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Re: Proliant 6500 powers up but won't boot

 
Adam Hunt
New Member

Proliant 6500 powers up but won't boot

I was given a Proliant 6500 quad PPro 200 a while back. I'm just now getting around to setting it up. A couple of weeks ago I plugged the system in, attached a keyboard, monitor and hit the power button. The box came up without a problem, all four processors showed as present as well as the four gigs of memory, CDROM and the seven 9 gig drives. I tossed in a Knoppix disk I had laying around and it started without a problem (actually the array wasn't configured so I didn't have any available drive space but I expected that). A couple of hours ago I downloaded the config tools for the array and burned them to a disk. The system was just as I left it after booting Knoppix but this time when I hit the button it wouldn't boot. The screen was blank, they keyboard LEDs didn't blink and the front panel LCD kept displaying the LCD firmware version. It made plenty of noise, all the fans spun up and each of the SCSI hard drive drive sleds' lights turned on and extinguished in order but it wouldn't boot. After a few tries I reseated the memory, CPU cards, PCI cards (actually I removed them all on one boot attempt) and SCSI drives, nothing. Does anyone have an idea of what could be going on here? I'd really like to get this up and running. Thanks.
20 REPLIES 20
Greg_224
New Member

Re: Proliant 6500 powers up but won't boot

Adam, I have a Proliant 2500 with exactly the same problem. I started a Linux install which gave me a weird memory error first thing so I shut the system down to reseat the memory, etc. (this machine was running NT faithfully for years). Now I'm stuck at the same place you are with an almost totally dead machine that won't go beyond the first stages of the POST. I have found numerous threads on the web referring to similar problems on the Proliants but no real solutions. Appreciate any light anyone can shed on this one.
Adam Hunt
New Member

Re: Proliant 6500 powers up but won't boot

Actually, my system doesn't even POST. Normally when I turn it on it the management LCD would change from just displaying the LCD firmware version to showing the management info you would expect.

When I hit the power button the fans start to spin, each of the SCSI drive sleds/carriers light up and extinguish (some sort of self test I suppose), lights on the keyboard blink on and the PCI hot swap status LEDs come on but that's it.
Greg_224
New Member

Re: Proliant 6500 powers up but won't boot

Mine's the same. Just the firmware version on the LCD. I read a post somewhere about clearing the NVRAM using the dip switch...did that, no change. Someone else said to unplug the unit and hold the power switch in for 10 seconds...tried that, no change. I also read about a guy who just left his Proliants to sit unplugged in the corner over the weekend to cure them whenever he encountered the problem. I'm just about desperate enough now to try that approach unless someone here comes up with a better idea.
Barry Parrish
Advisor

Re: Proliant 6500 powers up but won't boot

Not to sound silly, but does it have gas in it...?..lol...Sounds like your monitor is the only thing not working...bet the monitor plug is not kosher up to the machine.

If not, I like the previous post, where you unplug the machine and make it set in the corner for the weekend. Bad Computer!
Adam Hunt
New Member

Re: Proliant 6500 powers up but won't boot

Yes the monitor works. The keyboard as well. Actually I've used three different monitors and a half dozen keyboards with no luck.

Usually after power up the management interface (2x20 LCD and four buttons) springs into action letting you know among other things that the array hasn't been configured. As it is now all that is shown is "COMPAQ LCD Model # 56022 LCD FIRMWARE 1.9" like it normally would when plugged in but not powered on.

Also after I turn it on the three keyboard LEDs turn on for a second then extinguish but hitting the num and caps lock keys doesn't change their states.

Is there a service manual available for the 6500? I know that many may view it as a boat anchor but I'd really like to get it running. I've always been told that Compaq's servers were bullet proof and last forever.

--adam
Barry Parrish
Advisor

Re: Proliant 6500 powers up but won't boot

Hmmm, so you say knoppix did good, I suppose you've tried it again since the no boot...
hey wait...

Compaq has an erase utility...wonder if knoppix has done something like that...
where the hardware is fine, but your firmware has been altered...

yeah, I'd check your complementary metal oxide silicon... flash rom first.

mmm hmmm
Adam Hunt
New Member

Re: Proliant 6500 powers up but won't boot

The thing is the system isn't even booting. It's just sitting there with the power on. No POST or anything.

Re: Proliant 6500 powers up but won't boot

Adam,

If you have the Smart Start CD, you might want to try the System Erase Utility. It will clear the system configurations and all drives attached to the system and prepare it for OS installation. Then you need to run the System Configuration utility to install the EISA partition on the drive.
There are some guides around for installing the different distros of Linux on Proliants. It is a very tedious process, unless you buy the Compaq distro.
Here's a link to the instructions to install Clark Connect Linux firewall, with some other links to compaq/Linux installation guides.
Hope this helps.

Ben
Barry Parrish
Advisor

Re: Proliant 6500 powers up but won't boot

Have you tried booting from a floppy disk.
And run it blind / pretend the monitor is unplugged...and just wait out a normal 3.5 floppy boot. win98 is a good bootdisk / you can edit the config.sys and autoexec.bat to load device drivers...like the controller, or cdrom - real handy.

If you are convinced that the 3.5 got read, and loaded...and you did something at the command prompt like a:\dir just to make the drive whirl and make the light on the drive come on..while it reads the dir...

if this is successful, then whats left but video feed.