Summarises hardware, all repo files and their status, what still needs
to be written (walkthrough-phases-10-12.md and complete-walkthrough.md),
detailed notes on what phases 10-12 should cover, and key facts/gotchas
for whoever picks this up next.
https://claude.ai/code/session_01TxTSnxDjgEVuNztdsWQjMD
Phase 7 — H730 non-RAID conversion:
- perccli download with direct Dell URL and manual fallback
- Script output explained column by column (EID:Slt, State, Size)
- What JBOD vs UGood vs Onln states mean
- Post-reboot verification with lsblk
Phase 8 — Bay mapping:
- build-bay-map.sh output walkthrough
- Physical LED blink procedure (ledctl locate/locate_off per drive)
- Bay numbering convention on R730xd front panel
- How to fill in hardware-layout.md and VM config placeholders
Phase 9 — GPU passthrough:
- Pre-check: dmesg IOMMU confirmation, IOMMU group inspection
- Script output walkthrough step by step
- PCI address capture and immediate VM config update
- Post-reboot verification (must show vfio-pci not nouveau)
- Troubleshooting if wrong driver appears
https://claude.ai/code/session_01TxTSnxDjgEVuNztdsWQjMD
- Clarify iDRAC8 Express vs Enterprise with explicit feature table
- Remove incorrect claims (virtual console, virtual media) that require Enterprise
- Note physical monitor + keyboard required through Phase 5 (no remote KVM on Express)
- Confirm IPMI over LAN and racadm are available on Express (fan control and
stagger spinup scripts both work)
- Update "what you need" list to correctly state monitor is required until Phase 6
https://claude.ai/code/session_01TxTSnxDjgEVuNztdsWQjMD
Phase 4 — H730 RAID configuration:
- Lifecycle Controller navigation to RAID Configuration
- Identifying 2.5" OS drives vs 3.5" data drives by size
- Clearing foreign configurations if drives have prior RAID history
- Full VD creation wizard with every screen described
- Fast Initialize and verification
Phase 5 — Proxmox install:
- ISO download from proxmox.com
- USB creation for Windows (Rufus, DD mode), Mac (Etcher), Linux (dd)
- F11 UEFI boot menu navigation
- Every installer screen with what to type/select
- Certificate warning walkthrough, subscription nag explained
Phase 6 — Post-install:
- SSH connection
- Repo fix (enterprise → no-subscription community)
- apt dist-upgrade
- Tool installation with explanation of what each does
- Repo clone to /opt/local_proxmox
https://claude.ai/code/session_01TxTSnxDjgEVuNztdsWQjMD
Covers:
- What iDRAC is in plain English, and why no subscription is needed
- Phase 1: Firmware updates via Lifecycle Controller (F10), including
how to find the Service Tag and download firmware from Dell's site
if the server has no internet access
- Phase 2: iDRAC static IP, dedicated NIC port, IPMI over LAN enable,
default password change, browser login walkthrough
- Phase 3: Every required BIOS setting with exact menu paths —
VT-x, VT-d, SR-IOV, UEFI boot mode, HDD sequencing, C States
https://claude.ai/code/session_01TxTSnxDjgEVuNztdsWQjMD
12x 3.5" HDDs spinning up simultaneously can spike ~240W, pushing a single
750W PSU close to its limit. Two-layer fix:
- Layer 1: racadm iDRAC BIOS setting (HddSeq) fires at POST before OS loads
- Layer 2: stagger-spinup.service wakes drives one at a time via hdparm on boot
https://claude.ai/code/session_01TxTSnxDjgEVuNztdsWQjMD
- scripts/build-bay-map.sh: maps physical drive bays to /dev/disk/by-id paths
- scripts/gpu-passthrough-setup.sh: configures IOMMU + vfio-pci for two Quadro P2200s
- scripts/fan-control.sh: ipmitool daemon to prevent iDRAC from running fans at
100% due to non-Dell PCIe cards; adjusts speed by inlet temperature
- scripts/fan-control.service: systemd unit for fan-control.sh
https://claude.ai/code/session_01TxTSnxDjgEVuNztdsWQjMD
Initial structure for R730xd passthrough configuration:
- README with VM layout table and setup order
- docs/hardware-layout.md: bay/GPU/USB mapping worksheet
- scripts/perc-nonraid.sh: convert H730 drives to per-disk non-RAID mode
https://claude.ai/code/session_01TxTSnxDjgEVuNztdsWQjMD
Outis