July 6, 201016 yr Just built my first unRAID array - FANTASTIC. First computer I've ever built from ground up that worked from the first power on...sort of. Was working for a couple of weeks, powered down a couple of times no problems. Then I added some drives from my old Drobo and tried to power on. The power cycled on and off repeatedly. Nothing I did could make it come up. Then magically it worked. Then it didn't again. I did a lot of searching and found a thread buried somewhere that mentioned a possible conflict between the Supermicro C2SEA mobo and the Corsair CMPSU-400CX. So I ran out and bought an Enermax power supply, installed it, and the problem disappeared - hopefully for good. I don't know enough at the component level to know what the problem is, but my experience seems to confirm what that long buried thread had asserted - the two don't play well together. Anyway, I just wanted to get this out there for posterity's sake, so that if someone searches for power cycling, C2SEA and Corsair (like I did) they can find a thread that may help. By the way, this is some fantastic software, and Joe L.'s unMenu just makes it better. Now if we could just get all that yummy server goodness wrapped up in a version 5.0 (including the preclear script), I'd be ecstatic... Phil C.
July 6, 201016 yr I did not know the CMPSU-400CX had issues with a motherboard. Sometimes there is a timing signal when powering on. Which enermax PSU did you switch to? How many drives do you have.
July 7, 201016 yr Author Hi WeeboTech, I don't know if it's the PSU having issues with the mobo or vice versa. I had five drives before the problem started. I added six drives, then had the problem. I removed the six drives (thought that perhaps I had overloaded my PSU) but the problem persisted. I reseated all the cables, cards, RAM, etc. Removed RAM, switched RAM...the results were hugely inconsistent. Once every fifteen or twenty attempts the server would power up, the rest of the time just power cycle. I switched to an Enermax Liberty Eco II 500W (increased the wattage just in case...). Which, by the way, requires an additional MOLEX cable to power three 4 in 3 drive cages. I almost got another (larger wattage) Corsair, but I didn't want to take a chance that it is a Corsair incompatibility across the brand. I have a two year old who has to have her Little Bear... Phil C.
July 7, 201016 yr The corsair should have handled the 12 drives. If you have power cycling, that is usually a problem with the power supply. It sounds like something failed inside it after being taxed at a higher usage.
July 7, 201016 yr Ya, I'd agree that it might have been a failure after installing that many drives. I had calculated before that maybe 9 or 10 drives would be the max for that drive depending on the power requirements of the other hardware so 11 drives could have been pushing it. Peter
July 7, 201016 yr Ya, I'd agree that it might have been a failure after installing that many drives. I had calculated before that maybe 9 or 10 drives would be the max for that drive depending on the power requirements of the other hardware so 11 drives could have been pushing it. Peter When you dropped the number of drives, it should have recovered and stopped happening. From what I read, that's not what happened, which made me think something failed. Have you tried the PSU in another machine?
July 8, 201016 yr Author No - We're totally Mac now and I don't have any spare machines. In the forum thread I found initially about this problem where the other user was having the same power cycling problem, he installed the Corsair in another machine (with a different mobo) and it worked perfectly. If I were just overdrawing the PSU, removing the additional drives should have solved the problem. If the PSU had failed, I would have expected it to not work at all again - but it did boot up a couple of times (about once every ten to fifteen attempts). That's why I was a bit baffled. As I said earlier, the Enermax PSU only gave me five MOLEX plugs vice the six that came with the Corsair. So right now, I only have two of three 4-in-3 drive cages powered up. Once I get an additional cable so the final cage can have power, the configuration will be back to what it was. If the failure occurs again, I'll put it down to the drive cage. If not...then it falls out with the PSU vs. mobo issue in my mind. Phil C.
July 8, 201016 yr If I were just overdrawing the PSU, removing the additional drives should have solved the problem. If the PSU had failed, I would have expected it to not work at all again - but it did boot up a couple of times (about once every ten to fifteen attempts). That's why I was a bit baffled. I have to agree with WeeboTech on this one. What you are describing is exactly what a failed power supply will do. It will boot up. It will fail to boot up more times than it will boot up. You may have to power cycle it 10 times & then boom it boots up. I ran a computer repair business for 15 years. Believe me, your power supply is acting like something failed. Phil
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