PowerEdge R320 Alert! iDRAC not responding. Rebooting.

Hi,

Please send a private message with your service tag to ensure we have all appropriate information on your system.

Thank you,

Hi Aston,

Thank you for the service tag.

The iDRAC is embedded in the motherboard. It's either the BMC, iDRAC Epress ,or iDRAC Enterprise depending on the license that is purchased. The license will enable additional features for the Express or Enterprise. I checked your order and saw that an additional license was not purchased.

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@astyywrote:

I've tried clearing the flea power and also resetting the iDRAC holding the i Button.

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The iDRAC can take up to 5 minutes to reinitialize, so be sure and allow enough time.

Here is a link to another post with the same issue as yourself that was solved. 

https://www.dell.com/community/PowerEdge-General-HW/Initializing-iDrac/td-p/5080061

Let me know if that helps,

Thank you for looking into it @Dell-JimmyP I did follow that link which concluded that either the BMC is at fault or follow the Serial/Putty procedure, in my case I get no iDRAC Recovery menu in the Putty console.

Things have taken a turn for the worse - the server now has Health, Power and Temp diagnostic indicators lit Amber as well as the indicator light on the back flashing Amber.

I do have an identical R320 if it would help to t/shoot swapping components.  The faulty server was removed some time ago and subsequently stored which could be relevant.

Hi,

It is starting to sound as if the motherboard may be at fault. You can try to take the system down to minimum to POST to make sure it's not another component causing the problems. 

The minimum components to allow the PowerEdge R320 to complete POST are:

• System Board
• CPU1 with heat sink (minimum for troubleshooting)
• Single DIMM configuration with DIMM in socket A1
• Control Panel with cable (to power system on)
• Expansion Riser
• PSU (and for redundant PSU also the PDB/PIB)

Let me know if that makes any difference.

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@Dell-JimmyPwrote:

Hi,

It is starting to sound as if the motherboard may be at fault. You can try to take the system down to minimum to POST to make sure it's not another component causing the problems. 

The minimum components to allow the PowerEdge R320 to complete POST are:

• System Board
• CPU1 with heat sink (minimum for troubleshooting)
• Single DIMM configuration with DIMM in socket A1
• Control Panel with cable (to power system on)
• Expansion Riser
• PSU (and for redundant PSU also the PDB/PIB)

Let me know if that makes any difference.

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I have unplugged what I think can be unplugged and it's still failing to initialise the iDRAC.  Anything else I can try before concluding that the motherboard is at fault?  Thanks.

Hi,

The problem can be any of the components that were used for minimum to POST that you aren't able to swap or the motherboard itself with the additional diagnostic indicators you started to see. With the BMC on the motherboard, it can be hard to differentiate between the 2 and replacing the motherboard would be the same fix.

Thanks,

I read the entire thread. We are having the exactly same issue.
What was the resolution in your case - motherboard?