Dell PowerEdge Express Flash PCIe SSD User Manual
  1. Manuals
  2. Brands
  3. Dell Manuals
  4. Computer Hardware
  5. PowerEdge Express Flash PCIe SSD
  6. User manual
Dell PowerEdge Express Flash PCIe SSD User Manual

Dell PowerEdge Express Flash PCIe SSD User Manual

Hide thumbs
Table of Contents

Quick Links

Dell PowerEdge Express Flash PCIe SSD
User's Guide
Regulatory Model: Adapter UCEA-100 and UCEM-100
Table of Contents
loading

Related Manuals for Dell PowerEdge Express Flash PCIe SSD

Summary of Contents for Dell PowerEdge Express Flash PCIe SSD

  • Page 1 Dell PowerEdge Express Flash PCIe SSD User’s Guide Regulatory Model: Adapter UCEA-100 and UCEM-100...
  • Page 2 CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem. WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death. © 2013 Dell Inc. All Rights Reserved. Trademarks used in this text: Dell , the Dell logo, Dell Boomi...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Contents 1 Overview............................7 ............................. 7 PCIe SSD Architecture ..............................8 PCIe Interface ..............................9 PCIe SSD Features ...............................9 Performance ................................9 Hot Swap ..............................9 Device Health ..................10 Self-Monitoring Analysis And Reporting Technology ............................10 Device Life Remaining ............................10 Device Write Status ......................
  • Page 4 PCIe SSD Is Not Seen In Device Management In The Operating System ............32 PCIe SSD Is Not Seen In Disk Management In The Operating System ..............32 Cannot Update The Firmware Using Dell Update Package (DUP) ................32 Linux Fails To Boot And Prompts For The Root Password ..32 PCIe SSD Is Inserted In The System And Is Visible To The Operating System But The Status LED Is Off ...............
  • Page 5 ............................39 Related Documentation ............................... 39 Contacting Dell ............................40 Documentation Feedback...

  • Page 7: Overview

    SSDs at the front of the chassis. The number of supported PCIe SSDs depends on the system. PCIe SSDs from Dell are available in 175 GB and 350 GB (SLC) or 700 GB (MLC) capacities and are supported on Dell PowerEdge systems.

  • Page 8: Pcie Interface

    1. filler bracket 2. PCIe extender adapter card 3. port link status LED (4) 4. adapter cable connectors (4) Figure 2. PCIe SSD Modular Extender Card 1. PCIe connector 2. PCIe modular extender card Figure 3. PCIe SSD 1. release button 2.

  • Page 9: Pcie Ssd Features

    Supported Operating Systems For PCIe SSD. Dell PowerEdge Express Flash PCIe SSDs support orderly hot swap allowing you to add or remove a device without halting or restarting the system in which the devices are installed. Dell-supported PCIe SSD hot swappable functions are defined below:...

  • Page 10: Self-Monitoring Analysis And Reporting Technology

    Device Life Remaining NAND SSDs have a finite number of program and erase cycles. Due to this, the Dell PowerEdge Express Flash PCIe SSD is warranted to a maximum amount of data written to the device in total bytes written. The Dell PowerEdge Express Flash PCIe SSD self monitors for these limits and Dell software management applications notify you when these limits are reached.

  • Page 11: Getting Started With Pcie Ssd

    Your PCIe SSD is now ready for use. Configuring PCIe SSDs In Different Operating Systems In Windows-based systems, Dell PowerEdge Express Flash PCIe SSDs have a controller entity and a device entity. The controller entity is displayed under the Storage controller menu in the Device Manager.

  • Page 12: Servicing Your Pcie Ssd

    NOTE: VMware ESX 5.5 version 3.3.4 only supports booting in the BIOS mode. NOTE: OpenManage Server Administrator is not supported on VMware ESX 5.5 version 3.3.4. Servicing Your PCIe SSD If you need to remove or replace your PCIe SSD, you can remove the PCIe SSD from a system that's operational, through an orderly removal process.

  • Page 13: Replacing And Configuring Hardware

    Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.

