Dell PowerEdge 4200 Series Guide

'HOO

3RZHU(GJH

6\VWHPV
,167$//$7,21$1'7528%/(6+227,1**8,'(
®

Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
1997 Dell Computer Corporation. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Computer Corporation is strictly forbidden.
Trademarks used in this text: Dell,DellDimension, the DELLlogo,andPowerEdgeare registeredtrademarksandDellWare isa registeredservice
mark of Dell Computer Corporation; Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation; Microsoft, Windows, Windows NT, and
MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; CompuServe is a registered trademark of CompuServe, Inc.
Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products.
Dell Computer Corporation disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.
June 1997 P/N 54312

v
Safety Instructions
U
se the following safety guidelines to help protect
your computer system from potential damage and to
ensure your own personal safety.
B
efore You Begin
Observe the following warnings while servicing this
system:
WARNING: The power supplies in this computer
system produce high voltages and energy hazards,
which can cause bodily harm. Only trained service
technicians are authorized to remove the computer
covers and access any of the components inside the
computer.
WARNING: This system may have more than one
power supply cable. To reduce the risk of electrical
shock, a trained service technician must disconnect
all power supply cables before servicing the system.
ADVARSEL: Dette system kan have mere end et
strømforsyningskabel. For at reducere risikoen for
elektrisk stød, bør en professionel servicetekniker
frakoble alle strømforsyningskabler, før systemet
serviceres.
VAROITUS: Tässä järjestelmässä voi olla useampi
kuin yksi virtajohto. Sähköiskuvaaran pie-
nentämiseksi ammattitaitoisen huoltohenkilön on
irrotettava kaikki virtajohdot ennen järjestelmän
huoltamista.
ADVARSEL! Det er mulig at dette systemet har
mer enn én strømledning. Unngå fare for støt: En
erfaren servicetekniker må koble fra alle strømled-
ninger før det utføres service på systemet.
VARNING: Detta system kan ha flera nätkablar.
En behörig servicetekniker måste koppla loss alla
nätkablar innan service utförs för att minska
risken för elektriska stötar.

vi
W
hen Working Inside the
Computer
Before taking the covers off of the computer, perform the
following steps in the sequence indicated:
1. Turn off the computer and any peripherals.
2. Disconnect the computer and peripherals from
their power sources. Also, disconnect any tele-
phone or telecommunications lines from the
computer.
Doing so reduces the potential for personal injury or
shock.
3. Touch an unpainted metal surface on the com-
puter chassis, such as the power supply, before
touching anything inside the computer.
While you work, periodically touch an unpainted
metal surface on the computer chassis to dissipate
any static electricity that might harm internal
components.
In addition, take note of these safety guidelines when
appropriate:
•To help avoid possible damage to the system board,
wait five seconds after turning off the system before
removing a component from the system board or dis-
connecting a peripheral device from the computer.
•When you disconnect a cable, pull on its connector
or on its strain-relief loop, not on the cable itself.
Some cables have a connector with locking tabs; if
you are disconnecting this type of cable, press in on
the locking tabs before disconnecting the cable. As
you pull connectors apart, keep them evenly aligned
to avoid bending any connector pins. Also, before
you connect a cable, make sure both connectors are
correctly oriented and aligned.
•Handle components and cards with care. Don’t touch
the components or contacts on a card. Hold a card by
its edges or by its metal mounting bracket. Hold a
component such as a microprocessor chip by its
edges, not by its pins.
Protecting Against Electrostatic
Discharge
Static electricity can harm delicate components inside the
computer. To prevent static damage, discharge static elec-
tricity from your body before you touch any of the
computer’s electronic components, such as the micro-
processor. You can do so by touching an unpainted metal
surface on the computer chassis.
As you continue to work inside the computer, periodi-
cally touch an unpainted metal surface to remove any
static charge your body may have accumulated.
You can also take the following steps to prevent damage
from electrostatic discharge (ESD):
•When unpacking a static-sensitive component from
its shipping carton, do not remove the component’s
antistatic packing material until you are ready to
install the component in the computer. Just before
unwrapping the antistatic packaging, be sure to dis-
charge static electricity from your body.
•When transporting a sensitive component, first place
it in an antistatic container or packaging.
•Handle all sensitive components in a static-safe area.
If possible, use antistatic floor pads and workbench
pads.
The following caution appears throughout this document
to remind you of these precautions:
CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic
Discharge” in the safety instructions at the front of
this guide.

