Archived from groups: comp.sys.hp.hardware,microsoft.public.windows.server.sbs (More info?)

Hi,

I am in the process of trying to resolve an issue I am seeing on 3 customer
sites. In each case, being used is an HP ML150 G2 Server running SBS 2003
and with an HP T700 UPS installed. All current Microsoft patches I can find
are installed, and all current drivers for an ML150 from the HP site are
running. I believe we are using the current version of the UPS software (on
the supplied CD) as there is no updated version on the HP site. It does not
make a difference whether one HDD is used on the internal controller, or
whether a RAID or Mirror set is running attached to the 2120S RAID
controller certified for the system.

The symptoms are:
- When looking at the Performance tab in Task Manager in a single (physical)
CPU system, the second CPU graph is at 100%.
- When looking at the Processes tab in Task Manager, the SYSTEM process
hovers at about 30% CPU usage
- If you disable Hyperthreading in the BIOS, the machine slows to a crawl.
- If you use a tool to further examine the running threads under the SYSTEM
process, ACPI.SYS is the culprit.
- The most heavily loaded of the affected machines (only a 10 user network)
is unstable and prone to lockups - this may or may not be related

Initially the HP call centre was unhelpful, but the issue was escalated to
someone who confirmed there was an issue with HP Servers (unsure whether it
is this model of server or several models) with an HP UPS (again, unsure
whether just this model of UPS or several models). Sure enough, after
unplugging the UPS serial communications cable, CPU usage returned to
normal. (The first helpdesk person asked me if I would install a non-SBS
version of Server 2003 and then Server 2000 to see if the issue still
existed, and was rather unimpressed when I said I would be more than happy
to as soon as they deliver me a new server to test with! ) That was
before we realised and reported the issue existed with multiple machines.)

In New Zealand, this model of server and UPS are being sold as a bundle with
SBS 2003 by Ingram Micro at an excellent price, so I expect that we are not
the only people seeing this issue, though it may not have been noticed on
some sites if some sort of CPU usage warning system has not been enabled. I
am posting this simply because when searching Google Groups when the issue
was first identified I could not find a helpful article. I will aim to keep
the thread updated as I become aware of more information, and will be
pushing for a solution from HP.

If anyone wishes to contact me about this, I can be reached on the Vodafone
New Zealand network on telephone number four one seven four two four. I
would appreciate being advised if you are also experiencing this issue and
the number of servers affected, and if you have a resolution before we come
up with one. I am generally very happy with HP gear, and will be interested
to see if they impress me with timely assistance resolving this.

Cheers for now

Mike
(Auckland, NZ)

Archived from groups: comp.sys.hp.hardware,microsoft.public.windows.server.sbs (More info?)

On the seventh day, Mike C wrote...

> I am in the process of trying to resolve an issue I am seeing on 3 customer
> sites. In each case, being used is an HP ML150 G2 Server running SBS 2003
> and with an HP T700 UPS installed. All current Microsoft patches I can find
> are installed, and all current drivers for an ML150 from the HP site are
> running. I believe we are using the current version of the UPS software (on
> the supplied CD) as there is no updated version on the HP site. It does not
> make a difference whether one HDD is used on the internal controller, or
> whether a RAID or Mirror set is running attached to the 2120S RAID
> controller certified for the system.
>
> The symptoms are:
> - When looking at the Performance tab in Task Manager in a single (physical)
> CPU system, the second CPU graph is at 100%.
> - When looking at the Processes tab in Task Manager, the SYSTEM process
> hovers at about 30% CPU usage
> - If you disable Hyperthreading in the BIOS, the machine slows to a crawl.
> - If you use a tool to further examine the running threads under the SYSTEM
> process, ACPI.SYS is the culprit.
> - The most heavily loaded of the affected machines (only a 10 user network)
> is unstable and prone to lockups - this may or may not be related

ACPI related problems often interact with faulty BIOS files. That's why I'd
check for an updated BIOS first. Since you're using an UPS that may also
have to do with it. I'd uninstall the additional software that came with
the UPS. Windows supports plain UPS out-of-the-box with serial cables and
you're losing only few additional features such as network wide warnings
and shutdown of remote systems that are not directly hooked to the UPS.

HTH


X'Posted to: comp.sys.hp.hardware,microsoft.public.windows.server.sbs

--
mit freundlichen Grüßen/with kind regards
Christian Dürrhauer, Institute of Geography, FU Berlin

Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don't have film.

Archived from groups: comp.sys.hp.hardware,microsoft.public.windows.server.sbs (More info?)

HP are apparently beta-testing a bios update that should be available in a
week or so to correct this... something about faulty pin-9 handling.....
At lease there is a resolution in site! The current edition BIOS is 1.10
(released Jan05), so look for something later than that....!

In this case, I understad that uninstalling the UPS software will not
help... HP suggest unplugging the comms cable if the machine is unstable,
and that is what we have had to do on one site.

Mike