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Dell

iDRAC

Set iDrac settings using System Boot Menu
- Set Static IP: F2 > iDrac settings > Network
- Set Username / Password: F2 > iDrac settings > Access
Flash iDRAC7_LocalLicense_Installation_Tool_A00_1.0.iso using dd to USB
- 30 day evaluation license and enabled dedicated iDrac NIC
Buy license from eBay
- Send seller your 720xd service tag after order
Add DNS entry to iDrac static IP
iDrac Web UI: https://<IP_OR_DNS_OF_IDRAC>/index.html
Set NTP servers, see here for more information
Update Timezone to America/New_York

iDRAC Extras

Downgrade the iDrac firmware to iDRAC8_2.30.30.30_A00.exe if you encounter high fan speeds
- Found from this reddit post
- File is a self executable ZIP file containing the firmware file
- Downgrade is only possible in iDrac Web GUI

Cool yer jets

Enable IPMI in iDRAC settings
brew install ipmitool

Common commands

All Sensor Readings

ipmitool -I lanplus -H <IDRAC_IP> -U <IDRAC_USERNAME> -P <IDRAC_PASSWORD> sdr elist all

Fan Sensor Readings

ipmitool -I lanplus -H <IDRAC_IP> -U <IDRAC_USERNAME> -P <IDRAC_PASSWORD> sensor reading "Fan1" "Fan2" "Fan3" "Fan4" "Fan5" "Fan6"

Ez Toggle Fan Speeds

# Low Speed 
ipmitool -I lanplus -H <IDRAC_IP> -U <IDRAC_USERNAME> -P <IDRAC_PASSWORD> raw 0x30 0xCE 0x00 0x09 0x07 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x07 0x00 0x02 0x02 0x02 0x00 0x00

# High Speed
ipmitool -I lanplus -H <IDRAC_IP> -U <IDRAC_USERNAME> -P <IDRAC_PASSWORD> raw 0x30 0xCE 0x00 0x09 0x07 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x07 0x00 0x02 0x02 0x02 0x01 0x00

Toggle 3rd Party PCIe Cooling Response Logic

# Jets off or Set Third-Party PCIe Card Default Cooling Response Logic To Disabled
ipmitool -I lanplus -H <IDRAC_IP> -U <IDRAC_USERNAME> -P <IDRAC_PASSWORD> raw 0x30 0xce 0x00 0x16 0x05 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x05 0x00 0x01 0x00 0x00

# Jets on or Set Third-Party PCIe Card Default Cooling Response Logic To Enabled
ipmitool -I lanplus -H<IDRAC_IP> -U <IDRAC_USERNAME> -P <IDRAC_PASSWORD> raw 0x30 0xce 0x00 0x16 0x05 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x05 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00

Manual Control - Make sure to monitor system for an hour after usage to verify temperatures

# Monitor temps
ipmitool -I lanplus -H<IDRAC_IP> -U <IDRAC_USERNAME> -P <IDRAC_PASSWORD> sdr elist all | grep "Temp"

# Enable manual fan control
ipmitool -I lanplus -H <IDRAC_IP> -U <IDRAC_USERNAME> -P <IDRAC_PASSWORD> raw 0x30 0x30 0x01 0x00

# 44 PWM (% of Max) ~8000 RPM, 0x2c = 44%
ipmitool -I lanplus -H <IDRAC_IP> -U <IDRAC_USERNAME> -P <IDRAC_PASSWORD> raw 0x30 0x30 0x02 0xff 0x2c

# 30 PWM (% of Max) ~6000 RPM, 0x23 = 35%
ipmitool -I lanplus -H <IDRAC_IP> -U <IDRAC_USERNAME> -P <IDRAC_PASSWORD> raw 0x30 0x30 0x02 0xff 0x23

# Disable manual fan control
ipmitool -I lanplus -H <IDRAC_IP> -U <IDRAC_USERNAME> -P <IDRAC_PASSWORD> raw 0x30 0x30 0x01 0x01

VMWare

VMUG Membership

$200/year
License for vSphere supports up to 6 CPU Sockets
Benefits
Sign up
Download software and obtain licenses here
Licenses can be imported in VCSA

ESXi Installation and Configuration

Download and flash the latest support version from the Dell Drivers page
- Set BIOS to boot from the USB with ESXi
- Install ESXi on the same drive you flashed it to
Set static IP on ESXi host using the web GUI or the console
Enable SSH on ESXi host using the web GUI or the console
Set NTP servers, see here for more information
Temporarily move the scratch location to /tmp in ESXi
- Put you host in maintaince mode
- Follow this but put /tmp as the scratch location
- If you create a DataStore before this step ESXi will automatically assign the scratch location on the DataStore, which can lead to problems if you need to remove that DataStore in the future
Set up DataStores for VMs to be installed on
vSphere Docker Volume - Persistant Docker volumes stored in VMDK
- Install from CLI, ssh into ESXi host and follow instructions here

Install optional vibs

Install OpenManage Server Administrator
Install Dell EMC iDRAC Service Module (VIB) for ESXi 6.5 U2 & 6.7
Install VMware PERCCLI Utility For All PERC Controllers, see here for more information

vSphere vCenter Software Appliance (VCSA) Installation and Configuration

Download VMware-VCSA-all-6.7.0-8546234.iso
This application is installed from your Mac/PC to a ESXi host
Add DNS entry to point to the static IP before installing

FreeNAS

⚠️ This section is under construction ⚠

Information on setting your front bay drives as pass-through for FreeNAS

Requires a LSI 9211-8i with IT mode or LSI 9207-8i RAID controller from eBay
Requires 2x Ultra Slim Flat Left Angled Mini SAS 36pin SFF-8087 to 8087 Data Raid Cable 80cm or 1x M246M 0M246M SAS-A SAS-B SATA CABLE FOR DELL POWEREDGE R610 R710 H700

onedr0p/720xd-braindump.md