R540 won't enter lifecycle controller

Question

I've now had two consecutive R540s where I cannot enter the lifecycle controller. Here's what happens:

1) Boot server

2) Press F10

3) Lifecycle controller throws error message "Couldn't Locate device handle for MAS001.. System Rebooting"

4) System reboots and attempts to enter LCC again without my intervention

5) Repeat steps 3 and 4 twice

6) LCC then goes into recovery mode.

Note that through all of this, the only time I touch anything is to press F10 that first time.

I've tried using the BIOS to re-enable the LCC. It goes back to enabled, but if I try to invoke the LCC again, it goes through the same process. I've tried re-flashing the iDRAC/LCC firmware. I've even tried flashing an earlier version of the firmware. I've searched for the text of the error message and get no relevant results. Dell even replaced the server, and both the original and replacement server have this problem.

It's terribly frustrating that I can't do something as simple as use the LCC. I need to install a different OS and I want to do it the right way. What gives? Anyone else have an R540 with a working or non-working LCC?

Daniel My · Accepted Answer

Hello

If you are experiencing this problem across multiple systems then I would suspect something that is attached to or installed in the system. Almost any hardware connected to the system can disrupt initialization of other hardware.

Thanks

GTBREA · Accepted Answer

I initially thought that it couldn't be that, because I have literally nothing connected to the server other than the monitor and input devices, but then I realized.. KVM. I unplugged the USB KVM and plugged input devices directly in, and the LCC worked as it was supposed to. So a dodgy KVM caused all this. What a nightmare! But at least it's solved. Thanks for giving me the lightbulb moment I needed.

PowerEdge Hardware General

R540 won't enter lifecycle controller

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