Dell EMC XC6420 XC Series Appliance and XC Core System Installation and Service Manual Regulatory Model: E43S Series Regulatory Type: E43S001
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. © 2018 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. Dell, EMC, and other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries.
Contents 1 XC6420 Series XC Core System overview...................................................................................................... 7 Back view of the XC6420 Series sled..............................................................................................................................7 Network ports indicator codes......................................................................................................................................... 8 Sled to hard drive mapping.
iDRAC Settings utility................................................................................................................................................ 47 Device Settings.......................................................................................................................................................... 47 Dell Lifecycle Controller................................................................................................................................................
Removing a mezzanine card..................................................................................................................................... 78 Installing a mezzanine card....................................................................................................................................... 79 Removing the mezzanine card bridge board ..........................................................................................................
BOSS card is not detected......................................................................................................................................102 Unable to boot to M.2 drive installed in slot 1....................................................................................................... 103 CLI reports unsupported features .........................................................................................................................
1 XC6420 Series XC Core System overview NOTE: The information in this document applies to both Dell EMC XC6420 Series Appliances, and Dell EMC XC Core System offering. Sections or information that apply to only one of the offerings (XC Series or XC Core) will be called out explicitly. The Dell EMC XC6420 Series Appliances and Dell EMC XC Core System sled support up to two Intel Xeon Skylake product family processors with 28 cores per processor.
Item Indicator, button, or connector Icon Description 4 sled release lock N/A Enables you to remove the sled from the enclosure. 5 rear power button N/A Enables you to power on the sled while accessing it from the rear. 6 iDRAC or NIC port Enables you to remotely access iDRAC. For more information, see the iDRAC User’s Guide at Dell.com/poweredgemanuals. 7 mini display port Enables you to connect a display device to the system. For more information, see Technical specifications.
Figure 3. LAN indicators on the QSFP mezzanine card 1 Link indicator 2 Activity indicator Table 2.
Table 3. Ethernet port indicator codes 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. 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.
Table 4. Settings for XC6420 Name State Slot Number Size Security Status Bus Protocol Media Type PCle SSD in Slot 0 in Bay 1 Ready 0 1490.42 GB Not Applicable PCle SSD PCle SSD in Slot 1 Ready in Bay 1 1 1490.42 GB Not Applicable PCle SSD Locating the Service Tag of your system Your system is identified by a unique Express Service Code and Service Tag number. The Express Service Code and Service Tag are found on the back of the sled by pulling out the EST tag.
2 Documentation resources Dell EMC documentation is either included with your shipment or available at the Dell website at Dell.com/XCSeriesmanuals. Dell EMC documentation for Dell EMC iDRAC is available at Dell.com/idracmanuals. To access the Dell EMC documentation: 1 On the Dell EMC Support page, in the Enter a Service Tag, Serial Number, Service Request, Model, or Keyword box, type the Service Tag of your Dell EMC appliance, and then click Submit.
3 Technical specifications The technical and environmental specifications of your system are outlined in this section. Topics: • Dimensions of the XC6420 Series sled • Chassis weight • Processor specifications • System battery • Expansion bus specifications • Memory specifications • Hard drives and storage specifications • Video specifications • Environmental specifications Dimensions of the XC6420 Series sled Figure 8. Dimensions of the XC6420 Series sled Table 6.
Chassis weight Table 7. Chassis weight of the XC6420 Series sleds System Maximum weight (with all the sleds and drives) 24 x 2.5-inch hard drive systems 41.46 Kg (91.40 lb) No backplane systems 34.56 Kg (76.19 lb) Processor specifications The XC6420 Series sled supports up to two Intel Xeon Skylake product family processors in each of the four independent sleds. Each processor supports up to 28 cores. System battery The XC6420 Series sled uses a CR 2032 3V replaceable lithium coin cell battery.
Hard drives and storage specifications The XC6420 Series sled supports SAS and SATA hard drives and Solid State Drives (SSDs). Table 10. Supported drive options for the XC6420 Series sled Maximum number of drives in the enclosure Maximum number of drives assigned per sled 24 x 2.5-inch drive systems Six SAS or SATA hard drives and SSDs per sled 24 x 2.
Environmental specifications The sections below contains information about the environmental specifications of the system. Temperature specifications Table 13. Temperature specifications Temperature Specifications Storage –40°C to 65°C (–40°F to 149°F) Continuous operation (for altitude less than 950 m or 3117 ft) 10°C to 35°C (50°F to 95°F) with no direct sunlight on the equipment.
