Dell PowerEdge R430: rear panel, ports and setup guide
The PowerEdge R430 is a 1U, one or two socket rack server with four gigabit NICs, up to ten drive bays and up to 384 GB of DDR4. Click any port on the rear panel below to see what it does, then read on for the specs, power supply options, setup keys and LED codes people look up most.
- 1U rack server
- Up to 2 Xeon E5-2600 v3/v4
- 384 GB max DDR4
- 4 x 1 GbE
- 2 PCIe slots
- iDRAC8
PowerEdge R430 specifications
| Model | Dell PowerEdge R430 |
| Form factor | 1U rack server |
| Processors | One or two Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3 or E5-2600 v4 |
| Memory | 12 DDR4 DIMM sockets (RDIMM or LRDIMM) at 1866, 2133 or 2400 MT/s; up to 256 GB with one processor, 384 GB with two |
| Drives | 4 x 3.5 in., 8 x 2.5 in. or 10 x 2.5 in. depending on chassis; SAS, SATA, Nearline SAS or SSD |
| Optical | Optional SATA DVD-ROM or DVD+/-RW (4 and 8 drive systems) |
| Expansion | 2 PCIe Gen 3 slots on a riser (two low-profile x16, or one full-height and one low-profile x8) |
| Rear ports | 4 x 1 GbE RJ45, optional iDRAC port, serial (DB9), VGA, 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0 |
| Front ports | VGA, USB 2.0, and a USB management port for iDRAC Direct |
| Power supplies | Two hot-swap 550 W AC Platinum redundant, or one cabled 450 W AC Bronze |
| Video | Integrated Matrox G200, 16 MB |
| Dimensions | 1.68 x 17.08 x 26.66 in. (42.8 x 434.0 x 677.3 mm) with bezel |
| Weight | Up to 43.87 lb (19.9 kg) with all drives |
| Operating temperature | 50 to 95 F (10 to 35 C); 41 to 104 F continuous in the expanded range |
Every port on the rear panel, explained
Click a card to light up those ports on the panel above.
4 gigabit network ports4 on the panel
Four built-in 10/100/1000 RJ45 NICs. Ports 1 and 2 sit in the I/O block on the left, ports 3 and 4 under the PCIe slots.
Each has a link light (green at full speed, amber at a lower speed) and an activity light that flashes green when data moves.
iDRAC management port1 on the panel
The optional dedicated port for iDRAC8 remote management. Patch it to your management network to power the server on, watch the console and update firmware remotely.
The vFlash SD slot beside it gives iDRAC persistent local storage for deployment images and scripts.
Serial port1 on the panel
A 9-pin DTE serial connector (16550 compatible) for a serial console or older devices.
VGA video1 on the panel
A 15-pin VGA output for a monitor or KVM, right under the serial port. There is a second VGA port on the front.
2 USB ports2 on the panel
One USB 2.0 port and one USB 3.0 port (the one marked SS). The front has two more, plus one USB 3.0 port inside the chassis.
System ID connector1 on the panel
A small round jack for Dell's optional system status light, which runs along the cable management arm. The blue ID button is right next to it.
Power supplies2 on the panel
Two hot-swap 550 W supplies on the right, each with its own IEC inlet. See power supplies for the matching rules.
Plug each into a different circuit or PDU so one feed can drop without taking the server down.
Also on the back
- PCIe slots 1 and 2: on one riser. The x16 riser gives two low-profile x16 slots; the x8 riser gives one full-height and one low-profile x8 slot.
- vFlash card slot: an optional SD slot for iDRAC storage.
- System ID button: press to flash the ID light so someone can find this server. Hold for more than 5 seconds during a hung POST to see BIOS progress, or more than 15 seconds to reset the iDRAC.
