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Warren P
Asked: 2012-10-10 07:11:19 +0800 CST

Is it possible to install Windows Server 2012 on a Dell PowerEdge with PERC S100 card?

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According to Dell's own website, the Windows Server 2012 media driver "inbox" does not contain drivers for the Perc S100 controller that is in a Dell PowerEdge T110 II server we'd like to evaluate with Server 2012.

I have found drivers only for Server 2008 R2, which is what the server is currently running. Is it possible to upgrade this server? (Booting up the Server 2012 DVD image leads to the expected result that it can not locate the system's hard drives or its hard drive controller card, as the drivers for the PERC S100 are not on the installation DVD image.)

dell-poweredge

4 Answers

  1. You have two choices:

    1. Wait for Dell to support it.

    2. Try the Server 2008 R2 drivers. They will probably work, though this is probably vendor-unsupported.

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  2. I currently have Server 2012 running on a Dell T110 (the original, not the II) using the S100 Raid Controller. I used the drivers from S2008.

    DELL_MULTI-DEVICE_A05_R294489.exe is the name of the file that worked for me.

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  3. I downloaded the 2008 version from here at dell http://downloads.dell.com/FOLDER00414894M/1/SAS-RAID_Driver_W3N37_WN32_2.0.0.0162_A05.EXE

    NOTE: rename the exe to zip to open it up so the installer wont run.

    You have to browse through a few of the folders before windows picks it up. I also unselected the checkbox at the bottom where it asks for the drivers. I don't remember something about 'show compatable drivers', then it will list a dozen or so S100's, I selected the first one...and BAM it installed and working.

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  4. I also have the same server running the S110 controller with Windows 2012 Server in a production environment. It is also running Exchange Server 2010. We have had it running over a year with no compatibility issues or problems at all. We used the Server 2008 driver mentioned above.

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