Dell PowerEdge R730xd User manual

Dell PowerEdge R730xd
Owner's Manual
Regulatory Model: E31S Series
Regulatory Type: E31S001
July 2021
Rev. A06

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.
© 2017 2020 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: Dell PowerEdge R730xd system overview..................................................................... 8
Supported configurations for the PowerEdge R730xd system................................................................................8
Front panel...........................................................................................................................................................................10
24 x 2.5-inch hard drive/SSD chassis.....................................................................................................................10
12 x 3.5-inch hard drive............................................................................................................................................... 11
8 x 3.5-inch hard drive and 18 x 1.8-inch SSD...................................................................................................... 13
Back panel............................................................................................................................................................................14
Diagnostic indicators on the front panel...................................................................................................................... 15
Hard drive indicator codes......................................................................................................................................... 17
uSATA SSD indicator codes...................................................................................................................................... 18
NIC indicator codes..................................................................................................................................................... 19
Power supply unit indicator codes........................................................................................................................... 19
iDRAC Direct LED indicator codes........................................................................................................................... 21
Quick Sync indicator codes.......................................................................................................................................23
Locating service tag of your system............................................................................................................................ 23
Chapter 2: Documentation resources...........................................................................................24
Chapter 3: Technical specifications............................................................................................. 27
Chassis dimensions........................................................................................................................................................... 27
Chassis weight................................................................................................................................................................... 28
Processor specifications..................................................................................................................................................28
PSU specifications............................................................................................................................................................ 28
System battery specifications........................................................................................................................................28
Expansion bus specifications..........................................................................................................................................29
Memory specifications..................................................................................................................................................... 29
Drive specifications...........................................................................................................................................................29
Hard drives....................................................................................................................................................................29
Ports and connectors specifications............................................................................................................................ 30
USB ports...................................................................................................................................................................... 30
NIC ports....................................................................................................................................................................... 30
Serial connector...........................................................................................................................................................30
VGA ports......................................................................................................................................................................30
Internal Dual SD Module............................................................................................................................................ 30
Video specifications...........................................................................................................................................................31
Environmental specifications...........................................................................................................................................31
Particulate and gaseous contamination specifications ..................................................................................... 32
Standard operating temperature............................................................................................................................. 33
Expanded operating temperature............................................................................................................................33
Expanded operating temperature restrictions......................................................................................................33
Chapter 4: Initial system setup and configuration........................................................................34
Setting up your system....................................................................................................................................................34
iDRAC configuration......................................................................................................................................................... 34
Contents
Contents 3

Options to set up iDRAC IP address.......................................................................................................................34
Options to install the operating system.......................................................................................................................35
Methods to download firmware and drivers.........................................................................................................35
Manage your system........................................................................................................................................................ 36
Chapter 5: Pre-operating system management applications........................................................ 37
Options to manage the pre-operating system applications.................................................................................... 37
System Setup..................................................................................................................................................................... 37
Viewing System Setup............................................................................................................................................... 38
System Setup details..................................................................................................................................................38
System BIOS.................................................................................................................................................................38
iDRAC Settings utility.................................................................................................................................................63
Device Settings............................................................................................................................................................64
Dell Lifecycle Controller...................................................................................................................................................64
Embedded systems management............................................................................................................................64
Boot Manager.................................................................................................................................................................... 65
Viewing Boot Manager...............................................................................................................................................65
Boot Manager main menu......................................................................................................................................... 65
PXE boot............................................................................................................................................................................. 66
Chapter 6: Installing and removing system components.............................................................. 67
Safety instructions............................................................................................................................................................67
Before working inside your system............................................................................................................................... 68
After working inside your system..................................................................................................................................68
Recommended tools......................................................................................................................................................... 68
Front bezel (optional)...................................................................................................................................................... 69
Removing the optional front bezel..........................................................................................................................69
Installing the optional front bezel............................................................................................................................ 70
System cover......................................................................................................................................................................72
Removing the system cover..................................................................................................................................... 72
Installing the system cover........................................................................................................................................73
Inside the system...............................................................................................................................................................74
Cooling shroud................................................................................................................................................................... 75
Removing the cooling shroud................................................................................................................................... 75
Installing the cooling shroud..................................................................................................................................... 76
Hard drive tray assembly................................................................................................................................................. 77
Removing the hard drive tray................................................................................................................................... 77
Installing the hard drive tray..................................................................................................................................... 78
Removing a hard drive blank from a hard drive carrier...................................................................................... 79
Installing a hard drive blank into a hard drive carrier..........................................................................................80
Removing a hard drive carrier from the hard drive tray..................................................................................... 81
Installing a hard drive carrier into the hard drive tray........................................................................................ 82
Removing a hard drive from a hard drive carrier.................................................................................................83
Installing a hard drive into a hard drive carrier.....................................................................................................84
Removing the hard drive backplane from the hard drive tray..........................................................................85
Installing the hard drive backplane in the hard drive tray................................................................................. 86
Cooling fans........................................................................................................................................................................86
Removing a cooling fan..............................................................................................................................................86
Installing a cooling fan................................................................................................................................................ 87
4 Contents

