Dell PowerFlex R750 User manual

Dell Technologies PowerFlex Custom Node
R750
Owner's Guide
October 2021
Rev. 01

Notes, cautions, and warnings
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your product.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid
the problem.
WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death.
© 2021 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. Dell, EMC, and other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. Other
trademarks may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Chapter 1: About this guide........................................................................................................... 5
Chapter 2: System overview..........................................................................................................6
Front view of the system.................................................................................................................................................. 6
Left control panel view.................................................................................................................................................7
Right control panel view.............................................................................................................................................. 8
Rear view of the system.................................................................................................................................................... 9
Inside the system ...............................................................................................................................................................11
Locating the Express Service Code and Service Tag............................................................................................... 12
System information label.................................................................................................................................................. 13
Rail sizing and rack compatibility matrix....................................................................................................................... 17
Chapter 3: Minimum to POST and system management configuration validation..........................18
Minimum configuration to POST ...................................................................................................................................18
Configuration validation....................................................................................................................................................18
Error messages............................................................................................................................................................. 19
Chapter 4: Component installation guidelines..............................................................................20
Cable routing...................................................................................................................................................................... 20
Cable routing...................................................................................................................................................................... 38
Drive backplane..................................................................................................................................................................42
Expansion cards and expansion card risers.................................................................................................................44
Expansion card installation guidelines.....................................................................................................................44
Supported GPU cards...................................................................................................................................................... 60
System memory.................................................................................................................................................................60
System memory guidelines........................................................................................................................................60
General memory module installation guidelines....................................................................................................62
Intel Persistent Memory 200 series (BPS) installation guidelines ..................................................................62
NVDIMM-N memory module installation guidelines ...........................................................................................67
Chapter 5: Upgrade kits.............................................................................................................. 69
BOSS S2 module kit......................................................................................................................................................... 69
GPU kit..................................................................................................................................................................................71
Serial COM port kit........................................................................................................................................................... 72
VGA port kit........................................................................................................................................................................ 72
Chapter 6: Jumpers and connectors............................................................................................ 73
System board connectors............................................................................................................................................... 73
System board jumper settings........................................................................................................................................75
Disabling a forgotten password..................................................................................................................................... 75
Chapter 7: System diagnostics and indicator codes..................................................................... 77
Status LED indicators....................................................................................................................................................... 77
System health and system ID indicator codes............................................................................................................78
Contents
Contents 3

iDRAC Quick Sync 2 indicator codes............................................................................................................................78
iDRAC Direct LED indicator codes................................................................................................................................ 79
LCD panel............................................................................................................................................................................ 79
Viewing Home screen.................................................................................................................................................80
Setup menu...................................................................................................................................................................80
View menu......................................................................................................................................................................81
NIC indicator codes........................................................................................................................................................... 81
Power supply unit indicator codes................................................................................................................................ 82
Drive indicator codes........................................................................................................................................................84
Using system diagnostics................................................................................................................................................ 84
Dell Embedded System Diagnostics........................................................................................................................85
Chapter 8: Getting help...............................................................................................................86
Recycling or End-of-Life service information............................................................................................................ 86
Contacting Dell Technologies.........................................................................................................................................86
Accessing system information by using QRL............................................................................................................. 86
Quick Resource Locator for PowerEdge R750 system......................................................................................87
Receiving automated support with SupportAssist ...................................................................................................87
Chapter 9: Documentation resources.......................................................................................... 88
4Contents

About this guide
This guide provides an overview of the R750 system, diagnostic tools, and additional component installation guidelines. Use this
guide for information about your system.
1
About this guide 5

