A systems administrator is investigating a 2U rackmount server that has been operating correctly for two years but has recently begun to shut down unexpectedly. The administrator notes the shutdowns only occur during periods of high computational load. After each event, the server successfully powers back on. A review of the operating system's event logs reveals a critical "Kernel-Power" error with the description, "The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly." The server's cooling fans are all spinning, and the chassis is not unusually hot to the touch. Based on this scenario, what is the MOST likely cause of the shutdowns?
The correct answer is a failing power supply unit (PSU). The key symptoms pointing to this are the shutdowns occurring specifically under high load and the "Kernel-Power" error indicating a sudden loss of power. A PSU that is beginning to fail may be unable to provide the stable voltage required when system components draw more power during intensive operations, causing the entire system to lose power abruptly.
CPU overheating is a plausible but less likely cause. While overheating can cause shutdowns under load, it would typically be preceded by thermal throttling, and server management logs would likely contain specific temperature warnings, which were not mentioned. Also, the administrator noted the chassis was not hot and fans were working.
Intermittent memory errors typically result in system instability, application crashes, or specific 'blue screen' or kernel panic errors with memory-related codes, not a sudden, complete power loss.
Corrupt system files leading to a kernel panic would generate specific OS-level crash dumps and error messages related to software or driver faults, rather than an error simply stating an unexpected power loss.
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Why doesn’t CPU overheating fit as the root cause in this scenario?