PowerEdge R710 missing RAM

Stephenbcollins,

Is the iDrac configured on the R710, if so then you can access the iDrac web interface? Then locate the details needed under Overview - Server- Hardware - Memory. Now if the iDrac isn't configured then another option would be to run a Dell System E-Support Tool (DSET) report on it, which creates a zip file you can extract to review, or you can attach it to the SR I created for you and I can look into it (as described here). If you decide on this one then let me know, and I will send you a private message with the SR # to attach it to.

Thanks for the swift reply.  I do not believe that iDrac is configured (or if it is, I do not know how to access its interface).  As per your suggestion I will install the Dell System E-support Tool on the server and generate a report to send you.

I downloaded the DEST tool and first ran it with the option to create and store a report, without permanently installing the app.  When it ran, though, no report was created on the desktop, nor in the folder that I specified when asked.  I uninstalled it, and installed it again, this time choosing the option to leave the app installed on the machine to be run when required.  The installation finished but no desktop icons are created.  I located two of the installed apps ("Create Basic DSET Report" and "Create Advanced DSET Report") but when either is run, they pop up a command prompt window with the DELL copyright notice, but then exit, without (as far as I can tell) creating any report files.

Hello,

One thing I can think of is to right click and install as administrator.

See if that helps.

That works - I should have thought of that myself.  The DSET report was created on the desktop as a ZIP file, so I can send it to you.  BTW, my original statement was slightly inaccurate - the reported RAM is 56GB, not 44GB, but still less than the full 64GB.

Woah!  Having run the DEST tool, the machine is now reporting the full 64GB of RAM!  Is it possible that the use of the tool somehow activated the RAM that was previously not available?  Before doing this, the Windows Task Manager reported that "14 of 18" RAM 'slots' were used; it's now reporting that "16 of 18" slots were used.

...and in the Windows System Event log, there are thousand of two types of entry - one (Event ID 47) saying

A corrected hardware error has occurred.

Component: Memory
Error Source: Corrected Machine Check

and the other (Event ID 2) saying 

A corrected hardware error has occurred. A record describing the condition is contained in the data section of this event.

Hello, I'm suspecting this is due to DIMMs failing or simply bad connection.

"which has been running for several years" - yes,the Dell PowerEdge R710 was released in 2009.

Respectfully,

Hello Charles, if I send you the DSET report, will you be able to confirm whether or not the issue to bad/failing DIMMS?  As mentioned, I have the ZIP file of the report available.

I sent you a private message with details on uploading the zip file. 

Thank you. I am not seeing anything standing out with the memory, I am seeing all the dimms, except A9 and B9, as they say they are unpopulated. It is showing 65536MB of memory with 16 of 18 dimms populated. I am not sure why the memory would change after running the dset unless it updated the information it had when it reached out for the data for the report. Unfortunately the dset didn't include the Hardware Log, so I couldn't check that. What I would suggest is that you go ahead and ensure the server is fully up to date on BIOS, iDrac, Perc, etc. 

Hello Chris,

I don't have physical access to the machine, so cannot (easily) check BIOS settings etc.  Did the information I sent about the System Log messages provide any insight into what might be happening?  I can send you the hardware log - is this something else that the DSET app generates?

It normally is included in the Dset, but wasn't this time. When you ran the Dset did you select Basic or Advanced, as I think the basic excludes it. If you uploaded the hardware log that would help, as I am not seeing anything on the Dset currently. 

I ran the 'Advanced'  report.  What is the "hardware log"?  Is it something else that can be generated by the DSET app?

If you access the iDrac web interface and then go to the hardware log, then I believe at the bottom of the page you will find an Export button, you can export it there and then upload it.