CBL000x problem R730 (adding a second 8x2,5 disk bay-backplane)

Question

Hi

I own x2 r730 servers. First one has 16x2.5 disk bay (so it has a backplane with an expander) and the other one is with 8x2.5 disk bay. The issue started after my attempt to add a second 8 x2,5 disk backplane to the server with the 8 drive capacity. What I mean is :

I wanted to add a second backplane and so I did. Purchased not one but a second one as well in case of a failure to have as spare. After connecting the second 8 disk backplane (it came with the power cable and the backplane signal cables, so I have 2 of each cable type) connected the power cable to the available slot at the right of the motherboard and the backplane signal cable as well. Upon first boot and all other boots afterwards, I am getting the well known (as I noticed searching for this kind of error) error below

err msg.jpg s

if I press F1 it continues and sees the drives in the hypervisor (by the way is Proxmox). The second backplane is connected to an hba330 pci-e adapter by Dell.

A pic showing which second backplane sig connector I am talking about (don t mind the power cable that is not connected. Unplugged it to take a better pic) follows below

So as a trouble shooter all my life what I did up until now is:

-every H/W in the server is updated to the latest verison

-uninstalled the second 8 backplane and left the first one only. The message disappeared. But this isn t the solution as I need the second 8 bay as well in order to have in total 16 drives.

-tried the second 8 backplane (I have 2 so the second one not the first) in case the other were problematic with no success.

- tried (one change at a time) a different power cable and a different backplane sig cable with no success. Same error message.

-tried the first 8 bckplane only (which works) and changed only the power cable from the middle port to the right (where the second backplane would be powered) same error message.

-tried the first 8 backplane only (which works) and changed only the backplane sig cable from the upper port of the motherboard to the right (where the second backplane would be signaled) same error message.

-Unplugged the first original 8 backplane, and left the second one in order to connect the backplane signal cable to the upper port of the motherboard (the one port the original backplane used) and it worked. The message disappeared but with just one back plane on the server, this isnt the solution since I mentioned I need 2 8x2,5 inch drive backplanes in order to have in total 16 x 2,5 drives.

All above tries proved that it was not a problem occurred by the perc330 monolithic onboard card, neither from the hba330 pci-3 card, nor from the power or signaling cables. It left me though under the impression that the second signaling port of the motherboard was faulty. As a final thought tried to open the second r730 server (this one is using the 16 disks backplane) and just unplugged the backplane signal cable from the original upper port to the other port to the front of the mother board, where a supposedly second 8 backplane would be connected to. After powering the server it came up with the exact error message as the first server so I don think is the signal port of the motherboard the problem.

I am out of ideas. Are there options on the motherboard related to the backplane I am not aware of (didn t find anything)

PS I know i could use a 16 disks backplane card to the second server as well but this is a way around the problem and I have already purchased the cage for the disks, the back plane (two of them) the cables and the hba card.

dtsout · Answer

Just for information of the purchased equipment

backplane specs:DP/N 0TGNMY
power cable :DP/N 0123W8
signal cable :DP/N OTRFPV (O might be 0)

Of course this info is not of much use since I have the same err msg with the original equipment the server came if i just change the signal port to the second one of the motherboard.

dtsout · Answer

Thanks for your reply but your answer is in any way intuitive . You mentioned from what you are seeing....seeing where? Why then you have a fully functional second port there? Why after pressing f1 continues and sees all the disks? I can easily make a zfs raid configuration afterwards with no problem. Having though to press f1 each time is a problem.

You have to come up with something better than that.

DELL-Chris H · Answer

Dtsout,   From what I am seeing the R730 doesn't support the addition of the rear backplane, that is only on the R730XD.   Let me know if this helps.

dtsout · Answer

Ok now we are getting somewhere. What bios option is that on the 730xd and how is named that needs to be enabled and allows a second backplane to be installed without issueing error messages??

Ps So the only way to use 16 drives on the 730 is using a backplane with the expander only?

