How Import Foreign Configurations for BIOS setup on Dell Server

How Import Foreign Configurations for BIOS setup on Dell Server

Learn how to import foreign configurations into the BIOS setup of a Dell server to seamlessly integrate new or replaced hard drives. This quick guide will help ensure your RAID arrays are configured correctly and data integrity is maintained.

Note: Management of Foreign Configuration is only available if a foreign configuration has been detected by the controller.

Click Configuration Management on the Main Menu screen.

  1. Click Manage Foreign Configuration.

Bios setup

Click Preview Foreign Configuration.

Bios setup

Check if the status of the virtual disk displayed on the “VIRTUAL DISKS INCLUDED AFTER FOREIGN CONFIGURATION IMPORT” is Ready or Degraded and then click Import Foreign Configuration.

    • PHYSICAL DISKS INCLUDED AFTER FOREIGN CONFIGURATION IMPORT: Displays only disks in Foreign configuration
    • VIRTUAL DISKS INCLUDED AFTER FOREIGN CONFIGURATION IMPORT: Displays virtual disk after the import operation

Bios setup

Read the displayed warning, select Confirm, and then click Yes.

Bios setup

Once the message “The operation has been performed successfully” is displayed, click OK.

Bios setup 05

Click Back on the Configuration Management screen.

Note: The “Manage Foreign Configuration” menu is still displayed.

  1. Click Virtual Disk Management on the Main Menu screen, Check that the status of the virtual disk is Ready or Degraded.
    If the status is Ready, go to Step 9.
    If the status is anything other than Ready, follow the steps below to check the status.

    1. Click the appropriate virtual disk and check the Status.
    2. Click View Associated Physical Disk and check the physical disks that are part of the virtual disk.
      Contact Dell technical support if the disk status is anything other than Online status.

Bios setup 06

Figure 11: Example Degraded Redundancy Status

  1. Click BackFinishFinish, and then Finish. Once the warning, “Are you sure you want to exit?” is displayed, click Yes.
  2. The operating system boots.
Importing Foreign Configuration in iDRAC9

Importing Foreign Configuration in iDRAC9

Learn how to import foreign configurations using iDRAC9 to seamlessly integrate new hardware or recover RAID setups. This quick guide will help you ensure data consistency and minimize downtime.

Let’s provide an example of importing a Foreign Configuration using the web-based server management interface of iDRAC9:

Prerequisites:

  • Dell PowerEdge R740xd2 server
  • PERC H730P Mini (Embedded) RAID controller
  • Existing RAID arrays
  • A disk with a Foreign Configuration that was accidentally removed from the server and needs to be reinserted.

iDRAC9

 

Steps:

Log in to iDRAC and navigate to the “Storage” section, then select the “Controllers” tab.

iDRAC9

Locate your controller and expand the dropdown menu under “Actions“. Choose “Foreign Configuration“.

A list of disks with detected unfamiliar configurations will be displayed. Select “Import Foreign Configuration“.

iDRAC9

Choose when to apply the action. Click “Apply Now“.

iDRAC9

A task will be created, which you can monitor in the “Job Queue“.

iDRAC9

The task may not complete instantly; you’ll need to wait until it reaches 100%. Once it’s completed, the configuration will be imported.

iDRAC9

Dell PowerEdge VRTXCritical Alert on Chassis

Dell PowerEdge VRTXCritical Alert on Chassis

Managing VRTXCritical alerts on a Dell PowerEdge VRTX chassis is essential for ensuring optimal performance and reliability of your infrastructure. This guide will provide insights into recognizing, diagnosing, and addressing critical alerts, helping you maintain system stability and minimize downtime.

Ticket logged for Server alert

 Analysis report:-

 The second  controller shows a failure

VRTXCritical

 

 

 

 

 

1st analysis and POA

Took the remote session and logged in with the chassis console. Find an option to enable a failed controller.

