When to Reconfigure or Reload Software

If all other options have not resolved the problem, consider reconfiguring the system. Before you take this step:

1. Weigh the projected downtime of a software reload against the time spent troubleshooting intermittent problems. It may be advantageous to start over by removing and reinstalling the problem software, or in some cases by using the System Erase Utility and reinstalling all system software.

   CAUTION: Perform a backup before running the System Erase Utility. The utility sets the system to its original factory state, deletes the current hardware configuration information, including array setup and disk partitioning, and erases all connected hard drives completely. Refer to the instructions for using this utility.

2. Be sure the server has adequate resources (processor speed, hard drive space, and memory) for the software.
3. Be sure the server ROM is current and the configuration is correct.
4. Be sure you have printed records of all troubleshooting information you have collected to this point.
5. Be sure you have two good backups before you start. Test the backups using a backup utility.
6. Check the operating system and application software resources to be sure you have the latest information.
7. If the last-known functioning configuration does not work, try to recover the system with operating system recovery software:
   • Microsoft® operating systems:

     Windows Server™ 2003—Automated System Recovery Diskette. If the operating system was factory-installed, click Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools to access the backup utility. Refer to the operating system documentation for more information.

     Windows® 2000—Emergency Repair Diskette. If the operating system was factory-installed, click Start>Programs>System Tools to access the Emergency Repair Disk Utility. Refer to the operating system documentation for more information.

   • Novell NetWare—Repair traditional volumes with VREPAIR. On NetWare 5.X systems, repair NSS volumes with the NSS menu command, and on NetWare 6 systems, repair NSS volumes using the NSS/PoolVerify command followed by the NSS/PoolRebuild command, if necessary. Refer to the NetWare documentation for more information.
   • Caldera UnixWare and SCO OpenServer from Caldera—Emergency boot diskette. Refer to the Caldera UnixWare or SCO OpenServer from Caldera documentation for more information.
   • Sun Solaris—Device Configuration Assistant boot diskette. Refer to the Solaris documentation for more information.
   • IBM OS/2—Power up the server from the startup diskettes. Refer to the OS/2 documentation for more information.
   • Linux—Refer to the operating system documentation for information.