DEC MicroVAX 3100 85, MicroVAX 3100 95 Troubleshooting Instructions

MicroVAX

3100

Model

85/95

Troubleshooting

and

Diagnostic

Information

Order Number: EK-A0719-TM.

801

June 1994

This

manual

describes

the

troubleshooting procedures

and

diagnostic

commands

that

you can use to solve basic problems with

the

MicroVAX 3100 Model 85

and

Model 95 systems.

Revision Information:

Digital Equipment Corporation
Maynard, Massachusetts

This

manual

supersedes EK-A0719-TM.

AOI

June

1994

Digital Equipment Corporation makes no representations

that

the

use of

its

products in

the

manner

described

in

this

publication will not infringe on existing

or

future patent. rights,

nor

do

the

descriptions contained in

this

publication imply the granting of licenses to make, use,

or

sell

equipment

or

software in accordance with the description.

Possession, use, or copying of

the

software described in this publication is authorized only

pursuant

to a valid written license from Digital or an authorized sublicensor.

FCC NOTICE: This equipment

has

been tested and· found to comply with

the

limits for a Class

A digital device,

pursuant

to

Part

15

of

the

FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide

reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated

in

a commercial

environment. This equipment generates, uses,

and

can radiate radio frequency energy and,

if

not

installed

and

used in accordance with

the

instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to

radio communications.
Any changes

or

modifications made to

this

equipment may void

the

user's authority to operate

this

equipment.
Operation of this equipment in a residential

area

may cause interference in which case

the

user

at

his

own

expense will be required to

take

whatever measures may be required to correct

the

interference.

© Digital Equipment Corporation 1994. All Rights Reserved.

The postpaid Reader's Comments form

at

the end of

this

document requests your critical evaluation

to assist in preparing future documentation.

The following are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation: Digital,

MicroVAX,

OpenVM8,

RX,

ThinWire,

VAX,

VAX

DOCUMENT,

and

the

DIGITAL logo.

All other trademarks

and

registered trademarks are

the

property of

their

respective holders.

82613

This document was prepared using

VAX

DOCUMENT Version 2.1.

Contents

Preface.

. . . .

..

. . . . . . .

..

. . .

....

...

. .

... ...

..........

...

. v

1 Troubleshooting and Diagnosing Problems

1.1

1.2

1.3

1.3.1

1.3.2

1.3.3

1.3.4

1.3.5

1.4

Index

Examples

1-1

1-2
1-3

1-4

'l'roubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

..

.

U sing

the

'l'roubleshooting Table

...................

.

Diagnostic Tests and Commands

...................

.

Power-Up Tests

.............................

.

Diagnostic Tests and

Utilities

..................

.

Power-Up Error Messages

.....................

.

Configuration Display

........................

.

Error

Display

...............................

.

Contacting Digital Services

.......................

.

SYNC

Test Failure

...........................

.

Memory _Setup_CSRs Test Failure

...............

.

Memory _Count_Pages Test Failure

..............

.

No_Memory_Present Test Failure

...............

.

1-1

1-2

1-9
1-10
1-13
1-18
1-22
1-24
1-25

1-18
1-19
1-20
1-21

iii

Figures

1-1

1-2

Tables

1-1
1-2

1-3

iv

Diagnostic Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Status

LED Display

..........................

.

Basic Troubleshooting

........................

.

Option Card Tests

...........................

.

MicroVAX

4000-100A/I05A Tests

................

.

1-13

1-26

1-3

1-15

1-16

Preface

This

manual

describes

the

troubleshooting procedures

and

diagnostic commands

that

you can use to solve basic problems with

the

MicroVAXTM

3100 Model

85

and

Model 95 systems.

Audience

This

manual

is intended for people who have some experience with computers.

Structure of This Manual

This

manual

presents

the

information you need for solving basic problems with

the

MicroVAX

3100 Model 85/95 system in one chapter. Use the sections in

the

order presented,

starting

with Section 1.1, Troubleshooting, when solving

a problem with your system.

You

can follow

up

with diagnostic testing or by

contacting Digital services for support as described in

Section

1.3

and

Section 1.4.

