local_proxmox/docs/walkthrough-phases-1-3.md

Phases 1–3: Firmware, iDRAC, and BIOS

Dell R730xd — Button-by-button walkthrough

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Before You Touch Anything — Read This First

What is iDRAC and do I need to pay for it?

iDRAC stands for Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller. Ignore the name. Here is what it actually is:

There is a second tiny computer built into your server's motherboard. It has its own processor, its own RAM, its own network port, and it runs 24 hours a day as long as the server has power — even when the server is "off". Dell calls this second computer iDRAC.

This server has iDRAC8 Express, which is the version built into the board at no cost. There is a paid upgrade called iDRAC8 Enterprise but you do not need it. Here is exactly what Express gives you and what it does not:

Express includes (everything this guide uses):

• iDRAC web UI — hardware health dashboard, temperatures, fan speeds, event logs
• Power the server on and off remotely from the web UI
• IPMI over LAN — lets ipmitool send fan control commands from Proxmox
• racadm — command-line control used by the stagger spin-up script
• SSH directly into iDRAC for management

Express does NOT include:

• Virtual Console — you cannot see the server's screen in a browser window. A physical monitor and keyboard are required for all setup steps until Proxmox is installed and SSH is working. After that you will never need the monitor again.
• Virtual Media — you cannot mount an ISO file over the network. A physical USB drive is required for the Proxmox installer.

Nothing in this guide requires Enterprise. The fan control script and stagger spin-up both use IPMI over LAN and racadm, which are both available on Express.

Do you need to pay for anything? No. iDRAC Express is already there and covers everything we need. The only other "subscription" people sometimes ask about is the Proxmox subscription (about €100/year for enterprise update servers and commercial support). You do not need that either — we configure the free community repositories in Phase 6. The two are completely unrelated.

Summary: pay nothing, skip nothing. Keep a monitor plugged in through Phase 6.

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What you need on the table before starting

• The server plugged into power and a network switch/router
• A separate network cable for the iDRAC port (the small RJ45 on the back labeled "iDRAC" — it is separate from the four main NIC ports)
• A monitor and USB keyboard plugged into the server — required through Phase 5 (the Proxmox installer). iDRAC Express does not include a remote KVM, so you cannot see the server's screen from another computer. After Proxmox is installed and SSH is working (end of Phase 6) the monitor can be unplugged permanently.
• A USB drive (8 GB or larger) — needed later for the Proxmox installer
• Another computer or phone to read this guide

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Phase 1 — Firmware Updates

Why first? Old firmware has bugs. BIOS from 2016 may not correctly expose the VT-d settings that GPU passthrough requires. The H730 firmware has had fixes for JBOD/non-RAID mode. Updating now prevents chasing ghosts later.

Time required: 30–90 minutes. The server will reboot several times on its own.

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Step 1.1 — Power on and watch the screen

Press the power button on the front of the server.

The screen will show a Dell splash screen with the PowerEdge logo. At the bottom of the screen you will see a line of options, something like:

F2 = System Setup    F10 = Lifecycle Controller    F11 = Boot Manager    F12 = PXE Boot

These options are only available for about 5–8 seconds before the server continues booting. If you miss the window the server will try to boot an OS (and fail if nothing is installed yet). Just power it off and back on and try again.

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Step 1.2 — Enter Lifecycle Controller

Press F10 when you see the splash screen.

The screen will go blank for 10–30 seconds, then show the Lifecycle Controller loading screen. This is a mini operating system built into the server's firmware. It has nothing to do with your server's main OS. Wait for it to finish loading — it can take up to 90 seconds the first time.

When it finishes you will see the Lifecycle Controller Home screen with a menu on the left side:

Home
Firmware Update
OS Deployment
RAID Configuration
Hardware Configuration
Settings

If it asks you to complete initial setup (language, network), do that first — use Tab and arrow keys to navigate, Enter to confirm.

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Step 1.3 — Go to Firmware Update

Click or arrow-key to Firmware Update on the left menu, then press Enter.

You will see:

Launch Firmware Update

Press Enter on that.

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Step 1.4 — Choose your update method

You will be asked how you want to get the firmware. You have two options:

Option A — Server has internet access (easiest)

If your network cable is plugged in and the server can reach the internet:

1. Select HTTPS (it will say something like "downloads.dell.com")
2. Press Next
3. Lifecycle Controller will connect to Dell's servers and automatically scan your server to find what firmware versions are installed vs. what is available
4. This takes 2–5 minutes — the screen will show a progress bar
5. Skip to Step 1.5

Option B — No internet on the server

You need to download the firmware files on another computer first.

1. On your other computer, open a browser and go to: https://www.dell.com/support/home

2. You need your server's Service Tag — it is a 7-character code. Find it:

   • On the front of the server: there is a small pull-out plastic tab (like a credit card slot) on the left side of the front panel. Pull it out — the Service Tag is printed on it.
   • Or: on a sticker on the top of the server chassis.
   • Or: it was displayed briefly during POST on the splash screen.

3. On the Dell support page, click "View products" or type the Service Tag into the search bar at the top. Select your server from the results.

