Intermittent  problems 
 
v  Follow  the  suggested  actions  in  the  order  in  which  they  are  listed  in  the  Action  column  until  the  problem 
is  solved. 
v  See  the  parts  listing  in  the  Problem  Determination  and  Service  Guide  to  determine  which  components  are 
customer  replaceable  units  (CRU)  and  which  components  are  field  replaceable  units  (FRU). 
v  If  an  action  step  is  preceded  by  “(Trained  service  technician  only),”  that  step  must  be  performed  only  by  a 
trained  service  technician. 
Symptom  Action 
A  problem  occurs  only 
occasionally  and  is  difficult  to 
diagnose. 
1.  Make  sure  that: 
v  All  cables  and  cords  are  connected  securely  to  the  rear  of  the  server  and 
attached  devices.
 Attention:  In  a  dc  power  environment,  only  trained  service  personnel 
other  than  IBM  service  technicians  are  authorized  to  connect  or  disconnect 
power  to  the  dc  power  supply.  See  the  documentation  that  comes  with  each 
dc  power  supply. 
v  When  the  server  is  turned  on,  air  is  flowing  from  the  fan  grille.  If  there  is  no 
airflow,  the  fans  are  not  working.  This  can  cause  the  server  to  overheat  and 
shut  down.
2.
  Check  the  system  event/error  log  or  BMC  system  event  log  (see  “Error  Logs”  in 
the  Problem  Determination  and  Service  Guide). 
The  server  resets  (restarts) 
occasionally 
1.  If  the  reset  occurs  during  POST  and  the  POST  watchdog  timer  is  enabled  (click 
Advanced  Setup  -->  Baseboard  Management  Controller  (BMC)  Setting  --> 
BMC  Post  Watchdog  in  the  Configuration/Setup  Utility  program  to  see  the 
POST  watchdog  setting),  make  sure  that  sufficient  time  is  allowed  in  the 
watchdog  timeout  value  (BMC  POST  Watchdog  Timeout).  See  the  User’s 
Guide  for  information  about  the  settings  in  the  Configuration/Setup  Utility 
program. 
If  the  server  continues  to  reset  during  POST,  see  the  “POST”  and  “Diagnostic 
programs”  sections  in  the  Problem  Determination  and  Service  Guide. 
2.  If  the  reset  occurs  after  the  operating  system  starts,  disable  any  automatic 
server  restart  (ASR)  utilities,  such  as  the  IBM  Automatic  Server  Restart  IPMI 
Application  for  Windows,  or  ASR  devices  that  may  be  installed. 
Note:  ASR  utilities  operate  as  operating-system  utilities  and  are  related  to  the 
IPMI  device  driver. 
If  the  reset  continues  to  occur  after  the  operating  system  starts,  the  operating 
system  might  have  a  problem;  see  “Software  problems”  on  page  73. 
3.  If  neither  condition  applies,  check  the  system  event/error  log  or  BMC  system 
event  log  (see  “Error  Logs”  in  the  Problem  Determination  and  Service  Guide).
 
 
64  IBM  System  x3650  Type  7979:  Installation  Guide