Dell PowerEdge R660: rear panel, ports and setup guide
The PowerEdge R660 is a 1U, two-socket rack server for 4th Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors, with 32 DIMM slots and up to ten 2.5 in. drives. Click any port on the rear panel below to see what it does, then read on for the specs, power supply choices, setup keys and LED codes.
- 1U rack server
- 2 x 4th Gen Xeon
- 32 DIMM slots
- Up to 10 x 2.5 in.
- 3 PCIe slots
- iDRAC9
PowerEdge R660 specifications
| Model | Dell PowerEdge R660 |
| Form factor | 1U rack server |
| Processors | Up to two 4th Generation Intel Xeon Scalable |
| Memory | 32 DIMM slots (288-pin RDIMM) at 4800 or 4400 MT/s, up to 8 TB with two processors |
| Drives | 8 or 10 x 2.5 in. hot-swap SAS, SATA or NVMe, or a no-drive configuration |
| Boot | Optional BOSS-N1 with two M.2 NVMe SSDs in hardware RAID |
| Expansion | Up to three PCIe slots (Gen4 / Gen5) on risers |
| Networking | Optional 2 x 1 GbE LOM, plus optional OCP 3.0 card (up to 4 x 25 GbE) |
| Rear ports | iDRAC9 RJ45, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, VGA, optional serial card |
| Front ports | USB 2.0, iDRAC Direct (micro-USB), VGA |
| Power supplies | Two hot-swap PSUs: 700, 800, 1100, 1400 or 1800 W AC, or 1100 W -48 V DC |
| Dimensions | 42.8 mm (1.68 in.) high, 434 mm (17.08 in.) wide, 751 mm (29.6 in.) ear to rear wall with 10 drives |
| Weight | Up to 22.51 kg (49.62 lb) fully loaded |
| Operating temperature | 50 to 95 F (10 to 35 C) standard |
Every port on the rear panel, explained
Click a card to light up those ports on the panel above.
2 LOM network ports2 on the panel
Two 1 GbE RJ45 ports on the optional LAN on Motherboard (LOM) card, at the left of the rear I/O.
The link light is green at full speed and amber at a lower speed; the activity light blinks green when data moves.
iDRAC9 management port1 on the panel
The dedicated Ethernet port for iDRAC9. Patch it to your management network to power the server on and off, open the remote console and update firmware from anywhere.
USB 2.0 and USB 3.02 on the panel
Two stacked USB-A ports: the top one is USB 2.0 and the bottom one USB 3.0. The front has another USB 2.0 port plus a micro-USB iDRAC Direct port for a laptop.
VGA video1 on the panel
A 15-pin VGA port driven by the integrated Matrox G200 (up to 1920 x 1200). There is also a VGA port on the front.
Power supplies2 on the panel
PSU 1 sits at the left end of the rear and PSU 2 at the right. See power supplies for the options and the cord each one takes.
Also on the back
- OCP NIC slot: takes an optional OCP 3.0 card with 1 GbE x 4, 10 GbE x 2 or x 4, or 25 GbE x 2 or x 4. You can run the LOM card, the OCP card or both.
- PCIe slots 1 to 3: low-profile slots on risers 2 and 3 in this configuration. Other configurations swap these for full-height slots or a rear drive module.
- BOSS-N1 module: the boot module at the far left, holding two M.2 NVMe SSDs.
- System ID button: press to flash the ID light so you can 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 the iDRAC.
- Optional serial port: a 9-pin card that installs like an expansion slot bracket.
PowerEdge R660 power supplies
| PSU | Input | Cord | Heat (max) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 700 W Titanium | 200 to 240 V AC or 240 V DC | C13 | 2625 BTU/hr |
| 800 W Platinum | 100 to 240 V AC or 240 V DC | C13 | 3000 BTU/hr |
| 1100 W Titanium | 100 to 240 V AC or 240 V DC | C13 | 4100 BTU/hr |
| 1400 W Platinum | 100 to 240 V AC or 240 V DC | C13 | 5250 BTU/hr |
| 1800 W Titanium | 200 to 240 V AC or 240 V DC | C15 | 6750 BTU/hr |
| 1100 W DC | -48 to -60 V DC | C13 | 4265 BTU/hr |
The 1100 W and 1400 W AC units drop to 1050 W each on 100 to 120 V circuits. The 1800 W unit needs a C15 cord, or a C13 cord with a C14 to C15 jumper.
