Chapter 4. Troubleshooting; Start Here; Diagnosing A Problem - Lenovo System x3100 M4 Installation And Service Manual

Chapter 4. Troubleshooting

This chapter describes the diagnostic tools and troubleshooting information that are available to help you
solve problems that might occur in the server.
If you cannot diagnose and correct a problem by using the information in this chapter, see
"Getting help and technical assistance" on page 577

Start here

You can solve many problems without outside assistance by following the troubleshooting procedures in this
documentation and on the World Wide Web.
This document describes the diagnostic tests that you can perform, troubleshooting procedures, and
explanations of error messages and error codes. The documentation that comes with your operating system
and software also contains troubleshooting information.

Diagnosing a problem

Before you contact IBM or an approved warranty service provider, follow these procedures in the order in
which they are presented to diagnose a problem with your server.
Step 1.
Return the server to the condition it was in before the problem occurred.
If any hardware, software, or firmware was changed before the problem occurred, if possible,
reverse those changes. This might include any of the following items:
• Hardware components
• Device drivers and firmware
• System software
• UEFI firmware
• System input power or network connections
Step 2.
View the light path diagnostics LEDs and event logs.
The server is designed for ease of diagnosis of hardware and software problems.
• Light path diagnostics LEDs: See
using light path diagnostics LEDs.
• Event logs: See
diagnosis.
• Software or operating-system error codes: See the documentation for the software or
operating system for information about a specific error code. See the manufacturer's website for
documentation.
Step 3.
Run IBM Dynamic System Analysis (DSA) and collect system data.
Run Dynamic System Analysis (DSA) to collect information about the hardware, firmware, software,
and operating system. Have this information available when you contact IBM or an approved
warranty service provider. For instructions for running DSA, see the Dynamic System Analysis
Installation and User's Guide.
© Copyright Lenovo 2014, 2016
"Light path diagnostics" on page 107
"Event logs" on page 108
for more information.
for information about notification events and
Appendix D
for information about
101