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August 16th, 2007 04:00
Runaway time-of-day clock in server setup (PowerEdge 4300/600)
I'm trying to resurrect a used PowerEdge 4300/600. In system setup, page-1, the time-of-day keeps rolling like crazy... seconds too fast to read, minutes almost as fast, hour incrementing each time the minutes roll past 59... just like a crazy odometer! I can reset the date, but then it increments every few seconds. After a few minutes it's into the next month. The cursor moves to highlight each of the time fields, but I can't get any of the keys on the keyboard to halt the time advance in order to set it. Just in case it is relevant, here is what little I know about this server: PowerEdge 4300, 2x600 MHz P-III's, 1 Gb RAM, 3 hot-swap drives. The dot-com company I got this from closed their local offices after being acquired. AFAIK the PowerEdge was used for serving web pages, in a systems room, well-maintained, in place and working at the time the operation was shut down. In all my years I've never come across this problem before. Any help or advice will be hugely appreciated.
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pcmeiners
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August 16th, 2007 12:00
Message Edited by pcmeiners on 08-16-2007 08:02 AM
unixdinosaur
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August 16th, 2007 13:00
chilecayenne
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February 12th, 2011 10:00
I have the exact same problem. My dell poweredge 4300 was in storage since Katrina (unharmed).
When I fire it up, the bios clock is in a runaway situation...just keeps advancing at a very rapid rate.
I replaced the system board battery (#CR2032 3V). I booted the system...same problem with the clock.
Not sure what to do next...is there some way to reset the BIOS? Looking at it...version:
BIOS Version A05 on the bios set up screen embedded server mgmt revision 3.19
system backplane revision 5.12
Any suggestions?
Thank you,
chilecayenne
pcmeiners
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February 13th, 2011 09:00
"My dell poweredge 4300 was in storage since Katrina (unharmed)."
Odds are one of the capacitors in the timing circuit has gone out of spec or has died, likely one which is to small to evaluate. You might try opening the case, looking at all the capacitors for bulging or leaks. The capacitors specific to timing will be located around the system timing crystal (if it has one, general a small metal case), generally located near the CMOS battery. Reasonable sized caps can be replaced, but again the timing circuit require very small caps
chilecayenne
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February 14th, 2011 10:00
:emotion-6:
So...in other words, likely only solution to this, is a motherboard replacement??
Thanks for the reply..but wow...depressing news. This thing is in clean, mint condition otherwise in appearance.