DL580 G1 No Video

I have a few DL580 G1s with the same problem and looking at the HP help
forums others are having the same issue but no-one seems to be able to
answer it there.

Basically the servers seem like they are booting - they power up and the
drives start to spin as the Smartarray detects them etc but there is no
video output. There are no error LEDs on the board and the LED display shows
00 so no problems detected by the onboard diagnostics. I have pulled the
remote insight board out, enables onboard video to no avail. Also re-seated
everything (memory, CPUs, cards and even the fans and PSUs) - and changed
the same parts from a working server, no joy either.

One of them booted prior to this but had the CPU switches set to off so it
was running them at 200mhz. I opened the case and re-set them to the correct
settings for 700Mhz CPUs and after that it was as above. Even when I put the
switches back to the 'reset' position.

Is it just a case of the motherboard failing or someting terminal?

--

Niel H

"Niel J Humphreys" wrote in message
...
I have a few DL580 G1s with the same problem and looking at the HP help
forums others are having the same issue but no-one seems to be able to
answer it there.

Basically the servers seem like they are booting - they power up and the
drives start to spin as the Smartarray detects them etc but there is no
video output. There are no error LEDs on the board and the LED display
shows 00 so no problems detected by the onboard diagnostics. I have pulled
the remote insight board out, enables onboard video to no avail. Also
re-seated everything (memory, CPUs, cards and even the fans and PSUs) -
and changed the same parts from a working server, no joy either.

One of them booted prior to this but had the CPU switches set to off so it
was running them at 200mhz. I opened the case and re-set them to the
correct settings for 700Mhz CPUs and after that it was as above. Even when
I put the switches back to the 'reset' position.

Is it just a case of the motherboard failing or someting terminal?

--

Niel H




Try removing all your peripheral cards, and boot it up with the least amount
of memory that you can.

I have had similar problems with the 6400R's, and that would at least get me
video

dont forget to run the SCU from the F10 utilitites after you add or remove
devices

- LC

"NuT CrAcKeR" wrote in message
t...
"Niel J Humphreys" wrote in message
...
I have a few DL580 G1s with the same problem and looking at the HP help
forums others are having the same issue but no-one seems to be able to
answer it there.

Basically the servers seem like they are booting - they power up and the
drives start to spin as the Smartarray detects them etc but there is no
video output. There are no error LEDs on the board and the LED display
shows 00 so no problems detected by the onboard diagnostics. I have
pulled the remote insight board out, enables onboard video to no avail.
Also re-seated everything (memory, CPUs, cards and even the fans and
PSUs) - and changed the same parts from a working server, no joy either.

One of them booted prior to this but had the CPU switches set to off so
it was running them at 200mhz. I opened the case and re-set them to the
correct settings for 700Mhz CPUs and after that it was as above. Even
when I put the switches back to the 'reset' position.

Is it just a case of the motherboard failing or someting terminal?

--

Niel H




Try removing all your peripheral cards, and boot it up with the least
amount of memory that you can.


Thanks but tried that. Also swapped memory for known working 4 x 128 RAM
(and RAM board) from another machine
--

Niel H

Try removing all your peripheral cards, and boot it up with the least
amount of memory that you can.


Thanks but tried that. Also swapped memory for known working 4 x 128
RAM (and RAM board) from another machine
--

Niel H




Did you flip the CLEAR NVRAM dipswitch on the feature board, and reboot ?

- LC

"NuT CrAcKeR" wrote in message
t...


Try removing all your peripheral cards, and boot it up with the least
amount of memory that you can.


Thanks but tried that. Also swapped memory for known working 4 x 128
RAM (and RAM board) from another machine
--


Did you flip the CLEAR NVRAM dipswitch on the feature board, and reboot ?


Yep, the reset dip (number 6) on the feature board. No worries now, have now
broken these servers for parts to 'quad' some other ones up and increase the
RAM & drives on them so all is not lost.
--

Niel H

"Niel J Humphreys" wrote in message
...
"NuT CrAcKeR" wrote in message
t...


