Dell EMC PowerEdge RAID Controller Command Line Interface Reference Guide May 2021 Rev.
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. © 2018-2021 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. Dell, EMC, and other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries.
Contents Chapter 1: Overview...................................................................................................................... 5 Chapter 2: Accessing the command prompt.................................................................................. 6 Using CLI commands from Windows command prompts.......................................................................................... 6 Using CLI commands in Linux........................................................................
Virtual drive consistency check commands.......................................................................................................... 40 Background initialization commands........................................................................................................................41 Foreign configurations commands................................................................................................................................ 43 BIOS-related commands.....................
1 Overview You can set up, configure, and manage your Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) by using the Command Line Interface (CLI). NOTE: Some features may not be supported on every generation of PERC, or may require a firmware update to enable a feature. See your PERC’s User’s Guide for information on the specific features supported by that controller. See, Documentation resources to set up and manage your system.
2 Accessing the command prompt Topics: • • • Using CLI commands from Windows command prompts Using CLI commands in Linux Using CLI commands in VMware Using CLI commands from Windows command prompts Ensure that you copy the perccli.exe and perccli64.exe files to C:\Windows\System32. To access the command prompt in systems using the Microsoft Windows operating system, perform the following procedure: 1. Click Start > Run. The Run window is displayed. 2. In the Open field, type cmd, and then click OK.
3 Working with the PERC Command Line Interface Tool This chapter describes the commands supported by the PERC command line tool (CLI) and their syntax. CAUTION: The order in which you specify the command options should be the same as that given in the User Guide examples; otherwise, the command will fail. CAUTION: Avoid using the PERC CLI in scripts that are frequently polled. Due to the overhead of PERC CLI basic commands negatively impact performance.
System show commands The PERC Command Line Tool supports the following system show commands: perccli perccli perccli perccli perccli show show all show ctrlcount show help -v The detailed description for each command follows. perccli show This command shows a summary of controller and controller-associated information for the system. The summary includes the number of controllers, the host name, the operating system information, and the overview of existing configuration.
NOTE: You cannot set multiple properties with a single command. The generalized syntax for show controller properties command is as follows: perccli /cx show This command shows the current value of the specified property on the specified controller. General example output: Status Code = 0 Status = Success Description = None Controller: 0 Property_name = Property_value You can show the following properties using the perccli /cx show | command.
perccli /cx set batterywarning= perccli /cx set bgirate= perccli /cx set bootwithpinnedcache= perccli /cx set cachebypass= perccli /cx set cacheflushint= perccli /cx set ccrate= perccli /cx set coercion= perccli /cx show cc|consistencycheck=[off|seq|conc][delay=value] [starttime=yyyy/mm/dd hh] [excludevd=x-y,z] perccli /cx set copyback= type=ctrl|smartssd|smarthdd|all perccli /cx set eghs [state=] [eug=on|off>] [smarter=] perccli /c
Table 3. Properties for show and set commands (continued) Property name Set command range Description copyback ● ● ● ● on|off type = smartssd|smarthdd|all smartssd: Copy back enabled for SSD drives. smarthdd: Copy back enabled for HDD drives. all: Copy back enabled for both SSD drives and HDD drives. ● Example:perccli /cx set copyback=on type=all Enables/disables copy back for drive types. eghs ● state=on|off: Enables use of hotspare drives for emergency feature.
Table 3. Properties for show and set commands (continued) Property name Set command range Description reconrate 0 to 100 Sets reconstruction/migration rate for a drive in percentage. restorehotspare on|off Becomes a hot spare on insertion of a failed drive. smartpollinterval 0 to 65535 Set time for polling of SMART errors in seconds. spinupdrivecount 0 to 255 Sets number of drives that are spun up at a time.
perccli /cx show all This command shows all controller information, which includes basic controller information, bus information, controller status, advanced software options, controller policies, controller defaults, controller capabilities, scheduled tasks, miscellaneous properties, foreign configurations, drive groups, virtual drives, physical drives, enclosures, and BBU information.