Additional Information

See

the

MicroVAX 3100 Model 85195 Operator Information

manual

for

the

list of

related documents.

v

Conventions

The following conventions are used in this manual:

Convention

MONOSPACE

type

italic type

Note

Warning

vi

Description

'!ext displayed on

the

screen

is

shown

in

monospace type.

Italic type emphasizes

important

information

and

indicates

the

complete titles

of

manuals.

A note contains information

that

is

of

special importance to

the

user.
A warning contains information

to

prevent personal injury.

1

Troubleshooting and Diagnosing

Problems

This chapter describes

the

troubleshooting procedures and diagnostic commands

that

you can use to solve basic problems with the

MicroVAX

3100 Model 85

and

Model

95

systems.

It

contains information on

the

following:

• Troubleshooting

• Diagnostic tests and commands

• Contacting DigitaPM services
It

also lists

the

information

that

you

must

give to your Digital services

representative

and

where to find this information.

1.1

Troubleshooting

If

a problem occurs, you

must

first make sure

that

all the cables, loopback

connectors, and terminators are correctly connected

and

that

the

connectors are

not damaged, for example,

the

pins may be broken or short-circuited.

Follow these steps:

1.

Shut

down

the

operating system by following the procedures described in the

operating system documentation.

2.

Turn off

the

console terminal

and

all

the

peripheral devices, such as printers

and moderns.

3.

Turn off all the expansion boxes.

4.

Turn off the system unit.

5.

Check

that

the

following cables,

if

installed, are correctly connected

at

both

ends

and

that

the

connectors

are

not

damaged:

• Console terminal cable Oinking

the

console terminal to the system unit)

• Console terminal power cord

Troubleshooting

and

Diagnosing Problems 1-1

• System

unit

power cord

• Expansion box SCSI cables

• Expansion box power cords

• Thin Wire ™ Ethernet cable or

standard

Ethernet

cable

6.

Check

that

the following terminators,

if

installed,

are

correctly connected and

are

not damaged:

• SCSI terminators

• Thin Wire

Ethernet

terminator (T-connector

and

two terminators)

•

Standard

Ethernet loopback connector

If

you have correctly followed steps 1 to 5,

the

on/off switches

on

all the

components

are

set to

the

off

(0)

position,

and

you have solved

any

problems

caused by incorrectly connected cables or terminators.

7.

Set

the on/off switches

on

the

following equipment to

the

on

( I ) position in

the

following order:

a.

Expansion boxes

b.

Peripherals

c.

Console terminal

d.

System

unit

The system responds with the power-up

test

display.

If

it

does not, see

Section 1.2.

1.2 Using the Troubleshooting Table

Table

1-1

suggests the corrective actions for certain system problems.

If

you have

a problem with the system, follow these steps:

1.

Write down

the

symptoms of

the

problem.

2.

Check the Symptom column in Table

1-1

for a match.

3.

Check

the

causes of the symptom in

the

Possible Cause column.

If

the

column lists more

than

one possible cause, check the possible causes

and

their suggested solutions in

the

order listed.

4.

Follow

the

advice in the Suggested Solution column.

5.

See Section 1.4

if

the problem persists.

1-2

Troubleshooting

and

Diagnosing Problems

Table

1-1

Basic Troubleshooting

Symptom
System

Problems

The system

unit

fan is

off'

or

the

power light

is

off'.

The power-up display
does not show

after

20

seconds. .

Possible

cause

The power cord is

not
connected. The power
cord may

be

faulty. The

power socket may

not
be working. The system
breaker

or

wall outlet

may have blown.
The overload protection

circuitry of the power

supply may have

shut

down because

of

an

abnormal condition on

the power line.

The power supply

unit
(PSU)

is

faulty.

The terminal cable is

not correctly connected.

The terminal cable is
not connected to

the

correct MMJ port.

The power cord is

not
connected. The power
cord may be faulty. The

wall outlet

may

not be

working.
The terminal fuse

may

have blown.

The terminal settings
may be incorrect.

Suggested

Solution

Make sure

that

all

the

power cords

are

connected correctly

at

both

ends.

Try a known good power cord

or

test

the

power socket with

an

appliance

that

works.

Tum the system

off'

and

then

turn

it

back on.

Contact your Digital services
representative.

Make sure

that

all

the

cables

are

connected

at

both ends.

Check the MMJ port

to

which

the

terminal cable is connected.

