Hardware Issues

These are the known hardware issues and workarounds.

Sun Type 6 Keyboards are Not Supported by SPARC T4 Series Servers

Sun Type 6 keyboards cannot be used with SPARC T4 series servers.

PSH Might Not Clear a Retired Cache Line on a Replaced Motherboard (CR 7031216)

This issue is fixed in the Oracle Solaris 11.1 OS.

When the enclosure is replaced to repair faulty cache on the motherboard, PSH might not clear the cache on the replacement. The cache line remains disabled.

Workaround: Manually clear the disabled cache line by typing these commands:

# fmadm repaired fmri | label
# fmadm replaced fmri | label

2-Meter USB Cable Length Limit (7048419)

The server module has three USB ports:

• Port 1 and 2, accessible through a dongle that is attached to the front UCP connector.

• Port 5, located on the rear of the motherboard (intended for a USB flash drive).

Workaround: If you connect USB devices to ports 1 or 2, ensure that the cable does not exceed 2 meters (approximately 6.5 feet).

Uncorrectable L2 Cache Errors are Sometimes Reported as Core Faults Without Any Cache Line Retirement (CR 7071237 and CR 7071974)

When a processor cache line encounters an uncorrectable error, the fault manager should retire the cache line that is involved in the error. However, the fault manager might not succeed in retiring the faulty cache line and instead report the entire core or processor as faulted.

Workaround: Schedule a replacement of the enclosure (motherboard). For additional information about this issue, search for message ID SUN4V-8002-WY at the Oracle support site: http://support.oracle.com.

During a Reboot After an Unrecoverable Hardware Error, CPUs Might Not Start (CR 7075336)

In rare cases, a server or sever module might experience a serious problem that results in a panic. When the server or server module is rebooted, a number of CPUs might not start even though the CPUs are not faulty.

Here is an example of the type of error displayed:

rebooting...
Resetting...
 
ERROR: 63 CPUs in MD did not start

Workaround: Log into Oracle ILOM on the SP and power cycle the host:

-> stop /SYS
Are you sure you want to stop /SYS (y/n)? y
Stopping /SYS
-> start /SYS
Are you sure you want to start /SYS (y/n) ? y
Starting /SYS

Blue LED on Drive Does Not Light When the Drive is Ready to Remove (CR 7082700)

When you attempt to unconfigure a drive for removal, the drive's blue LED, which indicates the drive is ready for removal, might not light. This situation occurs after you replace a drive in a slot with a drive that has a different WWID.

Workaround: If you inserted a drive after booting the server, reboot the server for the blue LED to work properly.