Sporadic system freezes when booting SLES 11 into runlevel 5

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Environment

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11

Situation

Booting a SLES 11 system may occasionally result in a "hang" when starting the X session (runlevel 5).
It is not possible to ping the system. A "black screen" is usually seen on the console, and the system doesn't respond to any commands.
If the server is booted to runlevel 3 then the problem does not occur.
The problem usually occurs only once in 30 boots.
The problem has been noticed on (but is not limited to) Intel-based ProLiant G6 servers.

Resolution

When the system "hangs", cold boot the server. This can be achieved manually by pressing and holding the power button until the server turns off. The above can also be achieved remotely via the iLO.

SUSE has worked with HP in getting this problem resolved. Customers affected by this issue are advised to contact SUSE Technical Services in order to get a fix for the issue.

The issue may be resolved in a future SLES 11 maintenance kernel.

Disclaimer

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