Connecting Powervault to existing Poweredge and PowerVault combo

Hi just to follow up upon reviewing more info. Upon inspecting my unit and training further it appears that the EMMs are the kind that don't support Out-of-Band management so in order to use MDSM I would need to install it on my PowerEdge server (which currently doesn't have a GUI interface and I'd rather not go down that rabbit hole).

However I have also found these instructions which indicate I need to turn off the server and existing storage enclosure before I cable it up. When I reboot the server, should I expect to see the new enclosure in the OMSA and be able to create a disk from there?

Thanks

Hello @DStringers,

Ok, so what PERC controller does your PowerEdge R610 has? The MD14XX series have not an integrated controller. It is a JBOD, so you will be using the PERC controller of your server to configure the virtual disks and everything else.

MD14xx series does not support Split Mode. In fact, this MD model does not have a unified/split mode switch. So in terms of cabling, you have to decide if using a Single Path or Redundant Patch:

Once the cabling is done, the BIOS for the RAID controller can be used as a management tool. You should be able to see the disks and create VDs/assign them from here. You could also use OMSA (OpenManage Server Administrator) to perform certain operations.

Hope this helps. Any other questions, don't hesitate.

Regards.

Hi Diego. Thanks, that does clear a few things up. I have two remaining, fairly separate quesitons:

1. I believe I need to power off all of the units involved before performing these steps, is this correct? Just want to verify if this server will indeed have downtime.
2. The server already has a virtual disk that compromises all of the disks in the existing MD1400. Will it be possible to add the new capacity to this exsting disk (using BIOS or OMSA), or will it be necessary to create a new Virtual Disk. 

Thanks again,

David

Hi David,

Yes, you will need downtime to connect it. What RAID level and controller do you have? Most likely you will be able to add to the existing virtual disk, but it depends on the configuration.

Hi @DELL-Josh Cr 

Thanks for your response. Good to have the clarification on the downtime.

The controller is a PERC H830, the current disk is running at RAID-6.

Thanks!

David

Hello again @DStringers,

Yes, the feature you are looking for is called Online Capacity Expansion (OCE). And the PERC H830 has it: https://dell.to/3qTAAW8

You can check this article: Dell PowerEdge: How to change the RAID level of a Virtual Disk - https://dell.to/3pSsCes

You will see that a RAID 6 can increase its capacity by adding disks. And it can have 5 or more. To do so you can use OMSA or the PERC BIOS.

Hope this helps.

Regards. 

I'm sorry that i'm bringing this up again, but can I do the same with any poweredge?  I have an old Poweredge 2900 (tower) and R630.  I'm planning to install Ubuntu server and TrueNas Scale in the 2900 and attach a Powervault MD1220 to the 2900.  Thank you

Hi @NegroRotary,

Unfortunately I am unable to verify if Ubuntu and TrueNas will be compatible with PE2900 as there is no documented engineering compatible.

PE2900 does not support MD1220 as the RAID controller that needs for the connection to the server is not supported by PE2900. 

PE2900 can only support MD1000 and MD3000. https://dell.to/3t7P889

Thank you so much, I'll use my PE R630 with the PVMD1220, I'm new to the field so i'm setting up a homelab to play with.  thanks again, you guys are a great help