On the front
- Power button, NMI button (only when support asks) and a second system ID button
- LCD panel with menu buttons, VGA, a USB 2.0 port and a USB management port for iDRAC Direct
- Four, eight or ten drive bays and, on 4 and 8 drive systems, an optional DVD drive
PowerEdge R430 power supplies
| Supply | Heat output | Input |
|---|---|---|
| 550 W AC Platinum (hot-swap, redundant) | 2107 BTU/hr | 100 to 240 V AC, 7.4 to 3.7 A |
| 450 W AC Bronze (cabled, single) | 1871 BTU/hr | 100 to 240 V AC, 6.5 to 3.5 A |
Use two supplies of the same capacity, and only ones with the Extended Power Performance (EPP) label. Supplies from older PowerEdge generations can cause a mismatch or stop the server from powering on.
| Supply handle light | What it means |
|---|---|
| Green | Power connected and the supply is working |
| Flashing green | Supply firmware is updating: don't unplug it |
| Flashes green five times, then off | Hot-added supply doesn't match the other one |
| Flashing amber | Problem with the supply |
When fixing a mismatch, replace only the supply with the flashing light. Swapping the good one to make a pair can shut the server down unexpectedly.
First boot: setup keys and iDRAC
- F2
- System Setup
- F10
- Lifecycle Controller
- F11
- Boot Manager
- F12
- PXE boot
- Patch the iDRAC port to your management network.
- On the front LCD, open Setup, then iDRAC, and pick DHCP or a static IP (IP, subnet and gateway). DNS can be set there too.
- Read the address back under View, then iDRAC IP, and browse to it to finish setup remotely.
- You can also reach iDRAC from a laptop through the front USB management port (iDRAC Direct), or set it up in F2 System Setup.
PowerEdge R430 network and iDRAC Direct lights
| Light | What it means |
|---|---|
| NIC link and activity off | Not connected to a network |
| NIC link green | Connected at the port's full speed |
| NIC link amber | Connected at a lower speed |
| NIC activity flashing green | Data is moving |
| iDRAC Direct solid green 2 s | Laptop connected |
| iDRAC Direct flashing green | Laptop recognized, or a file transfer is running |
| iDRAC Direct off | Laptop unplugged, or safe to remove the USB drive |
Memory and drives
There are 12 DDR4 sockets taking RDIMMs (4 GB single rank, or 8, 16 or 32 GB dual rank) or LRDIMMs. One processor supports up to 256 GB, two processors up to 384 GB, with at least one DIMM per processor.
| Chassis | Drives |
|---|---|
| 4 drive | Four 3.5 in. cabled or hot-swap SAS, SATA or Nearline SAS, or four 2.5 in. hot-swap (supports software RAID) |
| 8 drive | Eight 2.5 in. hot-swap SAS, SATA, SATA SSD or Nearline SAS |
| 10 drive | Ten 2.5 in. hot-swap SATA or SATA SSD |
Rack and room requirements
- Normal operation is 50 to 95 F (10 to 35 C) at 10 to 80 percent humidity, out of direct sunlight.
- It can run continuously from 41 to 104 F, and from 23 to 113 F for up to 1 percent of the year, with possible performance loss and LCD temperature warnings.
- Above about 3,100 ft the maximum temperature drops a little for each extra 1,000 ft.
- The chassis is about 26.7 in. deep with the bezel, so check your rack depth and leave room for cables behind it.
- Keep the air free of conductive dust such as metal shavings.
Frequently asked questions
How much RAM does the Dell PowerEdge R430 support?+
Up to 384 GB of DDR4 with two processors, or 256 GB with one, across 12 DIMM sockets.
How many network ports does the R430 have?+
Four built-in 10/100/1000 RJ45 NICs on the back, plus an optional dedicated iDRAC port.
How do I reset the iDRAC on a PowerEdge R430?+
Press and hold the system ID button on the front or back for more than 15 seconds, as long as that option isn't disabled in iDRAC setup.
What power supplies does the R430 use?+
Either two hot-swap 550 W AC Platinum supplies in a redundant pair, or one cabled 450 W AC Bronze supply.
How deep is the PowerEdge R430?+
About 26.66 in. (677.3 mm) with the bezel and 662.4 mm without it, in a 1U chassis 17.08 in. (434 mm) wide.
Which key opens Lifecycle Controller on the R430?+
Press F10 during startup. F2 opens System Setup, F11 the Boot Manager and F12 starts a PXE boot.
How many drives does the R430 hold?+
Four 3.5 in., eight 2.5 in. or ten 2.5 in. drives, depending on which chassis you have.
Plan this rack server in your rack
The PowerEdge R430 is in the Dell library for DaMatrix, with every port mapped so you can drag it into a rack, patch it and print the documentation.
Related Dell devices
Summarized from the Dell PowerEdge R430 Owner's Manual. This page is a quick reference; check the full manual for safety warnings and model-specific limits.