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December 18th, 2024 14:10
R730XD Idrac8 slow, restarts
I have a server in homelab, Dell R730XD. With the latest bios and the latest idrac. All updates installed. I have a problem that iDrac has been very unstable for some time now. Randomly hangs and restarts. It is almost impossible to log in to the web panel. From time to time the fans run at ~100% and idrac restarts.
There are errors:
Power Supply 1: Status = 0x00, IOUT = 0x0, VOUT= 0x0, TEMP= 0x0, FAN = 0x0, INPUT= 0x0.
Power Supply 2: Status = 0x00, IOUT = 0x0, VOUT= 0x0, TEMP= 0x0, FAN = 0x0, INPUT= 0x0.
The iDRAC firmware was rebooted with the following reason: watchdog.
The iDRAC firmware was rebooted with the following reason: ac.
I replaced the power supply. I installed the older version 2.70.70.70. It's faster but still crashes.
JakubRybakowski
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January 26th, 2025 23:32
I have some suspicions. I don't know yet if it's 100% related, but after turning off omad LLDP on the router, idrac looks more stable. Which could be related because both of my servers in two locations connected to omada have this problem with idrac. Previously, before installing the omad, I didn't have this problem.
DELL-Charles R
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January 6th, 2025 21:42
Hello,
Some of these step you may have already tried. Just check those were done the way described and try the others.
*Clear browser cache
*Try different browsers
*drain flea power (shut down, disconnect power cables and Network cables, hold in power button 20 seconds with cords removed). After flea power drain, system has to set for 3 minutes for DRAC to reset without any power plugged in, then plug in NIC and power but wait 2 minutes before power on to give DRAC time to initialize.
*Clear NVRAM - there is a map under the lid to show the jumper location. Shut down, Set jumper to the Clear position, power on and Post up to the jumper error, shut down and return jumper to original location.
*Reset DRAC to factory settings then reconfigure:
Boot to F2 > iDRAC Settings > Reset iDRAC configurations to defaults
Save exit and reboot to F2 and reconfigure DRAC
Boot to F2 > iDRAC Settings > Network.
*Run hardware diagnostics: Boot to F10 LifeCycle Controller and run the built in hardware diagnostics.
Make sure you have good power. If you are using a UPS you may try straight to A/C or a different UPS. Also try a different power cord.
DELL-Chris H
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December 18th, 2024 19:40
JakubRybakowski,
If you backflashed the iDrac back to 2.70.70.70 then that may be the reason for the watchdog error, and is also pretty risky to do if the BIOS is on the latest version. That is because if you get the iDrac and BIOS too far apart then they can cease to communicate.
What I would suggest is that you update the iDrac back to the current version to start.
Then after that power down the server, remove the power cables, drain the flea power by holding the power button for 20 seconds. You will then need to open the server cover and locate the NVRam jumper pictured below.
Move the jumper over, reinstall te power cords and power the server, once you clear the nvram then power back down, remove cables and drain flea power. After that then restore the NVram CLR jumper to its original location and reinstall the cover and power cables, but DO NOT power on the server for a few minutes. This allows the iDrac to initialize prior to booting.
Lastly, remove the network cable to the idrac and then power the server and see if the issue is resolved or continues. If it is resolved then reinstall the iDrac network cable, if the issue reappears it could be due to netowrk traffic.
Let me know if this helps.
JakubRybakowski
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December 18th, 2024 20:44
For clarification, the errors are from 2.86.86.86.
I will go back to 2.86.86.86 and do NVram again. Thanks
JakubRybakowski
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December 19th, 2024 15:38
It looks like it's working. I will describe what I did.
First things that didn't help:
I tried restoring idrac to factory settings. Bios to factory settings. Restart (disconnection from electricity for a few hours). I replaced the power supply. Change idrac version to 2.70.70.70.
I updated to the latest version of idrac. - it was still slow and hung up.
I restarted the lifecycle controller to factory settings. So, after booting into lifecycle controller, I selected the options to restore the server and selected all the options to clear bios cache etc. I think that's when idrac started walking normally and fast.
After that, I performed the restart procedure described above, waiting a few minutes before starting the server.
I set the BIOS UEFI etc. again and started the system.
Currently, the server has been running for several hours and idrac is still fast and responsive.
If I don't write anything else in the next few days, it means that idrac is working properly.
Thank you very much for your help and I hope my case will help someone.
JakubRybakowski
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January 6th, 2025 20:05
The problem is back, after logging in to idrac via the WWW, it immediately hangs and restarts idrac.
JakubRybakowski
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August 2nd, 2025 23:36
I finally found the problem. The logs in Lifecycle Controller grow over time, and iDrac stops responding. Resetting Lifecycle Controller helps for a while. But as the logs increase, responsiveness decreases. This is a problem that DELL could solve very easily. I don't know if they're interested.