Dell PowerEdge 2970 Technical manual

Dell™ PowerEdge™ 2970
Information Update

Notes, Cautions, and Warnings
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use
of your computer.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates potential damage to hardware or loss of data
if instructions are not followed.
WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal
injury, or death.
____________________
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
© 2007–2009 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of these materials in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc.
is strictly forbidden.
Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, OpenManage, and PowerEdge are trademarks
of Dell Inc. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United
States and/or other countries; Red Hat and Red Hat Enterprise Linux are registered trademarks
of Red Hat, Inc.; SUSE is a registered trademark of Novell Inc.; AMD PowerNow! is a trademark
of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
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.
November 2009 Rev. A06

Contents 3
Contents
Non-Optimal Memory Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Regional Hardware Owner’s Manuals
Available on the Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Using the Online Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
System Setup Program Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Memory Optimizer Technology Feature . . . . . . . 6
QDMA Mode Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Demand-Based Power Management Feature . . . . 6
Additional CPU Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Default Settings Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
System Start-up Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Overcurrent Events on USB Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
LCD Status Message Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
System Board Jumpers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Creating a BMC User Password. . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
System Memory Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

4Contents
3.5-Inch Chassis Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Front Features and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Mixed SAS/SATA Hard Drive Configuration
(3.5-Inch Drives Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Removing a 3.5-Inch Drive Blank . . . . . . . . . . 15
Installing a 3.5-Inch Drive Blank . . . . . . . . . . 15
Removing the SAS/SATA Backplane Board . . . . 16
Installing the SAS Backplane Board . . . . . . . . 18
SAS/SATA Backplane Board Connectors . . . . . 19

Information Update 5
Non-Optimal Memory Configurations
Memory configurations other than those listed in Table 3-1 and Table 3-2
of the Hardware Owner’s Manual are non-optimal configurations. The POST
may halt when a non-optimal memory configuration is detected and the
following message is displayed:
Non-Optimal Memory Configuration
Press F1 to continue or F2 for Setup
NOTE: Mixing DIMMs of different speeds renders the memory configuration
non-optimal. The system clocks down the performance to the slowest speed
in the DIMM set for the channel.
Regional Hardware Owner’s Manuals Available
on the Web
At production time, the translated regional versions of the Hardware Owner’s
Manual were unavailable for inclusion on the Dell OpenManage™
Documentation CD, version 5.2. All versions of the Hardware Owner’s
Manuals that are normally delivered on the CD are available for download
on the Web at support.dell.com.
Using the Online Diagnostics
The online Server Administrator Diagnostics tool mentioned in the section
"Using Server Administration Diagnostics" in the Hardware Owner’s Manual
has been replaced by the online Dell PowerEdge™Diagnostics suite of
diagnostic programs. Dell PowerEdge Diagnostics includes online diagnostic
tests for chassis and storage components such as hard drives, physical
memory, communications ports, NICs, CMOS, and more.
To assess a system problem, first use the online Dell PowerEdge Diagnostics.
If you are unable to identify the problem using the PowerEdge Diagnostics,
then use the system diagnostics.
The files required to run PowerEdge Diagnostics for systems running
supported Microsoft®Windows®and Linux operating systems are available
at support.dell.com and on the CDs that came with your system. For
information about using diagnostics, see the Dell PowerEdge Diagnostics
User's Guide.

6Information Update
System Setup Program Updates
Memory Optimizer Technology Feature
The current BIOS update provides a memory optimization feature on the
Memory Information screen of the System Setup Program. The Memory
Optimizer Technology option enables you to set the two DRAM controllers
to work independently in parallel 64-bit mode (Advanced ECC is not
available in this mode) or disable the feature to run the controllers in the
default 128-bit mode with Advanced ECC.
QDMA Mode Feature
On the Integrated Devices screen, a QDMA Mode option is now available for
the Embedded SATA field. When set to QDMA Mode, the embedded SATA
controller supports ATAPI devices at an increased data transfer rate than the
PIO rate that is supported in ATA Mode. A device driver must be installed
on your operating system to use QDMA Mode.
Demand-Based Power Management Feature
The Demand-Based Power Management option on the CPU Information
screen of the System Setup Program, which enables AMD PowerNow!™
technology features on your CPU(s), is not supported in Red Hat®Enterprise
Linux®operating systems prior to version 5.
SUSE®Linux Enterprise Server 10 fully supports demand-based power
management. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 supports demand-based power
management on dual-core AMD processors, but not on the newer quad-core
processors.
Additional CPU Information
On the CPU Information screen, the processor fields now indicate the family,
model, and stepping of the specified processor.

