Recurring NVRAM Mismatch problem

Question

Once every month or so my PowerEdge 2450 server just crashes. I try to boot and get an NVRAM mismatch error. I go into the BIOS of the PERC2/DC controller and see the NVRAM shows all disk in a failed state, but if I choose the 'from disk' option, everything looks fine. I then choose F10 to save the disk configuration and reboot and I am fine for a month or two. Why is this problem recurring and what can I do to fix it? This is inconvenient, but more importantly I am VERY nervous about stability of my server. Please advise!!!

tester25 · Answer

I recommend two things.    1.  Upgrade the firmware on the controller to the latest version.  You can download that through this support site.  It looks like v 1.06 A04 is the latest version.   2.  Take a look under 'Battery Backup' in your RAID Controller BIOS.  If the number of recharge cycles on your battery pack is over 1100, then it's recommended to get a new battery.  You'll also want to take a look at the other values here such as temperature and voltage.  I'm not for sure that this is causing your problem but it's worth looking into.  Here's some help: http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/storage/RAID/66JVW/BIOS_Utl.htm#Objects_Menu     Optional but good to do - Make sure that you are using the latest driver that you can download through this site.  It's better to use the manufacturer's driver than the Microsoft or Linux driver.  This won't fix your problem but it's good practice.

PowerEdge HDD/SCSI/RAID

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