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Running System Diagnostics

Dell™ PowerEdge™ 2600 Systems Installation and Troubleshooting Guide

  Features of the System Diagnostics

  When to Use the System Diagnostics

  Starting System Diagnostics

  Using the System Diagnostics

  Using the Device Groups Menu

  Device Groups Menu Options

  Error Messages


Unlike many diagnostic programs, the system diagnostics helps you check the system's hardware without any additional equipment and without destroying any data. By using the system diagnostics, you can have confidence in the system's operation. If you find a problem that you cannot solve by yourself, the diagnostic tests can provide you with important information you will need when talking to a technical assistance representative.

NOTICE: Use the system diagnostics to test only Dell systems. If you use this program with other systems, incorrect system responses or error messages may result.

Features of the System Diagnostics

The system diagnostics provides a series of menus and options from which you choose particular device groups or devices. You can also control the sequence in which the tests are run. The diagnostic menus also have these helpful features:


When to Use the System Diagnostics

Whenever a major component or device in the system does not function properly, you may have a component failure. As long as the microprocessor and the input and output components of the system (the monitor, keyboard, and diskette drive) are working, you can use system diagnostics. If you know what component(s) you need to test, select the appropriate diagnostic device group(s) or subtest(s). If you are unsure about the scope of the problem, read the remainder of the information in this section.


Starting System Diagnostics

You can run system diagnostics from either the utility partition on your hard drive or from a set of diskettes that you create from the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD.

To run the diagnostics from the utility partition, perform the following steps:

  1. Start the utility partition by pressing <F10> during POST.

  2. From the utility partition's main menu, select the Run System Diagnostics option from Run System Utilities. See "Utility Partition" in "Using the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD" in the User's Guide for additional information about the utility partition.

To run the system diagnostics from the diskettes, perform the following steps:

  1. Create a set of diagnostics diskettes using the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD. See "Using the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD" in the User's Guide for information on creating diskettes.

  2. Boot the system from the first diagnostics diskette.

If the system fails to boot, see "Getting Help."

When you start the system diagnostics, a message is displayed telling you that the diagnostics is initializing. The Diagnostics menu appears. The menu allows you to run all or specific diagnostic tests or to exit system diagnostics.

NOTE: Before you read the rest of this section, start the system diagnostics so that you can see it on your monitor screen.

For a quick check of the system, select Test All Devices and then select Quick Tests. This option runs only the device tests that do not require user interaction and that do not take a long time to run. Dell recommends that you choose this option first to increase the chance of tracing the source of the problem quickly. To test a particular device, select Test One Device. For a complete check of the system, select Test All Devices and then select Extended Tests.

To check a particular area of the system, choose Advanced Testing. When you select Advanced Testing, the main screen of the diagnostics appears. This screen includes a listing of the various device groups in the system and the system's service tag.

To view data on test results, select Information and Results. Select Program Options to view the program options screen, which lets you set various test parameters.

By selecting the Device Configuration option, you can see an overview of the devices in the system.

Selecting Exit to MS-DOS exits the diagnostics and returns you to the Diagnostics menu.

To select an option from the Diagnostics menu, highlight the option and press <Enter>, or press the key that corresponds to the highlighted letter in the option you choose.


Using the System Diagnostics

When you select Advanced Testing from the Diagnostics menu, the main screen of the diagnostics appears.

Information on the main screen of the diagnostics is presented in the following areas:


Using the Device Groups Menu

The Device Groups menu at the bottom of the screen provides options that enable you to select and run specific diagnostic tests from the diagnostics main screen. Press the left- and right-arrow keys to select the options on the menu. As you move from one menu option to another, a brief explanation of the highlighted option appears on the bottom line of the screen.

If you want more information about a device group or device, highlight the Help option and press <Enter>. After you read the information, press <Esc> to return to the previous screen.


Device Groups Menu Options

Five options are listed at the bottom of the diagnostics main screen: Run Tests, Devices, Select, Config, and Help.

There are two ways to select a menu option:

Whenever one of the options is selected, additional choices become available.

The following subsections explain the menu options as listed from left to right in the Device Groups menu.

Run Tests

Run Tests displays seven options:

Devices

Most of the device groups consist of several devices. Use the Devices option to select individual devices within the device group(s).

When you select Devices, the following options are displayed: Run Tests, Tests, Select, Parameters, and Help. Table 4-1 lists all of the possible values for each option.

Table 4-1. Devices Options 

Option

Functions

Run Tests

Displays seven options: One, All, Select, Options, Results, Errors, and Help.

Tests

Allows you to select individual devices to tailor the testing process to your particular needs. You can choose one or more devices from the list. When you choose Tests, four options are displayed: Run Tests, Select, Parameters, and Help.

Select

Allows you to choose one or more devices from a particular device group. Three options are displayed: One, All, and Help.

Parameters

Determines how a particular test will be run.

Help

Displays a list of help topics.

Select

The Select option in the Device Groups menu allows you to choose one or more devices from a particular device group. Three options are displayed: One, All, and Help.

Config

Choosing Config from the Device Groups menu displays information about the particular device that is highlighted.


Error Messages

When you run a test in the diagnostics, error messages may result. Record the messages on a copy of the Diagnostics Checklist; see "Getting Help" for instructions on obtaining technical assistance and informing the technical assistance representative of the messages.


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