perccli /cx stop patrolread perccli /cx suspend patrolread NOTE: A patrol read operation is scheduled for all the physical drives of the controller. The detailed description for each command follows. perccli /cx resume patrolread This command resumes a suspended patrol read operation. Input example: perccli /c0 resume patrolread perccli /cx set patrolread {=on mode=}|{off} This command turns the patrol read scheduling on and sets the mode of the patrol read to automatic or manual.
perccli /cx set patrolread [delay=] This command delays the scheduled patrol read in hours. Input example: perccli /c0 set patrolread delay=30 perccli /cx show patrolread This command shows the patrol read properties that are set on the controller, such as the current state and the start time. Input example: perccli /c0 show patrolread perccli /cx start patrolread This command starts the patrol read operation. This command starts a patrol read immediately.
Table 5. Set CC input options Option Value range Description cc ● seq: Sequential mode. ● conc: Concurrent mode. ● off: Turns off the consistency check. Sets CC to either sequential mode, or concurrent mode, or turns off the CC. NOTE: The concurrent mode slows I/O processing. delay -1 and any integer value. Delay a scheduled consistency check. The value is in hours. A value of 0 makes the CC runs continuously with no delay (in a loop). NOTE: Only scheduled consistency checks can be delayed.
perccli /cx compare securitykey=xxxxxxxxxx This command compares and verifies the security key of the controller. perccli /cx delete securitykey This command deletes the security key of the controller. Input example: perccli /c0 delete securitykey perccli /cx show securitykey keyid This command shows the key ID of the controller. Input example: perccli /c0 show securitykey keyid perccli /cx set securitykey keyid=xxx This command sets the key ID for the controller.
Table 7. Flashing controller firmware input options Option Value range noverchk Description — The application flashes the controller firmware without checking the version of the firmware image. Controller cache command The following command flushes the controller cache: perccli /cx flush|flushcache This command flushes the controller cache.
The PERC Command Line Tool supports the following HBA-related commands: perccli perccli perccli perccli perccli perccli perccli perccli perccli perccli perccli perccli perccli /call show /cx download bios file= /cx download file= /cx/ex/sx start locate /cx/ex/sx stop locate /cx/pall show /cx show /cx show all /cx show freespace /cx show sasadd [verbose] -h| -help| ? /cx restart v perccli /call show This command shows information on all the controllers present on the host.
perccli /cx show This command shows the summary of the controller information. The summary includes basic controller information, foreign configurations, drive groups, virtual drives, physical drives, enclosures, and BBU information.
Drive commands This section describes the drive commands, which provide information and perform actions related to physical drives. The following table describes frequently used virtual drive commands: Table 8. Physical drives commands quick reference table Commands Value range Description set ● ● ● ● Sets physical drive properties. show all: shows all properties of the physical drive. See Drive show commands. missing: Sets the drive status as missing.
perccli /cx[/eall]/sall show jbod This command shows the summary information for all the enclosures and physical drives connected to the controller. If you use the JBOD option, the command shows all Non-RAID disk(s) displayed in JBOD list. If physical disk is Non-RAID, type is set as JBOD and state as Online. ID displays the target ID Non-RAID disks.
perccli /c0/e32/s4 insert dg=2 array=2 row=1 perccli /cx[/ex]/sx start rebuild This command starts a rebuild operation for a drive. Input example: perccli /c0/e32/s4 start rebuild Drive initialization commands When you initialize drives, all the data from the drives is cleared.
Input example: perccli /c1/e56/s3 set jbod perccli /cx[/ex]/sx set good [force] This drive changes the drive state to unconfigured good. If the drive has the operating system in it, use the force option. Input example: perccli /c1/e56/s3 set good perccli /cx[/ex]/sx set offline This command changes the drive state to offline. Input example: perccli /c1/e56/s3 set offline perccli /cx[/ex]/sx set online This command changes the drive state to online.
perccli /cx[/ex]/sx stop locate This command stops a locate operation and deactivates the drive’s LED. Input example: perccli /c0/e56/s1 stop locate Prepare to remove drives commands The PERC CLI supports the following commands to prepare the physical drive for removal: perccli /cx[/ex]/sx spindown perccli /cx[/ex]/sx spinup The detailed description for each command follows. perccli /cx[/ex]/sx spindown This command spins down an unconfigured drive and prepares it for removal.