System overview
The Dell Technologies PowerFlex custom node R750 is a dual socket, 2U rack system that supports:
●Two 3rd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors
●32 DDR4 DIMM slots
●Two redundant AC or mixed mode power supply units
●Up to 24 x 2.5-inch, 16 x 2.5-inch, 8 x 2.5-inch, SAS, SATA, or NVMe drives
NOTE: For more information about how to hot swap NVMe PCIe SSD U.2 device, see the Dell Express Flash NVMe PCIe
SSD User's Guide at https://www.dell.com/support Browse all Products > Data Center Infrastructure > Storage
Adapters & Controllers > Dell PowerEdge Express Flash NVMe PCIe SSD > Documentation > Manuals and
Documents.
NOTE: All instances of SAS, SATA drives, PCIe SSDs, and NVMe are referred to as drives in this document, unless specified
otherwise.
CAUTION: Do not install GPUs, network cards, or other PCIe devices on your system that are not validated
and tested by Dell. Damage caused by unauthorized and invalidated hardware installation will null and void the
system warranty.
NOTE: For more information, see the Dell EMC PowerEdge R750 Technical Specifications on the product documentation
page.
Front view of the system
Figure 1. Front view of the 24 x 2.5-inch drive system
Table 1. Features available on the front of the system
Item Ports, panels, and
slots
Icon Description
1 Left control panel N/A Contains the system health, system ID, status LED, and the iDRAC Quick Sync 2
(wireless) indicator.
NOTE: The iDRAC Quick Sync 2 indicator is available only on certain
configurations.
●Status LED: Enables you to identify any failed hardware components. There are
up to five status LEDs and an overall system health LED (Chassis health and
system ID) bar. For more information, see the Status LED indicators section.
●Quick Sync 2 (wireless): Indicates a Quick Sync enabled system. The Quick
Sync feature is optional. This feature allows management of the system by
2
6 System overview

Table 1. Features available on the front of the system (continued)
Item Ports, panels, and
slots
Icon Description
using mobile devices called as OpenManage Mobile (OMM) feature. Using iDRAC
Quick Sync 2 with OpenManage Mobile (OMM) aggregates hardware or firmware
inventory and various system level diagnostic and error information that can be
used in troubleshooting the system. For more information, see the Integrated
Dell Remote Access Controller User's Guide available at https://www.dell.com/
idracmanuals
2 Drive N/A Enables you to install drives that are supported on your system.
3 Right control panel N/A Contains the power button, USB port, iDRAC Direct micro port, and the iDRAC
Direct status LED.
4 Information tag N/A The Information tag is a slide-out label panel that contains system information such
as Service Tag, NIC, MAC address, and so on. If you have opted for the secure
default access to iDRAC, then the Information tag will also contain the iDRAC secure
default password.
NOTE: For more information, see the Dell EMC PowerEdge R750 Technical Specifications on the product documentation
page.
Left control panel view
Figure 2. Left control panel without optional iDRAC Quick Sync 2 indicator
Table 2. Left control panel without optional iDRAC Quick Sync 2 indicator
Item Indicator, button, or
connector
Icon Description
1 Status LED indicators N/A Indicates the status of the system. For more information, see
Status LED indicators.
2 System health and system
ID indicator
Indicates the system health. For more information, see System
diagnostics and indicator codes
Figure 3. Left control panel with optional iDRAC Quick Sync 2 indicator
System overview 7

