Dell EMC PowerEdge T550

Technical Guide

Part Number: E76S

Regulatory Type: E76S001
November 2022
Rev. A03
Notes, cautions, and warnings

NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your product.

CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid
the problem.

WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death.

© 2021-2022 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. Dell, EMC, and other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries.
Other trademarks may be trademarks of their respective owners.
 Contents

Chapter 1: Product overview......................................................................................................... 5

Introduction...........................................................................................................................................................................5
Product features..................................................................................................................................................................5

Chapter 2: System features.......................................................................................................... 6

Product comparison............................................................................................................................................................6

Chapter 3: Chassis views and features.......................................................................................... 9

Front view of the system.................................................................................................................................................. 9
Rear view of the system.................................................................................................................................................. 18
Inside the system ............................................................................................................................................................. 20
Quick Resource Locator for PowerEdge T550 system........................................................................................... 22

Chapter 4: Processor...................................................................................................................23
Processor features .......................................................................................................................................................... 23
Supported processors................................................................................................................................................ 23

Chapter 5: Memory..................................................................................................................... 25
Supported memory........................................................................................................................................................... 25

Chapter 6: Storage......................................................................................................................26
Drive backplane..................................................................................................................................................................26
PERC Controller.................................................................................................................................................................27
Storage.................................................................................................................................................................................27

Chapter 7: Networking and PCIe................................................................................................. 29

Overview............................................................................................................................................................................. 29
OCP 3.0 support................................................................................................................................................................29
Supported OCP cards................................................................................................................................................ 30
OCP NIC 3.0 vs. rack Network Daughter Card comparisons........................................................................... 30
Expansion card installation guidelines........................................................................................................................... 31

Chapter 8: Power, thermal, and acoustics................................................................................... 37

Power................................................................................................................................................................................... 37
PSU specifications...................................................................................................................................................... 38
Thermal................................................................................................................................................................................ 39
Thermal design............................................................................................................................................................. 39
Acoustics............................................................................................................................................................................. 40
Acoustical design.........................................................................................................................................................40
PowerEdge acoustical specifications...................................................................................................................... 41
Acoustical performance............................................................................................................................................. 48
PowerEdge T550 acoustical dependencies.......................................................................................................... 49
Methods to reduce acoustical output of the T550.............................................................................................50

Contents 3
 Chapter 9: Supported Operating Systems....................................................................................51

Chapter 10: Dell EMC OpenManage systems management........................................................... 52

Server and Chassis Managers........................................................................................................................................53
Dell EMC consoles............................................................................................................................................................ 53
Automation Enablers........................................................................................................................................................ 53
Integration with third-party consoles...........................................................................................................................53
Connections for third-party consoles.......................................................................................................................... 53
Dell EMC Update Utilities................................................................................................................................................ 53
Dell resources.....................................................................................................................................................................53

Chapter 11: Appendix A. Additional specifications........................................................................55

Chassis dimensions........................................................................................................................................................... 55
System weight................................................................................................................................................................... 56
Video specifications..........................................................................................................................................................56
USB ports specifications................................................................................................................................................. 56
Environmental specifications..........................................................................................................................................57
Thermal restriction matrix......................................................................................................................................... 58
Particulate and gaseous contamination specifications ..................................................................................... 62
Thermal air restrictions.............................................................................................................................................. 62

Chapter 12: Appendix B. Standards compliance........................................................................... 65

Chapter 13: Appendix C Additional resources...............................................................................66

Chapter 14: Appendix D. Support and Deployment Services ........................................................ 67

Deployment Services........................................................................................................................................................ 67
Dell EMC ProDeploy Enterprise Suite ................................................................................................................... 67
Dell EMC ProDeploy for HPC................................................................................................................................... 68
Dell EMC Basic Deployment..................................................................................................................................... 68
Dell EMC Server Configuration Services...............................................................................................................68
Dell EMC Residency Services...................................................................................................................................69
Dell EMC Data Migration Service............................................................................................................................ 69
Support Services......................................................................................................................................................... 69
Dell Technologies Consulting Services......................................................................................................................... 72
Dell EMC Remote Consulting Services...................................................................................................................72

Chapter 15: Dell Financial Services (DFS).................................................................................... 73

Flex On Demand (FOD)....................................................................................................................................................73
Flex On Demand for PowerEdge Servers ...................................................................................................................73

4 Contents
 1
Product overview
Topics:
• Introduction
• Product features

Introduction
The Dell™ PowerEdge™ T550 is Dell's latest 2-socket, tower server designed to run complex workloads using highly scalable
memory, I/O, and network options. The systems feature the Intel Ice Lake Processor ( Socket P+ LGA-4189 ), up to 16
DIMMs, PCI Express® (PCIe) 4. 0 enabled expansion slots, and a choice of network interface technologies to cover NIC.
The PowerEdge T550 is a general-purpose platform capable of handling demanding workloads and applications, such as data
warehouses, ecommerce, databases, and high-performance computing (HPC).

Product features
The Dell EMC PowerEdge T550 is a two-socket, tower system. It supports up to 16 DDR4 DIMM slot, 24 drives storage
capacity, and powered with latest Intel Xeon Scalable processors. The T550 supports complete lifecycle management with
the OpenManage portfolio of systems management solutions, including leading remote management with iDRAC9 and Lifecycle
Controller.
The Dell EMC PowerEdge T550 is packed with features like:
● Highly optimized air flow design enables tremendous configuration flexibility and industrial leading energy efficiency.
● Support payload data of front PERC, Riser, BOSS S2, backplane, and iDRAC.
● OCP Mezz 3.0 (supported by x8 PCIe lanes).
● Front PERC (fPERC) module with PERC10.5 and PERC11.
● Supports Platinum 600 W AC/DC, Titanium 700 W AC/DC, Platinum 800 W AC/DC, 1100 W AC/DC, 1400 W AC/DC,
Titanium1800 W AC/DC and 2400 W AC/DC power supplies.

Product overview 5
 2
System features
Topics:
• Product comparison

Product comparison
Table 1. Product comparison
Features PowerEdge T550 PowerEdge T640
Processors Up to two 3 rd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable Up to two 2 nd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable
processors with up to 32 cores per processor processors, up to 28 cores per processor
Memory DIMM speed DIMM speed
● Up to 3200 MT/s ● Up to 2993 MT/s
Memory type Memory type
● RDIMM ● RDIMM
Memory module slots ● LRDIMM
● 16 DDR4 DIMM slots ● NVDIMM
● Supports registered ECC DDR4 DIMM slots Memory module slots
only ● 24 DDR4 DIMM slots (12 NVDIMM only)
Maximum RAM ● Supports registered ECC DDR4 DIMM slots only
● RDIMM 1 TB Maximum RAM
● RDIMM 3 TB
● LRDIMM 3 TB
● NVDIMM 192 GB
Storage controllers ● Internal controllers: PERC H345, PERC ● Internal controllers: PERC H330, H730P, H740P,
H355, PERC H755, H755N, HBA355i HBA330
● Internal Boot: Internal Dual SD Module ● Internal Boot: Boot Optimized Storage Subsystem
or Boot Optimized Storage Subsystem (BOSS) - HWRAID 2 x M.2 SSDs 240 GB, 480 GB
(BOSS-S2): HWRAID 2 x M.2 SSDs or USB ● External controller (RAID): H840, 12 Gbps SAS
● External controller (RAID): PERC H840 HBA
● External HBAs (non-RAID): HBA355e ● Software RAID: S140
● Software RAID: S150
Drive bays Front bays: Front bays:
● Up to 8 x 2.5-inch SAS/SATA (HDD) max ● Up to 8 or 18 x 3.5-inch SAS/SATA (HDD/SSD),
120 TB max 216 TB
● 16 x 2.5-inch SAS/SATA (HDD) max 240 ● Up to 16 x 2.5-inch SAS/SATA (HDD/SSD), max
TB 61 TB
● 24 x 2.5-inch SAS/SATA (HDD) max 360 ● Up to 32 x 2.5-inch SAS/SATA (HDD/SDD), max
TB 122 TB
● 8 x 3.5-inch SAS/SATA (HDD/SAS) max ● Up to 16 x 2.5-inch with up to 8 NVMe,
120 TB SAS/SSD/NVMe (HDD/SDD), max 112 TB
● 8 x 3.5-inch SAS/SATA (HDD) + 8 x 2.5-
inch NVMe (SSD) max 240 TB
Power supplies ● 600 W Platinum 100–240 VAC/ 240 VDC ● 495 W Platinum
● 700 W Titanium 200–240 VAC/240 VDC ● 750 W 240 HVDC Platinum
● 800 W Platinum 100–240 VAC/ 240 VDC ● 750 W Titanium
● 1100 W Titanium 100–240 VAC/ 240 VDC ● 1100 W 380 HVDC Platinum

6 System features
Table 1. Product comparison (continued)
Features PowerEdge T550 PowerEdge T640
● 1100 W DC/-(48 - 60) V ● 1100 W AC Platinum
● 1400 W Platinum 100–240 VAC/ 240 VDC ● 1100 W 48 VDC Platinum
● 1800 W Titanium 200–240 VAC/240 VDC ● 1600 W AC Platinum
● 2400 W Titanium 200–240 VAC/240 VDC ● 2000 W AC Platinum
● 2400 W AC Platinum
Cooling options ● Air cooling ● Air cooling
Fans Standard (STD) fans/High performance (HPR) Up to eight hot swap fans
Silver fans
Up to eight hot swap fans
Dimension Height: 459.0 mm (18.07 inches) Height: 443.5 mm (17.05 inches)
Width: 200.0 mm (7.87 inches) Width: 304.5 mm (12.00 inches)
Depth: 680.5 mm (26.79 inches) with bezel Depth: 692.8 mm (27.03 inches) with bezel
663.5 mm (28.12 inches) without bezel 659.9 mm (25.98 inches) without bezel
Form factor 5U tower server 5U tower server
Embedded ● iDRAC9 ● iDRAC9
management ● iDRAC Direct ● iDRAC Direct
● iDRAC RESTful API with Redfish ● iDRAC Service Module
● iDRAC Service Manual ● Quick Sync 2 wireless module
● Quick Sync 2 wireless module
NOTE: iDRAC Direct and Quick Sync 2 are
available only as an upsell on T550.

Bezel Optional security bezel Optional LCD bezel or security bezel

OpenManage software ● OpenManage Enterprise ● OpenManage Enterprise
● OpenManage Power Manager plug-in ● OpenManage Power Center
● OpenManage SupportAssist plug-in
● OpenManage Update Manager plug-in
Mobility OpenManage Mobile OpenManage Mobile
Integrations and OpenManage OpenManage OpenManage ● IBM Tivoli Netcool/
connections Integrations Connections Integrations OMNIbus
● BMC TrueSight ● IBM Tivoli ● BMC TrueSight ● IBM Tivoli Network
● Microsoft System Netcool/OMNIbus ● Microsoft System Manager IP Edition
Center ● IBM Tivoli Network Center ● Micro Focus Operations
● Red Hat Ansible Manager IP Edition ● Red Hat Ansible Manager
Modules ● Micro Focus Modules ● Nagios Core
● VMware vCenter Operations ● VMware vCenter ● Nagios XI
and vRealize Manager
Operations ● Nagios Core
Manager ● Nagios XI
Security ● Chassis Intrusion Alert ● Cryptographically signed firmware
● Digitally signed firmware ● Secure Boot
● Secure Boot ● Secure Erase
● Secure Erase ● Silicon Root of Trust
● Silicon Root of Trust ● System Lockdown (requires iDRAC9 Enterprise or
● System Lockdown (requires iDRAC9 Datacenter)
Enterprise or Datacenter) ● TPM 1.2/2.0 (optional)
● TPM 1.2/2.0 FIPS, CC-TCG certified, TPM
2.0 China NationZ

System features 7
Table 1. Product comparison (continued)
Features PowerEdge T550 PowerEdge T640
Embedded NIC 2 x 1 GbE LOM 2 x 10 GbE
Networking options OCP x16 Mezz 3.0 -
GPU options Up to two double wide 300 W, or five single Up to four double wide 300 W or eight single wide
wide 70 W accelerators 150 W accelerators
Ports Front ports Rear ports Front ports
● 1 x USB 2.0 ● 1 x Dedicated iDRAC micro-USB
There are two SKUs:
● 1 x iDRAC ethernet ● 1 x USB 2.0
● Base: Status LED port ● 1 x USB 3.0
only ● 1 x USB 3.0 ● 6 x USB 2.0/3.0
○ 1 x USB 2.0 ● 2 x Ethernet
○ 1 x USB 3.0 ● 1 x VGA
Upsell: Status LED
only and Quick Sync 2
● 1 x USB 2.0
● 1 x USB 3.0
● 1 x iDRAC Direct
(Micro-AB USB)
port
Internal Port: 1 x USB 2.0
PCIe 3 x PCIe Gen4 slots (all x16) + 1 x PCIe Gen3 8 x PCIe Gen 3 slots (4 x 8)
slot (x8) + Upsell: up to 2 PCIe x16 DW for
GPU 8 x Gen 3 slots (4 x 16)

Operating System and ● Canonical Ubuntu Server LTS ● Canonical Ubuntu Server LTS
Hypervisors ● Citrix Hypervisor ● Citrix Hypervisor
● Windows Server with Hyper-V ● Windows Server LTSC with Hyper-V
● Red Hat Enterprise Linux ● Red Hat Enterprise Linux
● SUSE Linux Enterprise Server ● SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
● VMware ESXi ● VMware ESXi
For specifications and interoperability details, For specifications and interoperability details,
see Dell EMC Enterprise Operating Systems see Dell EMC Enterprise Operating Systems on
on Servers, Storage, and Networking page at Servers, Storage, and Networking page at Dell.com/
Dell.com/OSsupport. OSsupport.

8 System features
 3
Chassis views and features
Topics:
• Front view of the system
• Rear view of the system
• Inside the system
• Quick Resource Locator for PowerEdge T550 system

Front view of the system

Figure 1. Front view of 24 x 2.5-inch drive system

Chassis views and features 9

Table 2. Features available on the front of the system
Item Ports, panels, and slots Icon Description
1 Power button Indicates if the system is powered on or off. Press the power button to
manually power on or off the system.
NOTE: Press the power button to gracefully shut down an ACPI-
compliant operating system.

