Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the NMI button for?

A: A Non-Maskable Interrupt (NMI) is the highest priority interrupt, and cannot be masked by software. The server generates a NMI to the processor if the multiple-bit ECC errors occur, which effectively halt the server. This causes a processor Exception error and results in a STOP error for most Operating Environments.

The NMI button allows a technician servicing the server to generate a NMI to the processor to help debug server errors. NCR uses this button as they have some software which they use for troubleshooting. They also treat it as a feature, even though we do not use it for troubleshooting at Gateway.