Information Update 7
Default Settings Update
The following bullets are updates to information listed in your Hardware
Owner’s Manual.
•Onthe Serial Communication screen, the default setting for the Serial
Communication
field is On without Console Redirection .
•Onthe
Serial Communication screen, the default setting for the Failsafe
Baud Rate
field is 115200 .
System Start-up Behavior
Note the following events that may occur on your system during start-up.
• On systems with large memory configurations, the video monitor can take
from several seconds to approximately two minutes to display an image
at startup.
• If you are running the Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS, ES, or AS
(Version 4) (x86-64) operating system, the system may display the
following on-screen message several times during start-up:
clear kernel mapping: mapping is split: will leak
memory
This message is specific to the operating system and does not indicate
a problem with your system hardware.
Overcurrent Events on USB Ports
Some USB devices can cause an overcurrent event on your system’s USB
ports. When this occurs, the system disables one or more of the affected USB
ports, and communication with the attached USB devices is lost. An on-
screen system message may appear noting the event, but this is not always
the case, particularly with devices connected to the rear USB ports. If an
overcurrent event disables your system’s USB ports, re-enable the ports by
restarting your system.
If overcurrent events persist, you may need to remove or replace the USB
device(s) connected to your system.

8Information Update
LCD Status Message Update
Table 1-1 lists updates to 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
systems management settings, see your systems management software
documentation.
Table 1-1. LCD Status Messages
Code Text Causes Corrective Actions
E1232 VDD 12V
PS#PwrGd
AC power was lost on
the specified power
supply while the system
was powered on. If AC
power was not lost, the
specified power supply
has failed.
If AC power was lost, this message
is information only. If the power
supply has failed, see "Getting
Help" in your Hardware Owner’s
Manual.
E141C CPU
Mismatch
The existing CPU
pairing in the system is
not supported.
Change the CPUs to a matched
pair or other valid configuration.

Information Update 9
System Board Jumpers
The jumper settings shown in Figure 6-1 and described in Table 6-1 of your
system’s Hardware Owner’s Manual are incorrect. The correct settings are
shown in Figure 1-1 and described in Table 1-2.
Figure 1-1. System Board Jumpers

10 Information Update
Creating a BMC User Password
You must assign a valid LAN user name and password before you can connect
to your system's Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) using the BMC
Management Utility. There are two methods of creating a LAN user name
and password:
• If you access the BMC Remote Access Utility by pressing <CTRL+E>
during system startup, you can create a LAN user name, and a password
with up to 16 characters. (Note that only one LAN user name and
associated password can be created using this utility.) For information
on this option, see "Baseboard Management Controller Configuration" in
your
Dell OpenManage Baseboard Management Controller Utilities User’s
Guide
.
• If you use the Deployment Toolkit SYSCFG.EXE utility, you can create a
LAN user name, and a password of up to 20 characters using the
syscfg
passwordaction
command. For more information, see "Configuring
New BMC Users" in the BMC
User’s Guide .
Table 1-2. System Board Jumper Settings
Jumper Setting Description
NVRAM_CLR (default) The configuration settings are retained
at system boot.
The configuration settings are cleared at
the next system boot. (If the configuration
settings become corrupted to the point where
the system will not boot, install the jumper
and boot the system. Remove the jumper
before restoring the configuration
information.)
PWRD_EN (default) The password feature is enabled.
The password feature is disabled.

