Dell PowerEdge 2850 Install

[Stringent]

Got a Dell PowerEdge 2850 server with a Perc 4e/Di Raid card. Got a copy of Win2K3 SBS Std to install. Get through the setup using default Windows Drivers for the RAID card, setup completes, reboots, the startup screen comes on then the server reboots. Gets caught in the loop.

So I download the Dell drivers to floppy. Stick in a USB floppy drive. Load Windows setup from CD hit F6 to install 3rd party SCSI drivers. It detects the floppy, use Windows 2003 driver. Setup continues. Gets to the copying files part it asks to place the drivers into floppy a: for the SCSI. Well its in there, the disk I used and it won't detect or go forth from this point.

Any ideas?! Theres no floppy header on the mainboard so I can't attach one.

HeLp!

[Stringent]

OOHHHH FOR F$£" SAKE!!!!

I tried this umpteen times with little tricks here and there. Then I thought blow it and tried another USB Floppy drive (different make and model) and it worked and went straight through!

But WHY did it detect it in the first place?! Very VERY weird and annoying. I went round punching filing cabinets. Still I can rest in piece knowing its installed and works. Now comes to configuration part. What fun.

[nichomach]

Well, at least you'll have a solid piece of kit at the end of it. I've got a 2850 and a couple of the 2650s in service and me like very much. Yes, the USB floppy thing is ****ing annoying, you can never tell which'll work as bootable devices, and it doesn't seem to be the same from one machine to the next. Oddly, I've found that the modular floppies that you get as options with the Latitude D-series machines seem to work pretty well; I don't know if you have any of those.

[Stringent]

We have 1 in use, no idea where the modular floppy drive is though!

Yeah it IS a nice piece of kit, it just about fits in the rack! Managed to convince them that they need dual 3ghz, RAID 5 and 2GB RAM

[Moby-Dick]

Why didn't you use the Dell Server assistant CD to kick the install off ?

[Stringent]

It doesn't support Windows SBS 2003, only Win2K3 Server Std with SP1 and a few *nix distros. I did try it but it insisted on Win2K3 Server CD being used not the SBS.

[Moby-Dick]

ah I remeber that - it works on a 2800 or 2600 , but not the rack mount versions. ( out of the box. )

I'm sure Jiff had a way round this though - I'll see if I can get him to post some words of wisdom.

[Stringent]

Thanks would be handy to know for next time, if there is a next time. Managed to get the OS on eventually though. OK the extra hours = extra money, but I don't like it when its something stupid like an intollerant USB floppy disk drive. Grr. When can I retire?

[Neo_VR]

I had similar problems with win2k server on a 2800... in the end i ended up installing manually without the installation CD as it was crashing windows.


hopefully these HP blades that are arriving next week will be better

[ahat]

Our 2850 at work just had a bad drive go down, time to break out those restore tapes. I'm glad otherwise its been fun. I'm going to setup DNS on it, hopefully it will be painless.

[nichomach]

Ouch...and people still ask "but what's the point of RAID anyway?". Have fun.

[Stringent]

I've got this configured with RAID 5. So should provide some speed and redundancy.

[nichomach]

Yep. I generally spec a RAID1 array for the OS and apps and RAID5 for data. Saves a shedload of hassle, and keeps the machine running until a new drive gets installed - having a spare on standby is nice if you can do it.