Running Server Administrator DiagnosticsDell™ PowerEdge™ 600SC Systems Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Running Server Administrator Diagnostics
Features of the System Diagnostics
When to Use the System Diagnostics
Starting the System Diagnostics
If you experience a problem with your system, run the diagnostics before you call for technical assistance. The diagnostics tests check your system's hardware without additional equipment and without the risk of destroying data. If the tests indicate a problem you cannot solve by yourself, the test results provide important information for service and support personnel.
If you are using Dell OpenManage™ Server Administrator to manage your system, you should first use the diagnostic capabilities of Server Administrator to analyze the problem. If you cannot identify the problem using Server Administrator, then use the system diagnostics.
To access the Server Administrator Diagnostic Service, log into the Server Administrator home page, and then click the Diagnostics tab. For information on using the Server Administrator Diagnostic Service, see the Server Administrator online help. For additional information, see the online Dell OpenManage Server Administrator User's Guide.
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 have these helpful features:
Whenever a major component or device in the system does not operate 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.
 |
NOTICE: Use the system diagnostics to test only your system. Using this program with other systems may cause incorrect results or error messages. Also, use only the program that came with your system or an updated version of the program for your system. |
You can run the 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:
See the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD for additional information about the utility partition.
To run the system diagnostics from the diskettes, perform the following steps:
See the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD for information on creating diagnostics diskettes.
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 loading. 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 test 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 test of the system, select Test All Devices and then select Extended Tests.
To test 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 set various test parameters.
By selecting Device Configuration, you can see an overview of the devices in the system.
Selecting Exit to MS-DOS exits the diagnostics and returns you to the MS-DOS® operating system environment.
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.
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:
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.
When you run a test in the system diagnostics, you may receive an error message. Record the message on a copy of the Diagnostics Checklist. For a copy of the Diagnostics Checklist and instructions on obtaining technical assistance, see "Getting Help."