Memory configuration support - IBM BladeCenter HS12

Troubleshooting

Problem

The BladeCenter HS12 may halt during Power On Self Test (POST) with one of the following error messages: ERR Firmware Progress Hang, or ERR Firmware Progress no usable system memory. The user may have just installed new memory modules into the HS12 blade.

Resolving The Problem

Source

RETAIN tip: H196395

Symptom

The BladeCenter HS12 may halt during Power On Self Test (POST) with one of the following error messages:

	ERR Firmware Progress Hang or ERR Firmware Progress no usable system memory.

The user may have just installed new memory modules into the HS12 blade.

Affected configurations

The system may be any of the following IBM servers:

BladeCenter HS12, type 1916, any model
BladeCenter HS12, type 8014, any model
BladeCenter HS12, type 8028, any model

This tip is not software specific.
This tip is not option specific.

Workaround

The HS12 blade has a specific memory configuration for proper operation. When using a mixture of single, dual, and quad rank Dual In-Line Memory Modules (DIMMs), the following configuration is needed for proper usage.

DIMMs 1, 3, and 5 are in Channel 1, and DIMMs 2, 4, and 6 are in Channel 2. The memory DIMMs need to be installed by DIMM rank. Try to keep the larger DIMMs further away from the chipset (DIMM 1 is furthest away) while following these ranking guidelines.

Two (2) DIMMs per channel mode is as follows per DIMM rank:

DIMM 1,2	3,4
Single	Empty
Single	Single
Dual	Empty
Dual	Dual
Single	Dual
Dual	Single
Quad	Empty
Dual	Quad
Single	Quad

Three (3) DIMMs per channel mode is as follows per DIMM rank:

DIMM 1,2	3,4	5,6
Single	Single	Single
Dual	Dual	Dual
Single	Single	Dual
Single	Dual	Dual

HS12 blades with quad rank DIMMs only allow two DIMMs per channel.

Additional information

The memory configuration for the HS12 blade does not include how to configure the memory layout when different DIMM rank sizes are present on the blade.

Document Location

Worldwide

Operating System

BladeCenter:Operating system independent / None

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