White Papers

Introduction
5 Custom Cooling Fan Options for Dell EMC PowerEdge Servers
1 Introduction
Dell PowerEdge servers include proprietary thermal controls that automatically manage server component
temperatures. Dell PowerEdge controls use sensor monitoring and knowledge of the specific hardware that is
installed on the system to minimize fan speeds, airflow, and power consumption without sacrificing
component reliability.
This white paper describes fan control customization options and suggests some potential use cases.
Although the controls allow for cooling customization, the server does not allow fan speeds to drop below the
threshold that is required to cool the server and any adapters that Dell provides. These options apply to
server system fans and do not influence fans that are located in peripheral devices such as power supplies or
PCIe cards.
NOTE: An iDRAC version of 3.30.30.30 or newer is recommended.
Some important points to keep in mind:
• All custom fan speed options are persistent. Once they are set and applied, they do not automatically
change to the default setting during system reboot, power cycling, iDRAC, or BIOS updates.
• Some Dell EMC server platforms may not support some or any of these custom cooling options. If the
options are not supported, they are not displayed, or you are not provided an opportunity to enter a
custom value.
• Some features may be tied to an iDRAC license upgrade.