  • Page 14: Installing A Pcie Ssd In The System

    Slide out the PCIe SSD. NOTE: To maintain proper system cooling, all empty PCIe SSD bays must have PCIe SSD blanks installed. For Owner's Manual at dell.com/support/ instructions on how to install a PCIe SSD bay, see the system specific manuals.

  • Page 15: Removing The Pcie Extender Adapter Card

    Removing The PCIe Extender Adapter Card Follow the steps below to remove the PCIe extender adapter card: Perform a controlled shutdown of the system in which the PCIe extender adapter card is installed. Disconnect the system from the electrical outlet and remove the system cover. CAUTION: Running a system without the system cover installed may cause damage due to improper cooling.

  • Page 16: Installing The Pcie Extender Adapter Card

    Installing The PCIe Extender Adapter Card NOTE: Contact Dell technical support if the PCIe extender adapter card is damaged. See Contacting Dell. Unpack the PCIe extender adapter card. Turn off the system and attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet and peripherals.

  • Page 17: Removing The Pcie Extender Modular Card

    For more information, see figure Removing and Installing a PCIe Extender Modular Card. Reinstall the system board. Replace the system cover. Reinstall the modular system in the modular system chassis. For the latest list of firmware and installation instructions, see the system documentation at dell.com/support/ manuals.

  • Page 18: Installing The Pcie Extender Modular Card

    NOTE: Contact Dell technical support if the PCIe extender adapter card is damaged. See Contacting Dell. The PCIe extender modular card is located below the PCIe SSD bays of the Dell modular system. Remove the modular system from the modular system chassis. Remove the system cover.

  • Page 19: Driver Installation

    To install or upgrade the PCIe SSD driver for Windows server using Dell Update Package (DUP): NOTE: Dell provides the DUP to update drivers on systems running Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 and Windows Server 2012 operating systems. DUP is an executable application that updates drivers for specific devices. DUP supports command line interface and silent execution.

  • Page 20: Installing Or Upgrading The Pcie Ssd Driver For Red Hat Enterprise Linux Or Suse Linux Enterprise Server

    NOTE: Use the procedures in this section to install or upgrade the driver for Linux. The driver is updated frequently. To ensure that you have the current version of the driver, download the updated Linux driver from dell.com/ support. For more information, see Downloading PCIe SSD Drivers.

  • Page 21: Installing The Pcie Ssd Driver On Systems Supporting Vmware

    SSD. NOTE: Use the procedures in this section to install the driver for VMware ESXi 5.1. To ensure that you have the current version of the driver, download the updated VMware ESXi 5.1 driver from dell.com/support. For more information, see Downloading PCIe SSD Drivers.
  • Page 22 NOTE: To remove the PCIe SSD VIB from host, run the following command: esxcli software vib remove --vibname=mtip32xx-scsi...

  • Page 23: Configuring And Managing Your Pcie Ssd

    Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) Solid State Device (SSD) subsystem, control, and monitor multiple PCIe SSDs, and provide online maintenance. The Dell PowerEdge Express Flash PCIe SSD solution supports Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) and Human Interface Infrastructure (HII), for pre-operating system management and the Dell OpenManage Server Administrator application for operating system management.

  • Page 24: Initializing Physical Devices

    Initializing Physical Devices CAUTION: Performing a full initialization on a PCIe SSD overwrites all blocks and results in permanent loss of all data on the PCIe SSD. NOTE: During full initialization, the host cannot access the PCIe SSD. NOTE: If the system restarts or experiences a power loss during a full initialization, the operation is aborted. You must restart the system and restart the process.

  • Page 25: Exiting The Hii Configuration Utility

    NOTE: Press from any PCIe SSD HII page to return to the previous page. Dell OpenManage Server Administrator The Dell OpenManage Server Administrator is a storage management application for Dell systems that provides features for managing components of the PCIe SSD solution. The Dell OpenManage Server Administrator application enables you to perform PCIe SSD functions from a single graphical or command-line interface.

  • Page 26: Configuring And Managing Pcie Ssds

    Name Displays the name of the extender. State Displays the current state of the PCIe SSD subsystem. Possible values are: – Ready: The component is functioning normally. – Degraded: The component has encountered a failure and is operating in a degraded state.