Maximum shock specifications Table 16. Maximum shock specifications Maximum shock Specifications Operating 24 executed shock pulses 6 G in the positive and negative x, y, z axis for up to 11 ms (four pulses on each side of the system). Storage Six consecutively executed shock pulses of 71 G in the positive and negative x, y, z axes for up to 2 ms (one pulse on each side of the system). Maximum altitude specifications Table 17.
Particulate and gaseous contamination specifications Table 19. Particulate contamination specifications Particulate contamination Specifications Air filtration Data center air filtration as defined by ISO Class 8 per ISO 14644-1 with a 95% upper confidence limit. NOTE: This condition applies only to data center environments. Air filtration requirements do not apply to IT equipment designed to be used outside a data center, in environments such as an office or factory floor.
Table 21. Standard operating temperature specifications Standard operating temperature Specifications Temperature ranges (for altitude less than 950 m or 3117 ft) 10°C to 35°C (50°F to 95°F) with no direct sunlight on the equipment. NOTE: Some configurations require a lower ambient temperature. For more information, see the following tables. Table 22.
TDP (W) Processor model number 8170 155 W 6144 150 W 6148 6142 6136 8164 8160M 8160 140 W 6132 6152 6140M 6140 20 Supported heat sinks Max DIMM count per CPU 24x 2.5” HDDs enclosure CPU1: JYKMM | CPU2: V2DRD CPU1: 8 | CPU2: 8 CPU1: FMM2M | CPU2: V2DRD CPU1: 6 | CPU2: 8 Not supported CPU1: JYKMM | CPU2: V2DRD CPU1: 8 | CPU2: 8 CPU1: FMM2M | CPU2: V2DRD 20x 2.5” HDDs enclosure 16x 2.5” HDDs enclosure 12x 2.5” HDDs enclosure 8x 2.5” HDDs enclosure 4x 2.
TDP (W) Processor model number Max DIMM count per CPU 24x 2.5” HDDs enclosure 20x 2.5” HDDs enclosure 16x 2.
TDP (W) Processor model number 4114 4112 4110 4108 3106 3104 70 W 4109T Max DIMM count per CPU 24x 2.5” HDDs enclosure 20x 2.5” HDDs enclosure 16x 2.
Expanded operating temperature Specifications NOTE: Outside the standard operating temperature (10°C to 35°C), the system can operate down to –5°C or up to 45°C for a maximum of 1% of its annual operating hours. For temperatures between 40°C and 45°C, de-rate maximum allowable temperature by 1°C per 125 m above 950 m (1°F per 228 ft). NOTE: When operating in the expanded temperature range, system performance may be impacted.
4 Initial system setup and configuration NOTE: Drive slot numbering is 0 relative for chassis. All NVMe drives are installed in the last slots. Two NVMe drives are supported in each sled with slot 0 and 1 for each sled. Topics: • Setting up your system • iDRAC configuration • Methods to download firmware and drivers Setting up your system Complete the following steps to set up your system: About this task NOTE: Do not change any of the factory settings. Steps 1 Unpack the system.
Interfaces Document/Section Dell Lifecycle Controller See Dell Lifecycle Controller User’s Guide at Dell.com/idracmanuals iDRAC Direct and Quick Sync 2 (optional) See Dell Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller User's Guide at Dell.com/idracmanuals NOTE: To access iDRAC, ensure that you connect the Ethernet cable to the iDRAC direct port. You can also access iDRAC through the shared LOM mode, if you have opted for a system that has the shared LOM mode enabled.
Steps 1 Go to Dell.com/support/drivers. 2 In the Drivers & Downloads section, type the Service Tag of your system in the Enter a Service Tag or product ID box, and then click Submit. NOTE: If you do not have the Service Tag, select Detect Product to allow the system to automatically detect your Service Tag, or click View products, and navigate to your product. 3 Click Drivers & Downloads. The drivers that are applicable to your selection are displayed. 4 Download the drivers to a USB drive, CD, or DVD.
5 Pre-operating system management applications Dell EMC recommends that you do not change any of the factory settings. XC Series Appliance and XC Core System settings are configured at the factory.