Cooling fan assembly .......................................................................................................................................................88
Removing the cooling fan assembly........................................................................................................................88
Installing the cooling fan assembly..........................................................................................................................89
System memory.................................................................................................................................................................90
General memory module installation guidelines....................................................................................................92
Mode-specific guidelines........................................................................................................................................... 92
Sample memory configurations................................................................................................................................93
Removing memory modules......................................................................................................................................96
Installing memory modules........................................................................................................................................ 97
Processors and heat sinks.............................................................................................................................................. 99
Removing a heat sink................................................................................................................................................. 99
Removing a processor.............................................................................................................................................. 100
Installing a processor................................................................................................................................................ 104
Installing a heat sink..................................................................................................................................................106
PCIe card holder.............................................................................................................................................................. 107
Removing the PCIe card holder..............................................................................................................................107
Installing the PCIe card holder................................................................................................................................108
Opening and closing the PCIe card holder latch................................................................................................109
Cable retention bracket.................................................................................................................................................. 110
Removing the cable retention bracket.................................................................................................................. 110
Installing the cable retention bracket..................................................................................................................... 111
Integrated storage controller card............................................................................................................................... 112
Removing the integrated storage controller card...............................................................................................113
Installing the integrated storage controller card.................................................................................................114
Expansion cards and expansion card riser..................................................................................................................116
Expansion card installation guidelines....................................................................................................................116
Removing an expansion card from expansion card riser 2 or 3.......................................................................117
Installing an expansion card into the expansion card riser 2 or 3................................................................... 118
Removing an expansion card from the expansion card riser 1........................................................................120
Installing an expansion card into the expansion card riser 1.............................................................................121
Removing an NVMe expansion card from expansion card riser..................................................................... 122
Installing an NVMe expansion card into the expansion card riser..................................................................123
Removing the riser 1 blank.......................................................................................................................................125
Installing the riser 1 blank.........................................................................................................................................126
Removing expansion card risers............................................................................................................................. 127
Installing expansion card risers...............................................................................................................................130
IDSDM ............................................................................................................................................................................... 132
Removing an internal SD card.................................................................................................................................132
Installing an internal SD card...................................................................................................................................133
Removing the optional internal dual SD module.................................................................................................135
Installing the optional internal dual SD module ..................................................................................................136
Network daughter card.................................................................................................................................................. 137
Removing the network daughter card .................................................................................................................137
Installing the network daughter card.................................................................................................................... 138
Internal USB memory key (optional)...........................................................................................................................139
Replacing the optional internal USB memory key..............................................................................................140
System battery ................................................................................................................................................................ 141
Replacing the system battery..................................................................................................................................141
Power supply units (PSU)............................................................................................................................................. 142
Hot spare feature.......................................................................................................................................................143
Contents 5

