problems" on page 123.

20 About Your System
E1410 CPU # IERR Specified microprocessor is
reporting a system error.
See your system’s Information
Update Tech Sheet located on
support.dell.com for the most
current system information. If the
problem persists, see "Getting
Help" on page 147.
E1414 CPU # Thermtrip Specified microprocessor is out of
acceptable temperature range and
has halted operation.
See "Troubleshooting System
Cooling Problems" on page 123.
If the problem persists, ensure
that the microprocessor heat
sinks are properly installed. See
"Troubleshooting the
Microprocessors" on page 133.
NOTE: The LCD continues to
display this message until the
system’s power cord is
disconnected and reconnected to
the AC power source, or the SEL is
cleared using either Server
Assistant or the BMC Management
Utility. See the Dell OpenManage
Baseboard Management
Controller User’s Guide for
information about these utilities.
E1418 CPU # Presence Specified processor is missing or
bad, and the system is in an
unsupported configuration
See "Troubleshooting the
Microprocessors" on page 133.
E141C CPU Mismatch Processors are in a configuration
unsupported by Dell.
Ensure that your processors
match and conform to the type
described in the Microprocessor
Technical Specifications outlined
in your system’s Getting Started
Guide.
E141F CPU Protocol The system BIOS has reported a
processor protocol error.
See "Getting Help" on page 147.
E1420 CPU Bus PERR The system BIOS has reported a
processor bus parity error.
See "Getting Help" on page 147.
E1421 CPU Init The system BIOS has reported a
processor initialization error.
See "Getting Help" on page 147.
Table 1-6. LCD Status Messages (continued)
Code Text Causes Corrective Actions