Intel H2312JFJR - hardisks are not recognized

[mharb]

Hi,

I bought an intel H2312JFJR system which came with 12 SCSI drives (2TB) and four HNS2600JF Server Nodes.

When I first powered up the system, I noticed that non of the 12 hard disks is flashing any status light and when I get into the BIOS setup, no harddisk appeared in the boot order menu. This is the case for all the 4 nodes.

I tried to install a hypervisor (Xenserver) from the flash drive and it also confirmed that it could not find any drives. The only way I managed to get a node up and running is by using a flash drive with live Linux image.

I do not have any experience in Intel servers so I am not sure how to proceed.

What would cause all the 12 drives not working despite being a 4 node system with redundancy? and how should I proceed to further diagnose the problem ?

Regards,

Mishal

[idata]

Hello Mishal,

In this type of chassis there is a common HDD backplane for the 4 nodes. You can check this on the following URL from page 60: https://www.intel.com/content/dam/support/us/en/documents/motherboards/server/sb/479519_g39462_013_h2000jf_tps_r2_21.pdf https://www.intel.com/content/dam/support/us/en/documents/motherboards/server/sb/479519_g39462_013_h2000jf_tps_r2_21.pdf The issue you describe seems to be related to the HDD backplane not receiving power at all. In the worst case scenario there could be a backplane failure that would require replacement. Could you please check for the internal power and data connections going to the backplane? Will look forward for your updates Jose H.

[mharb]

Thanks for the tip Jose. I went through the manual before and I noticed that the drives are not common between all the nodes but each three drives are dedicated to one node. So the drives are getting their power from one backplane but connects to each node through a separate SCSI connection ? I was thinking that both power and data connection are being done with each node.

How can I confirm that the backplane is the issue. Wouldn't the server sensors/diagnostics alert if there is a fault in the backplane ?

[idata]

Hello Mishal,

Effectively as you correctly describe the HDDs are separated for each node and there are separate data connections on the back of the backplane, even thou the backplane board is common for all the 12 HDDs. We could try to get the system logs for all of the 4 nodes and check if there are inconsistencies from the storage subsystem. In order to extract the logs please download the https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/25437/System-Information-Retrieval-Utility-SysInfo-?product=61083 System Information Retrieval Utility (SysInfo). UEFI Version: 1. Copy the uncompressed ZIP file into your local directory (for example, fs0: \sysinfo).2. GOTO the UEFI folder.3. Run sysinfo.efi.4. sysinfo.efi logs system information in 3 different log files in a folder called "LogFiles" in the current directory: 1. sysinfo_log.txt2. RAID_NVRAMlog.txt (RAID settings and RAID log)3. PCI_Log.txt (PCI Bus info). As soon as you have the logs attach them so we can analyze them. Regards Jose

[mharb]

Thanks Jose,

logs attached.

Mishal

[idata]

Hello Mishal,

Looks like the HDDs are been detected as it shows as DRIVE_PRESENCE on the log. It that is the case then there could be a bit of confusion with the internal connections/configuration. Are you using SAS drives? At the beginning of the threat you said there were SCSI drives so I assume they are SAS ones. Could you please confirm? Jose H.

[mharb]

Hi Jose,

That is good news. I sure hope that it is something that can be easily fixed instead of shipping the server back internationally to the seller.

The drives are SAS SCSI. I have attached a picture of their label.

I have also opened the server top and looked for any loose/disconnected cables and everything looks fine visually.

[idata]

Hello Mishal,

We need to confirm a couple things.

• Bridge board part number? (AHWJFWP6GBGB, AH2000JF6GBKIT, or any other)
• Is there any RAID Upgrade Key connected on port X (Layout, https://www.intel.com/content/dam/support/us/en/documents/motherboards/server/sb/479519_g39462_013_h2000jf_tps_r2_21.pdf Page 15)

A RAID upgrade key might be needed in order to the SAS drives to be seen. You can try attaching a SATA drive for testing purposes.

