C H A P T E R 2 - Powering On and Configuring BIOS Settings

C H A P T E R 2

Powering On and Configuring BIOS Settings

This chapter contains instructions on powering on and configuring the server BIOS. Changing the BIOS parameters is only necessary if you want to change the defaults.

Before powering on the server for the first time, follow the instructions in the Sun Fire V20z and Sun Fire V40z Servers Installation Guide to set up your server.

This chapter contains the following sections:

Powering On the Server

Escape Sequences for Remote Console Terminal

BIOS Setup Utility

Booting From a USB Diskette Device

2.1 Powering On the Server

Note - Before powering on a server for the first time, follow the setup instructions in the Sun Fire V20z and Sun Fire V40z Servers Installation Guide.

Caution - Before you power on a Sun Fire V40zserver the first time, you must open the top cover and remove the packaging insert from the server's PCI slots to ensure proper air flow and cooling. You can discard this packaging insert, which serves as protection during shipping.

If you want to configure the server BIOS, you must use a PS/2 keyboard for initial bootup. USB keyboard support is disabled in the BIOS by default. See BIOS Setup Utility for more information.

Caution - Do not operate this server without all fans, component heatsinks, air baffles and the cover installed. Severe damage to server components will occur if the server is operated without adequate cooling mechanisms.

Follow these steps to boot the server:

1. Ensure that an AC power cord is plugged into each power connector on the rear of the server and into an AC power outlet(s).

2. Power on the server using one of the following two methods, depending on which server type you have:

If you have a Sun Fire V20z server, use these steps:

a. Turn on the AC power switch on the server back panel (see FIGURE 1-2).

This switch provides AC power to the SP and basic hardware.

b. Push and release the platform power button on the server front panel (see FIGURE 1-1).

This button provides power to the BIOS, operating system and drivers.

If you have a Sun Fire V40z server, use this step:

a. Push and release the platform power button on the server front panel (see FIGURE 1-4).

This button provides power to the BIOS, operating system and drivers. There is no separate AC power switch on the Sun Fire V40z server; basic AC power is applied when you plug in a power cord to a power supply.

Note - If this is the first time you are booting the server, the booting stops and displays a message on the monitor, Operating system not found, and the LCD on the front panel displays the message, OS Booting. This is normal until after you install an operating system.

3. When prompted, you can press the F2 key to enter the BIOS Setup Utility or press the F12 key to boot from the network. To boot from the default boot device, let the prompt time out and the boot process will continue.

For further information about the BIOS Setup Utility, refer to BIOS Setup Utility. For information about setting up a network PXE installation, see the Sun Fire V20z and Sun Fire V40z Servers Linux Operating System Installation Guide.

2.2 Powering Off the Server

To perform a graceful shutdown of the server while running a Solaris, Linux or UNIX® operating system, use this procedure.

1. Type the following command:

# poweroff

This command shuts down the OS.

Depending on which OS you are using, you may also have to push the platform power button on the front panel after the OS shuts down.

2. Do one of the following actions, depending on which model of server you have:

If you have a Sun Fire V20z server, turn off the AC power switch on the server back panel to remove AC power.

If you have a Sun Fire V40z server, disconnect all power cords from all power supplies to remove AC power.

2.3 Escape Sequences for Remote Console Terminal

If you are accessing your server using a remote console terminal, you might need to use the escape sequences shown in TABLE 2-1. If a regular function key is not working properly, use the escape sequence listed next to it in the table.

You will most likely need to use the escape sequences if you are using a Linux or Solaris OS.

