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Dell PowerEdge R6515 fan speed doesn't ramp up
Hi,
Our new server, the R6515, arrived more than a week ago. I've been configuring it since then. I installed Hyper-V and it is currently hosting 4 VMs. I just noticed that when I powered it on earlier this morning, the fan speed doesn't ramp up to maximum as it used to. I think most servers put the fan speed at maximum (or at least significantly higher than normal speed) during boot up since the power management hasn't taken effect at that point.
It wasn't like this before this morning and I didn't change anything on the host level. Power management and fan speed offset are still at default settings.
I have considered that fan speed also depend on the load and temp of the server. However, the server load today is a lot higher than the past few days when I still haven't created VMs. The temps are the same as before.
Besides, the server used to ramp up the fan speed even before the OS/Hypervisor started booting up. At that point, the load should still be the same as before.
I got worried because the fan speed behavior suddenly changed. I just want to find out if this is something I should worry about (like, fan speed staying at low RPM even when the CPU temp is already at critical level, etc) before putting the server into production.
DELL-Joey C
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May 17th, 2022 01:00
Hi @HyperV0509,
For server like R6515, there are automated configuration where fan acoustics might affect the fan spins less when it's not needed. But I'm unsure if there are any issues with the server. My suggestion is to check if all firmware of the server are up to date (I believe you might have already done it). Next thing is to check OMSA's or iDRAC/LCC's logs to check if there is any error on fan or temperature warnings.
HyperV0509
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May 17th, 2022 17:00
Update: I noticed that when I powered on the server today, the fan speeds are actually ramping up but not to maximum speed as it used to. My estimate for the highest fan RPM during boot up is <40% of maximum speed.
I just want to know if this is something critical that I should worry about before putting this server into production.
HyperV0509
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May 17th, 2022 17:00
BIOS and iDrac firmware are both up to date. I checked the logs immediately after I noticed the change in fan speed behavior. There were no errors/warnings except for the PSU2 which I intentionally did not connect to a power source. Fan speeds and temperatures look fine to me.
DELL-Joey C
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May 18th, 2022 01:00
Hi @HyperV0509,
Since there is no error messages in iDRAC nor LCC, it's probably safe to say there is nothing much wrong with the system.
I'm unsure if the 2nd PSU is needed for air cooling flow in R6515, it doesn't state in the technical guide. I know some servers, the PSU fans are used as air flow. Are you using STD or HPR fans? HPR fans are high performance fans, which could be noisier than STD fans. If you're using STD, it sounds about right to have a quieter server.
HyperV0509
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May 18th, 2022 18:00
PSU2 has been disconnected to the power source since day 1 but the fans were reaching max RPM during boot up back then.
Yes we are using standard fans. I know HPR fans are louder but what I am concerned about is why did the fans suddenly stopped reaching max RPM during boot up as they used to?
DELL-Shine K
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May 18th, 2022 19:00
When you booting up the server are you just powering off and on the server or are you removing and inserting the power cable (AC Power Cycle). There might not be lot of variation in FAN speed when just powering off and on the server without removing power cable.
HyperV0509
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May 20th, 2022 17:00
I always remove the power cable from AC outlet before leaving the office, then plug it back in the next morning.
DELL-Joey C
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May 22nd, 2022 18:00
Hi @HyperV0509,
If the logs and iDRAC does not show any errors on the fan or thermal, I may think it's R6515 or 15G's server design. But if you are not comfortable and having thoughts it might not be working "normally" as other servers and since it's a new server, I may suggest to contact support to request to reach out engineering, finding out if it's normal. Throughout my support here in community, I've not encountered if any of the users mention the same situation that you're in.