Disks won't spin on Compaq Proliant 2500

[Claude Martin]

Some background first.

The system was configured using SmartStart and then put aside for a while and was running well.

Configuration :
- Twin Pentium Pro 200
- 1 Gig of RAM
- 2 Hot Swap 4.3 Gig

I installed 2 Compaq (Seagate) 9.1 Gig hard drives on a Compaq (Symbios Logic) Controller which i inserted into Slot 1 of the secondary PCI bus. Checked out SCSI ID's, connection and fired up the server.

The result : the server turns on, the keyboard initilize, the lights on the the hot swap drives will turn on (bottom, center, upper) and nothing else, usually the disks would begin spinning after a while but nothing.

Thank you for your help.

[JohnWRuffo]

Claude:

The SymBiosLogic card needs to be configured to send an init string to spin the drives. The drives are jumpered to wait until they receive an init signal.
Press CTRL + C on post to enter the Symbios setup utility and make sure the setting is to send the signal.

[JohnWRuffo]

You likely also need to re-run the System Configuration Utility to save the new boot controller selection.

[Claude Martin]

Thank you John.

One important fact i forgot to mention.

I removed the slotted controller and disconnected the 2 additionnal drives returning the Proliant to it's original setup (onboard controller and 2 hot swap 4.3 Gig hard drives numbered 0 and 1 in the dive cage), without more success.

The result: the server powers up, the keyboard initilize, the lights on the hot swap drives will turn on in the following order :

Step 1 - On disk 1 - bottom and center light at the same time
Step 2 - At the same time on both disks - bottom light
Step 3 - At the same time on both disks - center light
Step 4 - At the same time on both disks - top light

Afterwards the lights on the drives goes off and nothing else happens, no P.O.S.T no spinning disks and the onboard video card doesn't seem to be sending any signal to the monitor (which power light remains yellow).

The added controller and disks came from a Compaq Proliant 1600. I tested the drives alone in another system and they worked just fine.

I wonder if i didn't blew up the system board :-(

Thanks again for your help.

[JohnWRuffo · Accepted solution]

Hmmm... You are getting power through the system, so it has to be some component that is drawing down the server from POST.

First off, pull all the drives out of the server and see if you can get video response.

Next, check the connections of all the cables in the server. (both signal and power)

Next, make sure the processors and PPM's are seated well. Check the RAM in the server that each stick is firmly seated.

Anything yet?

Next is to pull all the PCI cards from the system...

Anything?

If not, get a PCI video card and install it in the server.

Set SW1 S1 to ON

Boot the server with the monitor in the PCI video. Anything?

Let me know what you find?

-john

[JohnWRuffo]

Here is the ProLiant 2500 Maintenance and Service Guide:
http://h200007.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/UCR/SupportManual/TPM_281834-001_rev2_us/TPM_281834-001_rev2_us.pdf
Look on Page 110 - 111 for the location of SW1 and what each pin means.

Hope this guide helps!

[Claude Martin]

Hello John,

Sorry for the delay, i was out on vacation.

I followed the steps you gave me and found out (despite the fact i had done this) that a connector from the power supply was disconnected from the CPU board. After reconnection everything was back to normal
except that my hot swap disk 0 was making a clinking sound which looks like a defective disk, but that's another story.

Thanks a million for your time and effort and keep up the good work.

Claude.