RX devices intermittently fail to boot

Tech Note: TN0219
Product: RX
Version: RX5, RX7, RX8 serial numbers < 5000 and RX6 serial numbers < 3000
Date Added: 2006-09-20

Issue

RX devices, when paired with the FO5 Optibit Gigabit Interface, will intermittently fail to boot properly. The failure is on the circuits in right side of the device. When this problem occurs, the BITS LEDs will fail to light and the affected RXn device will show up as an RX5 in zBusMon. This problem is most common when an RX device with 5 DSPs is used with the FO5 Optical Gigabit Interface.

Workaround

The following tips can be used to mitigate the problem:

  1. Turn devices on one at a time starting with the first rack in the hardware loop.

  2. If a device fails to boot, cycle the power on that device only.

  3. Leave the devices on whenever possible; a rack of 4 RX devices draws less power than a light bulb.

Solution

When it's convenient, contact TDT to request an RMA for an upgrade.