  • Page 27: Running Physical Device Tasks

    Running Physical Device Tasks Expand the Storage tree object to display the storage component objects. Expand the PCIe-SSD SubSystem object. Expand the PCIe-SSD Extender object. Expand the Enclosure (Backplane) object. Select the Physical Devices object. Select a task from the Available Tasks drop-down menu. Click Execute.

  • Page 28: Performing Full Initialization Task For Pcie Ssd

    Expand the Enclosure (Backplane) object. Select the Physical Devices object. Select Prepare To Remove task. Click Execute. The following warning message is displayed: “Warning: Are you sure you want to prepare the physical device for removal?” Select Prepare to Remove Physical Device to proceed or select Go Back to previous page to cancel the operation. Performing Full Initialization Task For PCIe SSD CAUTION: Performing a full initialization on a PCIe SSD overwrites all blocks and will result in permanent loss of all data on the PCIe SSD.

  • Page 29: Troubleshooting

    Troubleshooting NOTE: To get help for your Dell PowerEdge Express Flash PCIe SSD, see Contacting Dell. Self-Monitoring Analysis And Reporting Technology Errors The PCIe SSD solution is always monitored for errors by its internal software. If an error occurs, it is detected and recorded in an internal log.

  • Page 30: Ungraceful System Shutdown Or Power Loss

    NOTE: It is recommended to use power backup solutions for all Dell systems. Buffer I/O Error On PCIe SSD During Full Initialization There may be I/O errors in a PCIe SSD during full initialization, while running in a Linux environment.

  • Page 31: General Errors

    CAUTION: PCIe SSDs must be used with PCIe SSD backplanes. To ensure that you have the correct configuration for the PCIe SSD, see the platform-specific Owner’s Manual at dell.com/support/manuals. • Backplane: Ensure that the cables for the PCIe SSD backplane are connected correctly.

  • Page 32: Pcie Ssd Is Not Seen In Disk Management In The Operating System

    Some Linux distributions come with a down-level PCIe SSD driver that is only partially functional. Solution Download and install the latest Linux driver from dell.com/support. See Installing Or Upgrading The PCIe SSD Driver For Red Hat Enterprise Linux Or SUSE Linux Enterprise.

  • Page 33: I/O Device Error On Write To Pcie Ssd

    One way to pre-condition the PCIe SSD is to perform large block (64 KB or greater) sequential writes to the entire device's capacity. • Configure the server for low latency performance. To achieve maximum performance with Dell PowerEdge Express Flash PCIe SSDs, change the server performance profile in the BIOS settings to Maximum Performance.

  • Page 34: Vmware Esxi Driver Fails To Install

    PCIe SSD is removed. Solution Dell PowerEdge Express Flash PCIe SSDs do not support hot swap in VMware ESXi. If the PCIe SSD is properly removed while the ESXi host system is shut down, ensure the virtual machine is reconfigured to reflect the removal.
  • Page 35 Description VMware ESX 5.5 with native driver version 3.3.4 is unable to see or manage the PCIe SSD. Solution Download and install the latest available driver from dell.com/support.

  • Page 37: Pcie Ssd Technical Specifications

    PCIe SSD Technical Specifications NOTE: The specifications provided is for information purposes only and do not constitute an extension of Dell's warranty for this product. Features Description SLC: 175 GB and 350 GB NAND type MLC: 700 GB Hot swappable...

  • Page 38: Sff-8639 (Pcie Sas Combo-Connector)

    Quad-port SAS devices may be supported by sharing two lanes between SAS and PCIe. NOTE: The combo-connector can support both SAS drives and PCIe SSDs interchangeably. However, the Dell PowerEdge Express Flash PCIe SSD backplane with PCIe SAS combo-connector supports PCIe SSDs only.

  • Page 39: Getting Help

    Your system is identified by a unique Express Service Code and Service Tag number. The Express Service Code and Service Tag are found on the front of the system by pulling out the information tag. This information is used by Dell to route support calls to the appropriate personnel.
  • Page 40 NOTE: If you have purchased a Dell system, you may be asked for the Service Tag. Documentation Feedback If you have feedback for this document, write to [email protected]. Alternatively, you can click on the Feedback link in any of the Dell documentation pages, fill up the form, and click Submit to send your feedback.

Table of Contents