vii
W
hen Using the Computer
System
As you use the computer system, observe the following
safety guidelines:
•If your computer has a voltage selection switch on
the power supply, be sure the switch is set to match
the alternating current (AC) power available at your
location:
— 115 volts (V)/60 hertz (Hz) in most of North and
South America and some Far Eastern countries
such as Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan
— 230 V/50 Hz in most of Europe, the Middle
East, and the Far East
•Be sure the monitor and attached peripherals are
electrically rated to operate with the AC power avail-
able in your location.
•To help prevent electric shock, plug the computer
and peripheral power cables into properly grounded
power sources. These cables are equipped with
three-prong plugs to ensure proper grounding. Do
not use adapter plugs or remove the grounding prong
from a cable. If you must use an extension cable, use
a three-wire cable with properly grounded plugs.
•To help protect the computer system from sudden,
transient increases and decreases in electrical power,
use a surge suppressor, line conditioner, or un-
interruptible power supply (UPS).
•Be sure nothing rests on the computer system’s
cables and that the cables are not located where they
can be stepped on or tripped over.
•Do not spill food or liquids on the computer. If the
computer gets wet, see Chapter 7, “Checking Inside
the Computer.”
•Do not push any objects into the openings of the
computer. Doing so can cause fire or electric shock
by shorting out interior components.
•Keep the computer away from radiators and heat
sources. Also, do not block cooling vents. Avoid
placing loose papers underneath the computer, and
do not place the computer in a closed-in wall unit or
on a rug.

viii

ix
Preface
A
bout This Guide
This guide provides directions for trained service techni-
cians who are installing system upgrade options in a Dell
PowerEdge 4200 computer system or troubleshooting
problems that have temporarily disabled a system. Before
calling for technical assistance, follow the recommended
procedure(s) in this guide to solve most hardware and
software problems yourself.
•Chapter 1, “Introduction,” provides a brief overview
of system service features.
•Everyone should read Chapter 2, “Checking the
Basics,” for some initial checks and procedures that
can be used to solve basic computer problems. It also
directs you to the appropriate chapter in this guide
for more detailed troubleshooting information and
procedures to solve more complex problems.
•Whenever you receive an error message or code, you
should read Chapter 3, “Messages and Codes.” This
chapter discusses system messages, system beep
codes, warning messages, and diagnostics messages.
•If you suspect that theproblems are software-related,
or you are still having problems after testing the
computer’s hardware, read Chapter 4, “Finding Soft-
ware Solutions.” It provides some general guidelines
for analyzing software problems.
•For hardware-related problems, read Chapter 5,
“Running the System Diagnostics.” Chapter 6,
“Checking the Equipment,” and Chapter 7, “Check-
ing Inside the Computer,” provide troubleshooting
procedures for equipment connected to the input/
output (I/O) panel of the computer and components
inside the computer, respectively. Chapter 7 also pro-
vides information on removing the computer covers.
•Chapter 8, “Installing System Board Options,”
Chapter 9, “Installing Drives in the External Bays,”
and Chapter 10, “Installing Drives in the Internal
Bays,” are intended for technicians who want to
install or remove options inside the computer, such
as dual in-line memory modules (DIMMs), expan-
sion cards, or SCSI devices.
•Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” describes the help tools
Dell provides to assist you should you have a prob-
lem with the computer. It also explains how and
when to call Dell for technical assistance.
•Make a copy of the checklist in Appendix A, “Diag-
nostics Checklist,” and fill it out as you perform the
troubleshooting procedures. If you need to call Dell
for technical assistance, use the completed checklist
to tell the support technician what procedures you
performed to better help the Dell technician give you
assistance. If you must return a piece of hardware to
Dell, include a filled-out checklist.
•Appendix B, “Diagnostic Video Tests,” discusses the
tests for the Video Test Group in the system diagnos-
tics to help you test the monitor.
•Appendix C, “Jumpers and Switches,” is intended
for technicians who are troubleshooting the system
or addinginternal options and need to change jumper
or switch settings.
•A table of the abbreviations and acronyms used
throughout this guide and in other Dell documenta-
tion for the system precedes the index.

