Ref: 02880030
Title: Known Problems with Early 3S/500 Servers
date: 5/18/90

Copyright 3Com Corporation, 1991.  All rights reserved.

The 3Server/500 has recently been enjoying a record-high level of quality
and reliability.  In the first six months of its product life, however, the
3Server/500 experienced a number of short-term problems.  These primarily
resulted from vendor parts that were later found to be faulty, prone to
user-instigated failure, or revised versions that the vendor failed to
warn us about. These problems were caught and resolved as quickly as
possible, oftentimes before a 3Server/500 with the problem was shipped from
3Com.  A few process-related problems were also found and quickly resolved.

3Com now provides even more strenuous screening and testing of 3Servers
before they are shipped, and a safer, less jarring journey during shipment;
and 3Server/500 quality has been restored.  However, we would like to make
known to you the historical problems with the 3Server/500, as well as their
solutions, so you will be better able to detect a problem if it occurs.

These problems will NOT appear on 3Server/500s shipped after March 1990.

TYPE  PROBLEM      SOLUTION   IMPACT
----  -------      --------   ------
PWR   The power supply would    Vendor ECO'd          Less than 1% of
SUP   intermittently fail to    the power supply  installed base
      power the server up.    rolling the part #  estimated to be
      This occurred mainly on      to a -02.  All  at risk.  Part
      servers with tape drives     production and CSO  # -02 was
      installed.  The over-        stock was reworked.  implemented on
      voltage protection circuit      2/5/90.
      inside the power supply was
      tripping due to startup
      load of the tape drive.

TAPE  Tape drives would fail    All 3Com stock was  Tapes in the
      with either a media 03    purged and reworked  serial number
      error or blank tape.    by Archive.   range of
      Archive had a problem     AA124,000 to
      in their mfg. process     AA164,321.
      whereby tape drives were
      not calibrated properly.

TAPE  Tape drives would fail    A warning label was  Possible damage
      with either a media 03    attached to the head  to tape drives
      error or blank tape.    protector, and the    that have the
      The Archive tape drive    head protector was    old head
      can lose calibration by    redesigned so it is   protectors.  (This
      applying power to the    no longer a problem.  is not a problem
      drive when the head    A release note about  with Perfect Data
      protector is installed    the cleaning car-     cleaning
      or when inserting or    tridge was added to  cartridges, only
      removing a 3M cleaning    the tape drive and   with 3M's.)
      cartridge.     a field notice was
       sent out.

MOBO  Blank LCD on power-up.    The method of  Rev I was
      There was a problem    implementing the  implemented
      with the way the Rev. H    Rev H rework was  11/8/89.  Rev H
      rework was being installed,  changed, resulting  motherboards may
      causing damage to the    in Rev I rework.  exhibit this
      lifted U62 IC leg      problem, but very
      resulting in intermittent     few are in the
      booting of the motherboard.    field.
