Users Guide
For more information, see the iDRAC RACADM Command Line Reference Guide available at dell.com/
esmmanuals.
Switching the controller mode
On PERC 9.1 and later controllers, you can change the personality of the controller by switching the
mode from RAID to HBA. The controller operates similar to a HBA controller where the drivers are passed
through the operating system. The controller mode change is a staged operation and does not occur in
real time. Before you change the mode of the controller from RAID to HBA, ensure that:
• The RAID controller supports the controller mode change. The option to change the controller mode
is not available on controllers where the RAID personality requires a license.
• All virtual disks must be deleted or removed.
• Hot spares must be deleted or removed.
• Foreign configurations must be deleted or cleared.
• All physical disks that are in a failed state, must be removed.
• Any local security key associated with SEDs must be deleted.
• The controller must not have preserved cache.
• You have server control privileges to switch the controller mode.
NOTE: Ensure that you back up the foreign configuration, security key, virtual disks, and hot spares
before you switch the mode as the data is deleted.
NOTE: Ensure that a CMC license is available for PERC FD33xS and FD33xD storage sleds before
you change the controller mode. For more information on CMC license for the storage sleds, see
the Dell Chassis Management Controller Version 1.2 for PowerEdge FX2/FX2s User's Guide available
at dell.com/support/manuals.
Exceptions while switching the controller mode
The following list provides the exceptions while setting the controller mode using the iDRAC interfaces
such as web interface, RACADM, and WS-MAN:
• If the PERC controller is in RAID mode, you must clear any virtual disks, hot spares, foreign
configurations, controller keys, or preserved cache before changing it to HBA mode.
• You cannot configure other RAID operations while setting the controller mode. For example, if the
PERC is in RAID mode and you set the pending value of the PERC to HBA mode, and you try to set the
BGI attribute, the pending value is not initiated.
• When you switch the PERC controller from HBA to RAID mode, the drives remain in Non-RAID state
and are not automatically set to Ready state. Additionally, the
RAIDEnhancedAutoImportForeignConfig attribute is automatically set to Enabled.
The following list provides the exceptions while setting the controller mode using the Server
Configuration Profile feature using the WS-MAN or RACADM interface:
• Server Configuration Profile feature allows you to configure multiple RAID operations along with
setting the controller mode. For example, if the PERC controller is in HBA mode, you can edit the
export xml to change the controller mode to RAID, convert drives to ready and create a virtual disk.
• While changing the mode from RAID to HBA, the RAIDaction pseudo attribute is set to update
(default behavior). The attribute runs and creates a virtual disk which fails. The controller mode is
changed, however, the job is completed with errors. To avoid this issue, you must comment out the
RAIDaction attribute in the XML file.
243