Windows 2008 Server Lockups

[Jordan B]

We're experiencing an issue with Win2k8 Server 64 bit Standard Edition
(SP2).

On occasion (once every 7-18 days or so), one of our servers locks up.
It doesn't service any requests (HTTP, RDP, etc.) but does reply to
pings. There is HDD activity, but we can't log in to the console.

There are no suspicious events in the SYSTEM or APPLICATION logs. No
events are logged following the point of lockup. The only message
following a hard reboot is that the last shutdown was unexpected.

The system hardware consists of an EVGA Classified Motherboard, i7
extreme edition processor, quality RAM, and 6 Intel SSD in Raid0.

We've checked the CPU using Prime95 for hours, scanned the SSD array,
run MemTest for multiple passes, and it all seems stable. All BIOS and
chipset drivers are current.


I realize this is a vague issue, but does anyone have suggestions on how
to go about troubleshooting this intermittent issue?


Kind regards,

Jordan.

 

[Kevin Longley]

Have you verified that the power supply isn't marginal or that the various
internal fans are all working consistently?

"Jordan B" wrote in message
news:OVv$gLkNKHA.2036@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> We're experiencing an issue with Win2k8 Server 64 bit Standard Edition
> (SP2).
>
> On occasion (once every 7-18 days or so), one of our servers locks up. It
> doesn't service any requests (HTTP, RDP, etc.) but does reply to pings.
> There is HDD activity, but we can't log in to the console.
>
> There are no suspicious events in the SYSTEM or APPLICATION logs. No
> events are logged following the point of lockup. The only message
> following a hard reboot is that the last shutdown was unexpected.
>
> The system hardware consists of an EVGA Classified Motherboard, i7 extreme
> edition processor, quality RAM, and 6 Intel SSD in Raid0.
>
> We've checked the CPU using Prime95 for hours, scanned the SSD array, run
> MemTest for multiple passes, and it all seems stable. All BIOS and
> chipset drivers are current.
>
>
> I realize this is a vague issue, but does anyone have suggestions on how
> to go about troubleshooting this intermittent issue?
>
>
> Kind regards,
>
> Jordan.

 

[Jordan]

All the fans are good, and temps are consistently low. I'm not sure of how
one would test the PS without simply swapping it out.

I find it a bit frustrating that Windows logs nothing, but I suppose that
would point to a hardware issue?

Is there any way I can ensure Windows 2008 server detects the hang?



Jordan.


"Kevin Longley" wrote:

> Have you verified that the power supply isn't marginal or that the various
> internal fans are all working consistently?
>

 

[Kevin Longley]

I have had techs in before that have been able to test the power supply. If
you have a spare then swap it out to rule that out as the problem.

If it locks up because of hardware the OS can't detect it.

"Jordan" wrote in message
news:E2EF42B9-4A35-4718-920A-7CF302A9632E@microsoft.com...
> All the fans are good, and temps are consistently low. I'm not sure of
> how
> one would test the PS without simply swapping it out.
>
> I find it a bit frustrating that Windows logs nothing, but I suppose that
> would point to a hardware issue?
>
> Is there any way I can ensure Windows 2008 server detects the hang?
>
>
>
> Jordan.
>
>
> "Kevin Longley" wrote:
>
>> Have you verified that the power supply isn't marginal or that the
>> various
>> internal fans are all working consistently?
>>
>

 

[Rob McShinsky]

Does the hang happen when you try to logon, or just randomly. We have been
seeing this issue on some HP blade hardware we have, but others work just
fine. The symptoms of my problem is when I logon either at the console or
through terminal services, the system will freeze for approx 20-40 min and
then resume. I can logoff and logon many times after that, but if I restart
the machine and then try to logon, that is when the hang happens. Does that
sound familiar? I have not found out what the issue is and I am currently
going through a painful support process with Microsoft.

Rob McShinsky
http://www.virtuallyaware.com

"Jordan B" wrote:

> We're experiencing an issue with Win2k8 Server 64 bit Standard Edition
> (SP2).
>
> On occasion (once every 7-18 days or so), one of our servers locks up.
> It doesn't service any requests (HTTP, RDP, etc.) but does reply to
> pings. There is HDD activity, but we can't log in to the console.
>
> There are no suspicious events in the SYSTEM or APPLICATION logs. No
> events are logged following the point of lockup. The only message
> following a hard reboot is that the last shutdown was unexpected.
>
> The system hardware consists of an EVGA Classified Motherboard, i7
> extreme edition processor, quality RAM, and 6 Intel SSD in Raid0.
>
> We've checked the CPU using Prime95 for hours, scanned the SSD array,
> run MemTest for multiple passes, and it all seems stable. All BIOS and
> chipset drivers are current.
>
>
> I realize this is a vague issue, but does anyone have suggestions on how
> to go about troubleshooting this intermittent issue?
>
>
> Kind regards,
>
> Jordan.
>

 

[Jordan]

Well, it appears random, but it's running Terminal Services (not admin mode,
but multi-user). It's possible that the hang occurs when one of the users
logs in remotely, but not on the 1st login, and it's not something I've been
able to reproduce.

We've swapped our hard drive array over into a sister server with identical
hardware, so we'll see if I can isolate it to a MOBO, RAM, CPU, or PS issue...

If it hangs again, I can pretty safely say it's a software/driver or hard
drive issue.


Jordan.



"Rob McShinsky" wrote:

> Does the hang happen when you try to logon, or just randomly. We have been
> seeing this issue on some HP blade hardware we have, but others work just
> fine. The symptoms of my problem is when I logon either at the console or
> through terminal services, the system will freeze for approx 20-40 min and
> then resume. I can logoff and logon many times after that, but if I restart
> the machine and then try to logon, that is when the hang happens. Does that
> sound familiar? I have not found out what the issue is and I am currently
> going through a painful support process with Microsoft.
>
> Rob McShinsky
> http://www.virtuallyaware.com
>
> "Jordan B" wrote:
>
> > We're experiencing an issue with Win2k8 Server 64 bit Standard Edition
> > (SP2).
> >
> > On occasion (once every 7-18 days or so), one of our servers locks up.
> > It doesn't service any requests (HTTP, RDP, etc.) but does reply to
> > pings. There is HDD activity, but we can't log in to the console.
> >
> > There are no suspicious events in the SYSTEM or APPLICATION logs. No
> > events are logged following the point of lockup. The only message
> > following a hard reboot is that the last shutdown was unexpected.
> >
> > The system hardware consists of an EVGA Classified Motherboard, i7
> > extreme edition processor, quality RAM, and 6 Intel SSD in Raid0.
> >
> > We've checked the CPU using Prime95 for hours, scanned the SSD array,
> > run MemTest for multiple passes, and it all seems stable. All BIOS and
> > chipset drivers are current.
> >
> >
> > I realize this is a vague issue, but does anyone have suggestions on how
> > to go about troubleshooting this intermittent issue?
> >
> >
> > Kind regards,
> >
> > Jordan.
> >