Troubleshooting Cooling Fan Failures on Sun Fire [TM] Serengeti or LightWeight8 Systems

Asset ID:	1-75-1008393.1
Update Date:	2011-03-25
Keywords:

Solution Type Troubleshooting Sure

Solution 1008393.1 : Troubleshooting Cooling Fan Failures on Sun Fire [TM] Serengeti or LightWeight8 Systems

Applies to:

Sun Netra 1280 Server
Sun Netra 1290 Server
Sun Fire V1280 Server
Sun Fire 3800 Server
Sun Fire 4800 Server
All Platforms

Purpose

Description

This document addresses how to troubleshoot cooling fan issues on Sun Fire [TM] 3800, 4800, 4810, E4900, 6800, E6900 (Serengeti) and Sun Fire [TM] v1280, E2900, and Netra [TM] 1280, 1290 (LightWeight8) systems.

Specifically, this document covers situations where the Fan Tray (FT) fan or Power Supply Unit (PSU) fan is suspected to be defective, or a replacement FT/PSU is not functional following its' replacement.

To troubleshoot temperature warnings or messages related to a single component, see <Document:1010052.1> Troubleshooting temperature warnings on an individual component within a Sun Fire [TM] Serengeti or LightWeight8 system.
To troubleshoot temperature warnings or messages relating to multiple components, see <Document:1013119.1> Troubleshooting temperature warnings on multiple components within a Sun Fire [TM] Serengeti or LightWeight8 system.

Symptoms:

One might describe the issue as having a "bad Fan Tray"or "bad PSU" or "defective Fan" or similar.
Fan Tray(s) or Power Supply Unit(s) may be marked Failed in showenvironment output on the System Controller.
Domain(s) could be unable to be powered on and booted, degraded (missing components), or it is possible that they are completely unaffected.
You might expect to see a warning message such as:

WARNING: PS2 temperature is elevated indicating it may have a failed cooling fan.

Last Review Date

March 25, 2011

Instructions for the Reader

A Troubleshooting Guide is provided to assist in debugging a specific issue. When possible, diagnostic tools are included in the document to assist in troubleshooting.

Troubleshooting Details

Steps to Follow

Please validate that each troubleshooting step below is true for your environment. The steps will provide instructions or a link to a document, for validating the step and taking corrective action as necessary. The steps are ordered in the most appropriate sequence to isolate the issue and identify the proper resolution. Please do not skip a step.

1. Verify external power is present and proper for the system.

Confirm all the lights are on, fans are spinning, and SC is responsive or you are able to login to the SC or domain.
See <Document:1010053.1> Troubleshooting Complete system Power Outages on Sun Fire [TM] Serengeti or LightWeight8 Systems if the system has no power.

2. Verify the issue is not Alert 1000793.1 if the suspected failed fan is in a Power Supply Unit (PSU).

Reference <Document:1000793.1> Multiple Power Supply Unit (PSU) Fan Failures on Sun Fire 3800-6800 Servers may Result in Platform Outage.

3. Verify that the FT or PSU is marked FAILED in showenvironment .

Confirm the status as shown in <Document:1011930.1> Sun Fire[TM] (3800-6800 System Controller Application (ScApp How To's).

NOTE: A Sun "badged" engineer or Certified Partner engineer should perform service actions that relate to System or I/O Board re-seats or replacements (upcoming steps).

At this point if you are a customer and have reached this stage in the troubleshooting process, please open a Service Ticket with Oracle Support Services or engage your local field office to obtain assistance with resolving this issue. Make sure to mention this knowledge article so we can continue with the following steps to resolve this issue.

4. If this is a newly installed or replaced FT or PSU, verify that re-seating it does not resolve the issue.

Reference the appropriate System Service Manual for complete instructions on FRU replacement and procedures:

5. Verify the errors persist if the component is replaced.

Reference the appropriate System Service Manual for complete instructions on FRU replacement and procedures (see Step 4 for links).

6. Confirm the same FT or PSU is still suspect when the other SC is main (if dual SC configuration).

If the errors cease utilizing the new SC, then the former SC is suspect.
System Controller failover reference is: <Document:1003245.1> Sun Fire[TM] 3800-6900: System Controller failover functionality

7. Verify that the FT or PSU is fully functional in a different slot.

Essentially, we're confirming if the failure follows the PSU or stays with the slot.

8. Verify replacing the appropriate backplane does not resolve the issue.

Use the Sun System Handbook to determine the correct FRU for the part in question and server.
Reference the appropriate System Service Manual for complete instructions on FRU replacement and procedures (see Step 4 for links).

9. Collect the following data and collaborate with the next level of support.

It is preferred that Explorer with the appropriate scextended or 1280extended option as detailed in <Document:1018748.1> How to Run Sun[TM] Explorer and Forward the Data to a Sun Engineer.
If Explorer data can not be collected for whatever reason see <Document:1003529.1> Procedure to manually collect Sun Fire[TM] Midrange System Controller level failure data.

Internal Comments
At this point, if the customer has validated that each troubleshooting step above is true for their
environment, and the issue still exists, collaborate with the next level of technical support.
Previously Published As 91430

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