Users Guide

● Slot Empty — If a slot is empty.
● PCIe Capable — If there are no PCIe capable slots, this column is not displayed.
● Bus Protocol — If it is a universal backplane with PCIe SSD installed in one of the slots, this column displays PCIe.
● Hotspare — This column is not applicable for PCIe SSD.
NOTE: Hot swapping is supported for universal slots. If you want to remove a PCIe SSD drive and swap it with a SAS/
SATA drive, ensure that you first complete the PrepareToRemove task for the PCIe SSD drive. If you do not perform this
task, the host operating system may have issues such as a blue screen, kernel panic, and so on.
Setting SGPIO mode
The storage controller can connect to the backplane in I2C mode (default setting for Dell backplanes) or Serial General Purpose
Input/Output (SGPIO) mode. This connection is required for blinking LEDs on the drives. Dell PERC controllers and backplane
support both these modes. To support certain channel adapters, the backplane mode must be changed SGPIO mode.
The SGPIO mode is only supported for passive backplanes. It is not supported for expander-based backplanes or passive
backplanes in downstream mode. Backplane firmware provides information on capability, current state, and requested state.
After LC wipe operation or iDRAC reset to default, the SGPIO mode is reset to disabled state. It compares the iDRAC setting
with the backplane setting. If the backplane is set to SGPIO mode, iDRAC changes its setting to match the backplane setting.
Server power cycle is required for any change in setting to take effect.
You must have Server Control privilege to modify this setting.
NOTE: You cannot set the SGPIO mode using iDRAC Web interface.
Setting SGPIO mode using RACADM
To configure the SGPIO mode, use the set command with the objects in the SGPIOMode group.
If it is set to disabled, it is I2C mode. If enabled, it is set to SGPIO mode.
For more information, see the iDRAC RACADM Command Line Interface Reference Guide available at dell.com/idracmanuals.
Choosing operation mode to apply settings
While creating and managing virtual disks, setting up physical disks, controllers, and enclosures or resetting controllers, before
you apply the various settings, you must select the operation mode. That is, specify when you want to apply the settings:
● Immediately
● During the next system reboot
● At a scheduled time
● As a pending operation to be applied as a batch as part of a single job.
Choosing operation mode using web interface
To select the operation mode to apply the settings:
1. You can select the operation mode on when you are on any of the following pages:
● Overview > Storage > Physical Disks > Setup.
● Overview > Storage > Virtual Disks > Create
● Overview > Storage > Virtual Disks > Manage
● Overview > Storage > Controllers > Setup
● Overview > Storage > Controllers > Troubleshooting
● Overview > Storage > Enclosures > Setup
● Overview > Storage > Pending Operations
2. Select one of the following from the Apply Operation Mode drop-down menu:
● Apply Now — Select this option to apply the settings immediately. This option is available for PERC 9 controllers only. If
there are jobs to be completed, then this option is grayed-out. This job take at least 2 minutes to complete.
Managing storage devices
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