Intel S2600ST / S2600STB Power Issues

[prelude1989]

Hi,

We're a reseller of Intel servers and over the past few months, we've observed power-related issues on five different servers that use the S2600STB server board.

Usually the fault manifests itself by the server powering off unexpectedly.  When we attempt to power the server back on via the RMM, we receive a 'Soft Power Control Failure' error.  If we power cycle the server (ie unplug both AC power inputs, wait 10 minutes, then reattach the AC power inputs) then the server will beep a few times and still fail to power on.  For each instance, we've managed to get the server up and running again by either replacing the power supplies, replacing the power supply backplane (power distribution board), or just by leaving the server unplugged for a few hours and in some cases it just starts working again without replacing any components.

I've spotted the following article on the Intel web site that appears to acknowledge that this is a common issue, but it's lacking detail so I can't determine with 100% confidence the correct course of action to resolve the issue and prevent it from happening again:

https://www.intel.com.au/content/www/au/en/support/articles/000059379/server-products.html

Do I just need to leave the server off for a few hours, and when it starts working again, just update the firmware?  Or is the correct course of action to replace the power supplies, replace the power distribution board, and also update the firmware?  The article looks like it was written in a hurry and needs some more details, like the affected model numbers, firmware revisions, etc.

We have already raised a support case with Intel, but I'm concerned that they will just RMA the board and the fault will occur again down the track.  So, I'm hoping to get the attention of an engineer from Intel's server team by posting on here, to get a more comprehensive understanding of the problem.

If anyone can help, I'd greatly appreciate it.  Some of these servers are located in remote locations (hundreds of kilometres from our office) and have failed multiple times, so our reputation (and Intel's) is taking a hit from our clients.

Thanks in advance to anyone that can help!

[Victor_G_Intel]

Hello prelude1989,

Thank you for posting on the Intel communities.

We noticed that you have contacted Intel Customer Support directly regarding the same issue here described and we found out that you have an internal support case open. In this case, we will proceed to close this thread to avoid duplication of effort and the support will continue through the internal case.

Best regards,

Victor G.

Intel Customer Support Technician