IBM 847671U Hardware Maintenance Manual - Page 16

Power-on self-test (POST) When you power-on the server, it performs a series of tests to check the operation of server components and some options. This series of tests is called the power-on self-test, or POST. POST does the following: Checks the operation of some basic system board operations Checks the memory operation Compares the current server configuration with the stored server configuration information Configures PCI adapters Starts the video operation Verifies that the drives (such as the diskette, CD-ROM, and hard disk drives) are connected properly If Power-On Self-Test is set to [Enhanced], numbers that show the amount of memory being tested appear in the top-left corner of the screen until the total amount of memory in the system is reached. Options for running a quick POST or accessing the Configuration/Setup Utility program appear in the lower-left corner of the screen. Quick mode is the default mode of operation. To change the mode to [Enhanced], select Start Options from the Configuration/Setup Utility program menu and follow the prompts on the screen. Note The amount of available memory shown might be somewhat less than expected because of BIOS shadowing in RAM. If POST finishes without detecting any problems, the first screen of the operating system or application program appears (if you have not set a power-on password). If you have set a power-on password, a password prompt appears. You must enter the password before the first screen of the operating system or application program will appear. (For further information on using passwords, see "System security" on page 27.) If Power-On Status is set to [Enabled] and POST detects a problem, you will hear multiple beeps or no beep. In most cases, an error code appears in the top left corner of the screen, and in some cases, a description of the error is displayed beside the code. (Note that the screen will sometimes display multiple error codes and descriptions.) 8 Netfinity Server HMM