4200 No post

[shaveman]

I added an Adaptec SCSI card to my 4200 to use with a tape drive for backups. After installing the card and powering on, I get the solid green power led, the system status led blinks amber once very quickly, then stays off. The system powers on, but never posts. I have removed the SCSI card and still have the same issue. I have also tried removing the different hardware components to get some sort of error/response from the server with no luck (RAM, HD, PCI reiser, network, vga, and keyboard cables). I have also tried to clear the CMOS and use the reset switch, though from what I can tell the reset switch will do no good unless you're in the OS. Other notes - when powered off but plugged in, the led on the power supply blinks, what looks to me like a green-yellow-orange color. When powered on it is the same color, only solid. I don't have another snap server to compare it to, so the color may be fine. I can see the leds on the board, the ones that are lit are all green. Any ideas.....?

[shaveman]

I connected to the serial terminal as described on the Adaptec support website:
"
Capturing the boot text is applicable in the following situations.

A) The server fails to boot completely
B) The server boots into recovery mode and rebooting the system does not resolve the issue
C) The system LED alternates green and amber every second



Steps to capture text via the serial console with HyperTerminal.

1. Attach a null modem cable between the Snap server and the PC
2. Start HyperTerminal (Normally found under the Start—>Programs—>Accessories—>Communications menu)
3. Enter a name of the connection and click ok
4. Connect using the COM port the null modem cable is attached to on the PC
5. For the port settings, specify 115200 for Bits per second. Leave the rest of the settings alone. They should default to 8, None, 1, Hardware
6. In the Transfer menu, select Capture Text and specify the file to output the text
7. Turn on the server"

The terminal captures: "Press <SpaceBar> to invoke remote BIOS flash."

Pressing the spacebar results in no action/change.

[blue68f100]

Was this a working unit prior to the addition of the SCSI card?

What OS Version?

Was this card from Adaptec for the 4200, or was it just a std SCSI Card? What Mfg and Model of the card?

I think I would add a video card and drop in to bios to see if you have a interupt issue with the SCSI card. I only have a 4500 and video is built in.

Andy (Phoenix32) is our resident Hardware person. He normaly checks in around noon. He has worked on several 4200.

Your right the reset only works if the OS is up. The terminal is the only way to do some things. Was this server clean or were users files on it?

If I recall, Andy mentioned that if your clear CMOS you have to go into bios to set the boot order.

Post the answers to my questions so Andy will have the needed info.

[shaveman]

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately I inherited this server from the previous admin and it is running CentOS. The device did have files on it, but I was going to rebuild the system with Gentoo so data loss is not a concern. The SCSI card is brand new from HP with an 2120S Adaptec chip. The video on the 4200 is also builtin, but if you think it may be video related I can try a different card. I haven't seen any indication that it's a video problem so I haven't tried that yet. Prior to the power down and SCSI card, the server was working fine. I was trying to get it to boot from a USB stick so I enabled the two USB boot options - I believe cdrom and floppy, hoping one of them might pick up the USB stick. When this still booted straight to the OS I popped in the SCSI card to start the rebuild. I do not know if this is related to the SCSI card or not, that was just the only major change I made before the problem began. During the card installation, nothing seemed to go wrong - no strange snaps or any other indicators that I broke something.

[blue68f100]

CentOs, Tells me they did not want support. The Snap HW is very specific. This thread is where a user loaded FreeBSD on a 4500, had flags that needed changing inorder for it to work with the ServerWorks Chip. The same may apply with the 4200. http://forums.procooling.com/vbb/sho...highlight=4500

I was suggesting use the direct video and KB vs going through the com port.

My guess at this point is that you may need to reset the BIOS back to defaults, then change/verify the boot order. Thinking that it is trying to use the SCSI as a boot device.

[shaveman]

You're right about the support. This was an eval. server that never had support and even if it had, it would be expired. Instead of not using it at all, CentOS was loaded on it and it's been used as a basic file server. I see your link to installing alt. OS on the Snaps and expected headaches. These seem completely unrelated at this point as I can't even get to the BIOS screen. Even with KB and video connected, nothing comes up on the screen and I can not get to the BIOS to make changes. Clearing the CMOS should have undone any misconfigurations in the BIOS which I could then edit to my liking. The problem is that I can't get to that point. To clarify, the SCSI card is no longer in the machine, the hardware is setup just as it was upon delivery.

[blue68f100]

Wait for Andy, he's worked on the 4200's before. He may know how to get it up. It's very strange that it will not even post. Is the cmos battery good? Some of the models will not boot without a good battery.

[Phoenix32]

Originally Posted by blue68f100

Wait for Andy, he's worked on the 4200's before. He may know how to get it up.

I always know how to get it up...


Anywise, back on topic...

Honestly, I did not read the the stuff very deeply, but that was because right from the start it seemed pretty obvious.

Computer, Server, Snap, etc, worked fine before component X was installed. Stopped working when component X was installed, and still did not work when component X was removed. One of the first things a good tech asks a client when troubleshooting is to locate any changes that occured to a machine just prior to the failure. Why? Because 99% of the time, that is where the fault is.

In this case, the Snap was working fine, then a SCSI card was installed and it stopped working. Since it continues not to work after the card was removed, that is a pretty good indication something wad damaged while the SCSI card was installed. But what? Possibilities include, power supply, riser board, and motherboard. That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Which one, well, that would require some voltage readings and maybe parts swapping to determine. My guess, either something shorted in the riser board (look for metal particles in the slot socket) or the motherboard got fried. That's my bet given the information given to be accurate and without touching the unit.


Other possibilities:

Well, I have heard the "won't work without the CMOS battery" before, but I have not found that to be true with a couple units I have. But, some do swear this is the case, at least sometimes. Can't hurt to check.

The Snap 4200/4500/15000 have 2 slot sockets. One is PCI, and one is PCI-X. Some people forget this. Could this be what caused the problem? Not the most likely to cause permanent damage, but it is possible.

Did you touch, bump, smack, etc etc etc, anything else while installing the card? You may have damaged something else. ESD maybe? (Electrostatic Discharge)

The list of this type stuff goes on and on...


IMO, the BIOS settings and OS have nothing to do with this. Why? BECAUSE IT WON"T POST! IME, if a board won't post, a component like CPU, memory, etc is not installed correctly, the main board is dead, or something is shorting out somewhere (could be a million places) and keeping the board locked. BIOS settings and OS choices do not keep a board from POSTing in most cases (except in overclocking, overvolting, etc, which is not even an option in this case).

Look for something you may have dislodged while installing the card, check the riser board close, check to see if it has power. If these are good, the board is probably dead.

There is my requested nickel worth...

[shaveman]

Thanks for the response Phoenix, your opinion matches mine. Though the SCSI install felt clean and problem free, there must have been something that happened that went unnoticed. If I can, I will try to disassemble the machine and go over it with a can of air. I looked it over numerous times and for being a few years old it's one of the cleanest systems inside I've seen, nothing obvious stands out. If I get anywhere with it I'll post back.

[Phoenix32]

You're welcome. Does the SCSI card work? Maybe it was bad and caused the problem.

[shaveman]

Not sure if the card was good or not and haven't had a need to put it any other machines. The card was brand new out of the static bag from HP, but that doesn't mean it was good.

[Phoenix32]

Well, not to make a sales pitch or anything, but if the need for the external SCSI card comes up again for someone, I do have a few spares and won't charge some astronomical price like $200 you find on eBay for them (probably $50 plus shipping). These cards came from working 4200/4500 units.