XServe 2* 3.0GHz Intel 5400 QUAD CORE

This would the early 2008 model which originally came with OS X Server 10.5.1 unlimited version.

You can install 10.7 Server but that would be the furthest it could go in terms of what Apple officially supports. Some enterprising folks have installed later versions of OS X using unsupported methods such as installing a later OS on hardware that supports it and then cloning that installation to a drive you later install on the XServe. However YMMV and you'd be on your own anyway.

A common mistake with an Xserve is forgetting to unlock it before trying anything. The unlock is the middle chrome round on the left end of the front panel, accepting an allen (hex) wrench. Rotate to the unlocked position before trying anything. If the box isn't unlocked, it'll ignore a whole lot.

Could be the battery. Check the docs — Apple had a bunch of DIY manuals for Xserve a while back, including diagnostics and troubleshooting. If you scroll through the ~150 Xserve docs posted there, you should find a bunch of DIY repair and maintenance manuals. (At one point, there was a roll-up of all the DIY documents into one big manual, which was handy — I don't know if that's still available.)

Same approach as usual: start swapping parts, and see where the problem moves to. I'd probably start with the power supplies. This approach does risk damaging parts during the swappage, and can also risk one of the existing boxes should the fault not be localized to one component.

If you don't have two PSUs fitted the system identifier light will flash constantly which - as far as I'm aware/ in my experience - is by design. It's OK to run an XServe with one PSU as long as you've connected it (ideally) to a UPS. Two PSUs is recommended with each connected to different UPS (or if necessary mains) supplies. If you do have two PSUs fitted then there's something else going on you're not aware of? Seeing as the XServe seems to be installing and working properly it's unlikely to be something else and more likely to be the single PSU rather than than the recommended two.

Hope this helps?

Antonio Rocco wrote:

If you don't have two PSUs fitted the system identifier light will flash constantly which - as far as I'm aware/ in my experience - is by design.

The system ID does not flash on a one-power-supply Xserve 2006, FWIW. Unless you ask for the light to flash. Or unless there's something wrong.

upctry2 wrote:

Thanks for the great info, but my question is if my xserve is on a batterie backup do I need

2 power supplies? There cheep enough.

That's your call.

Dual power supplies means you have dual power connections, which means better protection against either a less-interruptable power supply (LIPS — they're never uninterruptible) failure or swap or disconnection, or the failure of a power supply.

Anecdata: I've had more LIPS-related failures than PS-related failures. In the boxes I've dealt with over the years, the LIPS itself has been a source of more than a few outages.