Troublesome Server...

[Garner]

I recently got another server in the form of the Power2600 with Win 2003.

However I'm having nothing but trouble from the damn thing.

It runs fine most of the time but once a day without fail it suddenly stops responding. Cant get any form of response out of FTP, HTTP, SMTP or Terminal Services until a Rapid Reboot command is issued... wait a few minutes and all is running again.

Now NOTHING is showing up in the OS Event logs other than...

The previous system shutdown at 6:49:04 AM on 3/21/2005 was unexpected.

... for example.

The time quoted in the message is the time the server suddenly stops responding.

I can find no other OS logs +- 5 minutes from the time specified which could highlight a possible problem. Running Apache which again shows no logs entries in the timeframe specified.

The only thing the logs are showing me is the huge gap inbetween log entries from some time before the server 'unexpectedly shuts down' (the last expected entry) until the server/application starts back up again when the server is given the rapid reboot kick.

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Before I run screaming to SB support I wanted to pick your brains for help/troubleshooting...

WindowsUpdate was run when I got the machine and has been checked practically daily since the machine started to play up. No available updates.

I've previously run Win2k servers with Apache/MySQL/PHP without this problem. I'm using the same on the new server so doubt this is the problem.

Before I switched the site from the old server to the new one the server appeared stable. Problem only appears to be manifesting under load.

Only the ports needed for the web services in use are open on the machine. Everything else is closed.

Just to be on the safe side, I checked for Sasser in case it had somehow got on to the machine before I'd secured it. Nothing... clean as a whistle.

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Anyone had anything similar?

I'll confess I'm not a server monkey, more of a code monkey who needed a server and am now lost to find a reason why the server keeps failing.

My only other thoughts are dodgy hardware or OS install. Overheating maybe? I've double, triple and quandruple checked the config files for PHP and Apache... nothing is different here to the old Win2k server.

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The only other thing of note is that I just realised the server states its an AMD 2600. 1.53Ghz.

Correct me if I'm wrong but arn't 2600's 2.13Ghz? 2100's are 1.53Ghz...
Something isn't adding up there...

Yours lost in a digital nightmare...
Garner

[knightfoo]

Behavior like this normally indicates a flaky power supply, so you should submit a ticket under "Hardware Issue" so it can be investigated. As for the processor speed, are you sure you're looking at the right server? :)

-knightfoo

[Garner]

Thanks, I'll pop that ticket in shortly...

As for the processor speed...

http://misc.levels4you.com/2600_2100.gif

Unless I'm looking at 2 machines on the one server... this processor isn't what it claims to be. Or at the very least something isn't adding up... ;)

I was wrong about 2100+... its the 1800+ that runs at 1.53Ghz...
http://www.asisupport.com/amd_xp.htm

This could well just be a text smeg up, device manager clearly shows an AMD 2600+ installed. Just the machine feels like its running at half steam when it is up and online.

[hotshot]

Do you have Blackice installed on this machine?

[Garner]

I'll wait to see if the replaced power supply solves the problem before screaming for more help on that line...

Knightfoo, about the processor speed...

It looks like the settings on the motherboard have got my CPU underclocked...

According to CPU-Z, the processor is a AMD Althon XP 2600 with a multiplier of 11.5 (which would make it the Barton core - the older 2600's had an unlocked multiplier of 12.5 - AMD locked the Bartons at 11.5)


Processor: XP 2600+ Barton processor
Cache: 512kb
mhz: 1910 MHZ
Bus: 333MHZ

The FSB is only at 133Mhz on my server (see pic below). It should be at 166Mhz.

The 166 * 11.5 = 1909, which would then match the proper published speed of 1910...

I'm posting this here because I want to confirm that this should be the case before having someone pop my server open again.

http://misc.levels4you.com/cpuz_server4.gif

[Garner]

heh, just had it fail on me whilst connected to it. I dont think the PSU was the problem after all ;)

I was running a trojan/av scan of the HDD at the time... I couldn't tell you which drive it was scanning at the time of the failure or whether that was even connected to the fault (hdd issue?).

This time however RapidReboot doesn't appear to have solved the problem. Waiting for it to realise and submit the automatic ticket ;)

[edit]
Rapid Reboot thought the server was fine, no ticket issued. Server remained offline until I told Rapid Reboot to have another go.

A minute later the server was back up and running.

Running the same scan to see if it pops off to visit Uncle Bill again, see if this is a hardware issue

[Garner]

FYI - had the processor, fan and RAM replaced yesterday.

Processor speed now reads correctly (FSB set right now) and *touch wood* the server has been stable since the replacements.

Thankyou to the SB support team :beer:,
Garner

[hotshot]

When I got my server quite some time ago, the FSB or Multiplier was incorrect on it too. I had to have them fix it.