x
O
ther Documentation You May
Need
You may need to reference the following documentation
when performing the procedures in this guide:
•The Dell PowerEdge 4200 Systems User’s Guide,
which describes system features and technical speci-
fications, video and small computer system interface
(SCSI) device drivers, the System Setup program,
software support utilities, and the EISA Configura-
tion Utility.
•The Dell PowerEdge rack installation documenta-
tion, which provides detailed instructions for
installing the system in a rack.
•The Dell Hardware Instrumentation Package for
Intel LANDesk Server Manager User’s Guide, which
describes the alert messages issued by the server
management software.
You may also have one or more of the following
documents:
•Operating system documentation is included with
the system if you ordered the operating system soft-
ware from Dell. This documentation describes how
to install (if necessary), configure, and use the oper-
ating system software.
•Documentation is included with any options you
purchase separately from the system, such as the
Dell PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller host
adapter. This documentation includes information
that you need to configure and install these options
in your Dell computer.
•Technical information files—sometimes called
“readme” files—may be installed on the hard-disk
drive to provide last-minute updates about technical
changes to the system or advanced technical refer-
ence material intended for experienced users or
technicians.
NOTE: Documentation updates are sometimes included
with the system to describe changes to the system or soft-
ware. Always read these updates before consulting any
other documentation because the updates often contain infor-
mation that supersedes the information in the other
documents.
N
otational Conventions
The following subsections describe notational conven-
tions used in this document.
Warnings, Cautions, and Notes
Throughout this guide, there may be blocks of text
printed in bold type within boxes or in italic type. These
blocks are warnings, cautions, and notes, and they are
used as follows:
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that
helps you make better use of your computer system.
Typographical Conventions
The following list defines (where appropriate) specific
elements of text and illustrates the typographical conven-
tions used throughout this document as visual cues for
those elements:
•Keycaps, the labeling that appears on the keys on a
keyboard, are enclosed in angle brackets.
Example: <Enter>
•Key combinations are series of keys to be pressed
simultaneously (unless otherwise indicated) to per-
form a single function.
Example: <Ctrl><Alt><Enter>
•Commands presented in lowercase bold are for refer-
ence purposes only and are not intended to be typed
when referenced.
Example: “Use the format command to . . . .”
WARNING: A WARNING indicates the potential
for bodily harm and tells you how to avoid the
problem.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either poten-
tial damage to hardware or loss of data and tells
you how to avoid the problem.

xi
In contrast, commands presented in the Courier New
font are part of an instruction and intended to be
typed.
Example: “Type format a: to format the diskette
in drive A.”
•Filenames and directory names are presented in
lowercase bold.
Examples: autoexec.bat and c:\windows
•Syntax lines consist of a command and all its
possible parameters. Commands are displayed in
lowercase bold; variable parameters (those for which
you substitute a value) are displayed in lowercase
italics; constant parameters are displayed in lower-
case bold. The brackets indicate items that are
optional.
Example: del [drive:] [path] filename [/p]
•Command lines consist of a command and may
include one or more of the command’s possible
parameters. Command lines are presented in the
Courier New font.
Example: del c:\myfile.doc
•Screen text is text that appears on the screen of your
monitor or display. It can be a system message, for
example, or it can be text that you are instructed to
type as part of a command (referred to as a command
line). Screen text is presented in the Courier New
font.
Example: The following message appears on your
screen:
No boot device available
Example: “Type md c:\dos and press <Enter>.”
•Variables are placeholders for which you substitute a
value. They are presented in italics.
Example: DIMM_x(where x represents the DIMM
socket designation)

xii

xiii
Contents
Chapter 1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Chapter 2
Checking the Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Backing Up Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Basic Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Checking Connections and Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Look and Listen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
The System Setup Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
The EISA Configuration Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Chapter 3
Messages and Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
System Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
System Beep Codes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Warning Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Diagnostics Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Alert Log Messages From the Dell HIP Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
SCSI Hard-Disk Drive Indicator Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Chapter 4
Finding Software Solutions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Installing and Configuring Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Using Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Error Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Input Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Program Conflicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Avoiding Interrupt Assignment Conflicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2