If

this

port

is

not

MMJ port 3, remove

the

terminal cable

and

connect

it

to

MMJ port

3.

Make sure.

that

all

the

power cords

are

connected correctly

at

both

ends.

Try a known good power cord

or

test

the power socket with

an

appliance

that

works.

Replace

the

blown terminal fuse.

See the terminal documentation.
See

the

MicroVAX 3100 Model

85/95

Operator Information

manual

for the list

of

correct

terminal settings.

See

the

terminal
documentation for information on
how to

set

up

the

terminal.

(continued on

next

page)

Troubleshooting

and

Diagnosing

Problems

1-3

Table

1-1

(Cont.) Basic Troubleshooting

Symptom
System

Problems

The power-up display
contains question marks.

The power-up

test
display contains
unexpected characters.

The system fails to boot
the

operating system.

Possible

Cause

The port to which

the

terminal connects may

be faulty.

The terminal cable

may

be faulty.

A diagnostic

error

has

occurred.
The terminal settings

are

incorrect or

the

DZ

circuitry is faulty.

The system defaults

are

incorrectly set.

1-4

Troubleshooting and Diagnosing Problems

Suggested

Solution

Try connecting

the

terminal to

another

system.

If

this

solution

works,

the

port

to which

the

terminal was connected is faulty.

If

the terminal still does not

operate,

it

is faulty. In either
case, contact your Digital services
representative.

Connect

the

terminal cable

and

the

terminal to

another

system.

If

the

connected terminal works,

the

DZ

circuitry or MMJ connector

is faulty. Otherwise,

the

cable

is

faulty. Contact your Digital

services representative.
See Section 1.4.

Make sure

the

terminal settings

are

correct,

then

run

the

power-

up

test

again.

If

the terminal

is

set

correctly, contact your Digital

services representative.
Set

the

system defaults

as

described

in

the

Open

VMS

Factory Installed Software User

Information

document,

then

try

to boot

the

system again.

If

the

system still fails to boot,
contact your Digital services
representative.

(continued on next page)

Table

1-1

(Cont.) Basic Troubleshooting

Symptom

Possible

Cause

RRD43

Compact

Disc

Drive

Problems

The drive does not
accept

the

disc.

The eject button fails to
release the disc tray.

The disc is upside-down

in

the

tray

or

it

is

not

placed correctly

in

the

tray.

A disc is already

present.
The eject button is

disabled by software.

The system does

not

have power.

The RRD43 compact disc
drive is faulty.

Suggested

Solution

Remove

the

disc from

the

tray

and

reinsert

it

properly.

Remove the disc

and

replace

it

with a new one.
Reenable the eject button

or

manually release the disc tray.
Set

the system

unit

on/off switch to

the

on ( I ) position

and

press

the

eject button again.

If

you

want

to release

the

disc

tray

manually, see MicroVAX 3100

Model

85/95

Operator Information

for instructions.

If

the

problem
persists, contact your Digital
services representative.

(continued on

next

page)

Troubleshooting

and

Diagnosing

Problems

1-5

Table

1-1

(Cont.) Basic Troubleshooting

Symptom
TZ30

Tape

Drive

Problems

The TZ30 green LED
flashes rapidly.

The

TZ30 does not

operate.

The operate lever does
not

slide.

The operate lever does
not lock.

The tape does

not

load.

The system cannot write
to the tape.

The

data

read

from

the

tape cartridge is

corrupted.

The tape does

not

eject.

Possible

Cause

The drive mechanism
is faulty or

the

tape

cartridge

is

damaged.

The drive does not
contain a tape cartridge.

The

tape

cartridge

is

in

use.

The

tape

cartridge

is

not

inserted correctly.

The write-protect switch
is in

the

write-protect

position.

The

tape

drive head

may

be dirty.

The

tape

is not rewound.

The operate lever is

in

the

lock position.

1-6

Troubleshooting and Diagnosing Problems

Suggested

Solution

Press

and

release

the

unload

button to clear the fault.

If

the

LED continues to flash,

do

not

try

to remove

the

tape cartridge

or

use

the

tape

drive. Contact your

Digital services representative.
Insert

the

tape

cartridge

and

slide

the

lever from the UNLOCK to the

LOCK position.
Wait for

the

green LED to

turn

on

and

try

again.

