C H A P T E R 2

Troubleshooting

This chapter contains information on troubleshooting procedures and technical support contacts.

The following sections are included in this chapter:

Section 2.1, Troubleshooting Overview

Section 2.2, Performing Visual Inspections

Section 2.3, Troubleshooting Procedures

2.1 Troubleshooting Overview

Before troubleshooting your specific server problem, answer the following questions:

What events occurred prior to the failure?

Was any hardware or software modified or installed?

Was the server recently installed or moved?

How long has the server exhibited symptoms?

What is the duration or frequency of the problem?

After you have assessed the problem and noted your current configuration and environment, you can choose from several ways to troubleshoot your server:

Visually inspect your system as described in Section 2.2, Performing Visual Inspections.

View the troubleshooting procedures in Section 2.3, Troubleshooting Procedures to see if any of them solve the problem.

Execute a diagnostics test as described in Chapter 3.

2.2 Performing Visual Inspections

Improperly set controls and loose or improperly connected cables are common causes of problems with hardware components. When investigating a system problem, first check all the external switches, controls, and cable connections. See Section 2.2.1, Performing an External Visual Inspection.

If this does not resolve your problem, then visually inspect the system's interior hardware for problems, such as a loose card, cable connector, or mounting screw. See Section 2.2.2, Performing an Internal Visual Inspection.

2.2.1 Performing an External Visual Inspection

1. Turn off the system and any attached peripherals (if applicable).

2. Verify that all power cables are properly connected to the system, the monitor, and the peripherals, and check their power sources.

3. Inspect connections to any attached devices, including network cables, keyboard, monitor, and mouse, as well as any devices attached to the serial port.

2.2.2 Performing an Internal Visual Inspection

1. Shut down the operating system, if necessary.

2. Disconnect the power cord from the back of the system.

3. Turn off any attached peripherals.

4. Remove the server cover, following the procedures in Section 4.2, Installation Precautions.

Caution - Some components, such as the heatsink, can become extremely hot during system operations. Allow these components to cool before handling them.

5. Verify that the components are fully seated in their sockets or connectors and that the sockets are clean.

6. Verify that all cables inside the system are firmly attached to their appropriate connectors.

7. Replace the top cover.

8. Reconnect the system and any attached peripherals to their power sources, and then power them on.

2.3 Troubleshooting Procedures

TABLE 2-1 lists problems that might arise as you use your server. Possible solutions are listed for each problem. If the solutions listed here do not fix the problem, run the appropriate diagnostic test (see Chapter 3).

TABLE 2-1 Troubleshooting Procedures
Problem	Possible solution
Server does not power on when you press the front panel power button.	Keep notes on the following situations in case you need to call for service: Is the power LED illuminated on the front of the system? (Ensure that the power cord is connected to the system and to a grounded power receptacle.) Does the wall outlet have power? Test by connecting another device. Does the monitor sync within 5 minutes after power on? (The green LED on the monitor stops flashing and remains illuminated.)
Server powers on, but the monitor does not.	Is the Power button for the monitor turned on? Is the monitor power cord connected to a wall outlet? Does the wall outlet have power? Test by connecting another device.
CD or DVD does not eject from the media tray when you press the Eject button.	Move the mouse or press any key on the keyboard. The drive might be in the low-power mode. Use the utility software installed on your server to eject the CD.
Server does not power off when the front panel power button is pressed.	Try all of the power-off options shown in Section 1.4.3, Shutting Down Main Power Mode. If the server still does not power off, disconnect the power cable from the rear of the chassis.
The network status indicator does not light up.	Check the cabling and network equipment to make sure that all cables are correctly seated. Reinstall the network drivers.
An external device connected to a USB connector does not work.	Reduce the number of external devices connected to a USB hub. Refer to the documentation that comes with the device.
System cannot read the hard disk information.	Do the following: Turn off the server by pressing the Power button. Remove the top cover. Check to make sure that the power and data cables are connected to the disk drive and that the pins in the cable and connector are not bent. Check to make sure that the drives are cabled properly for the hard drive format. See Chapter 4 for information on hard drive cabling for SAS and SATA formats. Replace the top cover. Turn on the server.
System cannot read the CD information.	Check the following: Are you using the correct type of CD? Is the CD properly inserted into the drive? Is the CD clean and unscratched? Are the cables connected to the DVD-ROM drive?
Keyboard or mouse does not respond to action.	Verify that the mouse and keyboard cables are connected to the on-board USB 2.0 connectors on the server. Verify that the server is powered on and that the front power LED is illuminated.
Server appears to be in low-power mode, but the Power button LED does not blink.	The power-indicator LED only blinks when all server components are in low-power mode. A tape drive might be connected to your server. Because tape drives do not enter low-power mode, the power-indicator LED does not blink.
Hung or frozen server: No response from mouse or keyboard or any application.	Try to access your system from a different server on the network: On another system, type `ping` IP_address_of_X2100 If a response is returned, then try logging in to the Sun Fire X2100 M2 server using either telnet, ssh, or rlogin. If you successfully log in, list the running processes using the `ps` command. Stop any processes that look unresponsive or should not be running, by using the `kill` process_ID command. Check the responsiveness of the Sun Fire X2100 M2 server after each process is stopped. If the above procedure does not work, power cycle the server: Press the Power button to power off the server and wait 20-30 seconds. Press the Power button again to power the system back on.
No video is displayed on the monitor screen.	Check the following: Is the cable connected to the video connector? Does the monitor work when connected to another system? If you have another monitor, does it work when connected to the original system? If, after POST and BIOS complete, you no longer see video output on your monitor and only see a flashing cursor, check the configuration of the operating system to determine if it is configured to redirect its output exclusively over the serial line.
External device is not working.	Check the documentation that came with the device to see if any device drivers must be installed. Ensure that the cables for the external device are firmly connected and that the pins in the cable and connector are not bent. Power off the system, reattach the external device, and power on the system.
Newly installed memory is not detected.	Make sure that the memory is properly seated on the DIMM sockets. Move the memory to the other DIMM socket to determine whether the socket is defective. Make sure that you are using 512 MB, 1 GB, or 2 GB registered DDR2 modules with 3.05 cm max. height.