2 System health and ID Indicates the status of the system. For more information about
indicator System health and system ID indicator codes, see the www.dell.com/
poweredgemanuals.
3 Information tag N/A The Information tag is a slide-out label panel that contains system
information such as Service Tag, NIC, MAC address, and so on. If
you have opted for the secure default access to iDRAC, then the
Information tag also contains the iDRAC secure default password.
4 Status LED indicators N/A Enables you to identify any failed hardware components. There are
up to five status LEDs and an overall system health LED bar. For
more information about Status LED indicators, see the www.dell.com/
poweredgemanuals.
5 USB 2.0 port The USB ports are 4-pin, 2.0-compliant. These ports enable you to
connect USB devices to the system.

6 USB 3.0 port The USB ports are 9-pin and 3.0-compliant. These ports enable you to
connect USB devices to the system.

7 BOSS S2 module (optional) N/A This slot supports the BOSS S2 module.
8 Drive N/A Enables you to install SAS/SATA drives that are supported on your
system.

10 Chassis views and features

Figure 2. Front view of 16 x 2.5-inch drive system

Table 3. Features available on the front of the system

Item Ports, panels, and slots Icon Description
1 Power button Indicates if the system is powered on or off. Press the power button to
manually power on or off the system.
NOTE: Press the power button to gracefully shut down an ACPI-
compliant operating system.

2 System health and ID Indicates the status of the system. For more information about
indicator System health and system ID indicator codes, see the www.dell.com/
poweredgemanuals.
3 Information tag N/A The Information tag is a slide-out label panel that contains system
information such as Service Tag, NIC, MAC address, and so on. If
you have opted for the secure default access to iDRAC, then the
Information tag also contains the iDRAC secure default password.
4 Status LED indicators N/A Enables you to identify any failed hardware components. There are
up to five status LEDs and an overall system health LED bar. For
more information about Status LED indicators, see the www.dell.com/
poweredgemanuals.

Chassis views and features 11

Table 3. Features available on the front of the system (continued)
Item Ports, panels, and slots Icon Description
5 USB 2.0 port The USB ports are 4-pin, 2.0-compliant. These ports enable you to
connect USB devices to the system.

6 USB 3.0 port The USB ports are 9-pin and 3.0-compliant. These ports enable you to
connect USB devices to the system.

7 BOSS S2 module (optional) N/A This slot supports the BOSS S2 module.
8 Drive N/A Enables you to install SAS/SATA drives that are supported on your
system.

Figure 3. Front view of 8 x 3.5-inch + 8 x 2.5-inch drive system

Table 4. Features available on the front of the system

Item Ports, panels, and slots Icon Description
1 Power button Indicates if the system is powered on or off. Press the power button to
manually power on or off the system.
NOTE: Press the power button to gracefully shut down an ACPI-
compliant operating system.

12 Chassis views and features

Table 4. Features available on the front of the system (continued)
Item Ports, panels, and slots Icon Description
2 System health and ID Indicates the status of the system. For more information about
indicator System health and system ID indicator codes, see the www.dell.com/
poweredgemanuals.
3 Information tag N/A The Information tag is a slide-out label panel that contains system
information such as Service Tag, NIC, MAC address, and so on. If
you have opted for the secure default access to iDRAC, then the
Information tag also contains the iDRAC secure default password.
4 Status LED indicators N/A Enables you to identify any failed hardware components. There are
up to five status LEDs and an overall system health LED bar. For
more information about Status LED indicators, see the www.dell.com/
poweredgemanuals.
5 USB 2.0 port The USB ports are 4-pin, 2.0-compliant. These ports enable you to
connect USB devices to the system.

6 USB 3.0 port The USB ports are 9-pin and 3.0-compliant. These ports enable you to
connect USB devices to the system.

7 NVMe drives N/A Enables you to install NVMe drives that are supported on your system.
8 BOSS S2 module (optional) N/A This slot supports the BOSS S2 module.
9 Drive N/A Enables you to install SAS/SATA drives that are supported on your
system.

Chassis views and features 13

Figure 4. Front view of 8 x 3.5-inch drive system

Table 5. Features available on the front of the system

Item Ports, panels, and slots Icon Description
1 Power button Indicates if the system is powered on or off. Press the power button to
manually power on or off the system.
NOTE: Press the power button to gracefully shut down an ACPI-
compliant operating system.

2 System health and ID Indicates the status of the system. For more information about
indicator System health and system ID indicator codes, see the www.dell.com/
poweredgemanuals.
3 Information tag N/A The Information tag is a slide-out label panel that contains system
information such as Service Tag, NIC, MAC address, and so on. If
you have opted for the secure default access to iDRAC, then the
Information tag also contains the iDRAC secure default password.
4 Status LED indicators N/A Enables you to identify any failed hardware components. There are
up to five status LEDs and an overall system health LED bar. For
more information about Status LED indicators, see the www.dell.com/
poweredgemanuals.

14 Chassis views and features

Table 5. Features available on the front of the system (continued)
Item Ports, panels, and slots Icon Description
5 USB 2.0 port The USB ports are 4-pin, 2.0-compliant. These ports enable you to
connect USB devices to the system.

6 USB 3.0 port The USB ports are 9-pin and 3.0-compliant. These ports enable you to
connect USB devices to the system.

7 BOSS S2 module (optional) N/A This slot supports the BOSS S2 module.
8 Drive N/A Enables you to install SAS/SATA drives that are supported on your
system.

Figure 5. Front view of 8 x 3.5-inch drive system (upsell configuration)

Table 6. Features available on the front of the system

Item Ports, panels, and slots Icon Description
1 Power button Indicates if the system is powered on or off. Press the power button to
manually power on or off the system.
NOTE: Press the power button to gracefully shut down an ACPI-
compliant operating system.

Chassis views and features 15

Table 6. Features available on the front of the system (continued)
Item Ports, panels, and slots Icon Description
2 iDRAC Quick Sync 2 N/A Quick Sync 2 (wireless): Indicates a Quick Sync enabled system. The
wireless indicator (optional) Quick Sync feature is optional. This feature allows management of the
system by using mobile devices called as OpenManage Mobile (OMM)
feature. Using iDRAC Quick Sync 2 with OpenManage Mobile (OMM)
aggregates hardware or firmware inventory and various system level
diagnostic and error information that can be used in troubleshooting the
system. For more information, see the iDRAC User's Guide available at
https://www.dell.com/idracmanuals
NOTE: The iDRAC Quick Sync 2 indicator is available only on certain
configurations.

3 Information tag N/A The Information tag is a slide-out label panel that contains system
information such as Service Tag, NIC, MAC address, and so on. If
you have opted for the secure default access to iDRAC, then the
Information tag also contains the iDRAC secure default password.
4 Status LED indicators N/A Enables you to identify any failed hardware components. There are
up to five status LEDs and an overall system health LED bar. For
more information about Status LED indicators, see the www.dell.com/
poweredgemanuals.
5 System health and ID Indicates the status of the system. For more information about
indicator System health and system ID indicator codes, see the www.dell.com/
poweredgemanuals.
6 iDRAC Direct port (Micro- The iDRAC Direct port (Micro-AB USB) enables you to access the
AB USB) iDRAC direct Micro-AB USB features. For more information, see the
https://www.dell.com/idracmanuals.
NOTE: You can configure iDRAC Direct by using a USB to micro
USB (type AB) cable, which you can connect to your laptop
or tablet. Cable length should not exceed 3 feet (0.91 meters).
Performance could be affected by cable quality.

7 USB 2.0 port The USB ports are 4-pin, 2.0-compliant. These ports enable you to
connect USB devices to the system.

8 USB 3.0 port The USB ports are 9-pin and 3.0-compliant. These ports enable you to
connect USB devices to the system.

9 BOSS S2 module (optional) N/A This slot supports the BOSS S2 module.
10 Drive N/A Enables you to install SAS/SATA drives that are supported on your
system.

16 Chassis views and features

Figure 6. Front view of 8 x 2.5-inch drive system

Table 7. Features available on the front of the system

Item Ports, panels, and slots Icon Description
1 Power button Indicates if the system is powered on or off. Press the power button to
manually power on or off the system.
NOTE: Press the power button to gracefully shut down an ACPI-
compliant operating system.

2 System health and ID Indicates the status of the system. For more information about
indicator System health and system ID indicator codes, see the www.dell.com/
poweredgemanuals.
3 Information tag N/A The Information tag is a slide-out label panel that contains system
information such as Service Tag, NIC, MAC address, and so on. If
you have opted for the secure default access to iDRAC, then the
Information tag also contains the iDRAC secure default password.
4 Status LED indicators N/A Enables you to identify any failed hardware components. There are
up to five status LEDs and an overall system health LED bar. For
more information about Status LED indicators, see the www.dell.com/
poweredgemanuals.

Chassis views and features 17

Table 7. Features available on the front of the system (continued)
Item Ports, panels, and slots Icon Description
5 USB 2.0 port The USB ports are 4-pin, 2.0-compliant. These ports enable you to
connect USB devices to the system.

6 USB 3.0 port The USB ports are 9-pin and 3.0-compliant. These ports enable you to
connect USB devices to the system.

7 BOSS S2 module (optional) N/A This slot supports the BOSS S2 module.
8 Drive N/A Enables you to install SAS/SATA drives that are supported on your
system.

NOTE: For more information, see the Dell EMC PowerEdge T550 Technical Specifications on the product documentation
page.

Rear view of the system

Figure 7. Rear view of the system

18 Chassis views and features

Table 8. Rear view of the system
Item Ports, panels, or slots Icon Description
1 Power supply unit (PSU 1) N/A This is the primary PSU of the system. For more information about
the PSU configurations, see www.dell.com/poweredgemanuals.
2 Power supply unit (PSU N/A This PSU provides redundancy to the system. For more
2) information about the PSU configurations, see www.dell.com/
poweredgemanuals.
3 PCIe expansion card slots N/A Enables you to connect PCI Express expansion cards.
(4)
4 System identification Press the system ID button:
button ● To locate a particular system within a rack.
● To turn the system ID on or off.
To reset iDRAC, press and hold the button for 16 seconds.
NOTE:
● To reset iDRAC using system ID, ensure that the system ID
button is enabled in the iDRAC setup.
● If the system stops responding during POST, press and hold
the system ID button (for more than five seconds) to enter
the BIOS progress mode.

5 VGA port Enables you to connect a display device to the system.

6 OCP NIC port (optional) N/A This port supports OCP 3.0. The NIC ports are integrated on the
OCP card which is connected to the system board
7 USB ports (2) These ports are USB Type A complaint.

8 iDRAC dedicated port This RJ-45 port enables you to remotely access iDRAC. For
more information, see the iDRAC User's Guide at www.dell.com/
poweredgemanuals.
9 NIC ports (2) The NIC ports that are integrated on the system board provide
network connectivity. These NIC ports can also be shared with
iDRAC when iDRAC network settings is set to shared mode.

10 NIC ports (1) The NIC ports that are integrated on the system board provide
network connectivity. These NIC ports can also be shared with
iDRAC when iDRAC network settings is set to shared mode.

NOTE: For more information, see the Dell EMC PowerEdge T550 Technical Specifications on the product documentation
page.

Chassis views and features 19

Inside the system

Figure 8. Inside the system for 24 x 2.5-inch configuration

1. Tape backup unit 2. Cooling fan
3. Intrusion switch 4. Power interposer board
5. Cable retention clip 6. PSU 1
7. OCP air shroud 8. System board
9. Cooling fan cage 10. 2.5-inch drive bay

20 Chassis views and features

Figure 9. Inside the system for 8 x 3.5-inch + 8 x 2.5-inch configuration
1. Tape backup unit 2. Cooling fan
3. Intrusion switch 4. Power interposer board
5. GPU card holder 6. GPU riser
7. PSU 1 8. OCP card
9. System board 10. Cooling fan cage
11. Front PERC module

Chassis views and features 21

Quick Resource Locator for PowerEdge T550 system

Figure 10. Quick Resource Locator for PowerEdge T550 system

22 Chassis views and features

 4
Processor

Topics:
• Processor features

Processor features
The 3 rd Generation Xeon ® Scalable Processors stack is the next generation data center processor offering with the latest
features, increased performance, and incremental memory options. This latest generation Xeon Scalable processor supports
usages from entry designs that are based on Intel Xeon Silver processors to advanced capabilities offered in new Intel Xeon
Platinum processor.
The following lists the features and functions that are in the upcoming 3 rd Generation Intel ® Xeon Scalable Processor offering:
● Faster UPI with 3 Intel Ultra Path Interconnect (Intel UPI) at 11.2 GT/s (supported in gold and platinum options)
● More, faster I/O with PCI Express 4 and up to 64 lanes (per socket) at 16 GT/s
● Enhanced Memory Performance with support for up to 3200 MT/s DIMMs
● Increased memory capacity with up to eight channels and up to 256 GB DDR4 DIMM support

Supported processors
Table 9. Supported processors
Tier Proc Clock Cache UPI Cores Threads Turbo Memory Memory BPS TDP
Speed (M) (GT/s) Speed Capacit Enabled
(GHz) (MT/s) y
Gold 6338 2 36 11.2 32 64 Turbo 3200 6 TB Y 205 W
Gold 6338T 2.1 48 11.2 32 64 Turbo 3200 6 TB Y 165 W
Gold 6326 2.8 24 11.2 16 32 Turbo 3200 6 TB Y 185 W
Gold 6314U 2.3 48 11.2 32 64 Turbo 3200 6 TB Y 205 W
Gold 6312U 2.4 36 11.2 24 48 Turbo 3200 6 TB Y 185 W
Gold 5320 2.2 39 11.2 26 52 Turbo 2933 6 TB Y 185 W
Gold 5320T 2.1 30 11.2 20 40 Turbo 2933 6 TB Y 150 W
Gold 5318S 2 36 11.2 24 48 Turbo 2933 6 TB Y 165 W
Gold 5317 2.8 18 11.2 12 24 Turbo 2933 6 TB Y 150 W
Silver 4316 2.3 30 10.4 20 40 Turbo 2666 6 TB N 150 W
Silver 4314 2.3 24 10.4 16 32 Turbo 2666 6 TB Y 135 W
Silver 4310 2.1 18 10.4 12 24 Turbo 2666 6 TB N 120 W

Processor 23
Table 9. Supported processors (continued)
Tier Proc Clock Cache UPI Cores Threads Turbo Memory Memory BPS TDP
Speed (M) (GT/s) Speed Capacit Enabled
(GHz) (MT/s) y
Silver 4310T 2.3 15 10.4 10 20 Turbo 2666 6 TB N 105 W
Silver 4309Y 2.6 12 10.4 8 16 Turbo 2666 6 TB N 105 W
Platinum 8352M 2.3 48 11.2 32 64 Turbo 3200 6 TB Y 185 W

24 Processor
 5
Memory
Topics:
• Supported memory

Supported memory
The table below lists the memory technologies supported by the platform.