If

the problem

persists,

do

not use

the

drive.
Contact your Digital services
representative.

Reinsert

the

tape cartridge.

If

the

problem persists, contact your

Digital services representative.
Press

and

release the unload

button. Wait for

the

green LED

to

turn

on before sliding

the

lever

and

removing

the

tape.

If

the
LED flashes, contact your Digital
services representative.

If

the

write-protect LED

is

on,

remove the tape,

reset

the

switch
and

try

writing to the tape

again.

If

the

problem persists,
contact your Digital services
representative.

See the MicroVAX 3100 Model

85

/95

Operator Information

manual

for infonnation on how to clean

the

drive head.

Follow

the

procedure for removing

a tape from the

TZ30 described

in

the

MicroVAX 3100 Model

85/95

Operator Information manual.

(continued on

next

page)

Table

1-1

(Cont.) Basic Troubleshooting

Symptom

Possible

Cause

TLZ06

and

TLZ07

Cassette

Tape

Drive

Problems

The system cannot write

to

the

cassette tape.

The write-protect LED
flashes.

The

data

read

from

the

cassette tape

is

corrupted.

The write-protect switch

is

in

the

write-protect

position.

The cassette tape

is

not

loaded.

The tape drive heads
are

dirty

or

the

tape is

worn.

The tape drive heads
may

be dirty.

Suggested

Solution

If

the write-protect LED is on,

remove the tape,

reset

the

switch

and

try

writing

to

the tape

again.

If

the

problem persists,

contact your Digital services

representative.

Load

the

cassette tape.

Clean

the

drive heads (see

the

MicroVAX 3100 Model 85195

Operator Information manual).

If

the

problem persists, use a new

tape.
See

the

MicroVAX 3100 Model 85

195 Operator Information

manual

for information on how to clean

the

drive heads.

TZK10ITZK11

Quarter

Inch

Cartridge

(QIC)

Tape

Drive

Problems

The

data

read

from

the

QIC tape is corrupted.

The system cannot write
to

the QIC tape.

The system cannot

read

from or write to

the

QI C

tape.

The drive

head

is dirty.

The write-protect switch

is

in

the

write-protect

position.

The QIC tape may be

faulty.

Clean

the

drive head. See

the

MicroVAX 3100 Model 85195

Operator Information manual.

Remove

the

QIC tape,

reset

the

switch

and

try

to

write to the

QIC

tape

again.

If

the

problem
persists, contact your Digital
services representative.

Remove

the

QIC tape.

If

the

amber

LED

turns

off when you remove

the

QIC tape, the

tape

is probably

faulty.

Try a different QIC tape.

If

the

amber

LED stays on

or

if

the

problem persists, contact your

Digital services representative.

(continued on next page)

Troubleshooting and Diagnosing Problems

1-7

Table 1-1 (Cont.) Basic Troubleshooting

Symptom

Possible Cause

RX™26

Diskette Drive Problems

The system cannot

read

from or write to the

diskette.

The system can

read

from

but

cannot write to

a diskette.

The diskette does

not

eject.

The diskette

is

not

formatted.

The diskette

is

not

correctly inserted.
The diskette

is

faulty.

The diskette drive is
faulty.

The diskette density is
incorrect.

The diskette drive

head

may be dirty.

The write-protect switch
is

in

the

write-protect

position.
The diskette is

incorrectly positioned
in

the drive.

RZ-Series SCSI Disk Drive Problems

An

installed drive does

not

work.

The Configuration
display does

not

show a

SCSI device.

Two

SCSI identifiers

are

set to the same number.

Drive cables

are

not

properly connected.
SCSI device is not

properly terminated.

Two

SCSI identifiers

are

set

to the same number.

1-8

Troubleshooting and Diagnosing Problems

Suggested Solution

Format

the

diskette.

Eject the diskette.

Try

to

insert

the

diskette again.

Try

a different diskette.

Contact your Digital services
representative.

The

RX26

accepts only high-

density (HD)

or

extra-density

(ED) diskettes.
See

the

Micro VAX 3100 Model

85

/95

Operator Information manual

for information on how to clean

the

diskette drive head.
Eject

the

diskette

and

reset

the

switch. Try writing to

the

diskette

again.
Gently press

the

diskette with your

finger

and

reposition it.

Press

the

eject button again.

