Sun Fire [TM] V440 with older ALOM firmware and intermittent power issues may cause false Power Supply failures

Asset ID:	1-72-1531204.1
Update Date:	2018-02-14
Keywords:

Solution Type Problem Resolution Sure

Solution 1531204.1 : Sun Fire [TM] V440 with older ALOM firmware and intermittent power issues may cause false Power Supply failures

Applies to:

Sun Fire V440 Server - Version Not Applicable to Not Applicable [Release N/A]
Information in this document applies to any platform.

Symptoms

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Power supply appears failed.

prtdiag:

Fru Operational Status:
---------------------------------
Location                Status
---------------------------------
SC                      okay
HDD0                    present
HDD1                    present
HDD2                    present
HDD3                    present
PS0                     faulty
PS1                     okay

or messages in the lom or /var/adm/messages indicating a fault.

Example of lom Messages seen in explorer <EXPLORER_DIR>/sysconfig/scadm

> more scadm-loghistory.out
Feb 28 13:03:34 : 00070002: "Input power unavailable for PSU @ PS0."
Feb 27 13:03:33 : 00070002: "Input power unavailable for PSU @ PS0."
Feb 26 13:03:32 : 00070002: "Input power unavailable for PSU @ PS0."
Feb 25 13:03:30 : 00070002: "Input power unavailable for PSU @ PS0."
Feb 24 13:03:28 : 00070002: "Indicator SYS.SERVICE is now ON"
Feb 24 13:03:28 : 00070002: "Input power unavailable for PSU @ PS0."
Feb 24 13:03:27 : 00070002: "Indicator PS0.STBY is now OFF"
Feb 24 13:03:27 : 00070002: "Indicator PS0.POK is now OFF"

Example of lom messages in /var/adm/messages

Oct 6 12:47:06 sunv440 rmclomv: [ID 974757 kern.error] PSU @ PS0 has FAILED.
Oct 6 13:02:11 sunv440 rmclomv: [ID 974757 kern.error] PSU @ PS0 has FAILED.
Oct 6 13:17:16 sunv440 rmclomv: [ID 974757 kern.error] PSU @ PS0 has FAILED.
Oct 6 13:32:21 sunv440 rmclomv: [ID 974757 kern.error] PSU @ PS0 has FAILED.
Oct 6 13:47:26 sunv440 rmclomv: [ID 974757 kern.error] PSU @ PS0 has FAILED.
Oct 6 14:02:31 sunv440 rmclomv: [ID 974757 kern.error] PSU @ PS0 has FAILED.

Cause

There is an issue with older ALOM firmware where input power "flickering" on/off can cause Power supplies to be falsely failed. This issue is described in:

Bug 15166360: SUNBT4885992 AFTER RESTORING AC POWER, INTERMITTENT PS1.FF_POK HAS FAULTED IS GE

Upgrading to the latest version is suggested. Bug 15166360 is fixed in 1.6.x. Any version 1.6 or higher will have this fix installed.

Input power issues can be seen in `scadm loghistory`:

Often the power issues are too fast to be logged. If any equipment in the vicinity of the the server has had issues, there may have been issues on the v440 as well.

To find out the version of ALOM installed `scadm version -v` can be used

It is also collected by explorer and found in <EXPLORER_DIR>/sysconfig/scadm

> more scadm-version-v.out

SC Version v1.5
SC Bootmon Version: v1.5.2
SC Bootmon checksum: 5C78C0F9

SC Firmware Version: v1.5.2
SC Build Release: 01

SC firmware checksum: 30C59E23

SC firmware built: Nov 12 2004, 14:54:10

SC System Memory Size: 8MB

SC NVRAM Version = b

SC hardware type: 1

For further information on checking the version see:

How to determine the installed version of Volume System Products Hardware Platform ALOM (Advanced Lights Out Management) firmware (Doc ID 1009415.1)

Solution

1. Download and install the latest Advanced Lights Out Manager Software

How To Upgrade ALOM version and Related FAQ for V125, V210, V215, V240, V245, V250, V440, V445 and Netra 210, 240, 440 Servers (Doc ID 1001828.1)

Follow the instructions in the patch for installation

ALOM 1.6.10 Firmware for Sun Fire V440 is found in the download in file:

ALOM_1.6.10_fw_hw0.tar.gz 20.11 MB

2. After ALOM is upgraded perform one of 2 options.

A. Complete Power cycle with power removed.

B. A "Simulated" replacement using the Hot-Plug method specified in the Sun Fire V440 Server Parts Installation and Removal Guide. During the simulated replacement replace the PS with itself instead of a new Power supply.

References

<NOTE:1001828.1> - How To Upgrade ALOM version and Related FAQ for V125, V210, V215, V240, V245, V250, V440, V445 and Netra 210, 240, 440 Servers
<NOTE:1009415.1> - How to determine the installed version of Volume System Products Hardware Platform ALOM (Advanced Lights Out Management) firmware

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