NMI error present after installing ServeRAID M5015 (46M0829) - IBM System x3850 X5 (7145, 7146)

Resolving The Problem

Source

RETAIN tip: H196685

Symptom

After installing a ServeRAID M5015 SAS/SATA Controller, Option 46M0829, the server will cold restart with the Non-Maskable Interrupt (NMI) indicator lit on the Lightpath Diagnostics Panel. The System Event Log (SEL) will also record an NMI error.

Affected configurations

The system may be any of the following IBM servers:

• System x3850 X5, Type 7145, any model
• System x3850 X5, Type 7146, any model

The system is configured with one or more of the following IBM Options:

• ServeRAID M5015 SAS/SATA Controller, Option 46M0829, any component

This tip is not software specific.

The following system BIOS level(s) are affected:

• G0E107B
• The sraidmr_5015-12.0.1-0064 firmware for the ServeRAID M5015 is affected.

The system has the symptom described above.

Solution

This behavior is corrected in ServeRAID M5015 SAS/SATA Controller Firmware Update version 12.0.1-0090 or higher that is currently available at the following URL:

http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=psg1MIGR-5073015

Refer to the Workaround section for steps to update the controller's firmware.

Workaround

This Workaround only applies to version g0e107b of the server firmware. Later versions of the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) system firmware will automatically accommodate the downlevel ServeRAID firmware.

In order to boot the system with 0e107b system firmware and the ServeRAID M5105 installed in order to perform the update, error checking must be turned down.

Upon a server power up or reboot, press F1 to enter System Setup. Select System Settings --> Devices and I/O Ports. For the option "Configure Error Checking", select "Partial". This will allow your system to boot properly. After updating the ServeRAID M5015 firmware, reset the error checking to full, save Setup settings, and exit.

Additional information

Older versions of the ServeRAID M5015 SAS/SATA Controller firmware make an illegal memory reference, triggering a server hardware bus error. ServeRAID M5015 version 12.0.1-0090 corrects this behavior. The Workaround disables the error checking to allow the server to boot and update the ServeRAID M5015 firmware properly.