Table 10. Supported memory technologies

Feature T550 (DDR4)
DIMM Type RDIMM
Transfer Speed 2933 MT/s and 3200 MT/s
Voltage 1.2 V (DDR4)

The following table lists the supported DIMMs for the T550 at launch. For the latest information about supported DIMMs,
see the Memory NDA Deck. For information about memory configuration, see the Dell EMC PowerEdge T550 Installation and
Service Manual at www.dell.com/poweredgemanuals.

Table 11. Memory specifications

DIMM capacity Speed
DIMM Rated Voltage and
DIMM type DIMM rank Single Single Dual
Dual Processor supported speed
Processor Processor Processor
8 GB 16 GB DDR4 (1.2 V), 3200 3200 2933
Single rank
16 GB 32 GB DDR4 (1.2 V), 3200 3200 2933
RDIMM
16 GB 32 GB DDR4 (1.2 V), 3200 3200 2933
Dual rank
32 GB 64 GB DDR4 (1.2 V), 3200 3200 2933

Table 12. Memory module sockets

Memory module sockets Speed
16, 288-pin 3200 MT/s, 2933 MT/s

Memory 25
 6
Storage
Topics:
• Drive backplane
• PERC Controller
• Storage

Drive backplane
Depending on your system configuration, the drive backplanes supported are listed here:

Table 13. Supported backplane options

System Supported drives options
8 x 2.5-inch SAS/SATA backplane
PowerEdge T550
8 x 3.5-inch SAS/SATA backplane

Figure 11. 3.5-inch drive backplane

1. BP_PWR_1
2. BP_SIG

26 Storage
Figure 12. 2.5-inch drive backplane
1. BP_PWR_CTRL 2. BP_SIG
3. BP_PWR_1 4. BP_DST

PERC Controller
The Dell EMC PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) family of enterprise-class controllers is designed for enhanced performance,
increased reliability, and fault tolerance. PERC controller also simplifies management - providing a powerful, easy-to-manage
way to create a robust infrastructure and help maximize system uptime.

Table 14. Supported PERC controllers

Performance level Description
Entry S150 (SATA) SW RAID SATA

Value H355, H345, HBA355i, HBA355e

Value Performance H755, H755N

Premium performance H840

NOTE: The software RAID S150 is supported on either SATA drives with chipset SATA only backplane or NVMe drives in
universal slots with processor direct PCIe cable connected backplane.

Storage
Table 15. Supported Drives - SAS, SATA and NVMe
Form Type Spe Rotational Capacities
Factor ed Speed
2.5-inch SATA 6 Gb N/A 480 GB, 960 GB, 1.92 TB, 3.84 TB
SSD
SAS 12 10 K 600 GB, 1.2 TB, 2.4 TB
Gb
SAS 12 15 K 900 GB
Gb
SAS 12 N/A 480 GB, 800 GB, 960 GB, 1.6 TB, 1.92 TB, 3.84 TB, 6.4 TB, 7.68 TB
SSD Gb

Storage 27
Table 15. Supported Drives - SAS, SATA and NVMe (continued)
Form Type Spe Rotational Capacities
Factor ed Speed
2.5-inch NVMe Gen4 N/A 960 GB, 1.6 TB, 1.92 TB, 3.2 TB, 3.84 TB, 6.4 TB, 7.68 TB
(U.2) SSD
NVMe Gen3 N/A 375 GB, 400 GB, 750 GB, 800 GB, 960 GB, 1.6 TB, 1.92 TB, 3.2 TB, 3.84 TB, 6.4
SSD TB, 7.68 TB
3.5-inch SATA 6 Gb 7.2 K 2 TB, 4 TB, 8 TB, 12 TB, 16 TB
SAS 12 7.2 K 2 TB, 4 TB, 8 TB, 12 TB, 16TB
Gb
M.2 SATA 6 GB N/A 240 GB, 480 GB
SSD
uSD N/A N/A uSD 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB

28 Storage
 7
Networking and PCIe
Topics:
• Overview
• OCP 3.0 support
• Expansion card installation guidelines

Overview
PowerEdge offers a wide variety of options to get information moving to and from our servers. Industry best technologies are
chosen, and systems management features are added by our partners to firmware to tie in with iDRAC. These adapters are
rigorously validated for worry-free, fully supported use in Dell servers.
The PowerEdge Server Adapter Matrix posted to knowledge portal is the central repository for PowerEdge NIC, HBA and HCA
information. The matrix covers:
● Part Numbers, Tied SKUs and Customer Kits
● Server Compatibility and Support
● Optics and Cable Support
● Systems Management
● Adapter Features
● Spec Sheet Links
This document is updated as changes happen, so be sure to bookmark it rather than downloading an offline copy to stay with
the latest information.

NOTE: This is a direct download link to an .XLSX and may not open in a tab as expected depending on your browser.

OCP 3.0 support

Table 16. OCP 3.0 feature list
Feature OCP 3.0
Form factor SFF
PCIe Gen Gen4
Max PCIe width x16
Max no.of ports 4
Port type BT/SFP/SFP+/SFP28/SFP56
Max port speed 100 GbE
NC-SI Yes
SNAPI Yes
WoL Yes
Power consumption 15 W - 150 W

Networking and PCIe 29

Supported OCP cards

Table 17. Supported OCP

Form Factor Vendor Port type Port speed Port count
OCP 3.0 Intel SFP+ 10 GbE 2
OCP 3.0 Broadcom BT 1 GbE 4
OCP 3.0 Broadcom BT 10 GbE 2
OCP 3.0 Broadcom SFP28 25 GbE 2
OCP 3.0 Broadcom SFP28 25 GbE 4
OCP 3.0 Broadcom SFP+ 10 GbE 2
OCP 3.0 QLogic BT 10 GbE 2
OCP 3.0 QLogic SFP+ 10 GbE 2
OCP 3.0 QLogic SFP28 25 GbE 2
OCP 3.0 Intel BT 1 GbE 4
OCP 3.0 Intel BT 10 GbE 2
OCP 3.0 Intel SFP+ 10 GbE 4
OCP 3.0 Intel SFP28 25 GbE 2
OCP 3.0 SolarFlare SFP28 25 GbE 2
OCP 3.0 SolarFlare SFP28 25 GbE 2

OCP NIC 3.0 vs. rack Network Daughter Card comparisons

Table 18. OCP 3.0, 2.0, and rNDC NIC comparison
Form Factor Dell rNDC OCP 2.0 (LOM Mezz) OCP 3.0 Notes
PCIe Gen Gen 3 Gen 3 Gen 4 Supported OCP3 are
SFF (small form factor)
Max PCIe Lanes x8 Up to x16 Up to x16 See server slot priority
matrix
Shared LOM Yes Yes Yes This is iDRAC port
redirect
Aux Power Yes Yes Yes Used for Shared LOM

30 Networking and PCIe

OCP form factors

Figure 13. OCP 3.0 small card form factor (LS)

Table 19. OCP 3.0 Feature List

Features OCP 3.0
Form factor SFF and LFF
PCIe Gen Gen4
Max PCIe width X16
Max of ports 4
Port type BT/SFP/SFP+/SFP28/SFP56
Max port speed 100Gbe
NC-SI Yes
SNAPI Yes
WoL Yes
Power consumption 15 W — 150 W

Expansion card installation guidelines

Table 20. Supported riser configurations
Configuration Riser Processors x16 x16 x16 x16 X4 PCH Slot x16
Type configu Processor 1 Process Proces Processor 2 5 (FHHL) Processor 1
ration Slot 1 or 2 sor 2 Slot 4 Slot 6
(FHFL) Slot 2 Slot 3 (FHHL) (FHHL)
(FHFL) (FHFL)
C0 N/A 2 0 0 1 1 1 1
C0-1 N/A 1 0 0 0 0 1 1
C1 1 x GPU 2 1 0 1 1 1 1
riser
C1-1 1 x GPU 1 1 0 0 0 1 1
riser
C2 2 x GPU 2 1 1 1 1 1 1
riser

Networking and PCIe 31

Table 21. Configuration type C0
Card Type Slot priority Maximum number of cards
FPERC 10.15 H345 Internal 2
PERC/HBA 10.15G H745 Internal 2
FPERC 11 H755N Internal 1
FPERC 11 H755 Internal 2
FPERC HBA11 HBA355i Internal 2
FPERC 11 H355 Internal 2
NIC 25 Gb: Broadcom, 4, 6, 3 3
Intel, Mellanox
HBA: FC16: Qlogic, 4, 6, 3 3
Avago
NIC 10 Gb: Broadcom, 4, 6, 3 3
Intel
NIC 1 Gb: Broadcom, 4, 6, 3, 5 4
Intel
OCP 25 Gb: Broadcom, Internal 1
Intel, Mellanox
OCP 10 Gb: Broadcom, Internal 1
Intel, Mellanox
OCP 1 Gb: Broadcom, Internal 1
Intel, Mellanox
BOSS S2: Inventec Internal 1
PCIe SSD Gen3: Intel 4, 6, 3, 5 4
PCIe SSD Gen4: 4, 6, 3 3
Samsung
GPU: Nvidia T4 4, 6, 3 3
Serial port module: 5 1
Inventec
Foxconn external adapter 4, 6, 3 3
H840
Foxconn external adapter 4, 6, 3 3
HBA355e
aPERC HBA11 HBA355i 6 1

Table 22. Configuration type C0-1

Card Type Slot priority Maximum number of cards
FPERC 10.15 H345 Internal 2
PERC/HBA 10.15G H745 Internal 2
FPERC 11 H755N Internal 1
FPERC 11 H755 Internal 2
FPERC HBA11 HBA355i Internal 2
FPERC 11 H355 Internal 2
NIC 25 Gb: Broadcom, 6 1
Intel, Mellanox

32 Networking and PCIe

Table 22. Configuration type C0-1 (continued)
Card Type Slot priority Maximum number of cards
HBA: FC16: Qlogic, 6 1
Avago
NIC 10 Gb: Broadcom, 6 1
Intel
NIC 1 Gb: Broadcom, 6, 5 2
Intel
OCP 25 Gb: Broadcom, Internal 1
Intel, Mellanox
OCP 10 Gb: Broadcom, Internal 1
Intel, Mellanox
OCP 1 Gb: Broadcom, Internal 1
Intel, Mellanox
BOSS S2: Inventec Internal 1
PCIe SSD Gen3: Intel 6, 5 2
PCIe SSD Gen4: 6, 5 2
Samsung
GPU: Nvidia T4 6 1
Serial port module: 5 1
Inventec
Foxconn external adapter 4, 6, 3 3
H840
Foxconn external adapter 4, 6, 3 3
HBA355e
aPERC HBA11 HBA355i 6 1

Table 23. Configuration type C1

Card Type Slot priority Maximum number of cards
FPERC 10.15 H345 Internal 2
PERC/HBA 10.15G H745 Internal 2
FPERC 11 H755N Internal 1
FPERC 11 H755 Internal 2
FPERC HBA11 HBA355i Internal 2
FPERC 11 H355 Internal 2
NIC 25 Gb: Broadcom, 1, 4, 6, 3 4
Intel, Mellanox
HBA: FC16: Qlogic, 1, 4, 6, 3 4
Avago
NIC 10 Gb: Broadcom, 1, 4, 6, 3 4
Intel
NIC 1 Gb: Broadcom, 1, 4, 6, 3, 5 5
Intel
OCP 25 Gb: Broadcom, Internal 1
Intel, Mellanox

Networking and PCIe 33

Table 23. Configuration type C1 (continued)
Card Type Slot priority Maximum number of cards
OCP 10 Gb: Broadcom, Internal 1
Intel, Mellanox
OCP 1 Gb: Broadcom, Internal 1
Intel, Mellanox
BOSS S2: Inventec Internal 1
PCIe SSD Gen3: Intel 1, 4, 6, 3, 5 5
PCIe SSD Gen4: 1, 4, 6, 3 4
Samsung
GPU: Nvidia A10, A30, 1 1
A40
GPU: Nvidia T4 1, 4, 6, 3 4
Serial port module: 5 1
Inventec
Foxconn external adapter 1, 4, 6, 3 4
H840
Foxconn external adapter 1, 4, 6, 3 4
HBA355e
Foxconn external adapter 6 1
HBA355e

Table 24. Configuration type C1-1

Card Type Slot priority Maximum number of cards
FPERC 10.15 H345 Internal 2
PERC/HBA 10.15G H745 Internal 2
FPERC 11 H755N Internal 1
FPERC 11 H755 Internal 2
FPERC HBA11 HBA355i Internal 2
FPERC 11 H355 Internal 2
NIC 25 Gb: Broadcom, 1, 6 2
Intel, Mellanox
HBA: FC16: Qlogic, 1, 6 2
Avago
NIC 10 Gb: Broadcom, 1, 6 2
Intel
NIC 1 Gb: Broadcom, 1, 6, 5 3
Intel
OCP 25 Gb: Broadcom, Internal 1
Intel, Mellanox
OCP 10 Gb: Broadcom, Internal 1
Intel, Mellanox
OCP 1 Gb: Broadcom, Internal 1
Intel, Mellanox
BOSS S2: Inventec Internal 1
PCIe SSD Gen3: Intel 1, 6, 5 3