System Setup details The System Setup Main Menu screen details are explained as follows: NOTE: The XC Series Appliance and XC Core System does not support the NVDIMM-N, RAID, or UEFI settings. Option Description System BIOS Enables you to configure BIOS settings. iDRAC Settings Enables you to configure the iDRAC settings. The iDRAC settings utility is an interface to set up and configure the iDRAC parameters by using UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface).
Option Description NVMe Settings Specifies options to change the NVMe settings. If the system contains the NVMe drives that you want to configure in a RAID array, you must set this field and the Embedded SATA field on the SATA Settings menu to RAID mode. You might also need to change the Boot Mode setting to UEFI. Otherwise, you should set this field to Non-RAID mode. Boot Settings Allows you to set the boot mode — BIOS or UEFI.
Option Description System BIOS Version Specifies the BIOS version installed on the system. System Management Engine Version Specifies the current version of the Management Engine firmware. System Service Tag Specifies the system Service Tag. System Manufacturer Specifies the name of the system manufacturer. System Manufacturer Contact Information Specifies the contact information of the system manufacturer.
Option Description System Memory Voltage Specifies the system memory voltage. Video Memory Specifies the amount of video memory. System Memory Testing Specifies whether the system memory tests are run during system boot. Options are Enabled and Disabled. This option is set to Disabled by default. Memory Operating Mode Specifies the memory operating mode. The options available are Optimizer Mode, Single Rank Spare Mode, Multi Rank Spare Mode, Mirror Mode, and Dell Fault Resilient Mode.
Option Description Virtualization Technology Enables you to control the QuickPath Interconnect data rate settings. Adjacent Cache Line Prefetch Optimizes the system for applications that need high utilization of sequential memory access. This option is set to Enabled by default. You can disable this option for applications that need high utilization of random memory access. Hardware Prefetcher Enables or disables the hardware prefetcher. This option is set to Enabled by default.
Viewing SATA Settings To view the SATA Settings screen, perform the following steps: 1 Turn on, or restart your system. 2 Press F2 immediately after you see the following message: F2 = System Setup NOTE: If your operating system begins to load before you press F2, wait for the system to finish booting, and then restart your system and try again. 3 On the System Setup Main Menu screen, click System BIOS. 4 On the System BIOS screen, click SATA Settings.
Option Description For AHCI or RAID mode, BIOS support is always enabled. Port D Option Description Model Specifies the drive model of the selected device. Drive Type Specifies the type of drive attached to the SATA port. Capacity Specifies the total capacity of the hard drive. This field is undefined for removable media devices such as optical drives. Sets the drive type of the selected device. For the Embedded SATA settings in ATA mode, set this field to Auto to enable BIOS support.
Option Description Port H Option Description Capacity Specifies the total capacity of the hard drive. This field is undefined for removable media devices such as optical drives. Sets the drive type of the selected device. For the Embedded SATA settings in ATA mode, set this field to Auto to enable BIOS support. Set it to OFF to turn off BIOS support. For AHCI or RAID mode, BIOS support is always enabled. Option Description Model Specifies the drive model of the selected device.
Boot Settings You can use the Boot Settings screen to set the boot mode to either BIOS or UEFI. It also enables you to specify the boot order. NOTE: The XC Series Appliance and XC Core System does not support the NVDIMM-N, RAID, or UEFI settings. • UEFI: The Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) is a new interface between operating systems and platform firmware.
Option Description Boot Option Settings Configures the boot sequence and the boot devices. BIOS Boot Settings Enables or disables BIOS boot options. NOTE: This option is enabled only if the boot mode is BIOS. UEFI Boot Settings Enables or disables UEFI Boot options. The UEFI options include PXE boot devices. NOTE: This option is enabled only if the boot mode is UEFI. UEFI Boot Sequence Enables you to change the PXE boot device order.
Option Description iDRAC Direct USB Port The iDRAC Direct USB port is managed by iDRAC exclusively with no host visibility. This option is set to ON or OFF. When set to OFF, iDRAC does not detect any USB devices installed in this managed port. This option is set to On by default. Embedded NIC1 Enables or disables the Embedded NIC1 port. The option is set to Enabled by default. I/OAT DMA Engine Enables or disables the I/O Acceleration Technology (I/OAT) option.
Option Description Option Description Slot 6 Enables or disables or only the boot driver is disabled for the PCIe slot 6. This option is set to Enabled by default. Serial Communication You can use the Serial Communication screen to view the properties of the serial communication port. Viewing Serial Communication To view the Serial Communication screen, perform the following steps: 1 Turn on, or restart your system.