TABLE 2-1 Special Keys for Remote Console Terminal
Function Key	Escape Sequence
HOME	<ESC> h
END	<ESC> k
INSERT	<ESC> +
DELETE	<ESC> -
PAGE UP	<ESC> ?
PAGE DOWN	<ESC> /
ALT	<ESC>^A
CTRL	<ESC>^C
F1	<ESC> 1
F2	<ESC> 2
F3	<ESC> 3
F4	<ESC> 4
F5	<ESC> 5
F6	<ESC> 6
F7	<ESC> 7
F8	<ESC> 8
F9	<ESC> 9
F10	<ESC> 0
F11	<ESC> !
F12	<ESC> @

2.4 BIOS Setup Utility

The basic input output system (BIOS) Setup utility can be used to configure BIOS settings. When the computer is powered on, it is configured with the values stored in the BIOS ROM by the system BIOS, which gains control at boot time. Changing these parameters is only necessary if you want to change the defaults.

To change the system parameters, enter the BIOS Setup utility by pressing the F2 key when prompted, as the system is booting.

Note - If you are using a USB keyboard, the F2 key might not work properly when entering BIOS Setup unless the F-Lock key is on.

During system boot, you can also press the F12 key to boot the network.

To access the BIOS Setup utility remotely, you can log in by means of an SSH client. Refer to the Sun Fire V20z and Sun Fire V40z Servers, Server Management Guide, for more information about managing the server remotely.

From the Main menu screen, you can access other setup screens, such as Security and Power.

To navigate between items in a menu:

Use the up and down arrow keys to move among the settings in each menu.

Use the left and right arrow keys to change the options for each setting.

Items that include submenus begin with a triangle icon. To access a submenu, select the item so that it is highlighted and press Enter.

Note - You can use the Fusion-MPT SCSI BIOS Configuration Utility to change the default configuration of your SCSI host adapters. You may decide to alter these default values if there is a conflict between device settings or to optimize system performance. See Appendix D for details.

The tables in the following sections describe each parameter setting in the BIOS Setup Utility.

2.4.1 Main Menu

TABLE 2-2 shows the options that are available from the BIOS Main menu.

TABLE 2-2 BIOS Main Menu
Menu Option	Description	Default
System Time	Enter the system time (hours:minutes:seconds) in the specified fields and press Enter to save the data. Use the Tab key to move to the next field and use Shift+ Tab to move to the previous field.	Current time
System Date	Enter the current date in the month, day and year fields. Press Enter to save the data. Use the Tab key to move to the next field and use Shift + Tab to move to the previous field.	Current date
Legacy Diskette A	Set the type of diskette drive installed as diskette A. Options include: Disabled, 360KB 5.25 in, 1.2MB 5.25 in, 720KB 3.5 in, 1.44/1.25MB 3.5 in and 2.88MB 3.5 in. Note: 1.44/1.25MB 3.5 references a 1024 byte sector Japanese media format. This diskette requires a 3-mode floppy disk drive.	1.44/1.25 MB 3.5 in.
Legacy Diskette B	Sets the type of diskette drive installed as diskette B. Options include: Disabled, 360KB 5.25 in, 1.2MB 5.25 in, 720KB 3.5 in, 1.44/1.25MB 3.5 in and 2.88MB 3.5 in. Note: 1.44/1.25MB 3.5 references a 1024 byte sector Japanese media format. This diskette requires a 3-mode floppy disk drive.	Disabled
Primary Master (default: none) Primary Subordinate (default: none) Secondary Master (default: CD-ROM)	Set the parameters of the IDE Primary Master/Subordinate and IDE Secondary Master slots. Press Enter to activate the submenu screen to configure each of these settings. The submenu options include:
	Type: The type of IDE hard drive. Options include: Auto (allows BIOS to automatically determine the hard drive's capacity, number of heads, etc.), User, a number from 1 to 39 to select a predetermined type of hard drive, CD/DVD-ROM, ATAPI Removable and IDE Removable.	Auto Multisector
	Multi-Sector Transfers: The number of transfer sectors. Options include: Disabled, 2, 4, 8 and 16 sectors.	Disabled
	LBA Mode Control: Determines whether BIOS will access the IDE Primary Master Device via LBA mode. Options include: Enabled and Disabled.	Disabled
	32-bit I/O: Selects the 32-bit I/O operation. Options include: Enabled and Disabled.	Disabled
	Transfer Mode: Selects the transfer mode. Options include: Standard, Fast PIO1, Fast PIO2, Fast PIO3, Fast PIO4, FPIO3/DMA1 and FPIO4/DMA2.	Standard
	Ultra DMA Mode: Selects Ultra DMA Mode. Options include: Disabled, Mode 0, Mode 1, Mode 2, Mode 3, Mode 4, Mode 5 and Mode 6.	Disabled
HDD Post Write Buffer	Enable or disable HDD Post Write Buffer support.	Enabled
Large Disk Access Mode	For UNIX, Novell Netware or other OSs, select Other. If you are installing new software and the drive fails, change this selection and try again. Different OSs require different representations of drive geometries. Options include: DOS and Other.	DOS
Boot Summary	Enable or disable display of the system configuration on boot.	Disabled
System Memory	Displays how much system memory is recognized as present in the system.	Current memory
Extended Memory	Displays how much extended memory is recognized as present in the system.	Current memory