xiv
Chapter 5
Running the System Diagnostics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
Features of the System Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
When to Use the System Diagnostics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
Starting the System Diagnostics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
How to Use the System Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Confirming the System Configuration Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
How to Use the Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Main Menu Categories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Select. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Subtest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Run Under Subtest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Select Under Subtest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Options Under Subtest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Test Limits Under Subtest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
About Under Subtest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Key-Help Under Subtest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Quit Menu Under Subtest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Number of Times to Repeat Test(s). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Maximum Errors Allowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Pause for User Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Output Device for Status Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Output Device for Error Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Test Limits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
About. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Key-Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Quit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Tests in the System Diagnostics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Error Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
RAM Test Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Why Run a RAM Test?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
System Set Test Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Why Run a System Set Test? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12

xv
Video Test Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Why Run a Video Test?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Keyboard Test Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Why Run a Keyboard Test?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Mouse Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Why Run the Mouse Test?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Diskette Drives Test Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Why Run a Diskette Drives Test? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Serial/Infrared Ports Test Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Why Run a Serial/Infrared Ports Test? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Parallel Ports Test Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Why Run a Parallel Ports Test? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
SCSI Devices Test Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Why Run a SCSI Devices Test?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Other Test Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Why Run an Other Test? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Chapter 6
Checking the Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Troubleshooting the Monitor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Troubleshooting the Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Troubleshooting I/O Ports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Troubleshooting the Basic I/O Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Troubleshooting a Parallel Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Troubleshooting a Serial I/O Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4

xvi
Chapter 7
Checking Inside the Computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Safety First—For You and the Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Removing and Replacing the Computer Covers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Removing the Computer Covers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Replacing the Computer Covers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Removing the Front Bezel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Inside the Chassis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4
Responding to a Dell HIP Alert Message. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Troubleshooting a Wet Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Troubleshooting a Damaged Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Troubleshooting the Battery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Troubleshooting Power Supply Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Replacing a Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Troubleshooting Power Cable Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Troubleshooting a Cooling Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Replacing a Redundant Cooling Fan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
Replacing a Cooling Fan in the Upper Power Supply Bay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Troubleshooting Expansion Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Troubleshooting System Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
Troubleshooting the Video Subsystem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Troubleshooting the System Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Troubleshooting the Diskette Drive Subsystem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16
Checking the Diskette Drive Subsystem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16
Troubleshooting the Diskette Drive Subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
Troubleshooting a SCSI Tape Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Troubleshooting SCSI Hard-Disk Drives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
Chapter 8
Installing System Board Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Expansion Cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Installing an Expansion Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Removing an Expansion Card. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Adding Memory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Memory Upgrade Kits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
DIMM Installation Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5

xvii
Performing a Memory Upgrade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Installing DIMMs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Removing DIMMs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7
Upgrading the Microprocessor or Installing a Secondary Microprocessor. . . . . . . . . 8-7
Removing a Terminator Card. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8
Installing a Terminator Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8
Removing the SEC Cartridge and Heat Sink Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8
Replacing the SEC Cartridge and Heat Sink Assembly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9
Replacing the Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10
Chapter 9
Installing Drives in the External Bays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-1
Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Removing and Replacing Front-Panel Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Connecting the Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
DC Power Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Installing SCSI Devices in the External Bays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
SCSI Configuration Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
SCSI ID Numbers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Device Termination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
SCSI Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Installing a SCSI Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Installing an Internal Tape Drive That Uses a Controller Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Installing an External Tape Drive That Uses a Controller Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Chapter 10
Installing Drives in the Internal Bays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
Installing SCSI Hard-Disk Drives in the Internal Drive Bays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
SCSI Hard-Disk Drive Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Removing and Installing a SCSI Hard-Disk Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Removing a SCSI Hard-Disk Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Installing a SCSI Hard-Disk Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Removing and Inserting a SCSI Hard-Disk Drive With the
System Running . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
SCSI Hard-Disk Drive Indicator Patterns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Removing a SCSI Hard-Disk Drive With the System Running. . . . . . . . . 10-4
Inserting a SCSI Hard-Disk Drive With the System Running . . . . . . . . . . 10-4

