GUESS GAME - After transportation abuse, HP DL380 G6 Server is dead or alive?

[Zucca]

Folks,

I am leaving USA and going back to Europe. As a last gift from the amazing goldmine USA ebay.com I got a Server HP DL380 G6. Please forgive me I am not an expert on servers.

See auction here:
eBay auction: #131366399046

The unit I got has no RAM, no HDD, no batteries inside.
Thanks to USPS and Xmas time the server came in exactely the day I was packing up my home.

The package was worst than horrible (click on the pictures for bigger size)





and the unit got beaten up pretty well on the rear (the rails are gone)







and a little less in the front, see below the left bracket



and the bent right one



Since I had no time for a proper test here what I did:

1) Open the unit and took a visual look inside for damages --> PASSED no damage found
2) Plug the AC cord in the PSU #1, was the AC light ON is the front --> PASSED
3) Start the Server as it was with no monitor attached nothing --> FAILED unit was beeping (maybe RAM was missing?) and fans where not running like a Jet (as a normal server does during start up)
4) Disconneted PSU#1 and plug the AC cord in the PSU #2, was the AC light ON is the front --> PASSED
5) Start the Server as it was with no monitor attached nothing --> PASSED fans going like a Jet!
At this point I thought the PSU1# was gone
4) Disconneted PSU#2 and plug the AC cord in the PSU #1, was the AC light ON is the front --> PASSED
5) Start the Server as it was with no monitor attached nothing --> PASSED fans going like a Jet! 

I had no other time for further tests. Returning the item was out of discussion because I had not ime and because in Europe those server are more expensive. I took the risk to keep it.
I well repacked everything and now the unit is on his way on the atlantic ocean to my home in Europe.
Now your guess, there is still hope for me? Will it work properly or not ?? Please vote...

BTW what is the best way to test a server? Just let it work and wait until something strange happens?
 

[Falcon69]

well, that'll buff out!

I don't see any Fragile stickers on it, not that would make much of a difference, but it maybe could have helped.

If it doesn't power on, and you cannot bend the rails back so they work, I'd file an insurance claim. But being that you got the item from eBay, I doubt there is any insurance on it but the standard $50.

But, seeing how you are leaving the US today to go back to Europe, you won't have the time to deal with any of this.  This type of action takes months to deal with.

I don't know much about servers, but it sounds like it's behaving strangely with the power supplies. Why would Powersupply #1 act random like that? What happens when BOTH powersupplies are plugged in?

[Zucca]

the rails back so they work

Fortunately I don´t need the rails...

[Falcon69]

yes, but, even though you don't need them, you still may be able to file an insurance claim. You ordered a product, it arrived damage. Whether or not you use said product is irrelevant. I'd still file a claim, if you can. $50 bucks is $50 bucks.

But, aside from visible damage, it being dropped, etc. could have caused other problems, like the random problems with that powersupply.

To bend those rails, takes a pretty hard drop to do that.  Dropping it from just 30 inches off the ground (as if someone was carrying it and tripped over a reindeer) would not cause that damage.  That box had to of been tossed or fallen off a truck, several times. I would think USPS was responsible for that damage.

Aside from that, let us know how the thing tests out.  I find it strange that the PS1 didn't turn the machine on, but PS2 did, then when unplug PS2 and plug back in PS1, it did.  That's odd. Maybe a bad connection when you first plugged it in?  Bad connection terminals at the PS or at the wall receptacle? Or maybe a short in the cable itself?  Maybe a bad connection on the connector itself on the PS board?

[Zucca]

$50 bucks is $50 bucks.

Do you think they will give me the money without being physically present in the USA? I mean even a mailed refund check could be difficoult to get in the bank.

To bend those rails, takes a pretty hard drop to do that.  Dropping it from just 30 inches off the ground (as if someone was carrying it and tripped over a reindeer) would not cause that damage.  That box had to of been tossed or fallen off a truck, several times. I would think USPS was responsible for that damage.

That´s what I am expecting form USPS or others, no big surprise here, expecially on heavy traffic time like this before Xmas. The shipper is to me responsible for the damage (he already got a negative feedback from me on ebay), a good package is the only hope for big and heavy product. I would have put in a double box with a lot of foam/bubble wrap or something between the two.

[Towger]

Chances are it still works, these are built like a brick dunny and weight a ton, which is why it along with the lack of padding it got damaged in the first place.
I don't know how much you paid, but by the time you ship it home, add ECC memory and SAS/SATA drives it will add up.
I have seen complete G6s going for 150 euro on the local gumtree.
BTW, do you know how loud these things are....

