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PowerEdge R720 and R720xd Technical Guide Built to run complex workloads using highly scalable memory, I/O capacity and flexible network options.
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Dell, the DELL logo, PowerEdge, EqualLogic, PowerVault, OpenManage, KACE, and ReadyRails are trademarks of Dell, Inc. Intel and Xeon are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Server, SQL Server, BitLocker, ActiveX, Internet Explorer, and Hyper-V are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
Cable management arm..............................45 10 Operating systems and virtualization ........................... 46 Supported operating systems ............................46 Supported virtualization ..............................47 11 Dell OpenManage systems management ........................48 Systems management solutions ........................... 48 OpenManage systems management ........................... 49 Dell server management operations ..........................53 Appendix A.
1 System overview Introduction The Dell™ PowerEdge™ R720 and R720xd are Dell’s latest two-socket, 2U rack servers that are designed to run complex workloads using highly scalable memory, I/O capacity, and flexible ® ® network options. Both systems feature the Intel...
OpenManage simplifies the lifecycle of deploying, updating, monitoring, and maintaining Dell PowerEdge servers. Key technologies Key technologies featured on the PowerEdge R720 and R720xd systems are detailed in Table 1. Table 1. Key technologies Key technologies Detailed descriptions...
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® VMware vSphere ESXi™. Dell has tested and validated an integrated data center solution that enables you to Fresh Air cooling operate at higher temperatures or even chiller-less. See the Power, thermal, and acoustics section for details. PowerEdge R720 and R720xd Technical Guide...
2 System features Compared to the previous generation of Dell PowerEdge servers, the R720 and R720xd have more drive bay options, more PCIe slots, a larger memory footprint, flexible I/O, Express Flash PCIe solid-state drives, and advanced system management. The R720 also supports optional dual internal RAID controllers and up to four optional internal GPUs.
GB means 1 billion bytes and TB means 1 trillion bytes; actual capacity varies with preloaded material and operating environment and will be less. Specifications Table 3 lists the technical specifications for the PowerEdge R720 and R720xd systems. For the latest information on supported features, visit Dell.com/PowerEdge. Table 3.
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OpenManage Integrations and Connections: OpenManage Server Administrator [OMSA] ® OpenManage Integration Suite for Microsoft System Center Agent) OpenManage Integration for VMware vCenter ® ® ® ® Connections for HP Operations Manager, IBM Tivoli Netcool and CA PowerEdge R720 and R720xd Technical Guide...
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For more information on the specific versions and additions, visit Dell.com/OSsupport. GB means 1 billion bytes and TB means 1 trillion bytes; actual capacity varies with preloaded material and operating environment and will be less. PowerEdge R720 and R720xd Technical Guide...
3 Chassis views and features The Dell PowerEdge R720 and R720xd implement a new chassis design which supports an increased number of DIMMs, PCIe slots, and hard drives, relative to their predecessor servers. The following sections provide external and internal views of the systems and describe the chassis features.
The R720 back panel includes features such as redundant hot-plug power supply units (PSUs), 4 Ethernet connectors, PCI expansion slots, and many other features that are described in the rest of this guide. Figure 5. R720 back view PowerEdge R720 and R720xd Technical Guide...
The R720 and R720xd support up to 24 DIMMs, 2 processors, hot-plug redundant fans, and many other components and features that are described in this guide. Figure 7. R720 internal chassis view PowerEdge R720 and R720xd Technical Guide...
Figure 8. R720xd internal chassis view Dell PowerEdge R720 and R720xd Owner’s Manual For additional system views, see the Dell.com/Support/Manuals. Chassis features Table 4 lists the chassis features for the R720 and R720xd systems. For additional information on Dell PowerEdge R720 and R720xd Owner’s Manual these features, see the Dell.com/Support/Manuals.
The R720 system control panel is located on the front of the chassis to provide user access to buttons, display, and I/O interfaces. For more information on the R720 LCD control panel, see the Dell PowerEdge R720 and R720xd Owner's Manual on Dell.com/Support/Manuals.
