Page 1
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Page 2
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
1996-1997 Dell Comput er C orporation. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Computer Corporati on is strictly forbidden.
Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, and PowerEdge are registere d trademarks, DellWare is a registered service mark, and Dell
Dimension is a trademark of Dell Computer Corporation; Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation; Microsoft, Windows,
Windows NT , and MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; CompuServe is a registered trademark of CompuServe, Inc.; and
PRODIGY is a registered trademark of Prodigy Services Co.
Other trademarks and t rade names may be used in this document to refer to either the ent itie s claiming the marks and nam es or th eir products.
Dell Computer Corporation disclaims any pro prietary interest in trademarks and trade names other th an i ts own.
January 1997 P/N 53860
Page 3
Safety Instructions
U
se the following safety guidelines to he lp protect
your computer system from potential damage and to
ensure your own personal safety.
W
hen Working Inside the
Computer
WARNING: The power supplies in this computer
system produce high voltages and energy hazards,
which can cause bodily harm. Only trained service
technicians are authorized to remove the computer
covers and access any of the components inside the
computer.
WARNING: Before a trained service technician
accesses the inside of the computer, any and all
power supplies must be disconnected from their
power source, and the cables to the power supplies
must also be disconnected. If this computer has
more than one power supply, disconnect both
power supply cords before servicing to avoid
electrical shock.
Before taking the covers off of the computer, perform the
following steps in the sequence indicated:
1. Turn off the computer and any peripherals.
2. Disconnect the computer and peripherals from
their power sources. Also, disconnect any telephone or telecommunications lines from the
computer.
Doing so reduces the potential for personal injury or
shock.
3. T ouch an unpainted metal surface on the computer chassis, such as the power supply, before
touching anything inside the computer.
While you work, periodically touch an unpainted
metal surface on the computer chassis to dissipate
any static electricity that might harm internal
components.
In addition, take note of these safety guidel ines when
appropriate:
To help avoid possible damage to the system board,
•
wait five seconds after turning off the system before
removing a compon ent from the system bo ard or disconnecting a peripheral device from the computer.
When you disconnect a cable, pull on its connector
•
or on its strain-relief loop, not on the cable itself.
Some cables have a connector with locking tabs; if
you are disconnecting this type of cable, press in on
the locking tabs before disconnecting the cable. As
you pull connectors apart, keep them evenly aligned
to avoid bending any connector pins. Also, before
you connect a cable, make sure both connectors are
correctly oriented and aligned.
Handle components and cards with care. Don’t touch
•
the components or contacts on a card. Hold a card by
its edges or by its metal mounting bracket. Hold a
component such as a microprocessor chip by its
edges, not by its pins.
Protecting Against Electrostatic
Discharge
Static electricity can harm delicate components inside the
computer. To prevent static damage, discharge static
electricity from your body before you touch any of the
computer’s electronic components, such as the
v
Page 4
microprocessor. You can do so by touching an unpainted
metal surface on the computer chassis.
As you continue to work inside the computer, periodically touch an unpainted metal surface to remove any
static charge your body may have accumulated.
In addition to the preceding precautions, you can also
take the following steps to prevent damage from electrostatic discharge (ESD):
•
When unpacking a static-sensitive component from
its shipping carton, do not remove the component’s
antistatic packing material until you are ready to
install the component in the computer. Just before
unwrapping the antistatic packaging, be sure to discharge static electricity from your body.
•
When transporting a sensitive component, first place
it in an antistatic container or packaging.
•
Handle all sensitive components in a static-safe area.
If possible, use antistatic floor pads and workbench
pads.
The following caution appears throughout this docu ment
to remind you of these precautions:
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic
Discharge” in the safety instructions at the front of
this guide.
W
hen Using the Computer
System
As you use the computer system, observe the following
safety guidelines:
•
Be sure the monitor and attached peripherals are
electrically rated to operate with the alternating current (AC) power available in your location.
•
To help prevent electric shock, plug the computer
and peripheral power cables into properly grounded
power sources. These cables are equipped with
3-prong plugs to ensure proper grounding. Do not
use adapter plugs or remove the grounding prong
from a cable. If you must use an extension cab le, use
a 3-wire cable with properly grounded plugs.
•
To help protect the computer system from sudden,
transient increases and decreases in electrical power,
use a surge suppressor, line conditioner, or uninterruptible power su ppl y.
•
Be sure nothing rests on the computer system’s
cables and that the cables are not located where they
can be stepped on or tripped over.
•
Do not spill food or liquids on the computer. If the
computer gets wet, see Chapter 7, “Checking Inside
the Computer.”
•
Do not push any objects into the openings of the
computer. Doing so can cause fire or electric shock
by shorting out interior components.
•
Keep the computer away from radiators and heat
sources. Also, do not block cooling vents. Avoid
placing loose papers underneath the computer; do
not place the computer in a closed-in wall unit or on
a rug.
vi
Page 5
Preface
A
bout This Guide
This guide provides directions for trained service technicians who are installing system upgrade options in a Dell
PowerEdge 6100/200 computer system or are troubleshooting problems that have temporarily disabled a
system. Before calling for technical assistance, follow the
recommended procedure(s) in this guide to solve most
hardware and software problems yoursel f.
•
Chapter 1, “Introduction,” pro vides a brief ov erview
of system service features.
•
Everyone should read Chapter 2, “Checking the
Basics,” for some initial checks and procedures that
can be used to solve basic computer problems. It also
directs you to the appropriate chapter in this guide
for more detailed troubleshooting information and
procedures to solve more complex problems.
•
Whenever you receive an error message o r code, you
should read Chapter 3, “Messages and Codes.” This
chapter discusses system messages, system beep
codes, warning messages, diagnostics messages,
Dell Hardware Instrumentation Package (HIP) alert
log messages, and small computer system interface
(SCSI) hard-disk drive indicators.
•
If you suspect that the problems are software-related,
or you are still having problems after testing the
computer’s hardware, read Chapter 4, “Finding Software Solutions.” It provid es some general guid elin es
for analyzing software problems.
•
For hardware-related problems, read Chapter 5,
“Running the System Diagnostics.” Chapter 6,
“Checking the Equipment,” and Chapter 7, “Checking Inside the Computer,” provide troubleshooting
procedures for equipment connected to the input/
output (I/O) panel of the compute r a nd components
inside the computer, respectively. Chapter 7 also
provides inform atio n on remo ving the comp uter co vers and front bezel.
•
Chapter 8, “Installing System Board Options,”
Chapter 9, “Installing Drives in the External Bays,”
and Chapter 10, “Installing Drives in the Internal
Bays,” are intended for technicians who want to
install or remove options inside th e computer, such
as single in-line memory modules (SIMMs), expansion cards, or SCSI devices.
•
Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” describes the help tools
Dell provides to assist you should you have a problem with the computer. It also explains how and
when to call Dell for technical assistance.
•
Make a copy of the checklist in Appendix A, “Diagnostics Checklist,” and fill it out as you perform the
troubleshooting procedures. If you need to call Dell
for technical assistance, use the completed checklist
to tell the support technician what procedures you
performed to better help the Dell technician give you
assistance. If you must return a piece of hardware to
Dell, include a completed checklist.
•
Appendix B, “Diagnosti c V ideo Tests,” d iscusses the
tests for the Video Test Group i n the s ys tem di ag nos tics to help you test the monitor.
•
Appendix C, “Jumpers, Switches, and Connectors,”
is intended for technicians who are troubleshooting
the system or adding internal options and need to
change jumper or switch settings on the system
board or microprocessor modules, need to identify
connectors on the various boards and modules, or
need to disable a forgotten password.
•
A table of the abbreviations and acronyms used
throughout this guide and in other Dell system documentation precedes the index.
vii
Page 6
O
ther Documentation You May
Need
You may need to reference the following documentation
when performing the procedures in this guide:
•
The Dell Po werEdge 6100/200 System User’s Guide,
which describes system features and technical specifications, SCSI device drivers, the system setup
program, software support, and the system configuration utility.
•
The Intel LANDesk Server Manager software,
which includes a CD containing the server manager
software and the following documents: LANDesk
Server Manager Setup Guide, LANDesk Server
Manager User’s Guide, LANDesk Server Control
Installation and User’s Guide, and LANDesk Server
Monitor Module Installation and User’s Guide.
•
The Dell Hardware Instrumentation Package for
Intel LANDesk Server Manager User’s Guide, which
provides installation and configuration procedures as
well as the alert messages issued by this server management software.
•
The Using the Dell Server Assistant CD document
provides instructions for using the Dell Server Assis-
tant CD.
You may also have one or more of the following
documents:
•
The Dell PowerEdge 4100 and 6100 Systems Rack
Kit Installation Guide, which provides detailed
instructions for installing the system in a rack.
•
The following documents accompany the Dell PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller: Dell
PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller User’s
Guide, Dell PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller Client User’s Guide, Dell PowerEdge
Expandable RAID Controller General Alert Server
User’s Guide, and Dell PowerEdge Expandable
RAID Controller Battery Backup Module User’s
Guide.
•
Operating system documentation is included with
the system if you ordered the operating system software from Dell. This documentation describes how
to install (if necessary), configure, and use the operating system software.
•
Documentation is include d with any options you
purchase separately from the system, such as the
Dell PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller host
adapter. This documentation includes information
that you need to configure and install these options
in the Dell computer. Installation instructions for the
options are included in the system documentation.
•
Technical information files—sometimes called
“readme” files—may be installed on the hard-disk
drive to provide last-minute updates about technical
changes to the system or advanced technical reference material intended for experienced users or
technicians.
NOTE: Documentation updates are sometimes included
with the system to describe chang e s to the system or software. Always read these updates
other documentation because the u pdates often contain infor mation that supersedes the information in the other
documents.
N
otational Conventions
The following subsections list notational conventions
used in this document.
before
consulting any
Warnings, Cautions, and Notes
Throughout this guide, there may be blocks of text
printed in bold type within boxes or in italic type. These
blocks are warnings, cautions, and notes, and they are
used as follows:
WARNING: A WARNING indicates the potential
for bodily harm and tells you how to avoid the
problem.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to ha rdware or loss of data and tells
you how to avoid the problem.
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that
helps you make better use of the computer system.
viii
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Typographical Conventions
The following list defines (where appropriate) and illustrates typographical conventions used as visual cues for
specific elements of text throughout this document:
•
Keycaps, the labeling that appears on the keys on a
keyboard, are enclosed in angle brackets.
Example: <Enter>
•
Key combinations are series of keys to be pressed
simultaneously (unless otherwise indicated) to perform a single function.
Example: <Ctrl><Alt><Enter>
•
Commands presented in lowercase bold are fo r ref erence purposes only and are not intended to be typed
when referenced.
Example: “Use the format command to . . . .”
In contrast, commands presented in the C ourier New
font are part of an instruction and intended to be
typed.
Example: “Type
in drive A.”
•
Filenames and directory names are presented in low-
ercase bold.
Examples: autoexec.bat and c:\windows
format a:
to format the diskette
•
Syntax lines consist of a command and all its
possible parameters. Commands are displayed in
lowercase bold; variable parameters (those for which
you substitute a value) are displayed in lowercase
italics; constant parameters are displayed in lowercase bold. The brackets indicate items that are
optional.
Example: del [drive:] [path] filename [/p]
•
Command lines consist of a command and may
include one or more of the command’s possible
parameters. Command lines are presented in the
Courier New font.
Example:
•
Screen text is text that appears on the screen of your
monitor or display. It can be a system message, for
example, or it can be text that you are instructed to
type as part of a command (referred to as a comman d
line). Screen text is presented in the Courier New
font.
Example: The following message appears on your
screen:
No boot device available
Example: “Type
•
Variables are placeholders for which you subst itute a
value. They are presented in italics.
Example: SIMMn (where n represents the SIMM socket
designation)
del c:\myfile.doc
md c:\dos
and press <Enter>.”
ix
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x
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Contents
Chapter 1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Chapter 2
Checking the Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Backing Up Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Basic Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Checking Connections and Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Look and Listen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
The System Setup Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
The System Configuration Utility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Chapter 3
Messages and Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
System Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
System Beep Codes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Warning Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Diagnostics Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Alert Log Messages From the Dell HIP Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
SCSI Hard-Disk Drive Indicator Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Chapter 4
Finding Software Solutions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Installing and Configuring Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Using Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Error Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Input Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Program Conflicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Avoiding Interrupt Assignment Conflicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
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Chapter 5
Running the System Diagnostics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
Features of the System Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
When to Use the System Diagnostics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
Starting the System Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
How to Use the System Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Confirming the System Configuration Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
How to Use the Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Main Menu Categories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Select. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Subtest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Run (Under Subtest). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Select (Under Subtest) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Options (Under Subtest). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Test Limits (Under Subtest). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
About (Under Subtest). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Key-Help (Under Subtest) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Quit Menu (Under Subtest) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Number of Times to Repeat Test(s). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Maximum Errors Allowed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Pause for User Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Output Device for Status Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Output Device for Error Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Test Limits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
About. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Key-Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Quit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Tests in the System Diagnostics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Error Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
RAM Test Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Why Run a RAM Test?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
System Set Test Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Why Run a System Set Test? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
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Video Test Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 -12
Why Run a Video Test?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Keyboard Test Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 -13
Why Run a Keyboard Test?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Mouse Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 -13
Why Run the Mouse Test?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Diskette Drives Test Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 -14
Why Run a Diskette Drives Test? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Serial/Infrared Ports Test Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 -15
Why Run a Serial/Infrared Ports Test? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Parallel Ports Test Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 -16
Why Run a Parallel Ports Test? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
SCSI Devices Test Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 -16
Why Run a SCSI Devices Test?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Chapter 6
Checking the Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Troubleshooting the Monitor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Troubleshooting the Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Troubleshooting I/O Ports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Troubleshooting the Basic I/O Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Troubleshooting a Parallel Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Troubleshooting a Serial I/O Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Chapter 7
Checking Inside the Computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Safety First—For You and the Computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Removing and Replacing the Computer Covers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Removing the Computer Covers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Replacing the Computer Covers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-3
Removing the Front Bezel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4
xiii
Page 12
Inside the Chassis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4
Responding to a Dell HIP Alert Message. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Troubleshooting a Wet Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Troubleshooting a Damaged Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Troubleshooting the RTC Chip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Troubleshooting and Replacing the Battery on the Control Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Troubleshooting Power Supply Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Replacing a Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Troubleshooting Power Cable Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
Troubleshooting a Cooling Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
Replacing a Cooling Fan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Troubleshooting Expansion Cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
Troubleshooting System Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
Troubleshooting the Video Subsystem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Troubleshooting the System Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Troubleshooting the Diskette Drive Subsystem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16
Checking the Diskette Drive Subsystem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
Troubleshooting the Diskette Drive Subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
Troubleshooting a SCSI Tape Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Troubleshooting SCSI Hard-Disk Drives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
Drive Indicator Error Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
Troubleshooting the SCSI Hard-Disk Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
Chapter 8
Installing System Board Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Expansion Cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Installing an Expansion Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Relocating or Removing an Expansion Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Adding Memory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Memory Upgrade Kits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
SIMM Installation Guidelines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Performing a Memory Upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7
Installing SIMMs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8
Removing SIMMs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9
Upgrading the Microprocessor or Installing Additional Microprocessors. . . . . . . . . 8-9
Replacing the RTC Chip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-14
xiv
Page 13
Chapter 9
Installing Drives in the External Bays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-1
Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Removing and Replacing Front-Panel Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Connecting the Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
DC Power Cables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Installing SCSI Devices in the External Bays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
SCSI Configuration Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9-4
SCSI ID Numbers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Device Termination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
SCSI Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Installing a SCSI Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Installing an Internal Tape Drive That Uses a Controller Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Installing an External Tape Drive That Uses a Controller Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Chapter 10
Installing Drives in the Internal Bays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
Installing SCSI Hard-Disk Drives in the Internal Drive Bays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
SCSI Hard-Disk Drive Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Removing and Installing a SCSI Hard-Disk Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Removing a SCSI Hard-Disk Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Installing a SCSI Hard-Disk Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10-3
Removing and Inserting a SCSI Hard-Disk Drive With the
System Running. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
SCSI Hard-Disk Drive Indicator Patterns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Removing a SCSI Hard-Disk Drive With the System Running. . . . . . . . . 10-4
Inserting a SCSI Hard-Disk Drive With the System Running . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Installing a PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller Host Adapter Card . . . . . . . 10-4
Configuring the Boot Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
Partitioning and Formatting SCSI
Hard-Disk Drives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
Chapter 11
Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
Technical Assistance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
Help Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
System Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-2
World Wide Web on the Internet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-2
Commercial Online Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-3
xv
Page 14
Dell Diagnostics Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-3
AutoTech Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-3
TechFax Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-3
TechConnect BBS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-4
Automated Order-Status System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-4
Technical Support Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-4
Problems With Your Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-4
Product Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-4
Returning Items for Warranty Repair or Credit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-5
Before You Call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-5
Dell Contact Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-5
Appendix A
Diagnostics Checklist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1
Before You Call.... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-1
Appendix B
Diagnostic Video Tests. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1
Video Memory Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1
Video Hardware Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1
Text Mode Character Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1
Character Attributes Subtest (80 x 25) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-2
Character Set Subtest (80 x 25). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-2
Character Attributes Subtest (40 x 25) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-2
Character Set Subtest (40 x 25). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-2
Text Mode Color Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-3
Color Attributes Subtest (80 x 25) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-3
Color Attributes Subtest (40 x 25) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-4
Color Bars Subtest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-4
Text Mode Pages Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-4
Graphics Mode Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-4
320 x 200 Graphics Mode Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-4
640 x 200 Black/White Graphics Mode Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-4
640 x 480 Monochrome Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-4
320 x 200 16-Color Graphics Mode Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-5
640 x 200 16-Color Graphics Mode Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-5
640 x 350 16-Color Graphics Mode Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-5
640 x 480 2-Color Graphics Mode Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-5
xvi
Page 15
640 x 480 16-Color Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-5
320 x 200 256-Color Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-6
640 x 480 256-Color Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-6
800 x 600 16-Color Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-6
800 x 600 256-Color Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-6
1024 x 768 16-Color Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-6
1024 x 768 256-Color Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-6
1280 x 1024 16-Color Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-6
Color Palettes Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-6
Solid Colors Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-7
Appendix C
Jumpers, Switches, and Connectors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1
Jumpers and Switches—A General Explanation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-1
Jumpers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-1
Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-1
System Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-2
System Board Labels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-5
Microprocessor Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-6
SCSI Backplane Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-8
Power-Supply Paralleling Board. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-9
Disabling a Forgotten Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C -10
Abbreviations and Acronyms
Index
Figures
Figure 2-1. Back Panel Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Figure 2-2. Front Panel Switches and Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Figure 5-1. Sample Diagnostics Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Figure 5-2. Sample System Diagnostics Main Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Figure 7-1. Keylocks on the Computer’s Back Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Figure 7-2. Removing the Computer Covers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Figure 7-3. Removing the Front Bezel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4
Figure 7-4. Inside the Chassis—Front/Left Side View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
Figure 7-5. Inside the Chassis—Back/Right Side View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Figure 7-6. Battery Replacement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
xvii
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Figure 7-7. Power Supply Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Figure 7-8. Removing the Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
Figure 7-9. Replacing a Cooling Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Figure 8-1. System Board Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Figure 8-2. Expansion Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Figure 8-3. Expansion-Card Connectors on the System Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Figure 8-4. Memory Module and SIMM Sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Figure 8-5. Installing a SIMM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9
Figure 8-6. Removing a SIMM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9
Figure 8-7. Microprocessor Module. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9
Figure 8-8. Microprocessor Securing Clip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-12
Figure 8-9. Removing the Microprocessor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-12
Figure 8-10. Pin-1 Identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-13
Figure 8-11. Installing the Microprocessor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-13
Figure 8-12. Installing the Heat Sink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-14
Figure 8-13. RTC Chip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-15
Figure 9-1. External Drive Bay Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Figure 9-2. Removing a Front-Panel Insert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Figure 9-3. Power Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Figure 9-4. Header Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Figure 9-5. DC Power Cable Connectors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Figure 9-6. Attaching Drive Rails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Figure 9-7. Cable Connections for a SCSI Device in the
External Drive Bays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Figure 10-1. Internal Drive Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Figure 10-2. Installing a SCSI Hard-Disk Drive Carrier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Figure 10-3. Cable Configuration for a PowerEdge Expandable
RAID Controller Host Adapter Card. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
Figure 10-4. Daisy-Chaining External SCSI Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
Figure B-1. 80-Column x 25-Line Character Set Subtest Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . B-2
Figure B-2. 40-Column x 25-Line Character Set Subtest Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . B-2
Figure B-3. 640 x 480 Monochrome Graphics Mode Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-4
Figure B-4. 640 x 480 2-Color Graphics Mode Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-5
Figure C-1. System Board Jumpers and Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-2
Figure C-2. Microprocessor Module Jumpers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-6
Figure C-3. SCSI Backplane Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-8
Figure C-4. Power-Supply Paralleling Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-9
xviii
Page 17
Tables
Table 2-1. Boot Routine Indications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Table 3-1. System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Table 3-2. System Beep Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Table 3-3. SCSI Hard-Disk Drive Indicator Patterns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Table 4-1. Default IRQ Line Assignments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-2
Table 5-1. Option Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Table 5-2. System Diagnostics Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Table 7-1. Power Cable Connectors on the Power-Supply
Paralleling Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
Table 8-1. Sample SIMM Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Table 8-2. Valid Microprocessor Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10
Table 11-1. Help Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-2
Table 11-2. International Dialing Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-6
Table 11-3. Dell Contact Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-8
Table B-1. Color Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-3
Table C-1. System-Board Jumper and Switch Settin gs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-3
Table C-2. System Board Connectors and Sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-5
Table C-3. Microprocessor Module Jumper Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-7
Table C-4. SCSI Backplane Board Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-8
Table C-5. Power-Supply Paralleling Board Connectors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C -10
xix
Page 18
xx
Page 19
Tables
Table 2-1. Boot Routine Indications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Table 3-1. System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Table 3-2. System Beep Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Table 3-3. SCSI Hard-Disk Drive Indicator Patterns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Table 4-1. Default IRQ Line Assignments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-2
Table 5-1. Option Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Table 5-2. System Diagnostics Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Table 7-1. Power Cable Connectors on the Power-Supply Paralleling Board. . 7-10
Table 8-1. Sample SIMM Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Table 8-2. Valid Microprocessor Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10
Table 11-1. Help Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-2
Table 11-2. International Dialing Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-6
Table 11-3. Dell Contact Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-8
Table B-1. Color Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-3
Table C-1. System-Board Jumper and Switch Settin gs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-3
Table C-2. System Board Connectors and Sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-5
Table C-3. Microprocessor Module Jumper Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-7
Table C-4. SCSI Backplane Board Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-8
Table C-5. Power Supply Paralleling Board Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-10
DELL CONFIDENTIAL Preliminary 12/17/96
xxiii
Page 20
xxiv
DELL CONFIDENTIAL Preliminary 12/17/96
Page 21
Chapter 2
Checking the Basics
I
f a Dell PowerEdge 6100 computer system is not working as expected, start your troubleshooting with the
procedures in this chapter. This chapter guides you
through some initial checks and procedures that can solve
basic computer problems. It can also direct you to the
appropriate chapter in this guide for detailed troubleshooting information and procedures to solve more
complex problems.
