Compared to some problems listed this might be simple (or not).
I have an HP Z420 MB that I use for a backup server. It started life in a Z420 case so everything was fine. After about 5 years I needed more drives and got a PC case that I could load 8 dives in using a 3 into 5 and 2 into 3 frames with the SSD boot drives stuck to the bottom. That worked fine fo another 5 years and I moved up to a Supermicro CS836TQ. Like the chassis before it I needed a 24 to HP 16 pin adapter so I used my old one and I needed to extend the front panel wires. Like the server befoe, I only used Power Switch, Power LED and HDD LED on the HP header. That worked great all this time. Now it ,ostly doesn't work.
It seems that the Supermicro push button switch releases too fast or doesn't provide enough juice or something. I've disconnected the Power and HDD completely so all that goes to the header is the Power SW connector. Now given the placement of the header on the MB every time I want to connect the MB I have to pull the video card and one of the 2 HBAs to get my giant XXL hand in there. The server will usually start and boot FreeNas once just like it should. However, if I kill power to the server I have to go anjd disconnect the Power SW connector, reconnect it and put the cards back in and hope it will start again.
How I use this server is a bit odd so let me explain that so the collective genius out there has a better idea of what I'm doing. I backup on Sunday night so I couldn't see having this thing run even on minimal power for 6.5 days every week just waiting for me to backup stuff so I hooked it up to a wireless controlled wall plug. I turn on the plug, use WOL, do my backups, shut down the machine and turn off the power. Now that sounds awful lazy and it probably is but the backup is as physically far away from me as it can be and still be in the house. I'm on the 2nd floor right side front and the server is in the basement on the left side back corner.
I have an 846TQ (Intel MB) as my main unit so I popped out the power supplies and put them in the 836 - that didn't do anything. BTW. I turn the 846 on and off the same way as I want to do with the 836 and it works every time. I left the video card and HBA out after unconnecting and reconnecting the power switch sometime that worked sometimes it didn't. I hooked up a 450W power supply to the MB while it was still in the 836 chassis and that didn't work. I took it out of the 836 and put it back in the old chassis and it worked fine. One of the options on the MB is to power on after a power failure which is how I have been using it. I set it to remain off after losing ppwer to see if I could turn it on manualy and that didn't work After the very first time I push the 836 ON button after reapplying power I do get a little beep and the CPU fan moves slightly . If the CPU fan continues to move I know the server will start but that isn't the norm at the moment.
I'm thinking that it might be the Power Distribution board because it is one of the few things I haven't chacked but I really don't want to rip my main server apart without a better reason than a hunch. So anybody got any ideas?
Thanks for reading.
I have an HP Z420 MB that I use for a backup server. It started life in a Z420 case so everything was fine. After about 5 years I needed more drives and got a PC case that I could load 8 dives in using a 3 into 5 and 2 into 3 frames with the SSD boot drives stuck to the bottom. That worked fine fo another 5 years and I moved up to a Supermicro CS836TQ. Like the chassis before it I needed a 24 to HP 16 pin adapter so I used my old one and I needed to extend the front panel wires. Like the server befoe, I only used Power Switch, Power LED and HDD LED on the HP header. That worked great all this time. Now it ,ostly doesn't work.
It seems that the Supermicro push button switch releases too fast or doesn't provide enough juice or something. I've disconnected the Power and HDD completely so all that goes to the header is the Power SW connector. Now given the placement of the header on the MB every time I want to connect the MB I have to pull the video card and one of the 2 HBAs to get my giant XXL hand in there. The server will usually start and boot FreeNas once just like it should. However, if I kill power to the server I have to go anjd disconnect the Power SW connector, reconnect it and put the cards back in and hope it will start again.
How I use this server is a bit odd so let me explain that so the collective genius out there has a better idea of what I'm doing. I backup on Sunday night so I couldn't see having this thing run even on minimal power for 6.5 days every week just waiting for me to backup stuff so I hooked it up to a wireless controlled wall plug. I turn on the plug, use WOL, do my backups, shut down the machine and turn off the power. Now that sounds awful lazy and it probably is but the backup is as physically far away from me as it can be and still be in the house. I'm on the 2nd floor right side front and the server is in the basement on the left side back corner.
I have an 846TQ (Intel MB) as my main unit so I popped out the power supplies and put them in the 836 - that didn't do anything. BTW. I turn the 846 on and off the same way as I want to do with the 836 and it works every time. I left the video card and HBA out after unconnecting and reconnecting the power switch sometime that worked sometimes it didn't. I hooked up a 450W power supply to the MB while it was still in the 836 chassis and that didn't work. I took it out of the 836 and put it back in the old chassis and it worked fine. One of the options on the MB is to power on after a power failure which is how I have been using it. I set it to remain off after losing ppwer to see if I could turn it on manualy and that didn't work After the very first time I push the 836 ON button after reapplying power I do get a little beep and the CPU fan moves slightly . If the CPU fan continues to move I know the server will start but that isn't the norm at the moment.
I'm thinking that it might be the Power Distribution board because it is one of the few things I haven't chacked but I really don't want to rip my main server apart without a better reason than a hunch. So anybody got any ideas?
Thanks for reading.