A P P E N D I X A |
This chapter describes how to view or modify the BIOS Setup Utility screens in the Sun Netra X4450. The BIOS Setup utility reports system information and can be used to configure the server BIOS settings.
The Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) has a Setup utility stored in the BIOS flash memory. The configured data is provided with context-sensitive help and is stored in the system's battery-backed CMOS RAM. If the configuration stored in the CMOS RAM is invalid, the BIOS settings default to the original state specified at the factory.
You can access BIOS configuration screens from the following interfaces:
Use a USB keyboard, mouse, and VGA monitor connected directly to the server.
Use a terminal (or terminal emulator connected to a computer) through the serial port on the back panel of the server.
Access BIOS Configuration Screens and Change the System’s Parameters |
Enter the BIOS Setup utility by pressing the F2 key while the system is performing the power-on self-test (POST).
When BIOS is started, the main BIOS Setup menu screen is displayed.
Highlight the field to be modified using the arrow and Tab keys.
Use the left and right arrow keys to move sequentially back and forth through the menu screens. Fields that can be reconfigured are displayed in color. All other fields are nonconfigurable.
If you need to modify other setup parameters, use the arrow and Tab keys to navigate to the desired screen and menu item, and then repeat Step 1 through Step 6.
Otherwise, go to Step 8.
Press and release the right arrow key until the Exit menu screen appears.
Follow the instructions on the Exit menu screen to save your changes and exit the Setup utility.
This section contains information and considerations regarding the system BIOS.
For the locations of the Sun Netra X4450 server PCI slots, see Replacing PCI Cards.
The slots for the PCI cards are detected by the BIOS during startup in the following order:
The Sun Netra X4450 server has four 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet ports (NICs). The chassis labeling of the physical ports is shown in FIGURE A-1.
Note - The device naming for the NICs is reported differently by different interfaces and operating systems. |
TABLE A-1 illustrates the default naming used by the various operating systems for the four NICs shown in FIGURE A-1.
TABLE A-2 contains summary descriptions of the top-level BIOS setup screens.
Screen | Description | Section |
---|---|---|
Main | General product information, including BIOS type, processor, memory, and time and date. | BIOS Main Menu Screens |
Advanced | Configuration information for the CPU, memory, IDE, Super IO, trusted computing, USB, PCI, MPS, and other information. | BIOS Advanced Menu Screens |
Boot | Configure the boot device priority (hard drives and the optical media drive). | BIOS Boot Menu Screens |
Server | Server devices can be configured by the BIOS (if applicable). | BIOS Server Menu Screens |
Security | Set or change the user and supervisor passwords. | BIOS Security Menu Screens |
Exit | Save changes and exit, discard changes and exit, discard changes, or load optimal or fail-safe defaults. | BIOS Exit Menu Screens |
FIGURE A-2 summarizes the BIOS menu tree. See BIOS Setup Menu Screens for examples of each of these screens.
The following figures show sample Sun Netra X4450 BIOS Setup Utility screens.
Note - The screens shown are examples. The version numbers and the screen items and selections shown are subject to change over the life of the product. |
All settings are set to the optimal default at startup.
The BIOS Main screens provide general product information, including BIOS type, processor type, memory, and time and date. The Sun Netra X4450 has the following BIOS Main screens.
The BIOS Advanced screens provide detailed configuration information for the CPU, memory, IDE, Super IO, trusted computing, USB, PCI, MPS, and other system information.
The Sun Netra X4450 has the following BIOS Advanced screens:
The BIOS Boot screens enable you to configure the boot device priority (hard drives and the optical media drives). The Sun Netra X4450 has the following BIOS Boot screens.
The BIOS Server screens enable you to configure Server devices (if applicable).
Note - The term BMC that may be displayed on some screens refers to the SP (service processor). |
The Sun Netra X4450 has the following BIOS Server screens.
The BIOS Security screens enable you to set or change the user and supervisor passwords.
The Sun Netra X4450 has the following BIOS Security screens:
Use the procedure in this section to view the BIOS event log and the BMC system event log.
Enter the BIOS Setup utility by pressing the F2 key while the system is performing the power-on self-test (POST).