Removing the power supply unit blank.................................................................................................................143
Installing the power supply unit blank................................................................................................................... 144
Removing an AC power supply unit.......................................................................................................................144
Installing an AC power supply unit.........................................................................................................................145
Wiring instructions for a DC power supply unit..................................................................................................146
Removing a DC power supply unit.........................................................................................................................149
Installing a DC power supply unit...........................................................................................................................150
System board.................................................................................................................................................................... 151
Removing the system board.................................................................................................................................... 151
Installing the system board......................................................................................................................................154
Trusted Platform Module...............................................................................................................................................157
Installing the Trusted Platform Module................................................................................................................ 157
Initializing the TPM for BitLocker users...............................................................................................................158
Initializing the TPM for TXT users.........................................................................................................................158
Hard drives........................................................................................................................................................................ 159
Removing a 2.5-inch hard drive blank.................................................................................................................. 159
Installing a 2.5-inch hard drive blank.................................................................................................................... 160
Removing a 2.5 inch hard drive blank (rear)........................................................................................................161
Installing a 2.5 inch hard drive blank (rear)..........................................................................................................161
Removing a 3.5-inch hard drive blank.................................................................................................................. 162
Installing a 3.5-inch hard drive blank.....................................................................................................................163
Removing a hot swappable hard drive or solid state drive..............................................................................163
Installing a hot swappable hard drive or solid state drive................................................................................165
Removing a hard drive or a solid state drive from a hard drive carrier........................................................ 166
Installing a hard drive or solid state drives into a hard drive carrier..............................................................167
Removing a 1.8-inch hard drive blank................................................................................................................... 168
Installing a 1.8-inch hard drive blank..................................................................................................................... 168
Removing a 1.8-inch hard drive from a hard drive carrier............................................................................... 169
Installing a 1.8-inch hard drive into a hard drive carrier....................................................................................170
Hard drive backplane...................................................................................................................................................... 170
Removing the hard drive backplane ......................................................................................................................171
Installing the hard drive backplane ........................................................................................................................181
Removing the optional hard drive backplane (rear).......................................................................................... 183
Installing the optional hard drive backplane (rear)............................................................................................ 184
SD vFlash card (optional)..............................................................................................................................................186
Replacing an optional SD vFlash media card.......................................................................................................186
Removing the vFlash media unit............................................................................................................................ 186
Installing the vFlash media unit.............................................................................................................................. 188
Control panel assembly.................................................................................................................................................. 189
Removing the control panel ................................................................................................................................... 189
Installing the control panel ..................................................................................................................................... 190
Removing the I/O panel ...........................................................................................................................................191
Installing the I/O panel ............................................................................................................................................ 192
Chapter 7: Using system diagnostics......................................................................................... 195
Dell Embedded System Diagnostics............................................................................................................................195
When to use the Embedded System Diagnostics..............................................................................................195
Running the Embedded System Diagnostics from Boot Manager.................................................................195
Running the Embedded System Diagnostics from the Dell Lifecycle Controller........................................195
System diagnostic controls..................................................................................................................................... 196
6 Contents

Chapter 8: Jumpers and connectors........................................................................................... 197
System board jumper settings...................................................................................................................................... 197
System board jumpers and connectors......................................................................................................................198
Disabling forgotten password......................................................................................................................................200
Chapter 9: Troubleshooting your system....................................................................................201
Minimum to POST........................................................................................................................................................... 201
Troubleshooting system startup failure.....................................................................................................................202
Troubleshooting external connections.......................................................................................................................202
Troubleshooting the video subsystem....................................................................................................................... 202
Troubleshooting a USB device.....................................................................................................................................202
Troubleshooting iDRAC Direct - USB XML configuration.....................................................................................203
Troubleshooting iDRAC Direct - Laptop connection..............................................................................................204
Troubleshooting a serial input and output device................................................................................................... 204
Troubleshooting a NIC................................................................................................................................................... 204
Troubleshooting a wet system.................................................................................................................................... 205
Troubleshooting a damaged system...........................................................................................................................206
Troubleshooting the system battery..........................................................................................................................206
Troubleshooting power supply units...........................................................................................................................207
Troubleshooting power source problems............................................................................................................ 207
Troubleshooting power supply unit problems.................................................................................................... 208
Troubleshooting cooling problems..............................................................................................................................208
Troubleshooting cooling fans.......................................................................................................................................208
Troubleshooting system memory................................................................................................................................209
Troubleshooting an internal USB key..........................................................................................................................210
Troubleshooting a micro SD card................................................................................................................................. 211
Troubleshooting a drive or SSD.................................................................................................................................... 211
Troubleshooting a storage controller..........................................................................................................................212
Troubleshooting expansion cards................................................................................................................................ 213
Troubleshooting processors.......................................................................................................................................... 214
System messages............................................................................................................................................................ 214
Warning messages.....................................................................................................................................................214
Diagnostic messages.................................................................................................................................................214
Alert messages........................................................................................................................................................... 215
Chapter 10: Getting help............................................................................................................ 216
Contacting Dell EMC...................................................................................................................................................... 216
Documentation feedback...............................................................................................................................................216
Accessing system information by using QRL............................................................................................................216
Quick Resource Locator for PowerEdge R730 and R730xd systems........................................................... 217
Contents 7