Table 3. Left control panel with optional iDRAC Quick Sync 2 indicator
Item Indicator, button, or
connector
Icon Description
1 Status LED indicators N/A Indicates the status of the system. For more information, see
Status LED indicators.
2 System health and system
ID indicator
Indicates the system health. For more information, see System
diagnostics and indicator codes.
3 iDRAC Quick Sync
2 wireless indicator
(optional)
Indicates if the iDRAC Quick Sync 2 wireless option is
activated. The Quick Sync 2 feature allows management of the
system using mobile devices. This feature aggregates hardware/
firmware inventory and various system level diagnostic/error
information that can be used in troubleshooting the system. You
can access system inventory, Dell Lifecycle Controller logs or
system logs, system health status, and also configure iDRAC,
BIOS, and networking parameters. You can also launch the virtual
Keyboard, Video, and Mouse (KVM) viewer and virtual Kernel-
based Virtual Machine (KVM), on a supported mobile device.
For more information, see the Integrated Dell Remote Access
Controller User's Guide at www.dell.com/poweredgemanuals.
NOTE: For more information about the indicator codes, see System diagnostics and indicator codes.
Right control panel view
Figure 4. Right control panel view
Table 4. Right control panel
Ite
m
Indicator or button Icon Description
1 Power button Indicates if the system is powered on or off. Press the power button to
manually power on or off the system.
NOTE: Press the power button to gracefully shut down the ACPI-
compliant operating system.
2 USB 2.0-compliant port The USB port is a 4-pin connector and 2.0-compliant. This port enables
you to connect USB devices to the system.
3 iDRAC Direct port
(Micro-AB USB)
The iDRAC Direct port (Micro-AB USB) enables you to access
the iDRAC Direct Micro-AB features. For more information, see the
Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller User's Guide available at
https://www.dell.com/idracmanuals .
NOTE: You can configure iDRAC Direct by using a USB to micro USB
(type AB) cable, which you can connect to your laptop or tablet. Cable
8 System overview

Table 4. Right control panel (continued)
Ite
m
Indicator or button Icon Description
length should not exceed 3 feet (0.91 meters). Performance could be
affected by cable quality.
4 VGA port Enables you to connect a display device to the system.
NOTE: For more information, see the Dell EMC PowerEdge R750 Technical Specifications on the product documentation
page.
Rear view of the system
Figure 5. Rear view of the system
Table 5. Rear view of the system
Item Ports, panels, or slots Icon Description
1 PCIe expansion card riser
1 (slot 1 and slot 2)
N/A The expansion card riser enables you to connect PCI Express
expansion cards. For more information about the expansion cards
that are supported on your system, see expansion card guidelines.
2 BOSS S2 module
(optional)
N/A This slot supports the BOSS S2 module.
3 Rear handle N/A To lift the system.
4 PCIe expansion card riser
2 (slot 3 and slot 6)
N/A The expansion card riser enables you to connect PCI Express
expansion cards. For more information about the expansion cards
supported on your system, see expansion card guidelines.
5 PCIe expansion card riser
3 (slot 4 and slot 5)
N/A The expansion card riser enables you to connect PCI Express
expansion cards. For more information about the expansion cards
supported on your system, see expansion card guidelines.
6 USB 2.0 port (1) This port is USB 2.0-compliant.
7 PCIe expansion card riser
4 (slot 7 and slot 8)
N/A The expansion card riser enables you to connect PCI Express
expansion cards. For more information about the expansion cards
that are supported on your system, see expansion card guidelines.
8 Power supply unit (PSU
2)
For more information about the PSU configurations, see the
PowerEdge R750 Technical Specifications on product documentation
page.
9 VGA port For more information about the VGA, see the Dell EMC PowerEdge
R750 Technical Specifications on product documentation page.
10 USB 3.0 port (1) This port is USB 3.0-compliant.
11 iDRAC dedicated port Enables you to remotely access iDRAC. For more information, see the
iDRAC User's Guide at www.dell.com/poweredgemanuals.
System overview 9

Table 5. Rear view of the system (continued)
Item Ports, panels, or slots Icon Description
12 System identification
button
Press the system ID button:
●To locate a particular system within a rack.
●To turn the system ID on or off.
To reset iDRAC, press and hold the button for more than 16 s.
NOTE:
●To reset iDRAC using system ID, ensure that the system ID
button is enabled in the iDRAC setup.
●If the system stops responding during POST, press and hold
the system ID button (for more than 5 s) to enter the BIOS
progress mode.
13 OCP NIC port (optional) N/A This port supports OCP 3.0. The NIC ports are integrated on the
OCP card which is connected to the system board.
14 NIC port (1,2) The NIC ports are embedded on the LOM card that is connected to
the system board.
15 Power supply unit (PSU 1) For more information about the PSU configurations, see the
Dell EMC PowerEdge R750 Technical Specifications on product
documentation page.
NOTE: For more information, see the Dell EMC PowerEdge R750 Technical Specifications on the product documentation
page.
10 System overview