34 Networking and PCIe

Table 24. Configuration type C1-1 (continued)
Card Type Slot priority Maximum number of cards
PCIe SSD Gen4: 1, 6 2
Samsung
GPU: Nvidia A10, A30, 1 1
A40
GPU: Nvidia T4 1, 6 2
Serial port module: 5 1
Inventec
Foxconn external adapter 1, 6 2
H840
Foxconn external adapter 1, 6 2
HBA355e
aPERC HBA11 HBA355i 6 1

Table 25. Configuration type C2

Card Type Slot priority Maximum number of cards
FPERC 10.15 H345 Internal 2
PERC/HBA 10.15G H745 Internal 2
FPERC 11 H755N Internal 1
FPERC 11 H755 Internal 2
FPERC HBA11 HBA355i Internal 2
FPERC 11 H355 Internal 2
NIC 25 Gb: Broadcom, 1, 2, 4, 6, 3 5
Intel, Mellanox
HBA: FC16: Qlogic, 1, 2, 4, 6, 3 5
Avago
NIC 10 Gb: Broadcom, 1, 2, 4, 6, 3 5
Intel
NIC 1 Gb: Broadcom, 1, 2, 4, 6, 3, 5 6
Intel
OCP 25 Gb: Broadcom, Internal 1
Intel, Mellanox
OCP 10 Gb: Broadcom, Internal 1
Intel, Mellanox
OCP 1 Gb: Broadcom, Internal 1
Intel, Mellanox
BOSS S2: Inventec Internal 1
PCIe SSD Gen3: Intel 1, 2, 4, 6, 3, 5 6
PCIe SSD Gen4: 1, 2, 4, 6, 3 5
Samsung
GPU: Nvidia A10, A30, 1, 2 2
A40
GPU: Nvidia T4 1, 2, 4, 6, 3 5
Serial port module: 5 1
Inventec

Networking and PCIe 35

Table 25. Configuration type C2 (continued)
Card Type Slot priority Maximum number of cards
Foxconn external adapter 1, 2, 4, 6, 3 5
H840
Foxconn external adapter 1, 2, 4, 6, 3 5
HBA355e
aPERC HBA11 HBA355i 6 1

36 Networking and PCIe

 8
Power, thermal, and acoustics
PowerEdge servers have an extensive collection of sensors that automatically track thermal activity, which helps regulate
temperature thereby reducing server noise and power consumption. The table below lists the tools and technologies Dell offers
to lower power consumption and increase energy efficiency.
Topics:
• Power
• Thermal
• Acoustics

Power
Table 26. Power tools and technologies
Feature Description
Power Supply Units(PSU) Dell's PSU portfolio includes intelligent features such as dynamically optimizing efficiency while
portfolio maintaining availability and redundancy. Find additional information in the Power supply units
section.
Tools for right sizing Enterprise Infrastructure Planning Tool (EIPT) is a tool that can help you determine the most
efficient configuration possible. With Dell's EIPT, you can calculate the power consumption
of your hardware, power infrastructure, and storage at a given workload. Learn more at
www.dell.com/calc.
Industry Compliance Dell's servers are compliant with all relevant industry certifications and guide lines, including 80
PLUS, Climate Savers and ENERGY STAR.
Power monitoring accuracy PSU power monitoring improvements include:

● Dell's power monitoring accuracy is currently 1%, whereas the industry standard is 5%
● More accurate reporting of power
● Better performance under a power cap
Power capping Use Dell's systems management to set the power cap limit for your systems to limit the output
of a PSU and reduce system power consumption. Dell is the first hardware vendor to leverage
Intel Node Manager for circuit-breaker fast capping.
Systems Management iDRAC Enterprise and Datacenter provides server-level management that monitors, reports and
controls power consumption at the processor, memory and system level.

Dell OpenManage Power Center delivers group power management at the rack, row, and data
center level for servers, power distribution units, and uninterruptible power supplies.

Active power management Intel Node Manager is an embedded technology that provides individual server-level power
reporting and power limiting functionality. Dell offers a complete power management solution
comprised of Intel Node Manager accessed through Dell iDRAC9 Datacenter and OpenManage
Power Center that allows policy-based management of power and thermal at the individual
server, rack, and data center level. Hot spare reduces power consumption of redundant power
supplies. Thermal control off a 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.

Fresh Air cooling Refer to ASHRAE A3/A4 Thermal Restriction.

Power, thermal, and acoustics 37

Table 26. Power tools and technologies (continued)
Feature Description
Rack infrastructure Dell offers some of the industry's highest-efficiency power infrastructure solutions, including:
● Power distribution units (PDUs)
● Uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs)
● Energy Smart containment rack enclosures
Find additional information at: https://www.delltechnologies.com/en-us/servers/power-and-
cooling.htm.

PSU specifications
The PowerEdge T550 system supports up to two AC power supply units (PSUs).

Table 27. PSU specifications

PSU Class Heat Frequenc Voltage AC DC Current
dissip y
ation High line Low line
(maxi 200–240 V 100–120 V
mum)
600 W Mixed Platinu 2250 100 - 240 V, 600 W 600 W N/A 7.1 A - 3.6 A
Mode m BTU/ 50/60 Hz autoranging
hr
N/A 2250 240 V DC N/A N/A 600 W 2.9 A
BTU/ N/A
hr
800 W Mixed Platinu 3000 100 - 240 V, 800 W 800 W N/A 9.2 A - 4.7 A
Mode m BTU/ 50/60 Hz autoranging
hr
N/A 3000 240 V DC N/A N/A 800 W 3.8 A
BTU/ N/A
hr
1100 W DC N/A 4265 -48 VDC – -60 N/A N/A 1100 W 27 A
BTU/ N/A VDC
hr
1100 W Titaniu 4,125 100 - 240 V 1100 W 1050 W N/A 12 A - 6.3 A
Mixed Mode m BTU/ 50/60 Hz
hr
N/A 4,125 240 V DC N/A N/A 1100 W 5.2 A
BTU/ N/A
hr
1400 W Platinu 5250 100 - 240 V 1400 W 1050 W N/A 12 A - 8 A
Mixed Mode m BTU/ 50/60 Hz
hr
N/A 5250 240 V DC N/A N/A 1400 W 6.6 A
BTU/ N/A
hr
2400 W Platinu 9000 100 - 240 V 2400 W 1400 W N/A 16 A - 13.5 A
Mixed Mode m BTU/ 50/60 Hz
hr
N/A 9000 240 V DC N/A N/A 2400 W 11.2 A
BTU/ N/A
hr

38 Power, thermal, and acoustics

Table 27. PSU specifications (continued)
PSU Class Heat Frequenc Voltage AC DC Current
dissip y
ation High line Low line
(maxi 200–240 V 100–120 V
mum)
700 W Mixed Titaniu 2,625 50/60 Hz 200–240 V AC 700 W NA NA 4.1 A
Mode m BTU/
hr
NA 2,625 NA 240 V DC NA NA 700 W 3.4 A
BTU/
hr
1800 W Titaniu 6,000 50/60 Hz 200–240 V AC 1800 W NA NA 10 A
Mixed Mode m BTU/
hr
NA 6000 NA 240 V DC NA NA 1800 W 8.2 A
BTU/
hr

NOTE: This system is also designed to connect to the IT power systems with a phase-to-phase voltage not exceeding 240
V.

NOTE: Heat dissipation is calculated using the PSU wattage rating.

NOTE: When selecting or upgrading the system configuration, to ensure optimum power utilization, verify the system
power consumption with the Enterprise Infrastructure Planning Tool available at Dell.com/calc.

Thermal
PowerEdge servers have an extensive collection of sensors that automatically track thermal activity, which helps regulate
temperature thereby reducing server noise and power consumption.

Thermal design
Thermal management of the platform helps deliver high performance with the right amount of cooling to components, while
maintaining the lowest fan speeds possible. This is done across a wide range of ambient temperatures from 10°C to 35°C (50°F
to 95°F) and to extended ambient temperature ranges.

Power, thermal, and acoustics 39

Figure 14. Thermal design characteristics

The thermal design of the PowerEdge T550 reflects the following:

● Optimized thermal design: The system layout is architected for optimum thermal design.
● System component placement and layout are designed to provide maximum airflow coverage to critical components with
minimum expense of fan power.
● Comprehensive thermal management: The thermal control system regulates the fan speed based on several different
responses from all system-component temperature sensors, as well as inventory for system configurations. Temperature
monitoring includes components such as processors, DIMMs, chipset, the inlet air ambient, hard disk drives, and OCP.
● Open and closed loop thermal fan speed control: Open loop thermal control uses system configuration to determine
fan speed based on inlet air ambient temperature. Closed loop thermal control method uses feedback temperatures to
dynamically determine proper fan speeds.
● User-configurable settings: With the understanding and realization that every customer has unique set of circumstances or
expectations from the system, in this generation of servers, we have introduced limited user- configurable settings residing
in the iDRAC BIOS setup screen. For more information, see the Dell EMC PowerEdge T550 Installation and Service Manual
at www.dell.com/poweredgemanuals and “Advanced Thermal Control: Optimizing across Environments and Power Goals” on
Dell.com.
● Cooling redundancy: The T550 with >4 fans allows N+1 fan redundancy, allowing continuous operation with one fan failure in
the system.
● Environmental Specifications: The optimized thermal management makes the T550 reliable under a wide range of operating
environments.

Acoustics
Acoustical design
Dell EMC PowerEdge delivers sound quality and smooth transient response in addition to sound power levels and sound pressure
levels oriented to deployment environments.
Sound quality describes how disturbing or pleasing a person finds a sound, as a function of a variety of psycho-acoustical
metrics and thresholds. Tone prominence is one such metric.
Transient response refers to how sound changes with time.
Sound power level, sound pressure level and loudness refer to amplitude of sound.
A reference for comparison to sound pressure levels and loudness for familiar noise sources is given in the table below.

40 Power, thermal, and acoustics

Table 28. Acoustical Reference Points and Output Comparisons
Value measured at your ears Equivalent familiar noise experience
LpA, dBA, re 20μPa Loudness, sones
90 80 Loud concert
75 40 Data center, vacuum cleaner, voice must
be elevated to be heard
60 10 Conversation levels
45 4 Whispering, open office layout, normal
living room
35 2 Quiet office
30 1 Quiet library
20 0 Recording studio

For more information about PowerEdge acoustical design and metrics, see Understanding Acoustical Data and Causes of Sound
in Dell Enterprise Products.

PowerEdge acoustical specifications

For more information on acoustical specifications, see ENG0019663. (See the category definitions.)
Dell typically categorizes servers in five categories of acoustically acceptable usage:
● Category 1: Table-top in Office Environment
● Category 2: Floor-standing in Office Environment
● Category 3: General Use Space
● Category 4: Attended Data Center
● Category 5: Unattended Data Center
Category 1: Floor-standing in Office Environment
When Dell determines that a specific Enterprise product is to be used on a table-top in office environment, for example, on
a desk around a seated user’s head height, then the acoustical specification of the following table applies. Small, light-weight
towers are examples of these types of products.

Table 29. Dell Enterprise Category 1, “Table-top in Office Environment” acoustical specification
category.
Measurement Metric, re Test Modes, re AC0159 (note must be in steady state, see AC0159, except where
Position re AC0159 noted below)
AC0158
Standby in Idle in 23±2° C Operating in Simulate (that is, set fan
23±2° C Ambient 23±2° C speeds representative) for Idle
Ambient Ambient – if at 28° C & 35° C Ambient,
not otherwise and for 100% loading and
specified in maximum configuration, at 35°
the program’s C Ambient
configuration
document,
then processor
and hard drive
operating
modes are
required
Sound Power LWA,m, B ≤ 4.2 ≤ 4.7 ≤ 5.0 Report
Sound Quality Tones, Hz, dB No prominent tones per criteria D.10.6 and D.10.8 of Report tones
(both positions ECMA-74
must meet
limits): Front Tonality, tu ≤ 0.35 ≤ 0.35 ≤ 0.35 Report
Binaural HEAD Dell Modulation, ≤ 35 ≤ 35 ≤ 35 Report
%

Power, thermal, and acoustics 41

Table 29. Dell Enterprise Category 1, “Table-top in Office Environment” acoustical specification
category. (continued)
Measurement Metric, re Test Modes, re AC0159 (note must be in steady state, see AC0159, except where
Position re AC0159 noted below)
AC0158
Standby in Idle in 23±2° C Operating in Simulate (that is, set fan
23±2° C Ambient 23±2° C speeds representative) for Idle
Ambient Ambient – if at 28° C & 35° C Ambient,
not otherwise and for 100% loading and
specified in maximum configuration, at 35°
the program’s C Ambient
configuration
document,
then processor
and hard drive
operating
modes are
required
and Rear Loudness, sones Report Report Report Report
Microphone
LpA-single Report Report Report Report
point, dBA
Front Binaural Transients ● Oscillation (see AC0159), if observed, during 20- N/A
HEAD minute steady-state observation, must adhere to
the following two criteria:
○ Max. {ΔLpA} < 3.0 dB
○ Event count < 3 for “1.5 dB < ΔLpA < 3.0 dB”
○ Acoustical Jump (see AC0159), during air
mover speed transition from Idle to Operating
Mode must be ≤ 15 dB.
● Startup behavior
○ Report Startup behavior re. AC0159
○ Startup must proceed smoothly, that is, no
sudden or large jumps, and fan speed during
startup must not exceed 50% of its maximum
● Transient inputs: Report time-history sound
pressure levels re AC0159 “Train of Step
Functions on Processor”
Any Other No rattles, squeaks, or unexpected noises

Sound should be “even” around the EUT (one side should not be dramatically louder than
another)

Unless otherwise specified, the “default” thermal-related settings shall be selected for
BIOS and iDRAC.

Specific operating conditions will be defined in “Configurations & Configuration

Dependencies” for each platform.