[tom66]

Fragile stickers are just an instruction to the courier company to treat it harder. 

[Falcon69]

well, putting Fragile on it is suppose to help, I mean, you can't really write on it...

"Caution!  Treat this package with the utmost care. Any sudden drops that could damage the package, may activate the nuclear bomb inside!"

[SeanB]

No, but packing a few boxes of stink bombs inside, and placing "Caution Glass" might be excessive reinforcement against mishandling.

Wonder how they will handle a live, not drugged and not descented skunk.

[jc101]

Service and maintenance guide for the DL380 G6 can be found here...

http://www.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c01705597.pdf

[aroby]

Seems that it is working ok.  The beeping is most likely the fact it has no RAM, plus those servers generally beep on startup when they need operator input at the keyboard.

No doubt it was dropped when someone got a surprise lifting it ...

[dannyf]

fans going like a Jet!

That's the way it is supposed to be for servers,

Try TS140 if you need a quiet (but far less powerful) server.  I would personally go for a workstation.

[cimmo]

well, putting Fragile on it is suppose to help, I mean, you can't really write on it...

"Caution!  Treat this package with the utmost care. Any sudden drops that could damage the package, may activate the nuclear bomb inside!"

You say that as a joke.
I don't think you understand how little humor (or actual knowledge of practicalities) the hypersensitive US security regime possesses (well, at least how important they think the security theatre is):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Boston_bomb_scare
"the Boston Police Department stated in their defense that the ad devices shared "some characteristics with improvised explosive devices," which they said included an "identifiable power source, a circuit board with exposed wiring, and electrical tape."

[SL4P]

That much stress - I wouldn't put it in a mission critical role - if it works at all.
Replacement power supplies can be very expensive.
The motherboard may have been torqued (twisted slightly) if it was dropped at an angle.
The rails may have absorbed some of the impact, but unknown if, or how much.
Hairline cracks or fractures in PCBs and connectors.
Check what RAM it needs.  ECC server RAM may cost you a lot more than the chassis itself - only to discover the main board is stuffed.

Call the carrier/insurer ASAP if it's not too late.
EDIT: Now you know why these heavy units are double-boxed when they leave the factory.

[suicidaleggroll]

EDIT: Now you know why these heavy units are double-boxed when they leave the factory.

Only regular workstation chassis come in regular double boxes for me.  Whenever I order a big rackmount chassis like this it usually comes strapped to a pallet.

[SL4P]

Fair enough.
My experience only reaches to SuperMicro, Intel and HP boxes. Others may vary.
- and yes - depending on the packed weight - one or multiple chassis could well use a pallet, but all the individual raw-packed 'enterprise grade' servers I've seen and re-shipped (at great cost!) come with more plastic and cardboard than you can lose in a single recycling bin - double boxed.

[kingofkya]

Yeah tell me about it you get say 10  small servers int he mail they come with 3 dumpsters worth of packing material.
But yeah i would say that was defiantly underpacked.

And on thous cpu you need at lest one ecc regestered DDR3 mem stick in one of the 3 A slots, or it will beep at you.

As a side note you cold probably double your money buy selling the cpus on ebay.


As far as the fans it depends some times they will start slow if connected via the harddisk back plane.

[Zucca]

As a side note you cold probably double your money buy selling the cpus on ebay.

That's an excellent plan B!

A big THANKS for all of you! I would say now I have more hope than before, can't wait to install 64GB ECC, 3 SSD and SAS adapter to check if beast is doing well. If it is still OK I know which server I would install on a military tank. If not a will open a post in the repair, will all my measures...

I skimmed the service manual, but I could not find a self test function... I guess it is not like a scope. 
I think I got it, I need to use the HP Insight Diagnostics software to run a self check... maybe the offline version should be enough.

[justanothercanuck]

I've had movers drop servers on the floor before.  Right on its face.  Bent the crap out of the storage enclosure.  I had a replacement enclosure, but it was bent so bad the locking mechanism got stuck and I couldn't get the drives out using their pull tabs.  (The server has since been decommissioned since it was a quad-P2 500)

When I went to throw it out, I had to bend the enclosure all different ways in order to get the whole enclosure out of the server, and bend it a bunch to get the drives to pop out.  I was kindof pissed off that I spent the energy doing that, because I wound up smashing the drives with a hammer, and they're built like a rock compared to desktop drives. 

Long story short, it happens, but if it still works, the rest is just metal work.