4. Click "Drivers & Downloads"

5. You will see a filter panel. Under "Category", select each of these one at a time and download the latest version:

   • iDRAC — look for "iDRAC8 firmware" — file will end in .exe or .d9
   • BIOS — look for "BIOS" — file ends in .exe
   • RAID — look for "PERC H730" — file ends in .exe

6. Copy all downloaded files onto a FAT32-formatted USB drive

7. Plug the USB drive into the server

8. In Lifecycle Controller: select Local Drive (USB) and press Next

9. Navigate to the USB drive and select the firmware files

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Step 1.5 — Review and apply updates

Lifecycle Controller shows a table of all components with columns like:

Component          Current Version    Available Version    Select
---------          ---------------    -----------------    ------
iDRAC8             2.40.40.40        2.85.85.85           [ ]
BIOS               1.2.10            2.14.0               [ ]
PERC H730 Mini     25.4.0.0018       25.5.9.0001          [ ]

1. Check the box next to every component that shows a newer Available Version (you can usually click "Select All")
2. Click Install and Reboot (or Apply)
3. A warning will say the server will reboot — click Yes

The server will now:

• Apply each firmware update
• Reboot automatically between some updates
• Return to the Lifecycle Controller when finished

Do not power off the server during this process. Just wait. It can take 30–60 minutes if there are many updates. The screen will show progress.

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Step 1.6 — Confirm completion

When all updates are done, Lifecycle Controller returns to its home screen. You may see a success summary screen first — click OK or Finish.

To verify everything worked:

1. In Lifecycle Controller, go to Firmware Update → Launch Firmware Update again
2. Run the check one more time
3. The Available Version column should now match Current Version for everything you updated (or show no newer version)

Press Exit (or Finish) to leave Lifecycle Controller. The server will reboot normally.

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Phase 2 — iDRAC Setup

You need to do two things with iDRAC:

1. Give it a static IP address so it is always reachable at the same address
2. Enable IPMI over LAN so the fan control script can send commands to it

There are two ways to do this — through the server's BIOS-like setup (F2), or through the iDRAC web UI once you find its current IP. We will use F2 first to set a static IP, then use the web UI for the rest.

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Step 2.1 — Enter System Setup (F2)

Power on (or reboot) the server.

When the Dell splash screen appears, press F2.

The screen will go blank briefly, then show the System Setup Main Menu:

System Setup Main Menu

  System BIOS
  iDRAC Settings
  Device Settings
  Service Tag Settings

Use the arrow keys to highlight iDRAC Settings and press Enter.

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Step 2.2 — Set a static IP for iDRAC

Inside iDRAC Settings you will see another menu:

iDRAC Settings

  Network
  User Configuration
  Smart Card
  Update and Rollback
  ...

Arrow down to Network and press Enter.

The Network screen has several sections. You are looking for the IPv4 Settings section. Use Tab or arrow keys to navigate to these fields:

Field	What to set
Enable NIC	Enabled
NIC Selection	Dedicated (this uses the dedicated iDRAC port on the back)
Enable IPv4	Enabled
Enable DHCP	Disabled ← change this
Static IP Address	e.g. 192.168.1.5 (pick an IP outside your router's DHCP range)
Static Gateway	your router's IP, e.g. 192.168.1.1
Static Subnet Mask	255.255.255.0
DNS Server 1	your router's IP, e.g. 192.168.1.1

What IP to use? Log into your router and find its DHCP range — for example if DHCP hands out 192.168.1.100 to 192.168.1.200, pick something outside that range like 192.168.1.5. Write this IP down — you will use it often.

When done, press Back or navigate to the bottom and click Apply, then OK.

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Step 2.3 — Enable IPMI over LAN

Still inside iDRAC Settings → Network.

Scroll down past the IPv4 section until you see IPMI Settings.

Find:

Enable IPMI over LAN:  [ Disabled ]

Change this to Enabled.

This is the setting that allows ipmitool commands (used by the fan control script) to reach iDRAC over the network.

Click Apply at the bottom, then OK when asked to confirm.

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Step 2.4 — Change the default password

Go back to the iDRAC Settings main menu (press Back).

Arrow down to User Configuration and press Enter.

You will see a list of user slots. User 1 is the built-in root account. Select it (press Enter).

Why change it? The factory default password is calvin. This is printed in Dell's public documentation and is widely known. Any device on your network could log into your iDRAC if you leave it as-is.

Change:

• User Name: leave as root
• Change Password: set to Enabled
• Password: enter a strong password
• Confirm Password: enter it again

Click Apply, then OK.

Press Finish to exit iDRAC Settings and return to the System Setup Main Menu.

Do not reboot yet — you still have BIOS settings to configure in Phase 3.

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Step 2.5 — Verify iDRAC from your browser (do after Phase 3)

After you finish Phase 3 and let the server reboot, test iDRAC from your other computer:

1. Make sure the dedicated iDRAC network port (small RJ45 labeled "iDRAC" on the server's back panel) is plugged into your switch or router
2. Open a browser on your other computer
3. Go to: https://192.168.1.5 (whatever static IP you set in Step 2.2)
4. You will see a certificate warning — this is normal, iDRAC uses a self-signed certificate. Click Advanced → Proceed anyway (wording varies by browser)
5. The iDRAC8 login page appears — a dark Dell-branded page
6. Log in: Username root, Password (the one you set in Step 2.4)

You should see the iDRAC dashboard showing system health, temperatures, and fans. This is your remote window into the server — you can now manage it from your desk.

