When installing Broadcom NetXtreme 57711 10GbE PCIe cards in Dell PowerEdge R730xd servers, users report an immediate fan speed escalation during OS boot (prior to OS initialization), persisting at maximum RPM regardless of actual thermal conditions. This occurs specifically:

• Between BIOS POST completion and OS initialization
• Independent of iDRAC thermal profile settings (Performance/ACPI/Default)
• Not triggered during Lifecycle Controller or BIOS operations

Dell's firmware implements aggressive thermal protection for unsupported PCIe devices. The 57711 card's power draw signature triggers a failsafe mode because:

1. The PCIe slot power reporting differs from Dell's whitelisted devices
2. Missing thermal sensor handshake between card and iDRAC
3. Firmware interprets missing extended temperature data as thermal emergency

Method 1: iDRAC Thermal Profile Override (Recommended)

# SSH into iDRAC and force thermal algorithm
racadm set system.thermalsettings.ThirdPartyPCIFanResponse 0
racadm set system.thermalsettings.ThirdPartyPCIFanResponseDisabled 1

Method 2: BIOS Power Configuration

# Set via IPMI if GUI unavailable
ipmitool -I lanplus -H  -U root -P  raw 0x30 0x30 0x01 0x00

For production environments, create a custom sensor profile:

1. Download Dell Platform Specific Bootable ISO (PSB) for R730xd
2. Modify PCIe power tables using Dell EMC Repository Manager
3. Flash modified firmware bundle via Lifecycle Controller

Verify solution effectiveness with IPMI monitoring:

#!/bin/bash
while true; do
  ipmitool sdr type fan | grep -E 'Fan[0-9]'
  ipmitool sensor get "PCIe Slot" | grep Watts
  sleep 5
done

Many Dell PowerEdge R730xd users encounter an unexpected behavior when installing certain PCIe cards, particularly the Broadcom NetXtreme 57711 10GbE network adapter. The server's cooling fans immediately ramp up to maximum speed during OS boot and remain at full throttle regardless of actual system temperature or workload.

This behavior stems from Dell's iDRAC firmware implementing aggressive thermal protection for unsupported PCIe devices. The system interprets the Broadcom card as potentially causing thermal issues, triggering the failsafe fan profile. This occurs at the firmware level, before OS drivers load.

Here are several approaches that have worked for R730xd owners:

1. iDRAC Thermal Profile Adjustment

Access iDRAC (usually via web interface on dedicated management port) and navigate to:

iDRAC Settings > Thermal > Thermal Settings

Change from "Default" to "Minimum Power" or "Maximum Performance" profile. Some users report success with this simple change.

2. Manual Fan Control via IPMI

For Linux systems, you can manually set fan speeds using IPMI tools:

# Install ipmitool
sudo yum install ipmitool -y

# Set static fan speed (30% in this example)
sudo ipmitool raw 0x30 0x30 0x02 0xff 0x1e

Warning: This bypasses thermal protection and should only be used if you're monitoring system temperatures separately.

3. Firmware Workarounds

Some users report success by:

• Upgrading to the latest iDRAC firmware (version 2.63.60.62 or later)
• Flashing the Broadcom card with Dell-branded firmware
• Using the QLogic variant of the card (BR-1020) instead of Broadcom

If the above solutions don't work, consider:

# Check current fan speeds
sudo ipmitool sdr type fan

# View PCIe slot temperature sensors
sudo ipmitool sdr type temperature

This data can help determine if specific slots trigger less aggressive fan behavior.

The most reliable fix is to use Dell-qualified network cards. For 10GbE, consider:

• Dell part Y40NH (Intel X520-DA2)
• Dell part 0T0D38 (Broadcom 57412)

These cards are recognized by the iDRAC and won't trigger the aggressive fan profile.