Help!!! Server Issues!

[rusty155]

Hello people!

 

I have come into work 3 days running now to find one of our servers showing the following message:

 

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p36/marmot155/error-1.jpg

 

After looking in event viewer, it appears that this is occuring at roughly 18.40 every evening. The last entry in the system event log is as follows:

 

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p36/marmot155/event.jpg

 

Now, I am currently having to reboot the Server every morning and perform a manual backup during the day, as the overnight scheduled one obviously won't run!

 

Where do I start??!!! The machine is a dual processor P3 1100 with 1gb ram, and no it is not in warranty! 8O

 

Help. Please!

[ctbjs]

Have you checked out Event ID to see if it comes up there. It could be a server time synchronisation issue? What does this server do?

 

Chris

[Geoff]

The NTP event message is a red herring. The blue screen isn't a standard Windows 'STOP' one. Therefore I'm inclined to think theres some sort of system self monitoring hardware on the motherboard. Is it possible to disable this in the BIOS so you get a 'real' error message?

 

Other than that, I'd start by believing what it said. Run your standard collection of hardware diagnostic tools on the machine (memtest etc).

 

Failing all of the above pointing to where the problem is, start swapping out hardware until it stops erroring out.

 

Finally, this machine is rather old and crusty. Can you afford to replace it?

[Lee_K_81]

I wouldnt have thought that the NTP service would cause BSOD.

 

What time is your back up scheduled to start?

On the previous week (before the error) what happens after 18:38? Are there many entries? Does the backup start correctly manually?

[steveg]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315223

 

Looks a lot like a memory fault, just a bit odd its hapening every night, and there are no problems during the day, especially as you are running the backup manually each day.

 

If your memory is in 2 sticks i'd try removing one and see what that does.

 

If that fails i'd also try disabling as much as possible overnight, all scheduled tasks, backup etc.

 

Dont have cleaners in your office at about that time do you? Last place I worked at we had lots of hardware faults every night, until we worked out the cleaners were plugging their hoover into the extension the server was on, the surge would cause similar errors. Not an issue if your on a ups though, provided its working ok.

 

Steve

[Halfmad]

Perhaps it's just me but it seems odd that your servers have this problem after the clocks go forward a hour!

 

I wouldn't have thought that the NTP was even capable of causing that error, perhaps check all hardware to check that something isn't spitting out an odd error when you boot up? I know I've had problems with my old NT4 server lately over a SCSI error that's only shown for 1sec on startup!

[rusty155]

The servers are in a locked room which only i have access to, and they are on a UPS anyway.

 

Also, it is one of three identical DC's, and only one is problematic. My inital thought was indeed the memory. Will remove a module tonight before i go home and see what happens. If the error persists, i'll swap out again the following night and post back the results!

[bazuk]

The blue screen you are getting is indeed the dreaded NT blue screen of death, this fault indicates a RAM/motherboard/drivers/adapter fault.

 

I would first update all the device drivers you have in the system, esp video and motherboard driver. Then update the scsi/ide/sata drivers if you use them.

 

If this doesnt resolve the issue then you have an intermittent hardware fault on your hands and this will take time so i suggest you unload the servers workload onto something else for the time being.

Then strip the machine to its simplest parts removing all adapters that are not part of the original motherboard, so a video adapter,hdd,cdrom and some memory, nothing else, and leave the system running but doing nothing.

 

If it fails you have narrowed down the fault.

 

i agree with steve though usually its always memory.

but it may not.

 

regards baz

[rusty155]

Thanks for all the help and suggestions people - it was indeed the ram. Switched it over with that from a different server, and came in the next day to discover the same error on the new server, with original one all fine!

 

Got some more on order but will have to manage for a few more days with resetting it every morning and performing a manual backup as I forgot that the memory has to be installed as matched pairs, so cannot remove the faulty module!

 

Oh well, least it was simple in the end!