It’s simple to debrand an “OEM”ed variant of the Dell PowerEdge R740 or R640 based “appliance”. First you will need the default identity which can be found here: DELL PowerEdge OEMR XL Dell Branded ID Module with Windows Embedded OS Support You’re looking for the 4XHVW_14G_DBE_CustBSU_3_00.exe (local mirror) file which must be extracted first prior to applying it to the iDRAC.
It’s a three-step process (basically):
- You want to manually update the iDRAC with the 4XHVW_14G_DBE_CustBSU_3_00.pm file.
(Maintenance > System Update) - Reset the iDRAC to factory defaults.
(Maintenance > Diagnostics > Reset iDRAC) - Once the iDRAC has been fully reset, cold boot the server.
- Enjoy a debranded Dell PowerEdge 14G server!
Once you install the “update” and reset the iDRAC, wait for iDRAC to come back and perform a cold boot (make sure the server is in an off state and power it on, ensure it’s not just a reboot). It will go into a mode which will apply the default branding (see image below).
Lastly, this should process should be true for any 14th-generation Dell PowerEdge server as OEM Identity Module is a function in all 14G servers.
Update! This process hold true for 15th and 16th Gen Dell PowerEdge based server. Please use the corresponding identity module file which is located here, WWJ74_CustBSU_2_00.exe (local mirror) which is called WWJ74_CustBSU_2_00.pm. When completed, be sure to reset the iDRAC to factory defaults as there has been de-branding not being applied until the iDRAC is factory reset.
Spot on. Thanks very much 🙂
Thank you so much for this post. It was incredibly easy to debrand my r340 unitrends “appliance”. Followed this steps, and it worked great!
Thank you! Just rebranded back to Dell. We got stuck with a server the contractor never should have purchased and without the correct model information nothing was working correctly with our internal tools.
I was skeptical and didn’t want to turn my new-to-me r640 into a brick, but it worked like a charm and now the OEM garbage is all gone. Thanks!
Do you know if it works on Dell R440 too?
Do you know if it works for R440?
I have a very high degree of confidence that it will work because this branding is done through the iDRAC and given that the R440 and R740 is the same generation and the same iDRAC (iDRAC 9) I have no grounds of why it wouldn’t work. Hope this helps!
Hi, I have an R240 (Unitrends) and the steps are not working for me. Does the server require a specific iDrac version / BIOS (currently I have iDrac 6.10.30.20, BIOS 2.12.2). After the steps 1 and 2, the server power on but I’m not getting the mode to apply the default branding.
You’re saying it never goes into the update mode and the branding (of Unitrends) never gets removed? Let me look into this. Can you provide me the service tag of the box?
The service tag is 3MMSJD3.
The iDrac/Bios were old and did not accepted the file 4XHVW_14G_DBE_CustBSU_3_00.exe. I had to update to min iDRAC 5.10.30.00 in order accept the file. After resetting the iDrac to default values and power on the system, the update mode does not run.
You need to extract that file and upload 4XHVW_14G_DBE_CustBSU_3_00.pm that’s within the .exe. Do not upload the .exe file but use and upload the .pm file then it should apply. Let me know if that works for you!
Sorry, it was my mistake, I did extracted the .pm file, and that was not accepted with the original iDrac version, then it was accepted after updating to 5.10.30.
I wonder if I should update to latest iDrac and BIOS?
Yes I would update to the latest if all possible. Usually the functionality between iDRAC and the BIOS go together because the iDRAC can control all the BIOS settings and vice versa. Please update and try again, let me know if that resolves it.
I can confirm it’s working with the latest BIOS 2.16.0 and latest iDrac 7.00.00.173. Just a note, if your iDrac is too old, you need to install iDrac 5.10.30.00 in order to be able to jump to newer versions. I did the updates in steps (I did not install directly latest).
Thank you!
After rebrand, should we go ahead and update the BIOS for R740xd?
You bet. That’s the whole benefit is that it’s a normal PowerEdge and you be on the update cycle for it which is generally updated more quickly and frequently than “branded” offering. Best to do this though the iDRAC through the System Update tab under Maintenance. Select the update to be from the default Dell repository https://downloads.dell.com and update away!
