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

Question

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.)

Solution 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.

Solution 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.

Solution 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.

Solution 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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Comments

[Admin]

So finally, did you get the S100 working on Windows 2012 (or Windows 8) ?

[Warren P]

I kind of expected this answer, but I was hoping someone has actually tried Dell PERC drivers from 2008 R2 and can say "Yes, it boots up!". I will therefore, try it myself after imaging this server, and if it works, I'll come back and report that it does. Such information does seem worth putting up on ServerFault, right? (Comments now deleted seem to indicate to me that some people don't think this kind of question is useful here.)

[Joel Coel]

@WarrenP "Yes, it boots up" is one thing, and that information is useful. But it's not the same as "Yes, and I've been using it successfully in production for a year with no issues".

[Warren P]

Of course that's not the same. And nobody has been running Server 2012 on ANYTHING for 1 year.

[Michael Hampton]

So don't keep us in suspense. Did it work?