xviii
Installing a PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller Host Adapter Card . . . . . . . 10-4
Configuring the Boot Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
Partitioning and Formatting SCSI Hard-Disk Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
Chapter 11
Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
Technical Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
Help Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-2
User’s Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-3
Installation and Troubleshooting Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-3
World Wide Web on the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-3
Commercial Online Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-3
Dell Diagnostics Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-3
AutoTech Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-3
TechFax Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-4
TechConnect BBS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-4
Automated Order-Status System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-4
Technical Support Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-4
Problems With an Order. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-5
Product Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-5
Returning Items for Warranty Repair or Credit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-5
Before You Call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-5
Dell Contact Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-6
Appendix A
Diagnostics Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1
Before You Call.... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1
Appendix B
Diagnostic Video Tests. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1
Video Memory Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1
Video Hardware Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1
Text Mode Character Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1
Character Attributes Subtest (80 x 25) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-2
Character Set Subtest (80 x 25). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-2
Character Attributes Subtest (40 x 25) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-2
Character Set Subtest (40 x 25). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-2

xix
Text Mode Color Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-2
Color Attributes Subtest (80 x 25). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-2
Color Attributes Subtest (40 x 25). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-2
Color Bars Subtest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-3
Text Mode Pages Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-3
Graphics Mode Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-3
320 x 200 Graphics Mode Screens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-3
640 x 200 Black/White Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-3
640 x 480 Monochrome Graphics Mode Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-3
320 x 200 16-Color Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-3
640 x 200 16-Color Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-3
640 x 350 16-Color Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-3
640 x 480 2-Color Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-3
640 x 480 16-Color Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-4
320 x 200 256-Color Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-4
640 x 480 256-Color Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-4
800 x 600 16-Color Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-4
800 x 600 256-Color Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-4
1024 x 768 16-Color Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-4
1024 x 768 256-Color Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-4
1280 x 1024 16-Color Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-4
Color Palettes Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-4
Solid Colors Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-5
Appendix C
Jumpers and Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1
Jumpers and Switches—A General Explanation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-1
Jumpers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-1
Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-1
System Board Labels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-5
SCSI Backplane Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-6
Power Supply Paralleling Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-8
Disabling a Forgotten Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-9
Abbreviations and Acronyms
Index

xx
Figures
Figure 2-1. Back Panel Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Figure 2-2. Switches and Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Figure 5-1. Diagnostics Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Figure 5-2. System Diagnostics Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Figure 7-1. Keylocks on the Computer’s Back Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Figure 7-2. Removing the Computer Covers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Figure 7-3. Removing the Front Bezel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4
Figure 7-4. Inside the Chassis—Front/Left Side View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
Figure 7-5. Inside the Chassis—Back/Right Side View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Figure 7-6. Power Supply Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Figure 7-7. Removing the Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Figure 7-8. Replacing a Cooling Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
Figure 8-1. System Board Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Figure 8-2. Expansion Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Figure 8-3. Expansion-Card Connectors on the System Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Figure 8-4. Installing a DIMM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7
Figure 8-5. Removing a DIMM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7
Figure 8-6. Removing a Terminator Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8
Figure 8-7. SEC Cartridge Release Latches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8
Figure 8-8. SEC Cartridge and Heat Sink Removal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9
Figure 8-9. Inserting an SEC Cartridge and Heat Sink Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10
Figure 8-10. Battery Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-11
Figure 9-1. External Drive Bay Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Figure 9-2. Removing a Front-Panel Insert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Figure 9-3. Power Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Figure 9-4. Header Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Figure 9-5. DC Power Cable Connectors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Figure 9-6. Attaching Drive Rails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Figure 9-7. Cable Connections for a SCSI Device in an External
Drive Bay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Figure 10-1. Internal Drive Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Figure 10-2. Installing a SCSI Hard-Disk Drive Carrier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Figure 10-3. Cable Configuration for a PowerEdge Expandable RAID
Controller Host Adapter Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
Figure 10-4. Daisy-Chaining External SCSI Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
Figure C-1. System Board Jumpers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-2
Figure C-2. SCSI Backplane Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-6
Figure C-3. Power Supply Paralleling Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-8

xxi
Tables
Table 2-1. Boot Routine Indications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Table 3-1. System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Table 3-2. System Beep Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Table 3-3. SCSI Hard-Disk Drive Indicator Patterns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Table 4-1. Default IRQ Line Assignments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Table 5-1. Option Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Table 5-2. System Diagnostics Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Table 7-1. Power Cable Connectors on the Optional Power Supply
Paralleling Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Table 8-1. Sample DIMM Configurations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Table 11-1. Help Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-2
Table 11-2. International Dialing Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-7
Table 11-3. Dell Contact Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-9
Table B-1. Color Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-2
Table C-1. System-Board Jumper Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-3
Table C-2. System Board Connectors and Sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-5
Table C-3. SCSI Backplane Board Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-7
Table C-4. Power Supply Paralleling Board Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-9

xxii