iDRAC9 Security Configuration Guide

Securely Erasing Data

Data security is a key consideration throughout the lifecycle of a server, including when the server is repurposed or retired. Many servers are repurposed as they are transitioned from workload to workload, or as they change ownership from one organization to another. All servers are retired when they reach the end of their useful life. When such transitions occur, the best practice for data protection is to remove all data from the server to ensure that sensitive information is not inadvertently shared. Beyond best practices, often government regulations about privacy rights also necessitate complete data elimination when IT resources are transitioned.

System Erase simplifies the process of erasing server storage devices and server nonvolatile stores such as caches and logs. To meet varying Systems Administrator needs for interactive and programmable operations, System Erase can be performed by the following methods: Lifecycle Controller GUI, WS-Man API, and RACADM CLI.

Using one of these three methods, an administrator can selectively reset a PowerEdge server to its original state (factory settings), removing data from internal server non-volatile stores and from storage devices within the server. System Erase can discover server-attached storage including hard disk drives (HDDs), self-encrypting drives (SEDs), Instant Secure Erase (ISE), and nonvolatile memory drives (NVMe’s). Data stored on ISE, SED, and NVMe devices can be made inaccessible using cryptographic erase while devices such as non-ISE SATA HDDs can be erased using data overwrite.

NVMe Sanitize Cryptographic Erase functionality is much faster and more efficient way than other methodologies. This feature destroys the key and creates a new media encryption key. Data blocks are overwritten with zeros and rendered irretrievable. Data erases other user sensitive data such as debug logs and Personal Identifying Information (PII).

For information about the System Erase function within the Lifecycle Controller GUI, see the Lifecycle Controller User's Guide available at www.dell.com/idracmanuals.