Table 9. Dimmer switch command options Options Value range Description dimmerswitch or ds on|off Turns the dimmer switch option on or off. type 1. 2. 3. 4. Specifies the type of drives that the dimmer switch feature is applicable. By default, it is activated for unconfigured drives, hot spare drives and virtual drives. defaultldtype ● auto: Logical device power savings are managed by the firmware. ● none: No power saving policy. ● max: Logical device uses maximum power savings.
perccli /cx[/ex]/sx show jbod all This command shows all information of a non-RAID disks/JBOD drive for the specified slot in the controller. The all option in the command shows information for all slots on the controller. x stands for a number, a list of numbers, a range of numbers, or all numbers. Input example: perccli /c0/e2/s4 show jbod all Drive erase commands Table 10. Conventions Options Description /cx Specifies a controller where x is the controller index.
Table 11. Drive erase command options Options Value range Description cx[/ex]/sx — ● /cx - specifies a controller where X is the controller index. ● /ex - specifies an enclosure where X is the enclosure device ID. ● /sx - specifies a physical drive where X is the slot number. erase ● simple: Single pass, single pattern write. ● normal: Three pass, three pattern write. ● thorough: Nine pass, repeats the normal write three times. ● standard: Applicable only for Dell Form Factors.
Input example: perccli /c0/s5 show rebuild perccli /cx[/ex]/sx start rebuild This command starts a rebuild operation for a drive. Input example: perccli /c0/s4 start rebuild perccli /cx[/ex]/sx stop rebuild This command stops a rebuild operation. You can run this command only for a drive that is currently rebuilt.
perccli /c0/e25/s4 start copyback target=25:8 perccli /cx[/ex]/sx stop copyback This command stops a copyback operation. You can run this command only on drives that have the copyback operation running. Input example: perccli /c0/e25/s4 stop copyback NOTE: A stopped rebuild process cannot be resumed. Hot spare drive commands The following commands create and delete hot spare drives: perccli /cx[/ex]/sx add hotsparedrive [DGs=
Input example: perccli /c0/e3/s4,5 delete hotsparedrive Virtual drives commands The PERC Command Line Tool supports the following virtual drive commands. The following table describes frequently used virtual drive commands. Table 13. Virtual drives commands quick reference table Commands Value range Description add See Add RAID 0 configuration input options. Creates virtual drives. delete force: Deletes the virtual drive where operating system is present. Deletes a virtual drive.
Table 14. Add RAID configuration input options (continued) Option Value range Description sed — Creates security-enabled drives. pdcache on|off|default Enables or disables PD cache. pi — Enables protection information. dimmerswitch ● default: Logical device uses controller default power-saving policy. ● automatic (auto): Logical device power savings are managed by firmware. ● none: No power-saving policy. ● maximum (max): Logical device uses maximum power savings.
Table 15. Add RAID 0 configuration input options (continued) Option Value range Description ● e:s-x,y is the range of disk slot numbers plus the disk with a slot number out of the specified range. If you replace s-x with 0-9, it will provide 10 RAID 0 virtual disks with each using one disk. pdperarray 0 to 15. Specifies the number of physical drives per array. The default value is automatically chosen. sed — Creates security-enabled drives. pdcache on|off|default Enables or disables PD cache.