DELL-Chris H · Answer

I am seeing the below listed configs for the platform.       As far as the port, the reason it is on the motherboard is that the R730 and R730xd share the same motherboard, but the BIOS is different.

DELL-Chris H · Answer

It isn't a BIOS setting to enable or disable, as you can see the drives the port is active, but with the R730 it flags it with an error, as you are seeing.

It is also based on the control panel as it controls branding of the server and knows it is an R730 and not XD.

That is correct, as seen on page 161 here.

drako · Answer

Aside from the iDRAC errors on boot. and concomitant hardware RAID issues, do the drives in your 2nd backplane function normally within the OS?

dtsout · Answer

Even though it isnt an OS but a Hypervisor and the drives do indeed get recognized and form a software zfs raid, the issue still remains. I have to press f1 each time and that is a problem, at least for me.

PS: I am trying to remember if I tried without connecting the backplane data cable but I can t recall right now.

dtsout · Answer

If it is a Bios prevention since R730 and R730xd have different ones as you mention, then the guy from the Art of server channel, might be a magician probably according to the below link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtC1_YKbs3M&t=616s

PS As there is 720 and 720xd version and still he managed to add a second drive cage backplane and cabling and not only that but supported nvme drives as well, probably there is lack of information here and you stay only to the basics.

drako · Answer

Connecting without the backplane cable (just power) seems promising; let us know if that works? (In the sense of the F1 problem - not with iDRAC and Dell support, obviously.)

dtsout · Answer

Nope. This way (without the backplane signal cable) doesn t even power up the disks. Of course that makes it bypass the f1 since it doesn t care about the backplane at all even it is powered.

Checked with other cable as well, a DeLock but no success either. The cable I first tested with was a supermicro one.

The only thing I havent checked is a Dell cable in case that will fix the error msg. Don t have a part number to order one. I believe it is my last change.

dtsout · Answer

Assuming you are right, what would be the purpose then of a second data signal port (white box at the right side of the pic) since the first one is sufficient enough? And the second (8 hole) black power port as well since the 16 bay uses the 10 hole black port.?

For ages manufacturers are trying to cut costs by excluding electronic components from their products (here motherboard). And you say that they are both unused and Dell just put them there laying around with no reason at all? I find it hard to believe. It would be more orthodox to believe that Dell needs every part you use inside that server to be original from cables (sas cables, power cables, signal cables) to controllers ...etc.

By the way I had already tried that f1/f2 prompt and worked (meaning bypassing the message without interaction from the user). If I can recall (since I made countless tries) when I checked two circle boxes from iDRAC settings / Network / maybe Security? RDAM and something else, even though they were irrelevant they made the message disappear for 2-3 reboots. I am to the point where I can just let it bypass itself and load the hypervisor afterwards. Still can t figure out why. There are a lot of people with same kind of messages who resolved that by reattaching the cables, changing psu, motherboard and many of them had older server R720, R620 ,R730 as well with 2 hbas. 16 bay with expander simply wont do the work for me and I don t know either if I use Dell's powervault 1420 storage self would do the trick or let me with the same message again and just loose a ton of money spent for trial and error only.

cdrtano · Answer

Dtsout, the only officially supported way to upgrade from 8x2.5' to 16x2.5' is to use the 16-bay backplane. You're seeing the errors because the BIOS expects to only see one backplane. When I upgraded my server from 8x2.5' to 16x2.5' I bought the extra drive cage, 16-bay backplane and one power cable. The default HBA or RAID card has enough bandwidth for spinning rust in either the 8x2.5' or 16x2.5' config; which is why the additional drive upgrade kit uses the same perc card and cables. Due to the much higher bandwidth requirement of U.2, that upgrade kit requires its own backplane and HBA.    If you press F2 on boot > BIOS settings > Miscellaneous Settings > F1 Prompt on Error, you can bypass the error prompt. Otherwise, you'll have to change to the 16x2.5' backplane.

PowerEdge HDD/SCSI/RAID

CBL000x problem R730 (adding a second 8x2,5 disk bay-backplane)

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