• Last but not least under BIOS > Advanced > Mass Storage Controller Configuration > SAS/SATA Capable Controller > Enabled is there any HDD listed? (AHCI Capable SATA Controller needs to be disabled)

Jose H.

[mharb]

Hi Jose,

below are the confirmations with pictures;

• Bridge board part number? (AHWJFWP6GBGB, AH2000JF6GBKIT, or any other)

The number is QSP23403585 (there is another number on the tag which is PBA G16439-401)

• Is there any RAID Upgrade Key connected on port X (Layout, https://www.intel.com/content/dam/support/us/en/documents/motherboards/server/sb/479519_g39462_013_h2000jf_tps_r2_21.pdf Page 15) A RAID upgrade key might be needed in order to the SAS drives to be seen. You can try attaching a SATA drive for testing purposes.

Port X is empty- no upgrade key present

• Last but not least under BIOS > Advanced > Mass Storage Controller Configuration > SAS/SATA Capable Controller > Enabled is there any HDD listed? (AHCI Capable SATA Controller needs to be disabled)

AHCI Capable SATA Controlle was set to compatibility so I disabled it as you suggested. I do not see any HDD listed (picture below)

[mharb]

Would this RAID upgrade key fit my system (if it is needed to get the HDDs recognized) ?

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-RAID-Controller-Upgrade-RKSAS4/dp/B007IA4EKW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1498210373&sr=8-3&keywords=intel+server+RAID+Upgrade+Key Intel RAID C600 Controller Upgrade Key RKSAS4 at Amazon.com

Unfortunately, I don't have SATA hardisk to test.

[mharb]

Hi Jose,

I went back to the seller details of the server and I noticed that they mentioned that the drives are SATA. I contacted them and emailed a picture of the drive I have and they said that it was sent in error and they will ship SATA HDDs as replacement.

They also said that the server controllers do not support SAS drives. is this correct ? I thought that SAS are backward compatible with SATA controllers (from a youtube I watched).

[idata]

Hello Mishal,

According to our databases your bridge board part number is the equivalent of FHWJFWPBGB which is the SAS/SATA bridge board for this compute node. So far this is correct. About the RAID activation key this is the missing part here. The server does support SAS drives but only with the RAID activation key installed. The one you found is one out of 3 different keys that could work on this server. RKSATA4R5, RKSAS4 and RKSAS4R5. The RKSAS4R5 is the one that enables all the features available on this board. After the key is installed on the board you will see SAS/SATA controller configuration > 4 ports in SAS/SATA mode. You will be able to enable either Intel RSTe or ESRT2 from the SAS/SATA Capable Controller under BIOS and after that you can access the RAID BIOS screen by pressing Ctrl+I or Ctrl+E during POST and create the RAID volumes. I hope this clarify this whole issue and will help you to get your severs up and running. Jose H.

[idata]

Hello Mishal,

Do you have any updates about this?Just let me knowRegardsJose H.

[idata]

Hello Mishal,

I will mark this thread as resolved by now. If you have updates just post them and we will continue with the discussion.Last you might receive a short survey. We will appreciate if you take a couple minutes to provide some feedback.RegardsJose H.

[mharb]

Hi Jose,

Sorry I was away in a short holiday.

The SATA drives will be delivered tomorrow so hopefully the issue will be resolved.

I will post an update once I mount them on the server and check them.

Regards,

Mishal

[idata]

Hello Mishal,

Thank you for your update. And please keep us updated with any changes or if the problem has been resolved. If there is anything else we can help please feel free to ask.Best regards, Henry A.

[mharb]

Hi Jose,

Thanks a lot for your professional and expert support. I have confirmed that all the SATA drives are working on my server and the problem was that the wrong type of drives (SAS) was sent by the vendor.

Your feedback has also enabled me to better understand the technical details and spec of the server which will be handy later.

Keep on the good work and much appreciated.

Regards,

Mishal

[idata]

Hello Mishal,

I am glad to hear about your issue got resolved. I really appreciate your feedback.Hope everything will continue working correctly and will proceed to mark this thread as resolved.Best regardsJose H.