There is no option to enable or disable it on the controller tab

Raised controller for a standby

2nd analysis and POA

CMC firmware2.1 and the latest available is 3.41

After updating the firmware issue was resolved.

VRTXCritical

 

 

For more information reach out to our Technical team.

Importing Foreign Configuration Using Web Interface (iDRAC7 and iDRAC8)

Learn how to import foreign configurations using the web interface of iDRAC7 and iDRAC8, ensuring seamless server management and data integrity. This quick guide will walk you through the process step-by-step for efficient IT operations.

To import foreign configuration:

  1. In the iDRAC Web interface, go to Overview > Storage > Controllers > Setup. The Setup Controllers page is displayed.
  2. In the Foreign Configuration section, from the Controller drop-down menu, select the controller that you want to configure.
  3. From the Apply Operation Mode drop-down menu, select when you want to import.
  4. Click Import Foreign Configuration. Based on the selected operation mode, the configuration is imported. To automatically import foreign configurations, in the Configure Controller Properties section, enable the Enhanced Auto Import Foreign Config option, select the Apply Operation Mode and click Apply.
How-To Generate SP Collect Data from Unisphere

How-To Generate SP Collect Data from Unisphere

How-To Generate SP Collect Data from Unisphere

–         Login to the Unisphere console

–         Select the array you want to collect data from

Unisphere

 

 

–         Click on the “System” tab, then click on “Generate Diagnostic Flies – SPA” under the “Diagnostic Files” section on the right.

Unisphere

 

 

 

 

–          Click YES to generate the SP Collect Data for SPA

Unisphere

 

 

 

 

–         Click on “OK” to confirm the success of the process

Unisphere

 

 

 

 

–         Now click on “Generate Diagnostic Files – SPB” under the “Diagnostic Files” section on the right.

Unisphere

 

 

 

 

–         Click YES to generate the SP Collect Data for SPB

Unisphere

 

 

 

 

–         Click on “OK” to confirm the success of the process

Unisphere

 

 

 

 

–         Click on “Get Diagnostic Files – SPA

Unisphere

 

 

 

 

–         The SP A – File Transfer Manager Window will appear.

  • 1st– sort the files by date with the most recent date at the top by clicking the top of the “Date” column.
  • 2nd– Highlight the “zip” file.  (Depending on your array – your file may not start with “APM” but with a different set of letter.  Regardless, the rest of the file name will be followed by a series of numbers_SPA_date_time)
  • 3rd– Select your destination directory where you want the file saved to.  (Use something easy to find like c:\)
  • 4th– Click the “Transfer” button below the list of files

Unisphere

 

 

 

–         Click on YES to confirm you want to transfer the file.

Unisphere

 

 

 

 

–         In the “Transfer Status” window – look and wait for the file transfer to report successful. (This may take a minute or so)  Once the transfer is successful click OK.

Unisphere

 

 

 

–         Click on “Get Diagnostic Files – SPB

Unisphere

 

 

 

 

–         The SP B – File Transfer Manager Window will appear.

  • 1st– sort the files by date with the most recent date at the top by clicking the top of the “Date” column.
  • 2nd– Highlight the “zip” file.  (Depending on your array – your file may not start with “APM” but with a different set of letter.  Regardless, the rest of the file name will be followed by a series of numbers_SPB_date_time)
  • 3rd– Select your destination directory where you want the file saved to.  (Use something easy to find like c:\)
  • 4th– Click the “Transfer” button below the list of files

Unisphere

 

 

–         Click on YES to confirm you want to transfer the file.

Unisphere

 

 

 

 

–         In the “Transfer Status” window – look and wait for the file transfer to report successful. (This may take a minute or so)  Once the transfer is successful click OK.

Unisphere

 

 

 

–         Open up Windows Explorer or whatever file manager you use and go to the destination directory where you downloaded the files to.  Verify the SPA and SPB .zip files are there.

Unisphere