Information Update 11
System Memory Update
The 8-GB DIMMs that are supported on your system are 533-MHz quad-rank
modules. All other sizes of supported DIMMs—512-MB, 1-GB, 2-GB, and
4-GB—are 667-MHz modules. Operating a system with a mix of 533-MHz
and 667-MHz DIMMs forces all DIMMs to operate at the slower 533-MHz
signal rate. Therefore, mixed memory configurations with 8-GB DIMMs are
not supported on your system and will result in an error message at startup
to indicate that the memory configuration is not optimal. Table 1-3 and
Table 1-4 provide updates to your system’s Hardware Owner’s Manual
regarding the currently supported system memory configurations and
memory sparing configurations.
Table 1-3. Memory Configurations
Total System Memory
CPU 1 Paired DIMMs
(Size Per DIMM)
CPU 2 Paired DIMMs
(Size Per DIMM)
1 CPU 2 CPUs DIMM 1/2 DIMM 3/4 DIMM 5/6 DIMM7/8
1 GB 2 GB 512 MB 512 MB
2 GB 4 GB 512 MB 512 MB 512 MB 512 MB
2 GB 4 GB 1 GB 1 GB
3 GB 6 GB 1 GB 512 MB 1 GB 512 MB
4 GB 8 GB 1 GB 1 GB 1 GB 1 GB
4 GB 8 GB 2 GB 2 GB
5 GB 10 GB 2 GB 512 MB 2 GB 512 MB
6 GB 12 GB 2 GB 1 GB 2 GB 1 GB
8 GB 16 GB 2 GB 2 GB 2 GB 2 GB
8 GB 16 GB 4 GB 4 GB
9 GB 18 GB 4 GB 512 MB 4 GB 512 MB
10 GB 20 GB 4 GB 1 GB 1 GB 4 GB
12 GB 24 GB 4 GB 2 GB 2 GB 4 GB
16 GB 32 GB 4 GB 4 GB 4 GB 4 GB
16 GB 32 GB 8 GB 8 GB
32 GB 64 GB 8 GB 8 GB 8 GB 8 GB

12 Information Update
The 8-GB DIMMs that are supported on your system are quad-rank modules.
Using quad-rank DIMMs in a memory sparing configuration provides a
proportionally smaller amount of spared memory than using single- or dual-
rank DIMMs in a similar configuration. Because memory sparing allocates
spared memory by DIMM ranks, one-fourth of a quad-rank DIMM (one rank
out of four) is spared instead of one-half of a dual-rank DIMM or the full
capacity of a single-rank DIMM. Table 1-4 supersedes the information
provided in your Hardware Owner’s Manual regarding memory sparing
configurations that are supported on your system.
Table 1-4. Memory Sparing in Single- and Dual-Processor Configurations
Processor 1 Processor 2 Available
Memory
Spared
Memory
DIMM
Pair 1/2
DIMM
Pair 3/4
DIMM
Pair 5/6
DIMM
Pair 7/8 1 CPU / 2 CPUs 1 CPU / 2 CPUs
512 MB 512 MB 512 MB 512 MB 1 GB / 2 GB 1 GB / 2 GB
1 GB 512 MB 1 GB 512 MB 1 GB / 2 GB 2 GB / 4 GB
1 GB 1 GB 1 GB 1 GB 2 GB / 4 GB 2 GB / 4 GB
2 GB 512 MB 2 GB 512 MB 3 GB / 6 GB 2 GB / 4 GB
2 GB 1 GB 2 GB 1 GB 4 GB / 8 GB 2 GB / 4 GB
2 GB 2 GB 2 GB 2 GB 6 GB / 12 GB 2 GB / 4 GB
4 GB 512 MB 4 GB 512 MB 5 GB / 10 GB 4 GB / 8 GB
4 GB 1 GB 4 GB 1 GB 6 GB / 12 GB 4 GB / 8 GB
4 GB 2 GB 4 GB 2 GB 8 GB / 16 GB 4 GB / 8 GB
4 GB 4 GB 4 GB 4 GB 12 GB / 24 GB 4 GB / 8 GB
8 GB 8 GB 8 GB 8 GB 28 GB / 56GB 4 GB / 8 GB
Indicates a spared single-rank DIMM (512-MB or 1-GB). The entire capacity
of this DIMM is reserved for sparing.
Indicates a spared dual-rank DIMM (2-GB or 4-GB). One-half of this DIMM’s
capacity is reserved for sparing.
8-GB DIMMs are quad-rank. One-fourth of this DIMM’s capacity is reserved
for sparing.

Information Update 13
3.5-Inch Chassis Update
Front Features and Indicators
Figure 1-2 and Table 1-5 identify the controls, indicators, and connectors
located behind the optional rack bezel on the system's front panel.
Figure 1-2. Front-Panel Features and Indicators
Table 1-5. Front-Panel LED Indicators, Buttons, and Connectors
Item Indicator, Button,
or Connector
Icon Description
1Power-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.
6
5
4
3
2
187

14 Information Update
2NMI 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.
3System
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.
4LCD panel Provides system ID, status information,
and system error messages.
The LCD lights during normal system
operation. Both the systems 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.
5USB connectors
(2)
Connects USB 2.0-compliant devices
to the system.
Table 1-5. Front-Panel LED Indicators, Buttons, and Connectors (continued)
Item Indicator, Button,
or Connector
Icon Description

