PowerEdge: C6520 E810 Link Loss After Firmware Updates

Summary: During the simultaneous update of the BIOS and Broadcom network firmware, using the Intel E810 for iDRAC communication, the link is dropped and does not recover.

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Symptoms

During the simultaneous update of the BIOS and Broadcom embedded network firmware, using the E810 for iDRAC communication, the connection to the iDRAC is dropped. It does not recover until a virtual or physical reseat is performed.

Example of iDRAC Link State in SupportAssist Collection:

SupportAssist Collection iDRAC Network Configuration

Example of iDRAC Link Loss in Lifecycle Log:

2024-04-04 19:22:55 6532 IPA0100 The iDRAC IP Address changed from 0.0.0.0 to X.X.X.X
2024-04-04 19:22:10 6530 DIS002 Auto Discovery feature disabled
2024-04-04 19:22:10 6529 RAC0182 The iDRAC firmware was rebooted with the following reason: ac
2024-04-04 19:16:04 6528 SYS1001 System is turning off
2024-04-04 19:16:04 6527 SYS1003 System CPU Resetting
2024-04-04 19:16:04 6526 SYS1005 The server power action is initiated because the host device initiated a power-down operation
2024-04-04 18:14:26 6521 JCP037 The (installation or configuration) job JID_122719380242 is successfully completed
2024-04-04 18:14:26 6520 JCP037 The (installation or configuration) job JID_122719218038 is successfully completed
2024-04-04 18:14:05 6519 PR36 Version change detected for BIOS firmware. Previous version:1.9.2, Current version:1.11.1
2024-04-04 18:14:03 6518 PR36 Version change detected for Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet Adapter - B8:CB:29:BC:D9:19 firmware. Previous version:22.00.6, Current version:22.20.11
2024-04-04 18:11:41 6513 SYS1003 System CPU Resetting
2024-04-04 18:11:37 6512 IPA0100 The iDRAC IP Address changed from X.X.X.X to 0.0.0.0
 

Cause

Upon server reboot, the E810 link is brought down by clearing EMP_LINK_ON through the Reset or Disabled Channel. Therefore, the network interface controller (NIC) itself goes down during the reboot as per the update and does not recover.

Resolution

This issue is fixed in the Intel E810 Q3 2024 firmware update.

The resolution is to change the firmware to enable EMP_LINK_ALWAYS_ON. This keeps the link up and online mitigating the loss of the card on reboots during updates.

There are several workarounds available.

  1. Reseat the node in the chassis to recover.
  2. Connect to the iDRAC though iDRAC Direct Port and perform a Virtual AC Cycle.
  3. Set Embedded NIC 1 to Disabled in BIOS to stop updates.
  4. Enable a Failover Network for the iDRAC.


 

Affected Products

Intel PRO Family of Adapters, PowerEdge C6520

Products

Dell EMC XC Core XC6520
Article Properties
Article Number: 000226568
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 05 May 2025
Version:  2
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