System Profile Settings You can use the System Profile Settings screen to enable specific system performance settings such as power management. Viewing System Profile Settings To view the System Profile Settings screen, perform the following steps: 1 Turn on, or restart your system.
Option Description Number of Turbo NOTE: If there are two processors installed in the system, you will see an entry for Number of Turbo Boost Enabled Boost Enabled Cores for Processor 2. Cores for Processor 1 Controls the number of turbo boost enabled cores for Processor 1. The maximum number of cores is enabled by default. Monitor/Mwait Enables the Monitor/Mwait instructions in the processor. This option is set to Enabled for all system profiles, except Custom by default.
Option Description Intel(R) AES-NI Improves the speed of applications by performing encryption and decryption by using the Advanced Encryption Standard Instruction Set (AES-NI). This option is set to Enabled by default. System Password Sets the system password. This option is set to Enabled by default and is read-only if the password jumper is not installed in the system. Setup Password Sets the setup password. This option is read-only if the password jumper is not installed in the system.
Option Description Options Description The BIOS allows unauthenticated programmatic transitions between modes. Audit Mode In Audit mode, PK is not present. The BIOS does not authenticate programmatic updates to the policy objects, and transitions between modes. Audit Mode is useful for programmatically determining a working set of policy objects.
A message prompts you to save the changes. NOTE: Password protection does not take effect until the system reboots. Using your system password to secure your system About this task If you have assigned a setup password, the system accepts your setup password as an alternate system password. Steps 1 Turn on or reboot your system. 2 Type the system password and press Enter. Next step When Password Status is set to Locked, type the system password and press Enter when prompted at reboot.
• If System Password is not set to Enabled and is not locked through the Password Status option, you can assign a system password. For more information, see System Security Settings details . • You cannot disable or change an existing system password. NOTE: You can use the password status option with the setup password option to protect the system password from unauthorized changes. Redundant OS Control You can use the Redundant OS Control screen to set the redundant OS info for redundant OS control.
Option Description When set to Enabled, BIOS boots to the device specified in Redundant OS Location. When set to Disabled, BIOS preserves the current boot list settings. This option is set to Enabled by default. Miscellaneous Settings You can use the Miscellaneous Settings screen to perform specific functions such as updating the asset tag and changing the system date and time.
iDRAC Settings utility The iDRAC settings utility is an interface to set up and configure the iDRAC parameters by using UEFI. You can enable or disable various iDRAC parameters by using the iDRAC settings utility. NOTE: The XC Series Appliance and XC Core System does not support the NVDIMM-N, RAID, or UEFI settings. NOTE: Accessing some of the features on the iDRAC settings utility needs the iDRAC Enterprise License upgrade.
If your operating system begins to load before you press F11, allow the system to complete the booting, and then restart your system and try again. Boot Manager main menu NOTE: The XC Series Appliance and XC Core System does not support the NVDIMM-N, RAID, or UEFI settings. Menu item Description Continue Normal Boot The system attempts to boot to devices starting with the first item in the boot order.
6 Installing and removing system components Safety instructions WARNING: Whenever you need to lift the system, get others to assist you. To avoid injury, do not attempt to lift the system by yourself. WARNING: Opening or removing the system cover while the system is powered on may expose you to a risk of electric shock. CAUTION: Do not operate the system without the cover for a duration exceeding five minutes. Operating the system without the system cover can result in component damage.
• Wrist grounding strap • ESD mat Inside the sled CAUTION: This system must be operated with the system cover installed to ensure proper cooling. Figure 9. Inside the XC6420 sled 1 sled pull handle 2 mezzanine card 3 SATA connector 4 memory slot (4) 5 CPU1 processor heat sink module 6 CPU2 processor heat sink module socket 7 supporting bracket 8 M.
Figure 10.
Figure 11. Removing a sled blank Next step Install the sled into the enclosure. NOTE: If the sled is not being replaced immediately, a sled blank must be installed to ensure proper cooling of the system. Installing a sled Prerequisites 1 Follow the safety guidelines listed in Safety instructions. 2 If installed, remove the sled blank. Step Slide the sled into the enclosure horizontally, ensuring that the sled is supported from beneath until it locks into place.
Figure 12.