Dell PowerEdge R730xd system overview
The Dell PowerEdge R730xd systems are 2U rack servers that support up to two Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3 or Xeon E5-2600 v4
processors, up to 24 DIMMs, and 28 hard drives or solid state drives (SSDs).
Topics:
•Supported configurations for the PowerEdge R730xd system
•Front panel
•Back panel
•Diagnostic indicators on the front panel
•Locating service tag of your system
Supported configurations for the PowerEdge R730xd
system
The Dell PowerEdge R730xd system supports the following configurations:
1
8 Dell PowerEdge R730xd system overview

Figure 1. Supported configurations for the PowerEdge R730xd system
Dell PowerEdge R730xd system overview 9

Front panel
24 x 2.5-inch hard drive/SSD chassis
Figure 2. 24 x 2.5-inch hard drive/SSD chassis
1. System identification button 2. Power button
3. NMI button 4. Information tag
5. Hard drives 6. USB management port/iDRAC Direct
7. Video connector 8. Quick Sync
Table 1. Front panel of the 24 x 2.5-inch hard drive/SSD PowerEdge R730xd chassis
Item Indicator, Button, or
Connector
Icon Description
1 System identification button Enables you to locate a particular system within a rack.
The identification buttons are located on the front and back
panels.
Press the system identification button to turn the system ID
on or off.
NOTE:
●If the system stops responding during POST, press
and hold the system ID button (for more than five
seconds) to enter BIOS progress mode.
●To reset the iDRAC (if not disabled in F2 iDRAC
setup), press and hold the button (for more than 15
seconds).
2 Power button Enables you to know the power status of the system. The
power indicator turns on when the system power is on. The
power button controls the power supply output to the system.
NOTE: On ACPI compliant operating systems, when the
power button is used to shutdown the system, the
operating system performs a graceful shut down the
system power is turned off.
3 NMI button Enables you to troubleshoot software and device driver errors
when running certain operating systems. This button can be
pressed by using the end of a paper clip.
NOTE: Use this button only if directed to do so by
qualified support personnel or by instructions in the
operating system’s documentation.
10 Dell PowerEdge R730xd system overview

Table 1. Front panel of the 24 x 2.5-inch hard drive/SSD PowerEdge R730xd chassis (continued)
Item Indicator, Button, or
Connector
Icon Description
4 Information tag Contains system information such as service tag, NIC, MAC
address for your reference. The information tag is a slide-out
label panel.
5Hard drives Up to twenty four 2.5 inch hot-swappable hard drives or solid
state drives (SSD).
6 USB management port/iDRAC
Direct The USB management port is USB 2.0 compliant. Enables you
to connect USB devices to the system or provides access
to the iDRAC Direct features. For more information, see the
Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller User’s Guide at
Dell.com/idracmanuals.
7 Video connector Enables you to connect a display to the system.
8 Quick Sync (optional) Indicates a Quick Sync enabled system. The Quick Sync
feature is optional and needs a Quick Sync bezel. This feature
allows management of the system by using mobile devices.
This feature 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 at Dell.com/idracmanuals.
12 x 3.5-inch hard drive
Figure 3. 12 x 3.5-inch hard drive chassis
1. System identification button 2. Power button
3. NMI button 4. Information tag
5. Hard drives 6. USB management port/iDRAC Direct
7. Video connector 8. Quick Sync
Table 2. Front panel of the 12 x 3.5-inch hard drive PowerEdge R730xd chassis
Item Indicator, Button, or
Connector
Icon Description
1 System identification button Enables you to locate a particular system within a rack.
The identification buttons are located on the front and back
panels.
Press the system identification button to turn the system ID
on or off.
Dell PowerEdge R730xd system overview 11