Quick Resource Locator (QRL)—a model-specific Quick Response (QR) code that is located on the server (shown in Figure 11). Just use your smartphone to access the Dell QRL application to learn more about the server. Figure 11. QRL code inside chassis This QRL code allows you to: ...
Contact Dell directly (by link) to get in touch with technical support and sales teams and provide feedback to Dell These codes provide an easy way to retrieve the critical support information you need when you need it, making you more efficient and effective in managing your hardware.
4 Processors Dell PowerEdge R720 and R720xd servers feature the exceptional performance, value and power efficiency of the Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 v2 product family. With up to 12 cores and 30MB cache, E5-2600 v2 processors have the capacity to deliver performance gains of up to 40% over previous-generation E5-2600 processors.
The R720 and R720xd support up to two processors with up to eight cores per processor. Table 6 lists the Intel Xeon E5-2600 v2 processors supported by the PowerEdge R720 and R720xd. For the latest information on supported processors, visit Dell.com/PowerEdge.
Maximum of two double-wide GPUs (since they take up two slots) Maximum of four single-wide GPUs All GPUs must be same type and model GPUs require a redundant 1100W power supply and GPU enablement kit PowerEdge R720 and R720xd Technical Guide...
Some operating systems have not been validated to support GPUs. See Table 24 and Table 25 for more information on operating system support of GPUs. Chipset The PowerEdge R720 and R720xd servers use the Intel C602 chipset. For more information, visit Intel.com. PowerEdge R720 and R720xd Technical Guide...
5 Memory More memory options are available than ever before with the Dell PowerEdge R720 and R720xd— greater capacities, higher frequencies, and more flexibility. The R720 and R720xd support up to 768GB of memory (24 DIMMs) and speeds up to 1866MT/s, providing high performance in a variety of applications.
R720xd Owner’s Manual on Dell.com/Support/Manuals. Memory speed The R720 and R720xd support memory speeds of up to 1866MT/s, depending on DIMM types installed and configuration. The loading within a channel significantly affects memory speed. PowerEdge R720 and R720xd Technical Guide...
This feature provides the ability to identify a specific failing DIMM channel pair, Failed DIMM isolation thereby enabling the user to replace only the failed DIMM pair. PowerEdge R720 and R720xd Technical Guide...
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This feature helps to optimize power/performance and can also be used to throttling prevent DIMMs from overheating. Dell PowerEdge R720 and For information on memory mirroring and sparing configurations, see the R720xd Owner’s Manual on Dell.com/Support/Manuals. Memory RAID is not supported. PowerEdge R720 and R720xd Technical Guide...
6 Storage The Dell PowerEdge R720 and R720xd provide storage expandability that allows you to adapt to your workload and operational demands. With comprehensive storage options, the R720 and R720xd offer various drive types, internal and external storage controllers, and different chassis and backplanes for varied numbers of drives.
PCIe slot space by moving drives from the back to the front of the system and allows a common management process for all drives. The PowerEdge R720 has an option to support up to four hot-plug Express Flash PCIe SSDs in the 2.5-inch chassis. The R720xd does not support Express Flash drives.
PowerVault IDM data-protection appliances) products Storage controllers Dell provides highly capable RAID options for you to ensure that your data remains safe. Dell’s RAID controller options offer impressive performance improvements, including the following features: FastPath™ I/O: This feature can help accelerate performance when operating on SSDs.
Windows only SATA eight virtual disks For more information about the latest PERC offerings, see Dell.com/PERC. CacheCade CacheCade is a technology that provides automated storage tiering on SSDs with the PERC H810 and H710P. It works by detecting the most-often accessed data and copying it over time to the CacheCade SSD(s) where that cached data is accessed directly, instead of accessing the hard disk drives.
The R720xd does not support an internal optical drive. Tape drives The R720 supports the Dell PowerVault RD1000 internal backup device on the 2.5-inch chassis only. Internal tape drives are not supported on the R720, and the R720xd does not support any internal backup device.
LOM integration with the system, including BIOS integration and shared port for manageability while providing the flexibility of a modular card. The PowerEdge R720 and R720xd support one custom network daughter card (NDC), as part of Select Network Adapters family, to house the complete LOM subsystem. There are two form factors of Select Network Adapters —...
