What would you do with a problematic PowerEdge 1800? Your suggestions?

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whittech

Weaksauce
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Apr 26, 2007
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Hello everyone.
I could really use some help here

A Dell PowerEdge1800 server running Windows Server 2000
It seems it is running 2x80gb sata disks in Raid 0 ?
There was also a SCSI pci card that is connected to a tape backup drive

Server purpose: To share a SMALL folder of data that is accessed and modified by several client computers. The total size of the needed share is Less than 10 MB.

The server is used to host files for a database that is accessed by 6-8 client computers in the office, and hosts the printers as well.
other client computers dont need access to the database.
the database is less than 10MB in size, so it is very small!

it takes forever to reboot this thing. after POST and such, the screen goes black literally for 20+ minutes. It is a black screen, not a monitor in standby

The drives are CONSTANTLY ticking, and being accessed.

I have already backed up all of the data completely, including imaging the drives.

What should I do to this system to improve it?
It is being moved to a new offfice location, and the client computers are following it, but this thing is a disaster in my mind!

It is a 2.8ghz xeon w/ 1gb ram

What is the right path to take for modifying the current setup?
How should this be configured?

Thanks so much for your responses.!
 
>>the screen goes black literally for 20+ minutes

Is it trying to do a network boot until it times out or something?

Are you sure it's not SBS2000?
(Exchange can take a long time to shutdown.)

Aside from the reboot delay, is the server running ok?


Here's a list of things I'd do:

Blow out dust with compressed air.
(good idea to do this outside if possible)

Check for BIOS updates.

Turn off or remove any extra SCSI controllers that have no devices attached.
(I've seen where unused embedded controllers are left enabled.)

Apply all SPs, updates.

General cleanup of unnecessary background programs and services. Delete temp files, defrag. General maintenance stuff.
(If this turns out to be SBS2000 and Exchange is not being used, disable the services.)

It's hard to justify replacing the server or major upgrades if it's running ok and so lightly loaded. Keep the backups running and let it be.

Dell just had one of those $199 new server deals going, maybe wait for the next one and do that. I'd only do that if the hardware really seems "tired" though.
 
something is wrong with hard drive setup i think?
it is currently configured in raid.
i cannot browse the C drive. the drive is constantly ticking and working
I am trying to run a chkdsk on it now
I am currently booted in safe mode

the hard drives are constantly working, even during that black screen. it has something to do with this I think. Especially since the C drive issue
and i have also seen this error message before:
Windows was unable to save all the data for the file \Device\HarddiskVolume4\$Mft

what should I do?
 
>>i cannot browse the C drive.

LOL.... well that little piece of info was missing before.
That's a totally different deal then.

Does the server boot up at all?

Safe mode?

Go into the RAID controller setup and see if the drives are indeed configured in a mirror (RAID-1) and if either of the drives are flagged with errors. If the mirroring was done through Windows then there is nothing to see in the disk controller setup.

If the RAID controller reports errors on one of the drives, my approach is to break the mirror and then treat each drive separately.

You said you already have full backups correct?

See if the server will boot and run normally from either drive connected by itself.

I don't take chances with trying to rebuild the server on old crashed drives. Replace both drives with a new set, re-create the mirror, re-install Win 2000, then restore your data.
 
It will boot up after 20+ min.
So far I am currently in Safe mode with it, running the CHKDSK which is going very slowly

they drives are so noisy!!!

i have never worked with RAID before though... do I need this on this setup?
Can I switch to 1 solo SATA drive, that backsup the data both online, and to an external drive?

How would I go about disabling the raid and running without it? Using the raid config utility?
I browsed through all the BIOS and the utilities to see what was in them, to farmiliarize myself.

if I replace the 2 with another 2 disk raid setup, what drives do you suggest?

currently 62% through stage 2 of 3 on chkdsk, been going at least 45 min +
 
whittech said:
It will boot up after 20+ min.
i have never worked with RAID before though... do I need this on this setup?
Click to expand...

You mentioned in the first post that you thought the drives were running RAID 0? Since RAID 0 provides no redundancy, then what you've effectively got is two points of failure instead of one... If that's the case, then you could migrate the data on the RAID 0 onto a single drive and effectively reduce your point of failure from two drives to one...

However, if you truly are running RAID 0... I'd look at replacing the drives with two new (larger) drives running as RAID 1. Then you'll have some level of redundancy...

I'd also take some time to understand the various RAID levels... It's something I'd consider basic knowledge for anyone working on any computer running as a server.

http://www.acnc.com/raid.html

.
 
whittech said:
i have never worked with RAID before though...
Click to expand...

Ok, not to be an ass.... but how is it that you are working on this server then?

If you are trying to solve a disk array problem on a server, please get some help if you don't understand what you are doing.

Is this your server or were you hired to work on it?
 
I would see if it's under warranty and then call Dell. If it's under warranty then that is just great. If not, I'll bet the cost of the service call would be worth saving the server and it's data.
 
What would you do with a problematic PowerEdge 1800? Your suggestions?
Click to expand...
Step 1 involves a bucket of water
Step 3 involves your wallet buying an HP
Step 4 ...
Step 5 profit.
 
It turns out it is running in Raid-1.
I was able to salvage the data that I needed from it. A Ghosted image of the drive is back up and running with all of the configs it had before
but it still has the boot problem
as if it is the screen just before the Loading Windows 2000 screen, there literally is a 20-30 minute wait from that black screen, to the entrance of windows

What is up here?
 
Hardware RAID or....yuck..ugh...Software RAID?

If hardware RAID..have you gone into the RAID setup/configuration utility? Look for errors such as a failed drive?

Is this a Dell SATA setup? Or someone stuck in some 3rd party hardware? If a Dell SATA setup..have you gone and run their diagnostic utilities yet?
 
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