Users Guide

NOTE:
● Warning messages are displayed when the setting is being changed as there is a possibility of data loss.
● LC Wipe or iDRAC reset operations do not change the expander setting for this mode.
● This operation is supported only in real-time and not staged.
● You can change the backplane configuration multiple times.
● The backplane splitting operation can cause data loss or foreign configuration if the drive association changes from one
controller to another controller.
● During the backplane splitting operation, the RAID configuration may be impacted depending on the drive association.
Any change in this setting only takes effect after a system power reset. If you change from Split mode to Unified, an error
message is displayed on the next boot as the second controller does not see any drives. Also, the first controller will see a
foreign configuration. If you ignore the error, the existing virtual disks are lost.
Configuring backplane mode using web interface
To configure backplane mode using iDRAC web interface:
1. In the iDRAC web interface, go to Configuration > Storage Configuration > Enclosures Configuration.
2. From the Controller menu, select the controller to configure its associated enclosures.
3. From the Action drop-down menu, select Edit Enclosure Mode.
The Edit Enclosure Mode page is displayed.
4. In the Current Value column, select the required enclosure mode for the backplane or enclosure. The options are:
● Unified Mode
● Split Mode
● Split Mode 4:20
● Split Mode 8:16
● Split Mode 16:8
● Split Mode 20:4
NOTE:
For C6420, the available modes are: Split Mode and Split Mode-6:6:6:6. Few values may be only supported on
certain platforms.
For R740xd and R940, power cycle of the server is needed to apply the new backplane zone and for C6420, A/C cycle (of
the blade chassis) to apply the new backplane zone.
5. Click Add to Pending Operations.
A job ID is created.
6. Click Apply Now.
7. Go to the Job Queue page and verify that it displays the status as Completed for the job.
8. Power cycle the system for the setting to take effect.
Configuring enclosure using RACADM
To configure the enclosure or backplane, use the set command with the objects in BackplaneMode.
For example, to set the BackplaneMode attribute to split mode:
1. Run the following command to view the current backplane mode:
racadm get storage.enclosure.1.backplanecurrentmode
The output is:
BackplaneCurrentMode=UnifiedMode
2. Run the following command to view the requested mode:
racadm get storage.enclosure.1.backplanerequestedmode
Managing storage devices
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