Description
Network Adapter Alerts occur when a network interface card (NIC) in a system goes offline.
Causes
A variety of conditions can cause a NIC to go offline, such as an unplugged or defective network cable or loss of power to the switch.
Implications
An active NIC going unexpectedly offline can have multiple high-impact implications, such as the inability to access the system over the network or the failure of system applications jobs.
Resolutions
1.
If you are a qualified person and have the authority, take these actions:
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Gather as much information about the failure as possible.
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Consult the Hardware Maintenance manual and Troubleshooting Guide.
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Make sure the latest levels of the device drivers are installed.
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Check Device Manager and verify that the operating system has detected the network adapter.
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Verify the presence of the physical connection by ensuring that the link LED is illuminated. (At least one LED should be green, either solid or blinking.)
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If no LED light is illuminated, there is no physical connection to the network. Possible causes include a damaged network cable, a loose connection, or a problem with the network switch.
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If using an onboard NIC, verify that the network adapter is enabled in BIOS.
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If the NIC is a PCI card, reseat the card firmly.
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Make sure all PCI slots are enabled and that the orange power tabs are completely closed on Hot-swap PCI models.
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Test whether you can connect to any other network host. Use the PING command to check for a basic network connection.
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Run the latest diagnostics on the Ethernet card.
2. If the problems persist, place a service call.
Additional information
To find additional troubleshooting help, visit the "IBM Support & downloads" Web site, select "System x" for "Browse products for support" panel. At "Support & downloads quick start" page, select your product for "Choose your products", and "Troubleshooting" for "Choose your page", then select "View your page" for "See your results". To narrow the results, search with keywords that are related to this article, such as "fail", "Chassis", etc. in the "Search support" field at the right panel.
To download the latest firmware, visit the same "IBM System x support search" Web site, select "Download" for "Task", and then select the "Product Family", "Machine type", and "Operating system" values of interest. You can refine the search by selecting the download category of interest from the "Refine results" list. For BladeCenter x86 blade servers, visit the IBM BladeCenter support search Web site and follow similar steps.
To find the replacement part number (or the FRU number) for the component replacement, visit the "BladeCenter and System x Product Information - Servers" Web site, select your product from "IBM System x products" table. Then select "System service parts listing" for your product.
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