Background
I am in a server testing facility. I have a M1000e that has been operating just fine for the last year or so. I routinely put new (new to me anyway because I could actually get them from anywhere) PowerEdge blades into the enclosure. After they initialize, I use the CMC software interface to adjust the network settings. Then I power on the blade and boot it to the network where I run Dell diagnostics on it.
I have performed this task hundreds of times on various blades from M600 to M710 to M905. Once the blade is tested I move on to the next one. While I have had 5 or 6 blades running at one time, the M1000e has never been completely loaded with blades, so I keep the filler panels in place to help with airflow and cooling of the enclosure. Also as background information, I must also add that I have a couple of blades that I use in the M1000e to DOD wipe the hard drives on externals DAEs. I have a Dell Ethernet Pass Through module and a Dell 8/4Gbps Fiber Channel Pass Through module.
Problem
On Monday, I received 5 different M610 (gen II) blades to test. I put the first one in and it would not initialize. Sometimes the blades take a while to be fully recognized in the CMC, but this one never did. It showed the blade in the appropriate slot, but when I tried to power it on, I got the error "iDRAC Not Ready". I tried all 5 of the blades with the same result. At the time I was using a M905 to wipe drives on external DAEs. It was running fine, so I tried to see if the M610 blade needed a firmware update. Again this is a process that I have completed successfully many times. However, what normally takes about 3 minutes lasted nearly 30 minutes and then it failed.
So thinking to just make something work, I took a M610 (gen II) blade that I use all the time for wiping drives and plugged it into the enclosure. I just wanted to see something work. But my fully tested blade acted the same way as the untested blades. Fearing the worst, I waited until the M905 was finishing wiping drives then I powered it off and unplugged it from the enclosure. I knew it had been running, so it at least would work... but it didn't. Now it does the same thing as the other blades. It will not initialize either.
I have since tried a racreset on the M1000e and a full power off for an hour of the enclosure. I still have the same problem. The M1000e comes up just fine. I can get to the CMC software. I can get to the iKVM on the back of the enclosure. But when I put in any blade, it will not initialize.
Please help. Thank you.
Charles