Blade server will not power on

If a blade server will not power on, the problem may be caused by the blade itself, power supplies, or by configuration settings within the advanced management module.

Problem

You attempted to power on a blade server using the power-on button on the blade server, but it will not power on.

Investigation

Perform these steps to resolve the problem:
  1. Look at the LEDs on the front of the blade.
    • If no LEDs are lit, see No LEDs appear.
    • If the fault or information light is lit, suspect a system power configuration problem.
    • If the power LED flashes rapidly for more than two minutes, this is an indication that the service processor (BMC) on this blade server is not communicating with the advanced management module. When the blade server begins to communicate with the advanced management module, the power LED blinking will slow. See Power LED continually flashes rapidly.
  2. Attempt to power on the blade from the advanced management module:
    1. From the Blade Tasks, click Power/Restart and verify that local power control has not been disabled.
    2. From the Blade Tasks, click Remote Control to start a remote session to the blade server.
    3. Switch to the remote session to verify that the blade server is starting up.
    4. If the blade starts and is functional, but there are no lights on the front bezel, there is a hardware failure in the bezel. Order the proper bezel assembly for the blade server.
  3. Verify that there is sufficient power availability configured to power on the blade server.

    Click Power Management and then click Power Domain to find the domain policy in place for the BladeCenter S system. You can configure one of the following policies:

    • AC power source redundancy

      With this policy, the total allowable power draw is limited to the capacity of two power modules. If you use dual ac power sources, one ac power source can fail without affecting the operation of the blade servers. However, some blade servers may not be able to power on if doing so will exceed the power policy limit.

      The policy is intended for use when you have four power modules installed and two separate 220-volt AC power sources.

    • AC power source redundancy with blade throttling allowed

      This policy is similar to AC power source redundancy. With this policy, the total allowable power draw is limited to the capacity of two power modules. If you use dual ac power sources, one ac power source can fail without affecting the operation of the blade servers.

      If power module redundancy is lost, processors on blade servers that are capable of throttling will throttle to reduce the power consumed to less than or equal to the total power. Throttling refers to achieving lower power consumption for a blade by temporarily reducing the CPU throughput. The advanced management module utilizes power management technologies built into certain processors to throttle the blades.
      Note: Not all blade servers are capable of throttling.

      The policy is intended for use when you have four power modules installed and two separate 220-volt AC power sources.

    • Power module redundancy

      With this policy, the total allowable power draw is limited to one less than the number of power modules when more than one power module is present. One power module can fail without affecting blade server operation.

      Blade servers will power on only if they can operate without throttling if there is a power module failure. The number of blade servers allowed to power on is determined by the power available from one less than the total number of power modules. If a single power module fails, all the blade servers that are powered on will continue to operate at normal performance levels. If two or more power modules fail, the BladeCenter S chassis could power off.

      This policy is intended when you have two to four power modules installed and a single 110-volt or 220-volt AC power source. Each power module is on its own dedicated circuit.

    • Power module redundancy with blade throttling allowed

      With this policy, the total allowable power draw is limited to one less than the number of power modules when more than one power module is present. One power module can fail without affecting blade server operation, but multiple power module failures can cause the chassis to power off.

      This policy allows you to draw more total power from the chassis. However, in case of a power module failure, the advanced management module might have to throttle down some blade servers to keep the chassis operational. Blade servers will be allowed to power on as long as the power consumed is less than or equal to the total power under this policy. If a single power module fails, processors on blade servers that are capable of throttling, will throttle in order to reduce the power consumed to less than or equal to the rated capacity of the power module. Blade servers will power up in a throttled state in some configurations. Upon restoration of power redundancy, the blade processors will return to their normal performance levels.

      This policy is intended when you have two to four power modules installed and a single 110-volt or 220-volt AC power source. Each power module is on its own dedicated circuit.

    • Non-redundant
      Blade servers will be allowed to power on as long as the power consumed is less than or equal to the total power of all installed power modules. Processors return to their normal power states when power redundancy is restored.
      Note: There may be certain configurations that might result in loss of power in the domain.
  4. Verify that the blade server is supported in the BladeCenter S chassis.
  5. Contact IBM support.