Lpr in a two-node cluster hangs in windows 2000

[Benny Koh]

Hi,
I posted this problem on July 1 this year but did not get any response. But recently I have discovered something new about this problem.

Hardware: a)2 x PIII 500Mhz LPrs (LPR-A and LPR-B), 2 x 9GB SCSI each, 256KB SDRAM each. Each having NetiRAID 3si card.
b) RS/12 with 12 x 9 SCSI: 3 RAID1 arrays (total 6 disks) and 2 RAID5 arrays (total 6 disks)

Software: a) Windows 2000 Advanced Server (SP4) b) SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition (SP3).
c) Microsoft Cluster Service (MSCS).

Cluster configuration: 2 SQL Server instances, one on each node.

Problem: I previously mentioned that one of my Lpr nodes (LPR-A) dies off at least once a day. Server LEDs are still on but it cannot be pinged. Well yesterday, I happened to see it occur. It seems that the entire windows just hangs/freezes. The keyboard and mouse cannot be used at all.
Every reboot, LPR-A keeps detecting a unknown device whereas PR-B does not. Thinking it could have caused the freeze, I posted a question about this device on this forum on 9/29/2003 and found this was the NetRAID 3si cluster processor. But I installed the INF file for this device but it did not help.
It seems that when I reinstalled LPR-A as a standalone server (ie not connected to the RS/12), it does not freeze at all. But after connected it to the RS/12, the cluster processor appears. The server will then freeze frequently.
Can someone please tell me what is wrong with LPR-A?? TIA!

[Alicia White]

To tell you the truth, I am not all that familiar with clustering, but I am familiar with the LPr.

Have you checked firmware versions? Perhaps if there is a difference betweent the BIOS and/or firmware versions on the two clustered systems that might be the cause of the lockups.

I do know that there is a problem that can crop up on some HP NetServers (such as the LPr & LH3/4, to name a couple) where CPU utilization will increase to 100%, causing the system to lock up. In this situation, out of date MMC firmware (a component of the BIOS), is to blame. When this happens, the system cannot be pinged or accessed over the network, which made me think it might apply in your case.

The solution is to clear CMOS, update the BIOS and clear CMOS again.

But, again, I don't know for sure if this applies in your case. So, what I would do is compare the BIOS and firmware versions on each server to make sure they are both the same.

You can check the firmware version of the NetRAID controllers either during POST, from the NetRAID Assistant software or from HP's Instant Top Tools. You can also check the BIOS revision either during POST or using HP's Instant Top Tools (ITT). You can check HDD firmware from NetRAID Assistant, ITT or from the hard drive firmware update utility.

If you don't have ITT installed, I would recommend it.

ITT does require MS VM to be installed in order to run, which will require a reboot to finalize. But, if you already have VM installed, installing ITT can be done without rebooting the system. ITT is great: you check BIOS revision, controller firmware revisions, HDD firmware version, driver versions, and you can even read and clear the Hardware Event Log. In short: it's a great tool for trouble-shooting issues with HP NetServers, hardware and drivers. It might help you solve this riddle.

You can download the latest BIOS and firmware for the LPr here:
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/DriverDownload.jsp?pnameOID=18328&locale=en_US&taskId=135&prodSeriesId=50457&prodTypeId=15351&swEnvOID=54

You can download ITT and NetRAID Assistant here:
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/DriverDownload.jsp?pnameOID=18328&taskId=135&locale=en_US&docIndexId=178551&taskId=135&prodTypeId=15351&prodSeriesId=50457&swEnvOID=226

You can download hard drive firmware here:
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/DriverDownload.jsp?pnameOID=19319&locale=en_US&taskId=135&prodSeriesId=65146&prodTypeId=329290&swEnvOID=54

Alicia