Archive Data Server

The archive data server is build upon an relic Dell R710 rack server, which was bought around 2010 and haven't been using for long time. It was a format ANASEN DAQ computer. The server has 8 TB of storage.

Users home directories and data and code of finished experiments will be stored in the server.

The directories are

directory	purpose
/archiveData	for archive data
/backupHome	for backing up Home directory

Solution on installing UEFI-boot OS

This is a very old machines that boosting from BIOS that read only the 1st 512kB for the master boot record and the 2nd 512kB for the boottrap.img. It provides UEFI boot manual (so that Ubuntu 20 USB boot drive can run), but, most probably, the RAID controller dose not support the UEFI, so when boosting the RAID array from UEFI, it switches back to BIOS mode. That's why an installed Ubuntu 20.04 cannot boot and return the grub command line. In fact, in the grub command line, it only see 2 partitions, the (proc) and (hd0), which are both 512kB. This indicates that it is using BIOS mode to see the first 2 512kB for boot loader.

I first install Ubuntu 12.04. Able to boot, then update to Ubuntu 14.04. It works well. But after update to 16.04, boot error.

In fact, we can install Lubuntu (or Ubuntu) 22.04 as legacy BIOS. We have to boot the startup drive in BIOS, then the Lubuntu will be installed as BIOS using master boot record. Ubuntu startup disk creator cannot do that. We use Rufus in Windows, setting the boot disk to be MBR (master boot record) and boot from BIOS. tried, failed.

The problem is the grub cannot read partition larger than 100 GB. In order to cope with that, we need to set the partition manually

• 1 MB for BIOS_boot for master boot record, unformatted
• 10 GB for /boot , et4
• 8 GB swap
• 500 MB for EFI System, FAT
• Rest /

Then Ubuntu 22.04 is able to installed and boot

Network

IP : 128.186.111.52

Alias : newton.physics.fsu.edu

Spec.

Dell R710 rack server (11th gen, around 2010) The Hardware Manual is Here

CPU : Intel Xeon E5606 Quad-core @ 2.13 GHz x 2 = total 8 cores

RAM : 2 x 4 GB DDR3 RDIMM at 1067 MHz.

RAID controller : PERC 6/i, PCIe 1.0 x 8, Data Transfer rate 3 Gb/s (SAS SFF-8484 32Pin), max disk size = 2 TB

storage: 4 x 2 TB RAID 5 = 6 TB

OS : Ubuntu 22.04

solution to increase the supported disk size

1. a firmware upgrade to 4 TB (rumor? which firmware version at the present?)

   https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/drivers/driversdetails?driverid=f96nr&oscode=naa&productcode=poweredge-r710

2. replace the PERC 6/i RAID controller with H700, which supports 6 TB. Cable also needs to change

   see this post https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/2pjuy3/perc_6i_controller_with_6tb_drives/

Update BIOS

1. prepare an empty USB stick
2. have a windows PC
3. download the RUFUS
4. download the latest BIOS 6.6.0 https://dl.dell.com/FOLDER05012843M/1/R710-060600C.exe
5. use the window PC, run RUFUS
   1. select FreeDOS
   2. Check the 2nd, 3rd and 4th check boxes
   3. make the bootable disk
6. in Dell R710, F11 to boot manual (if UEFI, switch to BIOS)
7. Select "Hard Drive C:"
   1. Select USB
8. then it will go to DOS
9. run the R710-060600C.exe
10. follow the instruction