8.3 Using the Preboot Menu Utility

You can use the Preboot Menu utility installed on your server to make changes to some of Oracle ILOM’s settings while Oracle ILOM is not currently running. The Preboot Menu also enables you to reset Oracle ILOM to its default settings, as well as restore the SP firmware image on your system.

For more information about how to use the Preboot Menu Utility, see these sections:

• 8.3.1 Accessing the Preboot Menu

• 8.3.2 Restoring Oracle ILOM to Default Settings

• 8.3.3 Restoring Oracle ILOM Access to the Serial Console

• 8.3.4 Restoring the SP Firmware Image

• 8.3.5 Preboot Menu Command Summary

8.3.1 Accessing the Preboot Menu

To access the Preboot Menu, you must reset the SP and interrupt the boot process. You can interrupt the Oracle ILOM boot process by either:

• Using the Locate button on the local server.

  For details about the requirements for this local access method, see 8.3.1.1 Prerequisites for Accessing the Preboot Menu.

Or

• Typing xyzzy during a pause in the bootstrap process from a remote serial terminal.

  For details about the requirements for this remote serial access method, see 8.3.1.1 Prerequisites for Accessing the Preboot Menu.

Some Preboot Menu settings must be configured first, and until they are, you must use the Locate button method to access the Preboot Menu.

For detailed instructions for accessing the Preboot Menu from a local or remote connection, see the following sections:

• 8.3.1.1 Prerequisites for Accessing the Preboot Menu

• Access the Preboot Menu

• Edit Preboot Menu for Remote Serial Access

8.3.1.1 Prerequisites for Accessing the Preboot Menu

Ensure that the applicable requirements are met prior to accessing the Preboot Menu from either a local or remote connection.

• For local access to the Preboot Menu (using Locate button)

  You must connect a terminal or console capable of running terminal emulation software to the serial port on the server using a cable.

  For more information about how to attach local devices to the server using a dongle cable, see 2.9 Attaching Devices to the Server.

  For instructions for accessing the Preboot Menu by using the Locate button, see Access the Preboot Menu.

• For remote serial access to the Preboot Menu (typing xyzzy during bootstrap)

  Prior to accessing the Preboot Menu remotely, you must set the bootdelay and check_physical_presence settings in the Preboot Menu to enable remote serial access. To configure these settings for the first time, you need to:

1. Access the Preboot Menu using the Locate button on the local server as described in Access the Preboot Menu.

2. Edit the settings in the Preboot Menu to enable remote access as described in Edit Preboot Menu for Remote Serial Access.

3. Use a remote serial terminal or console running terminal emulation software to access the Preboot Menu remotely.

   ---

   Note - You cannot use an SSH, or a remote KVMS session to access the Preboot Menu remotely.

   ---

Access the Preboot Menu

1. Ensure that the requirements in 8.3.1.1 Prerequisites for Accessing the Preboot Menu are met.
2. Reset Oracle ILOM.

   For example:

   • From the server SP Oracle ILOM, enter the command:

     -> reset /SP

   Oracle ILOM reboots and messages begin scrolling on the screen.

3. To interrupt the Oracle ILOM boot process, perform one of the following actions when the SP is resetting:
   • Press and hold the Locate button on the server front panel, until the Preboot Menu appears.

     Or

   • Type in xyzzy when you see the message:

     Booting linux in n seconds...

     ---

     Note - You cannot interrupt the Oracle ILOM boot process by typing xyzzy until you have configured the settings as described in Edit Preboot Menu for Remote Serial Access.

     ---

     The Oracle ILOM Preboot Menu appears.

     Booting linux in 10 seconds... 
      
                             ILOM Pre-boot Menu 
                             ------------------ 
     Type "h" and [Enter] for a list of commands, or "?" [Enter] for 
     command-line key bindings.  Type "h cmd" for summary of 'cmd' command. 
      
     Warning: SP will warm-reset after 300 seconds of idle time. 
       Set 'bootretry' to -1 to disable the time-out. 
      
     Preboot> 

4. You can perform any of the following tasks or type boot to exit the Preboot Menu.
   • Enable remote access to the Preboot Menu.

     For instructions, see Edit Preboot Menu for Remote Serial Access.

   • Restore Oracle ILOM settings to their defaults.

     For instructions, see Reset Oracle ILOM Configuration Using the Preboot Menu.

   • Restore the serial connection between Oracle ILOM and a host console.

     For instructions, see Restore Access to the Serial Console Using the Preboot Menu.

   • Restore the SP firmware image.

     For instructions, see Restore the SP Firmware Image Using the Preboot Menu.

   • Review the commands supported in the Preboot Menu.

     For command details, see 8.3.5 Preboot Menu Command Summary.

Edit Preboot Menu for Remote Serial Access

1. Access the Preboot Menu as described in Access the Preboot Menu.
2. At the Preboot> prompt, type edit.

   The Preboot Menu enters edit mode.