Sound Pressure LpA-reported, Report for all Report for all Report for all Report for all mics
dBA, re AC0158 mics mics mics
and program
configuration
document

Category 2: Floor-standing in Office Environment

When Dell determines that a specific Enterprise product is to be used primarily when it is sitting on the floor, that is, next to a
user’s feet, then the acoustical specification in the table below applies. Noise from the product should not annoy or otherwise
interfere with the user’s thoughts or speech, for example, on the telephone.

42 Power, thermal, and acoustics

Table 30. Dell Enterprise Category 2, “Floor-standing in Office Environment” acoustical specification
category
Measurement Metric, re Test Modes, re AC0159 (note must be in steady state, see AC0159, except where
Position re AC0159 noted below)
AC0158
Standby in Idle in 23±2° C Operating in Simulate (that is, set fan
23±2° C Ambient 23±2° C speeds representative) for Idle
Ambient Ambient – if at 28° C & 35° C Ambient,
not otherwise and for 100% loading and
specified in maximum configuration, at 35°
the program’s C Ambient
configuration
document,
then processor
and hard drive
operating
modes are
required
Sound Power LWA,m, B ≤ 4.9 ≤ 5.1 ≤ 5.4 Report
Sound Quality Tones, Hz, dB No prominent tones per criteria D.10.6 and D.10.8 of Report tones
(both positions ECMA-74
must meet
limits): Front Tonality, tu ≤ 0.35 ≤ 0.35 ≤ 0.35 Report
Binaural HEAD Dell Modulation, ≤ 35 ≤ 35 ≤ 35 Report
and Rear %
Microphone
Loudness, sones Report Report Report Report
LpA-single Report Report Report Report
point, dBA
Front Binaural Transients ● Oscillation (see AC0159), if observed, during 20- N/A
HEAD minute steady-state observation, must adhere to
the following two criteria:
○ Max. {ΔLpA} < 3.0 dB
○ Event count < 3 for “1.5 dB < ΔLpA < 3.0 dB”
● Acoustical Jump (see AC0159), during air mover
speed transition from Idle to Operating Mode
must be ≤ 15 dB.
● Startup behavior
○ Report Startup behavior re. AC0159
○ Startup must proceed smoothly, that is, no
sudden or large jumps, and fan speed during
startup must not exceed 50% of its maximum
● Transient inputs: Report time-history sound
pressure levels re AC0159 “Train of Step
Functions on Processor”
Any Other ● No rattles, squeaks, or unexpected noises
● Sound should be “even” around the EUT (one side should not be dramatically louder
than another)
● Unless otherwise specified, the “default” thermal-related settings shall be selected for
BIOS and iDRAC.
● Specific operating conditions are defined in “Configurations and Configuration
Dependencies” for each platform.
Sound Pressure LpA-reported, Report for all Report for all Report for all Report for all mics
dBA, re AC0158 mics mics mics
and program
configuration
document

Category 3: General Use Space

Power, thermal, and acoustics 43

When Dell determines that a specific Enterprise product is to be predominantly used in a general use space, then the acoustical
specification of the table below applies. These products could be found in laboratories, schools, restaurants, open office space
layouts, small ventilated closets, etc., though not in close proximity to any particular person nor in quantities greater than a few
in any location. People within proximity of a few of these products should not experience any impact to speech intelligibility or
annoyance from the noise of the product. A rack product sitting on a table in a common area is an example.

Table 31. Dell Enterprise Category 3, “General Use” acoustical specification category
Measurement Metric, re Test Modes, re AC0159 (note must be in steady state, see AC0159, except where
Position re AC0159 noted below)
AC0158
Standby in Idle in 23±2° C Operating in Simulate (that is, set air mover
23±2° C Ambient 23±2° C speeds representative) for Idle
Ambient Ambient – if at 28° C & 35° C Ambient
not otherwise and for 100% loading and
specified in maximum configuration, at 35°
the program’s C Ambient
configuration
document,
then processor
and hard drive
operating
modes are
required
Sound Power LWA,m, B ≤ 5.2 ≤ 5.5 ≤ 5.8 Report
Sound Quality Tones, Hz, dB No prominent tones per criteria D.10.6 and D.10.8 of Report tones
(both positions ECMA-74
must meet
limits): Front Tonality, tu ≤ 0.35 ≤ 0.35 ≤ 0.35 Report
Binaural HEAD Dell Modulation, ≤ 40 ≤ 40 ≤ 40 Report
and Rear %
Microphone
Loudness, sones Report Report Report Report
LpA-single Report Report Report Report
point, dBA
Front Binaural Transients ● Oscillation (see AC0159), if observed, during 20- N/A
HEAD minute steady-state observation, must adhere to
the following two criteria:
○ Max. {ΔLpA} < 3.0 dB
○ Event count < 3 for “1.5 dB < ΔLpA < 3.0 dB”
● Report Acoustical Jump (see AC0159) during air
mover speed transition from Idle to Operating
Mode.
● Startup behavior
○ Report Startup behavior re. AC0159
○ Startup must proceed smoothly, that is, no
sudden or large jumps, and air mover speed
during startup must not exceed 50% of its
maximum
● Transient inputs: Report time-history sound
pressure levels re AC0159 “Train of Step
Functions on Processor”
Any Other No rattles, squeaks, or unexpected noises

Sound should be “even” around the EUT (one side should not be dramatically louder than
another)

Unless otherwise specified, the “default” thermal-related settings shall be selected for
BIOS and iDRAC.

Specific operating conditions will be defined in “Configurations & Configuration

Dependencies” for each platform.

44 Power, thermal, and acoustics

Table 31. Dell Enterprise Category 3, “General Use” acoustical specification category (continued)
Measurement Metric, re Test Modes, re AC0159 (note must be in steady state, see AC0159, except where
Position re AC0159 noted below)
AC0158
Standby in Idle in 23±2° C Operating in Simulate (that is, set air mover
23±2° C Ambient 23±2° C speeds representative) for Idle
Ambient Ambient – if at 28° C & 35° C Ambient
not otherwise and for 100% loading and
specified in maximum configuration, at 35°
the program’s C Ambient
configuration
document,
then processor
and hard drive
operating
modes are
required
Sound Pressure LpA-reported, Report for all Report for all Report for all Report for all mics
dBA, re AC0158 mics mics mics
and program
configuration
document

Category 4: Attended Data Center

When Dell determines that a specific Enterprise product is to be predominantly used in an attended data center, then the
acoustical specification of the table applies. The phrase “attended data center” is used to mean a space in which many (from
tens to 1000s) of Enterprise products are deployed in proximity (that is, in the same room) to personnel whose speech (perhaps
with raised voices) is expected to be intelligible over the data center noise. Hearing protection or hearing monitoring programs
are not expected in these areas. Examples in this category include monolithic rack products. When Dell determines that a
specific Enterprise product is to be predominantly used in a general use space, then the acoustical specification of the above
table applies. These products could be found in laboratories, schools, restaurants, open office space layouts, small ventilated
closets, etc., though not in close proximity to any particular person nor in quantities greater than a few in any location. People
within proximity of a few of these products should not experience any impact to speech intelligibility or annoyance from the
noise of the product. A rack product sitting on a table in a common area is an example.

Table 32. Dell Enterprise Category 4, “Attended Data Center” acoustical specification category.
Measurement Metric, re Test Modes, re AC0159 (note must be in steady state, see Simulate (that
Position re AC0159 AC0159, except where noted below) is, set fan
AC0158 speeds
Standby in Idle in 23±2° C Operating in Simulate (that representative
23±2° C Ambient 23±2° C is, set fan ) for 100%
Ambient Ambient – if speeds loading and
not otherwise representative maximum
specified in ) for Idle at configuration,
the program’s 28° C & 35° C at 35° C
configuration Ambient Ambient
document,
then processor
and hard drive
operating
modes are
required
Sound Power LWA,m, B Report ≤ 6.9 ≤ 7.1 Report ≤ 8.5
Front Binaural Tones, Hz, dB Report < 15 dB < 15 dB Report < 20 dB
HEAD
Tonality, tu Report Report Report Report Report
Dell Modulation, Report Report Report Report Report
%
Loudness, sones Report Report Report Report Report
LpA-single Report Report Report Report Report
point, dBA

Power, thermal, and acoustics 45

Table 32. Dell Enterprise Category 4, “Attended Data Center” acoustical specification
category. (continued)
Measurement Metric, re Test Modes, re AC0159 (note must be in steady state, see Simulate (that
Position re AC0159 AC0159, except where noted below) is, set fan
AC0158 speeds
Standby in Idle in 23±2° C Operating in Simulate (that representative
23±2° C Ambient 23±2° C is, set fan ) for 100%
Ambient Ambient – if speeds loading and
not otherwise representative maximum
specified in ) for Idle at configuration,
the program’s 28° C & 35° C at 35° C
configuration Ambient Ambient
document,
then processor
and hard drive
operating
modes are
required
Transients ● Oscillation (see AC0159), if observed, during 20- N/A
minute steady-state observation, must adhere to
the following two criteria:
○ Max. {ΔLpA} < 3.0 dB
○ Event count < 3 for “1.5 dB < ΔLpA < 3.0 dB”
○ Acoustical Jump (see AC0159), during air
mover speed transition from Idle to Operating
Mode must be ≤ 15 dB.
○ Startup behavior
￭ Report Startup behavior re. AC0159
￭ Startup must proceed smoothly, that is,
no sudden or large jumps, and fan speed
during startup must not exceed 50% of its
maximum
∞ Transient inputs: Report time-history sound
pressure levels re AC0159 “Train of Step
Functions on Processor”

Any Other No rattles, squeaks, or unexpected noises

Sound should be “even” around the EUT (one side should not be dramatically louder than
another)
Unless otherwise specified, the “default” thermal-related settings shall be selected for
BIOS and iDRAC.

Specific operating conditions will be defined in “Configurations & Configuration

Dependencies” for each platform.

Sound Pressure LpA-reported, Report for all Report for all Report for all Report for all Report for all
dBA mics mics mics mics mics

Category 5: Unattended Data Center

When Dell determines that a specific Enterprise product is to be predominantly used in an unattended data center (and not
blades or blade enclosures; these have their own category), then the acoustical specification in the table below applies. The
phrase “unattended data center” is used to mean a space in which many (from tens to 1000s) of Enterprise products are
deployed together, its own heating and cooling systems condition the space, and operators or servicers of equipment enter
generally only to deploy, service, or decommission equipment. Hearing protection or hearing monitoring programs may be
expected (per government or company guidelines) in these areas. Examples in this category include monolithic rack products.

46 Power, thermal, and acoustics

Table 33. Dell Enterprise Category 5, “Unattended Data Center” acoustical specification category
Measuremen Metric, re Test Modes, re AC0159 (note must be in steady state, see AC0159, Simulate (that
t Position re AC0159 except where noted below) is, set air
AC0158 mover speeds
Standby in Idle in 23±2° Operating in Simulate (that is, representative
23±2° C C Ambient 23±2° C set air mover speeds ) for 100%
Ambient Ambient – if representative) for Idle at loading and
not 28° C & 35° C Ambient maximum
otherwise configuration,
specified in at 35° C
the Ambient
program’s
configuratio
n document,
then
processor
and hard
drive
operating
modes are
required
Sound Power LWA,m, B Report ≤ 7.5 ≤ 7.7 Report ≤ 8.7
Front Binaural Tones, Hz, dB Report < 15 dB < 15 dB Report < 20 dB
HEAD
Tonality, tu Report Report Report Report Report
Dell Report Report Report Report Report
Modulation,
%
Loudness, Report Report Report Report Report
sones
LpA-single Report Report Report Report Report
point, dBA
Front Binaural Transients ● Oscillation (see AC0159), if N/A
HEAD observed, during 20-minute steady-state
observation, must adhere to the following
two criteria:
○ Max. {ΔLpA} < 3.0 dB
○ Event count < 3 for “1.5 dB < ΔLpA <
3.0 dB”
● Report Acoustical Jump (see AC0159)
during air mover speed transition from
Idle to Operating Mode.
● Startup behavior
○ Report Startup behavior re. AC0159
○ Startup must proceed smoothly, that
is, no sudden or large jumps, and air
mover speed during startup must not
exceed 50% of its maximum
● Transient inputs: Report time-history
sound pressure levels re AC0159 “Train of
Step Functions on Processor”
Any Other No rattles, squeaks, or unexpected noises

Sound should be “even” around the EUT (one side should not be dramatically louder than
another)

Unless otherwise specified, the “default” thermal-related settings shall be selected for BIOS
and iDRAC.

Specific operating conditions will be defined in “Configurations & Configuration Dependencies”

for each platform.

Power, thermal, and acoustics 47

Table 33. Dell Enterprise Category 5, “Unattended Data Center” acoustical specification
category (continued)
Measuremen Metric, re Test Modes, re AC0159 (note must be in steady state, see AC0159, Simulate (that
t Position re AC0159 except where noted below) is, set air
AC0158 mover speeds
Standby in Idle in 23±2° Operating in Simulate (that is, representative
23±2° C C Ambient 23±2° C set air mover speeds ) for 100%
Ambient Ambient – if representative) for Idle at loading and
not 28° C & 35° C Ambient maximum
otherwise configuration,
specified in at 35° C
the Ambient
program’s
configuratio
n document,
then
processor
and hard
drive
operating
modes are
required
Sound LpA-reported, Report for all Report for all Report for all Report for all mics Report for all
Pressure dBA, re mics mics mics mics
AC0158 and
program
configuration
document

Acoustical performance
Dell EMC PowerEdge T550 is a tower server appropriate for attended data center environment. However, lower acoustical
output is attainable with proper hardware or software configurations.