With R720 and R720xd, the job of deploying, updating, monitoring, and maintaining the Select Network Adapters is fast and easy. System management integration features include the following: Pre-boot: Use the Dell Lifecycle Controller graphical user interface (GUI) to set configuration such as bandwidth allocation or firmware revision level ...
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Fusion-io PCIe SSD v2 Micron P420m (1.4TB and 700GB) PCIe bridge adapter for front-accessible, hot-plug PCIe bridge Express Flash PCIe SSDs For the latest information on supported PCIe expansion cards for the R720 and R720xd, visit Dell.com/PowerEdge. PowerEdge R720 and R720xd Technical Guide...
Table 19 lists the tools and technologies Dell offers to help you achieve your data center goals by lowering power consumption and increasing energy efficiency.
Thermal control of fan speed optimizes the thermal settings for your environment to reduce fan consumption and lower system power consumption. Idle power enables Dell servers to run as efficiently when idle as when at full workload. With the thermal design and reliability of Dell products, certain configurations have the capability to operate at excursion-based temperatures beyond the industry standard of 35°C (95°F) up to 45°C (113°F)
Figure 13 shows a 750W power supply unit extended from an R720 system. Figure 13. 750W power supply unit The PowerEdge R720 and R720xd support up to two AC or DC power supplies with 1 + 1 redundancy, auto sensing, and auto-switching capability. For additional power supply specifications, see Table 32.
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One of the sound quality metrics in the Dell specification is prominence ratio of a tone, which is listed in Table 21 and Table 22.
Idle: Reference ISO 7779 (2010) definition 3.1.7; system is running in its OS but no other specific activity. Stressed processor: An operating mode per ISO 7779 (2010) definition 3.1.6. The software SPECPower at 50% loading is activated to stress the processors. For more information on Dell’s acoustical design, see the Dell Enterprise Acoustics white paper.
9 Rack rails and cable management The rack rail systems for the Dell PowerEdge R720 and R720xd provide tool-less support for 4-post racks with square or unthreaded round mounting holes, including all generations of Dell racks. Compared to the predecessor R710 sliding rails that required the use of adapter brackets, the sliding rails for the R720 and R720xd now offer native support for threaded-hole racks with the new ReadyRails II mounting interface.
ReadyRails Static For detailed information about rail dimensions, see the Rack rail specifications section in Appendix A. For more information on installing the T620 in a rack, Rack Installation Instructions see the on Dell.com/Support/Manuals. PowerEdge R720 and R720xd Technical Guide...
Ability to mount the CMA and tray without the use of tools, due to snap-in designs Rack Installation For more information on installing the R720 and R720xd in a rack, see the Instructions on Dell.com/Support/Manuals. PowerEdge R720 and R720xd Technical Guide...
10 Operating systems and virtualization The Dell PowerEdge R720 and R720xd support a wide range of industry-standard operating systems and virtualization software. Supported operating systems Table 24 lists the primary operating systems supported on the R720 and R720xd. For the latest information on supported operating systems, see Dell.com/OSsupport.
U1 ESXi (one version) vSphere v5.5 ESXi (one version) Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization 3.1 Citrix XenServer v6.1 FI = factory install; DIB = drop in box No OpenManage support; drop-in-box license registration card only PowerEdge R720 and R720xd Technical Guide...
Systems management solutions Dell systems management solutions include a wide variety of tools, products, and services that enable you to leverage an existing systems management framework. As shown in Figure 16, Dell systems management solutions are centered around OpenManage server management, featuring iDRAC7 with Lifecycle Controller.
Dell PowerEdge servers. iDRAC7 with Lifecycle Controller The Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller 7 (iDRAC7) with Lifecycle Controller is the heart of the second generation of Dell PowerEdge server embedded management functionality. In addition to enabling agent-free management, iDRAC7 with Lifecycle Controller provides remote access to the system—whether or not there is a functioning operating system running on the server.
Enterprise is available for the PowerEdge R720 and R720xd, and Dell also offers an option of iDRAC7 Express. A detailed feature comparison for iDRAC7 Enterprise and iDRAC7 Express is shown in Table 28.
