A systems administrator is troubleshooting a server that will not turn on. The LED lights are not blinking, and no status light indicators are available. The administrator has checked the PDU and…

A NIC failure would only affect network connectivity; the server would still power on and LEDs would still illuminate since the NIC is not part of the power delivery path.

Memory failure typically causes the server to power on and attempt POST before producing beep codes or error indicators, not a complete absence of any power or LED activity.

A failed CPU would generally still allow the server to receive power and illuminate status LEDs during initial power-on, as the motherboard receives power independently of CPU functionality.

The power supply unit (PSU) converts AC power from the PDU/UPS into the DC voltages used by internal server components. If the PSU has failed, no power reaches the motherboard, which explains both the complete absence of LED indicators and the failure to power on. Since the upstream power sources (PDU and UPS) are verified working, the PSU is the next logical failure point in the power delivery chain.