   In edit mode, the Preboot Menu displays its selections one-by-one, offering you a chance to change each one.

   • To change a setting, type the new value, then press Enter.
   • To skip to the next setting, press Enter.
3. Press Enter to move through the settings until the bootdelay setting appears.
4. To change the bootdelay setting, type 3, 10, or 30, then press Enter.

   This value (3, 10, or 30) specifies the number of seconds the SP boot process delays while waiting for your input.

   The Preboot Menu re-displays the bootdelay setting with the new value.

5. Press Enter to return to Preboot Menu selections.

   The Preboot Menu selections appear.

6. Press Enter to move through the settings until the check_physical_presence setting appears.

   To change the check_physical_presence setting, type no, then press Enter.

   The Preboot Menu displays the check_physical_presence setting with the new value.

7. Press Enter for the new value to take effect.

   The Preboot Menu asks you to confirm your changes.

   Enter ‘y[es]’ to commit changes: [no]

8. Type y to save your changes and exit the edit session.

   If you want to exit the edit session without saving your changes, type n.

9. To exit the Preboot Menu, type boot.

   The following example shows an edit session where the check_physical_presence setting is changed.

   ---

   Note - For a list of other settings you can edit in the Preboot Menu, see 8.3.1.2 Edit Mode Settings in Preboot Menu.

   ---

   Preboot> edit
    
   Press Enter by itself to reach the next question.
     Press control-C to discard changes and quit.
    
    Values for baudrate are {[ 9600 ]| 19200 | 38400 | 57600 | 115200}.
     Set baudrate?                [9600]
    Values for serial_is_host are {[ 0 ]| 1 }.
     Set serial_is_host?          [0]
    Values for bootdelay are { -1 | 3 | 10 | 30 }.
     Set bootdelay?               [3] 10
     Set bootdelay?               [10]
    Values for bootretry are { -1 | 30 | 300 | 3000 }.
     Set bootretry?               [-1]
    Values for diags_mode are { Normal | Quick | Extended | Skip }.
     Set diags_mode?               [Normal]
    Values for preferred are {[ 0 ]| 1 }.
     Set preferred?               [<not set>]
    Values for preserve_conf are {[ yes ]| no }.
     Set preserve_conf?           [yes]
    Values for check_physical_presence are {[ yes ]| no }.
     Set check_physical_presence? [yes] no
     Set check_physical_presence? [no]
    Enter 'y[es]' to commit changes: [no] y
   Summary: Changed 2 settings.
   Preboot>

8.3.1.2 Edit Mode Settings in Preboot Menu

In addition to changing the settings required in the Preboot Menu to enable remote access, you can also change other edit mode settings in the Preboot Menu. For a list of these settings, see Edit Mode Preboot Menu Command Settings.

Table 8-3 Edit Mode Preboot Menu Command Settings

8.3.2 Restoring Oracle ILOM to Default Settings

You can use the Preboot Menu to restore Oracle ILOM settings to their defaults.

Reset Oracle ILOM Configuration Using the Preboot Menu

1. Access the Preboot Menu as described in 8.3.1 Accessing the Preboot Menu.
2. In Preboot Menu, type:

   Preboot> unconfig ilom_config

   Setting ‘preserve_conf’ to ‘no’ for the next boot of ILOM.

3. Reset the SP by typing:

   Preboot> boot

   The Preboot Menu exits and the SP restarts.

   After restarting the Oracle ILOM SP, the value for Oracle ILOM settings revert to their defaults.

8.3.3 Restoring Oracle ILOM Access to the Serial Console

In the event that the serial connection between Oracle ILOM and a host becomes unavailable, you can restore access to the serial port connection by reconfiguring the host as the external serial port owner in either the Oracle ILOM web interface or CLI, or in the Preboot Menu.

To determine which interface to use when restoring the serial connection between Oracle ILOM and a host console, consider the following:

• If a network connection is available, you should use the Oracle ILOM web interface or CLI to restore Oracle ILOM’s access to the serial console.

  For instructions, see 7.8.1 Configuring Serial Port Sharing.

• If a network connection is unavailable, you should use the procedure in Restore Access to the Serial Console Using the Preboot Menu to restore Oracle ILOM access to the serial console.

Restore Access to the Serial Console Using the Preboot Menu

1. Access the Preboot Menu as described in 8.3.1 Accessing the Preboot Menu.
2. At the Preboot> prompt, type edit.

   The Preboot Menu enters edit mode.

   In edit mode, the Preboot Menu displays its selections one-by-one, offering you a chance to change each one.

   • To change a setting, type the new value, then press Enter.
   • To skip to the next setting, press Enter.
3. Press Enter to move through the settings until the serial_is_host setting appears.

   To change the serial_is_host setting, type 0, and then press Enter.

   The Preboot Menu appears with the new value for the serial_is_host setting.

4. Press Enter to display the Preboot Menu selections.

   The Preboot Menu settings appear.