NOTE: When you see the question, “Is the problem
resolved?” in a troubleshooting procedure, perform the
operation that caused the problem.
B
acking Up Files
If the system is behaving erratically, back up the files
immediately. See the documentation that came with the
operating system for instructions on how to back up the
files.
B
asic Checks
The following procedure leads you through the checks
necessary to solve some basic computer problems:
1. Was an alert message issued by the Dell HIP
server management program?
The Dell Hardware Instrumentation Package (HIP)
server management application program generates
warning and failure messages for drive, temperature,
fan, and power conditions. These messages appear in
the simple network management protocol (SNMP)
trap log file. To see the trap log, select any enterprise
under the SNMP trap log icon. More information
about the Alert Log window and opt i ons is provided
in the Dell HIP online help.
Yes. Go to “Alert Log Messages From the Dell HIP
Program” in Chapter 3.
No. Continue to step 2.
2. Is the computer wet or damaged?
Yes. Go to Chapter 7, “Checking Inside the
Computer.”
No. Continue to step 3.
3. Perform the steps in “Checking Connections and
Switches” next i n t h i s c h ap t er.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes. The power to the computer system was faulty , or
the connections to the computer system were loose.
You have fixed the problem.
No. Continue to step 4.
4. Perform the steps in “Look and Listen” later in
this chapter.
Did the computer system complete the boot routine?
Yes. Continue to step 5.
No. A serious malfunction may have occurr ed. Go to
Chapter 11, “Getting Help.”
5. Did you receive a system message or beep code?
Yes. Go to Chapter 3, “Messages and Codes.”
No. Continue to step 6.
Checking the Basics 2-1
Page 22
6. V erify the settings in the system setup program as
explained in “The System Setup Program” later
in this chapter.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes. The system configuration information was
incorrect. You have fixed the problem.
No. Continue to step 7.
7. Run the system diagnostics as described in Chapter 5.
C
hecking Connections and
Switches
Improperly set switches and controls and loose or
improperly connected cables are the most likely source of
problems for the computer, monitor, or other peripherals
(such as a printer, keyboard, mouse, or other external
equipment). A quick check of all the switches, controls,
and cable connections can easily solve these problems.
Figure 2-1 shows the back pan e l connections on the computer. Figure 2-2 shows the switches and controls on the
front panel of the computer.
2-2 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 23
upper SCSI output slot
mouse connector
keyboard connector
serial port 2 connector
serial port 1 connector
parallel port connector
video connector
AC power receptacle
Figure 2-1. Back Panel Features
SMB connector
security cable slot
lower SCSI output slot
Checking the Basics 2-3
Page 24
Figure 2-2. Front Panel Switches and Controls
diskette-drive
access indicator
power switch
power indicator
reset button
hard-disk drive
online indicator (6)
hard-disk drive
activity indicator (6)
hard-disk drive failure
indicator (6)
Complete the following procedure to check all the connections and switches:
1. Turn off the system, including any attached
peripherals (such as the monitor, keyboard,
printer, external drives, scanners, or plotters).
Disconnect all the alternating current (AC) power
cables from their power sources.
2. If the computer is connected to a power strip,
turn off the power strip and turn it on again.
Is the power strip getting power?
Yes. Go to step 5.
No. Continue to step 3.
3. Plug the power strip into another electrical outlet.
Is the power strip getting power?
Yes. The original electrical outlet probably does not
function. Use a different electrical outlet.
No. Continue to step 4.
4. Plug a lamp that you know works into the electrical outlet.
Does the lamp get power?
Yes. The power strip is probably not functioning
properly. Get another power strip.
No. Continue to step 5.
5. Reconnect the system, including any peripherals,
to AC power.
Make sure that all connections fit tightly together.
6. Turn on the system.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes. The connections were loose. You have fixed the
problem.
No. Continue to step 7.
7. Is the monitor operating properly?
Yes. Continue to step 8.
No. Go to “Troubleshooting the Monitor” in Chapter 6.
2-4 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 25
8. Is the keyboard operating properly?
Yes. Continue to step 9.
No. Go to “Troubleshooting the Keyboard” in Chap-
ter 6.
9. Is the mouse or printer operating properly?
Yes. Continue with “Look and Listen” next in this
chapter.
No. Go to “Troubleshooting I/O Ports” in Chapter 6.
.
L
ook and Listen
Looking at and listening to the system is important in
determining the source of a problem. Look and listen for
the indications described in Table 2-1.
Table 2-1. Boot Routine Indications
Look/Listen for: Action
An error message See Chapter 3, “Messages and Codes.”
Alert messages from the Dell HIP software The server management software has detected a problem inside
the computer. See “Alert Log Messages From the Dell HIP Program” in Chapter 3.
The monitor’s power indicator Most monitors have a power indicator (usually on the front
bezel). If the monitor’s power indicator does not come on, see
“Troubleshooting the Monitor” in Chapter 6.
The keyboard indicators Most keyboards have one or more indicators (usually in the
upper-right corner). Press the <Num Lock> key, the
<Caps Lock> key, or the <Scroll Lock> key to toggle their
respective keyboard indicators on and off. If the indicators do
not light up, see “Troubleshooting the Keyboard” in Chapter 6.
The diskette-drive access indicator The diskette-drive access indicator should quickly flash on and
off when you access data on the diskette drive. If the diskettedrive access indicator does not light up, see “Troubleshooting
the Diskette Drive Subsystem” in Chapter 7.
The hard-disk drive activity indicator The hard-disk drive activity indicators should quickly flash on
and off when you access data on the hard-disk drives. On a
system running the Microsoft
tem, you can test the drive by opening Windows Explorer and
clicking on the icon for drive C. If the hard-disk drive access
indicator does not come on, see “Troubleshooting SCSI HardDisk Drives” in Chapter 7.
A series of beeps See Chapter 3, “Messages and Codes.”
®
Windows NT® operating sys-
Checking the Basics 2-5
Page 26
Table 2-1. Boot Routine Indications
Look/Listen for: Action
(continued)
An unfamiliar constant scraping or grinding sound
when you access a drive
The absence of a familiar sound When you turn on the system, you should hear the hard-disk
If after looking and listening to the computer you have
not resolved the problem, continue with the instructions
in “The System Setup Program” next in this chapter.
T
he System Setup Program
You can easily correct certain system problems by verifying the correct settings in the system setup program.
When you boot the system, the system checks the system
configuration information and compares it with the current hardware configuration. If the system hardware
configuration doesn’t match the information recorded by
the system setup program, an error message may appear
on the screen.
This problem can happen if you changed the system’s
hardware configuration and forgot to run the system
setup program. To correct this problem, enter the system
setup program, correct the corresponding system setup
category, and reboot the system. See Chapter 4, “Using
the System Setup Program,” in the system User’s Guide
for detailed instructions on usin g the system setup
program.
Make sure the sound is not caused by the application program
you are running. The soun d co ul d be cau sed by a hardware malfunction. See Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructions on
getting technical assistance from Dell.
drives spin up, and the system tries to access the boot files from
the hard-disk drive, the diskette drive, or CD-ROM drive. See
Chapter 5, “Running the System Diagnostics.” If the system
does not boot, see Chapter 11, “Getting Help.”
T
he System Configuration Utility
If you are experiencing problems with the system, you
may have a conflict between the information stored by
the system setup program and the system configuration
utility. Although the system configuration utility can read
changes from the system s etup program, the change is not
recorded into nonvolatile random-access memory
(NVRAM) until you run the system configuration utility
and save the new information. See Chapter 5, “Using the
System Configuration Utility,” in the system User’ s Guide
for detailed instructions on using th e system configuration utility and saving new information.
If after using the system configuration utility you have
not resolved the problem, see Chapter 5, “Running the
System Diagnostics,” in this guide.
2-6 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 27
Chapter 3
Messages and Codes
A
pplication programs, operating systems, and the
computer itself are capable of identifying problems and
alerting you to them. When a problem occurs, a message
may appear on the monitor screen or a beep code may
sound.
Several different types of messages can indicate when the
system is not functioning properly:
•
System messages
•
System beep codes
•
Warning messages
•
Diagnostics messages
•
Alert log messages from the Dell Hardware Instrumentation Package (HIP) program
This chapter lists most of these types of messages. To
determine what type of message you have received, read
the individual sections.
Table 3-1. System Messages
Code Message
0002 Primary Boot Device Not
Found
0010 Cache Memory Failure, Do
Not Enable Cache
0015 Primary Output Device
Not Found
0016 Primary Input Device Not
Found
0041 EISA ID Mismatch for
Slot
0043 EISA Invalid Configura-
tion for Slot
S
ystem Messages
System messages alert you to a possible operating problem or to a conflict between the software and hardware. If
you receive a system message, see Table 3-1 for suggestions on resolving any problems indicated by the
message.
NOTE: If the system message you received is not listed in
Table 3-1, check the documentation for the application
program that was running at the time the me ssage
appeared and/or the operatin g s ys t em do cument at ion for
an explanation of the message and a recommended
action.
0044 EISA config NOT ASSURED!
0045 EISA Expansion Board Not
Ready in Slot
0047 EISA CMOS Configuration
Not Set
0048 EISA CMOS Checksum Fail-
ure
0049 EISA NVRAM Invalid
0060 Keyboard Is Locked ...
Please Unlock It
0070 CMOS Time & Date Not Set
NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym
used in this table, see the abbreviation and acronym list.
Messages and Codes 3-1
Page 28
Table 3-1. System Messages
(continued)
Table 3-1. System Messages
(continued)
Code Message
0080 Option ROM has bad
checksum
0083 Shadow of PCI ROM Failed
0084 Shadow of EISA ROM
Failed
0085 Shadow of ISA ROM Failed
0131 Floppy Drive A:
0132 Floppy Drive B:
0135 Floppy Disk Controller
Failure
0140 Shadow of System BIOS
Failed
0171 CPU Failure - Slot 1,
CPU # 1
0172 CPU Failure - Slot 1,
CPU # 2
0173 CPU Failure - Slot 2,
CPU # 1
0174 CPU Failure - Slot 2,
CPU # 2
0171 Previous CPU Failure -
Slot 1, CPU # 1
0172 Previous CPU Failure -
Slot 1, CPU # 2
0173 Previous CPU Failure -
Slot 2, CPU # 1
0174 Previous CPU Failure -
Slot 2, CPU # 2
0175 CPU modules are incom-
patible
NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym
used in this table, see the abbreviation and acronym list.
Code Message
0180 Attempting to boot with
failed CPU
0191 CMOS Battery Failed
0195 CMOS System Options Not
Set
0198 CMOS Checksum Invalid
0289 System Memory Size Mis-
match
0295 Address Line Short
Detected
0297 Memory Size Decreased
0299 ECC Error Correction
failure
0301 ECC Single bit correc-
tion failed, Correction
Disabled
0302 ECC Double bit Error
0305 PCI-to-PCI bridge found,
IO Queue Depth set to
1,setup value overridden
0310 ECC Memory Size Changed,
Bank # 1
0311 ECC Memory Size Changed,
Bank # 2
0312 ECC Memory Size Changed,
Bank # 3
0370 Keyboard Controller
Error
0373 Keyboard Stuck Key
Detected
NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym
used in this table, see the abbreviation and acronym list.
3-2 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 29
Table 3-1. System Messages
(continued)
Table 3-1. System Messages
(continued)
Code Message
0375 Keyboard and Mouse
Swapped
0380 ECC SIMM failure, Board
in slot 1 SIMM #
0392 ECC SIMM failure, Board
in slot 2 SIMM #
0430 Timer Channel 2 Failure
0440 Gate-A20 Failure
0441 Unexpected Interrupt in
Protected Mode
0445 Master Interrupt Con-
troller Error
0446 Slave Interrupt Control-
ler Error
0450 Master DMA Controller
Error
0451 Slave DMA Controller
Error
0452 DMA Controller Error
0460 Fail-safe Timer NMI
Failure
0461 Software Port NMI Fail-
ure
0465 Bus Time-out NMI in Slot
Code Message
0711 Static Device Resource
Conflict
0800 PCI I/O Port Conflict
0801 PCI Memory Conflict
0802 PCI IRQ Conflict
0803 PCI Error Log is Full
0810 Floppy Disk Controller
Resource Conflict
0811 Primary IDE Controller
Resource Conflict
0812 Secondary IDE Controller
Resource Conflict
0815 Parallel Port Resource
Conflict
0816 Serial Port 1 Resource
Conflict
0817 Serial Port 2 Resource
Conflict
0820 Expansion Board Disabled
in Slot
0900 NVRAM Checksum Error,
NVRAM Cleared
0903 NVRAM Data Invalid,
NVRAM Cleared
0467 Expansion Board NMI in
Slot
0501 PCI System Error
0510 PCI Parity Error
0710 System Board Device
Resource Conflict
NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym
used in this table, see the abbreviation and acronym list.
0905 NVRAM Cleared By Jumper
0982 I/O Expansion Board NMI
in Slot
0984 Expansion Board Disabled
in Slot
0985 Fail-safe Timer NMI
NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym
used in this table, see the abbreviation and acronym list.
Messages and Codes 3-3
Page 30
Table 3-1. System Messages
(continued)
Table 3-2. System Beep Codes
Code Message
0986 System Reset caused by
Watchdog Timer
0987 Bus Time-out NMI in Slot
NA
NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym
used in this table, see the abbreviation and acronym list.
S
ystem Beep Codes
When errors occur during a boot routine that cannot be
reported on the monitor, the computer may emit a series
of beeps that identify the problem. The beep code is a pat-
tern of beeps. For example, four beeps means the timer is
not operational. This information is valuable to the Dell
support staff if you need to call for technical assistance.
When a beep code is emitted, write it down on a copy of
the Diagnostics Checklist found in Appendix A, and then
look it up in Table 3-2. If you are unable to resolve the
problem by looking up the mean ing of the beep code , use
the system diagnostics to identify a more serious cause. If
you are still unable to resolve the problem , see Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining
technical assistance.
Power supply paralleling
board firmware download
failed
System backplane firm-
ware download failed
Beep Code Cause
1 Refresh failure
2 Parity cannot be reset
3 First 64 KB memory failure
4 Timer not operational
5 Microprocessor failure
6 8042 Gate A20 is off (v_mode)
7 Exception interrupt error
8 Display memory read/write error
9 ROM checksum error
10 Shutdown reg. read/write error
11 I2C Error
NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym
used in this table, see the abbreviation and acronym list.
W
arning Messages
A warning message alerts you to a possible problem and
asks you to do something before execution continues. For
example, before you format a diskette, a message may
warn you that you may lose all data on the diskette as a
way to protect against inadvertently erasing or writing
over the data. These warning messages usually interrupt
the procedure and require you to respond by typing a y
(yes) or n (no).
NOTE: Warning messages are generated by either the
application programs or the operating system. See
Chapter 4, “Finding Software Solutions,” and the documentation that accompanied the operating system and
application programs.
3-4 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 31
D
iagnostics Messages
When you run a test group or subtest in the system diagnostics, an error message may re sult. These particular
error messages are not covered in this chapter. Record the
message on a copy of the Diagnostics Checklist found in
Appendix A; then see Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” for
instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
A
lert Log Messages From the
Dell HIP Program
The Dell HIP server management application program
generates alert messages that can be configured to appear
in the simple netwo rk management pr otocol (SNMP) trap
log file. To see the trap log, select any enterprise under
the SNMP trap log icon. More information about the
Alert Log window and options is provided in the Dell
HIP online help and the Dell HIP User’s Guide.
Alert log messages consist of information, status, warning, and failure messages for driv e, temp erature, fan , and
power conditions. They can assist you with identifying a
problem and may provide you with information to help
you resolve the problem. Alert log and other messages
are explained in the Dell HIP online help.
T able 3-3 lists the drive indicator patterns established by
the SCSI backplane firmware. Different patterns are displayed as drive events occur in the system. For example,
in the event of a hard-disk drive failure, the “drive failed”
pattern appears. After the drive is selected for removal,
the “drive being prepared for removal” pattern appears,
followed by the “drive ready for insertion or removal”
pattern. After the replacement drive is installed, the
“drive being prepared for operation” pattern appears, and
then the “drive online” pattern appears.
Table 3-3. SCSI Hard-Disk Drive Indicator
Patterns
Status Indicator Pattern
Identify drive All three drive indicators
blink simultaneously.
Drive being prepared
for removal
Drive ready for insertion or removal
Drive being prepared
for operation
Drive bay empty All three indicators are off.
The three drive indicators
flash sequentially.
All three indicators are off.
The drive online indicator is
on; the drive activity indicator may flash briefly.
S
CSI Hard-Disk Drive Indicator
Codes
The three light-emitting diode (LED) indicators (see Figure 2-2) adjacent to each of the six small computer
system interface (SCSI) hard-disk drive bays provide
information on the status of the SCSI hard-disk drives .
The SCSI backplane firmware controls the drive online
and drive fault indicators, while the drive access indicator
is usually controlled by the drive itself.
Drive predicted failure
Drive failed The drive online indicator
Drive rebuilding The drive online indicator
Drive online The drive online indicator is
The drive online indicator
turns off; the drive fault indicator blinks on briefly each
second.
turns off; the drive fault indicator blinks off briefly each
second.
blinks rapidly.
on.
Messages and Codes 3-5
Page 32
3-6 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 33
Chapter 4
Finding Software Solutions
B
ecause most computers have several application programs installed in addition to the operating system,
isolating a software problem can be confusing. Software
errors can also appear to be hardware malfunctions at
first. Software problems can result from the following
circumstances:
•
Improper installati on or config urat i on of a program
•
Input errors
•
Device drivers that may conflict with certain application programs
•
Interrupt conflicts between devices
You can confirm that a computer problem is caused by
software by running the System Set Test Group as
described in Chapter 5, “Running the System Diagnostics.” If all tests in the test group complete successfully,
the error condition is most likely caused by software.
This chapter provides some general guidelines for analyzing software problems. For detailed troubleshooti ng
information on a particular program, see the documentation that accompanied the software or consult the support
service for the software.
I
nstalling and Configuring
Software
available for purchase, and most bulletin board services
(BBSs) archive freely distributed virus-scanning programs that you can download with a modem.
Before installing a program, you should read any program documentation to learn how the program works,
what hardware it requires, and what its defaults are. A
program usually includes installation instructions in its
accompanying documentation and a software installation
routine on its program diskettes or CD(s).
The software installation routine assists users in trans f erring the appropriate program files to the comput er’s
hard-disk drive. Installation instructions may provide
details about how to configure the ope rating system to
successfully run the program. You should always read
the installation in st ru ct i ons before runn i ng a program ’s
installation routine.
When you run the installation routine, be prepared to
respond to prompts for information about how the computer’s operating system is configured, what type of
computer you have, and what peripherals are connected
to the computer.
U
sing Software
The following subsections discuss errors that can occur
as a result of software operation or configuration.
