ML350 G3 - SmartStart problems

[bogdan varlamov]

Hi,

I am trying to install Microsoft Server2008 on an ML350 G3 server...

I downloaded SmartStart version 5.5, 7.90 and 8.00 and have tried booting from all of them with no luck!

Whenever I use 5.5 I get to the "smart start" screen and then the computer just sits there. Sometimes it exits into text mode and complains about a windows .ini file missing...

When I boot into 7.90 or 8.00 I get to the screen where I can select where to boot (SmartStart Cd or Hard Drive).

I select smartstart, I get a progress bar, it goes up to 100% and then the screen goes black.... And thats it. It just sits at the black screen forever...

Does anyone have any ideas about what i'm doing wrong!??!

[KarloChacon]

hi bogdan

don't waste your time with Smartstart (SS) 5.5 or before 8.0 since only SS 8.0 has the option to install Windows 2008 you won't find in 7.91 or less

my recommendations are:
1. remove any attached device

2. update Firmware for that server using Firmware CD 8.0

3. clear CMOS (picture attached for locations): procedure
"1. Power down the server.
2. Remove the server cover.
3. Locate the System Maintenance Switch, position S6, and move the switch to the "On" position.
4. Power the server back on until Power-On Self-Test begins (about one minute)
5. After POST has started, power-cycle the server off.
6. Move the System Maintenance Switch back to the "Off" position.
7. Replace the server cover and power on the system. The server will boot normally. "

- Try again SS 8.0

by the way which controller does your server have?

anything else let us know

regards

[KarloChacon]

oh sorry link for Firmware CD 8.0

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SoftwareDescription.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&prodTypeId=15351&prodSeriesId=316537&prodNameId=3279705&swEnvOID=1005&swLang=8&mode=2&taskId=135&swItem=MTX-425e6194d2f64d049eed07abeb

regards

[bogdan varlamov]

thank you for your help!

I have tried doing a firmware upgrade before but was unable to boot from the firmware upgrade CD (is that what i'm supposed to be doing?)


I have an HP Array 640 controller on it...

I have tried taking out all of the harddrives that I have in it and have had mixed results with that (sometimes i get an error saying the isolinux checksum on the smartstart CD was bad... and sometimes it boots into it and gets to the splash screen before failing.

What other hardware would you recommend I disconnect? Can you send me a picture of where I would locate it to disconnect it?

my e-mail is bogdanvarlamov@gmail.com

[KarloChacon]

hi

did you try clearing NVRAM?

if there is not storage for example you can try minimizing server I mean just 2 memory modules, 1 Processor, remove PCI cards not needed

for videos you can check this
http://h20181.www2.hp.com/plmcontent/NACSC/SML/results.htm?SID=316537&MEID=7AC9F07F-9410-490E-84FC-5D666121AED2

regards

[bogdan varlamov]

Karlo,

Thank you very much for your help...

I am still having issues though : (

Here is everything I have done so far:

Disconnect the SmartArray PCI connection

Took out third RAM stick

restarted with S6 on, then power cycled as appropriate

cleared NVRAM from BIOS

re-downloaded and reburned the SS8.0 CD, rechecking MD5

When I put it into the CD tray and tried to boot from it I got the smart start screen and it loaded the bar up to 100% but then a tiny black box appeared with the following ASCII art:

/-----pstk------------rstk------\
| : | : |
| : | 0:ffffffff. 5|
| 0: 6a4d8. a| 1: 1212. 5|
| 1: 1. 3| 2: 2830.15|
| 2: 304e. 5| 3: 2826. 5|
---------------------------------
| : err 2 |
| : ip 34cl: 29.d |
\-------------------------------/


I was unable to do anything except power-cycle the server...

when it restarted it went back into the SmartStart "Loading" SplashScreen and once it got up to 100% the screen goes black and then nothing...

It just sits like that again... :(

Any ideas as to what is going on? Or what that cryptic table means?

[bogdan varlamov]

Actually I got it working... sort of...

I disconnected the DVD-ROM drive and was able to boot into the SS8.0.

BUT, it won't let me install Server 2008 now... It doesn't say why... just says "not supported by the server"

Could this be because server 2008 comes on a DVD and there is no DVD drive on the damn thing right now?

Or is there some other compatibility issue i'm unaware of?

[KarloChacon]

hi

well officially it's not supported in that server


regards

[Murali_DXB]

Hi Mr. Karlo,

I am unable to boot with Start Smart 5.05, POST is not taking the disk. I have tried to boot with SBS 2003 its getting booted but the error shows" HDD is not detected". As per my knowledge, I was tried to update the driver with StartSmart CD. Its not getting booted.

Please help me.

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

(Prior to that, I had in stalled VMWare esxi 3.5.0_Update_5-207095, With two host - Server2008 32bit and Server 2003 SBS. Both had LAN Issue.(LAN driver not taken in server 2008 and in server 2003 LAN speed was 10Mbps) So i tried to update VMware 3.5 with Infrastructure that was not succeeded. Then decided to install stand alone SBS 2003, when i tried to install the above mentioned issue)