Network Card User Manual
Table Of Contents
- Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) H310, H710, H710P, and H810 User’s Guide
- Overview
- Features
- Physical Disk Power Management
- Types Of Virtual Disk Initialization
- Consistency Checks
- Disk Roaming
- FastPath
- Virtual Disk Migration
- Virtual Disk Write Cache Policies
- Virtual Disk Read Cache Policies
- Reconfiguration Of Virtual Disks
- Fault Tolerance
- The SMART Feature
- Patrol Read
- Redundant Path Support (For PERC H810 Only)
- Physical Disk Failure Detection
- Using Persistent Hot Spare Slots
- Physical Disk Hot Swapping
- Using Replace Member And Revertible Hot Spares
- Controller Cache Preservation
- Battery Transparent Learn Cycle
- Deploying The PERC Card
- Driver Installation
- Pre-Installation Requirements For Windows Driver Installation
- Creating The Device Driver Media For Windows Driver Installation
- Downloading Drivers From The Dell Systems Service And Diagnostic Tools Media For Windows
- Downloading Drivers From The Dell Support Website For Windows
- Installing Driver During a Windows Server 2008/2008 R2 Installation
- Installing Windows Server 2008/2008 R2 For A New RAID Controller
- Updating Existing Windows Server 2008 Or Windows Server 2008 R2
- Updating The Linux Driver
- Management Applications For PERC Cards
- Dell OpenManage Storage Management
- BIOS Configuration Utility
- Virtual Disk Management
- Creating Virtual Disks
- Selecting Virtual Disk Parameters
- Converting Physical Disk To RAID Capable For PERC H310
- Converting Physical Disk To Non-RAID For PERC H310
- Initializing Virtual Disks
- Checking Data Consistency
- Running A Data Consistency Check
- Importing Or Clearing Foreign Configurations Using The VD Mgmt Menu
- Importing Or Clearing Foreign Configurations Using The Foreign Configuration View Screen
- Break Mirror
- Managing Preserved Cache
- Managing Dedicated Hot Spares
- Deleting Virtual Disks
- Deleting Disk Groups
- Clearing The Configuration
- BIOS Configuration Utility Menu Options
- Physical Disk Management
- Controller Management
- UEFI RAID Configuration Utility
- CacheCade
- Security Key And RAID Management
- Troubleshooting
- BIOS Error Messages
- Discovery Error Message
- Extra Enclosure Error Message
- Cache Data Lost Error Message
- Missing Disks In Virtual Disk Error Message
- Previous Configuration Of Disks Removed Error Message
- Missing Virtual Disks Error Message
- Dirty Cache Data Error Message
- BIOS Disabled Error Message
- Drive Configuration Changes Error Message
- Adapter At Baseport Not Responding Error Message
- Offline Or Missing Virtual Drives With Preserved Cache Error Message
- Virtual Disks Offline Error Message
- Virtual Disks Degraded Error Message
- Virtual Disks Partially Degraded Error Message
- Memory Or Battery Problem Error Message
- Firmware Fault State Error Message
- Foreign Configuration Found Error Message
- Foreign Configuration Not Found In
Error Message - Previous Configuration Cleared Or Missing Error Message
- Invalid SAS Topology Detected Error Message
- Multibit ECC Errors Detected Error Messages
- Configured Disks Removed Or Not Accessible Error Message
- Battery Discharged Or Disconnected Error Message
- Degraded State Of Virtual Disks
- Memory Errors
- Preserved Cache State
- General Issues
- Physical Disk Issues
- Physical Disk In Failed State
- Unable to Rebuild A Fault Tolerant Virtual Disk
- Fatal Error Or Data Corruption Reported
- Physical Disk Displayed As Blocked
- Multiple Disks Become Inaccessible
- Rebuilding A Failed Physical Disk
- Virtual Disk Fails During Rebuild Using A Global Hot Spare
- Virtual Disk Fails During Rebuild Using A Dedicated Hot Spare
- Physical Disk Fails During Reconstruction On Redundant Virtual Disk
- Virtual Disk Fails Rebuild Using A Dedicated Hot Spare
- Physical Disk Takes A Long Time To Rebuild
- SMART Errors
- Replace Member Errors
- Linux Operating System Errors
- Disk Carrier LED Indicators
- BIOS Error Messages
- Appendix: RAID Description
Controller Cache Preservation
The controller is capable of preserving its cache in the event of a system power outage or improper system shutdown.
The PERC H710, H710P, and H810 controllers are attached to a Battery Backup Unit (BBU) that provides backup power
during system power loss to preserve the controller's cache data.
Cache Preservation With Non-Volatile Cache (NVC)
In essence, the NVC module allows controller cache data to be stored indefinitely. If the controller has data in the cache
memory during a power outage or improper system shutdown, a small amount of power from the battery is used to
transfer cache data to a non-volatile flash storage where it remains until power is restored and the system is booted.
Recovering Cache Data
The dirty cache LED that is located on the H710 and H810 cards can be used to determine if cache data is being
preserved.
If a system power loss or improper system shutdown has occurred:
1. Restore the system power.
2. Boot the system.
3. To enter the BIOS Configuration Utility, select Managed Preserved Cache in the controller menu.
If there are no virtual disks listed, all preserved cache data has been written to disk successfully.
Battery Transparent Learn Cycle
NOTE: Batteries are only supported on PERC H710, H710P, and H810 cards.
A transparent learn cycle is a periodic operation that calculates the charge that is remaining in the battery to ensure
there is sufficient energy. The operation runs automatically, and causes no impact to the system or controller
performance.
The controller automatically performs the Transparent Learn Cycle (TLC) on the battery to calibrate and gauge its charge
capacity once every 90 days. The operation can be performed manually, if required.
NOTE: Virtual disks stay in Write Back mode, if enabled, during transparent learn cycle. When the TLC completes,
the controller sets the next TLC to +90 days.
TLC Time Frame
The time frame for completion of a learn cycle is a function of the battery charge capacity and the discharge and charge
currents used. For PERC H710 or H810 cards, the expected time frame for completion of a learn cycle is approximately
seven hours.
Conditions For Replacing The Battery
The PERC battery is marked Failed when the state or health of the battery is declared bad. If battery is declared failed
then the firmware runs learn cycles in subsequent reboots until the battery is replaced. The virtual disk then transitions
to Write Back mode.
23