You should check newl y acquired programs and files for
viruses with virus-scanning software befo re installing the
programs on the computer’s hard-disk drive. Viruses,
which are pieces of code that can replicate themselves,
can quickly use all available system memory, damage
and/or destroy data stored on the hard-disk drive, and
permanently affect the performance of the progr ams they
infect. Several commercial virus-scanning programs are
Error Messages
Error messages can be produced by an application program, the operating system, or the computer. Chapter 3,
“Messages and Codes,” discusses the error messages that
are generated by the system. If you receive an error message that is not listed in Chapter 3, check the operating
system or applic ation program documentation.
Finding Software Solutions 4-1
Page 34
Input Errors
If a specific key or set of keys is pressed at the wrong
time, a program may give you unex pected results. See the
documentation that came with the application p rogram to
make sure that the values or characters you are entering
are valid.
Make sure that the operating environment is set up to
accommodate the programs you use. Keep in mind that
whenever you change the parameters of the computer’s
operating environment, you may affect the successful
operation of the programs. Sometimes, after modifying
the operating environment, you may need to
reinstall a program that no longer runs properly.
Program Conflicts
Some programs may leave portions of their setup information behind, even though you have exited from them.
As a result, other programs cannot run. Rebooting the
system can confirm whether these programs are the cause
of the problem.
There are also programs that use specialized subroutines
called device drivers that can also cause problems with the
computer system. For example, a variation in the way the
data is sent to the monitor may require a special screen
driver program that expects a certain kind of video mode or
monitor. In such cases, you may have to develop an alternative method of running that particul ar program— the
creation of a boot file made especially fo r that program, for
example. Call the support service for the software you are
using to help you with this problem.
Table 4-1. Default IRQ Line Assignments
IRQ Line Used/Available
IRQ0 Used by the system timer
IRQ1 Used by the keyboard to signal that
the output buffer is full
IRQ2 Used by interrupt controller 1 to
enable IRQ8 through IRQ15
IRQ3 Used by serial port 2
IRQ4 Used by serial port 1
IRQ5 Available
IRQ6 Used by the diskette/tape drive con-
troller
IRQ7 Used by the parallel port
IRQ8 Used by the RTC
IRQ9 Available
IRQ10 Available
IRQ11 Available
IRQ12 Used by the mouse port
IRQ13 Used by the math coprocessor (if
applicable)
IRQ14 Available
Avoiding Interrupt Assignment Conflicts
Problems can arise if two devices attempt to use the same
interrupt request (IRQ) line. To avoid this type of conflict, check the documentation for the default IRQ line
setting for each installed expansion card. Then consult
Table 4-1 to configure the card for one of the available
IRQ lines.
4-2 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
IRQ15 Available
NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym
used in this table, see the abbreviation and acronym list.
Page 35
Chapter 5
Running the System Diagnostics
U
nlike many diagnostic programs, Dell’s system diagnostics helps you check the computer’ s hardware withou t
any additional equipment and without destroying any
data. By using the diagnostics, you can have confidence
in the computer system’s operation. And if you find a
problem you cannot solve by yourself, the diagnostic
tests can provide you with important information you
will need when talking to Dell’s service and support personnel.
CAUTION: Use the system diagnostics to test
Dell computer systems. Using this program with
other computers may cause incorrect computer
responses or result in error messages.
F
eatures of the System
only
Diagnostics
The system diagnostics provides a series of menus and
options from which you choose particular test groups or
subtests. You can also control the sequence in which the
tests are run. The diagnostic test groups or subtests also
have these helpful features:
•
Options that let you run tests individually or
collectively
•
An option that allows you to choose the number of
times a test group or subtest is repeated
•
The ability to display or print out test results or to
save them in a file
•
Options to temporarily suspend testing if an error is
detected or to terminate testing when an adjustable
error limit is reached
•
A menu categor y called About that briefly describes
each test and its parameters
•
Status messages that i nfo rm you whet h er t es t g roups
or subtests were completed successfully
•
Error messages that appear if any problems are
detected
W
hen to Use the System
Diagnostics
Whenever a major component or device in the computer
system does not function properly, you may have a component failure. As long as the microprocessor and the
input and output components of the computer system (the
monitor, keyboard, or CD-ROM drive) are working, you
can use the system diagnostics. I f y ou k now what component(s) you need to test, simply select the appropriate
diagnostic test group(s) or subtest(s). If you are unsure
about the scope of the problem, read the rest of this
chapter.
Running the System Diagnostics 5-1
Page 36
S
tarting the System Diagnostics
The system diagnostics is run directly from the Dell Server
Assistant CD. See Chapter 2, “Using the Dell Server
Assistant CD” in the system User’s Guide for more infor-
mation about the CD.
Follow these steps to run the diagnostics from the Dell
Server Assistant CD:
1. Turn on the computer.
2. Boot the system from the Dell Server Assistant
CD.
To boot from the CD, insert the CD into the
CD-ROM drive and press the reset button. If the system fails to boot, refer to the Dell Server Assistant
documentation.
3. From the Dell Server Assistant main menu, select
the Run System Diagnostics opt i o n f rom th e Run
System Utilities category.
NOTE: Before you read the rest of this chapter, you may
want to start the system diagnostics so you can see it on
the screen of the monitor.
Dell Computer Corporation
Dell System PowerEdge 6100 Diagnostics Version
When you start the diagnostics, the Dell logo screen
appears, followed by a message telling you that the diagnostics is loading. Before the diagnostics loads into
memory, a program tests the random-access memory
(RAM) that will be used by the diagnostics.
If no errors are found in RAM, the diagnostics loads, and
the Diagnostics Menu appears (see Figure 5-1). The
menu allows you to run all or specific diagnostic tests or
to exit to the Dell Server Assistant main menu.
For a quick check of the system, select the Run Quick
Tests option. This option run s only the subtests that do
not require user interaction and that do not take a long
time to run. Dell recommends that you choose this option
first to increase the odds of tracing the source of the problem quickly. For a complete check of the system, select
the Run All Tests option. To check a particular area of the
system, select the Run Specific Tests option.
To select an option from this menu, high light the option
and press <Enter>, or press the key that corresponds to
the highlighted letter in the option you choose.
X.XX
Diagnostics Menu
un All Tests
R
RUn Quick Tests
RuN Specific Tests
xit to MS-DOS
E
Figure 5-1. Sample Diagnostics Menu
5-2 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 37
H
ow to Use the System
Diagnostics
When you select Run Specific T ests from the Diag nostics
Menu, the main screen of the diagnostics appears (see
Figure 5-2). The main screen lists the diagnostic test
groups, gives information about the configuration of the
computer system, and allows you to select categories
from a menu. From this screen, you can enter two other
types of screens.
Information on the main screen of the diagnostics is presented in the following areas:
•
Two lines at the top of the screen identify the diagnostics and give its version number.
Dell Computer Corporation
Dell System PowerEdge 6100 Diagnostics Version
•
On the left side of the screen, the Available Test
Groups area lists the diagnostic test groups in the
order they will run if you select All from the Run
menu category. Press the up- or down-arrow key to
highlight a test group.
•
On the right side of the screen, the System Configuration area lists the computer’s current hardware
settings.
•
Two lines at the bottom of the screen make up the
menu area. The first line lists the categories you can
select; press the left- or right-arrow key to highlight
a menu category. The second line gives information
about the category currently highlighted.
X.XX
Available Test Groups
Processor Pentium Pro(TM)
RAM
System Set
Video
Keyboard
Mouse
Diskette Drives
Serial/Infrared Ports
Parallel Ports
SCSI Devices
Other
Main: Run seLect Subtest Options Test Limits About Key-Help Quit Display the Run Menu.
NOTE: The options displayed on the actual screen should reflect the hardware configuration of your computer system.
Memory 64 MB
Secondary Cache 512 KB
Video SVGA,1024K
Keyboard 101 Key
Diskette Drives A:1.4MB
Serial/IR Ports 2
Parallel Ports 1
Mouse PS/2 2-button
SCSI Cntlrs-Devs 2-2
System Configuration
Press Q to Quit
Figure 5-2. Sample System Diagnostics Main Screen
Running the System Diagnostics 5-3
Page 38
C
onfirming the System
Configuration Information
When you boot the system from the Dell Server Assi stant
CD, the system diagnostics checks the system configuration information and displays it in the System
Configuration area on the main screen.
The following sources supply this configuration information for the system diagnostics:
•
The system configuration information setting s
(stored in nonvolatile random-access memory
[NVRAM]) that you selected while using the system
setup program
•
Identification tests of the microprocessor, the video
controller, the keyboard controller, and other key
components
•
Basic input/output system (BIOS) configuration
information temporarily saved in RAM
Do not be concerned if the System Configuration area
does not list the names of all the components or devices
you know are part of the computer system. For example,
you may not see a printer listed, although you know one
is attached to the computer. Instead, the printer is listed as
a parallel port. The computer recognizes the parallel port
as LPT1, which is an address that tells the computer
where to send outgoing information and where to look
for incoming information. Because the printer is a parallel communications device, the computer recognizes the
printer by its LPT1 address and identifies it as a parallel
port.
H
ow to Use the Menu
One of the menu categories is already highlighted. You
can move the highlight from one category to another by
pressing the left- or right-arrow key. As you move from
one menu category to another, a brief explanation of the
currently highlighted category appears on the b ottom line
of the screen.
If you want more information about a test group or subtest, select the About category and press <Enter>. After
reading the information, press the <Esc> key to return to
the previous screen.
M
ain Menu Categories
Eight categories are listed in the menu area of the diagnostics main screen: Run, Select, Subtest, Options, Test
Limits, About, Ke y-Help, and Quit. (An additional
category, Display the Run Menu, returns you to the Diagnostics Menu described earlier in this chapter.)
NOTE: Before running any test groups or subtests (by
selecting Run), you should consider setting g lobal pa rameters within the Options menu category. They offer you greater
control over how the test groups or subtests are ru n and how
their results are reported.
There are two ways to select a menu category:
•
Look on the screen to see which letter in the category
is capitalized, and type that letter (for example, type
r
to select the Run category).
•
Move the highlight to the category you wish to select
by pressing the left- or right-arrow key, and then
press <Enter>.
Whenever one of the eight categories is selected, additional choices become available.
The following subsections explain the menu categories as
listed from left to right in the main screen.
Run
Run displays five categories: One, Selected, All, KeyHelp, and Quit Menu. If you select One, all the subtests
within the highlighted test group are run. If you choose
Selected, only the selected test groups or the subtests that
you selected within the test groups are run. If you select
All, all of the subtests in all of the test groups are run.
(The test groups or subtests are run in the same order as
they are listed.)
The Key-Help category displays a list of key controls
available for the particular category you have chosen.
The Quit Menu category returns you to the main screen.
Select
Select allows you to select individual tes t groups t o t ai lor
the testing process to your particular needs. You can
choose one or more test groups and run them sequenti ally
or individually. When you choose Select, five categories
5-4 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 39
are displayed: All, One, Clear All, Key-Help, and Quit
Menu.
To select all the test groups, press the <Enter> key when
All is highlighted in the Select menu.
T o sel ect an indi vidual test gr oup, high light th e test gr oup
and press the <Spacebar> or highlight One and press
<Enter>. Press the up- or down-arrow key to change the
highlighted test group.
To reverse a test group selection, highlight the test group
and press the <Spacebar>. To clear all selections, select
Clear All.
The Key-Help category displays a list of key controls
available for the particular category you have chosen.
The Quit Menu category returns you to the main screen.
Subtest
Most of the test groups consist of several subtests. Use
the Subtest category to select individual subtests within
the test group(s).
When you select Subtest, the options displayed are many
of the same categories as those on the main screen: Run,
Select, Options, Test Limits, About, Key-Help, and Quit
Menu. Each of these options is explained in the following
subsections.
Run (Under Subtest)
Run in the Subtest menu displays five options: One,
Selected, All, Key-Help, and Quit Menu. If you select
One, only the highlighted subtest is run. If you select
Selected, only the selected subtests are run. If you select
All, all of the subtests listed on the screen are run. (The
subtests are run in the same order as they are listed.)
The Key-Help option displays a list of key controls available. The Quit Menu option returns you to the previous
menu.
Select (Under Subtest)
Select in the Subtest menu allows you to select individual
subtests to tailor the testing process to your parti cular
needs. You can choose one or more subtests from the list.
When you choose Select, five options are displayed: All,
One, Clear All, Key-Help, and Quit Menu.
T o select all the subtests, press the <Enter> key when All
is highlighted in the Select menu. To select an individual
subtest, highlight the subtest and press the <Spacebar> or
highlight One and press <Enter>. Press the up- or downarrow key to highlight a subtest to be selected.
To reverse a subtest selection, highlight the subtest and
press the <Spacebar>. T o clear all selections, select C lear
All.
The Key-Help option di s plays a lis t of key controls available. The Quit Menu option returns you to the previous
menu.
Options (Under Subtest)
The Options option in the Subtest menu functions the
same way as the Options category in the main screen. For
information on this option, see “Options” later in this
section.
Test Limits (Under Subtest)
The Test Limits option in the Subtest menu functions the
same way as the T est Limits category in the main screen.
For information on this option, see “Test Limits” later in
this section.
About (Under Subtest)
The About option in the Subtest menu displays information about the highlight ed subtest.
Key-Help (Under Subtest)
The Key-Help option in the Subtest menu displays a list
of key controls available.
Quit Menu (Under Subtest)
The Quit Menu option in the Subtest menu returns you to
the main screen.
Running the System Diagnostics 5-5
Page 40
Options
Table 5-1 lists all of the possible values for each global
parameter of the Options menu category from the main
screen. A brief description of each param eter follows. To
change Options parameters, press the <Spacebar>, the
left- and right-arrow keys, or the plus (+) and minus (–)
keys.
Number of Times to Repeat Test(s)
This parameter specifies the number of times the tests run
when you select Run. To change the default, type in the
desired value. If you type 0 (zero), the tests will run
indefinitely.
Maximum Er ro rs Al l ow e d
This parameter specifies the maximum number of errors
that can occur before testing is stopped. The error count
begins from zero each time you run a subtest or test
group individually or each time you select All to run all
of them. To change the default, type in the desired value.
Table 5-1. Option Parameters
Option Limit Possible Values
If you type 0 (zero), you are specifying that there be no
limit on the number of errors that can occur—testing will
not be stopped, regardless of the number of errors.
Pause for User Response
If this parameter value is set to Ye s, the diagnostics
pauses when one of the following occurs:
•
Your interaction is needed to verify the Video Test
Group screens or the Keybo ard Test Group key functions or other types of interaction such as inserting a
diskette.
•
The maximum error limit is reached.
If the Pause for User Response parameter is set to No, the
diagnostics ignores some subtests that require your interaction; certain subtests can run only if this option is set to
Yes because they require user interaction. Use this
parameter in situations where you may want to prevent
subtests that require user interaction from running—such
as when you run the diagnostics overnight.
.
Number of Times to Repeat Test(s) 0001 through 9999, or 0000, which loops indefinitely until you press
the <Ctrl> and <Break> keys. The default is 1.
Maximum Errors Allowed 0000 through 9999, where 0000 means that there is no error limit.
The default is 1.
Pause for User Response Yes, No
Allows you to decide whether tests will wait for user input.
The default is Yes to wait for user inpu t.
Output Device for Status Messages Display, Printer, File
If you have a printer attached to the computer, you can use it to print
the status messages, if any, that are generated when a test runs. (The
printer must be turned on and in the online mode to print.) If you select
File, the messages are printed to a file named result in diskette drive
A. The default is Display.
Output Device for Error Messages Display, Printer, File
This parameter has the same effect as the Output Device for Status
Messages
The default is Display .
5-6 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
parameter, except that it pertains only to error messages.
Page 41
Output Device for Status Messages
Ordinarily , all status messages appear only on the screen.
This parameter allows you to direct status messages to
either a printer or a file, in addition to the screen. If you
choose the File option, status messages are written to a
file named result. This file is automatically created on a
diskette in drive A when you run the diagnostics. If the
result file already exists on the diskette, then new status
messages are added to it.
The result file is an ordinary American Standard Code
for Information Interchange (ASCII) text file. You can
access the result file with the MS-DOS
as follows:
1. Select Quit to exit the diagnostics and return to
the operating system prompt.
2. At the operating system prompt, type the following command line and press <Enter>:
type result
The contents of the file appear on the screen.
After running particular diagnostic tests and viewing the
status messages generated by the tests in the result file,
you can erase the contents of the file so that it is clear for
the next set of messages generated. Otherwise, the next
messages are added at the end of the previous ones in the
file.
®
type command
Output Device for Error Messages
Ordinarily, all error messages appear only on the screen.
This parameter allows you to direct error messages to
either a printer or a file, in addition to the screen. If you
choose the File option, error messages are written to the
result file used for status messages. This file is automat ically created on a diskette in drive A when you run the
diagnostics. If the result file already exists on the diskette, then new error messages are added to it.
The result file is an ordinary ASCII text file. You can
access and review the result file with the MS-DO S type
command as described in the previous subsection, “Output Device for Status Messages.”
After running particular diagnostic tests and viewing the
error messages generated by the tests in the result file,
you can erase the contents of the file so that it is clear for
the next set of messages generated. Otherwise, the next
messages are added at the end of the previous ones in the
file.
Test Limits
NOTE: The diagnostics program sets default limits on all
tests. The only reason to change the default would be to
limit the amount of testing done.
The RAM T est Group, t he V ideo Test Group, the Diskette
Drives Test Group, the Serial/Infrared Ports Test Group,
the Parallel Ports Test Group, and the SCSI Devices Test
Group allow you to designate limits. Whether you select
Test Limits for a highlighted test group (from the main
screen) or a subtest (from the Subtest menu), you set the
limits for all the subtests in that test group. When you
select Test Limits, a new screen appears and the Key
Help area lists keys to use with the new screen.
How you change a value for the limits of a test gr oup or
subtest depends on the type of parameter associated wi th
it. Different keys are used to change values for different
types of parameters. For example, memory address limi ts
specified for the RAM Test Group are changed by typing
in numbers over the digits of a given limit or b y press ing
the plus (+) or minus (–) keys to increase or decrease the
given limit. In contrast, to set limits for the Serial/Infrared
Ports Test Group, you use the <Spacebar> to toggle
between Yes and No.
After you are satisfied with the limits, return to the main
screen of the diagnostics by pressing the <Esc> key. The
values you selected under Test Limits remain in effect
during all the test groups or subtests you run, unless you
change them. However, the values are reset to their
defaults when you restart the diagnostics.
About
About in the main screen lists all of the subtests for the
selected test group and displays information about the
subtest that is highlighted.
Key-Help
Key-Help in the main screen always displays a list of key
controls available for the particular category you have
selected.
Running the System Diagnostics 5-7
Page 42
Quit
Selecting Quit from the main screen exits the diagn ostics
and returns you to your operating system environment.
CAUTION: It is important that you quit the diagnostics program correctly because the program
writes data to the computer’s memory that can
cause problems unless properly cleared.
T
ests in the System Diagnostics
To troubleshoot components or devices, run the appropriate test (test group or subtest) in the diagnostics. The
Table 5-2. System Diagnostics Tests
Test Groups Subtests Description
diagnostics exercises the functional components and
devices of the computer system more vigorously and
thoroughly than they are exercised during normal operation. The diagnostics is organized by components into
test groups and subtests within each test group. Each subtest is designed to detect any errors that may interfere
with the normal operation of a specific device of the
computer.
NOTE: Some subtests requiring hardware not listed in
the System Configuration area of the diagnostics screen
appear to run, but they conclude with a status message
Component not present (or disabled)
stating
Table 5-2 lists the diagnostic test groups, their su btests,
and comments concerning their use.
.
RAM Quick Memory Test
Comprehensive Memory Test
Cache Controller Test
Cache RAM Test
System Set CMOS Confidence Test
EISA Configuration Memory Test
DMA Controller Test
Real-Time Clock Test
Timers Test
Interrupt Controller Test
Apic Test
Apic MP Test
Speaker Test
x87 Calculation Test
x87 Duty Cycle Test
x87 Error Exception Test
Video Video Memory Test
Video Hardware Test
Text Mode Character Test
Text Mode Color Test
Text Mode Pages Test
Graphics Mode Test
Color Palettes Test
Solid Colors Test
Tests the system RAM and processor cache.
Tests the system board’s support chips, DMA controller, computer timer, NVRAM, speaker controller,
cache, and EISA configuration RAM chip, as appropriate.
For systems with multiprocessors, the Apic Test and
the Apic MP Test confirm that the additional microprocessors are operational.
Tests the math coprocessor that is internal to the
microprocessor.
Tests the video subsystem and monitor by checking
various aspects of video output.
NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the abbreviation and acronym list.
5-8 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 43
Table 5-2. System Diagnostics Tests
Test Groups Subtests Description
(continued)
Keyboard Controller Test
Key Sequence T est
Interactive Test
Tests the keyboard by checking the keyboard controller and by finding keys that stick or respond incorrectly .