Inside the system
Figure 6. Inside the system
1. Handle 2. BOSS S2 module bay
3. Riser 1 4. Power supply unit (PSU 1)
5. Riser 2 cage 6. System board
7. Air shroud 8. Cooling fan
9. Drive backplane cover 10. Service tag
11. Cooling fan cage assembly 12. Power supply unit (PSU 2)
13. Riser 3 14. Riser 4
15. Intrusion switch module
System overview 11

Figure 7. Inside the system with full length risers and GPU shroud
1. Handle 2. BOSS S2 module bay
3. Riser 1 4. GPU air shroud top cover
5. GPU air shroud 6. Cooling fan
7. Drive backplane 8. Service tag
9. Cooling fan cage assembly 10. Riser 3
11. Riser 4 12. Intrusion switch module
Locating the Express Service Code and Service Tag
The unique Express Service Code and Service Tag are used to identify the system.
The information tag is located on the front of the system that includes system information such as the Service Tag, Express
Service Code, Manufacture date, NIC, MAC address, QRL label, and so on. If you have opted for the secure default access
to iDRAC, the Information tag also contains the iDRAC secure default password. If you have opted for iDRAC Quick Sync
2, the Information tag also contains the OpenManage Mobile (OMM) label, where administrators can configure, monitor, and
troubleshoot the PowerEdge servers.
12 System overview

Figure 8. Locating the Express Service Code and Service tag
1. Information tag (front view)
2. Information tag (back view)
3. OpenManage Mobile (OMM) label
4. iDRAC MAC address and iDRAC secure password label
5. Service Tag, Express Service Code, QRL label
The Mini Enterprise Service Tag (MEST) label is located on the rear of the system that includes the Service Tag (ST), Express
Service Code (Exp Svc Code), and Manufacture Date (Mfg. Date). The Exp Svc Code is used by Dell EMC to route support calls
to the appropriate personnel.
Alternatively, the Service Tag information is located on a label on the left wall of the chassis.
System information label
The system information label is located on the back side of the system cover.
System overview 13

Figure 9. Service information
Figure 10. Memory information and system board connectors
14 System overview

Figure 11. LED behavior
Figure 12. Icon legend
Figure 13. Configuration and layout for 2.5-inch drive system
Figure 14. Configuration and layout for 3.5-inch drive system
System overview 15

Figure 15. System tasks
Figure 16. Heat sink
Figure 17. BOSS S2
Figure 18. Express service tag
16 System overview

Rail sizing and rack compatibility matrix
For specific information about the rail solutions compatible with your system, see the Dell EMC Enterprise Systems
Rail Sizing and Rack Compatibility Matrix available at https://i.dell.com/sites/csdocuments/Business_solutions_engineering-
Docs_Documents/en/rail-rack-matrix.pdf.
The document provides the information that is listed below:
●Specific details about rail types and their functionalities.
●Rail adjustability range for various types of rack mounting flanges.
●Rail depth with and without cable management accessories.
●Types of racks supported for various types of rack mounting flanges.
System overview 17

