Users Guide

PCIe Power Ride-Through
Newly assigned PCIe cards in CMC VRTX must be discovered and initialized before a server node is powered on. The discovery and
initialization process involves the following:
• Inventory and discovery of installed cards
• Preparing a PCIe card for exposure to a server module
• Preparing multiple cards for conguration by server BIOS
• Initializing all cards prior to blade node power-on
All these processes require few seconds to complete which causes a delay in initialization of the PCIe cards. The PCIe Ride-through feature
in CMC VRTX reduces this process cycle time. The PCIe Ride-through feature enables the following:
• The Server nodes are turned on quickly, thus turning on the PCIe cards quickly.
• The powered state of PCIe cards is extended for a pre-dened time period in the following scenarios:
– After the associated server is turned o.
– After adapter discovery process is completed.
• The power-on readiness state of the cards is extended for a predened time after the discovery process. This extension eliminates the
delays for common types of power cycling scenarios. The cards continue to be in ready state awaiting node assignment and power-up.
The cards power-down after the time period expires.
.
NOTE
: At the end of the time period, the PCIe cards power-down. All adapters in ride-through are also powered down whenever
the chassis door is opened.
NOTE:
• If CMC has insucient power, the CMC turns o all adapters in ride-through mode, thereby releasing all power allocated to those
adapters. If the power supply is restored, the power is reallocated to the PCIe slots. This power restoration enables the cards to be
ready for server allocation without delay.
• All external PCIE adapters powered on as shared mode is excluded from the ride-through processes. After a shared adapter is
powered on as a shared device, it remains powered on until the chassis is powered o.
Viewing PCIe Ride-through Properties Using CMC Web
Interface
To view the PCIe Ride-through properties, in the left pane, click Chassis Overview > PCIe Overview. The PCIe Status page is displayed.
The General Settings section displays the following PCIe Ride-through properties status:
• Ridethrough Status — Enabled or Disabled
• Ridethrough Timeout — Indicates the time for which the Ride-through feature is enabled
Viewing PCIe Ridethrough Properties Status Using RACADM
To view the information about PCIe power ridethrough properties, enter the following command:
racadm getpciecfg –r
For more information, see the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide.
Managing PCIe Slots
211