A PowerEdge server tells you a lot before you even log in to iDRAC. Depending on the model and options, the front has an LCD panel (on the optional bezel), a row of status LEDs on the left control panel, a combined system health and system ID indicator, and sometimes a Quick Sync 2 indicator. This guide explains what Dell documents for each, using the R740 (14G), R750 (15G) and R760 (16G) Installation and Service Manuals, the iDRAC9 User's Guide and Dell's Error and Event Messages (EEMI) reference. Other models are similar, but always check your own model's Installation and Service Manual.
Before you start
- Note the server model and Service Tag; indicator layouts differ by model.
- Have iDRAC access ready. Front-panel lights tell you that something is wrong; the iDRAC logs tell you exactly what.
- For blade servers, Dell notes that only the System ID LED is on the server; the LCD is on the chassis.
The LCD panel
On the R740, R750 and R760 the LCD panel is available only on the optional front bezel, which is hot-pluggable. Without that bezel you rely on the LEDs described further down. What the manuals document:
- White backlight: normal operation.
- Amber backlight: there is an issue. The LCD shows an error code followed by descriptive text. If the server is connected to power and an error is detected, the LCD turns amber whether the system is on or off.
- Standby: with the system off and no errors, the LCD goes to standby after five minutes of inactivity. Press any button to wake it.
- Backlight off: LCD messaging may have been turned off from the iDRAC utility, the LCD panel or other tools.
- Not responding: remove the bezel and reinstall it; if that does not help, contact support.
The panel has three buttons: Left and Right move the cursor one step, Select chooses the highlighted item. While a message scrolls, hold Right to scroll faster and release to stop; scrolling resumes after 45 seconds of inactivity.
Step 1 — Use the LCD menus
Press any of the three buttons to see the Home screen; press Select on the Home screen to enter the main menu. To get back home from another menu, press and hold a navigation button until the up arrow appears, move to the Home icon and select it. The R760 manual documents these menus (you must confirm each choice):
| Menu | Option | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | iDRAC | Choose DHCP or Static IP; for static, set IP, Subnet and Gateway; Setup DNS |
| Setup | Set error | SEL shows LCD errors in the same format as the IPMI description in the SEL, so you can match them to log entries. Simple shows a shorter, friendlier description |
| Setup | Set home | Choose what the Home screen shows |
| View | iDRAC IP, MAC, Name, Number, Power, Temperature | Shows iDRAC addresses, MAC addresses, host/model name, Service Tag or Asset Tag, power draw and temperature |
The Setup > iDRAC option is a quick way to set the iDRAC address on site. For full network setup, see iDRAC9 first-time setup.
Step 2 — Look up an LCD message
The manuals send you to Dell's iDRAC Error and Event Messages Reference Guide for these messages. In that guide, each message ID that can appear on the LCD lists its LCD Message text next to the full message and the recommended action. Some verified examples:
| LCD text | Message ID | Severity |
|---|---|---|
| Fault detected on drive <number> in disk drive bay <bay>. Check drive. | PDR1001 | Critical |
| Lost PSU redundancy. Check PSU cables | RDU0012 | Critical |
| Fan <number> RPM is outside of range. Check fan. | FAN0001 | Critical |
| Multi-bit memory error on <location>. Reseat memory | MEM0001 | Critical |
| Inlet temperature is greater than upper warning threshold. Check environment. | TMP0120 | Warning |
| No memory is detected. Inspect memory devices | PST0128 | Critical |
Note that the LCD text can be shorter than the logged message. For MEM0001, for example, the full EEMI action is to replace the DIMM immediately. Always read the matching entry in the iDRAC Lifecycle Log (see reading the SEL and Lifecycle Log) before acting. Setting Set error to SEL makes matching easier.
Step 3 — Read the left control panel LEDs
The status LED indicators turn solid amber when an error occurs in their area. The R760 manual lists:
- Drive: a drive error. Check the SEL, run diagnostics, and if the drives are in a RAID array, check the RAID configuration utility. See replace a failed PERC disk.
- Temperature: a thermal error such as ambient temperature out of range or a fan failure. Check fans, covers and shrouds, room temperature and airflow (fan and thermal alerts).
- Electrical: for example voltage out of range or a failed PSU or voltage regulator. Check the SEL and the PSU LED (PSU redundancy lost).
- Memory: a memory error. The SEL gives the DIMM location (memory errors).
- PCIe: a PCIe card error. Restart, update the card's drivers, reinstall the card.
Step 4 — Read the system health and ID indicator
| Indicator | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Solid blue | Powered on, healthy, system ID mode not active |
| Blinking blue | System ID mode is active (press the button to return to health mode) |
| Solid amber | System is in fail-safe mode |
| Blinking amber | System is experiencing a fault; check the System Event Log for the specific error |
You can see the same status remotely in iDRAC9 at System > Overview > Front Panel, which also shows a live feed of what the LCD is displaying. On rack and tower servers you can use Hide Error and UnHide Error there; they are greyed out when the system is healthy. RACADM users can check the ID LED with racadm getled.
Quick Sync 2 and iDRAC Direct lights
If the optional Quick Sync 2 module is fitted, its indicator is off by default; solid white means ready; rapid white blinking means data transfer; slow white blinking means a firmware update; five fast white blinks then off means the feature is disabled in iDRAC; solid amber means fail-safe mode; blinking amber means the Quick Sync 2 hardware is not responding properly. The iDRAC Direct LED is solid green for two seconds when a laptop connects, blinks green when it is recognised, and goes off when unplugged.
Step 5 — Set what the LCD shows
In iDRAC9, go to Configuration > System Settings > Hardware Settings > Front Panel configuration. Under LCD Settings, choose a Set Home Message (Service Tag by default, or Asset Tag, iDRAC MAC/IPv4/IPv6, System Power, Ambient Temperature, System Model, Host Name, User Defined or None) and optionally enable the virtual console indication. The iDRAC Settings utility has the same controls under Front Panel Security, including front panel access and error display. A Service Tag or host name on the home screen makes it much easier to find the right server in a busy rack.
Checklist
- Model's Installation and Service Manual checked for its exact indicator layout.
- LCD colour noted: white normal, amber error; error text written down or photographed.
- LCD text matched to a message ID in the EEMI guide and in the iDRAC Lifecycle Log.
- Status LED area (drive, temperature, electrical, memory, PCIe) noted.
- Health indicator state checked locally or under System > Overview > Front Panel.
- LCD home message set to Service Tag or host name for easy identification.
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