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I am trying to install a SATA SSD into a hot swappable server (Dell PowerEdge T320). The drive is not visible within the Windows 2008 R2.

Server details:

  • Dell T320 PowedEdge
  • PERC H710 Raid Controller
  • Samsung SSD 128GB SSD 850 Pro

I have updated the BIOS - still can't see the drive there. Also can't see it within Disk Management. The drive caddy is fully inserted.

Dell tell me that although they also sell Samsung SSD drives, that because I did not buy it from them it, 'most likely' will not work as they only sell SSD drives that work with their specific servers.

Any suggestions on how to make this drive usable?

atom
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  • What RAID controller did you use on your T320? – shodanshok Apr 27 '15 at 21:59
  • Hi @shodanshok , I have recently updated it to the PERC H710 Raid Controller, and have run all firmware updates, although from memory I do not recall seeing any updates for the raid controller in the lifecycle controller. – atom Apr 27 '15 at 22:03
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    Does the drive show up in the RAID config? Either in lifecycle controller, Dell OpenManage software, or iDRAC? I could be wrong, but I don't think that controller does passthrough by default - so you have to configure the new drive before it will show up in windows. – Grant Apr 28 '15 at 00:44
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    Are you mixing SAS and SSD together on the same card by any chance? – hookenz Apr 28 '15 at 02:04
  • @Matt - it's a SAS SSD drive. Grant, I could not see it within lifecycle controller - and the light does not even light up with the drive connected. It seems strange that Dell did not think it would work - but it's just hardware... – atom Apr 28 '15 at 09:13
  • @SydxPages - "I am trying to install a SATA SSD into a hot swappable server". If it's SAS then you better correct your question. And perhaps add the model number of the drive rather than just the brand. – hookenz Apr 28 '15 at 20:11
  • @Matt - I just checked the order - it's a SATA drive, not a SAS drive. I have checked the order and can confirm that this is the case now. – atom Apr 29 '15 at 06:12
  • This is a consumer disk, I really wouldn't recommend using it in a server. – Chopper3 Apr 29 '15 at 07:46

1 Answers1

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In previous firmware released, DELL PERCs adapter will refuse to operate with non-DELL disks. This changed with later firmware released. So, first thing is to be 100% sure that no other update exists for the PERC card.

After you are sure that the card is updated, try to power-cycle the server and press CTRL + R to enter in the RAID BIOS screen. Here you should see your disk. Create an array and it should now be visible on Windows/Linux also.

shodanshok
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  • Thanks - I have my next outage in 3 weeks, so will try this then and let you know how I go. – atom Apr 29 '15 at 06:10
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    You don't need to power cycle to set up RAID if you have installed the Dell Server Administrator tools. You can configure it via the web interface then. – Mark Henderson Apr 29 '15 at 07:19