Dell OEM XL R720 vs PowerEdge R720

[R320cluster]

I recently purchased a refurbished R720 off Ebay and unexpectedly received a OEM XL R720. The vendor assured me that is compatible with standard Dell BIOS / firmware. When I asked on the Dell community forums I was told it was not compatible -- but I'm not convinced that answer was very definitive.

The BIOS message at startup is: "Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS Version 1.10 2.9.0". Presumably the 2.9.0 refers to the PowerEdge 2.9.0 firmware. Additionally, the system setup screens are text-based instead of the graphical menus of the standard R720.

Anyway, I haven't had much luck finding information, so I was hoping someone here might be able to shine a light on compatibility or other considerations I need to consider. Can it run standard Dell firmware/BIOS? What role does Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS play?

 

[BlueFox]

Dell still supports them and you can put the service tag in the support site for all the associated downloads. They're pretty much identical last I checked. My XL R620 had 10 bays vs the usual 8 of the retail one, but that that was the only difference I could tell (which was a plus anyway).

 

[R320cluster]

Dell still supports them and you can put the service tag in the support site for all the associated downloads. They're pretty much identical last I checked. My XL R620 had 10 bays vs the usual 8 of the retail one, but that that was the only difference I could tell (which was a plus anyway).

The service tag pagelists 2.7.0 as the newest BIOS, but it appears the vendor got 2.9.0 on there. Maybe the newer standard BIOS versions are just more widely compatible.

What BIOS version are you running are your 620 @BlueFox ?

 

[BlueFox]

I've since sold mine, so regrettably can't check.

 

[R320cluster]

@BLinux -- I seem to recall you having extensive PowerEdge experience. Might you have any thoughts on the original post?