Figure 13. Installing a sled blank Next step Follow the procedure listed in After working inside your system. NOTE: To add the Service Tag of the system board to match the Service Tag of the physical node, contact Dell EMC Technical Support. Air shroud The air shroud aerodynamically directs the airflow across the sled. The airflow passes through all the critical parts of the sled, where the fans push the air across the entire surface area of the heat sink.
Figure 14. Removing the air shroud Next step Install the air shroud. Installing the air shroud Prerequisite 1 Follow the safety guidelines listed in Safety instructions. Steps 1 Insert the air shroud into the sled, aligning the shroud hinge with slot on the sled chassis. NOTE: Ensure that both the SATA cables are routed through the air shroud cable guide slot behind the air shroud latches. NOTE: Ensure that neither of the cables are pinched or pressed under the air shroud.
Figure 15. Installing the air shroud Next steps 1 Install the sled into the enclosure. 2 Follow the procedure listed in After working inside your system. System memory System memory guidelines The system support DDR4 Registered DIMMs (RDIMMs), Load Reduced DIMMs (LRDIMMs), and Non-Volatile DIMMs (NVDIMM-Ns). System memory holds the instructions that are executed by the processor. Your system contains 24 memory sockets split into two sets of 12 sockets, one set per processor.
Figure 16. Memory socket locations Memory channels are organized as follows: Table 26.
General memory module installation guidelines To ensure optimal performance of your system, observe the following general guidelines when configuring your system memory. If your system's memory configurations fail to observe these guidelines, your system might not boot, stop responding during memory configuration, or operate with reduced memory.
Table 27. Memory operating modes Memory Operating Mode Description Optimizer Mode The Optimizer Mode if enabled, the DRAM controllers operate independently in the 64-bit mode and provide optimized memory performance. Mirror Mode The Mirror Mode if enabled, the system maintains two identical copies of data in memory, and the total available system memory is one half of the total installed physical memory. Half of the installed memory is used to mirror the active memory modules.
Optimizer Mode This mode supports Single Device Data Correction (SDDC) only for memory modules that use x4 device width. It does not impose any specific slot population requirements. • Dual processor: Populate the slots in round robin sequence starting with processor 1. NOTE: Processor 1 and processor 2 population should match. Table 28.
Memory optimized (independent channel) mode This mode supports Single Device Data Correction (SDDC) only for memory modules that use x4 device width. It does not impose any specific slot population requirements. Memory sparing NOTE: To use memory sparing, this feature must be enabled in BIOS menu of System Setup. Table 29. Memory sparing Type Description Memory sparing (Single Rank) Memory sparing allocates one rank per channel as a spare.
Removing a memory module Prerequisites 1 Follow the safety guidelines listed in Safety instructions. 2 Follow the procedure listed in Before working inside your system. 3 Remove the air shroud. WARNING: Allow the memory modules to cool after you power off the system. Handle the memory modules by the card edges and avoid touching the components or metallic contacts on the memory module.
CAUTION: Handle each memory module only by the edges, ensuring not to touch the middle of the memory module or metallic contacts. CAUTION: To prevent damage to the memory module or the memory module socket during installation, do not bend or flex the memory module. You must insert both ends of the memory module simultaneously. 2 Open the ejectors on the memory module socket outward to allow the memory module to be inserted into the socket.
2 Follow the procedure listed in Before working inside your system. 3 Remove the sled from the enclosure. Step Using the Phillips #1 screwdriver, remove the screws that secure the support bracket and lift the bracket away from the sled. Figure 19. Removing the support bracket Next step Install the support bracket. Installing the support bracket Prerequisite 1 Follow the safety guidelines listed in Safety instructions. Steps 1 Place the support bracket in the sled.
Figure 20. Installing the support bracket Next steps 1 Install the sled into the enclosure. 2 Follow the procedure listed in After working inside your system. Expansion cards The expansion card in the system is a printed circuit board that can be inserted into an expansion slot on the system board riser card to add functionality to the system through the expansion bus. NOTE: A missing or an unsupported expansion card riser logs an System Event Log (SEL) event.
Riser Form factor Slot CPU mapping or Mezzanine 1 CPU1 Skylake-Fabric OCP MEZZ will be occupied by SKL-F QSFP carrier card Riser slot (SATA M.2) Low profile (slot 5) 1 CPU2 Skylake or Skylake-Fabric OCP mezzanine slot (slot 3) Slot width Maximum power consumption 25 W PCIe connector data 25 W lanes not used for M. 2 SATA Riser NOTE: For the expansion bus specification see the Expansion bus specifications. Table 32.
