Fix Watchdog Timer Expiration on Dell PowerEdge Servers (R740, iDRAC9)

What This Guide Covers

This article explains how to resolve watchdog timer expiration issues on Dell PowerEdge servers, specifically R740 models using iDRAC9. It includes steps to disable or configure the BMC watchdog timer to prevent unexpected system resets.

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Quick Fix Summary

• Update iDRAC firmware to the latest version.
• Disable or adjust the BMC watchdog timer settings via iDRAC or BIOS.
• Verify OS and driver compatibility.

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Overview

The watchdog timer is a hardware feature that monitors system health and resets the server if it becomes unresponsive. On Dell PowerEdge servers, the iDRAC9 BMC watchdog timer may trigger unexpected resets if misconfigured or if the operating system does not properly interact with the timer.

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Error Indicators

• System event log shows:
  “The watchdog timer expired”
• Unexpected server reboot without prior warning.
• Alerts in iDRAC indicating watchdog timeout.

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Possible Causes

• Outdated iDRAC firmware or BIOS.
• Operating system not sending keep-alive signals to the watchdog.
• Incorrect watchdog timer configuration in iDRAC or BIOS.

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Troubleshooting Steps

1. Update Firmware

1. Log in to iDRAC web interface.
2. Navigate to Maintenance > System Update.
3. Update to the latest iDRAC and BIOS versions from Dell Support.

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2. Disable or Configure Watchdog Timer

Option A: Disable via iDRAC

1. Log in to iDRAC.
2. Go to Configuration > BIOS Settings > Miscellaneous Settings.
3. Locate OS Watchdog Timer and set it to Disabled.
4. Apply changes and reboot the server.

Option B: Disable via RACADM Command Run the following command from a system with RACADM installed:

racadm set system.OsWatchdogTimer Disabled

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3. Verify OS Support

• Ensure the operating system supports watchdog functionality.
• Install the latest Dell OMSA or lifecycle controller drivers.

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Additional Notes

• Disabling the watchdog timer removes automatic recovery for unresponsive systems. Use caution in production environments.
• For Linux systems, verify that the ipmi_watchdog module is correctly configured if watchdog is enabled.

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References

• Dell Community: Watchdog Timer Problem
• Dell Community: R740 Watchdog Timer Expire
• Dell Community: Disable iDRAC9 BMC Watchdog Timer
• Dell KB: iDRAC9 Overview - https://www.dell.com/support (Search for “iDRAC9 Overview” in Dell Support)

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Affected Systems

• Dell PowerEdge R740 and similar models.
• iDRAC9-based servers.
• Operating systems: Windows Server, Linux distributions.