Stuck Key Test
Mouse Mouse Test T ests the electronic pointing d evice (bu s mouse, serial
mouse, trackball, or PS/2 mouse).
Diskette
Drives
Change Line Test
Seek Test
Tests a drive that uses removable diskettes. Also tests
the associated interface.
Read Test
Write Test
Serial/
Infrared Ports
Baud Rate Test
Interrupt Test
Internal Transmit Test
Tests the components through which peripherals that
use the serial or infrared ports, such as printers and
communications devices, send and receive data.
External Transmit Test
Parallel Ports Internal Test
External Loopback Test
External Interrupt Test
Tests the components through which peripherals that
use the parallel port, such as printers and communica-
tions devices, send and receive data.
Printer Pattern Test
SCSI Devices Internal Diag. Test
Seek Test
Read Test
Write Test
Eject Test
Tests SCSI host adapters and all the SCSI devices
attached to them. Also can be used to remove CDs and
tape cartridges from SCSI devices and to display
information about the types of SCSI devices installed
and the resources allocated to them.
NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the abbreviation and acronym list.
Running the System Diagnostics 5-9
Page 44
E
rror Messages
When you run a test group or subtest in the diagnostics,
error messages may result. These particular error messages are not covered in this chapter because the errors
that generate these messages can be resolved only with
Dell technical assistance. Record the messages on a copy
of the Diagnostics Checklist found in Appendix A, and
see Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructions on
obtaining technical assistance and informing the support
technician of these messages.
R
AM Test Group
The RAM Test Group subtests check all the directly
addressable RAM.
Subtests
The following subtests are available for RAM:
•
Quick Memory Test
The Quick Memory Test performs an address check
to determine whether the computer is properly setting and clearing individual bits in RAM and
whether the RAM read and write operations are
affecting more than one memory address location at
one time. This subtest checks all available RAM.
•
Comprehensive Memory Test
The Comprehensive Memory Test performs an
address check, as well as the following:
— Data pattern checks, to look for RAM bits that
are stuck high or low, short-circuited data lines,
and some data pattern problems that are internal
to the memory chips
— A parity check that verifies the ability of the
memory subsystem to detect errors
— A refresh check, to verify that the dynamic
RAM (DRAM) is being recharged properly
•
Cache Controller Test
Confirms the functionality of the computer’s cache
controller chip.
•
Cache RAM Test
Confirms the functionality of the computer’s cache
memory.
Why Run a RAM Test?
Faulty memory can cause a variety of problems that may
not, at first glance, appear to be happening in RAM. If the
computer is displaying one or mor e of the following
symptoms, run the subtests in the RAM Test Group to
verify that the memory is not at fault:
•
A program is not running as usual, or a proven piece
of software appears to malfunction and you
confirm that the software itself is not at fault. You
can confirm that the software is functioning properly
by moving it to another computer and running it
there.
•
The computer periodically locks up (becomes unusable and must be rebooted), especially at different
places and times in different programs.
•
You get parity errors (any error message that contains the word parity) at any time during operation.
These errors are usually accompanied by a reference
to an addr ess—the location of the portion of memory
where the error occurred—which you should record
on a copy of the Diagnostics Checklis t found in
Appendix A.
•
You receive the
detected
mentation Package (HIP) server management
program. See “Alert Log Messages From the Dell
HIP Program” in Chapter 3, “Messages and Codes,”
for more information on this message. See the Dell
HIP User’s Guide for information on the program.
S
ystem Set Test Group
The subtests in the System Set Test Group check the
computer’s basic system board components and verify
their related functions.
Memory ECC fault
message from the Dell Hardware Instru-
5-10 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 45
Subtests
The subtests that constitute the System Set Tes t Group
and the computer functions they confirm follow:
•
CMOS Confidence Test
Checks the NVRAM for accessibility and reliability
of data storage by performing a data pattern check
and verifying th e uniqueness of m em ory addresses.
•
EISA Configuration Memory Test
Verifies the accessibility and reliability of the RAM
on the Extended Industry-Standard Architecture
(EISA) configuration RAM chip, which stores the
EISA hardware configuration information. On systems without flash RAM, performs a data pattern
and address uniqueness test.
•
DMA Controller Test
Tests the direct memory access (DMA) controller
and verifies the correct operation of its page and
channel registers by writing patterns to the registers.
•
Real-Time Clock Test
Confirms the functionality and accuracy of the com-
puter’s real-time clock (RTC).
•
Timers Test
Checks the timers used by the microprocessor for
event counting, frequency generation, and other
functions. Only the functions that can be activated
by software are tested.
•
Interrupt Controller Test
Generates an interrupt on each interrupt request
(IRQ) line to verify that devices using that line can
communicate with the microprocessor(s) and that the
interrupt controllers send the correct memory
addresses to the microprocessor(s).
•
Speaker Test
Checks the functionality of the speaker by generat-
ing eight tones.
•
x87 Calculation Test
Checks the use of differ ent types o f numb ers an d th e
math coprocessor’s ability to calculate correctly.
•
x87 Duty Cycle Test
Tests the math coprocessor’s ability to perform com-
plex mathematical operations.
•
x87 Error Exception Test
Verifies the math coprocessor’s ability to handle
errors and to send IRQs to the microprocessor.
•
Apic Test and Apic MP Test
For systems with multiprocessors, confirms that the
additional microprocessors are operational.
Why Run a System Set Test?
The System Set subtests double-check many system
board components, such as the computer’s input/output
(I/O) circuitry, that are tested by other test groups or
subtests in the diagnostics. You should run the System
Set Test Group if you are having a problem and cannot
isolate the failure or malfunction to a particular system
board component.
The System Set Test Group also verifies the proper operation of other computer components, such as the speaker,
that are not tested elsewhere in the diagnostics.
The following symptoms usually suggest a problem with
a component or subassembly that warrants running a System Set subtest:
•
A program is not running as usual, or a proven piece
of software appears to malfunction and you confirm
that the software itself is not at fault. You can confirm that the software is functioning properly by
moving it to another computer and running it there.
•
An option card you previously accessed can no
longer be accessed.
•
You get parity errors or page fault failures (any error
message that contains the words parity or page fault)
at any time during operation. These errors are usually accompanied by a reference to an address,
which you should record on a copy of the Diagnostics Checklist found in Appendix A.
•
Correcting errors in the system configuration information in the system setup program or the system
configuration utility does not resolve a problem.
•
The computer’s clock/calendar stops.
Running the System Diagnostics 5-11
Page 46
•
The speaker no longer functions. The p rob lem cou l d
be a failure of the system timers as well as a failure
of the speaker itself. Run the Timers Test, followed
by the Speaker Test.
•
If a peripheral device appears to malfunction, run the
Interrupt Controller Test.
•
A spreadsheet program or other type of mathematical application runs abnormally slow, generates
error messages concerning calculations or operations, runs incorrectly, or generates incorrect results,
or a proven piece of the program appears to malfunction and you confirm that the software itself is
not at fault. You can confirm that the software is not
at fault by moving the program to another computer
and running it there.
•
The computer periodically locks up, especially at
different places and times in different programs.
•
The computer halts in the middle of performing calculations or complex mathematical operations.
V
ideo Test Group
The subtests in the Video Test Group verify the proper
operation of the video controller and the video control
circuitry installed in the computer. These subtests check
for the correct operation of the readable registers in the
video circuitry and the controller. They write, read, and
verify data patterns in the cursor registers of the controller. The Video Test Group also tests all the video memory
and provides additional subtests to test the color features
of a color monitor.
NOTE: Most of the subtests are interactive; that is, you
must respond before the diagnostics continue to the next
subtest.
Subtests
The subtests in the Video Test Group and the video functions they confirm follow:
•
Video Memory Test
Checks the read/write capability of video memory in
various video modes.
•
Video Hardware Test
Checks the cursor registers and the horizontal and
vertical retrace bit registers in the video controller.
•
Text Mode Character Test
Checks the video subsystem’s ability to present data
in text modes.
•
Text Mode Color Test
Checks the video subsystem’s ability to present color
in text modes.
•
Text Mode Pages Test
Checks the video subsystem’s ability to map and
present all available video pages on the screen, one
page at a time.
•
Graphics Mode Test
Checks the video subsystem’s ability to present data
and color in graphics modes.
•
Color Palettes Test
Checks the video subsystem’s ability to display all of
the available colors.
•
Solid Colors Test
Checks the video subsystem’s ability to show
screens full of solid colors. Allows you to check for
missing color subp ixels.
Many of these tests display characters or graphics on the
screen for you to verify. Samples of these screens are
shown in Appendix B, “Diagnostic Video Tests.”
NOTE: The default limit for tes ti ng su per video graphi cs
array (SVGA) modes is No. If you are testing an external
monitor, change the default to Y es.
Why Run a Video Test?
Many of the symptoms that would prompt you to run a
subtest in the Video Test Group are obvious, because the
monitor is the visual component of the computer system.
Before you run the Video Test Group or any of its subtests, you should make sure that the problem is not in the
software or caused by a hardware change. You should
also try running all of the software support utilities provided for the monitor and the video subsystem.
5-12 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 47
If the following symptoms still occur , run the appro priate
test(s) as follows:
•
If the monitor shows a partially formed or distorted
image, run all of the subtests in the Video Test
Group.
•
If the alignment of text or images is off, regardless of
the program you are running, run the Text Mode
Character Test, Text Mode Pages Test, and Graphics
Mode Test.
•
If you have a color monito r or a prog ram that run s in
color, but the color is intermittent or not displayed at
all, run the Text Mode Color Test, Color Palettes
Test, and Solid Color Test.
•
If the monitor malfunctions in one mode but works
fine in another (for example, text is displayed correctly, but graphics are not), run the Text Mode
Character Test, Text Mode Color Test, Text Mode
Pages Test, and Graphics Mode Test.
K
eyboard Test Group
The subtests in the Keyboard Test Group verify the correct operation of the keyboard and the keyboard
controller chip.
Subtests
The keyboard subtests and the keyboard functions they
confirm follow:
•
Controller Test
Confirms the ability of the keyboard controller chip
to communicate with the keyboard and the programming of the controller chip.
•
Key Sequence Tes t
Verifies that the keys on the keyboard function cor-
rectly when you press the keys in a predefined order.
•
Interactive Test
Checks the internal microcode of the keyboard and
the external interface of the keyboard contro ller chip
for a malfunctioning key.
•
Stuck Key Test
Checks the internal microcode of the keyboard and
the external interface of the keyboard controller chip
for a repeating-key signal.
Why Run a Keyboard Test?
Keyboard problems are not always caused by the
keyboard. For example, a complete lockup of the computer system, render ing the keyboard inoper abl e, is mo re
likely caused elsewhere. There are three symptoms that
are likely to be keyboard-related. Sometimes, the configuration of a program changes the functi on of a key or key
combination. Likewise, key conf iguration programs can
change a key’s function. Because these programs are
memory resident, you sho uld be sure to clear them out of
the computer’s memory before running a subtest in the
Keyboard Test Group. Clear them from memory by
rebooting the computer from the Dell Server Assistant
CD. When these possibilities have been elimin ated, and
if the following symptoms occur, you should run one or
more of the subtests in the Keyboard Test Group:
•
When you press a key, the character represented by
that key appears repeatedly; the key seems to be
stuck. Run the Stuck Key Test.
•
When you press a key and the response is different
from the usual response or the response you anticipated, the key contact may be damaged. Run the
Keyboard Interactive Test.
•
When a key does not work at all, run all of the subtests in the Keyboard Test Group.
M
ouse Test
The Mouse Test checks the functionality of the mouse
controller (which coordinates cursor movement on the
screen with corresponding movement of the mouse or
touch pad) and the operation of the mouse keys/touch
pad.
Subtests
There are no subtests for the Mouse Test Group.
Running the System Diagnostics 5-13
Page 48
Why Run the Mouse Test?
Mouse or touch pad problems are as likely to orig inate in
RAM as they are to be caused by a faulty mouse or touch
pad. Three sources of R AM-related pro blems inclu de the
configuration of a program (which changes the function
of the mouse or touch pad), memory-resident programs,
and failure of a device driver (the software that controls
the function of the mouse or touch pad). If these possibilities have been eliminated and the following symptoms
persist, run the Mouse Test:
•
When you press a mouse butt on or the to uch pad, the
function of the button (or touch pad) continues; that
is, the button (or touch pad) seems to be stuck.
•
If the response when you press a mouse button or the
touch pad is different from the usual or anticipated
response, the button (or touch pad) contact may be
damaged.
•
A mouse button or the touch pad does not work at
all.
•
The cursor does not respond on the screen in accordance with the movements you make with the mouse
or touch pad.
D
iskette Drives Test Group
The subtests in the Diskette Drives Test Group allow you
to test both 5.25-inch and 3.5-inch diskette drives of all
capacities.
Subtests
The diskette drive subtests in the Diskette Drives Test
Group and the drive functions they confirm follow:
•
Change Line Test
Checks for bent pins on the diskette drive controller
and for defective lines on the diskette cable.
•
Seek T est
Checks the drive’s ability to search for a specified
track on the diskette and to position its read/write
heads to all tracks.
•
Read Test
Positions the read/write heads at each cylinder of the
diskette for reading data and verifies that all tracks
on the diskette can be read correctly.
•
Write Test
Positions the read/write heads at each cylinder of the
diskette and verifies that all tracks on the diskette
can be written to correctly.
Why Run a Diskette Drives Test?
Often, a diskette drive problem may first appear to be a
diskette problem. A box of defective diskettes might produce faulty-drive error messages. The test results can be
confusing, so Dell suggests runn ing the subtests in the
Diskette Drives Test Group more than once using diskettes from different sources.
Another possible cause of diskette drive problems is
human error—typing a command in an incorrect form
(usually called a syntax error). Be sure you have entered
the command in the proper form.
When the diskette(s) and command syntax are eliminated
as causes, the following symptoms usually s ugges t a
drive proble m and warrant running a subtest in the Diskette Drives Test Group:
•
An error message appears on the screen stating that
the computer cannot read from or write to a diskette.
•
A diskette cannot be properly formatted, or format
error messages appear on the screen.
•
Data on diskettes is corrupted or lost; these problems
may be intermittent.
S
erial/Infrared Ports Test Group
The subtests in the Serial/Infrared Ports Test Group
check the computer’s interface with external devices,
such as a printer and a mouse, that are connected to the
computer through a serial or infrared port. The subtests in
this test group are not intended as a diagnostic test for the
actual peripheral attached to each port.
NOTES: With certain modems installed, the subtests in
the Serial/Infrared Ports T est Group may fail because the
modem appears to the diagnostics as a serial or infrared
5-14 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 49
port, but it cannot be tested as a serial or infr ar ed port. If
a modem is installed and one of the subtests in the Serial/
Infrared Ports Test Group fails, remove the modem and
run the diagnostic tests again.
If an external loopback connector is not attached to a
serial or infrared port, the External Transmission Test
will fail for that port and the results of this test sho uld
therefore be ignored. An external modem connected to
the port does not substitute for an exter nal loopback
connector.
Subtests
The subtests in the Serial/Infrared Ports Test Group and
the port functions they confirm follow:
•
Baud Rate Test
Checks the baud rate generator in each serial com-
munications chip against the computer’s clock.
•
Interrupt Test
Checks the serial port’s ability to send IRQs to the
microprocessor.
•
Internal Transmit Test
Checks several internal functions of the serial port
using the internal loopback mode of the serial communications chip.
•
External Transmit Test
If a loopback device is attached, checks the line con-
trol bits of the serial port and sends a test pattern at
several baud rates, checking the returned values.
operating system. If it still does not work, you can eliminate the software configuration as the cause of the
problem.
Another possible cause for errors is the external device.
Use the documentation that came with the peripheral to
troubleshoot it and confirm that it is working properly.
Most printers have a self-test.
After you eliminate incorrect system configuration
information settings, peripheral malfunctions, and software errors as potential caus es of port problems, you can
run the subtests i n th e S eri al/ Infrared Ports Test Group to
check the hardware. Although the following symptoms
can be caused by faulty peripherals or software errors,
they might also suggest a port problem:
•
If a peripheral works intermittently or produces
intermittent errors, the port may be faulty.
•
If the computer displays an error message that is
related to the external device connected to a port, but
corrections to the device do not resolve the error, run
the appropriate subtest in the Serial/Infrared Ports
Test Group.
•
If the software and the diagnostics do not recognize
that you have a serial or infrared port, you should
check the Serial Port 1 Address and Serial Port 2
Address categories in the system setup program, and
if necessary, run the appropriate subtest in the Serial/
Infrared Ports Test Group.
P
arallel Ports Test Group
Why Run a Serial/Infrared Ports Test?
If the diagnostics does not recognize the computer’s
serial or infrared ports, enter the system setup program
and check the Serial Port 1 Address and Serial Port 2
Address categories to see whether the port has been disabled. The subtests in the Serial/Infrared Ports Test
Group cannot test a port unless it is enabled.
When a port is faulty, it may not be immediately evident
that the port, and not the device connected to the port, is
faulty . Instead, the peripheral (such as a printer or mouse)
might behave erratically or not operate at all. If the external device is not properly instal led through the
software, it also may not function proper ly. Try operating
the peripheral from different programs or through the
The subtests in the Parallel Ports Test Group check the
computer’s interface with external devices, such as a
printer, that are connected to the computer through a parallel port. The subtests in the Parallel Port Test Group are
not intended as a diagnostic test for the actual peripheral
attached to each port. The only exception is a printer, as
described in the Internal Test.
NOTE: If an external loopback connector is not attached
to the parallel port, the External Loopback Test will fail
for that port and the results of this test should therefore
be ignored.
Running the System Diagnostics 5-15
Page 50
Subtests
The subtests in the Parallel Ports Test Group and the port
functions they confirm follow:
•
Internal Test
Checks several internal fu nct i ons of the parallel port.
•
External Loopback Test
T ests the functionality of the control lines through an
external loopback connector, if an external loopback
connector is available.
•
External Interrupt Test
Tests the parallel port’s ability to generate interrupts
from all possible sources, if an external loopback
connector or printer is available.
•
Printer Pattern Test
Tests a printer and tests the parallel port’s ability to
send a pattern to the printer, if connected.
Why Run a Parallel Ports T e st ?
If the diagnostics does not recognize the computer’s parallel port, enter the system setup program and check the
Parallel Port ECP-DMA category to see if the port has
been disabled. The subtests in the Parallel Ports Test
Group cannot test a port unless it is enabled.
When a port is faulty, it may not be immediately evident
that the port, and not the device connected to the port, is
faulty. Instead, the peripheral (such as a printer) might
behave erratically or not operate at all. If the external
device is not properly installed through the software, it
also may not func tion properly. Try operating the peripheral from different programs or through the operating
system. If it still does not work, you can eliminate the
software setup as the cause of the problem.
Another possible cause for errors is the external device.
Use the documentation that came with the peripheral to
troubleshoot it and confirm that it is wo rking properly.
Most printers have a self-test.
After you eliminate incorrect system configuration information settings, peripher al malfunctions, and software
errors as potential causes of port problems, you can run
the subtests in the Parallel Ports Test Group to check the
hardware. Although the following symptoms can be
caused by faulty peripherals or software errors, they
might also suggest a port problem:
•
If a peripheral works intermittently or produces
intermittent errors, the port may be faulty.
•
If the computer displays an error message that is
related to the external device connected to a port, but
corrections to the device do not resolve the error, run
the appropriate subtest in the Parallel Ports Test
Group.
•
If the software and the diagnostics do not recognize
that you have a parallel port, you should check the
Parallel Port ECP-DMA c ategory in the system setup
program, and if necessary, run the appropriate subtest in the Parallel Ports Test Group.
S
CSI Devices Test Group
The subtests in the SCSI Devices Test Group check the
functionality of up to four small computer system interface (SCSI) host adapters and all the SCSI devices
attached to them.
NOTES: Before conducting these subtests on CD-ROM
drives, insert a CD with audio and data tracks (s uch as a
multimedia CD) into each CD-ROM drive. All of the subtests requir e a CD with dat a tracks.
If a CD-ROM drive is empty or if it contains a CD that
does not have the required data or audio tracks (depending on the subtest[s] being conducted), the subtest(s) will
fail.
Subtests
The subtests in the SCSI Devices Test Group and the
drive functions they confirm follow:
•
Internal Diag. Test
Causes the device to run its internal self-test.
•
Seek Test
Checks the device’s ability to search for a specified
track on the device and to position its read/write
heads to all tracks.
5-16 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 51
•
Read Test
Positions the read/write heads at each block of the
device for reading data and verifies that all tracks on
the device can be read correctly.
•
Write Test
Positions the read/write heads at each block of the
device and verifies that all tracks on the device can
be written to correctly.
•
Eject Test
Causes a CD-ROM drive to eject its CD or a SCSI
tape drive to eject its tape cartridge.
Why Run a SCSI Devices Test?