Table 2. Front panel of the 12 x 3.5-inch hard drive PowerEdge R730xd chassis (continued)
Item Indicator, Button, or
Connector
Icon Description
NOTE:
●If the system stops responding during POST, press
and hold the system ID button (for more than five
seconds) to enter BIOS progress mode.
●To reset the iDRAC (if not disabled in F2 iDRAC setup)
press and hold the button (for more than 15 seconds).
2 Power button Enables you to know the power status of the system. The
power indicator turns on when the system power is on. The
power button controls the power supply output to the system.
NOTE: On ACPI compliant operating systems, when the
power button is used to shutdown the system, the
operating system performs a graceful shut down the
system power is turned off.
3 NMI button Enables you to troubleshoot software and device driver errors
when running certain operating systems. This button can be
pressed by using the end of a paper clip.
NOTE: Use this button only if directed to do so by
qualified support personnel or by instructions in the
operating system’s documentation.
4 Information tag Contains system information such as service tag, NIC, MAC
address for your reference. The information tag is a slide-out
label panel.
5Hard drives Up to twelve 3.5 inch hot-swappable hard drives.
6 USB management port/iDRAC
Direct The USB management port is USB 2.0 compliant. Enables you
to connect USB devices to the system or provides access
to the iDRAC Direct features. For more information, see the
Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller User’s Guide at
Dell.com/idracmanuals.
7 Video connector Enables you to connect a display to the system.
8 Quick Sync (optional) Indicates a Quick Sync enabled system. The Quick Sync
feature is optional and needs a Quick Sync bezel. This feature
allows management of the system by using mobile devices.
This feature 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 at Dell.com/idracmanuals.
12 Dell PowerEdge R730xd system overview

8 x 3.5-inch hard drive and 18 x 1.8-inch SSD
Figure 4. 8 x 3.5-inch hard drive and 18 x 1.8-inch SSD chassis
1. System identification button 2. Power button
3. NMI button 4. Information tag
5. Hard drives 6. USB management port/iDRAC Direct
7. Video connector 8. Quick Sync
Table 3. Front panel of the 8 x 3.5-inch hard drive and 18 x 1.8-inch SSD chassis PowerEdge R730xd
chassis
Item Indicator, Button, or
Connector
Icon Description
1 System identification button Enables you to locate a particular system within a rack.
The identification buttons are located on the front and back
panels.
Press the system identification button to turn the system ID
on or off.
NOTE:
●If the system stops responding during POST, press
and hold the system ID button (for more than five
seconds) to enter BIOS progress mode.
●To reset the iDRAC (if not disabled in F2 iDRAC setup)
press and hold the button (for more than 15 seconds).
2 Power button Enables you to know the power status of the system. The
power indicator turns on when the system power is on. The
power button controls the power supply output to the system.
NOTE: On ACPI compliant operating systems, when the
power button is used to shutdown the system, the
operating system performs a graceful shut down the
system power is turned off.
3 NMI button Enables you to troubleshoot software and device driver errors
when running certain operating systems. This button can be
pressed by using the end of a paper clip.
NOTE: Use this button only if directed to do so by
qualified support personnel or by instructions in the
operating system’s documentation.
4 Information tag Contains system information such as service tag, NIC, MAC
address for your reference. The information tag is a slide-out
label panel.
Dell PowerEdge R730xd system overview 13

Table 3. Front panel of the 8 x 3.5-inch hard drive and 18 x 1.8-inch SSD chassis PowerEdge R730xd
chassis (continued)
Item Indicator, Button, or
Connector
Icon Description
5 Hard drives Up to eight 3.5 inch hot-swappable hard drives and eighteen
1.8 inch hot-swappable uSATA SSDs.
6 USB management port/iDRAC
Direct The USB management port is USB 2.0 compliant. Enables you
to connect USB devices to the system or provides access
to the iDRAC Direct features. For more information, see the
Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller User’s Guide at
Dell.com/idracmanuals.
7 Video connector Enables you to connect a display to the system.
8 Quick Sync (optional) Indicates a Quick Sync enabled system. The Quick Sync
feature is optional and needs a Quick Sync bezel. This feature
allows management of the system by using mobile devices.
This feature 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 at Dell.com/idracmanuals.
Back panel
Figure 5. Back panel features
1. System identification button 2. System identification connector
3. iDRAC8 Enterprise port 4. Half-height PCIe expansion card slot
5. Serial connector 6. Video connector
7. USB port 8. Full-height PCIe expansion card slot
9. Ethernet connector 10. Power supply unit 1
11. Power supply unit 2 12. vFlash media card slot
13. Hard drive
Table 4. Back panel features
Item Indicator, button, or
connector
Icon Description
1 System identification button The identification buttons on the front and back panels can be
used to locate a particular system within a rack.
14 Dell PowerEdge R730xd system overview

