I am having some problems starting up my server. I just got it, and this is what happens upon startup:

PowerEdge 2450/667

Embedded server management firmware revision 5.24

!!***** System backplane error *****

One 667 MHz Processor, Processor Bus: 133MHz, L2 cache: 256 KB Advanced

Dell PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller 3/Si, BIOS V2.1-3 [Build 2951]

(c) 1998-2000 Adaptec, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

<<< Press <Ctrl><A> for SCSI Select(TM) Utility! >>>

Waiting for Array Controller #0 to start….

Array Controller started

Controller monitor V2.1-3, Build 2951

Controller kernel V2.1-3, Build 2951

Controller POST operation successful

No Logical Drives Found

BIOS not installed!

Adaptec AIC-7899 SCSI BIOS v25305

(c) 1999 Adaptec, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

<<< Press <Ctrl><A> for SCSI Select(TM) Utility! >>>

No boot device available –

Strike F1 to retry boot, F2 for setup utility

Alternatively, F1 – reboot does nothing besides reboots and brings me to the same screen. F2 – setup just leads me to the BIOS. There is little to configure in here, but if I change the SCSI/RAID Controller from RAID Enabled to SCSI Enabled (I know it’s not suppose to be like this, but I did it just to see what happens) then I get this readout:

PowerEdge 2450/667

Embedded server management firmware revision 5.24

!!***** System backplane error *****

One 667 MHz Processor, Processor Bus: 133MHz, L2 cache: 256 KB Advanced

Adaptec AIC-7899 SCSI BIOS v25305

(c) 1999 Adaptec, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

<<< Press <Ctrl><A> for SCSI Select(TM) Utility! >>>

No boot device available –

Strike F1 to retry boot, F2 for setup utility

If I run the SCSI Select(TM) Utility it finds 0-zero drives

any help would be more than greatly appreciated!
Thanks
-Joe

The BIOS is apparently able to communicate with the drive controller in the SCSI chain,this is the first drive in the array (Drive O is always the first boot device)

There are a few possibilities to check.

All SCSI devices are daisy chained together and are interdependent.

It could be that:

Your BIOS needs to be updated.

Power cables are loose or SCSI cables are loose

Drive 0 has a corrupt boot sector and breaks the chain,or the boot partition is not set to active.Use FDISK to check it.

You have a mixed set of SCSI and non SCSI drives,so the SCSI drive must be enabled as first boot device.

Drive O is improperly terminated or the end device (drive or adapter) is improperly terminated.Proper termination of both ends of the chain must be enabled for any devices in the chain to work.If termination is enabled between devices it must be disabled.

The drive doesn't have proper ID assignment,each device in a SCSI chain has to have a unique ID.This is done by setting jumpers on the drive.

The connection at the host adapter (end of the chain) must also be properly terminated.

I really don't know. I'm still stuck here. Here is a "gathering" of all of the informaiton that i have collected so far. hopefully clearing up any confusion or questions and raising some possible solutions

I have 3 seagate cheeta st318404LC 9.1gb hard drives installed
I have tried taking all of them out besides one, tried different orders of the drives, and still the same thing. (all SCSI Drives, no IDE). These drives are attached to a backplane board that automatically sets the drive ID and termination. (however, i am getting that "System backplane error")

I looked up the documentation for the Dell Poweredege 2450 Server. Everything IS connected correctly

the RAID Controller hardware key is in place, and so is the RAID controller DIMM (as they were from the beginning).

Lights on the hard drive:
1 Drive online indicator light off
2 Drive activity indicator green light on
3 Drive failure indicator light off

I never get to a point in the startup where i can configure the RAID bios

I tried doing a Firmware Upgrade and a system BIOS upgrade. but i keep getting the same type of results

There is no OS currently installed. I have tried installing Fedora Core 3, but it fails to find any drives as well.

hope this can help someone help me :)