Table 34. Hardware and software configurations for lower acoustical output
Configuration Minimum Basic Mainstream Feature Rich Hilltop
Processor Type Intel Xeon Scalable Intel Xeon Scalable Intel Xeon Scalable Intel Xeon Scalable Intel Xeon Scalable
processor processor processor processor processor
Processor TDP 105 W / 10C 120 W / 12C 150 W / 24C 185 W / 32C 205 W /32C
Processor Quantity 1 1 1 2 2
RDIMM Memory 8 GB DDR4 16 GB DDR4 16 GB DDR4 32 GB DDR4 32 GB DDR4
Memory Quantity 1 2 4 8 16
Backplane Type 8 x 3.5-inch BP 8 x 3.5-inch BP 8 x 2.5-inch BP 8 x 2.5-inch BP + 8 8 x 2.5-inch BP + 8
x 2.5-inch BP x 2.5-inch BP
HDD Type 3.5-inch 7.2K RPM 3.5-inch 7.2K RPM 2.5-inch 10K RPM 2.5-inch 10K RPM 2.5-inch 10K RPM
SATA NL-SAS SAS SAS SAS
HDD Quantity 2 4 8 16 16
PSU Type 800 W 800 W 1400 W 1400 W 2400 W
PSU Quantity 1 2 2 2 2
BOSS N/A BOSS 1.5 BOSS 1.5 BOSS 1.5 BOSS 1.5
OCP N/A N/A N/A Dual Port 10GbE Dual Port 25GbE
PCI 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A 300 W DW GPU
PCI 2 N/A N/A N/A N/A 300 W DW GPU

48 Power, thermal, and acoustics

Table 34. Hardware and software configurations for lower acoustical output (continued)
Configuration Minimum Basic Mainstream Feature Rich Hilltop
PCI 3 N/A N/A Dual Port 10GbE N/A N/A
NIC
Front PERC PERC H345, H355 PERC H745P PERC H745P PERC H745P PERC H745P
LOM Card 1 Gb 1 Gb 1 Gb 1 Gb 1 Gb

Table 35. Acoustical performance of T550 acoustical configurations

Configuration Minimum Basic Mainstream Feature Rich Hilltop
Acoustical Performance: Idle/ Operating @ 25 °C Ambient
L wA,m (B) Idle 4.3 4.4 4.8 4.9 5.7
Operating 4.4 4.7 4.9 5.3 8.6
K v (B) Idle 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4
Operating 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4
L pA,m (dB) Idle 35 36 40 41 43
Operating 36 41 41 45 72
Prominent tones No prominent tones in Idle and Operating
Acoustical Performance: Idle @ 28 °C Ambient
L wA,m (B) 5 5 5.1 5.3 6.1
K v (B) 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4
L pA,m (dB) 42 42 43 45 47
Acoustical Performance: Max. Loading @ 35 °C Ambient
L wA,m (B) 6.2 6.4 7.4 6.1 8.6
K v (B) 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4
L pA,m (dB) 59 61 71 58 72

LwA,m: The declared mean A-weighted sound power level (LwA) is calculated per section 5.2 of ISO 9296 (2017) with data
collected using the methods described in ISO 7779 (2010). Data presented here may not be fully compliant with ISO 7779.
LpA,m: The declared mean A-weighted emission sound pressure level is at the bystander position per section 5.3 of ISO 9296
(2017) and measured using methods described in ISO 7779 (2010). The system is placed on standard test table and in a 24U
rack enclosure, 25cm above a reflective floor. Data presented here may not be fully compliant with ISO 7779.
Prominent tones: Criteria of D.6 and D.11 of ECMA-74 (17th ed., Dec. 2019) are followed to determine if discrete tones are
prominent and to report them, if so.
Idle mode: The steady-state condition in which the server is energized but not operating any intended function.
Operating mode: The maximum of the steady state acoustical output at 50% of CPU TDP or active HDDs or 100% of GPUper
C.9.3.2 in ECMA-74 (17th ed., Dec. 2019).

PowerEdge T550 acoustical dependencies

Some product features impact acoustical server output more than others. The following features are considered strong drivers
of acoustical response, thus configurations or operating conditions that include these features may increase air mover speed and
acoustical output of the server:
● Ambient temperature: Dell EMC evaluates the acoustical performance of servers in a 23±2°C environment. Ambient
temperatures in excess of 25°C will have higher acoustical output and may experience larger fluctuations between state
changes.
● Processor thermal design power (TDP): higher wattage processors may require more airflow to cool under load and thus
increase the potential acoustical output of the system.

Power, thermal, and acoustics 49

● Storage type: NVME SSD consumes more power than SAS/SATA drives, and will pre-heat down-stream components (e.g.,
Processor, DIMM), and hence requires higher fan speeds and hence higher acoustical outputs.
● System thermal profile selection in BIOS or iDRAC GUI:
○ Default Thermal Profile, generally provides a lower air mover speed thus lower acoustical output than those of other
thermal profiles.
○ Maximum Performance (Performance Optimized) will result in higher acoustical output
○ Sound Cap, for products that support the feature, will limit the maximum acoustical output of the system by sacrificing
some processor performance.
● PCIe cards: When 25Gb NIC card or GPU card ≥ 75W is installed, the acoustical outputs will be higher in both idle and
operating conditions.

Methods to reduce acoustical output of the T550

Although the T550 is designed for use in data centers, some users may prefer to use it in a quieter setting. The following is a list
of means to do so.
NOTE: Usually, the idle air mover speed of the system cannot be lowered without changing the configuration of the
system, and in some cases, even a configuration change may not reduce idle air mover speeds.
● Reduce ambient temperature: Lowering the ambient temperature allows the system to cool components more efficiently
than at higher ambient temperatures.
● Set target in Third-party PCIe card options: Dell EMC provides airflow customization for third-party PCIe adapters that
are installed in PowerEdge platforms. If automatic cooling response is above desired levels (LFM) based on the card
specifications, a different LFM target can be set using PCIe Airflow Settings options in iDRAC UI.
● Replace third-party PCI cards with similar Dell supported temperature-controlled cards, if available. Dell EMC works diligently
with card vendors to validate and develop PCI cards to meet Dell EMC’s exacting standards for thermal performance.

50 Power, thermal, and acoustics

 9
Supported Operating Systems
The PowerEdge T550 system supports the following operating systems:
● Canonical® Ubuntu® Server LTS
● Citrix® Hypervisor®
● Microsoft® Windows Server® with Hyper-V
● Red Hat® Enterprise Linux
● SUSE® Linux Enterprise server
● VMware® ESXi®
Links to specific OS versions and editions, certification matrices, Hardware Compatibility Lists (HCL) portal, and Hypervisor
support are available at Dell EMC Enterprise Operating Systems.

Supported Operating Systems 51

 10
Dell EMC OpenManage systems management

Figure 15. Dell EMC OpenManage Portfolio

Dell EMC delivers management solutions that help IT Administrators effectively deploy, update, monitor, and manage IT assets.
OpenManage solutions and tools enable you to quickly respond to problems by helping them to manage Dell EMC servers
effectively and efficiently; in physical, virtual, local, and remote environments, operating in-band, and out-of-band (agent-free).
The OpenManage portfolio includes innovative embedded management tools such as the integrated Dell Remote Access
Controller (iDRAC), Chassis Management Controller and Consoles like OpenManage Enterprise, OpenManage Power Manager
plug in, and tools like Repository Manager.
Dell EMC has developed comprehensive systems management solutions based on open standards and has integrated with
management consoles that can perform advanced management of Dell hardware. Dell EMC has connected or integrated the
advanced management capabilities of Dell hardware into offerings from the industry's top systems management vendors and
frameworks such as Ansible, thus making Dell EMC platforms easy to deploy, update, monitor, and manage.
The key tools for managing Dell EMC PowerEdge servers are iDRAC and the one-to-many OpenManage Enterprise console.
OpenManage Enterprise helps the system administrators in complete lifecycle management of multiple generations of
PowerEdge servers. Other tools such as Repository Manager, which enables simple yet comprehensive change management.
OpenManage tools integrate with systems management framework from other vendors such as VMware, Microsoft, Ansible, and
ServiceNow. This enables you to use the skills of the IT staff to efficiently manage Dell EMC PowerEdge servers.
Topics:
• Server and Chassis Managers
• Dell EMC consoles
• Automation Enablers
• Integration with third-party consoles
• Connections for third-party consoles
• Dell EMC Update Utilities
• Dell resources

52 Dell EMC OpenManage systems management

Server and Chassis Managers
● Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC)
● iDRAC Service Module (iSM)

Dell EMC consoles

● Dell EMC OpenManage Enterprise
● Dell EMC Repository Manager (DRM)
● Dell EMC OpenManage Enterprise Power Manager plugin to OpenManage Enterprise
● Dell EMC OpenManage Mobile (OMM)

Automation Enablers
● OpenManage Ansible Modules
● iDRAC RESTful APIs (Redfish)
● Standards-based APIs (Python, PowerShell)
● RACADM Command Line Interface (CLI)
● GitHub Scripting Libraries

Integration with third-party consoles

● Dell EMC OpenManage Integrations with Microsoft System Center
● Dell EMC OpenManage Integration for VMware vCenter (OMIVV)
● Dell EMC OpenManage Ansible Modules
● Dell EMC OpenManage Integration with ServiceNow

Connections for third-party consoles

● Micro Focus and other HPE tools
● OpenManage Connection for IBM Tivoli
● OpenManage Plug-in for Nagios Core and XI

Dell EMC Update Utilities

● Dell System Update (DSU)
● Dell EMC Repository Manager (DRM)
● Dell EMC Update Packages (DUP)
● Dell EMC Server Update Utility (SUU)
● Dell EMC Platform Specific Bootable ISO (PSBI)

Dell resources
For additional information about white papers, videos, blogs, forums, technical material, tools, usage examples, and other
information, go to the OpenManage page at https://www.dell.com/openmanagemanuals or the following product pages:

Dell EMC OpenManage systems management 53

Table 36. Dell resources
Resource Location
Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) https://www.dell.com/idracmanuals
iDRAC Service Module (iSM) https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/000178050/
OpenManage Ansible Modules https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/000177308/
OpenManage Essentials (OME) https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/000175879/
OpenManage Mobile (OMM) https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/000176046
OpenManage Integration for VMware vCenter (OMIVV) https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/000176981/
OpenManage Integration for Microsoft System Center https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/000147399
(OMIMSSC)
Dell EMC Repository Manager (DRM) https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/000177083
Dell EMC System Update (DSU) https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/000130590
Dell EMC Platform Specific Bootable ISO (PSBI) Dell.com/support/article/sln296511
Dell EMC Chassis Management Controller (CMC) www.dell.com/support/article/sln311283
OpenManage Connections for Partner Consoles https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/000146912
OpenManage Enterprise Power Manager https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/000176254
OpenManage Integration with ServiceNow (OMISNOW) Dell.com/support/article/sln317784

NOTE: Features may vary by server. Please refer to the product page on https://www.dell.com/manuals for details.

54 Dell EMC OpenManage systems management

 11
Appendix A. Additional specifications
Topics:
• Chassis dimensions
• System weight
• Video specifications
• USB ports specifications
• Environmental specifications

Chassis dimensions

Figure 16. Chassis dimensions

Appendix A. Additional specifications 55

Table 37. Chassis dimension for the system
Drives A B C D E (with Bezel)
24 x 2.5-inch / 8 x 446.0 mm (17.60 inches) 459.0 mm 200.0 mm (7.87 663.5 mm (26.12 680.5 mm (26.79
3.5-inch + 8 x 2.5- (18.07 inches) inches) inches) inches)
inch NVMe

NOTE: Zb is the nominal rear wall external surface where the system board I/O connectors reside.

System weight
Table 38. System weight of the PowerEdge T550 system
System configuration Maximum weight (with all drives/SSDs)
8 x 3.5-inch + 8 x 2.5-inch NVMe 44.48 kg (98.06 pound)
24 x 2.5-inch SAS/SATA 44.1 kg (97.22 pound)

Video specifications
The system supports integrated Matrox G200 graphics controller with 16 MB of video frame buffer.

Table 39. Supported rear video resolution options for the system
Resolution Refresh rate (Hz) Color depth (bits)
1024 x 768 60 8, 16, 32
1280 x 800 60 8, 16, 32
1280 x 1024 60 8, 16, 32
1360 x 768 60 8, 16, 32
1440 x 900 60 8, 16, 32
1600 x 900 60 8, 16, 32
1600 x 1200 60 8, 16, 32
1680 x 1050 60 8, 16, 32
1920 x 1080 60 8, 16, 32
1920 x 1200 60 8, 16, 32

USB ports specifications

Table 40. USB specifications
Front Rear
USB port type No. of ports USB port type No. of ports
USB 2.0-compliant port One USB 3.0-compliant port One
USB 3.0-compliant port One USB 2.0-compliant port One
iDRAC Direct port (Micro- One
AB USB 2.0-compliant port)

NOTE: The front micro USB 2.0 compliant port is only available for the upsell configuration.

56 Appendix A. Additional specifications

 NOTE: The micro USB 2.0 compliant port can only be used as an iDRAC Direct or a management port.

NOTE: The USB 2.0 specifications provide a 5 V supply on a single wire to power connected USB devices. A unit load is
defined as 100 mA in USB 2.0, and 150 mA in USB 3.0. A device may draw a maximum of 5 unit loads (500 mA) from a port
in USB 2.0; 6 (900 mA) in USB 3.0.

NOTE: The USB 2.0 interface can provide power to low-power peripherals but must adhere to USB specification. An
external power source is required for higher-power peripherals to function, such as external CD/DVD Drives.

Environmental specifications
NOTE: For additional information about environmental certifications, refer to the Product Environmental Datasheet located
with the Manuals & Documents on www.dell.com/support/home.

