iDRAC6 error

Sorry you are having a problem with the iDRAC6 ДенисГавриленко. Because the iDRAC6 has a hand in controlling the fan speed algorithms and other power controls, it cannot be disabled. That said, it is possible that you are experiencing a problem that has already been fixed in later firmware. Try going to support.dell.com and install the latest iDRAC6 firmware to see if that fixes the problem. Also consider upgrading to the current Lifecycle Controller firmware and BIOS. If you still have issues, I highly recommend calling Dell support. You may be experiencing something we are not aware of.

as of jan2011, The iDRAC6 (as found in Poweredge R610 for example) has a bug whereby if you try and disable it it often fails to respond during the boot sequence and shows the message: "Alert! iDRAC6 not responding. Power required may exceed PSU wattage.

Alert! Continuing system boot accepts the risk that system may power down without warning.
"

we ordered two new servers in december and BOTH have this fault with latest firmware and bios.

"as of jan2011, The iDRAC6 (as found in Poweredge R610 for example) has a bug whereby if you try and disable it it often fails to respond during the boot sequence and shows the message: "Alert! iDRAC6 not responding. Power required may exceed PSU wattage.

Alert! Continuing system boot accepts the risk that system may power down without warning.
"

we ordered two new servers in december and BOTH have this fault with latest firmware and bios."

Jsmith123 is correct. Unfortunately there is a bug in the current version of iDRAC6 firmware (1.54 and higher) that will cause a stop in the boot cycle and an error if you set the iDRAC6 network mode to disabled/off. We discovered this issue after my previous post on October 14th. A fix will be delivered in our March release (i.e. version 1.70). If you believe you are experiencing this issue, I recommendation to set the DRAC to dedicated mode (or shared) if you have iDRAC6 Express or use an earlier version of firmware (Prior to 1.54 if supported by your server).

The message at POST indicates that the "power required may exceed PSU wattage". This is a bit of an erronious message. The BIOS shows this because it has lost communication with DRAC and cannot determine the available power to the system. There is a setting in BIOS setup that can be disabled such that ths system will not stop and F1/F2. This is another option for you in the meantime, but without the DRAC the system will run the fans on high mode which is not very power efficent or accoustically friendly.

Let me know if I can help in any other way.

"Jsmith123 is correct. Unfortunately there is a bug in the current version of iDRAC6 firmware (1.54 and higher) that will cause a stop in the boot cycle and an error if you set the iDRAC6 network mode to disabled/off. We discovered this issue after my previous post on October 14th. A fix will be delivered in our March release (i.e. version 1.70). If you believe you are experiencing this issue, I recommendation to set the DRAC to dedicated mode (or shared) if you have iDRAC6 Express or use an earlier version of firmware (Prior to 1.54 if supported by your server).

The message at POST indicates that the "power required may exceed PSU wattage". This is a bit of an erronious message. The BIOS shows this because it has lost communication with DRAC and cannot determine the available power to the system. There is a setting in BIOS setup that can be disabled such that ths system will not stop and F1/F2. This is another option for you in the meantime, but without the DRAC the system will run the fans on high mode which is not very power efficent or accoustically friendly.

Let me know if I can help in any other way."

We've seen the same issue on our R815 servers, do you know if the new iDRAC firmware available for these as yet?

Thanks a lot!

"We've seen the same issue on our R815 servers, do you know if the new iDRAC firmware available for these as yet?

Thanks a lot!"

Yes, the 1.70 firmware is available for download from support.dell.com.

Here's a link to download the image:
http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/format.aspx?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd&deviceid=20137&libid=29&releaseid=R299265&vercnt=4&formatcnt=0&SystemID=PWE_R815&servicetag=&os=WS8R2&osl=en&catid=-1&dateid=-1&typeid=-1&formatid=-1&impid=-1&checkFormat=true

One thing to note is that you have set your iDRAC6 to a network mode of disabled/off, then you may have some difficulty flashing the firmware of the iDRAC6. This is because the iDRAC6 is in a hung state and cannot apply the update until it is removed from the disabled/off state. Unfortunately, once in this state, your options may be somewhat limited. I will post a follow-up as soon as I can to help you out if you run into this situation.

I tried to apply the latest iDRAC6 firmware, and it was unable to apply. I don't know what state my iDRAC6 is in —it put itself into whatever state it currently is in. Please post a follow-up for my "limited options". Thank you!

I also tried to install the Lifecycle Controller, and that failed because it "couldn't read the inventory from the LCL".

"I tried to apply the latest iDRAC6 firmware, and it was unable to apply. I don't know what state my iDRAC6 is in —it put itself into whatever state it currently is in. Please post a follow-up for my "limited options". Thank you!

I also tried to install the Lifecycle Controller, and that failed because it "couldn't read the inventory from the LCL"."

