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Re: ProLiant Ml110 G4 Serial port Lock up

 
Ian Oldham
Occasional Advisor

ProLiant Ml110 G4 Serial port Lock up

Hello HP and Members of this Forum

I have just a Proliant ML110 G4 server serial port fail.

One of our engineers noticed that our software wasn't receiving data from the BMS network through the Serial Port. He restarted the software to see if that sorted the communication error, it didn't. He then restarted the Server which fixed the problem but on his way back out he noticed that the server had the same communication problem again.

I have found out that between 8 and 15 mins from either a cold start or reboot the serial port locks up again. Using the diagnostic LEDs on our Router I discovered the cause of the communication problem... the DSR light was on permanently even when the serial port is not in use, the DSR light should only come on during data transmission between the stations and our workstations, and should most defiantly be OFF when the software isn't running.

Well I got straight onto HP and got them out NBD to replace the motherboard, the helpdesk technician was about as helpful as a monkey with its finger up its ar$e. I had to lead the entire help session and tbh he sounded as if he was partly asleep...

I wasn't too worried about this till I got another phone call from a different location with the same problem, was just lucky that construction has been delayed and that BMS isn't needed yet.

But im now worried this is the 2nd one in about 2 weeks, Our company has about 75 ML110 G4 about the UK and some of them are in very sensitive buildings that need our hardware and software to work.


I would like to know why the serial port locks up even when not in use it was fine for quite a few months. Is it caused by a faulty bit of HP firmware? Is it caused by a Windows Update? or have we just been unlucky?



I know 100% this problem is not caused by our software or hardware. Our servers have the latest BIOS and drivers and also in most cases the latest windows updates most of our servers are connected to the internet. Our servers run Windows 2003 Server SP2.

I look forward to a Solution

Ian Oldham
15 REPLIES 15
Ian Oldham
Occasional Advisor

Re: ProLiant Ml110 G4 Serial port Lock up

Oh bugga duplicate post :D

Just an update I have just recived word that the replacement Motherboard has just gone exactly the same way, on the forum ive read that the iLO may be the issue but if I remember correctly there is no iLO on the ML100 G4 so what can it be. Surely the replacement board isnt busted either 3 Motherboards with exactly the same problem within a month

I dont think so anyone have and advise?
Ian Oldham
Occasional Advisor

Re: ProLiant Ml110 G4 Serial port Lock up

We have tried to disable the iLO, there wasn't the optional iLO connection in our servers. So that option that seemed to work for many other types of HP Server doesn't work on the ML110 G4, without the optional iLO card anyway. Although we did install the "HP NULL IPMI Controller Driver" to get rid of the Unknown Device in the Device manager.


We found that there was still an unknown device in device manager after awhile of time searching on the HP forums we found out that it was Serial over LAN (SOL) but the driver isn't listed on the ML110's driver page and we had to follow the link provided on the forum, I cant find this forum again but can anyone confirm that this is needed, Could this be caused by Serial Over LAN Driver? Could this be caused by the fact that Lead Free Solder? Could this infact be caused by Elvis?

Can someone please if they have had the same situation post here. And HP I know you watch these forums intently can you comment?

Someone please help

:o)
Regards,

Ian Oldham
Ian Oldham
Occasional Advisor

Re: ProLiant Ml110 G4 Serial port Lock up

Hello is anyone out there that can help me?

Further update ive just been to where this Server is stored and I can confirm that there is no iLO card or settings for this in the BIOS and also there is Serial over LAN as i thought there was

Help me HP :o)

Re: ProLiant Ml110 G4 Serial port Lock up

We are having the same issue with an HP ML350 G5 that is using it's serial port to control Siemens Insight heating HVAC.

Windows Server 2003 SP1.

DTR and RTS intermittently lock on, and only unplugging the server for several seconds cleared the condition.

We checked on our other servers and found three had the serial ports locked, although their serial ports had never been used for anything.

They were:
2 DL360 G5 rack mounts
1 DL380 G4 rack mount

Interestingly, one of the G5's (rack mount) serial port cleared with a simple restart.

We are also on our second motherboard in the
Heating Plant G5 (to no effect). Our HP rep is coming out tomorrow.

Is this a defect in the serial port hardware?

Ian Oldham
Occasional Advisor

Re: ProLiant Ml110 G4 Serial port Lock up

We have seen this problem on the G4's and G5's, We have stopped using the Proliant series because I think that there is some defect with the manufacturing process they use for this series.
HP have not been of much help.
Many thanks,

Ian
shaun butler
New Member

Re: ProLiant Ml110 G4 Serial port Lock up

We have started having this problem as well, some where between 1 minute and two weeks the serial (com1) port stops responding, we use a few flavors of linux and this has occured with ML140, ML350 and a ML 310 now, our application use an attached fax modem but when the port locks up we can un stick it using any of the usual methods, reboots dont work and im about to try a full power off. Not good though on Live systems....
rick warren
New Member

Re: ProLiant Ml110 G4 Serial port Lock up

I too am having the same problem on COM1 of our DL380 G5 server. For now, I am using a USB to serial cable to make my com connection.
Any assistance would be appreciated..
shaun butler
New Member

Re: ProLiant Ml110 G4 Serial port Lock up

OK,
We finally got our fax modems working on ML110s by disabling the CLI in the bios. Two areas you need to do it, one is something like "serial port mode" and you can switch between "system,system/shared,shared" you need to pick the bottom one from memory which I think is shared. The other area is also something to do with the serial port. Cant remember and some have any ML110s in stock to test with but it worked for us. Basically the CLI which isn├в t even present on the base models of the 110 is always talking on the serial interface. By telling it not to you get a normal serial interface.

Basically, just look for the few settings in the bios to do with the serial port and try changing them... Bit silly that you have to do it in the first place. Just pray you don├в t use dl140s, after three calls to hp (indian) support you find out it cant be disabled at all and the serial port is effectively useless...
Marcos David
Occasional Contributor

Re: ProLiant Ml110 G4 Serial port Lock up

We suffer from the same problem. I've been complaing about this since 2007 in another post.

NO EXPLANATION FROM HP.