Minimum to POST and system management
configuration validation
This section describes the minimum to POST system requirements and system management configuration validation of the
PowerFlex custom node system.
Minimum configuration to POST
The components listed below are the minimum configuration to POST:
●One processor (CPU) in socket processor 1
●One memory module (DIMM) in socket A1
●One power supply unit
●System board + LOM card + RIO card
Configuration validation
The new generation of PowerFlex custom node systems has added interconnect flexibility and advanced iDRAC management
features to collect precise system configuration information and report configuration errors.
When the system is powered on, information about installed cables, risers, backplanes, floating cards (fPERC or BOSS), and
the processor is obtained from the CPLD and backplane memory maps and is analyzed. This information forms a unique
configuration, which is compared with one of the qualified configurations stored in a table maintained by iDRAC.
One or more sensors are assigned to each of the configuration elements. During POST, any configuration validation error is
logged in the System Event Log (SEL)/LifeCycle (LC) log. The reported events are categorized in the configuration validation
error table.
Table 6. Configuration validation error
Error Description Possible cause and
recommendations
Example
Config Error A configuration element within the
closest match contains something that is
unexpected and does not match any Dell
qualified configuration.
Wrong configuration Config Error: Backplane cable
CTRS_SRC_SA1 and BP-DST_SA1
The element reported
in HWC8010 errors are
assembled incorrectly.
Verify element (cable,
risers, etc.) placement in
the system.
Config Error : SL Cable
PLANAR_SL7 and CTRL_DST_PA1
Config
Missing
iDRAC found a configuration element
missing within the closest match
detected.
Missing or damaged cable,
device, or part
Config Missing: Float card front
PERC/HBA
Missing element or cable
is reported in HWC8010
error logs. Install the
missing element (cable,
risers, etc).
Config Missing : SL cable
PLANAR_SL8 and CTRL_DST_PA1
Comm Error A configuration element is not responding
to iDRAC using the management interface
while running an inventory check.
System management
sideband communication
Comm Error: Backplane 2
3
18 Minimum to POST and system management configuration validation

Table 6. Configuration validation error (continued)
Error Description Possible cause and
recommendations
Example
Unplug AC Power, reseat
the element and replace
the element if the problem
persists.
For information on configuration errors displayed on the screen during POST or captured in the SEL/LC log, see Error
messages.
Error messages
This section describes the error messages displayed on the screen during POST or captured in the system event log (SEL)/
LifeCycle (LC) log.
Table 7. Error message HWC8010
Error code HWC8010
Message The System Configuration Check operation resulted in the following issue involving the indicated
component type
Arguments Riser, floating card (fPERClike BOSS), backplane, processor, cable, or other components
Detailed Description The issue identified in the message is observed in the System Configuration Check operation.
Recommended
Response Action
Do the following and retry the operation:
1. Disconnect the input power.
2. Check for proper cable connection and component placement. If the issue persists, contact the
service provider.
Category System Health (HWC = Hardware Config)
Severity Critical
Trap/EventID 2329
Table 8. Error message HWC8011
Error code HWC8011
Message The System Configuration Check operation resulted in multiple issues involving the indicated component
type
Arguments Riser, floating card (fPERClike BOSS), backplane, processor, cable, or other components
Detailed Description Multiple issues are observed in the System Configuration Check operation.
Recommended
Response Action
Do the following and retry the operation:
1. Disconnect the input power.
2. Check for proper cable connection and component placement. If the issue persists, contact the
service provider.
Category System Health (HWC = Hardware Config)
Severity Critical
Minimum to POST and system management configuration validation 19

Component installation guidelines
This section describes additional guidelines required for installing the drive backplane, expansion card risers, memory modules,
and other system components.
For detailed component installation instructions, see the Dell Technologies PowerFlex Custom Node R750 Field Replaceable Unit
Guide.
Cable routing
Figure 19. 8 x 2.5-inch SAS with NVMe and fPERC
Table 9. 8 x 2.5-inch SAS with NVMe and fPERC
From To
SIG_PWR_1 (system board power connector) BP_PWR_1 (backplane power connector)
SL1_CPU2_PB1 (signal connector on system board) BP_DST_PA1 (backplane signal connector)
SL2_CPU2_PA1 (signal connector on system board) BP_DST_PB1 (backplane signal connector)
SL3_CPU1_PB2 (signal connector on system board) and
SL4_CPU1_PA2 (signal connector on system board)
BP_DST_PA2 (backplane signal connector) and BP_DST_PB2
(backplane signal connector)
SL7_CPU1_PA5 (signal connector on system board) CTRL_DST_PA1 (fPERC input connector)
4
20 Component installation guidelines