5. Press Enter to scroll through the settings until the Preboot Menu asks you to confirm your changes.

   Enter ‘y[es]’ to commit changes: [no]

6. Type y to confirm your change and exit the edit session.

   The Preboot Menu displays this message:

   Summary: Changed 1 settings

   Preboot>

7. To exit the Preboot Menu, type boot.

8.3.4 Restoring the SP Firmware Image

If Oracle ILOM is available, you should always use the Oracle ILOM web interface or CLI to restore the firmware image. For instructions about how to restore the firmware image, using either the Oracle ILOM web interface or CLI, refer to the Oracle ILOM documentation. If Oracle ILOM is unavailable, you can use the Preboot Menu or IPMIflash to restore the SP firmware image.

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Dikkat - To restore the SP firmware image using the Preboot Menu, you must be a qualified service technician.

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To use the Preboot Menu to restore the SP firmware image on the server, see the following sections:

• 8.3.4.1 Prerequisites for Restoring SP Firmware Using the Preboot Menu

• Restore the SP Firmware Image Using the Preboot Menu

8.3.4.1 Prerequisites for Restoring SP Firmware Using the Preboot Menu

The following requirements must be met prior to restoring the SP firmware on your server using the Preboot Menu.

• You must be a qualified service technician to perform this procedure.

• You must have a valid .flash firmware image file on a TFTP server.

  ---

  Note - Restoring the SP firmware using the Preboot Menu requires a .flash file instead of a.pkg file that is typically used to update the SP using the Oracle ILOM interfaces.

  ---

Restore the SP Firmware Image Using the Preboot Menu

To restore the SP firmware image using the Preboot Menu, follow these steps:

1. Access the Preboot Menu as described in 8.3.1 Accessing the Preboot Menu.
2. At the Preboot> prompt, type:

   ---

   Dikkat - The use of the net flash command is reserved for use by service personnel only.

   ---

   net flash IPaddress path/name.flash

   where:

   • IPaddress is the IP address of a TFTP server.

   • path is the path to the file relative to /tftpboot.

   • name is the first part of the .flash file name.

   For example:

   net flash 10.8.173.25 images/system-rom.flash

   After a series of messages, the Preboot Menu prompt appears.

   Preboot>

3. At the Preboot> prompt, type the reset command to restart the SP.

   For example:

   Preboot> reset

   The Preboot Menu exits and Oracle ILOM restarts.

8.3.5 Preboot Menu Command Summary

Preboot Menu Commands   identifies the Preboot Menu commands.

Table 8-4 Preboot Menu Commands  

Command Description boot Boots Oracle ILOM. The Preboot Menu exits and Oracle ILOM restarts. Note - This command executes a modified boot sequence that does not offer the choice to select the diagnostic level, or to interrupt the boot sequence and return to the Preboot Menu. To execute the normal boot sequence, use the reset warm command instead. vers Displays version information including the hardware type, board revision, Oracle ILOM revision, revisions of PBSW and recovery U-Boot. Shows the checksum integrity of the images, and the preference between redundant images. help Displays a list of commands and parameters. show Displays a list of SP settings. edit Starts an interactive dialog that prompts and changes settings one-by-one. See Edit Preboot Menu for Remote Serial Access for details. diag Runs the U-Boot diagnostic tests in manual mode. See the Oracle X86 Servers Diagnostics Guide (820-6750) for more on U-Boot diagnostic tests. host Initiates various activities related to the host. clearcmos – Clears CMOS and BIOS passwords. console – Connects SP console to host serial console. Note - Type Ctrl \ q to quit. show – Shows information about the host state. enable-on – Enables the front-panel Power button, which is usually disabled unless Oracle ILOM is running. Caution - If you start the host when Oracle ILOM is off, the BIOS does not send error events, or power messages to the SP. This can cause the server to lose power. hard-off – Turns the host off. net { config | dhcp | ping | flash } config – Starts a dialog that enables you to change the Oracle ILOM network settings. dhcp – Changes the network addressing from static to DHCP. Note - You must set ipdiscovery = dhcp using the net config command first. ping – Sends a ping. flash – Downloads an Oracle ILOM firmware image. See 8.3.4 Restoring the SP Firmware Image for details. Type help net command for more details on these commands. reset { warm | cold }. Resets the SP and the host. warm – Resets the SP without affecting a running host. cold – Resets the SP and the host. It has the effect of powering off the server. unconfig { ilom_conf | most | all } Causes Oracle ILOM to erase any configuration information and returns the values to defaults the next time Oracle ILOM boots. ilom_conf – Resets configuration settings but preserves SP network and baudrate, preferred, and check_physical_presence. most – Resets the SP data storage, but preserves network and baud rate, preferred, and check_physical_presence settings. all – Resets all SP data storage and settings. Booting Oracle ILOM restores other defaults. Note - None of these options erases the dynamic FRU PROMs.