Verify BIOS Settings for New Solaris Installations

For all new Solaris 10 Operating System installations, you should verify that the following BIOS settings are properly configured before you install the Solaris 10 OS:

You can view and change these settings permanently in the BIOS Setup utility by pressing F2 during the BIOS start-up. In this utility, you can set optimal defaults, as well as view and edit BIOS settings as needed. Note that all changes you make in the BIOS Setup utility (through F2) are permanent until the next time you change them.

Tip

If during the OS installation you need to set a temporary boot device, you can specify a temporary boot device by pressing F8 during the BIOS start-up. Note that a temporary boot device setting is only in effect for the current system boot. After the system boots from a temporary boot device, the permanent boot device setting specified through F2 (in the BIOS) will be in effect.

To learn how to view and change the BIOS settings related to new installations, see the following procedure. The following procedure explains the process for changing the system time, system date, and selecting a permanent boot device (local hard disk drive or FC SAN device).

Before You Begin

Before you can configure the BIOS settings for a new installation, you must have one of the following console options ready to use:

  • Sun ILOM Remote Console (via ILOM web interface)

  • Remote console (via a ssh or telnet connection)

  • Attached console to blade or CMM (via serial or VGA port)

For more information about these console options, see Console Options

What to Do

  1. Establish console access.

    For details, see Console Options.

  2. Reset the Sun Blade Server Module, for example:

    • From the ILOM web interface, select Reset on the Remote Power Control tab.

    • From the local server, press the Power button (momentary, 1 second) on the front panel of the blade to turn off, then press the Power button (momentary, 1 second) to turn on.

    • From ILOM CLI on blade SP, type: reset /SYS

    • From ILOM CLI on CMM, type: reset /CH/BL#/SYS

      where # = slot number of the blade in the chassis

    The BIOS screen appears.

  3. When prompted in the BIOS screen, press F2 to access the BIOS Setup utility. After a few moments, the BIOS Setup utility appears.

  4. To ensure that the factory defaults are set, do the following:

    1. Press F9 to automatically load the optimal factory default settings.

      A message appears prompting you to continue this operation by selecting OK or to cancel this operation by selecting CANCEL.

    2. In the message, highlight OK then press Enter.

      The BIOS Setup utility screen appears with the cursor highlighting the first value in the system time field.

  5. In the BIOS Setup utility, you can edit the system time or date by using these keys:

    • PLUS (+) to increment the current value shown

    • MINUS (-) to decrement the current value shown

    • ENTER to move the cursor to the next value field

    • UP or DOWN arrows to change between the system time and date selection

  6. To access the boot settings, select the Boot menu.

    The Boot Settings menu appears.

  7. In the Boot Settings menu, use the down arrow key to select Boot Device Priority, then press Enter.

    The Boot Device Priority menu appears listing the order of the known bootable devices.

    Note that the first device in the list has the highest boot priority.

  8. In the Boot Device Priority menu, do the following to edit the first boot device entry in the list:

    1. Use the up and down arrow keys to select the first entry in the list, then press Enter.

    2. In the Options screen, use the up and down arrow keys to select the default permanent boot device, then press Enter.

    Tip

    The device strings listed on the Boot menu and Options menu are in the format of: Device Type, Slot Indicator, and Product ID String

    Note

    You can change the boot order for other devices in the list by repeating Steps 8a and 8b for each device entry you want to change.

  9. To save the changes made and exit the utility, press F10; unless you are performing this step from the ILOM Remote Console, in this case, select F10 from the ILOM Remote Console Keyboard menu.

    Note

    When using the ILOM Remote Console, F10 is trapped by the local OS. You must use the F10 option listed in the Keyboard drop-down menu that is available at the top of the console.

    A message appears prompting you to save changes and exit setup.

  10. Select OK, then press Enter.