Table 4. Back panel features (continued)
Item Indicator, button, or
connector
Icon Description
When one of these buttons is pressed, the system status
indicator on the back flashes until one of the buttons is
pressed again.
Press to toggle the system identification (ID) on or off.
If the system stops responding during POST, press and hold
the system ID button for more than five seconds to enter
BIOS progress mode.
To reset iDRAC (if not disabled in F2 iDRAC setup) press and
hold the button for more than 15 seconds.
2 System identification
connector
Connects the optional system status indicator assembly
through the optional cable management arm.
3 iDRAC8 Enterprise port Dedicated management port.
4 Half-height PCIe expansion
card slot (3)
Enables you to connect up to three half-height PCI Express
expansion cards.
5 Serial connector Enables you to connect a serial device to the system.
6 Video connector Enables you to connect a VGA display to the system.
7 USB port (2) Enables you to connect USB devices to the system. The ports
are USB 3.0-compliant.
8Full-height PCIe expansion
card slot (3) Enables you to connect up to three full-height PCI Express
expansion cards.
9 Ethernet connector (4) Four integrated 10/100/1000 Mbps Network Interface Card
(NIC) connectors
or
Four integrated connectors that include:
●Two 10/100/1000 Mbps NIC connectors
●Two 100 Mbps/1 Gbps/10 Gbps SFP+/10 GbE T
connectors
10 Power supply unit (PSU1) AC 495 W, 750 W, or 1100 W
or
DC 750 W or 1100 W
11 Power supply unit (PSU2)
12 vFlash media card slot Enables you to insert a vFlash media card.
13 Hard drive (2) (back) Up to two hot-swappable 2.5-inch hard drives.
Diagnostic indicators on the front panel
NOTE: No diagnostic indicators are lit when the system is turned off. To start the system, plug it into a working power
source and press the power button.
Dell PowerEdge R730xd system overview 15

Table 5. Diagnostic indicators
Icon Description Condition Corrective action
Health indicator The indicator turns solid blue if the
system is in good health. None required.
The indicator flashes amber:
●When the system is turned on.
●When the system is in standby.
●If any error condition exists. For
example, a failed fan, PSU, or a
hard drive.
Check the System Event Log or system messages
for the specific issue. For more information
about error messages, see the Dell Event and
Error Messages Reference Guide at Dell.com/
openmanagemanuals > OpenManage software.
The POST process is interrupted without any video
output due to invalid memory configurations. See the
Getting help section.
Hard drive
indicator
The indicator flashes amber if
there is a hard drive error.
Check the System Event Log to determine the
hard drive that has an error. Run the appropriate
Online Diagnostics test. Restart the system and run
embedded diagnostics (ePSA). If the hard drives are
configured in a RAID array, restart the system and
enter the host adapter configuration utility program.
Electrical
indicator
The indicator flashes amber if the
system experiences an electrical
error (for example, voltage out of
range, or a failed power supply unit
(PSU) or voltage regulator).
Check the System Event Log or system messages
for the specific issue. If it is due to a problem with
the PSU, check the LED on the PSU. Reseat the
PSU. If the problem persists, see the Getting help
section.
Temperature
indicator
The indicator flashes amber if
the system experiences a thermal
error (for example, the ambient
temperature is out of range or fan
failure).
Ensure that none of the following conditions exist:
●A cooling fan has been removed or has failed.
●System cover, cooling shroud, EMI filler panel,
memory module blank, or back filler bracket is
removed.
●Ambient temperature is too high.
●External airflow is obstructed.
See the Getting help section.
Memory indicator The indicator flashes amber if a
memory error occurs.
Check the system event log or system messages
for the location of the failed memory. Reseat the
memory module. If the problem persists, see the
Getting help section.
Related references
Getting help on page 216
Expansion card installation guidelines on page 116
16 Dell PowerEdge R730xd system overview