If you delete a virtual drive with a valid MBR without erasing the data and then create a new virtual drive using the same set of physical drives and the same RAID level as the deleted virtual drive, the old unerased MBR still exists at block0 of the new virtual drive, which makes it a virtual drive with valid user data. Therefore, you must provide the force option to delete this newly created virtual drive. The detailed description for each command follows.
perccli /cx/vx show all This command shows all virtual drive information, which includes virtual drive information, physical drives used for the virtual drives, and virtual drive properties. Input example: perccli /c0/v0 show all Preserved cache commands If a virtual drive becomes offline or is deleted because of missing physical disks, the controller preserves the dirty cache from the virtual disk.
Options: RW - Access is Read Write RO - Access is Read Only Blocked - Access is Blocked RmvBlkd - Remove Blocked Access perccli /cx/vx set bootdrive= Sets or unsets a virtual drive as the boot drive. NOTE: Set bootdrive is applicable only in legacy BIOS mode. Input example: perccli /c0/v0 set bootdrive=on perccli /cx/vx set cbsize=0|1|2 cbmode=0|1|7 This command sets the cache bypass size and cache bypass mode on a virtual drive.
Options: Cached — I/Os are cached Direct — I/Os are not cached NOTE: Cache policy on PERC 10 and 11 controllers is set to Direct I/O by default. Cached I/O policy is not supported. perccli /cx/vx set name= This command names a virtual drive. The name is restricted to 15 characters. Options: NameString — VD name perccli /cx/vx set pdcache= This command sets the current disk cache policy on a virtual drive to on, off, or default setting.
FWB — Force write back even in case of bad BBU Virtual drive initialization commands The PERC Command Line Tool supports the following commands to initialize virtual drives: perccli /cx/vx show init perccli /cx/vx start init [full][Force] perccli /cx/vx stop init NOTE: If the virtual drive has user data, you must use the force option to initialize the virtual drive. A virtual drive with a valid MBR and partition table is considered to contain user data. The detailed description for each command follows.
perccli /cx/vx show erase This command shows the progress of drive's security configuration and erases data in percentage. Input example: perccli /c0/v1 show erase perccli /cx/vx stop erase This command stops the erase operation. Input example: perccli /c0/v1 stop erase perccli /cx/vx start erase [simple | normal | thorough | standard | threepass] [patternA=] [patternB=] This command securely erases virtual drives.
perccli /c0/v0 show migrate perccli /cx/vx start migrate type=raidx [option=add|remove drives=[e:] s| [e:]s-x| [e:]s-x,y] [Force] This command starts the reconstruction on a virtual drive to the specified RAID level by adding or removing disks from the existing virtual drive. You can use the following options with the start migrate command: Table 17.
perccli /cx/vx start cc [force] perccli /cx/vx stop cc The detailed description for each command follows. perccli /cx/vx pause cc This command pauses an ongoing consistency check process. You can resume the consistency check later. You can run this command only on a virtual drive that has a consistency check operation running. Input example: perccli /c0/v4 pause cc perccli /cx/vx resume cc This command resumes a suspended consistency check operation.
perccli /cx/vx stop bgi perccli /cx/vx pause bgi NOTE: The background initialization (BGI) does not run on RAID 0 virtual disks. The detailed description for each command follows. perccli /cx/vx resume bgi This command resumes a suspended background initialization operation. Input example: perccli /c0/v0 resume bgi perccli /cx/vx set autobgi=on|off This command sets the auto background initialization setting for a virtual drive to on or off.
Virtual drive expansion commands The PERC Command Line Tool supports the following commands for virtual drive expansion: perccli /cx/vx expand size= [expandarray] perccli /cx/vx|vall show expansion The detailed description for each command follows. perccli /cx/vx expand size= [expandarray] This command expands the virtual drive within the existing array or if you replace the drives with drives larger than the size of the existing array. The value of the expand size is in GB.