Information Update 15
Mixed SAS/SATA Hard Drive Configuration (3.5-Inch Drives Only)
The 3.5-inch chassis allows two SATA hard drives to be mixed in the hard
drive bays with one to four SAS hard drives. The SAS/SATA configuration
must contain two SATA drives, which must be installed in drive bays 0 and 1.
The remaining drive bays (2 through 5) can only have SAS hard drives or drive
blanks installed.
Removing a 3.5-Inch Drive Blank
CAUTION: To maintain proper system cooling, all empty hard-drive bays must
have drive blanks installed. If you remove a hard-drive carrier from the system
and do not reinstall it, you must replace the carrier with a drive blank.
1 Remove the front bezel, if attached. See "Removing the Front Bezel"
in your
Hardware Owner’s Manual .
2 Insert your finger under the shrouded end of the blank and press
in on the latch to eject the blank outward from the bay.
3 Pry the ends of the blank outward until the blank is free.
Installing a 3.5-Inch Drive Blank
The drive blank is keyed to ensure correct insertion into the drive bay.
To install a 3.5-inch drive blank, insert the keyed side of the blank into
the drive bay and press evenly on the other end of the blank until it is fully
inserted and latched.
6Video connector Connects a monitor to the system.
7Hard drives (6) Up to six 3.5-inch hot-plug hard drives.
8Optical drive
(optional)
One optional slimline DVD drive.
Table 1-5. Front-Panel LED Indicators, Buttons, and Connectors (continued)
Item Indicator, Button,
or Connector
Icon Description

16 Information Update
Removing the SAS/SATA Backplane Board
WARNING: 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.
1 Turn off the system and attached peripherals, and disconnect the system
from the electrical outlet.
2 Open the system. See "Opening the System" in your Hardware Owner’s
Manual
.
3 Open the drive-carrier release handle on each hard drive and partially
extend all of the hard drives from their bays. See Figure 1-3.
NOTE: If you choose to remove the hard drives, be sure to record which hard
drive you remove from which bay. See "Removing a Hot-Plug Hard Drive"
in your Hardware Owner’s Manual.

Information Update 17
Figure 1-3. SAS/SATA Backplane Board Removal
4 If present, disconnect the optical drive power cable from the SAS/SATA
backplane board. See Figure 1-4 for the location of the optical drive power
connector.
5 Disconnect the SAS cable(s) from the backplane connectors.
See Figure 1-4 for the location of the SAS cable connectors.
6 If an optical drive is installed, disconnect the data cable from the back
of the optical drive.
7 If present, remove the storage controller daughter card. See "Removing
a SAS Controller Daughter Card" in your
Hardware Owner’s Manual .
1 drive carrier 2 SAS backplane board
3 SAS-backplane board release pin
3
12

18 Information Update
8 Remove the SAS backplane board:
a Pull the SAS-backplane board release pin. See Figure 1-3.
b While pulling the release pin, tilt the backplane board toward the back
of the system.
c Lift the backplane board from its securing tabs and remove
the backplane board from the chassis.
Installing the SAS Backplane Board
WARNING: 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.
1 Place the SAS backplane board so that the securing tabs on the drive cage
are fully inserted into the securing slots on the backplane board.
See Figure 1-3.
2 Pull the SAS-backplane board release pin. See Figure 1-3.
3 While pulling the release pin, tilt the SAS backplane board toward the
front of the system until it stops, then release the release pin and ensure
that it snaps into place.
4 Reinstall the SAS controller daughter card. See "Installing a SAS
Controller Daughter Card" in your
Hardware Owner’s Manual .
5 Reattach the SAS controller daughter card cables and the control panel
cable.
6 Reinsert the hard drives.
7 If applicable, reconnect the optical drive power cable to the backplane
board. See "Installing the Optical Drive" in your
Hardware Owner’s
Manual
.
8 Close the system. See "Closing the System" in your Hardware Owner’s
Manual
.

Information Update 19
SAS/SATA Backplane Board Connectors
Figure 1-4 shows the location of the connectors on the SAS/SATA backplane
board.
Figure 1-4. SAS Backplane Board Components: 3.5-inch x4 Option
1 primary SAS (SAS_A) 2 optical drive power (CD_PWR)
3 secondary SAS (SAS_B) 4 drive 5 (SASDRV5)
5 backplane power (BP_PWR) 6 drive 4 (SASDRV4)
7 drive 3 (SASDRV3) 8 drive 2 (SASDRV2)
9 drive 1 (SASDRV1) 10 drive 0 (SASDRV0)
9876
1
front
back
23
10
5
4

20 Information Update