20 Most Recent IBM X236 Server Questions & Answers

Javier Yaguaracuto wants answers to this question Javier is this a current 2019 post>? it is not time stamped so...the answer is get the manual from IBM yet and read it.that is first. otherwise the answer will be HUGE.also what raid card inside , not the same.none stated by you, so no answer possible.my servers all have up to 10 choices on raid cards.you might read at IBM.comhttps://www-01.ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?infotype=AN&subtype=CA&htmlfid=897/ENUS104-374it is 15 years old, why mess with such old IRONbuy dell R170 server, vastly newer and vast taken out of service now. (means cheap to buy) bang for the buck cheap. (your uses relic HDD)

Select DVD/ Pendrive as the boot drive. insert boot dvd/ boot pendrive and restart the server. It should prompt for Boot option from DVD/PD. select the appropriate option and start installing the OS

Err... Do you mean it has more than 3 GB and it sees only 3 GB or it has only 3 GB? For first one: You are probably using a 32 bit operating system. For example, Windows XP 32 bit sees only 3 GB of RAM. Fix it by installing other operating system(or simply a 64 bit version). Also, linux is known to work with more than 3 GB of RAM even on 32 bit system. Second one: You could buy some aditional RAM, but first check which RAM type are you using(DDR, DDR2 or DDR3). Also, you should check if there are any free slots left, and does motherboard support more RAM.

that is a Western Digital driver file......for your hard drives likely. If you are using RAID, then make sure that the RAID is the correct one, and if not, then make sure in the BIOS, you have NOT selected a RAID option. If those do not seem to be at issue, then attempt to boot in Safe Mode with Networking. That error has been known to have other driver(s) unrelated to the WD driver.

Move into Raid Controller bios (ctrl +c)Check other hard drives are visible. If yes, you may insert disk in other free slot and see if it detects on that slot. If same issue then particular hdd may be faulty. You have to replace itIf no, turn off server, reset scsi and power cables. Turn on server and see if it detects hard drives. If server has same issue then either scsi cable or hdd back plane may be faulty. Chance is more for hdd back plane Thanks

This could be an issue with the Raid backplane. If under warranty I would replace the backplane.Even if no warranty you might be able to find one cheaply used.regards,Mike

I agree with paulo2, depends on what is your disk configuration.

it is a problem of your system board / Motherboard. Kindly get the same replaced / repaired.

you can use a HDD cloning software for that particular problem.

Silly question, have you ensured that it is a DVD drive on this unit, I believe it is only a CD drive, this can be replace with a standard IDE DVD/CD Unit

Hi vennie_loh,

If your IBM X236 server keeps turning on and off, it is often caused by a faulty PS backplane. To correct this issue you need a specific IBM backplane and power module to power up you system. The backplane would be included in the cage assembly. The FRU number of the PS backplane is 39Y7346.

Hope it helps.

Thank you for using FixYa.

Check to see if hard drive is fully plugged in/reseat cables/harddrive. see if this fixes the problem
if not listen to see if the drive spins up, if it fails to spin up then the hard drive is bad
if hard drive spins up but clicks at regular intervals, it is bad
Try a different drive cable
Try to replace with a known good hard drive, if it still is not detected check the bios to see if the drive controller is enabled.

If the controller is enabled and cannot detect a hard drive the controller may have failed.

We just ran into this same problem with our x236 this past weekend. After some research we replaced the power cage, but same problem. It appears to be a problem with the PSUs. We moved one of the PSUs to another x236 that only had one PSU in it. Both AC and DC lights lit up, but when we pulled the first PSU, the suspect one could not keep the server running. After opening up both PSUs, I believe it is a problem with the 3 - 1800uf/16v capacitors. I have replacement caps on order, and will know for sure after they are replaced.

Please push the Power button atleast 30 seconds.

XSERISE 235 TYPE 8671J
1,NO VIDEO,NO BEEP
2,PCI-X SLOT5 POWER LED ON BUT IT HAVE NOT BEEN ABSENT

Your question exceeds the time and space limits I have for FixYa answers but I will give you quick high-level that should move you in the right direction.

When a system cannot find a bootable disk it will attempt to use its network adapter to boot from a network share. The network adapter needs an IP adress to perform this task so it attempts to get an address from a DHCP server. If there is no DHCP server it cannot access the network or a share to boot from.

First, make sure the system is configured to boot to the CD-ROM/DVD drive first. Make sure that if you have an SBS DVD installation disk that you have a DVD drive on the server.

Second, you must "Press any key" when the server attempts to boot to the CD/DVD or it will just move on to the next bootable device.

Third, if you are installing to a RAID or SCSI controller you will need to press F6 when the install begins. Later you will be prompted to insert the diskette that has your RAID/SCSI driver. The driver can be downloaded from the controller mfg's website.

Finally, finish your OS install by answering the prompts, installing all of the hardware drivers and installing all Windows critical and security updates.

I could keep typing out details and possible challenges for days. I have been an engineer for 15-years and I still run into unusual events that require me to make educated guesses.

You may find that bringing in an expert could save you significant time and ensure that this is done correctly. Even I call out for help from time to time.

If this helps please vote for my solution.

Good luck!

Hello,

You will need to go into the system BIOS settings to have the system monitor the fans. When the system monitors the fans speed, it will dectate when to spin high and low.

Good Luck
C2Soluitons