If you check the SCSI hard-disk drive to determine the
amount of available space, the operating system will probably report problem areas. Problem areas on hard-disk
drives are common because most hard-disk drives have a
small amount of space that is not usable. The hard-disk
drive keeps a record of this space so that the computer will
not attempt to use it. Identification of unusable disk space,
unless it is an unusually large amount (over five percent of
the possible total), should not be regarded as a caus e for
testing the hard-disk drive.
The following are the most common symptoms that
might prompt you to test a SCSI device:
•
A SCSI hard-disk drive fails during the boot routine.
•
Seek errors are reported by the operating system or
application programs.
•
An error message appears on the screen stating that
the computer cannot read from or write to a SCSI
device.
•
Data on a SCSI device is corrupted or lost; this problem may be intermittent. Once saved by a program,
files cannot be properly recalled.
Running the System Diagnostics 5-17
Page 52
5-18 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 53
Chapter 6
Checking the Equipment
T
his chapter provides troubleshooting procedures for
equipment that connects directly to the input/output (I/O)
panel of the computer, such as the mon itor, keyboard,
mouse, or printer . Befo re performing any of the procedures
in this chapter, see “Checking Connections and Switches”
in Chapter 2. Then perform the troubleshooting procedures
for the equ ipment that is m alf unctioning.
You need the follo wing items to perform the procedures
in this chapter:
•
The Dell Server Assistant CD
•
A blank, formatted diskette
•
The system documentation
NOTE: When you see the question, “Is the problem
resolved?” in a troubleshooting procedure, perform the
operation that caused the problem.
T
roubleshooting the Monitor
Troubleshooting video problems involves determining
which of the following is the source of th e problem:
•
Monitor and monitor interface cable
•
Video memory
•
Video logic of the computer or a video expansion
card
If information on the monitor screen is displayed incorrectly or not at all, complete the following steps to
determine the problem:
1. Turn on the system, including any attached
peripherals.
2. Adjust the switches and controls as specified in
the monitor’s documentation to correct the video
image, including the horizontal and vertical position and size.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes.
You have fixed the problem.
No.
Continue to step 3.
3. Run the system diagnostics software.
See Chapter 5, “Running the System Diagnostics.”
Does the monitor display text properly?
Yes.
Go to step 5.
No.
Continue to step 4.
4. Type g and press the down-arrow key four times.
Then press the plus (+) key to send all
sages to a printer. To send the error messages to a
file named results on a diskette, insert a blank diskette into drive A, and then press the plus (+) key
twice to send the error messages to the file.
5. Run the Video Test Group in the system
diagnostics.
See Chapter 5, “Running the System Diagnostics.”
Most of the tests in the Video Test Grou p require
you to respond before the di agnos tics co ntinues with
the next test.
Do the tests complete successfully?
Yes.
You have fixed the problem.
No.
Continue to step 6.
6. Turn off the system and disconnect it from alternating current (AC) power. Swa p t he mo nit or
with one of the same type that is working, and
reconnect the system to AC power.
error
mes-
Checking t he Equipment 6-1
Page 54
7. Run the Video Test Group in th e sys t em diagnostics again.
Do the tests complete successfully?
Yes. The monitor must be replaced. See Chapter 11,
“Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
No. If a video expansion card is installed in the computer, see “Troubleshooting Expansion Cards” in
Chapter 7. If no video expansion card is installed, t he
built-in video controller is faulty. See Chapter 11,
“Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
T
roubleshooting the Keyboard
This procedure determines what kind of keyboard problem you have. If a system error message indicates a
keyboard problem when you start up the computer system or while the system diagnostics is running, complete
the following steps:
1. Look at the keyboard and the keyboard cable for
any signs of damage. Press and release each key
on the keyboard.
Do the keyboard and its cable appear to be free of
physical damage, and do the keys work?
Yes. Go to step 3.
No. Continue to step 2.
2. Swap the faulty keyboard with a working
keyboard.
To swap a faulty keyboard, unplug the keyboard
cable from the computer’s back panel and plug in a
working keyboard.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes. The keyboard must be replaced. See Chap-
ter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining
technical assistance.
No. Continue to step 3.
3. Run the Keyboard Test Group in the system
diagnostics.
See Chapter 5, “Running the System Diagnostics.”
Can you use the keyboard to select the Keyboard
Test Group?
Yes. Continue to step 4.
No. Go to step 5.
4. Does the Keyboard Interactive Test complete
successfully?
Yes. Go to step 6.
No. Continue to step 5.
5. Swap the faulty keyboard with a working
keyboard.
6. Does the Keyboard Controller Test complete
successfully?
Yes. The keyboard must be replaced. See Chap-
ter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining
technical assistance.
No. The keyboard controller on the system board is
faulty. See Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
T
roubleshooting I/O Ports
This section provides a proced ure for troubleshoo ting th e
ports on the computer’s I/O panel and the equipment connected to them, such as a printer, scanner, or other
peripheral device.
You can also use this procedure to test I/O ports on
expansion cards. However, you should first complete the
procedures in “Troubleshooting Expansion Cards” in
Chapter 7 to verify that the card is configured and
installed correctly.
If a system error message indicates a port problem or
if equipment connected to a port seems to perform
incorrectly or not at all, the source of the problem may be
any of the following:
A faulty connection between the I/O port and the
•
peripheral device
6-2 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 55
•
A faulty cable between the I/O port and the peripheral device
•
A faulty peripheral device
•
Incorrect settings in the system setup program
•
Incorrect settings in the system’s configuration files
•
Faulty I/O port logic on the system board
NOTE: With certain modems installed, subtests in the
Serial/Infrared Ports Test Group may fail because the
modem appears to the diagnostics as a serial port, but it
cannot be tested as a serial port. If you have a modem
installed and you experience a serial-po rt test failure,
remove the modem and run the diagnostic tests again.
Troubleshooting the Basic I/O Functions
This procedure determines whether the computer’s basic
I/O functions are operational. If a system error message
indicates an I/O port problem or the device connected to
the port does not function properly, follow these steps:
1. Enter the system setup program, and check the
settings for the Configuration Mod e and Mouse
categories.
Is the Configuration Mode category set to Auto, and
is the Mouse category set to Installed?
Yes.
Go to step 3.
No.
Continue to step 2.
2. Change the setting for the Configuration Mode
category to Auto, and change the setting for the
Mouse category to Installed; then reboot the
system.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes.
You have fixed the problem.
No.
Continue to step 3.
3. Check the contents of the start-up files.
See “Installing and Configuring Software” in Chapter 4.
Are the port configuration commands correct?
Yes.
Go to step 5.
No.
Continue to step 4.
4. Change the necessary statements in the start-up
files.
If the port problem is confined to a particular application program, see the application program’s
documentation for specific port configuration
requirements.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes.
You have fixed the problem.
No.
Continue to step 5.
5. Reboot the system from the
CD, and run the Serial/Infrared Ports T est Group
and/or the Parallel Port Test Group in the system
diagnostics.
See Chapter 5, “Running the System Diagnostics.”
The Serial/Infrared Ports Test Group and the Parallel
Ports Test Group test the basic functions of the system board’s I/O port logic. Also, if a parallel printer
is connected to the parallel port, the Parallel Ports
Test Group tests the communications link between
the system board’s I/O port logic and the printer.
Do the tests complete successfully?
Yes.
Continue to step 6.
No.
See Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructions
on obtaining technical assistance.
6. If the problem per sists, go to “Troubleshooting a
Parallel Printer” or “Troubleshooting a Serial
I/O Device” later in this section, depending on
which device appears to be malfunctio ning.
Dell Server Assistant
Checking t he Equipment 6-3
Page 56
Troubleshooting a Parallel Printer
If the procedure in the preceding subsection, “Troubleshooting the Basic I/O Functions,” indicates that the
problem is with a parallel printer, follow these steps:
1. Turn off the parallel printer and computer.
2. Swap the parallel-printer interface cable with a
known working cable.
3. Turn on the parallel printer and computer.
4. Attempt a print operation on the parallel printer.
Does the print operation complete successfully?
Yes. The interface cable must be replaced. See Chap-
ter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining
technical assistance.
No. Continue to step 5.
5. Run the parallel printer’s self-test.
See the documentation that came with your printer
for information on the self-test.
Does the self-test complete successfully?
Yes. Continue to step 6.
No. The printer is probably defective. If the printer
was purchased from Dell, see Chapter 11, “Getting
Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical
assistance.
6. Attempt another print operation on the parallel
printer.
Does the print operation complete successfully?
Yes. You have fixed the problem.
No. See Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructions
on obtaining technical assistance.
Troubleshooting a Serial I/O Device
If the procedure in the preceding subsection, “Troubleshooting the Basic I/O Functions,” indicates that the
problem is with a device connected to one of the serial
ports, follow these steps:
1. T urn off the computer and any peripheral devices
connected to the serial ports.
Are two serial devices connected to the computer?
Yes. Continue to step 2.
No. Go to step 4.
2. Disconnect the devices from serial ports 1 and 2,
and connect the malfunctioning serial device to
the opposite port.
3. Turn on the computer and the reconnected serial
device.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes. The serial port may be defective. See Chap-
ter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining
technical assistance.
No. Continue to step 4.
4. Turn off the computer and the serial device, and
swap the interface cable (that connects the device
to the serial port) with a known working cable.
5. Turn on the computer and the serial device.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes. The interface cable must be replaced. See Chap-
ter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining
technical assistance.
No. Continue to step 6.
6. Turn off the computer and the serial device, and
swap the device with a comparable working
device.
For example, if the serial mouse has a problem, swap
it with a serial mouse that you know is working
properly.
7. Turn on the computer and the serial device.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes. The serial device must be replaced. See Chap-
ter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining
technical assistance.
No. See Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructions
on obtaining technical assistance.
6-4 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 57
Chapter 7
Checking Inside the Computer
T
his chapter provides troubleshooting procedures for
components inside the computer. Before you start any of
the procedures in this chapter, do the following:
•
Perform the procedures des crib ed in “C hecking Co nnections and Switches” and “The System Setup
Program” in Chapter 2.
•
Read the safety instructions in “Safety First—For
You and the Computer” next in this chapter.
You need the follo wing items to perform the procedures
in this chapter:
•
The Dell Server Assistant CD
•
The system documentation
•
A #2 Phillips-head screwdriver (or
driver)
•
The key to the system keylocks
NOTE: When you see the question, “Is the problem
resolved?” in a tro ubleshooti ng pr ocedur e, perform the oper a-
tion that caused the pr obl em.
1/4
-inch hex-nut
S
afety First—For You and the
Computer
WARNING: The power su pplies in this computer
system produce high voltages and energy hazards,
which can cause bodily harm. Only trained service
technicians are authorized to remove the computer
covers and access any of the components inside the
computer.
The procedures in this chapter require that a trained service technician remove the covers and work inside the
computer. While working inside the computer, do not
attempt to service the computer except as explained in
this guide and elsewhere in Dell documentation. Always
follow the instructions closely.
WARNING: Before a trained service technician
accesses the inside of the computer, any and all
power supplies must be disconnected from their
power source, and the cables to the power supplies
must also be disconnected. If this computer has
more than one power supply, disconnect both
power supply cords before servicing to avoid
electrical shock.
Checking Inside the Computer 7-1
Page 58
Working inside the computer is safe—if you observe the
following precautions.
WARNING FOR YOUR PERSONAL SAFETY
AND PROTECTION OF THE EQUIPMENT
Before starting to work on the computer, perform
the following steps in the sequence indicated:
1. Turn off the computer and all peripherals.
2. Disconnect the computer, peripherals, and
power supplies from their power sources. Also
disconnect any telephone or telecommunication
lines from the computer. Doing so reduces the
potential for personal injury or shock.
3. Touch an unpainted metal surface on th e com-
puter chassis, such as the power supply, before
touching anything inside the computer.
While you work, periodically touch an
unpainted metal surface on the computer chassis to dissipate any static electricity that might
harm internal components.
In addition, Dell recommends that you perio dically
review the safety instructions at the front of this guide.
WARNING: Due to high voltages and en ergy hazards, never operate the system without the covers
installed.
Removing the Computer Covers
Use the following procedure to remove a computer
cover:
1. Observe the W arning for Y our Personal Safety and
Protection of the Equipment described earlier in this
chapter . Also observe the safety instructions at the
front of this guide.
2. To remove a computer cover, turn the cover’s
keylock on the back panel of the computer (see
Figure 7-1) to the unlocked position.
R
emoving and Replacing the
Computer Covers
To troubleshoot problems inside the computer, you need
to remove one or both of the computer covers.
WARNING: The power su pplies in this computer
system produce high voltages and energy hazards,
which can cause bodily harm. Only trained service
technicians are authorized to remove the computer
covers and access any of the components inside the
computer.
7-2 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Figure 7-1. Keylocks on the Computer’s
Back Panel
3. Loosen the three screws along the back edge of
the cover (see Figure 7-2).
4. Slide the cover toward the rear of the system an
inch or so, grasp the top of the cov er at both ends,
and lift it straight away from the chas sis.
Page 59
Figure 7-2. Removing the Computer Covers
screws (6)
Replacing the Computer Covers
Use the following procedure to replace a comp uter co ver:
1. Check all cable connections, especially those that
might have come loose during your work. Fold
cables out of the way so that they do not catch on
the computer cover.
CAUTION: Make sure that there are no cables
or cable connectors lying on the top diskette
drive in the upper drive cage. Foreign objects
on top of the drive can interfere with drive
operation and permanently damage the drive.
2. Check that no tools or extra pa rts (including
screws) are left inside the computer.
3. Make sure the applicable keylock is in the
unlocked position.
4. Fit the cover over the side rail at the bottom of the
chassis, and slide it clos ed.
5. Secure the cover with the three screws.
6. Set the keylock to the locked position.
Checking Inside the Computer 7-3
Page 60
R
emoving the Front Bezel
Use the following procedure to remove the front bezel:
1. Remove the computer covers.
See the previous subsection, “Removing the Computer Covers.”
2. Release the two tabs on each side of the bezel (see
Figure 7-3).
3. Slide the front bezel straight away from the
chassis.
tabs (4)
of the computer. Refer to them to locate interior features
and components discussed late r in this guide.
When you look inside the comput er , note the dir ect c urren t
(DC) power cables lead ing fr om t he po wer-s upp ly paral lel ing board. These cables supply power to the system
board, small computer system interface (SCSI) backplane
board, externally accessible drives, and certain expansion
cards that connect to external peripherals.
The flat ribbon cables are the interface cables for internal
drives. For SCSI devices, the interface cable connects
externally accessible SCSI devices and the SCSI backplane board to a SCSI host adapter either on the system
board or on an expansion card.
The system boar d— t he la rge, verti cal prin ted circuit bo ard
at the left side of the chassis near the back—holds the
computer’s control circuitry and other electronic components. Some hardware options are installed directly onto
the system board. The system board provides 10 expan-
sion-card connector s. The external dr ive bays pro vide space
for up to four half-height drives, typically diskette drives,
CD-ROM drives, or tape drives. The internal drive bays
provide space for up to six half-height SCSI hard-disk
drives. These drives are connected to the SCSI host
adapter via the SCSI backplane board, which manages the
drive bays and monitors the drive envi ronment, including
voltages and temperatures.
During an installation or troubleshooti ng procedu re, you
may be required to change a jump er or switch setti ng on t he
system board, the microprocessor module, an expansion
card, or a drive. For more information on th e jumpers and
switches, see Appendix C, “Jumpers, Switches, and
Connectors.”
WARNING: Before a trained service technician
accesses the inside of the computer, any and all
power supplies must be disconnected from their
Figure 7-3. Removing the Front Bezel
I
nside the Chassis
In Figures 7-4 an d 7 -5, the computer cover is removed to
provide interior views fro m the left and r ight sides . These
illustrations also identify features on the front and back
7-4 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
power source, and the cables to the power supplies
must also be disconnected. If this computer has
more than one power supply, disconnect both
power supply cords before servicing to avoid
electrical shock.
Page 61
memory module
microprocessor
modules
expansion slots
system board
Figure 7-4. Inside the Chassis—Front/Left Side View
external drive
bays (4)
control panel
internal drive
bays (6)
hard-disk
drives keylock
Checking Inside the Computer 7-5
Page 62
external drive bays (4)
internal drive bays (6)
SCSI backplane board
power-supply
paralleling board
Figure 7-5. Inside the Chassis—Back/Right Side View
R
esponding to a Dell HIP Alert
Message
The Dell Hardware Instrumentation Package (HIP)
server-management application program monitors critical system voltages and temperatures, the system cooling
fans, and the status of the SCSI hard-disk drives in the
computer. The program generates alert messages that
appear in the simple network management protocol
(SNMP) trap log file. More information about the Alert
Log window and options and various messages is provided in the Dell HIP online help and the Dell HIP User’ s
Guide.
7-6 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
T
roubleshooting a Wet Computer
Liquid spills, splashes, and excessive humidity can cause
damage to the system. If an external device (such as a printer or an external dri v e) gets wet, contact the manufacturer
for instructions. If the computer gets wet, complete the
following steps:
1. Turn off the system, including any attached
peripherals, and disconnect all the alternating
current (AC) power cables from their power
sources.
Page 63
2. Remove the computer covers.
See “Removing the Computer Covers” earlier in this
chapter.
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic
Discharge” in the safety instructions at the front of
this guide.
3. Let the computer dry for at least 24 hours.
Make sure that it is thoroughly dry before
proceeding.
4. Remove all expansion cards, the microprocessor
module(s), and the memory module installed in
the computer.
See “Removing an Expansion Card” in Chapter 8.
5. Replace the computer covers, reconnect the system to AC power, and turn it on.
Does the system have power?
Yes. Continue to step 6.
No. See Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructions
on obtaining technical assistance.
6. T urn o ff the system, disconnect it fr om AC power,
remove the left computer cover, and reinstall the
items you removed in step 4.
7. Replace the computer cover, and reconnect the
system to AC power.
8. Run the System Set Test Group in the system
diagnostics.
See Chapter 5, “Running the System Diagnostics.”
Do the tests complete successfully?
Yes. The system is operating properly.
No. See Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructions
on obtaining technical assistance.
T
roubleshooting a Damaged
Computer
If the computer was dropped or damaged, you should
check the computer to see if it functions properly. If an
external device attached to the computer is dropped or
damaged, contact the manufacturer of the device for
instructions or see Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” for information on obtaining technical assistance from Dell.
Follow these steps to troubleshoot a damaged computer:
1. Turn off the system, including any attached
peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power
cables from their power sources.
2. Remove the left computer cover.
See “Removing the Computer Covers” earlier in this
chapter.
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic
Discharge” in the safety instructions at the front of
this guide.
3. Check all the board and card connections in the
computer.
Check the following connections:
Expansion-card connections to the system board
•
Drive carrier connections to the SCSI backplane
•
board
Microprocessor module(s) connections to the
•
system board
Memory module connection to the system board
•
4. Verify all internal cable and component
connections.
Make sure that all cables are properly connected and
that all components are properly seated in their connectors and sockets.
5. Replace the left computer cover and reconnect
the system to AC power.
6. Run the System Set Test Group in the system
diagnostics.
See Chapter 5, “Running the System Diagnostics.”
Do the tests complete successfully?
Yes. The system is operating properly.
No. See Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructions
on obtaining technical assistance.
Checking Inside the Computer 7-7
Page 64
T
roubleshooting the RTC Chip
If an error message indicates a problem with the
real-time clock (RTC) chip or if the system setup program loses the system configuration information when
the computer is turned off, the RTC chip may be
defective.
Follow these steps to troubleshoo t the RTC chip:
1. Turn off the system, including any attached
peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power
cables from their power sources.
2. Remove the left computer cover.
See “Removing the Computer Covers” earlier in this
chapter.
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety instructions at
the front of this guide.
3. Check the connection of the RTC chip to the system board.
Is the RTC chip firmly installed in the socket on the
system board?
Yes. Go to step 5.
No. Continue to step 4.
4. Reseat the RTC chip in its socket.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes. The RTC chip was loose. You have fixed the
problem.
No. Continue to step 5.
5. Replace the RTC chip.
See “Replacing the RTC Chip” in Chapter 8 for
instructions on replacing the RTC chip.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes. The RT C chip’s charge was low. You have fixed
the problem.
No. See Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructions
on obtaining technical assistance.
T
roubleshooting and Replacing
the Battery on the Control Panel
The battery on the control panel stores the power state of
the system. For example, if a power failure occurs while
the system is running, the system will remain on when
power is restored. However, if the system does not keep
its power state during a power interruption, you should
replace the battery. Follow these steps to replace the battery on the control panel:
1. Turn off the system, including any attached
peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power
cables from their power sources.
2. Remove the left and right computer covers.
See “Removing the Computer Covers” earlier in this
chapter.
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety instructions at
the front of this guide.
3. Remove the front bezel.
See “Removing the Front Bezel” earlier in this
chapter.
4. Remove the battery.
The battery is located just above the center of the
control panel.
Pry the battery out o f its socket wit h your finger s or a
blunt, nonconductive object, such as a plastic
screwdriver.
5. Install the new battery with the “+” side facing up
(see Figure 7-6).