Hard drive indicator codes
Each hard drive carrier has an activity indicator and a status indicator. The indicators provide information about the current
status of the hard drive. The activity LED indicates whether hard drive is currently in use or not. The status LED indicates the
power condition of the hard drive.
Figure 6. Hard drive indicators on the hard drive and the hard drive tray backplane
1. Hard drive activity indicator 2. Hard drive status indicator
3. Hard drive backplane on hard drive tray 4. Hard drive
NOTE: If the hard drive is in the Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) mode, the status indicator (on the right side)
does not turn on.
Table 6. Hard drive indicator codes
Drive-status indicator pattern Condition
Flashes green twice per second Identifying drive or preparing for removal.
Off Drive ready for insertion or removal.
NOTE: The drive status indicator remains off until all hard
drives are initialized after the system is turned on. Drives are
not ready for insertion or removal during this time.
Flashes green, amber, and then turns off Predicted drive failure
Flashes amber four times per second Drive failed
Flashes green slowly Drive rebuilding
Steady green Drive online
Flashes green for three seconds, amber for three
seconds, and then turns off after six seconds
Rebuild stopped
Dell PowerEdge R730xd system overview 17

uSATA SSD indicator codes
Figure 7. uSATA SSD indicators
1. uSATA SSD activity indicator
2. uSATA SSD status indicator
3. uSATA SSD
NOTE: If the SSD is in the Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) mode, the status indicator (on the right side) does
not function and remains off.
Table 7. Drive status indicator codes
Drive-status indicator pattern Condition
Flashes green twice per second Identifying drive or preparing for removal.
Off Drive ready for insertion or removal.
NOTE: The drive status indicator remains off until all hard
drives are initialized after the system is turned on. Drives are
not ready for insertion or removal during this time.
Flashes green, amber, and turns off Predicted drive failure
Flashes amber four times per second Drive failed
Steady green Drive online
Flashes green for three seconds, amber for three
seconds, and turns off after six seconds
Rebuild aborted
18 Dell PowerEdge R730xd system overview

NIC indicator codes
The NIC on the back panel has an indicator that provides information about the network activity and link status. The activity
LED indicates whether the NIC is currently connected or not. The link LED indicates the speed of the connected network.
Figure 8. NIC Indicator Codes
1. link indicator
2. activity indicator
Table 8. NIC indicators
Convention Status Condition
A Link and activity indicators are off. The NIC is not connected to the network.
B Link indicator is green. The NIC is connected to a valid network at its maximum
port speed (1 Gbps or 10 Gbps).
C Link indicator is amber The NIC is connected to a valid network at less than its
maximum port speed.
D Activity indicator is flashing. green Network data is being sent or received.
Power supply unit indicator codes
AC power supply units (PSUs) have an illuminated translucent handle that serves as an indicator and DC PSUs have an LED that
serves as an indicator. The indicator shows whether power is present or a power fault has occurred.
Dell PowerEdge R730xd system overview 19

Figure 9. AC PSU status indicator
1. AC PSU status indicator/handle
Table 9. AC PSU status indicators
Convention Power indicator
pattern
Condition
A Green A valid power source is connected to the PSU and the PSU is operational.
B Flashing green When the firmware of the PSU is being updated, the PSU handle flashes green.
C Flashing green and
turns off
When hot-adding a PSU, the PSU handle flashes green five times at 4 Hz rate and
turns off. This indicates a PSU mismatch with respect to efficiency, feature set,
health status, and supported voltage.
NOTE: Ensure that both the PSUs are of the same capacity.
CAUTION: For AC PSUs, use only PSUs with the Extended Power
Performance (EPP) label on the back.
NOTE: Mixing PSUs from previous generations of Dell PowerEdge servers can
result in a PSU mismatch condition or failure to turn the system on.
D Flashing amber Indicates a problem with the PSU.
CAUTION: When correcting a PSU mismatch, replace only the PSU
with the flashing indicator. Swapping the PSU to make a matched pair
can result in an error condition and unexpected system shutdown. To
change from a high output configuration to a low output configuration
or vice versa, you must turn off the system.
CAUTION: AC PSUs support both 220 V and 110 V input voltages with
the exception of Titanium PSUs, which support only 220 V. When
two identical PSUs receive different input voltages, they can output
different wattages, and trigger a mismatch.
CAUTION: If two PSUs are used, they must be of the same type and
have the same maximum output power.
CAUTION: Combining AC and DC PSUs is not supported and triggers a
mismatch.
E Not lit Power is not connected.
20 Dell PowerEdge R730xd system overview