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Because Dell PowerEdge servers have embedded server lifecycle management, in many cases, there is no need to install an OpenManage systems management software agent into the operating system of a Dell PowerEdge server. This greatly simplifies and streamlines the management footprint. PowerEdge R720 and R720xd Technical Guide...
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Dell Update Packages—The Dell Update Packages (DUP) is a self-contained executable in a standard package format that updates a software element on a Dell server such as the BIOS, a driver, firmware and other software updates. ...
BMC Software—Dell and BMC Software work together to simplify IT by ensuring tight integration between Dell server, storage, and network management functionality and the BMC Software process and data center automation products.
Microsoft System Center Lifecycle Controller Remote Configuration Manager Repository Manager Services Dell Lifecycle Controller Integration (DLCI) for Microsoft Update System Center Configuration SBUU Manager OpenManage Integration for VMware vCenter PowerEdge R720 and R720xd Technical Guide...
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Replace parts: Dell Lifecycle Controller Integration (DLCI) for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager Dell For additional detailed information on Dell’s systems management portfolio, see the OpenManage Systems Management Overview Guide on Dell.com/Support/Manuals. PowerEdge R720 and R720xd Technical Guide...
Appendix A. Additional specifications Chassis dimensions Figure 18 details the dimensions of the Dell PowerEdge R720 and R720xd chassis. Figure 18. Chassis dimensions (with bezel) (without bezel) 482.4mm 444.0mm 87.3mm 32.0mm 18.0mm 684.0mm 723.0mm Chassis weight Table 30 lists the weight of the R720 and R720xd chassis at maximum configuration as well as empty of any hardware.
Peripheral cards not qualified by Dell Peripheral cards greater than 25W For the PowerEdge R720, a maximum 130W processor is supported in either the 8-drive bay or 16-drive bay chassis. The following additional restrictions apply to PowerEdge R720xd: Maximum 95W processor is supported on 3.5-inch hard drive chassis...
Under typical line conditions and over the entire system ambient operating range, the inrush current may reach 55A per power supply for 10ms or less. Video specifications The Dell PowerEdge R720 and R720xd iDRAC7 incorporates an integrated video subsystem. The ® graphics controller is the 2D Matrox G200.
CMA brackets removed (if applicable) as measured from the front mounting flanges of the rack. USB peripherals USB peripherals are supported through the front, back, and internal USB ports. They are USB 2.0 compliant. PowerEdge R720 and R720xd Technical Guide...
Serial ATA Rev. 2.6; SATA II, SATA 1.0a Extensions, Rev. 1.2 SMBIOS dmtf.org/standards/smbios System Management BIOS Reference Specification, v2.7 trustedcomputinggroup.org Trusted Platform Module Specification, v1.2 UEFI uefi.org/specs Unified Extensible Firmware Interface Specification, v2.1 usb.org/developers/docs Universal Serial Bus Specification, PowerEdge R720 and R720xd Technical Guide...
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Standard URL for information and specifications Rev. 2.0 Windows Logo microsoft.com/whdc/winlogo/hwrequirements.mspx Windows Logo Program System and Device Requirements, v3.10 PowerEdge R720 and R720xd Technical Guide...
Appendix C. Additional resources Table 35 provides a list of documents and websites that provide for more information on the Dell PowerEdge R720 and R720xd. Table 35. Additional resources Resource Description of contents Location PowerEdge R720 This manual, available in PDF format, provides the Dell.com/Support/Manuals...
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Provides help selecting a UPS model. DellUPS.com power supply Dell Enterprise White paper that explores the mechanisms of, people’s www.dell.com/downloads/g Acoustics reaction to, language of, and Dell’s work to control noise lobal/products/pedge/en/ac from Enterprise products. oustical-education-dell- enterprise-white-paper.pdf Volatility Contact your Dell Sales Representative.
(Slot 3) (Slot 4) Internal PERC GPGPU System Power BP Power BP Signal Power Connectors Conns. 4X Conns. 4X Conn. Power Power Supply 1 Supply 2 (495W /750W/ (495W /750W/ 1100W ) 1100W ) PowerEdge R720 and R720xd Technical Guide...