Reset each

SCSI ID to a unique

number.

Check

the

cable connections.

Check for a

SCSI 50-pin

terminator.

Reset each

SCSI ID to a unique

number.

1.3

Diagnostic

Tests

and

Commands

There

are

a number of diagnostic tests and commands

that

can help you to isolate

a problem with the system unit. These tests and commands are as follows:

• Power-up tests

• Diagnostic tests and utilities

1

• Configuration displayl

• Error displayl

The following sections describe these tests and commands.

1

You

can use these

tests

and

commands

in

privileged console mode only

if

the

console

security feature is enabled

and

the

password is set. See

the

MicroVAX 3100 Model

85/95

Customer Technical Information

manual

for information on

the

console security feature.

Troubleshooting and Diagnosing Problems

1-9

1.3.1 Power-Up Tests

The system runs the power-up tests each time you turn

on

the system. Mter

successful completion of tests, the system will either enter console mode

or

proceed to automatic bootstrap, depending

on

the

HALT

action selected by the

user.

If

HALT

action is Default, Halt,

or

Restart, then the system enters console

mode.

If

HALT

action is Reboot

or

Restart_reboot, then the system proceeds

to

boot. The following example shows a typical display

for

a system that passes all

tests and then enters console mode.

KA55-A

or

KA51-A

V2.3,

VMB

2.14

..

Performing

normal system

tests.

74

..

73

..

72

..

71..70

..

69

..

68

..

67

..

66

..

65

..

64

..

63

..

62

..

61. .60

..

59

..

58

..

57

•.

56

..

55

.•

54

..

53

.•

52

..

51.

.50

..

49

..

48

..

47

..

46

..

45

..

44

..

43

....

42

•.

41.

.40

•.

39

.•

38

•.

37

..

36

.•

35

..

34

.•

33

..

32

•.

31. .30

..

29

..

28

..

27

..

26

..

25

.•

24

..

23

•.

22

•• 21. .20

.•

19

..

18

..

17

•.

16

..

15

.•

14

..

13

..

12

..

11.

.

10

..

09

•.

08

••

07

.•

06

..

05

.•

04

..

03

..

Tests

completed.

tt

»>

•

..

Central Processing Unit (CPU) Name, Firmware Version Number, and Virtual
Memory Boot

(VMB)

Version Number

..

Read-Only Memory

(ROM)

Based Diagnostics Countdown

• Status Message

e Console Prompt

1-10

Troubleshooting

and

Diagnosing

Problems

The following example shows a typical display for a system that passes all tests

and then enters automatic bootstrap.

KA55-A

or

KA51-A

V2.3,

VMB

2.14

Performing

normal system

tests.

74

..

73

..

72

..

71..

70

..

69

..

68

..

67

..

66

..

65

..

64

..

63

..

62

..

61..60

..

59

..

58

..

57

..

56

..

55

..

54

..

53

..

52

..

51. .50

..

49

.•

48

..

47

.•

46

•.

45

..

44

..

43

..

42

..

41. .40

..

39

..

38

..

37

..

36

..

35

..

34

..

33

..

32

..

31. .30

•.

29

..

28

..

27

..

26

..

25

..

24

••

23

..

22

..

21. .20

..

19

..

18

..

17

..

16

..

15

..

14

..

13

..

12

•.

11. .

10

..

09

..

08

..

07

..

06

..

05

..

04

..

03

..

Tests

completed.

Loading system

software.

(BOOT

IR5: 0

EZAO)

2

..

-EZAO

1.

.0

..

Note

______________________________________

__

The operating system messages start here, that is

VMS

...

If

the power-up tests encounter an

error,

one of the following actions occurs:

For minor errors:

•

If

HALT

action is set

to

a boot condition (that is reboot

or

restart_reboot),

and

if

a minor error occurs, the system displays an abbreviated error

message and continues

to

boot as normal.

•

If

HALT

action is set to Default, Halt

or

Restart, then the system enters

console mode.

• The only errors defined as minor are errors in memory that cause pages
to be marked bad in the memory bitmap. There must be enough good
memory left

to

allow an attempt to bootstrap.

For

severe errors:

• The system always enters console mode regardless of

HALT

action after

it

attempts to complete all tests possible.

Troubleshooting

and

Diagnosing

Problems

1-11