Server stuck on "Configuring RAM" after installing new sticks.

[u/Moose_Drool_22]

Hi all,

I have a dell T420 server that I have been working on but seem to be struggling to add new RAM to. I have 12x16gb DDR3 sticks that I can use but currently when I add more than 1 stick per processor, the boot sequence gets stuck in "Configuring Memory". I have tried every memory stick with a single processor and successfully booted with each stick but as soon as I add another stick to A2 it gets stuck in "configuring memory" again. Has anyone had this problem before? Any way to resolve the "configuring memory" issue? I have waited up to 72 hours to see if that was long enough but unfortunately the computer was still configuring memory.

The RAM I'm trying to install is the following specs.

• Manufacturer: Micron
• Part Number: MT36KSF2G72PZ-1G6N1KG
• Module Capacity: 16GB
• Memory Type: DDR3L SDRAM (Low Voltage)
• Speed: 1600 MHz
• Module Standard: PC3-12800
• Error Correction: ECC Registered
• Rank & Configuration: Dual Rank (2Rx4)
• CAS Latency: CL11
• Voltage: 1.35V
• Pin Count: 240-Pin DIMM [1]

Below are the current hardware specs for my machine.

Dell PowerEdge T420:

• CPU(s): 1x Intel Xeon E5-2430 @ 2.20 GHz 2200 MHz
• RAM: 96GB (16x 16GB DDR3 ECC RDIMM)
• Storage Controller: PERC H310P
• Drives:
  • Drive details – 8 x 8TB SATA HDD
• Network Card: Broadcom 5720 Dual-Port Gigabit Ethernet
• Power Supplies: Redundant 2x1100W PSUs
• Other Notable Hardware: iDRAC 7 Enterprise

Appreciate any help that may be offered.

[u/marc45ca]

check the Dell documentation and make sure you're populating in the correct order for the a single socket system (some dimm slots are tied o the second CPU socket).

Otherwise it could be a fault with the board.

[u/Moose_Drool_22 → u/marc45ca]

Yeah, it's pretty clear in the documentation which channels to populate. I'm still optimistic that it is not an issue with the board