I got a Dell C2100 server used from eBay a few years ago to serve VM's and NAS using both ESXi and ProxMox, and it has done that very well!
These servers are all over eBay and have been selling to home lab users for a while. Anyone who has tried to upgrade the servers BIOS or BMC firmware has run into the question of "which system do I actually have"??! There seems to be systems made by Dell (authentic C2100's) and systems made by Quanta and re branded as DCS (Data Center Solutions). The DSC machines look identical to the C2100, but have a model number of FS12-TY on the label and in the BMC.
From what I can tell, there are Dell and Quanta BIOS versions and interchangeability is not understood very well by anyone. Some have flashed the Dell BIOS to Quanta systems with success. Others bricked their system and had to recover the previous BIOS. Some even ger marginal success as the Dell BIOS programming works, but system stability suffers until programming back to the Quanta BIOS.
I would like to create a resource here that lists peoples mainboard part numbers, BIOS versions, and any other interesting information about their system. Ill start.
Model: FS12-TY
BIOS: S99Q3B15
Mainboard part#: 0P94W - part# for DCS systems??
Dell system definition based on Dell Service Tag: CLOUD, DCS 2100, 1xE5606, 32G B, 12 X 146GB,1xPERC6/I w/Batt , TENCENT A5
Host OS: ESXi 6.0 until I switched to ProxMox a month ago.
Other: VT-d enabled in the BIOS. (this required BIOS 3B16 or older for ESXi to function with VT-d enabled. I assume this was the case for both "C" and "S" BIOS types. See below). ESXi and Proxmox both run without issues.
I noticed that the BIOS on Dells FTP site for the C2100 all start with "C". Mine starts with "S". So, clearly there is some distinction. All official Dell BIOS revisions start with "C99Q3B" (ie: C99Q3B15) until revision C99Q3B22. After that, they name it "B23", "3B24", and "3B25". Did they just get lazy or does this mean something compatibility wise??
Other C2100 board part numbers include:
As these servers get to more home users, I feel this could be a valuable resource to those who would like upgrade options. What I would like to create (and maybe there is a better forum for this) is a resource that people can contribute their system information so that the "C2100" community can get an understanding about what part numbers are compatible with what BIOS and BMC firmware. Also, it would be amazing if a repository could be organized to maintain rips of users BIOS (and BMC if possible!), even if it is just uploaded to this thread. Or, if you managed to find a download and can share. The official Dell BIOS versions are available on Dell's FTP site. The Quanta BIOS versions (the ones that start with an "S" ie:S99Q3BXX) and probably their BMC firmware would be a BIG HELP as they are no longer available from Quanta (WHY!?)
Show us what you got!
These servers are all over eBay and have been selling to home lab users for a while. Anyone who has tried to upgrade the servers BIOS or BMC firmware has run into the question of "which system do I actually have"??! There seems to be systems made by Dell (authentic C2100's) and systems made by Quanta and re branded as DCS (Data Center Solutions). The DSC machines look identical to the C2100, but have a model number of FS12-TY on the label and in the BMC.
From what I can tell, there are Dell and Quanta BIOS versions and interchangeability is not understood very well by anyone. Some have flashed the Dell BIOS to Quanta systems with success. Others bricked their system and had to recover the previous BIOS. Some even ger marginal success as the Dell BIOS programming works, but system stability suffers until programming back to the Quanta BIOS.
I would like to create a resource here that lists peoples mainboard part numbers, BIOS versions, and any other interesting information about their system. Ill start.
Model: FS12-TY
BIOS: S99Q3B15
Mainboard part#: 0P94W - part# for DCS systems??
Dell system definition based on Dell Service Tag: CLOUD, DCS 2100, 1xE5606, 32G B, 12 X 146GB,1xPERC6/I w/Batt , TENCENT A5
Host OS: ESXi 6.0 until I switched to ProxMox a month ago.
Other: VT-d enabled in the BIOS. (this required BIOS 3B16 or older for ESXi to function with VT-d enabled. I assume this was the case for both "C" and "S" BIOS types. See below). ESXi and Proxmox both run without issues.
I noticed that the BIOS on Dells FTP site for the C2100 all start with "C". Mine starts with "S". So, clearly there is some distinction. All official Dell BIOS revisions start with "C99Q3B" (ie: C99Q3B15) until revision C99Q3B22. After that, they name it "B23", "3B24", and "3B25". Did they just get lazy or does this mean something compatibility wise??
Other C2100 board part numbers include:
- 0P19C9 - part# for C2100 model?
- 0TJXMG - part# for C2100 model?
As these servers get to more home users, I feel this could be a valuable resource to those who would like upgrade options. What I would like to create (and maybe there is a better forum for this) is a resource that people can contribute their system information so that the "C2100" community can get an understanding about what part numbers are compatible with what BIOS and BMC firmware. Also, it would be amazing if a repository could be organized to maintain rips of users BIOS (and BMC if possible!), even if it is just uploaded to this thread. Or, if you managed to find a download and can share. The official Dell BIOS versions are available on Dell's FTP site. The Quanta BIOS versions (the ones that start with an "S" ie:S99Q3BXX) and probably their BMC firmware would be a BIG HELP as they are no longer available from Quanta (WHY!?)
Show us what you got!