7-8 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 65
battery
BATTERY socket
Figure 7-6. Battery Replacement
6. Replace the front bezel, the left and right
computer covers, reconnect the computer and
peripherals to their power sources, and turn
them on.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes. The battery was defective. You have fixed the
problem.
No. See Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructions
on obtaining technical assistance.
T
roubleshooting Power Supply
Problems
The optional redundant power supplies in Dell PowerEdge 6100 systems are controlled by the power-supply
paralleling board. The two light-emitting diodes (LEDs)
on the back of the power supply (see Figure 7-7) signal
the status of the power supply. If the red power-supply
fault indicator lights up, the power supply should be
replaced.
locking
knob
AC power
cable
connector
power-supply
fault indicator
power-supply
online indicator
locking
switch
Figure 7-7. Power Supply Features
Replacing a Power Supply
Follow these steps to replace a power supply.
CAUTION: If a power supply in this computer system fails, do not remove it from the system. The
failed power supply must remain in the system
until it can be replaced with a working power supply. Failure to do so will cause the hard-disk drives
to overheat.
1. Disconnect the AC power cable from the power
outlet; then disconnect the other end of the cable
from the power supply.
Open the plastic strain-relief clip and remove the AC
power cable.
2. Turn the locking switch on the power supply to
the “standby” position, marked by a partial circle
with a line through the top.
3. Turn the locking knob counterclockwise to
release the power supply.
4. Slide the power supply out of the chassis (see Figure 7-8).
Checking Inside the Computer 7-9
Page 66
Figure 7-8. Removing the Power Supply
5. Check that the locking switch on the new power
supply is set to the “standby” position, then slide
the power supply into the chassis.
6. Turn the locking knob clockwise until the replacement power supply is secured in the chassis.
7. Connect the AC power cable to the power supply
and to the power outlet.
Make sure that the AC power cable passes through
the plastic strain-relief clip.
8. Turn the locking switch on the power supply to
the “on” position, marked by an “1 .”
The green online indicator on the power supply
should light up.
3. Remove the computer covers.
See “Removing the Computer Covers” earlier in this
chapter.
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety instructions at
the front of this guide.
4. Check the cable connections listed in Ta ble 7-1.
.
Table 7-1. Power Cable Connectors on the
Power-Supply Paralleling Board
Connector Cable Connection
PWR1 T o PS3 connector on sys-
tem board
PWR2 T o PS 1 or PS2 con nector
on system board
PWR3 T o PS 1 or PS2 con nector
on system board
PWRFD To diskette drives and
other devices in external
drive bays
PWRSCSI To POWER connector
on SCSI backplane board
T
roubleshooting a Cooling Fan
Troubleshooting Power Cable Connections
1. Check the AC power outlet and power cable (see
“Checking Connections and Switches” in Chapter 2).
2. Turn off the system, including any attached
peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power
cables from their power sources.
7-10 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Three cooling fans are installed in the Dell PowerEdge 6100 system. If you observe that any of the three
redundant cooling fans is not operating, or the Dell HIP
server-management application program issues a fanrelated error message, replace the fan as described in the
following subsection.
Page 67
Replacing a Cooling Fan
Follow these steps to replace a defective cooling fan.
WARNING: Only trained service technicians
should perform this procedure. Do not remove
the left computer cover with the power on
unless you are replacing a cooling fan. (Never
remove the right computer cover with the computer power on. There are high voltages in this
area that can cause bodily harm.)
Do not touch or attempt to service any components other than the cooling fan. Other
components could be damaged if you attempt
to service them with the computer power on.
fan carrier
fan
catch
retention
tabs (2)
CAUTION: To ensure correct installation and
safety, use cooling fans supplied by Dell.
1. Remove the left computer cover.
See “Removing the Computer Covers” earlier in this
chapter.
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety instructions at
the front of this guide.
2. Identify the defective cooling fan.
3. Disconnect the cooling fan’s power cable fr om the
applicable FAN connector on the system board.
4. Depress the catch on the fan carrier (see Figure 7-9) and remove the fan carrier from the
chassis.
Figure 7-9. Replacing a Cooling Fan
5. Remove the cooling fan from the fan carrier by
releasing the two fan retention tabs inside the carrier (see Figure 7-9).
6. Insert the replacement cooling fan in the carrier,
and snap the two fan retention tabs back into
position.
Orient the fan so that the power cable is at the upperright corner of the carrier.
7. Reinstall the fan carrier in the computer.
Insert the two tabs along the lower edge of the fan
carrier into the lances in the chassis; then raise the
fan carrier into position until the catch on the fan carrier snaps into place in the computer chassis.
8. Connect the cooling-fan power cable to the
appropriate FAN connector on the system board.
The fan shoul d begin running.
9. Replace the left computer cover.
Checking Inside the Computer 7-11
Page 68
T
roubleshooting Expansion
Cards
If an error message indicates an expansion-card problem or
if an expansion card seems to perform incorrectly or not at
all, the problem could be a faulty connection, a conflict
with software or other hardware, or a faulty expansion
card. Follow these steps to troubleshoot exp ansi on cards :
1. Start the system configuration utility, and verify
that all Extended Industry-Standard Architecture (EISA) and Industry-Standard Architecture
(ISA) expansion cards have been configured
correctly. Save the configuration before exiting
the utility.
See Chapter 5, “Using the System Configuration
Utility,” in the system User’s Guide for instructions.
2. Turn off the system, including any attached
peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power
cables from their power sources.
3. Remove the left computer cover.
See “Removing the Computer Covers” earlier in this
chapter.
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety instructions at
the front of this guide.
4. Verify that each expansion card is firmly seated
in its connector.
Are the expansion cards properly seated in their
connectors?
Yes. Go to step 6.
No. Continue to step 5.
5. Reseat the expansion cards in their connectors.
See “Relocating or Removing an Expansion Card”
and “Installing an Expansion Card” in Chapter 8 for
instructions on removing and replacing expansion
cards.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes. The connection was loose. You have fixed the
problem.
No. Continue to step 6.
6. Verify that the appropriate cables are firmly connected to their corresponding connectors on the
expansion cards.
For instructions on which cables should be attached
to specific connectors on an expansion card, see the
expansion card’s documentation.
Are the appropriate cables firmly attached to their
connectors?
Yes. Go to step 8.
No. Continue to step 7.
7. Reconnect the cable connectors to the appropriate connectors on the expansion cards.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes. The cable connections were loose. You have
fixed the problem.
No. Continue to step 8.
8. Inspect all jumpers and configuration switches on
each expansion card.
Most ISA expansion cards have configuration settings for an interrupt request (IRQ) line, a direct
memory access (DMA) channel, and a base-memory
or basic input/output system (BIOS) address. To
keep expansion cards from conflicting with each
other, you need to know both the start i ng memory
address and the amount of memory re quired by each
card. For instructions on jumpers and configuration
settings, see the expansion card’s documentation.
Is each expansion card configured correctly?
Yes. Go to step 10.
No. Continue to step 9.
9. Reconfigure the card according to the instructions in the card’s documentation.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes. The memory configuration of the card was
incorrect. You have fixed the problem.
No. Continue to step 10.
7-12 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 69
10. Inspect all configuration jumpers on the system
board to ensure that they are configured correctly
for any installed expansion cards.
For information on the configuration jumpers and
their settings, see Appendix C, “Jumpers, Switch e s,
and Connectors.”
Are the system board’s configuration jumpers set
correctly?
Yes. Go to step 12.
No. Continue to step 11.
11. Correct the system board’s configuration jumper
settings.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes. You have fixed the problem.
No. Continue to step 12.
12. Remove all expansion cards except the hard-disk
drive controller card (if one is installed).
See “Removing an Expansion Card” in Chapter 8 for
information on removing expansion cards.
13. Replace the left computer cover, reconnect the
system to AC power, and turn it on.
14. Enter the system setup program and update the
system configuration information.
See Chapter 4, “Using the System Setup Program,”
in the system User’s Guide for instructions.
For any EISA and ISA expansion cards, enter the
system configuration utility, and update the configuration information.
See Chapter 5, “Using the System Configuration
Utility,” in the system User’s Guide for instructions.
15. Run the RAM Test Group in the system
diagnostics.
See Chapter 5, “Running the System Diagnostics.”
Do the tests complete successfully?
Yes. Continue to step 16.
No. See Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” for information
on obtaining technical assistance.
16. Turn off the system, disconnect it from AC power ,
and remove the left computer cover.
17. Reinstall one of the expansion cards you removed
in step 12, and repeat steps 13 though 15. Then,
continue to step 18.
18. Repeat steps 16 and 17 for each of the remaining
expansion cards that you removed in step 12.
Have you reinstalled all of the expansion cards without encountering a test failure?
Yes. You have fixed the problem.
No. See Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” for information
on obtaining technical assistance.
T
roubleshooting System Memory
A system memory problem can be a faulty single in-line
memory module (SIMM) or a faulty system board. If a
random-access memory (RAM) error message appears,
the system probably has a memory problem.
When you turn on or reboot the system, the Caps Lock
and Scroll Lock indicators on the keyboard should flash
momentarily and then turn off. If the Num Lock category
in the system setup program is set to On, the Num Lock
indicator should flash momentarily and then remain on;
otherwise, it should tu rn off . Abnormal operatio n of these
indicators can result from a defective SIMM. Follow
these steps to troubleshoot system memory:
1. Turn on the system, including any attached
peripherals.
Does an error message appear indicating invalid system configuration information after the memory
count completes?
Yes. Continue to step 2.
No. Go to step 12.
2. Enter the system configuration utility to check
the Extended Memory category and add 1024 kilobytes (KB) to the total shown.
See Chapter 5, “Using the System Configuration
Utility,” in the User’s Guide for instructions.
Does the amount of memory installed match the
Extended Memory setting plus 1024 KB?
Yes. Go to step 12.
No. Continue to step 3.
Checking Inside the Computer 7-13
Page 70
3. Turn off the system, including any attached
peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power
cables from their power sources.
4. Remove the left computer cover.
See “Removing the Computer Covers” earlier in this
chapter.
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety instructions at
the front of this guide.
5. Remove the support panel.
Remove the two screws from the support panel and
pull the back edge tabs on the panel out o f the slots
in the chassis.
6. Remove the memory module.
Hold the module by the corners where the handles
are and carefully pull the module out until the edge
connectors are free from the system board con nector.
NOTE: Be careful not to touch components or gold
edge connectors on the module.
7. Reseat the SIMMs in their sockets.
See “Adding Memory” in Chapter 8 for instructions
on removing and replacing SIMMs.
8. Replace the memory module.
Hold the module by the corners with the SIMM
sockets facing down. Ease the module into the correct slot guides until it is touching the system board
connector. Press the modu le careful ly but firmly into
the system board connector and rotate the handles
closed.
9. Replace the support panel.
Align the panel so that the two tabs are to the left. Fit
the tabs into the two slots on th e chass is back and
swing the panel closed. Replace the two screws
removed in step 5.
NOTE: Be sure the microprocessor module(s) and
memory module fit between the tabs and cover.
10. Replace the computer cover, reconnect the system
to AC power, and turn it on.
11. Enter the system configuration utility and check
the Extended Memory category and add 1024 KB to
the total shown.
Does the amount of memory installed match the
Extended Memory setting plus 1024 KB?
Yes. Continue to step 12.
No. Go to step 13.
12. Reboot the system, and observe the monitor
screen and the Num Lock, Caps Lock, and Scroll
Lock indicators on the keyboard.
Does the monitor screen remain blank, and do the
Num Lock, Caps Lock, and Scroll Lock indicators
on the keyboard remain on?
Yes. Continue to step 13.
No. Go to step 15.
13. Turn off the system, disconnect it from AC power ,
and remove the left computer cover.
14. If possible, swap each SIMM (starting with socket
J1) with one of the same capacity, reboot the system, and observe the monitor screen and the
indicators on the keyboard.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes. You have fixed the problem.
No. Continue to step 15.
15. Run the RAM Test Group in the system
diagnostics.
See Chapter 5, “Running the System Diagnostics.”
Do the tests complete successfully?
Yes. You have fixed the problem.
No. See Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructions
on obtaining technical assistance.
T
roubleshooting the Video
Subsystem
Troubleshooting video problems involves determining
which of the following is the source of the problem: the
monitor, the monitor interface cable, the video memory,
or the video logic of the computer. Yo u can also have a
7-14 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
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high-resolution video expansion card installed, which
overrides the video logic of the computer.
The following procedur e troublesho ots problems with the
video memory and video logic only. Before you begin,
perform the procedure found in “Troubleshooting the
Monitor” in Chapter 6 to determine whether the monitor
is the source of the problem.
If you have a high-resolution video expansion card, first
complete the steps in “Troubleshooting Expansion
Cards” earlier in this chapter to verify that the card is
configured and installed correctly.
Follow these steps to troubleshoo t the video subsystem:
1. Run the Video Test Group in th e sys t em
diagnostics.
See Chapter 5, “Running the System Diagnostics.”
Most of the tests in the Video Test Group are inter-
active; that is, you must respond before the
diagnostics continues with the ne xt test.
Do the tests complete successfully?
Yes. It is not a video hardware problem. Go to Chap-
ter 4, “Finding Software Solutions.”
No. Continue to step 2.
2. Turn off the system, including any attached
peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power
cables from their power sources.
3. Remove the left computer cover.
See “Removing the Computer Covers” earlier in this
chapter.
5. Remove the video expansion card, and repeat
step 1.
Do the tests complete successfully?
Yes. The video expansion card is faulty. See Chap-
ter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining
technical assistance.
No. Continue to step 6.
6. See Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructions
on obtaining technical assistance.
T
roubleshooting the System
Board
A system board problem can result from a defective system board component, a faulty power supply, or a
defective component connected to the system boar d. If an
error message indicates a system board problem, follow
these steps to find the problem:
1. Turn off the system, including any attached
peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power
cables from their power sources.
2. Remove the left computer cover.
See “Removing the Computer Covers” earlier in this
chapter.
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety instructions at
the front of this guide.
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety instructions at
the front of this guide.
4. Determine whether a video expansion card is
installed.
Is a video expansion card installed?
Yes. Continue to step 5.
No. The built-in video controller is faulty. Go to
step 6.
3. Remove all expansion cards except the hard-disk
drive controller card and the video expansion
card (if they are installed).
4. Replace the left computer cover, reconnect the
system to AC power, and turn it on.
5. For any EISA and ISA expansion cards, start the
system configuration utility, and update the configuration information.
See Chapter 5, “Using the System Configuration
Utility,” in the system User’s Guide for instructions.
Checking Inside the Computer 7-15
Page 72
6. Run the System Set Test Group in the system
diagnostics.
See Chapter 5, “Running the System Diagnostics.”
Do the tests complete successfully?
Yes. Continue to step 7.
No. Go to step 12.
7. T urn o ff the system, disconnect it fr om AC power,
and remove the computer cover.
8. Reinstall one of the expansion cards you removed
in step 3, repeat steps 4 and 5, and continue with
step 9.
9. Replace the computer cover, and reconnect the
system to AC power.
10. Run the System Set Test Group again.
Do the tests complete successfully?
Yes. Continue to step 11.
No. Go to step 12.
11. Repeat steps 7, 8, 9, and 10 for each of the
remaining ex pans ion cards you r emo ved in step 3.
Have you reinstalled all of the expansion cards without encountering a test failure?
Yes. Continue to step 12.
No. The expansion card is faulty. See Chapter 11,
“Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
12. Disconnect the keyboard and reboot the system.
NOTE: You may receive a keyboard error message
because the keyboard is not connected.
Does the system boot successfully?
Yes. Continue to step 13.
No. Go to step 14.
13. Swap the keyboard with a comparable working
keyboard, and run the System Set Test Group
again.
Do the tests complete successfully?
Yes. You have fixed the problem.
No. Continue to step 14.
14. See Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructions
on obtaining technical assistance.
T
roubleshooting the Diskette
Drive Subsystem
If the monitor displays a system error message indicating
a diskette drive problem during execution of either the
boot routine or the system diagnostics, the problem may
be caused by any of the following conditions:
The system configuration settings do not match the
•
physical diskette subsystem configuration.
The diskette drive cables are not properly connected
•
or are faulty.
An expansion card is interfering with proper drive
•
operations.
A diskette drive may be improperly configured.
•
The diskette drive or tape drive is faulty.
•
The computer’s power supply is not providing suffi-
•
cient power for the drives.
The computer’s diskette drive logic is faulty.
•
The troubleshooting procedures for the diskette drive
subsystem are divided into the following subsections:
“Checking the Diskette Drive Subsystem”
•
“Troubleshooting the Diskette Drive Subsystem”
•
“Troubleshooting a SCSI Tape Drive”
•
Before you begin the troubleshooting procedures, complete steps 1 and 2 in the next subsection, “Checking the
Diskette Drive Subsystem,” to verify that the system configuration information is correct for the installed diskette
drive(s).
If, after completing these steps, the system boots correctly and the monitor no longer displays a system error
message, the problem is resol ved. If you cont inue to have
problems, however, pro ceed with the appropriate diskette
drive subsystem troubleshootin g procedure.
7-16 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 73
Checking the Diskett e Drive Subsystem
To verify that the diskette drive subsystem is operating
properly, follow these steps:
1. Enter the system setup program, and verify that
the system is configured correctly in the Floppy
Options subm en u .
See Chapter 4, “Using the System Setup Program,”
in the system User’s Guide for instructions.
2. If the system configuration settings are incorrect,
make the necessary corrections in the system
setup program, and then reboot the system.
3. Run the Diskette Drives Test Group in the system
diagnostics to see whether the diskette drive subsystem now works correctly.
See Chapter 5, “Running the System Diagnostics,”
for more information.
Do the tests complete successfully?
Yes. Continue with the next st ep in the procedur e you
were performing.
No. See Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructions
on obtaining technical assistance.
Troubleshooting the Diskette Drive Subsystem
Follow these steps to troubleshoo t the diskette drive
subsystem:
1. Turn off the system, including any attached
peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power
cables from their power sources.
2. Remove both computer covers.
See “Removing the Computer Covers” earlier in this
chapter.
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety instructions at
the front of this guide.
3. Check the diskette drive cabling.
Is the diskette drive securely connected to the proper
diskette drive interface cable connector? Is the diskette drive interface cable connector securely
connected to the interface connector (labeled
“FLOPPY”) on the system board? Is the drive’s DC
power cable firmly connected to the drive?
Yes. Go to step 5.
No. Continue to step 4.
4. Reconnect the cable connectors.
5. Replace the computer covers, reconnect the system to AC power, and turn on the system.
6. Run the Diskette Drives T est Group in the system
diagnostics to see whether the diskette drive subsystem now works correctly.
See Chapter 5, “Running the System Diagnostics,”
for more information.
Do the tests complete successfully?
Yes. You have fixed the problem.
No. Continue to step 7.
7. Repeat steps 1 and 2, and remove all expansion
cards.
See “Expansion Cards” in Chapter 8 for instructions.
8. Replace the computer covers, reconnect the system to AC power, and turn on the system.
9. Run the Diskette Drives T est Group in the system
diagnostics to see whether the diskette drive subsystem now works correctly.
Do the tests complete successfully?
Yes. An expansion card may be conflicting with the
diskette drive logic, or you may ha ve a faulty expansion card. Go to “Checking the Diskette Drive
Subsystem” earlier in this section.
No. Continue to step 10.
10. Repeat steps 1 and 2, and reinstall one of the
expansion cards you removed in step 7.
See “Installing an Expansion Card” in Chapter 8 for
instructions.
11. Replace the computer covers, reconnect the system to AC power, and turn on the system.
Checking Inside the Computer 7-17
Page 74
12. Run the Diskette Drives Test Group in the system
diagnostics to see whether the diskette drive subsystem now works correctly.
Do the tests complete successfully?
Yes. Continue to step 13.
No. Go to step 14.
13. Repeat steps 10 through 12 until all expansion
cards have been reinstalled or until one of the
expansion cards prevents the system from booting from the Dell Server Assistant CD. Then
continue to step 14.
14. Repeat steps 1 and 2. Verify that the drive’s terminator is installed and that the drive-select
jumper is set to the DS1 position.
NOTE: Some diskette drives may require you to
remove the drive fr om the computer to access the terminator and drive-select jumper.
For information about the drive’s terminator and
drive-select jumper settings, refer to the documentation for the drive.
Is the drive configured correctly?
Yes. Go to step 18.
No. Continue to step 15.
15. Correct the drive-select jumper setting and terminator installation.
16. Replace the computer covers, reconnect the system to AC power, and turn on the system.
17. Run the Diskette Drives Test Group in the system
diagnostics to see whether the diskette drive subsystem now works correctly.
Do the tests complete successfully?
Yes. You have solved the problem.
No. Continue to step 18.
18. See Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructions
on obtaining technical assistance.
