Users Guide

○ Ctrl + R for SAS/SATA controllers (PERC 5, PERC 6 and newer controllers).
○ Wait for five minutes to allow contents of cache to purge.
○ Reboot back to controller BIOS.
○ If error is eliminated, boot to OS.
○ If OS boot is still not successful and/or the error persists, this may indicate a problem with the OS. Contact Technical
Support for further troubleshooting steps.
● Check the Physical PERC Controller.
1. Inspect the DIMM and DIMM Socket for Damage.
a. Turn off the system and remove the power cable(s) from the system.
b. Let the system sit for 30 seconds to allow any remaining flea power to drain.
c. Remove the PERC controller. For information about removing and replacing parts in this system, refer to the user
guide located at www.dell.com/poweredgemanuals.
d. Remove the RAID memory battery. Ensure to reinstall the memory battery after inserting the DIMM.
e. Remove the memory DIMM from the controller, if applicable.
f. Check DIMM socket for any bent pins or other damage. Check the edge connector of the memory DIMM for any
damage.
2. If the controller has embedded memory or the memory socket is damaged, contact Dell Technical Support.
3. If the memory is damaged, the controller memory may need to be replaced, contact Dell Technical Support.
4. If there is no damage, replace the memory DIMM and reinstall the controller.
5. Swap the controller memory a with known good memory, if possible.
a. If there is no known good memory available, contact Dell Technical Support.
b. if the error does not occur with the known good memory, contact Dell Technical Support.
c. If the error remains with a known good memory, contact Dell Technical Support.
NOTE:
If error persists, the likelihood of a hardware error is increased. Contact Dell Technical Support for further
troubleshooting steps.
Additional information for troubleshooting memory or battery errors on the
PERC controller
A RAID Controller error message is displayed during POST to indicate that the controller's cache does not contain all of the
expected information, or it contains data destined for a hard drive that cannot be or has not been written to the drive. The most
common reasons why this error may occur are:
● Server did not perform a normal shutdown process – Power loss and/or spontaneous restarts can result in incomplete or
corrupted data to remain in cache that cannot be written to a drive.
● Cache memory is defective – Bad cache memory can cause data to become corrupted. This can cause OS-related issues and
spontaneous reboots.
● Loss of battery power while server is shutdown – Controllers that do not use NVCACHE (Non-Volatile Cache) memory
utilize batteries that can retain the contents of cache for a limited time (24-72 hours) while the server is not powered on.
Once the battery drains, the entire contents of cache is lost and the controller recognizes that the cache memory does
not contain all of the information expected. Controllers that do utilize NVCache (some H700/H800 controllers and newer
controllers such as H710, H710P, H810) are very unlikely to encounter this issue since the battery only needs to maintain
power for 30 seconds or less in most cases.
● PERC Battery Maintenance
A PERC battery that is suspected to have failed or has a warning symbol displayed in OpenManage Server Administrator
should have a manual Learn Cycle performed. A Learn Cycle causes the battery to discharge and recharge, and restores
the battery to a fully functional condition. In some cases, multiple Learn Cycle procedures may be required to restore the
battery to an effectively charged state. To perform a manual Learn Cycle, select Start Learn Cycle from the Battery
Tasks drop-down menu in Open Manage Server Administrator (OMSA).
Troubleshooting hardware issues
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