KB 579006 - CPU Temperature Critical - Troubleshooting Guide

KB 579006 - CPU Temperature Critical - Troubleshooting Guide

Purpose

Provide a standard troubleshooting procedure for engineers when a CPU Temperature Critical alert is received in the cluster.

This article helps engineers quickly identify the cause and perform initial remediation before escalation.


When to Use

Use this article when monitoring systems generate the alert:

CPU Temperature Critical

Typical trigger conditions:

  • CPU temperature exceeds safe operating threshold

  • Node thermal protection mechanisms are activated

  • Cooling or airflow issues are detected


Alert Summary

This alert indicates that the CPU temperature has exceeded the defined safe limit on a compute node.

Possible causes include:

  • High system workload

  • Cooling failure

  • Fan malfunction

  • Airflow blockage

  • Thermal throttling

  • Hardware sensor issues

If not resolved quickly, the system may:

  • Throttle CPU performance

  • Shut down automatically

  • Cause hardware damage


Severity

Critical

Immediate investigation is required to prevent hardware damage or node shutdown.


L1 Engineer Actions

Follow these steps when the alert is received.

Step 1 — Verify Alert Details

Check monitoring dashboard or alert summary and confirm:

  • Node hostname

  • Timestamp of alert

  • Current CPU temperature

  • Alert severity


Step 2 – Wait and Monitor

  • Wait 25–30 minutes


Step 3 – Escalate if Alert Persists

If the alert does not clear after monitoring:
  1. Create an internal ticket
  2. Inform L2 Engineer


Step 4 – Documentation

After confirming with L2:

  • Update the Issues Master Sheet


L2 Engineer Actions

If the issue persists after L1 checks, escalate to L2 and perform the following.

Step 1 — Check via BMC / IPMI Sensors

Access the server BMC interface and verify:

  • CPU temperature

  • System temperature sensors

  • Fan speeds

  • Hardware warnings

Example:

ipmitool sensor

Step 2 — Verify Thermal Throttling

Check if the CPU is throttling due to overheating.

Example:

dmesg | grep -i thermal

Step 3 — Verify Cooling Infrastructure

Check for data center environmental issues:

  • Rack cooling

  • Airflow obstruction

  • Hot aisle / cold aisle issues

Step 4 — Validate Workaround Behavior

Ensure the node is not under abnormal computational load.

Investigate:

  • GPU jobs

  • CPU intensive processes

  • runaway processes

Step 5 — Escalate to OEM

If temperature remains critical after all checks:

  • Open a hardware support case with the OEM

  • Provide logs and sensor outputs

  • Include node serial number and alert timestamp

    • Recent Articles

    • KB-630208 | How to use Find and Locate to search for files in Linux

      Purpose To provide Linux administrators and Field Engineers with guidance on using the find and locate utilities to efficiently search for files and directories within a Linux filesystem based on criteria such as name, type, size, timestamps, ...

    • KB-630164 | How to use rsync to Synchronize Files

      Purpose To provide a clear and practical procedure for using the rsync utility to synchronize files and directories between local systems and remote hosts, including push and pull operations, while preserving file attributes and optimizing data ...

    • KB-630107 | How to create a Linux swap file

      Purpose To provide Field Engineers and Linux administrators with a standardized procedure for creating, configuring, and validating a Linux swap file. This procedure helps ensure sufficient virtual memory is available when physical RAM is exhausted ...

    • MSI All-in-One (AIO) PC – Physical Damage Policy for Warranty Claims

      MSI All-in-One (AIO) PC – Physical Damage Policy for Warranty Claims MSI's standard warranty does not cover physical or accidental damage to an All-in-One (AIO) PC. If the damage is determined to be caused by external factors rather than a ...

    • KB 134833 - Troubleshooting NVSM Alert NV-CPU-XX – Unrecoverable CPU Internal Error

      Purpose This document provides a general troubleshooting procedure for the NVIDIA System Management (NVSM) alert NV-CPU-XX, which indicates that a CPU has reported an internal error. The article outlines how to verify whether the alert represents an ...

    • Popular Articles

    • CP Plus Camera and NVR Configuration

      NVR Configuration The CP Plus Pro Series of NVRs have been meticulously designed for providing you with upgraded performance and higher recording quality in your IP video surveillance solution. The robust processor that has been inculcated in this ...

    • KB 775235 - Kerberos Authentication – Overview

      What is Kerberos? Kerberos is a secure authentication method used in our Active Directory (AD) environment (mbuzztech.com). It allows users to: Access multiple systems without re-entering passwords (Single Sign-On – SSO) Log in once Where We Use It ...

    • How to Remove and Reinstall NVIDIA Drivers on Ubuntu

      This article provides step by step guide to completely remove existing NVIDIA drivers and reinstall specific version of the NVIDIA driver on the Ubuntu system Prerequisites Administrative (sudo) access to the Ubuntu system. Internet access to ...

    • KB 692001 - Personal Computers and Servers - Classification and Point of Contact

      We can classify the computers that MBUZZ handles based on their form-factor as below: Tower Workstations, Desktops, Gaming PCs and SFF (Small form factor) PCs fall under this category. These are computers people would use on a desk and rarely move. ...

    • KB 298031 - M.2 SSD Tier List

      The sequential read and write speeds, which are usually the most advertised number, are not a proper benchmark of real-world performance or the quality of an SSD. This article categorizes and tiers SSDs based on factors like the type of NAND flash, ...