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October 15th, 2025 13:26
Dell Server RAID controller offline after driver update
Hello Team,
Recently we have performed a firmware update for the dell R630 PERC controller 730P using the firmware SAS-RAID_Firmware_700GG_WN64_25.5.9.0001_A17_01via IDRAC.
After the update we are not able to see the controller nor the disks in the iDRAC console instead it says RAC0503: There are no out-of-band capable controllers to be displayed. Check if the host system is powered off or shutdown.
The device itself is not listed under life cycle manager , no option to roll back to previous firmware. Could you please advise how can we get the controller back online.
Regards
Eldho
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Printer Tales
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October 17th, 2025 12:49
Try fully power cycling the server and updating the iDRAC firmware. If that doesn’t work, use a bootable USB or Lifecycle Controller to recover the RAID firmware.
Ramesh Babu Pentapati
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December 24th, 2025 12:35
Please find below my solution and a few suggestions regarding the above issue.
Resolution Steps (Follow in Order)
1. Perform a Complete Power Drain (Very Important)
. This often recovers the controller.
. Gracefully shut down the server
. Disconnect all power cables
. Remove the server from the rack (recommended)
. Press and hold the power button for 30–60 seconds
. Leave the system powered off for at least 10 minutes
. Reconnect the power and boot the system
=> Check:
iDRAC → Storage
Lifecycle Controller
POST (Ctrl+R)
If the controller appears, stop here.
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2. Reseat the PERC Controller and Cache Module
If still missing:
1. Power off and unplug the server
2. Open the chassis
3. Remove:
. PERC 730P controller
. Cache module
. Cache battery
4. Clean and reseat everything firmly
5. Reinstall and power on
Check again in iDRAC and POST.
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3. Clear NVRAM / System Configuration
If reseating does not help:
1. Boot the server
2. Press F2 → System Setup
3. Select System BIOS
4. Choose Clear NVRAM
5. Save and reboot
This forces the system to re-enumerate PCI devices.
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4. Update BIOS and iDRAC (If Accessible)
If the system boots but the controller is still missing:
. Update to the latest BIOS for R630
. Update to the latest iDRAC 8 firmware
Do not reattempt the same PERC firmware via iDRAC yet.
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5. Attempt PERC Firmware Recovery via OS or Bootable ISO
If the controller appears at POST but not in iDRAC:
1. Boot from:
. Dell Bootable Firmware ISO, or
. OS-level DUP (Windows/Linux)
2. Downgrade or reflash:
. PERC H730P firmware (earlier stable version)
This only works if the controller is detected at BIOS level.
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6. Controller Firmware Corruption (Most Likely Case)
If:
. Controller does not appear in POST
. Not listed in BIOS, iDRAC, or Lifecycle Controller
. Power drain and reseat fail
=> The firmware flash has corrupted the PERC controller.
Resolution:
Replace the PERC H730P controller
Dell treats this as a hardware failure caused by firmware corruption.
Root Cause
Certain PERC firmware updates on 13G servers via iDRAC can fail silently
Controller firmware becomes corrupted
The device stops enumerating as a PCIe device
iDRAC reports RAC0503 because it cannot communicate with the controller
Recommendation
Always update PERC firmware using Dell Bootable ISO or OS-based DUP.
Always ensure:
. Stable power
. No active workloads
. Update Drivers
. iDRAC and BIOS are updated first