Troubleshooting a SCSI Tape Drive
A SCSI tape drive can be installed in one of the externally accessible drive bays or an external device that
attaches to a SCSI host adapter connector on the back
panel of the computer. In either case, the SCSI tape drive
is controlled by a SCSI host adapter installed in the computer, which may also control other SCSI devices
connected to one or more SCSI cables. SCSI devices
often require device drivers for the particular operating
system being used by the computer system.
Tape drive problems often result from a defective tape
drive, a defective tape cartridge, or software. Follow
these steps to troubleshoot a SCSI tape drive:
1. Remove the tape that was in use when the problem occurred, and replace it with a tape that you
know is not defective.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes. The original tape was defective. Replace it with
a new tape. You have fixed the problem.
No. Continue to step 2.
2. Verif y that any required SCSI device drivers are
installed on the hard-disk drive and are configured correctly.
See Chapter 3, “Installing and Configuring SCSI
Drivers,” in the system User’s Guide for instructions
on installing and configuri ng the SCSI device drivers
for the system’s built-in SCSI host adapter or Dell
PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller host
adapter card. For any other type of SCSI host adapter
card, see the documentation that accompanied the
SCSI host adapter card.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes. The SCSI device drivers were installed or con-
figured incorrectly or were corrupted. You have
fixed the problem.
No. Continue to step 3.
3. Reinstall the tape backup software as instructed
in the tape-backup software documentat ion.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes. The tape backup software was corrupted. You
have fixed the problem.
No. Continue to step 4.
7-18 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
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4. Restart the system and check for the presence of
the tape drive during the boot.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes. The drive is correctly cabled and is receiving
power. Go to step 9.
No. Continue to step 5.
5. Turn off the system, including any attached
peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power
cables from their power sources.
6. Remove both computer covers.
See “Removing the Computer Covers” earlier in this
chapter.
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety instructions at
the front of this guide.
7. Check the SCSI cable connections to the tape
drive and to the SCSI host adapter connector. If
the tape drive is an internal device, check the DC
power cable connection to the tape drive.
Are the cables firmly connected?
Yes. Go to step 10.
No. Continue to step 8.
8. Reseat the cable connectors, replace the computer
covers, reconnect the system to AC power, and
turn it on.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes. You have fixed the problem.
No. Continue to step 9.
9. Turn off the system, including any attached
peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power
cables from their power sources. Then remove the
right computer cover.
10. Remove the tape drive. Then verify that the tape
drive is configured for a unique SCSI identification (ID) number and that the tape drive is
terminated or not terminated as appropriate.
See the documentation for the tape drive for instructions on selecting the SCSI ID and enabling or
disabling termination. See “Installing SCSI Devices
in the External Bays” in Chapter 9 for information
about the tape drive.
Is the tape drive configured correctly?
Yes. Go to step 13.
No. Continue to step 11.
11. Reconfigure the tape drive’s SCSI ID and termination settings as appropriate. Reinstall the tape
drive, replace the computer covers, reconnect the
system to AC power, and turn it on.
See “Installing SCSI Devices in the External Bays”
in Chapter 9 for installing the tape drive.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes. The tape drive was configured incorrectly. You
have fixed the problem.
No. Continue to step 12.
12. Turn off the system, including any attached
peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power
cables from their power sources. Then remove the
computer covers.
13. Replace the SCSI cable that connects the tape
drive to the SCSI host adapter. Replace the
computer covers, reconnect the system to AC
power, and turn it on.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes. You have fixed the problem.
No. See Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructions
on obtaining technical assistance.
T
roubleshooting SCSI Hard-Disk
Drives
Hard-disk drive problems can be caused by a number of
conditions, including problems with the drive itself, the
SCSI backplane board, or an interface cable.
Drive Indicator Error Codes
The SCSI backplane board monitors the internal SCSI
hard-disk drives connected to the backplane b oard. In the
event of a drive failure, systems using the optional Dell
PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller host adapter
Checking Inside the Computer 7-19
Page 76
will issue the following signals u sing the drive indicator
lights adjacent to each SCSI hard-disk drive:
•
If a drive shows signs of imminent failure, the drive
online indicator turns off and the drive fault indicator
blinks on briefly each second.
•
If a drive has failed, the drive online indicator turns
off and the drive fault indicator blinks off briefly
each second.
Other drive indicator patterns are listed in Table 3-3,
“SCSI Hard-Disk Drive Indicator Patterns,” in Chapter 3.
Troubleshooting the SCSI Hard-Disk Drive
Use the following procedure to troubleshoot a hard-disk
drive problem.
CAUTION: This troubleshooting procedure can
destroy data stored on the hard-disk drive. Before
you proceed, make sure you have backed up all
the files on the hard-disk drive.
1. If the on-board SCSI host adapter is being used to
control the SCSI backplane board, restart the
system and press <F1> when prompted to enter
the system setup program.
See Chapter 4, “Using the System Setup Program,”
in the system User’s Guide for more information.
Is the Onboard SCSI-A ROM Scan category set to
Enable?
Yes.
Go to step 3.
No.
Continue to step 2.
2. Change the Onboard SCS I- A RO M S can categor y
to Enable, and reboot the system.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes.
You have fixed the problem.
No.
Continue to step 3.
3. Verify that the SCSI device drivers are installed
and configured correctly.
See Chapter 3, “Installing and Configuring SCSI
Drivers,” in the system User’s Guide to determine
which drivers are required and how they should be
installed and configured.
Are the required SCSI device drivers installed and
configured correctly?
Yes.
Go to step 5.
No.
Continue to step 4.
4. Reinstall and/or reconfigure the required SCSI
device drivers. Then reboot the system.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes.
You have fixed the problem.
No.
Continue to step 5.
5. Remove the drive carrier from its bay, and check
the cable connections between the drive and the
drive carrier. Reinstall the drive.
See Chapter 10, “Installing Drives in the Internal
Bays” for more information.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes.
The drive carrier was not firmly seated in the
connector on the SCSI backplane board, or the cable
in the drive carrier was installed incorrectly. You
have fixed the problem.
No.
Continue to step 6.
6. Remove the drive carrier and install it in another
drive bay.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes.
The SCSI backplane board has a defective
connector. See Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” for
instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
No.
Continue to step 7.
7. Remove the computer covers.
See “Removing the Computer Covers” earlier in this
chapter.
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic
Discharge” in the safety instructions at the front of
this guide.
7-20 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 77
8. Check the SCSI cable connections to the SCSI
backplane board and to the SCSI host a dapter.
Check the DC power cable connection to the
SCSI backplane board.
The SCSI cable may be connected to the SCSI host
adapter on the system board or to a SCSI host
adapter card in an expansion slot. See Chapter 10,
“Installing Drives in the Internal Bays,” for the location of the cable connectors on the SCSI backplane
board and the SCSI host adapter.
Are the cables firmly connected?
Yes. Go to step 10.
No. Continue to step 9.
9. Reseat the cable connectors, reconnect the computer and peripherals to their AC power sources,
and turn them on.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes. The cable connections were not properly con-
nected. You have fixed the problem.
No. Continue to step 10.
10. Partition and logically format the hard-disk
drive. If possible, restore the files to the drive.
You may need to use different programs than those
provided with your operating system to partition and
logically format SCSI hard-disk drives. See Chapter 3,
“Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers,” in your
system User’s Guide for information and instructions.
Is the problem resolved?
Yes. The hard-disk drive format was corrupted. You
have fixed the problem.
No. See Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructions
on obtaining technical assistance.
Checking Inside the Computer 7-21
Page 78
7-22 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 79
Chapter 8
Installing System Board Options
T
his chapter describes how to install th e follo wing
options:
•
Extended Industry-Standard Architecture (EISA),
Industry-Standard Architecture (ISA), and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) expansion cards
•
Memory upgrades
•
Microprocessor upgrades
This chapter also includes instructions for replacing the
real-time clock (RTC) chip, if necessary.
WARNING: Before a trained service technician
accesses the inside of the computer, any and all
power supplies must be disconnected from their
power source, and the cables to the power supplies
must also be disconnected. If this computer has
more than one power supply, disconnect both
power supply cords before servicing to avoid electrical shock.
Use Figure 8-1 to locate the system board features
mentioned in this chapter and elsewhere.
Installing System Board Options 8-1
Page 80
power supply
connector (PS3)
power supply
connector (PS2)
power supply
connector (PS1)
diskette/tape drive interface
connector (FLOPPY)
mouse connector (MOUSE)
keyboard connector (KEYBD)
serial port 1
connector (SERIAL1)
serial port 2
connector (SERIAL2)
video connector (MONITOR)
parallel port
connector (PARALLEL)
configuration
switches and jumpers
real-time clock
PCI connectors
(P1 [top] through P6)
EISA connectors
(E1 [top]
through E4)
control (front) panel connector
(FRONT PANEL)
memory module connector (MEMORY MODULE)
front of
system board
secondary microprocessor
module connector
(PROCESSOR MODULE #1)
primary microprocessor
module connector
(PROCESSOR MODULE #2)
fan connectors (FAN 1
and FAN 2)
server-management
module connector
(J3G1)
fan connectors (FAN 3
and FAN 4)
Ultra/Wide SCSI host
adapter connector (SCSI A)
Ultra/Wide SCSI host adapter
connector (SCSI B)
Figure 8-1. System Board Features
E
xpansion Cards
The system board contains a total of 10 expansion-card
connectors. An opening is available in the back panel of
This computer can hold up to 10 expansion cards, six of
which can be 32-bit PCI master cards. The system
the computer for each expansion-card connector, thus
providing 10 usable expansion slots.
accommodates a mix of 32-bit EISA master or slave
cards, 32-bit PCI master cards, and 8- and 16-bit ISA
cards. Figure 8-2 shows examples of the different types
of expansion cards.
8-2 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 81
Connectors E1 through E4 support 32-bit EIS A master or
slave cards, and 8- and 16-bit ISA cards. Connectors P1
through P6 support 32-bit PCI master cards. Video
expansion cards should be install ed in connect ors P1 , P2,
or P3.
8-bit ISA expansion card
16-bit ISA expansion card
32-bit EISA expansion card
32-bit PCI expansion card
Figure 8-2. Expansion Cards
PCI connectors
(P1 [top]
through P6)
EISA connectors
(E1 [top]
through E4)
Figure 8-3. Expansion-Card Connectors on the
System Board
Installing an Expansion Card
Follow this general installation pro cedure:
1. If you are installing an ISA expansion card, start
the system configuration utility and add the new
expansion card to the configuration information.
See Chapter 5, “Using the System Configuration
Utility,” in the system User’s Guide for instructions.
NOTES: If you are installing an EISA expansion
card, you should normally run the system configuration utility after installing the expansion ca r d.
If you are installing a PCI expansion card, your system automatically performs any required PCI
configuration tasks during the boot routine.
2. Prepare the expansion card for installation, turn
off and disconnect the computer and peripherals
Installing System Board Options 8-3
Page 82
from their power sources, and remove the left
computer cover.
See “Removing the Computer Covers” in Chapter 7.
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety instructions at
the front of this guide.
See the documentation that came with the expan sion
card for information on config uring th e card, making
internal connections, or otherwise custom izing it for
the system.
3. Remove the screw and the metal filler bracket
that covers the card-slot opening for the expansion slot you intend to use.
4. If the expansion card is full-length, check that the
locking cam on the corresponding locking card
guide is in the raised or “unlocked” p osition.
Insert the end of the expansion card in the card
guide slot and lower the card into the chassis.
5. Insert the card-edge connector firmly into the
expansion-card connector on the system board.
6. When the card is firmly seated in the connector
and the car d-mountin g bracket i s flush with the
brackets on either side of it, secure the bracket
with the screw you removed in step 3.
If the expansion card is full-length, close the locking
cam on the card guide to secure the card.
7. Connect any cables that should be attached to the
card.
See the documentation that came with the card for
information about cable connections.
8. Replace the left computer cover, reconnect the
computer and peripherals to their power sources,
and turn them on.
9. If you have installed an EI SA expansion card,
start the system configuration util ity and add the
new expansion card to the configuration.
See Chapter 5, “Using the System Configuration
Utility,” in the system User’s Guide for instructions.
NOTE: If you installed a PCI expansion card, the
system automatically performs any required PCI
configuration tasks during the boot routine.
Relocating or Removing an Expansion Card
Follow this general procedure to remove an expansion
card:
1. If you are relocating or removing an ISA expansion card permanently, start the system
configuration utility and delete the expansion
card from the configuration.
See Chapter 5, “Using the System Configuration
Utility,” in the system User’s Guide for instructions.
2. Remove the left computer cover.
See “Removing the Computer Covers” in Chapter 7.
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety instructions at
the front of this guide.
3. If necessary, disconnect any cables connected to
the card.
4. Remove the screw from the card-mounting
bracket.
If the expansion card is full-length, release the locking cam on the card guide.
5. Grasp the card by its top corners, and ease it out
of its connector.
6. If you are removing the card permanently , use the
screw you removed in step 4 to install a metal
filler bracket over the empty card-slot opening.
NOTE: Installing a filler bracket over an empty
expansion slot is necessary to maintain Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) certification of
the system. The brackets also keep dust and dirt out
of the computer and aid in proper cooling and airflow inside the computer.
7. Replace the left computer cover, reconnect the
computer and peripherals to their power sources,
and turn them on.
8. If you are relocating or removing an EISA expansion card, start the system configuration utility
8-4 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
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and delete the expansion card from the configuration information.
See Chapter 5, “Using the System Configuration
Utility,” in the system User’s Guide for instructions.
NOTE: If you removed a PCI expansion card, the
system automatically performs any required reconfiguration tasks during the boot routine.
A
dding Memory
The 16 single in-line memory module (SIMM) so ckets on
the memory module can accommodate 64 to 2048 megabytes (MB) of dynamic random-access memory (DRAM).
The Dell PowerEdge 6100 systems use 72-pin , 36-bit buffered SIMMs in these 72-pin sockets. The memory module
J16
bank 2
connector is located near the top edge of the system board
(see Figure 8-1).
Memory Upgrade Kits
The system is upgradable to 2048 MB (2 gigabytes [GB])
by installing combinations of 16- or 64-MB single-sided or
32-MB or 128-MB double-sided SIMMs. The SIMMs
should be rated at 60 nanoseconds (ns) or 7 0 ns. Table 8-1
shows several sample memory configuration s. Memory
upgrade kits can be purchased from Dell as needed.
SIMM Installation Guidelines
The SIMM sockets are labeled “J1” through “J16” (see
Figure 8-4). Slots J1 to J8 make up ba nk 1; slots J9 to J16
compose bank 2.
bank 2
bank 1
Figure 8-4. Memory Module and SIMM Sockets
bank 1
J1
Installing System Board Options 8-5
Page 84
When installing SIMMs, follow these guidelines:
•
Install the SIMM with the pin 1 end aligned with the
pin 1 end of the socket (see Figure 8-5).
•
Install a SIMM in socket J1 before socket J2, socket
J2 before socket J3, and so on .
•
All SIMMs in one bank must be the same size and
speed, but SIMMs in bank 1 may differ in size from
those in bank 2.
Table 8-1. Sample SIMM Configurations
•
SIMMs must be installed in groups of four, eight, or
16 only.
The following SIMM interleaving is supported:
•
Two-way interleaved using J1 to J4
•
Four-way interleaved, single bank using J1 to J8
•
Four-way interleaved, dual bank using J1 to J16
Table 8-1 illustrates the poss ible memory configurations
based on these guidelines.
SIMMs Installed in Sockets
Total
Desired
Memory
64 MB 16 MB None None None
128 MB 32 MB None None None
128 MB 16 MB 16 MB None None
256 MB 16 MB 16 MB 16 MB 16 MB
256 MB 64 MB None None None
256 MB 32 MB 32 MB None None
384 MB 16 MB 16 MB 32 MB 32 MB
384 MB 32 MB 32 MB 16 MB 16 MB
512 MB 32 MB 32 MB 32 MB 32 MB
512 MB 64 MB 64 MB None None
512 MB 128 MB None None None
640 MB 16 MB 16 MB 64 MB 64 MB
640 MB 64 MB 64 MB 16 MB 16 MB
768 MB 64 MB 64 MB 32 MB 32 MB
J1 to J4 J5 to J8 J9 to J12 J13 to J16
Bank 1 Bank 2
768 MB 32 MB 32 MB 64 MB 64 MB
1 GB 64 MB 64 MB 64 MB 64 MB
1 GB 128 MB 128 MB None None
1152 MB 16 MB 16 MB 128 MB 128 MB
8-6 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 85
Table 8-1. Sample SIMM Configurations
SIMMs Installed in Sockets
(continued)
Total
Desired
Memory
J1 to J4 J5 to J8 J9 to J12 J13 to J16
Bank 1 Bank 2
1152 MB 128 MB 128 MB 16 MB 16 MB
1280 MB 32 MB 32 MB 128 MB 128 MB
1280 MB 128 MB 128 MB 32 MB 32 MB
1536 MB 64 MB 64 MB 128 MB 128 MB
1536 MB 128 MB 128 MB 64 MB 64 MB
2 GB 128 MB 128 MB 128 MB 128 MB
Performing a Memory Upgrade
Use the following procedure to perform a memory
upgrade:
1. Remove the left computer cover.
See “Removing the Computer Covers” in Chapter 7.
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety instructions at
the front of this guide.
2. Remove the support panel.
Remove the two screws from the support panel (see
Figure 7-4) and pull the back edge tabs on the panel
out of the slots in the chassis.
3. Remove the memory module.
Hold the module by the corners where the handles
are and carefully pull the module out until the edge
connectors are free from the system board con nector.
NOTE: Be careful not to touch components or gold
edge connectors on the module.
4. Place the memory module component-side up
onto an antistatic surface.
5. Locate the SIMM sockets into which yo u will
install or replace SIMMs.
Figure 8-4 shows the location of the SIMM sockets
on the memory module.
6. Install or replace the SIMMs as necessary to
reach the desired memory total.
Follow the instructions in “Installing SIMMs” or
“Removing SIMMs” later in this section, as
appropriate.
7. Replace the memory module.
Hold the module by the corners with the SIMM
sockets facing down. Ease the module into the correct slot guides until it is touching the system board
connector. Press the module carefully b ut firmly into
the system board connector and rotate the handles
closed.
NOTE: Before closing the handles, make sure the
memory module is aligned with the system board
connector.
8. Replace the support panel.
Align the panel so that the two tabs are to the left. Fit
the tabs into the two slots on the chassis back and
swing the panel closed. Replace the two screws
removed in step 2.
Installing System Board Options 8-7
Page 86
9. Replace the left computer cover, reconnect the
computer and peripherals to their power sources,
and turn them on.
CAUTION: Make sure the memory module is
completely seated in the system board connector before applying power. Incomplete
insertion can damage to the system board and
memory module.
After the system completes the power-on self-test
(POST) routine, it runs a memory test that displays
the new memory total, which includes all newly
installed memory.
NOTE: If the memory total is incorrect, turn off and
disconnect the computer and peripherals from their
power sources, remove the computer cover and
memory module, and check all the installed SIMMs
to make sure they are seated properly in their sockets. Then repeat steps 7 through 9.
The system detects that the new memory does not
match the system configuration information, which
is stored in nonvolatile random-access memory
(NVRAM). The monitor displays an error message
to that effect, ending with the following words:
Press <F1> to enter System Setup.
10. Press <F1> to enter the system setup program, and
check the Extended Memory category in the Main
menu of the system setup screens.
See Chapter 4, “Using the System Setup Program,”
in the system User’s Guide for more information.
The system should have already changed the valu e in
the Extended Memory category to reflect the newly
installed memory. Verify the new total.
NOTE: The value of Extended Memory is given in
kilobytes. T o convert kilobytes to megabytes, divide the
kilobyte total by 1024.
If the total is incorrect, one or more of the SIMMs
may not be installed properly. Repeat this procedure
again, checking to make sure the SIMMs are firmly
seated in their sockets.
11. Enter the system configuration utility. Then save
the configuration and exit the utility.
Running the system configuration utility and saving
the configuration is required for the system to recognize the newly installed SIMMs. See Chapter 5,
“Using the System Configuration Utility,” in the
User’ s Guide for instructions on runn in g the utility
and saving the configuration.
12. Run the RAM Test Group in the system
diagnostics.
See Chapter 5, “Running the System Diagnostics,”
for information.
Installing SIMMs
The memory module has 16 SIMM sockets arranged in
two banks. Install SIMMs starting with the bottom
socket, J1, and work toward J 16. Al l S IMMs i n one bank
must be the same size and speed, but SIMMs in bank 1
may differ in size from those in bank 2. If a SIMM is
already installed in the socket you need, you must
remove it. Follow the instructions in the next subsection,
“Removing SIMMs,” if appropriate.
To install a SIMM, follow these steps:
1. Remove the memory module as described in steps 1
to 5 of “Performing a Memory Upgrade” earlier in
this section and place the module with the system
board connector pointed away from you.
2. Align the SIMM so that the notch is in the lower
left corner.
The pin-1 end of the SIMM must alig n with the pin-1
end of the socket (see Figure 8-5).