Table 41. Operational climatic range category A2

Temperature Specifications
Allowable continuous operations
Temperature ranges for altitudes <= 900 m (<= 10–35°C (50–95°F) with no direct sunlight on the equipment
2953 ft)
Humidity percent ranges (non-condensing at all 8% RH with -12°C minimum dew point to 80% RH with 21°C (69.8°F)
times) maximum dew point
Operational altitude de-rating Maximum temperature is reduced by 1°C/300 m (33.8°F/984 Ft) above
900 m (2953 Ft)

Table 42. Operational climatic range category A3

Temperature Specifications
Allowable continuous operations
Temperature ranges for altitudes <= 900 m (<= 5–40°C (41–104°F) with no direct sunlight on the equipment
2953 ft)
Humidity percent ranges (non-condensing at all 8% RH with -12°C minimum dew point to 80% RH with 24°C (75.2°F)
times) maximum dew point
Operational altitude de-rating Maximum temperature is reduced by 1°C/175 m (1.8°F/574 Ft) above 900
m (2953 Ft)

Table 43. Operational climatic range category A4

Temperature Specifications
Allowable continuous operations
Temperature ranges for altitudes <= 900 m (<= 5–45°C (41–113°F) with no direct sunlight on the equipment
2953 ft)
Humidity percent ranges (non-condensing at all 8% RH with -12°C minimum dew point to 80% RH with 24°C (75.2°F)
times) maximum dew point
Operational altitude de-rating Maximum temperature is reduced by 1°C/125 m (1.8°F/410 Ft) above 900
m (2953 Ft)

NOTE: Certain system hardware configurations may require operating temperatures to be less than 28°C. For more
information, see the Thermal air restrictions section.

Table 44. Shared requirements across all categories

Temperature Specifications
Allowable continuous operations

Appendix A. Additional specifications 57

Table 44. Shared requirements across all categories (continued)
Temperature Specifications
Maximum temperature gradient (applies to both 20°C in an hour* (36°F in an hour) and 5°C in 15 minutes (41°F in 15
operation and non-operation) minutes), 5°C in an hour* (41°F in an hour) for tape
NOTE: * - Per ASHRAE thermal guidelines for tape hardware, these are
not instantaneous rates of temperature change.

Non-operational temperature limits -40 to 65°C (-104 to 149°F)

Non-operational humidity limits 5% to 95% RH with 27°C (80.6°F) maximum dew point
Maximum non-operational altitude 12,000 meters (39,370 feet)
Maximum operational altitude 3,048 meters (10,000 feet)

Table 45. Maximum vibration specifications

Maximum vibration Specifications
Operating 0.21 G rms at 5 Hz to 500 Hz (all operation orientations)
Storage 1.88 G rms at 10 Hz to 500 Hz for 15 minutes (all six sides tested)

Table 46. Maximum shock pulse specifications

Maximum shock pulse Specifications
Operating Six consecutively executed shock pulses in the positive and negative x, y,
and z axis of 6 G for up to 11 ms.
Storage Six consecutively executed shock pulses in the positive and negative x, y,
and z axis (one pulse on each side of the system) of 71 G for up to 2 ms.

Thermal restriction matrix

58 Appendix A. Additional specifications

 Table 47. Thermal restriction matrix
Drive Processo Fans CPU Fan CPU HSK GPU support TBU CPU blank Fan blank Note GPU riser
Configuratio r TDP redundan suppo configurati
n cy TDP>150 TDP<=15 GPU<=7 GPU>7 rt on
W 0W 5W 5W
8 x 3.5 1 STD <=185 No, upsell HPR HSK STD HSK No No No Yes Yes at Fan Fan 1/3/4 Riser 0, 1
x3 option to 2 location
STDx6
1 STD <=220 Yes No No No Yes Fan 1/3/4/5/7/8 Riser 0, 1
x6
1 HPR <=220 No, upsell Yes No No Yes Fan 1/3/4 No
x3 option to
HPRx6
1 HPR <=220 Yes Yes/No No Yes Yes Fan 1/3/4/7/8 No
x5* (GPU riser 1 and
2 not supported)
1 HPR <=220 Yes Yes Yes No Yes Fan 1/3/4/5/7/8 Yes
x6
2 STD <=185 No, upsell No No No No No NA Riser 0, 1
x4 option to
STDx8
2 STD <=220 Yes No No No No NA Riser 0, 1
x8
2 HPR <=220 No, upsell Yes No No No NA No
x4 option to
Appendix A. Additional specifications

HPRx8
2 HPR <=220 TBD Yes/No No Yes No Fan No
x7* 1/2/3/4/6/7/8
NOTE: GPU
riser 1 and 2
not
supported

2 HPR <=220 Yes Yes Yes No No NA Yes

x8

8 x 2.5 1 or 2 STD <=185 No, upsell HPR HSK STD HSK No No No Yes for 1 No NA Riser 0, 1
16 x 2.5 x4 option to processor
24 x 2.5 STDx8
1 or 2 STD <=220 Yes No No No NA Riser 0, 1
x8
59
 Table 47. Thermal restriction matrix (continued)
60

Drive Processo Fans CPU Fan CPU HSK GPU support TBU CPU blank Fan blank Note GPU riser
Configuratio r TDP redundan suppo configurati
Appendix A. Additional specifications

n cy TDP>150 TDP<=15 GPU<=7 GPU>7 rt on

W 0W 5W 5W
1 or 2 HPR <=220 No, upsell Yes No No NA No
x4 option to
STDx8
1 or 2 HPR <=220 Yes Yes/No No Yes Fan No
x7* 1/2/3/4/6/7/8
NOTE: GPU
riser 1 and 2
not
supported

1 or 2 HPR <=220 Yes Yes Yes No NA Yes

x8
8 x 3.5 + 8 x 1 or 2 HPR <=220 No, upsell HPR HSK STD HSK Yes No No Yes for 1 No NA No or Riser
2.5 (NVMe) x4 option to processor 0, 1, 2
HPRx8
1 or 2 HPR <=220 Yes Yes/No No Yes Fan No
x7* 1/2/3/4/6/7/8
NOTE: GPU
riser 1 and 2
not
supported

1 or 2 HPR <=220 Yes Yes Yes No NA Yes

x8
 NOTE: OCP shroud are required for all drive configurations, even if the OCP card is not installed.

NOTE: DIMM blanks are required for CPU TDP>185 W, but are not required for CPU TDP<=185 W.

NOTE: GPU blank is required at GPU riser slot 2, when a GPU>75 W is installed at GPU riser slot 1.

NOTE: HDD blanks are required for empty HDD slots.

NOTE: *x5 and x7 fan count is applicable only for TBU configuration. Systems without TBU should not use x5 and x7 fan
counts. For TBU configuration, ambient temperature is < 35C.

NOTE: When GPU is selected, HPR fan must be required.

NOTE: GPU>75W must require fan redundancy (Fan quantity = 6 or 8).

NOTE: GPU>75 W does not support TBU.

NOTE: STD fans can also be upgraded to HPR fans.

Thermal matrix for all configurations

Table 48. Thermal matrix for all configurations
- 8x, 16x, 24x 2.5-inch SAS/SATA 8x 3.5-inch Configuration 2 8x 3.5-inch + 8x
Configuration 1 2.5-inch NVMe
Configuration 3
Fan STDx4 STDx8 HPRx4 HPRx7 STDx3 STDx6 HPRx3 HPRx5 HPRx4 HPRx7
x8 x4 x8 x4 x6 x7 x8 x8
Fan redundancy No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
Maximum DIMM 12 W 12 W 12 W 12 W 12 W 12 W 12 W 12 W 12 W 12 W
power
STD STD STD STD STD STD STD STD STD STD
105 W
HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK
120 W STD STD STD STD STD STD STD STD STD STD
HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK
125 W STD STD STD STD STD STD STD STD STD STD
HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK
135 W STD STD STD STD STD STD STD STD STD STD
HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK
150 W STD STD STD STD STD STD STD STD STD STD
CPU HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK
TDP
165 W HPR HPR HPR HPR HPR HPR HPR HPR HPR HPR
HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK
185 W HPR HPR HPR HPR HPR HPR HPR HPR HPR HPR
HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK
205 W Not HPR HPR HPR Not HPR HPR HPR HPR HPR
supporte HSK HSK HSK supporte HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK
d d
220 W Not HPR HPR HPR Not HPR HPR HPR HPR HPR
supporte HSK HSK HSK supporte HSK HSK HSK HSK HSK
d d

Appendix A. Additional specifications 61

Particulate and gaseous contamination specifications
The following table defines the limitations that help avoid any damages to the IT equipment and/or, or both failure from
particulate and gaseous contamination. If the levels of particulate or gaseous pollution exceed the specified limitations and
results in equipment damage or failure, you must rectify the environmental conditions. Remediation of environmental conditions
is the responsibility of the customer.

Table 49. Particulate contamination specifications

Particulate contamination Specifications
Air filtration Data center air filtration as defined by ISO Class 8 per ISO
14644-1 with a 95% upper confidence limit.
NOTE: This condition applies to data center environments
only. Air filtration requirements do not apply to IT
equipment designed to be used outside a data center, in
environments such as an office or factory floor.
NOTE: Air entering the data center must have MERV11 or
MERV13 filtration.

Conductive dust Air must be free of conductive dust, zinc whiskers, or other
conductive particles.
NOTE: This condition applies to data center and non-data
center environments.

Corrosive dust ● Air must be free of corrosive dust.

● Residual dust present in the air must have a deliquescent
point less than 60% relative humidity.
NOTE: This condition applies to data center and non-data
center environments.

Table 50. Gaseous contamination specifications

Gaseous contamination Specifications
Copper Coupon Corrosion rate <300 Å/month per Class G1 as defined by ANSI/
ISA71.04-2013
Silver Coupon Corrosion rate <200 Å/month as defined by ANSI/ISA71.04-2013

NOTE: Maximum corrosive contaminant levels measured at ≤50% relative humidity.

Thermal air restrictions

Thermal air restrictions for different configurations

Table 51. 8 x 3.5-inch drive configuration
Standard Operating Support Extended ambient 40° C Operating Extended ambient 45° C Operating
(ASHRAE A2 compliant) Support (ASHRAE A3 compliant) Support (ASHRAE A4 compliant)
NOTE: All options supported unless
otherwise noted.

● 3x or 4x STD fans support only ● 3x or 4x STD fans configurations not ● STD fans configurations are not
processor with TDP<=185W supported. supported.
● With STD fans, the following OCP ● 6x or 8x STD fans configurations ● 3x or 4x HPR fans configurations
3.0 and NIC support only optic cable with processor TDP > 120 W is not with CPU TDP > 165 W are not
with thermal spec 85C and power supported. supported.
<=1.2 W ● TBU not supported. ● TBU not supported.

62 Appendix A. Additional specifications

Table 51. 8 x 3.5-inch drive configuration
Standard Operating Support Extended ambient 40° C Operating Extended ambient 45° C Operating
(ASHRAE A2 compliant) Support (ASHRAE A3 compliant) Support (ASHRAE A4 compliant)
NOTE: All options supported unless
otherwise noted.

○ Broadcom OCP 3.0 QP 25G ● Non-Dell qualified peripheral cards ● BOSS M.2 module not supported.
SFP28 and Channel devices (FW) cards not ● Non-Dell qualified peripheral cards
○ Broadcom PCIe QP 25G supported. and Channel devices (FW) cards are
○ NVIDIA CX6-LX PCIe Dual Port ● NIC consuming power >= 25 W not not supported.
25G SFP28 at slot 6 supported. For example: CX6 card. ● NIC consuming power >= 25 W. For
● OCP transfer rate > 25G or cooling example: CX6 card.
tier>10 is not supported. ● OCP transfer rate >25G or cooling
● Optic cable with spec 85C is tier > 10 not supported.
required. ● Optic cable with spec 85C is
● Two PSUs are required. System required.
performance may be reduced in the ● Two PSUs are required. System
event of a PSU failure. performance may be reduced in the
event of a PSU failure.

Table 52. 8 x 2.5-inch, 16 x 2.5-inch, 24 x 2.5-inch drive configuration

Standard Operating Support Extended ambient 40° C Operating Extended ambient 45° C Operating
(ASHRAE A2 compliant) Support (ASHRAE A3 compliant) Support (ASHRAE A4 compliant)
● 4x STD fans support only processor ● 4x STD fans configurations not ● STD fans configurations are not
with TDP<=185W supported. supported.
● With STD fans, the following OCP ● 8x STD fans configurations with CPU ● 4x HPR fans configurations with
3.0 and NIC support only optic cable TDP > 120 W is not supported. processor TDP > 165 W are not
with thermal Spec 85C and power ● TBU not supported. supported.
<=1.2 W ● Non-Dell qualified peripheral cards ● TBU not supported.
○ Broadcom OCP 3.0 QP 25G and Channel devices (FW) cards are ● BOSS M.2 module is not supported.
SFP28 not supported. ● Non-Dell qualified peripheral cards
○ Broadcom PCIe QP 25G ● NIC consuming power >= 25 W not and Channel devices (FW) cards are
○ NVIDIA CX6-LX PCIe Dual Port supported. For example: CX6 card. not supported.
25G SFP28 at slot 6 ● OCP transfer rate > 25G or cooling ● NIC consuming power >= 25 W. For
tier > 10 not supported. example: CX6 card.
● Optic cable with spec 85C is ● OCP transfer rate >25G or cooling
required. tier > 10 not supported.
● Two PSUs are required. System ● Optic cable with spec 85C is
performance may be reduced in the required.
event of a PSU failure. ● Two PSUs are required. System
performance may be reduced in the
event of a PSU failure.

Table 53. 8 x 3.5-inch x 8 x NVMe drive configuration

Standard Operating Support Extended ambient 40° C Operating Extended ambient 45° C Operating
(ASHRAE A2 compliant) Support (ASHRAE A3 compliant) Support (ASHRAE A4 compliant)
HPR fans are required. ● TBU not supported. ● 4x HPR fans configurations with CPU
● Non-Dell qualified peripheral cards TDP > 165 W are not supported.
and Channel devices (FW) cards are ● TBU not supported.
not supported. ● BOSS M.2 module is not supported.
● NIC consuming power >= 25 W not ● Non-Dell qualified peripheral cards
supported. For example: CX6 card. and Channel devices (FW) cards are
● OCP transfer rate > 25G or cooling not supported.
tier > 10 not supported. ● NIC consuming power >= 25 W. For
● Optic cable with spec 85C is example: CX6 card.
required. ● OCP transfer rate >25G or cooling
tier > 10 not supported.