Figure 21. Removing the expansion card riser assembly Next step Install the expansion card riser assembly. Installing the expansion card riser assembly Prerequisite NOTE: You must install an expansion card filler bracket over an empty expansion slot to maintain Federal Communications Commission (FCC) certification of the system. The brackets also keep dust and dirt out of the system and aid in proper cooling and airflow inside the system. Follow the safety guidelines listed in Safety instructions.
Figure 22. Installing the expansion card riser assembly Next steps 1 Install the sled into the enclosure. 2 Follow the procedure listed in After working inside your system. Removing an expansion card Prerequisites 1 Follow the safety guidelines listed in Safety instructions. 2 Follow the procedure listed in Before working inside your system. 3 Remove the sled from the enclosure. 4 Remove the expansion card riser assembly. Steps 1 Remove the screw that secures the expansion card to the assembly.
Figure 23.
Figure 24. Installing the expansion card filler bracket Next step Install the expansion card or the expansion card filler bracket. Installing an expansion card Prerequisites CAUTION: Expansion cards can only be installed in the slots on the expansion card riser. Do not attempt to install expansion cards directly into the riser connector on the system board. 1 Follow the safety guidelines listed in Safety instructions. 2 Unpack the expansion card and prepare it for installation.
Figure 25.
Figure 26. Installing an expansion card Next steps 1 Install the expansion card riser assembly. 2 Install the sled into the enclosure. 3 Follow the procedure listed in After working inside your system. Removing the riser card Prerequisites 1 Follow the safety guidelines listed in Safety instructions. 2 Follow the procedure listed in Before working inside your system. 3 Remove the sled from the enclosure. 4 Remove the expansion card riser assembly. 5 If installed, remove the expansion card.
Figure 27. Removing the riser card Next step Install the riser card. Installing the riser card Prerequisite 1 Follow the safety guidelines listed in Safety instructions. Steps 1 Place the riser card into the expansion card bracket. 2 Using the Phillips #2 screwdriver, tighten the screws that secure the riser card to the expansion card bracket.
Figure 28. Installing the riser card Next steps 1 If removed, install the expansion card. 2 Install the expansion card riser assembly. 3 Install the sled into the enclosure. 4 Follow the procedure listed in After working inside your system. M.2 SATA drive The BOSS card is a simple RAID solution card designed specifically for booting a system's operating system. The card supports up to two 6 Gbps M.2 SATA drives. The BOSS adapter card has a x8 connector using PCIe gen 2.
Figure 29. Removing the M.2 SATA x16 riser Next step Install the M.2 SATA x16 riser. Installing the M.2 SATA x16 riser Prerequisite 1 Follow the safety guidelines listed in Safety instructions. Steps 1 Connect the data cable to the riser. 2 Insert the keyed end of the M.2 SATA riser into the lock on the system board. 3 Align and insert the edge connector into the connector on the system board. 4 Using the Phillips #2 screwdriver, tighten the screw to secure the riser to the sled.
Figure 30. Installing the M.2 SATA x16 riser Next steps 1 Install the sled into the enclosure. 2 Follow the procedure listed in After working inside your system. Removing the M.2 SATA card Prerequisites 1 Follow the safety guidelines listed in Safety instructions. 2 Follow the procedure listed in Before working inside your system. 3 Remove the sled from the enclosure. 4 If applicable, remove the expansion card riser assembly. 5 Remove the M.2 x16 riser.
Figure 31. Removing the M.2 SATA card from the M.2 SATA x16 riser Next step Install the M.2 SATA card. Installing the M.2 SATA card Prerequisite 1 Follow the safety guidelines listed in Safety instructions. Steps 1 Insert the edge connector of the M.2 SATA card into the connector on the board, and push the card in. 2 Using the Phillips #1 screwdriver, secure the card in place.
Figure 32. Installing the M.2 SATA card on the SATA x16 riser Next steps 1 If removed, install the expansion card riser assembly. 2 Install the M.2 x16 riser. 3 Install the sled into the enclosure. 4 Follow the procedure listed in After working inside your system. Mezzanine and OCP cards The mezzanine and Open Compute Project (OCP) cards connect to the PCI bus. They are physically smaller than the standard expansion card, and often connect to a dedicated connector on the system board.