From the Advanced Settings screen, select Event Log Configuration.
The Advanced Menu Event Logging Details screen is displayed.
From the Event Logging Details screen, select View Event Log.
The system BIOS provides a rudimentary power-on self-test. The basic devices required for the server to operate are checked, memory is tested, the disk controller and attached disks are probed and enumerated, and the two Intel dual Gigabit Ethernet controllers are initialized.
The progress of the self-test is indicated by a series of POST codes. These codes are displayed at the bottom right corner of the system’s VGA screen (once the self-test has progressed far enough to initialize the system video). However, the codes are displayed as the self-test runs and scroll off of the screen too quickly to be read. An alternate method of displaying the POST codes is to redirect the output of the console to a serial port (see Redirect Console Output).
The BIOS POST memory testing is performed as follows:
The first megabyte of DRAM is tested by the BIOS before the BIOS code is shadowed (that is, copied from ROM to DRAM).
Once executing out of DRAM, the BIOS performs a simple memory test (a write‐read of every location with the pattern 55aa55aa).
Note - Enabling Quick Boot causes the BIOS to skip the memory test. See Change POST Options for more information. |
Note - Because the server can contain up to 64 MByte of memory, the memory test can take several minutes. You can cancel POST testing by pressing any key during POST. |
The BIOS polls the memory controllers for both correctable and uncorrectable memory errors and logs those errors into the service processor.
Use the following instructions to access the service processor and redirect the console output so that the BIOS POST codes can be read.
Initialize the BIOS Setup utility by pressing the F2 key while the system is performing the power-on self-test (POST).
Select the LAN Configuration menu item.
The LAN Configuration screen displays the service processor’s IP address.
To configure the service processor’s IP address (optional):
Select the IP Assignment option that you want to use (DHCP or Static).
Start a web browser and type the service processor’s IP address in the browser’s URL field.
When you are prompted for a user name and password, type the following:
The Sun Integrated Lights Out Manager main GUI screen is displayed.
Set the color depth for the redirection console at either 6 or 8 bits.
When you are prompted for a user name and password, type the following:
These instructions are optional, but you can use them to change the operations that the server performs during POST testing. To change POST options:
Initialize the BIOS Setup utility by pressing the F2 key while the system is performing the power-on self-test (POST).
On the Boot Settings Configuration screen, there are several options that you can enable or disable:
Quick Boot – This option is disabled by default. If you enable this option, the BIOS skips certain tests while booting, such as the extensive memory test. This action decreases the time it takes for the system to boot.
Quiet Boot – This option is disabled by default. If you enable this option, the Sun Microsystems logo is displayed instead of POST codes.
Add On ROM Display Mode – This option is set to Force BIOS by default. This option has effect only if you have also enabled the Quiet Boot option, but this option controls whether output from the Option ROM is displayed. The two settings for this option are as follows:
Force BIOS – Remove the Sun logo and display Option ROM output.
Keep Current – Do not remove the Sun logo. The Option ROM output is not displayed.
Boot Num-Lock – This option is on by default (keyboard Num-Lock is turned on during boot). If you set this to off, the keyboard Num-Lock is not turned on during boot.
Wait for F1 if Error – This option is disabled by default. If you enable this option, the system will pause if an error is found during POST and will only resume when you press the F1 key.
Interrupt 19 Capture – This option is reserved for future use. Do not change.
Default Boot Order – The letters in the brackets represent the boot devices. To see the letters defined, position your cursor over the field and read the definition in the right side of the screen.
TABLE A-3 contains descriptions of each of the POST codes, listed in the same order in which they are generated. These POST codes appear as a four-digit string that is a combination of two-digit output from primary I/O port 80 and two-digit output from secondary I/O port 81. In the POST codes listed in TABLE A-3, the first two digits are from port 81 and the last two digits are from port 80.
The POST code checkpoints are the largest set of checkpoints during the BIOS pre‐boot process. TABLE A-4 describes the type of checkpoints that might occur during the POST portion of the BIOS. These two-digit checkpoints are the output from primary I/O port 80.
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