MD Series: Setup IP Address and Password on ME3xxx controllers with serial

Summary: This article details how to set an IP address or change the Administrator Password on MD3xxx storage with a serial connection.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
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Instructions

Serial connection programs like PuTTY are required for the following steps. The below steps are shown using PuTTY as that is the software used by Support, and is widely used.
PuTTY is an open source SSH and telnet client, developed for the Windows platform. The software can be downloaded here.
 

  1. Connect with the Serial-Cable from the Host or Client to one of the Controllers
  2. Open a Terminal Session with PuTTY
  3. Choose Serial as Connection Type and click in the menu on the left side to change more settings
    1. Image shows putty window with serial selected 
  4. Set the following parameters in the Options controlling local serial lines: 
    1. Bits per second: 9600
Data bits: 8
Parity: none
Stop bits: 1
Flow control: none
    2. Image shows the mentioned settings in the connection properties of PuTTY 
  5. Click Session
  6. Give the connection a name
  7. Click Save for future use
  8. Click Open and a console window opens
  9. Press CTRL + Break simultaneously
  10. Now press SHIFT + S simultaneously to enter the Service menu
  11. When asked for a password, type "supportDell" and press Enter
  12. The Service Interface Main Menu displays
    1. Image shows the options available when logging into a controller serially  
  13. This Menu provides options to display and change the IP Address of the Controller connected with the serial cable
    1. Changing the IP Address causes the controller to restart in order to implement the changes.
  14. The Menu also provides the option to reset the Administrator Password of the Storage Array

Affected Products

PowerVault MD3000, PowerVault MD3000i, PowerVault MD3200, PowerVault MD3200i, PowerVault MD3220, PowerVault MD3220i, PowerVault MD3260, PowerVault MD3260i, PowerVault MD3400, PowerVault MD3420, PowerVault MD3460, PowerVault MD3600F , PowerVault MD3600i, PowerVault MD3620F, PowerVault MD3620i, PowerVault MD3660f, PowerVault MD3660i, PowerVault MD3800f, PowerVault MD3800i, PowerVault MD3820f, PowerVault MD3820i, PowerVault MD3860f, PowerVault MD3860i ...
Article Properties
Article Number: 000143466
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 05 Sept 2025
Version:  5
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