Figure 33. Removing a mezzanine card Next step Install the mezzanine card or the mezzanine card filler bracket. Installing a mezzanine card Prerequisite NOTE: The procedure to install the mezzanine blank is similar to the removal of a mezzanine card. 1 Follow the safety guidelines listed in Safety instructions. Steps 1 Attach and secure the mezzanine card bracket to the mezzanine card.
3 Insert the card edge connector and push the card firmly until the card is fully seated on the bridge board. 4 Using the Phillips #2 screwdriver, secure the mezzanine card and bracket assembly to the sled using screws. Figure 34. Installing a mezzanine card Next steps 1 Install the mezzanine card or the mezzanine card filler bracket. 2 Install the expansion card riser assembly. 3 Install the sled into the enclosure. 4 Follow the procedure listed in After working inside your system.
Removing the mezzanine card bridge board Prerequisites 1 Follow the safety guidelines listed in Safety instructions. 2 Follow the procedure listed in Before working inside your system. 3 Remove the sled from the enclosure. 4 Remove the expansion card riser assembly. 5 Remove the mezzanine card. Step Pull the mezzanine card bridge board away from the mezzanine card slot on the system board. Figure 35. Removing the mezzanine card bridge board Next step Install the mezzanine card bridge board.
Figure 36. Installing the mezzanine card bridge board Next steps 1 Install the mezzanine card. 2 Install the expansion card riser assembly. 3 Install the sled into the enclosure. 4 Follow the procedure listed in After working inside your system. Removing the OCP card Prerequisites NOTE: The procedure to remove the mezzanine blank is similar to the removal of a mezzanine card. 1 Follow the safety guidelines listed in Safety instructions.
Figure 37. Removing the OCP card Next step Install the OCP card. Installing the OCP card Prerequisite Follow the safety guidelines listed in Safety instructions. Steps 1 Insert the Open Compute Project (OCP) card into the sled, aligning the connector on the card with the connector in the system board. 2 You must also align the holes on the card with the guide pins on the blue retention clips. 3 Push down to lock the card in place.
Figure 38. Installing the OCP card Next steps 1 Install the mezzanine card. 2 Install the sled into the enclosure. 3 Follow the procedure listed in After working inside your system. System battery The system battery is used to power the real-time clock of the system. NOTE: There is a system battery in each of the sleds. Replacing system battery Prerequisites WARNING: There is a danger of a new battery exploding if it is incorrectly installed.
Figure 39. Removing system battery Next step Install the system battery. Installing the system battery Prerequisites WARNING: There is a danger of a new battery exploding if it is incorrectly installed. Replace the battery only with the same or equivalent type recommended by the manufacturer. For more information, see the safety information that shipped with your system. NOTE: Battery is a Field Replaceable Unit (FRU).
Figure 40. Installing the system battery Next steps 1 If removed, install the expansion card riser. 2 Install the sled into the enclosure. 3 Follow the procedure listed in After working inside your system. 4 While booting, press F2 to enter System Setup and ensure that the battery is operating properly. 5 Enter the correct time and date in the System Setup Time and Date fields. 6 Exit System Setup.
CAUTION: Once the TPM plug-in module is installed, it is cryptographically bound to that specific system board. Any attempt to remove an installed TPM plug-in module breaks the cryptographic binding, the removed TPM cannot be reinstalled or installed on another system board. Removing the TPM 1 Locate the TPM connector on the system board. 2 Press to hold the module down and remove the screw using the security Torx 8-bit shipped with the TPM module. 3 Slide the TPM module out from its connector.
Initializing the TPM 2.0 for TXT users 1 While booting your system, press F2 to enter System Setup. 2 On the System Setup Main Menu screen, click System BIOS > System Security Settings. 3 From the TPM Security option, select On. 4 Save the settings. 5 Restart your system. 6 Enter System Setup again. 7 On the System Setup Main Menu screen, click System BIOS > System Security Settings. 8 Select the TPM Advanced Settings option.
7 Using system diagnostics If you experience a problem with your system, run the system diagnostics before contacting Dell for technical assistance. The purpose of running system diagnostics is to test your system hardware without using additional equipment or risking data loss. If you are unable to fix the problem yourself, service and support personnel can use the diagnostics results to help you solve the problem.
