Server redundant PSU problem

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tom Del Rosso
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Tom Del Rosso

A Gateway 7400 server has 2 PSUs (350 W each) made by Delta electronics.
The other night there was a blackout and its UPS shut it down. Now the
server won't boot most of the times that the power is switched on, whether
using the soft switch or the hard switches. The fans and drives spin up and
do their seek test. The lights light and the tape drive can eject a tape
(which requires its little cpu to have 5 volts). But there is no display.

I got a clue when I had some success at getting it to boot with only one
*or* the other PSU main switch on, and then pressing the soft-start button
in front, but it wouldn't boot at all when both PSUs were on before pressing
the front switch. (The POST starts from the beginning after the display
comes on, so this is not just a blank display issue.)

I replaced the hot-swap chassis that the PSUs plug into, but *no change* or
perhaps it's worse. The part is out of production so the replacement is a
refurb from OEM Liquidators.

Now it won't boot even with only one PSU on. Sequencing the 2 supplies back
and forth finally gets it to boot. This took several tries the last time,
and I didn't see any pattern in the required sequence.

If I ever risk shutting it off again I'll try testing the reset line, power
good, and voltages, while it's in the stuck state, and I'll test it with
various devices removed, but I didn't take the time to do that before I got
it up and then I left it up.

Any ideas please? I don't want to turn it off again until I have a good
plan for further testing.
 
Tom Del Rosso said:
A Gateway 7400 server has 2 PSUs (350 W each) made by Delta electronics.
The other night there was a blackout and its UPS shut it down. Now the
server won't boot most of the times that the power is switched on, whether
using the soft switch or the hard switches. The fans and drives spin up
and
do their seek test. The lights light and the tape drive can eject a tape
(which requires its little cpu to have 5 volts). But there is no display.

I got a clue when I had some success at getting it to boot with only one
*or* the other PSU main switch on, and then pressing the soft-start button
in front, but it wouldn't boot at all when both PSUs were on before
pressing
the front switch. (The POST starts from the beginning after the display
comes on, so this is not just a blank display issue.)

I replaced the hot-swap chassis that the PSUs plug into, but *no change*
or
perhaps it's worse. The part is out of production so the replacement is a
refurb from OEM Liquidators.

Now it won't boot even with only one PSU on. Sequencing the 2 supplies
back
and forth finally gets it to boot. This took several tries the last time,
and I didn't see any pattern in the required sequence.

If I ever risk shutting it off again I'll try testing the reset line,
power
good, and voltages, while it's in the stuck state, and I'll test it with
various devices removed, but I didn't take the time to do that before I
got
it up and then I left it up.

Any ideas please? I don't want to turn it off again until I have a good
plan for further testing.
Click to expand...

You don't have to buy an original these N+1 PSU's are available here's a
link to the ZIPPY EMAC site
http://www.zippy.com/P_INDEX.asp?lv_rfnbr=2





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Chris
Technical director CKCCOMPUSCRIPT
Apple Computers, Intel, Roland audio, ATI, Microsoft, Sun Solaris, Cisco and
Silicone Graphics.
Wholesale distributor and specialist audio visual computers and servers
FREE SUPPORT @,
http://www.ckccomp.plus.com/site/page.HTM
(e-mail address removed)
 
Chris said:
You don't have to buy an original these N+1 PSU's are available here's a
link to the ZIPPY EMAC site
http://www.zippy.com/P_INDEX.asp?lv_rfnbr=2
Click to expand...

Thanks, but it has non-standard power connectors for the front panel, and
for the RAID backplane. Some workstation motherboards use non-standard ATX
power connectors, so I would want to be sure of this one before I plug
anything else into it. Did Gateway always use standard ATX connectors?
 
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