Users Guide
Table Of Contents
- Dell Technologies PowerEdge RAID Controller 11 User’s Guide PERC H755 adapter, H755 front SAS, H755N front NVMe, and PERC H755 MX adapter
- Contents
- Dell Technologies PowerEdge RAID Controller 11
- Applications and User Interfaces supported by PERC 11
- Features of PowerEdge RAID Controller 11
- Controller features
- Virtual disk features
- Hard drive features
- Fault tolerance
- Install and remove a PERC 11 card
- Safety instructions
- Before working inside your system
- After working inside your system
- Remove the PERC H755 adapter
- Install the PERC H755 adapter
- Remove the PERC H755 front SAS card
- Install the PERC H755 front SAS card
- Remove the PERC H755N front NVMe card
- Install the PERC H755N front NVMe card
- Remove the PERC H755 MX adapter
- Install the PERC H755 MX adapter
- Driver support for PERC 11
- Firmware
- Manage PERC 11 controllers using HII configuration utility
- Enter the PERC 11 HII configuration utility
- Exit the PERC 11 HII configuration utility
- Navigate to Dell PERC 11 configuration utility
- View the HII Configuration utility dashboard
- Configuration management
- Controller management
- Clear controller events
- Save controller events
- Save debug log
- Enable security
- Disable security
- Change security settings
- Restore factory default settings
- Auto configure behavior
- Manage controller profile
- Advanced controller properties
- Virtual disk management
- Physical disk management
- Hardware components
- Security key management in HII configuration utility
- Security key and RAID management
- Security key implementation
- Local Key Management
- Create a security key
- Change Security Settings
- Disable security key
- Create a secured virtual disk
- Secure a non-RAID disk
- Secure a pre-existing virtual disk
- Import a secured non-RAID disk
- Import a secured virtual disk
- Dell Technologies OpenManage Secure Enterprise Key Manager
- Supported controllers for OpenManage Secure Enterprise Key Manager
- Manage enterprise key manager mode
- Disable enterprise key manager mode
- Manage virtual disks in enterprise key manager mode
- Manage non–RAID disks in enterprise key manager mode
- Migration of drives from local key management to enterprise key management
- Troubleshooting
- Single virtual disk performance or latency in hypervisor configurations
- Configured disks removed or not accessible error message
- Dirty cache data error message
- Discovery error message
- Drive Configuration Changes Error Message
- Windows operating system installation errors
- Firmware fault state error message
- Foreign configuration found error message
- Foreign configuration not found in HII error message
- Degraded state of virtual disks
- Memory errors
- Preserved Cache State
- Security key errors
- General issues
- Physical disk issues
- Physical disk in failed state
- Unable to rebuild a fault tolerant virtual disk
- Fatal error or data corruption reported
- Multiple disks are inaccessible
- Rebuilding data for a failed physical disk
- Virtual disk fails during rebuild using a global hot spare
- Dedicated hot spare disk fails during rebuild
- Redundant virtual disk fails during reconstruction
- Virtual disk fails rebuild using a dedicated hot spare
- Physical disk takes a long time to rebuild
- Drive removal and insertion in the same slot generates a foreign configuration event
- SMART errors
- Replace member errors
- Linux operating system errors
- Drive indicator codes
- HII error messages
- Appendix RAID description
- Getting help
- Documentation resources
Background operations
Background initialization
Background initialization (BGI) is an automated process that writes parity or mirror data on newly created virtual disks. BGI does
not run on RAID 0 virtual disks. You can control the BGI rate in the Dell OpenManage storage management application. Any
change to the BGI rate does not take effect until the next BGI is executed.
NOTE:
● You cannot disable BGI permanently. If you cancel BGI, it automatically restarts within five minutes.
● Unlike full or fast initialization of virtual disks, background initialization does not clear data from the physical disks.
● Consistency Check (CC) and BGI typically cause some loss in performance until the operation completes.
Consistency check and BGI perform similar functions in that they both correct parity errors. However, CC reports data
inconsistencies through an event notification, while BGI does not. You can start CC manually, but not BGI.
Consistency checks
Consistency Check (CC) is a background operation that verifies and corrects the mirror or parity data for fault tolerant virtual
disks. It is recommended that you periodically run a consistency check on virtual disks.
You can manually start a CC using the HII Configuration Utility or the Dell OpenManage storage management application. You
can schedule a CC to run on virtual disks using the Dell OpenManage storage management application. To start a CC using the
HII Configuration Utility, see Perform consistency check.
NOTE: CC or BGI typically causes some loss in performance until the operation completes.
CC and BGI both correct parity errors. However, CC reports data inconsistencies through an event notification, while BGI does
not. You can start CC manually, but not BGI.
Hard drive features
This section lists the following hard drive features supported on PERC 11 cards in detail:
● Self-Encrypting Disks (SED)
● Instant Secure Erase (ISE)
● 4 KB sector disk drives
Self-Encrypting Disks
The PERC 11 series of cards support self-encrypting disks (SED) for protection of data against loss or theft of SEDs. Protection
is achieved by the use of encryption technology on the drives. There is one security key per controller. You can manage
the security key using local key management (LKM) or OpenManage Secure Enterprise Key Manager also referred as Secure
Enterprise Key Manager (SEKM). The security key is used by the controller to lock and unlock access to encryption-capable
physical disks. In order to take advantage of this feature, you must:
● Have SEDs in your system.
● Create a security key.
For more information, see Security key and RAID management section.
NOTE: You cannot enable security on non-optimal virtual disks.
NOTE: PERC 11 supports Trusted Computing Group Enterprise (TCG) Security Subsystem Classes (SSC) SAS or SATA
SED drives and TCG Opal SSC NVMe drives.
Features of PowerEdge RAID Controller 11 23