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Phase 3 — BIOS Settings

These settings enable the CPU features that allow devices (GPUs, USB controllers) to be handed directly to virtual machines. Every setting below is required. Skipping VT-d is the single most common reason GPU passthrough silently fails.

You are still in System Setup from Phase 2 (or press F2 again on reboot).

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Step 3.1 — System BIOS → Processor Settings

From the System Setup Main Menu, arrow to System BIOS and press Enter.

You will see the System BIOS Settings menu:

System BIOS Settings

  System Information
  Memory Settings
  Processor Settings       ← go here
  SATA Settings
  Boot Settings
  Integrated Devices
  Serial Communication
  System Profile Settings
  Power Management
  Security
  Miscellaneous Settings

Arrow to Processor Settings and press Enter.

Find and set these two options:

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Virtualization Technology

This enables the CPU to run virtual machines efficiently. Without it Proxmox still works but performance is worse.

Virtualization Technology:  [ Disabled ]
                            ↓ change to
Virtualization Technology:  [ Enabled  ]

Use the arrow keys or spacebar to toggle the value.

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VT for Direct I/O (also shown as "Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O")

This is the critical one. It enables IOMMU — the hardware feature that lets the CPU safely hand a real PCIe device (like your GPU) directly to a virtual machine. Without this, passthrough is impossible.

VT for Direct I/O:  [ Disabled ]
                    ↓ change to
VT for Direct I/O:  [ Enabled  ]

Click Back to return to System BIOS Settings.

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Step 3.2 — System BIOS → Integrated Devices

From the System BIOS Settings menu, arrow to Integrated Devices and press Enter.

Find:

SR-IOV Global Enable

SR-IOV is a PCIe feature that allows a single physical device to appear as multiple devices. Even though the Quadro P2200 does not use SR-IOV, enabling this globally avoids a class of IOMMU grouping problems.

SR-IOV Global Enable:  [ Disabled ]
                       ↓ change to
SR-IOV Global Enable:  [ Enabled  ]

Click Back.

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Step 3.3 — System BIOS → Boot Settings

From System BIOS Settings, arrow to Boot Settings and press Enter.

You will see:

Boot Settings

  Boot Mode:  [ BIOS ]   ← must change this
  Boot Sequence
  ...

Boot Mode — change from BIOS to UEFI:

Boot Mode:  [ BIOS ]
            ↓ change to
Boot Mode:  [ UEFI ]

Why UEFI? Proxmox uses a tool called proxmox-boot-tool to manage the kernel boot parameters (including the IOMMU settings the GPU passthrough script writes). This tool only works with UEFI boot. If the server is in Legacy/BIOS mode the passthrough script will fail and you will have to reinstall.

A warning may appear saying the boot sequence will be cleared — click Yes or OK. That is fine since we haven't installed anything yet.

Click Back.

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Step 3.4 — System BIOS → Power Management

From System BIOS Settings, arrow to Power Management and press Enter.

Find:

Hard Disk Drive Sequencing — this is the built-in stagger that fires at power-on before the OS loads. It staggers when each drive spins up so they do not all surge at the same time and overload the PSU.

Hard Disk Drive Sequencing:  [ Disabled ]
                              ↓ change to
Hard Disk Drive Sequencing:  [ Enabled  ]

Also check:

C States — these are CPU power-saving sleep states. They can add latency to VM workloads. Optional but worth setting for a server:

C States:  [ Enabled  ]
           ↓ change to
C States:  [ Disabled ]

Click Back.

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Step 3.5 — Apply and exit

From System BIOS Settings, click Finish (at the bottom of the menu, you may need to scroll).

A dialog will appear:

Confirm changes and exit?
[ Yes ]  [ No ]

Click Yes.

The server will reboot.

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Step 3.6 — Confirm the settings took

After the reboot, press F2 again to re-enter System Setup and spot-check:

• Processor Settings: VT and VT for Direct I/O should both show Enabled
• Boot Settings: Boot Mode should show UEFI

If either shows Disabled, set it again and apply. Some BIOS versions have a bug where the first Apply does not persist — applying a second time fixes it.

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Phase 3 complete — what you have now

Setting	Why it matters
VT-x (Virtualization Technology)	Lets the CPU run VMs at near-native speed
VT-d (Direct I/O)	Enables IOMMU — the foundation of all device passthrough
SR-IOV	Prevents IOMMU group problems with PCIe devices
UEFI boot mode	Required for Proxmox's boot management and EFI GPU passthrough
HDD sequencing	Staggers drive spin-up at power-on to protect the PSU

Next: Phase 4 — Configure the H730 RAID controller to mirror the two 2.5" OS drives, then leave the 3.5" drives alone for Proxmox to manage. That walkthrough is in docs/walkthrough-phases-4-6.md (coming next).