Dell POWEREDGE R730

  1. Start the console session.

    Plug in serial cable to console port of device from PC COM1 port
    Open PuTTY and select "Serial" connection type, leave baud rate (Speed) and other settings as default.
    Plug a monitor into device using a VGA cable.
    Plug a USB keyboard and mouse into device USB ports.
    Plug power into device and if a power button exists, turn it on.

  2. Reset iDRAC to factory defaults

    Notice that there is an iDRAC IPv4 address set to something other than 192.168.0.120 indicating the settings are non-default:
    Initial screen
    When prompted press F10 for Lifecycle Controller:
    F10
    Loading Lifecycle Controller Drivers... Loading Lifecycle Controller Drivers...Done Initializing Firmware Interfaces... Enumerating Boot options... Enumerating Boot options... Done Entering Lifecycle Controller...
    Navigate with the Tab key to Home > Configure server for remote access (iDRAC):
    Navigate
    Navigate with the arrow keys down to Reset iDRAC configurations to defaults:
    ResetDefaults
    Choose YES to confirm:
    Begin
    Press Enter after the process completes to continue:
    Completed

  3. Erase System Settings and reboot.

    Navigate to Hardware Configuration > Repurpose or Retire System:
    Repurpose
    Navigate the list using either the mouse or arrow keys / spacebar to toggle selection, choosing BIOS, Lifecycle Controller Data and Hardware Cache then either Tab to the Next button and press Enter or click on it:
    BIOSconfigCache
    Click on the Finish button (or use Tab to navigate to it and press Enter), then confirm in the Critical dialog with the Yes button:
    CriticalDialog
    The system may restart more than once to complete the erasure:
    SystemSettings
    Step1of5
    Step2of5
    Step3of5
    Step4of5
    Step5of5

  4. Copy all the output from the session into your records.

    Right-click PuTTY's titlebar, from that dropdown menu click on "Copy All to Clipboard"
    Open the file of record certifying the deconfiguration of this device and use CTRL V to paste all the output from PuTTY into that file. Formatting the text with a fixed-width font helps it look more readable.

  5. End the session.

    Close PuTTy.