Supermicro: No Boot - IPMI Shows Wrong CPU?

[oguruma]

I purchased the following setup, all used except the Chassis

No POST, No Beeps, No VGA

Supermicro X10DRI-T
2x Intel E5-2697V3 <-compatible PSU unless I am missing something
3x Samsung MEM-DR416L-SL01ER12 16G DImms <- approved list
In-Win RS-316-07 Chassis W/Redunant CRPS 1200W PSU

Installed all hardware, tested on rubber mat to rule out shorts.


IPMI shows host powered off. When trying to power on, IPMI shows "Please check the feature cables."

Upgraded Firmware; Upgraded BIOS (though I never really got a confirmation it was upgraded successfully, and I don't even see where IPMI shows the BIOS version.

One very strange thing is that IPMI "hardware" pane shows that the CPUs installed are E5-2620. I verified with the markings on the CPUs that they are E5-2697s.

I tired:
Swapping in a different, known good PSU
DIMM roulette with 3x different DIMMs
Swapping CPUs in slots
Clearing CMOS with jumpers/contact pads on the mobo
Clearing CMOS by leaving CMOS battery out/no power
Replacing CMOS battery

 

[Ericloewe]

One very strange thing is that IPMI "hardware" pane shows that the CPUs installed are E5-2620. I verified with the markings on the CPUs that they are E5-2697s.

If the system doesn't boot, IPMI is just showing the last CPUs it found.

At this point, I'd suggest flashing the firmware again, via IPMI. You'll need an unlock code, which you can try and acquire from a Supermicro distributor by providing them with the MAC for the IPMI. Your mileage may vary, depending on the distributor. Definitely do not try to bypass this and generate your own code like this guy does, many Supermicro distributors charge reasonable prices (30-40 bucks) and some don't even make you wait more than a few days. Why, you could end up spending minutes figuring out how to generate the required hashes, that would be terrible...

 

[oguruma]

If the system doesn't boot, IPMI is just showing the last CPUs it found.

At this point, I'd suggest flashing the firmware again, via IPMI. You'll need an unlock code, which you can try and acquire from a Supermicro distributor by providing them with the MAC for the IPMI. Your mileage may vary, depending on the distributor. Definitely do not try to bypass this and generate your own code like this guy does, many Supermicro distributors charge reasonable prices (30-40 bucks) and some don't even make you wait more than a few days. Why, you could end up spending minutes figuring out how to generate the required hashes, that would be terrible...

No dice. Flashed the firmware again. Still no POST, still shows the wrong CPUs.

 

[Ericloewe]

Out of sheer desperation, you can try flashing the IPMI firmware again. Maybe the ME part of it is corrupted and the ME code on the host side refuses to boot.
It’s not likely, but it’s worth a shot.
Also worth a shot: using just one CPU, maybe one of them is dead.

 

[jgreco]

I verified with the markings on the CPUs that they are E5-2697s.

Yes, but are they legit. Always worth asking.

Wind your enthusiasm back a bit and start by pulling CPU2. Get the system working with just one CPU first.

 

[oguruma]

Yes, but are they legit. Always worth asking.

Wind your enthusiasm back a bit and start by pulling CPU2. Get the system working with just one CPU first.

Pulled CPU2. Same result. Placed CPU2 into CPU1 socket. Same.

 

[jgreco]

I think you're going to have to go and flash the BIOS to the latest version. @Ericloewe discusses this above.

 

[Ericloewe]

I think you're going to have to go and flash the BIOS to the latest version. @Ericloewe discusses this above.

But that's been done, apparently. So, bad board or bad CPUs?

Pulled CPU2. Same result. Placed CPU2 into CPU1 socket. Same.

Can you show us a picture of the CPUs, on the off chance that they're conspicuous fakes? Like, some scammers were recreating Xeon E5 v4 markings on Xeon E5 v3 units.