Dell PowerEdge R630 – PERC H730 RAID Controller Intermittent Initialization Issue

Hi,

I’m facing an issue with a Dell PowerEdge R630 that has an integrated PERC H730 RAID controller.

When I first powered on the server after a long time, the RAID controller initialized successfully and the system booted from the virtual disk configured with RAID 5. However, after restarting the server and moving it to the data center, the RAID controller failed to initialize — no physical or virtual disks were detected.

I have already tried several steps, including clearing the NVRAM, resetting the BIOS, and updating the BIOS firmware, but the issue persisted. Interestingly, when I powered off the server and left it overnight, the RAID controller was detected the next morning and the system booted normally. The same problem reappeared after a short power outage — the RAID controller again failed to initialize until the system was left powered down for several hours.

It seems that the RAID controller does not shut down properly when residual power remains, preventing it from reinitializing correctly on restart. Once the system has been left off long enough for the controller to fully discharge, it initializes and works as expected.

Could you please advise on the likely root cause of this issue and the recommended resolution?

Thank you.