System diagnostic controls Menu Description Configuration Displays the configuration and status information of all detected devices. Results Displays the results of all tests that are run. System health Provides the current overview of the system performance. Event log Displays a time-stamped log of the results of all tests run on the system. This is displayed if at least one event description is recorded.
8 Jumpers and connectors This topic provides specific information about the jumpers. It also provides some basic information about jumpers and switches and describes the connectors on the various boards in the system. Jumpers on the system board help to disable the system and setup passwords. You must know the connectors on the system board to install components and cables correctly.
System board connectors Figure 42. XC6420 system board connectors Table 34.
Item Connector Description 20 CPU 2 CPU socket 2 (with a dust cover) Disabling forgotten password The software security features of the system include a system password and a setup password. The password jumper enables or disables password features and clears any password(s) currently in use. Prerequisite CAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician.
9 Getting help Topics: • Contacting Dell • Documentation feedback • Accessing system information by using QRL • Receiving automated support with SupportAssist Contacting Dell Dell EMC provides several online and telephone based support and service options. If you do not have an active internet connection, you can find contact information about your purchase invoice, packing slip, bill, or Dell EMC product catalog.
• A direct link to Dell to contact technical assistance and sales teams Steps 1 Go to Dell.com/QRL and navigate to your specific product or 2 Use your smartphone or tablet to scan the model-specific Quick Resource (QR) code on your Dell EMC XC6420 Hyper-converged appliance or in the Quick Resource Locator section. Quick Resource Locator for XC6420 systems Figure 43.
A BOSS card Introduction to BOSS card BOSS is a simple RAID solution card designed specifically for booting a system's operating system. The card supports up to two 6 Gbps M. 2 SATA drives. The BOSS adapter card has a x8 connector using PCIe gen 2.0 x2 lanes, available only in the low-profile and half-height form factor. The BOSS modular card has a dedicated slot in sled servers. NOTE: There are no status LEDs on the BOSS card. Figure 44. Features of BOSS card 1 BOSS card 2 M.
• XC740xd • XC940 BOSS card features BOSS card supports the following features: • Foreign Import • SMART Info • Auto-Rebuild Foreign Import A virtual disk is considered foreign if it is not native to the adapter. • A virtual disk is considered native to the adapter if: – The virtual disk was created or imported on the adapter. • A physical disk is considered native to the adapter if: – There is no previous virtual disk metadata on the adapter and the physical disk(s) are unconfigured.
Steps 1 Turn on, or restart your appliance. Press F2 immediately after you see this message: F2 = System Setup, and then select Device Settings. 2 Select AHCI Controller Configuration Utility. 3 Select , to view the virtual disk. Figure 45. BOSS configuration utility 4 Click virtual disk. The status of the virtual disk is Foreign, and then click Import.
Figure 46. Virtual disk detail information 5 Click Back to go to the Virtual Disk info screen. Again, click virtual disk to view the status as Functional.
Figure 47. Virtual disk status Next steps NOTE: If you connect a brand new BOSS card, you have to upgrade all the firmware to latest available versions. 1 Go to iDRAC System Inventory and verify that BOSS card is up to date. 2 Turn on, or restart your appliance. Press F2 immediately after you see this message: F2 = System Setup, and then select Boot Settings. 3 Change the boot order so that the BOSS card is first.
Figure 48. BOSS card boot order 4 Reboot the system and verify it boots into ESX. 5 Log in to the CVM and start the cluster. 6 Verify that Prism Hardware Diagram displays all nodes are detected. Driver installation The BOSS card uses the native AHCI driver of the supported operating systems. Windows driver installation — Dell provides the Dell Update Package (DUP) to update drivers on systems running Windows Server 2012 R2 and newer operating system.
Corrective action: If the RAID metadata is on the controller, clear the controller configuration. If the RAID metadata is on the physical disk, erase the data available in physical disk. Alternatively, if you want to keep the RAID drives, see Virtual disk not visible to operating system. Virtual disk not visible to operating system Issue: In RAID mode a virtual disk is not appearing for use by an operating system.
Unable to boot to M.2 drive installed in slot 1 Issue: When two unconfigured bootable M.2 drives are inserted into the BOSS device, only the slot 0 drive boots. Probable cause: Working as designed, BIOS only allows booting from the first listed boot device (in this case, slot 0) per peripheral controller. This only occurs in legacy BIOS boot mode. Corrective action: Swap the drive in slot 1 to slot 0.