Both PSUs must be the same type, wattage and label. Older-generation PowerEdge PSUs don't work here even at the same rating. If they mismatch, replace the one that is blinking.
| PSU handle light | What it means |
|---|---|
| Green | Power connected and the PSU is working |
| Blinking amber | Problem with the PSU |
| Off | No power connected |
| Blinking green | PSU firmware updating: don't unplug it |
| Blinks green 5 times, then off | Hot-added PSU doesn't match the other one |
First boot: setup keys and iDRAC
- F2
- System Setup
- F10
- Lifecycle Controller
- F11
- Boot Manager
- F12
- PXE boot
- Patch the iDRAC9 port to your management network.
- If the server has the LCD bezel, open Setup, then iDRAC, and pick DHCP or a static IP. View, then iDRAC IP shows the address.
- No bezel? Plug a laptop into the front iDRAC Direct micro-USB port with a cable no longer than 3 ft.
- Check the information tag on the front for the iDRAC default password if your server shipped with secure default access.
PowerEdge R660 LED codes
| System health / ID light | What it means |
|---|---|
| Solid blue | Powered on and healthy |
| Blinking blue | System ID mode is on |
| Solid amber | Fail-safe mode |
| Blinking amber | A fault: check the System Event Log |
The five status lights on the left control panel (drive, temperature, electrical, memory and PCIe) turn solid amber when that part of the system has an error.
On the optional LCD bezel the backlight is white when everything is normal and amber with an error code when something needs attention, even with the server off.
Memory and drives
| RDIMM | Max, one processor | Max, two processors |
|---|---|---|
| 16 GB single rank | 256 GB | 512 GB |
| 32 GB dual rank | 512 GB | 1 TB |
| 64 GB dual rank | 1 TB | 2 TB |
| 128 GB quad rank | 2 TB | 4 TB |
| 256 GB octa rank | 4 TB | 8 TB |
DIMM slots are not hot-pluggable. Drives come as 8 or 10 x 2.5 in. hot-swap SAS, SATA or NVMe, and the server supports PERC H965i, H755, H755N and H355 controllers or the HBA355i.
Rack and room requirements
- Standard operation is 50 to 95 F (10 to 35 C) out of direct sunlight, with the limit dropping about 1.8 F for every 1,000 ft above 2,950 ft.
- Maximum operating altitude is about 10,000 ft (3,050 m).
- The depth is about 29.6 in. ear to rear wall with drives fitted, and nearly 31 in. to the PSU handles, so check your rack depth.
Frequently asked questions
How much memory does the PowerEdge R660 support?+
Up to 8 TB with two processors, using 32 RDIMMs of 256 GB at 4800 or 4400 MT/s. One processor supports up to 4 TB.
What power supplies fit the Dell R660?+
Two hot-swap PSUs: 700, 800, 1100, 1400 or 1800 W AC, or an 1100 W -48 V DC unit. Both must match.
How do I reset the iDRAC on an R660?+
Hold the system ID button on the front or back for more than 15 seconds, unless that option is disabled in iDRAC setup.
What network ports does the R660 have?+
An optional 2 x 1 GbE LOM card and an optional OCP 3.0 card with up to four 25 GbE ports, plus the dedicated iDRAC9 port.
How many drives does the R660 hold?+
Eight or ten 2.5 in. hot-swap SAS, SATA or NVMe drives at the front, with an optional rear drive module in some configurations.
What does a blinking amber light on the R660 mean?+
On the system health light it means a fault; check the System Event Log. On a PSU handle it means a problem with that power supply.
Plan this rack server in your rack
The PowerEdge R660 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 R660 Installation and Service Manual. This page is a quick reference; check the full manual for safety warnings and model-specific limits.