Try removing all your peripheral cards, and boot it up with the least
amount of memory that you can.


Thanks but tried that. Also swapped memory for known working 4 x 128
RAM (and RAM board) from another machine
--


Did you flip the CLEAR NVRAM dipswitch on the feature board, and reboot
?


Yep, the reset dip (number 6) on the feature board. No worries now, have
now
broken these servers for parts to 'quad' some other ones up and increase
the
RAM & drives on them so all is not lost.
--

Niel H

Neil,
Every "video" problem as you have described that I have seen is either
switch setting, using a wrong VGA port or bios setup, No exceptions. I have
never had a failure in a video board causing trouble in the 580.

Now to fully answer your question you need to be more specific as to what
happens when you power it up. Fans come on and stay on or do they start to
come up and shut down? How about the mainbord led's, the state and location.
All the little details would be needed to say anymore. From what you say,
you may not have an active mainboard. Have you checked the fuse, the one on
the mainboard. It can blow if someone pulls the ram module/board or a CPU
without removing power cords from the unit.

I have a bunch of those units and when properly setup they are trouble free.
Only problems we have encountered are when they are self inflected !
Phil

"Phil" wrote in message
. ..

"Niel J Humphreys" wrote in message
...
"NuT CrAcKeR" wrote in message
t...


Try removing all your peripheral cards, and boot it up with the least
amount of memory that you can.


Thanks but tried that. Also swapped memory for known working 4 x
128
RAM (and RAM board) from another machine
--


Did you flip the CLEAR NVRAM dipswitch on the feature board, and reboot
?


Yep, the reset dip (number 6) on the feature board. No worries now, have
now
broken these servers for parts to 'quad' some other ones up and increase
the
RAM & drives on them so all is not lost.
--

Niel H

Neil,
Every "video" problem as you have described that I have seen is either
switch setting, using a wrong VGA port or bios setup, No exceptions. I
have
never had a failure in a video board causing trouble in the 580.

Now to fully answer your question you need to be more specific as to what
happens when you power it up. Fans come on and stay on or do they start to
come up and shut down? How about the mainbord led's, the state and
location.
All the little details would be needed to say anymore. From what you say,
you may not have an active mainboard. Have you checked the fuse, the one
on
the mainboard. It can blow if someone pulls the ram module/board or a CPU
without removing power cords from the unit.

I have a bunch of those units and when properly setup they are trouble
free.
Only problems we have encountered are when they are self inflected !
Phil


Phil, fans come on and stay on, all LED lights are lit as they are normally
and there are no interlock/warning lights. The 3 'power' lights on the front
of the server act as they should (no amber or flashing). Units power up and
the Smartarray card spins the drives as I assume it will only do if the
server is actually booting properly (I have had "dead board" servers before
which just power up but as they don't actually POST the smartarray does not
initailise and spin the drives), then the machines boot from CD - can see
the LED on the CD drive being active. Everything points in my experience to
the servers POSTing fine but not producing a video signal. ..and I am well
aware that I am plugging the monitor into the correct video port! I have
tried the video port on the RILO card and also removed the RILO and plugged
into the onboard video which is odd as they both use different video chips -
yes I made sure the onboard video dip switch was turned 'on' on the feature
board before doing this also. Having said all of that I wasn't aware that
there was a fuse on the mainboard so didn't check this - where is it
located?

I deal mainly in Proliant servers and over the years have probably seen over
2500 units through my doors of various models but this is the first time I
have come across this issue (haven't had that many DL580s before anyway).
From reading the HP website forums it seems that this is a pretty common
problem with this model but there are no replies to the posts on that board
asking for help. Strangely enough there are not reports of the same
happening with ML570s which I believe use the same mainboard as the DL580
which seems odd.

As I said I have now broken the 3 units which were doing this for spares and
upgraded some of the other DL580s that came in on the same clearance so no
real bother now.

--

Niel H
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Snowdon-Computers
http://www.ebayfaq.co.uk/