Thanks for answering so fast :) I was reading a documentation about it and was about to try a manipulation. I think it matches exactly what you said. I could apparently reach the bios of the raid controller with during the boot. I'm going to try it.

You don't have to have the Dell CD.

You could configure the raid in the bios of the raid controller (assuming you have a raid controller) and then boot to the OS media. Depending on the OS you may need to get raid controller drivers for it to recognize the harddrive(s) or virtual disks(s).

I'll notice tomorrow if it is solved (I can't access the server rooom any more for today)

By the way, what's the use of the "Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation". What does it allow to do? Because I was about to download it (I thought it would have solved my problem). I guess your manipulation will solve it but I would like to know (it could be useful).

I didn't succeed in reaching the bios of the raid controller. During the boot is not proposed, but . At first I thought I didn't have any RAID controller but I've seen into the "Run Diagnostics" menu that the controller was "SAS 6/iR Adapter SAS Controller" (which corresponds to a RAID controller, doesn't it?).
So I entered anyway the SAS Configuration utility with and here what it gave:

Adapter List        Global properties
Adapter        PCI bus     PCI dev   PCI fnc   FW revision    Status        Boot order
SAS 1068E    05            00          00         0.20.48...       Enabled      0

Does it correspond to a good controller which should permit the RAID configuration? Or is there anything else to do? Why do I have not the proposition during the boot?

The SAS6/iR can do raid 0 and raid 1 only, whereas the PERC6 can do the same raids, but also 5, 6, 10, 50 and 60.

OK. R300 is anyway destined for "Micro Offices" which do not have a lot of means and the configuration won't be advanced. I would like to set up a RAID1.

My controller is apparently compatible with it. So why don't I have the possibility to enter the bios of the RAID controller during the boot?

 

A troubleshooting procedure in the installation guide notifies that during the boot we can perform: 

• for a SAS controller

• for a RAID SAS controller

 

And I have only the choice...Is there anything else to do before? (In the guide they suppose OS is installed because the next step of this procedure is to let the OS boot in order to verify that drivers are correctly installed).

In my case, I notify again that nothing has been done on this server at the moment and OS isn't installed.

 

For example, I was said that for formers configurations (example PowerEdge 2600), each server included 3 CDs, notably Server Assistant (plus "Systems Management" and "Product Documentation"). This CD, once booted, permitted the configuration of the initial system and the RAID configuration.

 

 

I didn't manage to access the RAID configuration without any CD. But my problem is partly solved: I've downloaded a bootable DVD on the Dell site : "Dell Systems Management and Documentation". And everything's OK, the configuration is very simple thanks to it.

 

However if someone can tell me why I can't access the RAID configuration during the boot, I am still interested :)