Thank you for sharing the contents of the blog.
I have a question, so I leave a comment.
We successfully completed the debranding operation and successfully removed the existing VxRail information.
But then came the problem.
After cold boot, I managed to get rid of VxRail’s information, but failed to get PowerEdge’s information (R730). The blog should look like it’s getting R740xd’s information, but I can’t see it.
Is there anything you can help me with about this?
Would you happen to know the login for the iDRAC on the DP4400? I reset iDRAC to factory setting and could not login with the usual root/calvin.
I need to double check documentation but I believe it’s root and the serial number. Not service tag but it’s the EMC style serial number, PSN, DE prefix. It’s on the slide out tag on the front of the unit that also has the service tag, and express service tag numbers on it.
I have several new-to-me E560’s (indicated by both the chassis tag as well as the model on the splash screen), but was able to update the iDRAC to 7.00.00.181 and the BIOS to 2.23.0 without issue. Are there any additional reasons to go through the debranding process in my case? Are these already debranded somehow? How can I check to be sure?
Honestly, that’s debatable and is in the realm of speculation. Historically, firmware updates from the base platform would happen at a faster release cycle than a ‘branded’ box. That product group would then in turn test/make additional firmware modifications then would be released for that branded platform for that specific use case/purpose.
You may have some low level software/drivers that look at the base model and maybe load Dell specific drivers if it sees it as a PowerEdge in a generic Linux environment. If the kernel see VxRail it may not load certain drivers because VxRail is an engineered product and not an open platform.
This is all in the realm of speculation. I know if my box is seen as a PowerEdge, in reality, I’ll have the best support out of the box with the latest updates with great confidence in that.
I assume if they were de-branded already they would show as R640’s in the splash screen, correct? I believe the firmware updates were all pulled directly from Dell, and I have PVE running on them without issue (as far as I can tell).
Question so the rebranding back to Dell worked for me no problem. However, the BIOS update won’t take. It always fails to update from the OEM BIOS. I have a R640 which I am trying to take to the latest Dell BIOS version of BIOS_T4VCN_WN64_2.24.0_01.EXE. I am stuck at an OEM version of 2.18.1 (OEM 1.0.0) Any ideas. I have tried from the IDRAC and from the console locally. Both same result.
I wouldn’t be trying to manually do updates for each component. Let the system find the right firmware. Using this KB change the location from Local to HTTPS. Check the box (use default repo – if available depending on on iDRAC version – or put ‘downloads.dell.com’) and press search for updates on the bottom. Can you take a screenshot of the updates available once you do this method? What’s the version reported on this view and what’s the latest that it discovered on the Dells downloads site?
Also, you could try:
During BIOS POST, select and enable Collect System Inventory on reboot. Save and exit from option and then reboot the system to collect new system inventory. After the inventory is collected, the System Inventory page displays the correct Hardware and software inventory data.
It adds a lot of time to the boot but let it run through it.
KB https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000196418/how-to-enable-collect-system-inventory-on-restart-in-a-dell-poweredge-server
Any way to force a BIOS update? I cannot seem to replace the OEM older BIOS version.
Does anyone know how to revert from using the wrong file initially? I tried a few .pm files before coming across this post. Used this successfully on other servers but the server I was testing on is now stuck on “System Rebranding Requested by ID Module” every reboot but fails. I tried a 15g file on my 14g server. iDRAC also fails if I try the correct .pm.
iDRAC when trying to upload the correct .pm file:
RED004: Unable to complete the job because of an internal error.
Server:
The rebranding process cannot be completed because of the reasons identified on the computer screen.
Do one of the following and retry the operation: 1) Update the iDRAC firmware. 2) Update the system BIOS. 3) Update the OEM ID module.
What version of iDRAC is the server on?
7.00.00.181. I have tried a few different versions of version 5.
Does this work for VxRail E560F and can I use R640 bios in the VxRail after this is done?
Yes. This should work for any 14th gen based server which includes the E560F.
Could you tell me which file to download and use
The article indicates which one to download and use.