3. Hold the SIMM at a 45-degree angle with the top
angled away from you and carefully press the
SIMM into the socket until the SIMM is held by
the clips (see Figure 8-5).
When properly inserted, the SIMM remains at an
angle. If there is a gap between the clips and the
SIMM, it is not installed properly and you must
repeat step 3.
8-8 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 87
pin 1
Figure 8-5. Installing a SIMM
4. Continue with step 7 of “Performing a Memory
Upgrade” earlier in this section.
Removing SIMMs
To remove a SIMM, start from the highest-numbered
socket, open the retaining clips just enough to lift the top
edge of the SIMM away from the clips, and lift the
SIMM out of the socket (see Figure 8-6).
pin 1
2.
1.
Figure 8-6. Removing a SIMM
U
pgrading the Microprocessor or
Installing Additional
Microprocessors
The system board has two microprocessor module connectors. Each microprocessor module can have one or
two Intel
total of four microprocessors (see Figure 8-7). All microprocessors on both modules must be identical. For
example, if the system has a 200 megahertz (MHz)
Pentium Pro microprocessor and you are adding microprocessors, all additional microprocessors must also be
200 MHz Pentium Pro.
®
Pentium® Pro microprocessors installed for a
Figure 8-7. Microprocessor Module
Installing System Board Options 8-9
Page 88
Both microprocessor module sockets must be filled
regardless of how many microprocessors are installed;
you must use a bus termination modu le in the second
socket if you have only one microprocessor installed.
Note that both sockets on the primary module should be
populated before popu lating t he sockets on the second ary
module. Table 8-2 shows the valid microprocessor
configurations.
Table 8-2. Valid Microprocessor Configurations
Similarly, both of the microprocessor module connectors
on the system board must be populated. For example, if
you are using only one or two microprocessors on one
microprocessor module (thus populating the primary
connector), the second connector on the system board
must also be populated with either another microprocessor module or a terminator card.
Number of
Microprocessors
1
1
2
Microprocessor Module
(Primary)
1
1 microprocessor in lower socket bus termination module
1
1 microprocessor in lower socket empty microprocessor module
4
Microprocessor Module
(Secondary)
2
3
2
2 microprocessors in sockets bus termination module
2
4
2 microprocessors in sockets empty microprocessor module
8-10 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
3
Page 89
Table 8-2. Valid Microprocessor Configurations
(continued)
Number of
Microprocessors
3
Microprocessor Module
(Primary)
4
2 microprocessors in sockets 1 microprocessor in lower socket
4
4
2 microprocessors in sockets 2 microprocessors in sockets
NOTE: If you decide to upgrade you r system by instal ling
additional microprocessors (up to four microprocessors
total), you must order a micropr o cess or u pgr ad e ki t from
Dell. Not all versions of the Pentium Pro microprocessor
will work properly as an additional microprocessor. The
upgrade kit from Dell contains the co rrect revision of the
microprocessor chip for use as a additional microprocessor, as well as instructions for performing the
upgrade. (A trained service technici an must perf o rm the
upgrade.) All additional microprocessors must have the
same internal operating frequency as the first.
The following items are included in a microprocessor
upgrade kit:
•
The new microprocessor chip
•
A new heat sink
•
A new heat sink clip
•
A new snap-in badge
Use the following procedure to upgr ade a microprocessor
or install additional microprocessors.
Microprocessor Module
(Secondary)
1
4
1. Remove the left computer cover.
See “Removing the Computer Covers” in Chapter 7.
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety instructions at
the front of this guide.
2. Remove the support panel.
Remove the two screws from the support panel (see
Figure 7-4) and pull the back edge tabs on the panel
out of the slots in the chassis.
3. Locate the microprocessor module or bus termi-
nation module you need to remove.
If you are replacing a microprocessor, prepare to
remove the microprocessor module that contains the
old microprocessor.
If you are adding microprocessors, refer to the valid
configurations in Table 8-2 and locate the appropriate microprocessor modules and/or bus termination
module.
If you are adding a second microprocessor module,
prepare to remove the bus termination module or
second microprocessor module.
Installing System Board Options 8-11
Page 90
4. Remove the appropriate modules.
Hold the module by the corners where the handles
are and carefully pull the module out until the edge
connectors are free from the system board con nector.
NOTE: Be careful not to touch components or gold
edge connectors on the module.
5. If you are removing an old microprocessor,
remove the metal clip that secures the heat sink to
the microprocessor socket. If yo u are only adding
microprocessors, go to step 8.
CAUTION: Never remove the heat sink from a
microprocessor unless you intend to remove
the microprocessor. The heat sink is necessary
to maintain proper thermal conditions.
6. Remove the heat sink.
The thermal interface pad is bonded to the heat sink
and will remain attached to the old heat sink.
7. Remove the microprocessor from the socket.
CAUTION: Be careful not to bend any of the
pins when removing the microprocessor from
its socket. Bending the pins can permanently
damage the microprocessor.
To remove the microprocessor, pull the socket
release lever straight up until the microprocessor is
released (see Figure 8-9). Then lift the chip out of
the socket. Leave the release lever up so that the
socket is ready for the new microprocessor.
WARNING: The microprocessor and heat sink
can get extremely hot. Be sure the microprocessor has had sufficient time to cool before
you touch it.
Press down slightly and then out on the folded part
of the clip with a small screwdriver to release the
clip (see Figure 8-8).
press here to
release clip
microprocessor securing
clip hooks over tabs on
front and back of socket
microprocessor chip
microprocessor
socket
release lever
Figure 8-9. Removing the Microprocessor
Figure 8-8. Microprocessor Securing Clip
8-12 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 91
8. Unpack the new microprocessor.
)
CAUTION: Be careful not to bend any of the
pins when unpacking the microprocessor from
its socket. Bending the pins can permanently
damage the microprocessor.
If any of the pins on the microprocessor appear bent,
see Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructions on
obtaining technical assistance from Dell.
9. Make sure the release lever on the processor
socket you are installing to is up so that the socket
is ready for the new microprocessor.
10. Align the pin-1 corner of the microprocessor (see
Figure 8-10) with the pin-1 corner of the microprocessor socket.
NOTE: Identifying the pin-1 corners is critical to
positioning the microprocessor corr ectly.
Identify the pin-1 corner of the microprocessor by
locating the notched corner, which also has a dot on
the top of the microprocessor.
pin-1 corner
(dot and
notched corner
Figure 8-10. Pin-1 Identification
11. Install the microprocessor in the socket (see Figure 8-11).
pin-1 corners of
chip and socket
aligned
Figure 8-11. Installing the Microprocessor
With the pin-1 corners of the socket and microprocessor aligned, set the microprocessor lightly in
the socket and make sure all pins are matched with
the correct holes in the socket. When the microprocessor is positioned correctly, it should drop
down into the socket with minima l pressure.
CAUTION: When placing the microprocessor
in the socket, be sure that all of the pins on the
chip go into the corresponding holes of the
socket. Be careful not to bend the pins.
When the microprocessor is fully seated in the
socket, rotate the socket release lever back down
until it snaps into place, securing the chip.
12. Place the new heat sink (with its bonded thermal
interface pad) on top of the microprocessor (see
Figure 8-12).
CAUTION: Positioning the microprocessor
incorrectly can permanently damage the chip
and the computer when you turn on the
system.
Installing System Board Options 8-13
Page 92
clip
heat sink
thermal pad
(bonded to
heat sink)
microprocessor
chip
15. Replace the left computer cover.
16. Reconnect your computer and peripherals to
their power sources, and turn them on.
As the system boots, it detects the presence of the
new microprocessor and automatically changes the
system configuration information i n the system setup
program.
17. Press <F1> to enter the system setup program, and
check that the Slot 1: Processor 1, Slot 1: Processor 2, Slot 2: Processor 1, and Slot 2: Processor 2
categories in the Advanced menu match the new
system configuration.
See Chapter 4, “Using the System Setup Program,”
in the system User’ s Guide for instructions.
18. Run the system diagnostics to verify that the new
microprocessor is operating correctly.
See Chapter 5, “Running the System Diagnostics,”
for information.
microprocessor
socket
Figure 8-12. Installing the Heat Sink
13. Replace the microprocessor securing clip.
Orient the clip as shown in Figure 8-12, and hook the
unfolded end of the clip over the tab on the edge of
the socket facing the front of the computer. Then
press down on the folded end of the clip to snap the
clip over the tab on the back of the socket.
14. Replace the support panel.
Align the panel so that the two tabs are to the left. Fit
the tabs into the two slots in the ch assis back and
swing the panel closed. Replace the two screws
removed in step 2.
R
eplacing the RTC Chip
The RTC chip has a built-in lithium battery that maintains system configuration, date, and tim e information in
a special section of memory when the system is turned
off.
The built-in battery can power the RTC chip for up to
10 years without a power source; the actual operating life
of the battery depends on how the system is used (for
example, if the system is on most of the time, the battery
gets little use and thus lasts longer).
T o deter mine if the RTC chip needs replacing, reenter the
time and date through the system setup program. T u rn of f
the system for a few hours, and then turn it on again.
Enter the system setup program. If the date and time are
not correct in the system setup program, replace the RTC
chip.
NOTES: Some software may cause the system time to
speed up or slow down. If the system seems to operate
normally except for the time kept in the system setup program, the problem may b e caused by softwar e rather than
by a defective RTC chip.
The system can be operated without a RTC chip; however, the system configuration info rmation maintained by
8-14 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 93
the RTC chip in NVRAM is erased each time the computer is turned off. Therefore, the system configuration
information must be reentered and the options rese t each
time the system boots until the RTC chip is replaced.
To remove the RT C chip, follow these steps:
1. If possible, enter the system setup program and
make a printed copy of the system setup screens.
See Chapter 4, “Using the System Setup Program,”
in the system User’s Guide for instructions.
2. Remove the left computer cover.
See “Removing the Computer Covers” in Chapter 7.
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety instructions at
the front of this guide.
3. Cut the cable tie that secures the chip to the system board.
NOTE: The cable tie binding the chip to the system
board was necessary for shipping purposes. Y o u will
not need to replace the tie after replacing the RTC
chip.
4. Remove the RTC chip.
5. Align the pin-1 corners of the RTC chip and the
socket (see Figure 8-13).
NOTE: Identifying the pin-1 corn ers is critical to
positioning the clock correctly.
Identify the pin-1 corner of the R TC chip by locating
the small dot in one corner on the top of the chip.
The pin-1 corner of the socket is on the side with a
notch.
6. Install the new RTC chip.
With the pin-1 corners of the socket and chip
aligned, set the chip lightly in the socket and make
sure all pins are matched with the correct holes in the
socket. When the chip is positioned correctly, press
down until the chip is firmly in the socket.
CAUTION: When placing the RTC chip in the
socket, be sure that all of the pins on the chip
go into the corresponding holes of the socket.
Be careful not to bend the pins.
RTC chip
WARNING: If the system has been running,
any installed microprocessor and h eat sink on
the modules will be hot. T o avoid the possibility
of a burn, be careful when removing or installing system board components that are located
near the microprocessors.
WARNING: Replace the RTC chip only with
the same or equivalent type recommended by
the equipment manufacturer to avoid the danger of explosion. Discard the RTC chip
according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Pry the RTC chip out of its socket an integrated circuit (IC) removal tool.
RTC
socket
pin-1
corners
notch
Figure 8-13. RTC Chip
Installing System Board Options 8-15
Page 94
7. Replace the left computer cover, reconnect the
computer and peripherals to their power sources,
and turn them on.
8. Enter the system setup program to confirm that
the RTC chip is operating properly.
Enter the correct time and date through the system
setup program’s System Time and System Date categories on the Main menu. Also reenter any system
configuration information that is no longer displayed
on the system setup screens, and then exit the system
setup program. See Chapter 4, “Using the System
Setup Program,” in the system User’ s Guide for
more information.
9. Turn the computer and peripherals off, and leave
them off for at least an hour.
10. After an hour, turn on the system and enter the
system setup program. If the time and date are
still incorrect, see Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” for
instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
8-16 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 95
Chapter 9
Installing Drives in the External Bays
T
he external drive bays at the front of the Dell PowerEdge 6100 system hold up to four user-accessible,
half-height 5.25- or 3.5-inch devices, typically diskette,
tape, CD-ROM, or digital audio tape (DAT) drives. A
3.5-inch diskette drive and small computer system interface (SCSI) CD-ROM drive are standard in the first and
second drive bays. The diskette drive is controlled by the
system board’s built-in diskette drive controller, whereas
the CD-ROM drive is connected to the system board’s
built-in Ultra/Wide SCSI controller. Two additional
drives can be installed in the remaining two external
drive bays. See Figure 9-1 for a general view of the
various drives, control cables, and power cables in the
external drive bays.
WARNING: Before a trained service technician
accesses the inside of the computer, any and all
power supplies must be disconnected from their
power source, and the cables to the power supply
must also be disconnected. If this computer has
more than one power supply, disconnect both
power supply cords before servicing to avoid
electrical shock.
Installing Drives in the External Bays 9-1
Page 96
diskette/tape drive interface cable
DC power cable
diskette drive
Ultra/Wide
SCSI cable
diskette/tape drive
interface connector (FLOPPY)
Ultra/Wide SCSI host
adapter connector (SCSI B)
Figure 9-1. External Drive Bay Hardware
SCSI CD-ROM drive
DC power cable
B
efore You Begin
This chapter describes how to inst al l the following
options:
•
Drives that use the computer’s built-in diskette drive
controller .
•
Tape drives that use a controller card
NOTE: If you are installing a SCSI hard-disk drive, see
Chapter 10, “Installing Drives in the Internal Bays.”
9-2 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
T o remove or inst all driv es in the external bay s, you must
remove both computer covers and front bezel according
to the instructions in “Removing the Computer Covers”
and “Removing the Front Bezel” in Chapter 7.
To protect the inside of the computer from foreign particles, a plastic front-panel insert covers each empty
external drive bay. Before you install a drive in an empty
bay, you must first remove the front-panel insert.
Whenever you remove a drive, be sure to replace the
front-panel insert over the empty bay.
Page 97
Removing and Replacing Front-Panel Inserts
To remove the front-panel insert for a drive bay you
intend to use, first remove the front bezel as instructed in
“Removing the Front Bezel” in Chapter 7. Then, facing
the inside of the front bezel, press against the center of
the insert with your thumbs until the insert bows sufficiently to loosen the tabs on the sides of the insert (see
Figure 9-2). Pull the insert out of the bezel.
tabs
power input
connector on the drive
DC power cable (from
the power supply)
Figure 9-3. Power Connectors
The power connectors are keyed to avoid incorrect inser-
tion; do not force two connectors together if they do not
fit properly.
A ribbon cable (see Figure 9-4) functions as the interface
cable for most types of drives.
Figure 9-2. Removing a Front-Panel Insert
To replace a front-panel insert, position the insert over
the bay opening from the inside of the front bezel and
carefully press the insert into place. A tab on each side of
the insert snaps into a corresponding latch on the inside
of the front bezel.
C
onnecting the Drive
This section describes the power input connectors and
interface connectors on the backs of most drives.
Figure 9-3 shows the 4-pin p o w e r inp ut connector, where
you connect a direct current (DC) power cable from the
system power supply or power-supply paralleling
board.
pull tab
interface connector
header connector
Figure 9-4. Header Connector
colored strip
on ribbon cable
Installing Drives in the External Bays 9-3
Page 98
Most interface connectors are keyed for correct insertion;
that is, a notch or a raised tab on one connector matches a
tab or notch on the other connector. Keying ensures that
the pin-1 wire in the cable (indicated by the colored s trip
along one edge of the cable) goes to the pin-1 ends of the
connectors on both ends.
I
nstalling SCSI Devices in the
External Bays
SCSI devices in the external drive bay (such as CD- ROM
drives and tape drives) are controlled by the Ultra/Wide
SCSI controller on the system board.
CAUTION: When connecting an interface cable,
do not reverse the interface cable (do not place the
colored strip away from pin 1 of the connector).
Reversing the cable prevents the drive from operating and could damage the controller, the drive,
or both.
DC Power Cables
Each drive in the external drive bays must connect to a
4-wire DC power cable from the system power supply or
power-supply paralleling board. The connectors on this
cable are labeled “FD1,” “FD2,” “FD3,” “FD4,” and
“FD5.” Connectors FD1 through FD4 are used for
5.25-inch devices, whereas connector FD5 is used f or the
standard 3.5-inch diskette drive. Before connecting a
drive to a power cable, refer to Figure 9-5 to identify the
correct cable connector to use for the drive.
system board
connector
5.25-inch drive
connector
Figure 9-5. DC Power Cable Connectors
3.5-inch drive
connector
SCSI Configuration Information
Although SCSI devices are installed essentially the same
way as other devices, their configuration requirements
are different. To configure SCSI devices installed in the
external bays, follow the guidelines in the following
subsections.
SCSI ID Numbers
Each device attached to the Ultra/Wid e SCSI host adapter
must have a unique SCSI identification (ID) number
from 0 to 7.
When SCSI devices are shipped from Dell, the default
SCSI ID numbers are assigned as follows:
•
The computer’s built-in Ultra/Wide SCSI host
adapter is configured through the basic input/output
system (BIOS) as SCSI ID 7.
•
A SCSI tape drive is configured as SCSI ID 6 (the
default ID number for a tape drive).
•
A SCSI CD-ROM drive is usually configured as
SCSI ID 5.
NOTE: There is no requir ement that SCSI ID numbers be
assigned sequentially or that devices be attached to the cable in
order by ID number.
Device Terminatio n
SCSI logic requires that the two devices at opposite ends
of the SCSI chain be terminated and that all devices in
between be unterminated.
Before installing SCSI devices in the computer, you mu st
configure the terminators on the SCSI device(s) to conform to the following guidelines:
•
A single SCSI device (such as the standard
CD-ROM drive) is terminated.
9-4 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Page 99
•
If two or more SCSI devices are installed, connect
the devices as follows:
— Attach one of the devices to the end connector on
the SCSI cable, and leave the terminator enabled
on that device.
— The other end of the SCSI cable connects to the
computer’s built-in Ultra/W ide SCSI host adapter
or to an optional SCSI host adapter card.
— Disable the terminators on all other devices you
attach to the cable.
The standard SCSI CD-ROM drive is configured as the
last device on the SCSI cable. Therefore, any additional
devices attached to the cable should have their terminators disabled.
See the documentation provided with the SCSI dev ice for
information on disabling the device’s terminator.
SCSI Cable
CAUTION: Dell recommends that you use
only SCSI cables purchased from Dell. SCSI
cables purchased elsewhere are not guaranteed
to work reliably with the Dell PowerEdge 6100
systems.
The 50-pin SCSI cable has six connectors:
•
The connector at the end of the cable farthest away
from the other five connectors attaches to the SCSI
host adapter connector labeled “SCSI B” on the system board.
•
The five connectors on the cable attach to devices in
the external drive bays.
The 50-pin “narrow” cable plugs in to the controller via
an adapter.
Installing a SCSI Device
To install an external SCSI device that uses the built-in
Ultra/Wide SCSI controller, follow these steps:
1. Prepare the drive for installation.
Ground yourself by touchi ng an unpain ted me tal su rface on the back of the computer, unpack the drive,
and compare the jumper and switch settings with
those in the drive documentation. (See “SCSI Configuration Information” earlier in this section for
information on setting the drive’s SCSI ID number
and enabling termination [if required].) Change any
settings necessary for this system’s configuration.
If the drive does not already have drive rails
attached, attach a drive rail to each side of the drive.
Orient the drive rails as shown in Figure 9-6. Secur e
each drive rail to the drive with a screw in each of
the lower slotted screw holes on the drive rail.
Figure 9-6. Attaching Drive Rails
2. Remove the computer covers and front bezel.
See “Removing the Computer Covers” and “Removing the Front Bezel” in Chapter 7.
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety instructions at
the front of this guide.
3. Slide the new drive into its bay until it snaps
securely into place.
If necessary, you can adjust drive alignment by
repositioning one or both rails.
4. Connect a DC power cable and one of the connectors on the SCSI cable to the back of the drive
(see Figure 9-7).
If other installed drives are in the way, temporarily
move them out of the way. Press in on the plastic
drive rails at the front of the bay to disengage a
Installing Drives in the External Bays 9-5
Page 100
drive, and then slide the drive slightly toward the
front of the chassis.
Refer to “DC Power Cables” earlier in this chapter to
determine the correct DC power cable connector to
use for the drive. Plug the DC power cable connector
into the 4-pin power input connector on the back of
the drive.
Ultra/Wide
SCSI cable
Select the connector on the SCSI cable that most easily reaches the new SCSI device, and press the
interface cable connector firmly into the drive’s
interface connector.
If you moved other drives at the beginning of this
step, snap them back into place.
SCSI CD-ROM drive
DC power cable
Ultra/Wide SCSI host
adapter connector (SCSI B)
Figure 9-7. Cable Connections for a SCSI Device in the External Drive Bays
9-6 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
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