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April 24th, 2025 10:58
PowerEdge 6515 NVME PCIe SSD expected width 4 actual link 1
I recently wanted to expand our storage from the currently utilised 8 Sata SSDs and add 2x NVMe SSDs to our PowerEdge 6515 cluster.
We purchased 6x 1.6TB Dell Express Flash PM1725a 1.6TB SFF
To install inside our 3x nodes, 2 in each node. As R6515 supports the follow 10 x 2.5-inch drives front accessible drives (with 8 SAS/SATA drives in slot 0 to 7 + 2 NVMe drives in slot 8 to 9)
The first 2 nodes we had no issues when we installed the additional 2x NMVe drives.
The 3rd node we got the following error when it booted up
This is the error we receive when booting
UEFI0031
PCIe downtrain is detected on PCIe SSD in Bay:255 Slot:255 (Bus:0x40 Dev:0x03 F:0x03). Expected link margin: 0;">Detailed Description: The PCIe device identified in the message was not trained at the expected link width.
Recommended Action: Do one of the following: 1) Remove input power from the system, wait for 30 seconds, and re-apply input power. Turn on the system. 2) Update the firmware on the PCIe device. If the issue persists, contact your service provider.
I've powered down the server and removed power and turned it back on and it still has an issue when booting.
BIOS is up to date and there is no pending firmware to be applied for any component
I'm still able to boot into the OS that is running on the NVME drive if I proceed past the error on boot by pushing F1
Question is. Is it an issue with the drives or the PCI controller?
nick.smith
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May 7th, 2025 11:07
DELL-Charles R
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April 24th, 2025 15:10
Hello,
I want to check if you performed the flea power drain this way:
drain flea power (shut down, disconnect power cables and Network cables, hold in power button 20 seconds with cords removed).
After flea power drain, system has to set for 3 minutes for DRAC to reset without any power plugged in.
Then plug in NIC and power but wait 2 minutes before power on to give DRAC time to initialize.
You mention you are up to date on firmware.
Try these steps and check results:
Run hardware diagnostics: boot to LifeCycle Controller <F10> and run Diagnostics. Note any errors and continue testing.
Try Swap slots
Try Swap in one of the other systems that did work
Reset BIOS to defaults. Make note of any custom settings you have made in the BIOS first.
Boot to BIOS <F2> System BIOS > bottom right corner is a Default button to press then save exit and reboot.
Re-configure BIOS settings and check results.
Could you Post image of NVME drive label showing part number. I'm unable to confirm the PM1725a is validated for the R6515. I do see some PM1725b for the R6515.
nick.smith
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April 24th, 2025 16:36
@DELL-Charles R
Thanks Charles
Actually just switching the two NVMe drives around fixed the issue. Now the error is gone during booting.
I cant seem to find any compatability lists from Dell for the R6515 and PM1725a working together. But nutanix does list the PM1725a as compatible with the R6515.
https://portal.nutanix.com/page/documents/details?targetId=Dell-PowerEdge-15G-Hardware-Firmware-Compatibility:mod-r6515-g15.html
Many thanks for your quick response.
nick.smith
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April 25th, 2025 11:58
Actually error has now come back after another reboot.
Same slot but a different drive now
UEFI0031 - PCIe downtrain is detected on PCIe SSD in Bay:255 Slot:255 (Bus:0x40 Dev:0x03 F:0x03). Expected link ll attempt this proceedure now
drain flea power (shut down, disconnect power cables and Network cables, hold in power button 20 seconds with cords removed).
After flea power drain, system has to set for 3 minutes for DRAC to reset without any power plugged in.
Then plug in NIC and power but wait 2 minutes before power on to give DRAC time to initialize.
I'll provide an update once I have tried the drain flea