BIOS-related commands The PERC Command Line Tool supports the following BIOS commands: perccli /cx set bios [state=] [Mode=] [abs=] [DeviceExposure=] perccli /cx show bios The detailed description for each command follows. perccli /cx set bios [state=] [Mode=] [abs=] [DeviceExposure=] This commands sets the BIOS controller property to on or orr. The Mode sets the BIOS boot mode.
perccli /cx[/ex]/sx set bootdrive=on|off This command sets the specified physical drive as the boot drive. During the next reboot, the BIOS looks for a boot sector in the specified physical drive. The eHBA mode supports setting a Non-RAID disk as a boot drive. Input example: perccli /c0[/e32]/s4 set bootdrive=on perccli /cx/vx set bootdrive=on|off This command sets the specified virtual drive as the boot drive. During the next reboot, the BIOS looks for a boot sector in the specified virtual drive.
perccli /cx/dall split mirror This command splits apart the mirror virtual drives. Input example: perccli /c0/dall split mirror perccli /cx/dall add mirror src= [force] This command joins the virtual drive with its mirror. Input example: perccli /c0/dall add mirror src=<2> Options for : ● 0 — Data will be copied from existing virtual drive to drives. ● 1 — Data will be copied from drives to virtual drive. ● 2 — Broken mirror is imported as a new virtual drive.
● learnStartTime=[DD HH|off>: DDD — day of week {SUN, MON, . . . SAT} HH — 0–23 hours, off: Sets learn start to OFF ● powermode=sleep ● writeaccess=sealed perccli /cx/bbu show This command shows the summary information for the BBU of a controller. Input example: perccli /c0/bbu show perccli /cx/bbu show all This command shows all the information of a BBU.
perccli /cx/ex show Input example: perccli /c1/e1 show perccli /cx/ex show all This command shows the status of each model in the enclosure. Input example: perccli /c0/e0 show all perccli /cx /ex show phyerrorcounters Input example: perccli /c0 /e0 show phyerrorcounters perccli /cx/ex show status [extended] This command shows the enclosure status and the status of all the enclosure elements.
Input example: perccli /c1/p0 show all Logging commands The PERC Command Line Tool supports the following commands to generate and maintain log files: perccli /cx delete events perccli /cx show events [[type= ] filter=<[info],[warning],[critical],[fatal]> file= [logfile[=filename]] perccli /cx show eventloginfo The detailed description for each command follows.
Input example: perccli /c0 show eventloginfo type=config PERC CLI command examples You can use the Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) Command Line Interface (CLI) to manage RAID controllers, configure PERC cards, and perform a variety of controller and enclosure specific operations. Getting a complete list of CLI commands To view a full list of available CLI commands, use one of the following CLI commands: perccli64.exe —help > [filename] perccli64.
Description Displays the number of controllers detected in the server. Result Status Code = 0 Status = Success Description = None Controller Count = 1 Viewing free space information Syntax perccli /c0 show freespace Description Displays the free space details of the controller.
======== -----------------------------------------------------------------------------DG Arr Row EID:Slot DID Type State BT Size PDC PI SED DS3 FSpace -----------------------------------------------------------------------------1 RAID0 Opt1 N 558.375 GB dflt N Y dflt N 1 0 RAID0 Opt1 N 558.375 GB dflt N Y dflt N 1 0 0 32:2 2 DRIVE Onln N 558.
DG/VD Type State Access Consist Cache sCC Size Name -----------------------------------------------------------------0/0 RAID5 Opt1 RW Yes RWTD 1.635 TB 1/1 RAID0 Opt1 RW Yes RWTD 558.
Deleting preserved cache Syntax perccli /c0/v1 delete preservedcache Description Deletes the available preserved cache. Result Controller = 0 Status = Success Description = Virtual Drive preserved Cache Data Cleared Viewing expansion information Syntax perccli /c0/v0 show expansion Description Displays virtual drive’s expansion information with and without array expansion.
-----------------------------------------------236 24.388 GB Y -----------------------------------------------VD - Virtual drive | OCE - Online Capacity Expansion | WithArrExp - With Array Expansion NoArrExp - Without Array Expansion Viewing expansion size Syntax perccli /c0/v236 expand size=10 Description Expands the virtual drive within the existing array.
