IBM System x3950 E Installation Manual

Also see for 8878: Problem determination and service guide

Chapter 6. Solving problemsThis chapter provides basic troubleshooting information to help you solve somecommon problems that might occur while you are setting up the server.If you cannot locate and correct the problem using the information in this chapter,see “Getting help and technical assistance,” on page 81, the Problem Determinationand Service Guide on the IBM System x Documentation CD, and the “ServerSupport” flowchart in the front of this document.Diagnostic tools overviewThe following tools are available to help you diagnose and solve hardware-relatedproblems:v POST beep codesThe power-on self-test beep codes indicate the detection of a problem.– One beep indicates successful completion of POST, with no errors.– More than one beep indicates that POST detected a problem. Error messagesalso appear during startup if POST detects a hardware-configuration problem.See “POST beep codes,” and the Problem Determination and Service Guideon the IBM System x Documentation CD for more information.v Troubleshooting tablesThese tables list problem symptoms and steps to correct the problems. See“Troubleshooting tables” on page 60 for more information.v Diagnostic programs and error messagesThe system diagnostic programs are provided in ROM. These programs test themajor components of the server. See the Problem Determination and ServiceGuide on the IBM System x Documentation CD for more information.v Light path diagnosticsUse light path diagnostics to diagnose system errors quickly. See “Light pathdiagnostics” on page 74 for more information.POST beep codesPOST emits one beep to signal successful completion. If POST detects a problemduring startup, other beep codes might occur. Use the following beep codedescriptions to help diagnose and solve problems that are detected during startup.Note: See the Problem Determination and Service Guide on the IBM System xDocumentation CD for more information about the POST beep codes.One beepPOST was completed successfully without finding any errors.Two short beepsThe server configuration has changed.Other beep codesSee the Problem Determination and Service Guide on the IBM System xDocumentation CD for more information about the POST beep codes.© Copyright IBM Corp. 2006 57