Dell PowerEdge R530: rear panel, ports and setup guide
The PowerEdge R530 is a 2U, one or two socket rack server with eight drive bays, four gigabit NICs 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, PCIe slots and LED codes people look up most.
- 2U rack server
- Up to 2 Xeon E5-2600 v3/v4
- 384 GB max DDR4
- 8 drive bays
- 4 x 1 GbE
- iDRAC8
PowerEdge R530 specifications
| Model | Dell PowerEdge R530 |
| Form factor | 2U rack server |
| Processors | One or two Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3 or E5-2600 v4 |
| Memory | 12 DDR4 RDIMM sockets at 1866, 2133 or 2400 MT/s; up to 256 GB with one processor, 384 GB with two |
| Drives | Up to eight 3.5 in. or 2.5 in. hot-swap SAS, SATA, Nearline SAS or SATA SSD |
| Optical | Optional SATA DVD-ROM or DVD+/-RW |
| Expansion | Up to 5 PCIe Gen 2 / Gen 3 slots (riser adds full-height slots) |
| Rear ports | 4 x 1 GbE RJ45, iDRAC8 Enterprise 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 495 W, 750 W or 1100 W AC (or 750 W DC), or one cabled 450 W AC |
| Video | Integrated Matrox G200eR2, 16 MB |
| Dimensions | 86.8 mm high x 434 mm wide (3.42 x 17.09 in.); about 682 mm deep with redundant supplies and bezel |
| Weight | Up to 62 lb (28.2 kg) |
| 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, labeled Gb 1 to Gb 4. Gb 1 and Gb 2 are stacked on the left; Gb 3 and Gb 4 are at the right end of the I/O block.
Some configurations swap the first two for 10 Gb SFP+ or 10GbE-T ports. Each RJ45 has a link light (green at full speed, amber slower) and an activity light.
iDRAC8 Enterprise port1 on the panel
The dedicated management port for iDRAC8 Enterprise. Patch it to your management network for remote power control, console and firmware updates.
The optional vFlash media card slot sits just to its left.
Serial port1 on the panel
A 9-pin DTE serial connector (16550 compatible) for a serial console.
VGA video1 on the panel
A 15-pin VGA output under the serial port. A second VGA port is on the front.
2 USB ports2 on the panel
One USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0 port (marked SS). The front adds a USB 2.0 port and a USB management port, and there is a USB 3.0 port inside.
System ID connector1 on the panel
A small round jack for the optional system status light that runs along the cable management arm. The blue ID button is next to it.
Power supplies2 on the panel
Two hot-swap supplies stacked on the right, each with its own IEC inlet. See power supplies for options and matching rules.
Feed them from separate circuits or PDUs so one can fail without taking the server down.
Also on the back
- PCIe slots: five low-profile slots on this chassis. With the optional riser, slots 1 and 2 become full-height (slot 1 full-length x16).
- vFlash media card slot: optional SD storage for iDRAC.
- System ID button: press to flash the ID light and find the server in the rack. Hold more than 5 seconds during a hung POST for BIOS progress mode, or more than 15 seconds to reset iDRAC (if enabled in iDRAC setup).
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
- Eight drive bays and an optional DVD drive
PowerEdge R530 power supplies
| Supply | Class | Heat output |
|---|---|---|
| 450 W AC (cabled, single) | Bronze | 1871 BTU/hr |
| 495 W AC (hot-swap) | Platinum | 1908 BTU/hr |
| 750 W AC (hot-swap) | Platinum | 2891 BTU/hr |
| 1100 W AC (hot-swap) | Platinum | 4100 BTU/hr |
| 750 W DC (China only) | Platinum | 2902 BTU/hr |
AC supplies take 100 to 240 V. Use two supplies of the same capacity with the Extended Power Performance (EPP) label.
| 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.
PCIe slots and memory
| Slot | On the system board | With riser 1 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Low-profile, x8 | Full-height full-length, x16 |
| 2 | Low-profile, x16 | Full-height half-length, x8 |
| 3 | Low-profile, x16 | Low-profile, x16 |
| 4 | Low-profile, x1 | Low-profile, x1 |
| 5 | Low-profile, x4 | Low-profile, x4 |
Memory is 12 DDR4 RDIMM sockets: 4 GB single rank or 8, 16 or 32 GB dual rank. One processor supports up to 256 GB, two up to 384 GB, with at least one DIMM per processor.
First boot: setup keys and iDRAC
- F2
- System Setup
- F10
- Lifecycle Controller
- F11
- Boot Manager
- Patch the iDRAC8 port to your management network.
- On the front LCD, open Setup, then iDRAC, and pick DHCP or a static IP.
- Read the address under View, then iDRAC IP, and browse to it.
- From a laptop you can also use the front USB management port (iDRAC Direct).
Rack and room requirements
- Normal operation is 50 to 95 F (10 to 35 C), 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.
- Above about 3,100 ft the maximum temperature drops a little for each extra 1,000 ft.
- Plan for about 27 in. of depth with the redundant supplies and bezel, plus cable room behind.
- At up to 62 lb, mount it low in the rack and use rails rated for its weight.
Frequently asked questions
How much RAM does the Dell PowerEdge R530 support?+
Up to 384 GB of DDR4 RDIMMs with two processors, or 256 GB with one, across 12 sockets.
How many drives does the R530 hold?+
Up to eight 3.5 in. or 2.5 in. hot-swap SAS, SATA, Nearline SAS or SATA SSD drives.
What power supplies does the R530 use?+
A redundant pair of 495 W, 750 W or 1100 W AC hot-swap supplies (750 W DC in China), or one cabled 450 W AC supply.
How many PCIe slots does the R530 have?+
Five. They are low-profile on the system board; the optional riser makes slots 1 and 2 full-height.
How do I reset iDRAC on a PowerEdge R530?+
Press and hold the system ID button for more than 15 seconds, as long as the button is enabled in iDRAC setup.
How much does the PowerEdge R530 weigh?+
Up to 62 lb (28.2 kg) fully loaded.
Which key opens Lifecycle Controller on the R530?+
Press F10 during startup. F2 opens System Setup and F11 the Boot Manager.
Plan this rack server in your rack
The PowerEdge R530 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 R530 Owner's Manual. This page is a quick reference; check the full manual for safety warnings and model-specific limits.