"A discovery error has occurred, ..." during Power-On Self-Test (POST) - IBM ServeRAID M5015, M5014, M5025, M1015 - IBM Systems

Resolving The Problem

Source

RETAIN tip: H202189

Symptom

During a server restart, the server may hang at Power-On Self-Test (POST) with the following error message:

Affected configurations

The system can be any of the following IBM servers:

• System x3400 M2, type 7836, any model
  
• System x3400 M2, type 7837, any model
  
• System x3400 M3, type 7378, any model
  
• System x3400 M3, type 7379, any model
  
• System x3500 M2, type 7839, any model
  
• System x3500 M3, type 7380, any model
  
• System x3650 M2, type 4199, any model
  
• System x3650 M2, type 7947, any model
  
• System x3650 M3, type 4255, any model
  
• System x3650 M3, type 5454, any model
  
• System x3650 M3, type 7945, any model
  
• System x3690 X5, type 7147, any model
  
• System x3690 X5, type 7148, any model
  
• System x3690 X5, type 7149, any model
  
• System x3690 X5, type 7192, any model
  
• System x3850 X5, type 7143, any model
  
• System x3850 X5, type 7145, any model
  
• System x3850 X5, type 7146, any model
  
• System x3850 X5, type 7191, any model
  
• System x3950 X5, type 7143, any model
  
• System x3950 X5, type 7145, any model
  

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

• ServeRAID Expansion Adapter, Option part number 60Y0309, any replacement part number (CRU)
  
• ServeRAID M1015 SAS/SATA Controller, Option part number 46M0831, replacement part number (CRU) 46M0861
  
• ServeRAID M5014 SAS/SATA Controller, Option part number 46M0916, replacement part number (CRU) 46M0918
  
• ServeRAID M5015 SAS/SATA Controller, Option part number 46M0829, replacement part number (CRU) 46M0851
  
• ServeRAID M5025 SAS/SATA Controller, Option part number 46M0830, replacement part number (CRU) 46M0854

This tip is not software specific.

The system has the symptom described above.

Solution

Fix Option 1

If the IBM ServeRAID Mxxxx SAS/SATA controller was down-flashed from firmware version 12.12.0-0037 or 12.12.0-0039 on the ServeRAID M50xx Series SAS/SATA Controller or version 20.10.1-0022 on the ServeRAID M1015 SAS or SATA Controller, to a previous version, the controller should be replaced under warranty. A server restart will not recover the controller.

After the ServeRAID Mxxxx SAS/SATA Controller is replaced, update the firmware version to 12.12.0-0047 or later for the ServeRAID M5000 Series SAS/SATA Controller, and version 20.10.1-0036 for the ServeRAID M1015 SAS or SATA Controller.

The file is available by selecting the appropriate Product Group, Product name, Product machine type, and Operating system on IBM Support's Fix Central web page, at the following URL:

• http://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/

  This version of firmware prevents the Discovery Error message from appearing again when down-flashing.
  

Fix Option 2

If a ServeRAID Expansion Adapter (Field Replaceable Unit (FRU) 46M0997) is configured in the server, do not replace any hardware. Restart the server to recover and update the ServeRAID Expansion Adapter to version 632A or later.

The file is available by selecting the appropriate Product Group, Product name, Product machine type, and Operating system on IBM Support's Fix Central web page, at the following URL:

• http://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/

Workaround

When using a ServeRAID Expansion Adapter, restart the server to recover from this condition. The issue does not occur on every restart.

There is no workaround when down-flashing the ServeRAID Mxxxx SAS/SATA Controller.

Additional information

There are two instances for when this error can occur:

1. The error is present when down-flashing the ServeRAID M50xx or M1015 Series SAS or SATA Controller firmware with version 12.12.0-0037 or 12.12.0-0039 for M5000 Series and version 20.10.1-0022 for the M1015 controller.
   
   Down-flashing will cause the adapter to become inoperable and hang with the following error message. Some possible methods of down-flashing can occur when using the IBM UpdateXpress utility or by flashing with the IBM Bootable Media Creator (BoMC).

   

   The new ServeRAID firmware version v2.12.0-0047 or later for the ServeRAID M5000 Series SAS/SATA Controller and 20.10.1-0036 or later for the ServeRAID M1015 SAS or SATA Controller prevents the Discovery Error message from appearing.

   Down-flashing is defined as flashing firmware to a lower numbered or older code version.

   Note: Rollback (down-flashing) to a previous firmware level is not supported. Doing so could cause damage to the controller, data loss, or both.

   2. The ServeRAID Expansion Adapter running firmware version 602A or earlier may identify devices at 1.5 Gb speed instead of 6 Gb speed causing either drives to not show properly in IBM MegaRAID Storage Manager or during POST.

   Firmware version 632A or later fixes this issue so the Hard Disk Drive (HDD) devices can scan and appear correctly.

   For more information, refer to page 19 in the "Problem Determination and Service Guide - ServeRAID M controllers" in the "POST messages-to-actions" section under "BOOT_MSG_DISCOVERY_ERROR" for detailed instructions on troubleshooting the issue, available from the following URL:

   http://www.ibm.com/support/entry/portal/docdisplay?lndocid=MIGR-5085607