Installation Guide for SC4020

Installation Guide for SC4020

Brand: Dell

Category: Storage Hardware

Document Type: Installation Guide

Language: EN

Uploaded: Sept. 12, 2025, 4:23 a.m.

Manual Publish Date: 2016-08

Warranty Information

None

The SC4020 storage system provides central processing capabilities for the Storage Center Operating System and RAID storage management. It supports multiple SC200/SC220 and SC280 expansion enclosures for scalable storage. Communication occurs via front-end (host/server connectivity) and back-end (expansion enclosure connectivity) connections. System administration is handled through Ethernet management ports and serial ports. The SC4020 features internal SAS drives, redundant power supplies, and two storage controllers. Expansion enclosures increase storage capacity. The document details hardware components, architecture options, communication types (Fibre Channel, iSCSI, SAS), front-end and back-end cabling, software setup, and post-setup tasks like verification and updates.

Troubleshooting and error codes

Issue Possible Reason Solution
Unable to connect to a storage controller with a serial connection. Communication problems.
  • Disconnect and reconnect the serial cable.
  • Verify the connection settings.
  • Replace the serial cable.
No Disks Found by Startup Wizard: No disks could be found attached to this Storage Center. Need to update software and/or firmware to use the attached expansion enclosure.
  1. Click Quit.
  2. Check for Storage Center updates and install the updates.
  3. Complete the Storage Center Startup Wizard.
Expansion enclosure firmware update fails Back-end cabling is not redundant. Check the back-end cabling and ensure that redundant connections are used.
Expected disks and/or expansion enclosure are missing Need to update software and/or firmware to use attached expansion enclosure and/or drives.
  1. Check the back-end cabling and the expansion enclosure power state.
  2. Check for Storage Center updates and install the updates.
Error: The license file is not valid (could be old license file). Contact Dell Technical Support for a new license file. This issue may occur if you attempt to apply the license file before the storage controllers are joined and the license file is applied to the storage controller with the higher serial number.
  • Make sure that all the Storage Center setup steps are followed in order and try again.
  • Make sure to connect to the IP address of the storage controller with the lower serial number.
  • Make sure the serial number in the name of the license file matches the storage controller.
Cannot complete the Storage Center Startup Wizard and cannot check for updates. The management network may use a proxy server, which blocks communication with the SupportAssist server. Use the Command Line Interface (CLI) to configure a proxy server for SupportAssist operations.
  1. Establish a serial connection to the top storage controller.
  2. Run the following commands:
    mc values setUsePhHomeProxy truemc values setPhHomeProxyString [proxy server IP address]mc values setPhHomeProxyUserName [proxy server username]mc values setPhPomeProxyPassword [proxy server password]
  3. Complete the Storage Center Startup Wizard.
  4. Check for Storage Center updates.
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