If you have your iDRAC6 NIC set to "disabled/off", then this is the action the support team is recommending:

(Please read all the steps before beginning.)
1) Power off your server and remove AC power. (I apologize that this step is needed. We have to remove AUX power from the iDRAC6 so that it powers off and memory is cleared.)
2) Wait about 60 seconds and then reapply AC power.
3) Quickly power on the server and hit the space bar to skip the memory tests.
4) Hit Ctrl-E when prompted. (If you miss the 5 second window, start over at step 1.)
5) The first configuration option in the menu is "iDRAC6 LAN". Set this to "On" by hitting the space bar while it is selected.
6) Hit Esc and choose to Save Changes and Exit.

After doing this, try to update the firmware again. Let me know if this helps you or not.

One thing to keep in mind.. If your iDRAC6's NIC is not set to off, then you might have success just doing a DRAC reset using the command line (racadm racreset) or from the GUI interface and try your update again. You may not actually need to power off the server.

When I try the racadm racreset command, I am told that there is a firmware update in progress as well as the common "cannot communicate".

I am never prompted to hit CTRL-E. And the spacebar does not skip the "Configuring memory" step. I can use the F-keys at will, however.

I am using an R610, btw.

I'm having the exact same error on an R710. I, too, do not ever have the option to hit "CTRL-E" either. I spoke to a dell tech and she said that I should update the systems management bios first and then try to update the iDrac6 firmware. Does this make any sense? I will not be able to try until this evening though.

@dispillers: Sorry this didn't work for you.. Do you know if you set the iDRAC6 LAN to "off"? I'm surprised that Ctrl-E isn't showing up. It usually comes up shortly after the RAID card option ROM is loading. Do you know what version of iDRAC6 firmware you are running right now? Are you using racadm locally (i.e. through the operating system of the server), remotely (from a client over TCP/IP), or over SSH? Can you get to the iDRAC6's web GUI at all? Thanks! This information will help me out. We will get this worked out!

@hcsrob: It probably isn't a bad idea to update the BIOS, but I'm not convinced that alone will resolve the issue. Again, it is odd that Ctrl-E is not showing up for you. It is an option ROM that BIOS loads to allow you to configure the iDRAC6 in a pre-OS fashion. Do you know if you put the iDRAC6 LAN into "off" mode? If it isn't too much trouble, can you try the following at your earliest convenience? (Important: These steps may not help if you know your iDRAC6 LAN is set to "off".)
1) Download the newest System Build and Update Utility from here:
http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/download.aspx?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd&releaseid=R300653&SystemID=PWE_R710&servicetag=&os=WNET&osl=en&deviceid=24134&devlib=0&typecnt=0&vercnt=4&catid=-1&impid=-1&formatcnt=0&libid=36&typeid=-1&dateid=-1&formatid=-1&source=-1&fileid=451468
2) Burn it to a DVD. (This is the easiest way to update your devices.)
3) Power down the server and remove AC power.
4) Wait about 60 seconds. Put the DVD you burned into the server while you wait.
5) Reapply AC power and turn it back on.
6) Make sure you boot to the DVD. Follow the System Buil and Update Utility's instructions to update all the system FW.

Brian, thanks for your suggestions. I also wanted to mention that when first booting up, the startup options in the top right corner state "System Service Disabled" which I think is related to the problem that I'm having.

Anyways, I also ran into the same message that djspiller ran into regarding using the racadmin reset command. It states theres already a firmware in progress.

I was able to boot into the SUU, but I wasn't sure how to apply the firmware. All I have is the d6 file, and the windows executable that will not work. I do not know how to apply the d6 fiile since I cannot get into the gui. Any advice?

"Brian, thanks for your suggestions. I also wanted to mention that when first booting up, the startup options in the top right corner state "System Service Disabled" which I think is related to the problem that I'm having.

Anyways, I also ran into the same message that djspiller ran into regarding using the racadmin reset command. It states theres already a firmware in progress.

I was able to boot into the SUU, but I wasn't sure how to apply the firmware. All I have is the d6 file, and the windows executable that will not work. I do not know how to apply the d6 fiile since I cannot get into the gui. Any advice? "

Hmm.. When you get that message, System Services (i.e. Lifecycle Controller) are either disabled or in a corrupted state. We have a LC repair package for this situation.

I'm tempt to tell you to download that package and try it out, but I'm not convinced that your DRAC is functional. Can you get to your DRAC web GUI?

@Brian_Doty: I do not think we set the LAN option to off. I opened a Dell support ticket and we noted the same thing @hcsrob noted. The "system services disabled" shows on our POST screen as well. The Dell tech decided to send out a replacement motherboard, as the iDRAC6 is likely in too corrupted a state to go through the Lifecycle Controller repair procedure, which requires some level of communication with the iDRAC6 itself.

they are sending out another motherboard to us as well. is the motherboard easy to replace?