Appendix A. Additional specifications 63

Table 53. 8 x 3.5-inch x 8 x NVMe drive configuration
Standard Operating Support Extended ambient 40° C Operating Extended ambient 45° C Operating
(ASHRAE A2 compliant) Support (ASHRAE A3 compliant) Support (ASHRAE A4 compliant)
● Two PSUs are required. System ● Optic cable with spec 85C is
performance may be reduced in the required.
event of a PSU failure. ● Two PSUs are required. System
performance may be reduced in the
event of a PSU failure.

64 Appendix A. Additional specifications

 12
Appendix B. Standards compliance
The system conforms to the following industry standards.

Table 54. Industry standard documents

Standard URL for information and specifications
ACPIAdvance Configuration and Power Interface https://uefi.org/specsandtesttools
Specification, v2.0c
Ethernet IEEE 802.3-2005 https://standards.ieee.org/
HDGHardware Design Guide Version 3.0 for Microsoft microsoft.com/whdc/system/platform/pcdesign/desguide/
Windows Server serverdg.mspx
IPMI Intelligent Platform Management Interface, v2.0 intel.com/design/servers/ipmi
DDR4 Memory DDR4 SDRAM Specification jedec.org/standards-documents/docs/jesd79-4.pdf
PCI Express PCI Express Base Specification Rev. 2.0 and 3.0 pcisig.com/specifications/pciexpress
PMBus Power System Management Protocol Specification, http://pmbus.org/Assets/PDFS/Public/
v1.2 PMBus_Specification_Part_I_Rev_1-1_20070205.pdf
SAS Serial Attached SCSI, v1.1 http://www.t10.org/
SATA Serial ATA Rev. 2.6; SATA II, SATA 1.0a Extensions, sata-io.org
Rev. 1.2
SMBIOS System Management BIOS Reference Specification, dmtf.org/standards/smbios
v2.7
TPM Trusted Platform Module Specification, v1.2 and v2.0 trustedcomputinggroup.org
UEFI Unified Extensible Firmware Interface Specification, v2.1 uefi.org/specifications
USB Universal Serial Bus Specification, Rev. 2.0 usb.org/developers/docs

Appendix B. Standards compliance 65

 13
Appendix C Additional resources
Table 55. Additional resources
Resource Description of contents Location
Installation and Service Manual This manual, available in PDF format, provides the following Dell.com/Support/Manuals
information:
● Chassis features
● System Setup program
● System messages
● System codes and indicators
● System BIOS
● Remove and replace procedures
● Troubleshooting
● Diagnostics
● Jumpers and connectors
Getting Started Guide This guide ships with the system, and is also available in PDF Dell.com/Support/Manuals
format. This guide provides the following information:
● Initial setup steps
● Key system features
● Technical specifications
Rack Installation Instructions This document ships with the rack kits, and provides Dell.com/Support/Manuals
instructions for installing a server in a rack.
Information Update This document ships with the system, is also available in PDF Dell.com/Support/Manuals
format online, and provides information on system updates.
System Information Label The system information label documents the system board Inside the system chassis
layout and system jumper settings. Text is minimized due cover
to space limitations and translation considerations. The label
size is standardized across platforms.
Quick Resource Locator (QRL) This code on the chassis can be scanned by a phone Inside the system chassis
application to access additional information and resources for cover
the server, including videos, reference materials, service tag
information, and Dell EMC contact information.
Energy Smart Solution Advisor The Dell EMC online ESSA enables easier and more Dell.com/calc
(ESSA) meaningful estimates to help you determine the most
efficient configuration possible. Use ESSA to calculate the
power consumption of your hardware, power infrastructure,
and storage.

66 Appendix C Additional resources

 14
Appendix D. Support and Deployment
Services
Dell EMC Global Services include a wide, customizable range of service choices to simplify the assessment, design,
implementation, management and maintenance of your IT environment and to help you transition from platform to platform.
Depending on your current business requirements and the level of service you want, we can provide you with factory, on-site,
remote, modular and specialized services that fit your needs and budget. We'll help you with a little or a lot - your choice - and
provide you with access to our global resources.
Topics:
• Deployment Services
• Dell Technologies Consulting Services

Deployment Services
Dell EMC ProDeploy Enterprise Suite
ProDeploy Enterprise Suite gets your server out of the box and into optimized production—fast. Our elite deployment engineers
with broad and deep experience utilizing best-in-class processes along with our established global scale can help you around the
clock and around the globe. From simple to the most complex server installations and software integration, we take the guess
work and risk out of deploying your new server technology.

Figure 17. ProDeploy Enterprise Suite capabilities

NOTE: Hardware installation not applicable on selected software products.

Dell EMC ProDeploy Plus

From beginning to end, ProDeploy Plus provides the skill and scale needed to successfully execute demanding deployments
in today's complex IT environments. Certified Dell EMC experts start with extensive environmental assessments and detailed
migration planning and recommendations. Software installation includes set up of most versions of Dell EMC SupportAssist and

Appendix D. Support and Deployment Services 67

OpenManage system management utilities. Post-deployment configuration assistance, testing, and product orientation services
are also available.

Dell EMC ProDeploy

ProDeploy provides full service installation and configuration of both server hardware and system software by certified
deployment engineers including set up of leading operating systems and hypervisors as well as most versions of Dell EMC
SupportAssist and OpenManage system management utilities. To prepare for the deployment, we conduct a site readiness
review and implementation planning exercise. System testing, validation, and full project documentation with knowledge transfer
complete the process.

Dell EMC ProDeploy for HPC

HPC deployments require specialists that understand that cutting edge is yesterday's news. Dell EMC deploys the world 's
fastest systems and understands the nuances that make them perform. ProDeploy for HPC provides:
● Global team of dedicated HPC specialists
● Proven track record, thousands of successful HPC deployments
● Design validation, benchmarking, and product orientation

Figure 18. Dell EMC ProDeploy for HPC

Dell EMC Basic Deployment

Basic Deployment delivers worry-free professional installation by experienced technicians who know Dell EMC servers inside and
out.

Dell EMC Server Configuration Services

With Dell EMC Rack Integration and other Dell EMC PowerEdge Server Configuration Services, you save time by receiving your
systems racked, cabled, tested, and ready to integrate into the data center. Dell EMC staff pre-configure RAID, BIOS and iDRAC
settings, install system images, and even install third-party hardware and software.

68 Appendix D. Support and Deployment Services

For more information, see Server Configuration Services.

Dell EMC Residency Services

Residency Services helps customers transition to new capabilities quickly with the assistance of on-site or remote Dell EMC
experts whose priorities and time you control. Residency experts can provide post implementation management and knowledge
transfer related to a new technology acquisition or day-to-day operational management of the IT infrastructure.

Dell EMC Data Migration Service

Protect your business and data with our single point of contact to manage your data migration project. Your project manager will
work with our experienced team of experts to create a plan using industry-leading tools and proven processes based on global
best practices to migrate your existing files and data so your business system get up and running quickly and smoothly.

Support Services

ProSupport Enterprise Suite

With the ProSupport Enterprise Suite, we can help you keep your operation running smoothly, so you can focus on running
your business. We will help you maintain peak performance and availability of your most essential workloads. ProSupport
Enterprise Suite is a suite of support services that enable you to build the solution that is right for your organization. Choose
support models based on how you use technology and where you want to allocate resources. From the desktop to the data
center, address everyday IT challenges, such as unplanned downtime, mission-critical needs, data and asset protection, support
planning, resource allocation, software application management and more. Optimize your IT resources by choosing the right
support model.

Figure 19. ProSupport Enterprise Suite

Appendix D. Support and Deployment Services 69

Dell EMC ProSupport Plus for Enterprise
When you purchase your PowerEdge server, we recommend ProSupport Plus, our proactive and preventative support service
for your business-critical systems. ProSupport Plus provides you with all the benefits of ProSupport, plus the following:
● An assigned Services Account Manager who knows your business and your environment
● Immediate advanced troubleshooting from an engineer who understands your PowerEdge server
● Personalized, preventive recommendations based on analysis of support trends and best practices from across the Dell
Technologies infrastructure solutions customer base to reduce support issues and improve performance
● Predictive analysis for issue prevention and optimization enabled by SupportAssist
● Proactive monitoring, issue detection, notification, and automated case creation for accelerated issue resolution enabled by
SupportAssist
● On-demand reporting and analytics-based recommendations enabled by SupportAssist and TechDirect

Dell EMC ProSupport for Enterprise

Our ProSupport service offers highly trained experts around the clock and around the globe to address your IT needs. We help
minimize disruptions and maximize availability of PowerEdge server workloads with:
● 24x7 support through phone, chat and online
● Predictive, automated tools and innovative technology
● A central point of accountability for all hardware and software issues
● Collaborative 3rd party support
● Hypervisor, operating system and application support
● Consistent experience regardless of where you are located or what language you speak
● Optional onsite parts and labor response options including next business day or four-hour mission critical
NOTE: Subject to service offer country availability.

Figure 20. Dell EMC Enterprise Support model

70 Appendix D. Support and Deployment Services

Dell EMC ProSupport One for Data Center
ProSupport One for Data Center offers flexible site-wide support for large and distributed data centers with more than
1,000 assets. This offering is built on standard ProSupport components that leverage our global scale but are tailored to
your company's needs. While not for everyone, this service option offers a truly unique solution for Dell Technologies largest
customers with the most complex environments.
● Team of assigned Services Account Managers with remote, on-site options
● Assigned ProSupport One technical and field engineers who are trained on your environment and configurations
● On-demand reporting and analytics-based recommendations enabled by SupportAssist and TechDirect
● Flexible on-site support and parts options that fit your operational model
● A tailored support plan and training for your operations staff

Dell EMC ProSupport for HPC

Figure 21. Dell EMC ProSupport for HPC

Support Technologies
Powering your support experience with predictive, data-driven technologies.

Dell EMC SupportAssist

The best time to solve a problem is before it happens. The automated proactive and predictive technology SupportAssist helps
reduce steps and time to resolution, often detecting issues before they become a crisis. Benefits include:
● Value—SupportAssist is available to all customers at no additional charge
● Improve productivity—replace manual, high-effort routines with automated support
● Accelerate time to resolution—receive issue alerts, automatic case creation, and proactive contact from Dell EMC experts
● Gain insight and control—optimize enterprise devices with on-demand ProSupport Plus reporting in TechDirect, and get
predictive issue detection before the problem starts
NOTE: SupportAssist is included with all support plans, but features vary based on service level agreement.

Appendix D. Support and Deployment Services 71

Figure 22. SupportAssist model

Get started at Dell.com/SupportAssist

Dell EMC TechDirect

Boost IT team productivity when supporting Dell EMC systems. With over 1.4 million self-dispatches processed each year,
TechDirect has proven its effectiveness as a support tool. You can:
● Self-dispatch replacement parts
● Request technical support
● Integrate APIs into your help desk
Or, access all your Dell EMC certification and authorization requirements. Train your staff on Dell EMC products, as TechDirect
allows you to:
● Download study guides
● Schedule certification and authorization exams
● View transcripts of completed courses and exams
Register at techdirect.dell.

Dell Technologies Consulting Services

Our expert consultants help you transform faster, and quickly achieve business outcomes for the high value workloads Dell EMC
PowerEdge systems can handle.
From strategy to full-scale implementation, Dell Technologies Consulting can help you determine how to execute your IT,
workforce, or application transformation.
We use prescriptive approaches and proven methodologies combined with Dell Technologies' portfolio and partner ecosystem
to help you achieve real business outcomes. From multi-cloud, applications, DevOps, and infrastructure transformations, to
business resiliency, data center modernization, analytics, workforce collaboration, and user experiences—we're here to help.

Dell EMC Remote Consulting Services

When you are in the final stages of your PowerEdge server implementation, you can rely on Dell EMC Remote Consulting
Services and our certified technical experts to help you optimize your configuration with best practices for your software,
virtualization, server, storage, networking, and systems management.

72 Appendix D. Support and Deployment Services

 15
Dell Financial Services (DFS)
Dell Financial Services is a global provider of innovative payment and consumption solutions for hardware, software and
services, allowing organizations to align and scale the cost of IT solutions with technology consumption and budget availability.
DFS supports all customers, from consumers to small businesses up to the largest global corporations.
Why leverage Payment Solutions from DFS?
● Optimize Payment Solutions - Tailor one or more of our solutions to your needs and grow the business.
● Ease Budget Constraints - Reduce capital expenses and free up budgets with flexible payment solutions.
● Increase Efficiency - Flexible payment transactions allow your infrastructure to grow when needed without relying on a
fixed, capital budget.
Topics:
• Flex On Demand (FOD)
• Flex On Demand for PowerEdge Servers

Flex On Demand (FOD)

● Flex On Demand (FOD) is a metered payment solution for Dell EMC storage, data protection, hyperconverged infrastructure,
servers, converged infrastructure and the Dell Technologies Cloud Platform.
● With Flex On Demand, the technology is metered - at a component level - based on how much a specific technology is used.
● You are able to choose your committed or baseline capacity and pay for it at an agreed upon rate each month. When
capacity requirements increase above the baseline capacity level, buffer capacity can be utilized at the same rate.
● With Flex On Demand, you can scale up and down within the available buffer capacity and easily manage unpredictable
growth, workload bursts, and temporary changes in IT infrastructure requirements.

Flex On Demand for PowerEdge Servers

Flex On Demand gives you unprecedented levels of flexibility in how you consume our technology, allowing you to elastically
scale up or down to meet your needs.
Who could benefit from a Flex On Demand consumption model?
Flex On Demand could benefit customers looking to:
● Conserve cashflow
● Achieve predictable payments when usage is variable
● Increase business agility by having immediate access to buffer capacity
● Shift technology spending from a capital expenditure to an ongoing operating expense
Dell EMC PowerEdge servers and Flex On Demand combine the industry's best-selling servers with innovative consumption-
based payment programs. It allows you to improve economics, increase flexibility and embrace choice:
● Improve Economics - Pay for server resources based on actual hourly usage and avoid the costs of over-provisioning so
you can achieve public cloud economics in the data center.
● Increase Flexibility - Respond quickly to new service requests, workload fluctuations and changes driven by the business
to improve IT flexibility.
● Embrace Choice - Choose the infrastructure that's configured to your requirements and payment schedule that works for
you.

Dell Financial Services (DFS) 73