Dell PowerEdge 6650

Course Review

Objective 1- Accurately identify the features of the PowerEdge 6650, including basic system technology and product benefits

• The PowerEdge 6650 is a rack-optimized, 4U general-purpose server designed to replace the PowerEdge 6450
• Quad 1.6GHz Xeon processors on the ServerWorks GCHE chipset
• 200/400 MHz Front Side Bus (quad-pumped data)
• 512K and 1MB L3 cache options
• Two memory cards in system for support of up to 16GB SDRAM
• 8 PCI/PCI-X expansion slots

Objective 2- Accurately identify, configure and troubleshoot the PowerEdge 6650's factory-installed hardware components and features

• Processor and VRMs
  • The PowerEdge 6650 uses at least one Voltage Regulation Module (two for dual-processor systems). The VRM is plugged into the system board, adjacent to the processor. The VRM may be removed by pressing down and outward on the VRM until it pops free of the socket.
  • The system supports up to four 603-pin ZIF-socket Xeon MP processors. To remove a processor, remove the processor tray from the system. Remove the microprocessor cover, remove the heatsink (and any adjacent heat sink blanks), pull the socket release lever straight up, and lift the microprocessor up and out of the socket.

• Legacy I/O Card
  • The PowerEdge 6650 utilizes a legacy I/O card which contains the system's serial, USB, keyboard and mouse ports, dual embedded BroadCom 10/100/1000BASE-T NIC ports, and one ATI Rage XL video port.
  • One internal SCSI channel is provided by an Adaptec AIC-7892 controller, embedded on the Legacy I/O board. The 7892 SCSI controller resides on the PCI 32-bit/33MHz bus.

• Memory
  • The PowerEdge 6650 system utilizes either PC1600 or DDR200 memory.
  • Memory resides on two separate memory riser cards, which are attached to the system board via a single Slot-2 card edge connector.
  • To remove memory, first lift the memory riser card out of the chassis by grasping its extractor tabs, then press downward and outward on the memory module socket ejectors to remove the DIMMs.

• Video
  • The PowerEdge 6650 system board uses an integrated ATI Rage XL video device.
  • When troubleshooting video problems, verify the monitor is not the cause of the problem, then make sure to check for PC Anywhere or any similar program and remove it, verify the correct driver is installed, and try removing and reinstalling the driver and reapplying the Service Pack. If the problem persists, run Dell Diagnostics on the video adapter.

• Network Interface Cards
  • The Dell PowerEdge 6650 includes two integrated BroadCom 10/100/1000BASE-T network adapters.
  • Both NICs supports:
    • Wake-on-LAN support (WOL)
    • Network traffic load-balancing
    • Failover support
  • The two embedded NIC controllers reside on the same dedicated PCI bus.

• SCSI Drive Backplane
  • The PowerEdge 6650 backplane is differentiated from other PowerEdge backplanes because it consists of a mainboard and a daughter board.
  • There are 2 channels on the backplane, which allows splitting.
  • The backplane supports Ultra-3 SCSI (Fast-80), Ultra160 subset, and U320.

Objective 3- Accurately identify the correct procedures for using and/or updating PowerEdge 6650 firmware and software

• BIOS and System Setup program
  • The PowerEdge 6650 features a one-page system setup, like that of the PowerEdge 4600 and 1550.
  • PXE
    • "PXE boot" allows networked computers that are not loaded with an operating system to be configured and booted remotely.
    • It is recommended that integrated NICs be used for PXE boot, as opposed to add-in NICs.
    • To enable a PXE boot on a Dell PowerEdge 6650, enter the System Setup and change the Network Interface Controller under Integrated Devices to the "On with PXE" setting.
  • Console Redirection
    • Console redirection allows a server to be maintained from a remote location by redirecting keyboard input and text output through the serial port, allowing tasks such as setting up a common BIOS configuration or setting up a RAID configuration to be completed.
    • To implement console redirection, you must have:
      • An available COM port on the client system
      • An available COM port (COM port 1) on the server
      • A null modem cable to connect the server to the client system

• Dell Server Assistant CD support applications
  • Dell OpenManage Server Assistant (DSA) version 7.0.1
  • System Management CD version 3.0.1
  • Array Manager version 3.1.2
  • Dell Diagnostics
  • OpenManage Hard Drive Diagnostics (run through Windows 2000 Server Service Pack 1 or Windows NT Server Service Pack 6. )