Technical Advisory

This Technical Advisory describes an issue which may or may not affect the customer’s product

Intel Technical Advisory TA-0910-1

5200 NE Elam Young Parkway

Hillsboro, OR 97124

August 12, 2008

RAID controller fails to initialize due to backup battery cable plugged in incorrectly

Information in this document is provided in connection with Intel products. No license, express or implied, by estoppel or otherwise,

to any intellectual property rights is granted by this document. Except as provided in Intel's Terms and Conditions of Sale for such

products, Intel assumes no liability whatsoever, and Intel disclaims any express or implied warranty, relating to sale and/or use of

Intel products including liability or warranties relating to fitness for a particular purpose, merchantability, or infringement of any patent,

copyright or other intellectual property right. Intel products are not intended for use in medical, life saving, or life sustaining

applications. Intel may make changes to specifications and product descriptions at any time, without notice. The Intel® Smart

Battery AXXRSBBU3 may contain design defects or errors known as errata which may cause the product to deviate from published

specifications. Current characterized errata are available on request.

Products Affected

AXXRSBBU3, MM# 883471, 899345

Description

The AXXRSBBU3 RAID battery is designed for use with both Intel® RAID Controllers and ROMB Solutions, and ships

with an assortment of cables designed for use with these various RAID solutions. During installation, it is required to

select the correct cable and connect it between the RAID controller and the battery. The cable end plugs and their

matching connectors on the RAID controller and on the battery are keyed to serve as a guide for proper connection

mating. However, it is possible to force the cable plug into either the controller’s or the battery’s connector backwards

which will result in failure of the RAID controller during POST initialization and will result in damage to the battery.

Unplugging the incorrectly installed cable from the battery and repowering the system will allow the RAID controller to

function normally. However, the battery module will be damaged and no longer usable.

Root Cause

The battery cable connector is keyed to prevent plugging in the cable backwards. However, if sufficient force is applied,

it is still possible to plug in the cable incorrectly.

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This Technical Advisory describes an issue which may or may not affect the customer’s product Intel Technical Advisory TA-0910-1 5200 NE Elam Young Parkway Hillsboro, OR 97124 August 12, 2008 RAID controller fails to initialize due to backup battery cable plugged in incorrectly Information in this document is provided in connection with Intel products. No license, express or implied, by estoppel or otherwise, to any intellectual property rights is granted by this document.
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Corrective Action / Resolution Intel is not planning a new connector design. All customers are advised to carefully observe how the battery cable connectors are keyed and to avoid asserting unnecessary force when plugging in the cable. Yellow wire of the cable must be located closer to the center of the battery circuit board. If the battery has been connected incorrectly and the system was powered on, the battery will need to be replaced. Figure 1. Connecting cable to AXXRSBBU3 Figure 2.