Release Notes - Dell PowerEdge Fan Controller v2.0

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# Dell PowerEdge Fan Controller
# Release Notes
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# Version : 2.0
# Release : July 2026
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# License : MIT
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# Author  : Jack Bamford
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Overview
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Dell PowerEdge Fan Controller is a lightweight shell-based daemon designed
for Dell PowerEdge servers running TrueNAS.

The controller replaces Dell's default fixed fan response (often triggered
when using an HBA330 or other unsupported PCIe devices) with a dynamic
temperature-based fan controller while maintaining Dell's built-in thermal
protection.

Test Platform
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Server
  Dell PowerEdge R730xd

Management
  iDRAC8 Enterprise

Storage Controller
  Dell HBA330

Operating System
  TrueNAS CORE

Currently Supported

✔ TrueNAS CORE
✔ Dell PowerEdge R730xd
✔ Dell HBA330
✔ iDRAC8

Planned Support

○ TrueNAS SCALE
○ Ubuntu Server
○ Debian Linux
○ Additional Dell PowerEdge platforms

Roadmap
-------

Planned for v2.1

• HDD SMART temperature monitoring
• Automatic disk discovery
• Temperature hysteresis
• External configuration file
• Improved logging
• Native Linux (systemd) support
• Additional Dell PowerEdge model support

Change Log
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v2.0 (July 2026)
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• Renamed controller to fancontrol.sh
• Added start-fancontrol.sh launcher
• Dynamic CPU temperature-based fan control
• Inlet and exhaust temperature monitoring
• Automatic fallback to Dell Automatic fan control
• Sensor retry protection
• Background daemon with PID management
• TrueNAS Post Init integration
• Improved logging and documentation
• First public release

Disclaimer
----------

This software is provided AS IS without warranty.

The author accepts no responsibility for hardware damage,
data loss or other issues arising from the use of this software.

Although the software returns control to Dell's built-in thermal
management during error conditions, users should verify correct
operation before deploying in production environments.

Features
--------

• Automatic startup using TrueNAS Post Init
• Background daemon operation
• PID file management
• Dynamic fan control
• CPU temperature monitoring
• Inlet temperature monitoring
• Exhaust temperature monitoring
• Automatic fallback to Dell iDRAC fan control
• Sensor retry protection
• Syslog integration
• Lightweight shell implementation
• No external dependencies other than ipmitool

Fan Control Logic
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Normal
  User configurable PWM

Warm
  User configurable PWM

Hot
  User configurable PWM

Emergency
  Returns control to Dell Automatic fan control

Safety Features
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• Sensor validation
• Automatic retry on sensor failures
• Configurable retry limit
• Automatic return to Dell Automatic fan control
• Clean shutdown handling
• Prevents multiple instances from running

Files Included
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fancontrol.sh
    Main background daemon.

start-fancontrol.sh
    Startup launcher used by TrueNAS Post Init.

Installation
------------

1. Copy both scripts into:

       /root/scripts/

2. Make both executable:

       chmod +x fancontrol.sh
       chmod +x start-fancontrol.sh

3. Configure a TrueNAS Post Init Script:

       /root/scripts/start-fancontrol.sh

4. Reboot the server or execute the launcher manually.

Requirements
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• Dell PowerEdge Server
• iDRAC7/iDRAC8
• Local IPMI support
• ipmitool
• TrueNAS CORE

Known Limitations
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Current Version (2.0)

• CPU temperature based control
• Inlet temperature monitoring
• Exhaust temperature monitoring

Future Versions
---------------

Planned for v2.1

• HDD SMART temperature monitoring
• Automatic disk discovery
• Temperature hysteresis
• External configuration file
• Improved logging
• Additional Dell PowerEdge model support

Future Roadmap
--------------

• TrueNAS SCALE support
• Ubuntu Server support
• Debian Linux support
• Additional Linux distribution support
• Dell PowerEdge 12G, 13G and 14G compatibility
• Configurable fan profiles
• Automatic HDD detection

Disclaimer
----------

This software is provided AS IS without warranty.

The author accepts no responsibility for hardware damage,
data loss or other issues arising from the use of this software.

Although the software returns control to Dell's built-in thermal
management during error conditions, users should verify correct
operation before deploying in production environments.

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