Result Controller = 0 Status = Success Description = Operation on foreign configuration Succeeded FOREIGN CONFIGURATION : ===================== --------------------------------------DG EID:Slot Type State Size NoVDs --------------------------------------0 RAID0 Frgn 372.
Property Value ---------------------Type BBU Voltage 3 mV Current 0 mA Temperature 32 C Battery State Optimal ---------------------BBU_Firmware_Status : =================== ------------------------------------------------Property Value ------------------------------------------------Charging Status None Voltage OK Temperature OK Learn Cycle Requested No Learn Cycle Active No Learn Cycle Status OK Learn Cycle Timeout No I2C Errors Detected No Battery Pack Missing No Replacement required No Remaining Capacity
BBU_Design_Info : =============== ----------------------------------Property Value ----------------------------------Date of Manufacture 18/07/2011 Design Capacity 90 mAh Design Voltage 0 mV Specification Info 0 Serial Number 0 Pack Stat Configuration 0 Manufacturer's Name Device Name Device Chemistry Battery FRU N/A Transparent Learn 1 App Data 0 Module Version 0.
UGUnsp-Unsupported Drive /c0/e32/s4 - Detailed Information : ======================================= Drive /c0/e32/s4 State : ====================== Shield Counter = 0 Media Error Count = 0 Other Error Count = 0 Drive Temperature = 43c <109.40F> Predictive Failure Count = 0 S.M.A.R.T alert flagged by drive = No Drive /c0/e32/s4 Device attribute : ================================= SN = S2G01H5T WWN = 5000C5006B1A4FB8 Firmware Revision = VB44 Raw size = 558.911 GB [0x8bba5f6 Sectors] Coerced size = 558.
Viewing the boot drive for the controller Syntax perccli /c0 show bootdrive Description Displays the boot drive for the controller. The boot drive can be a physical drive or a virtual drive.
Locating a drive Syntax perccli /c0/e32/s0 start locate Description Locates a drive and activates the physical disk activity LED. Result Controller = 0 Status = Success Description = Start Drive Locate Succeeded Stopping a locate operation Syntax perccli /c0/e32/s0 stop locate Description Stops a drive locate operation and deactivates the physical disk activity LED.
Input example: perccli /c0 show snapdump perccli /cx set snapdump state=on|off This command set enables or disables the snapdump on the controller. ● On - Enables snapdump on the controller. ● Off - Disables the snapdump on the controller. Input example: perccli /c0 set snapdump state = on NOTE: Once snapdump is disabled on the controller it will persist through the updates and reboot until it is enabled.
perccli /cx delete snapdump force This command deletes the controller snapdump information. ● force - Deletes all the snapdumps present on the controller.
4 Getting help Topics: • • • • Recycling or End-of-Life service information Contacting Dell Locating the Express Service Code and Service Tag Receiving automated support with SupportAssist Recycling or End-of-Life service information Take back and recycling services are offered for this product in certain countries. If you want to dispose of system components, visit www.dell.com/recyclingworldwide and select the relevant country.
Figure 1. Locating the Express Service Code and Service tag 1. Information tag (front view) 3. OpenManage Mobile (OMM) label 5. Service Tag, Express Service Code, QRL label 2. Information tag (back view) 4. iDRAC MAC address and iDRAC secure password label The Mini Enterprise Service Tag (MEST) label is located on the rear of the system that includes Service Tag (ST), Express Service Code (Exp Svc Code), and Manufacture Date (Mfg. Date).
5 Documentation resources This section provides information about the documentation resources for your system. To view the document that is listed in the documentation resources table: ● From the Dell EMC support site: 1. Click the documentation link that is provided in the Location column in the table. 2. Click the required product or product version. NOTE: To locate the product name and model, see the front of your system. 3. On the Product Support page, click Manuals & documents.
Table 21. Additional documentation resources for your system (continued) Task Managing your system Document Location For information about installing the operating system, see the operating system documentation. www.dell.com/operatingsystemmanuals For information about updating drivers and firmware, see the Methods to download firmware and drivers section in this document. www.dell.