2.4.2 Advanced Menu

TABLE 2-3 shows the options that are available from the Advanced menu.

TABLE 2-3 BIOS Advanced Menu
Menu Option	Description	Default
Reset Configuration Data	Clears the Extended System Configuration Data (ECSD). Options include: Yes and No.	No
Multiprocessor Specification	Configures the MP Specification revision level. Some OSs require 1.1 for compatibility. Options include: 1.4 and 1.1.	1.4
PCI Interrupts From MP Table	Configures the MP Table with PCI Interrupt entries. Options include: Yes and No.	Yes
Machine Check Stop	If enabled, system stops when a machine check error occurs. If disabled, system reboots when a machine check error occurs. Only applies if your operating system does not have its own machine check handler. Double fault scenario: If enabled, the system stops when a second fatal machine check error occurs while processing a first fatal machine check (a double fault). If disabled, the system reboots during a double fault. This also applies to what occurs on the first fatal machine check if your operating system does not have its own machine check handler.	Disabled
QuickBoot Mode	Allows the system to skip tests while booting. Options include: Enabled and Disabled.	Disabled
Error Message Handling	Disabled allows system to automatically continue to boot after displaying a detected error. The other options display the `SETUP entry or resume boot prompt,` then wait for the specified period of time or forever, while a user chooses the action to take. Options include: Disabled, Wait 5 seconds, Wait 30 seconds, Wait Forever	Wait 30 seconds
Chipset Configuration Caution: Do not change the settings unless you are sure of what you are doing. Setting items on this menu to incorrect values may cause your system to malfunction.	Options for advanced chipset features. Options include:
	SRAT Table: Enables the ACPI 2.0 Static Resource Affinity Table for OSs that support an SRAT and will disable node interleaving. Disabled allows for node interleaving. Options include: Enabled and Disabled.	Enabled
	Node Interleave: If set to Auto, node interleaving will be enabled if memory sizes match, SRAT table is disabled and if DRAM ECC scrubbing is disabled. Options include: Auto and Disabled.	Disabled
	Bank Interleave: If set to Auto, bank interleaving is enabled if the memory size and type match. Options include: Auto and Disabled.	Auto
	ECC: Enable or disable ECC check/correct mode. This is a global enable function for all blocks within the CPU core and North Bridge.	Enabled
	DRAM ECC: If all memory in the system supports ECC (x72), enabling invokes initial scrub DRAM and enables system requests to DRAM to be checked and/or corrected. Options include: Enabled and Disabled.	Enabled
	ECC Scrub Redirection: Enable or disable ECC Scrubber to correct errors detected in DRAM during normal CPU requests (foreground scrubbing).	Enabled
	Chip-Kill: Enabled or disable the ChipKill ECC on nodes with all x4 ECC capable DIMMS.	Enabled
	DCACHE ECC Scrub CTL: Sets the rate of background scrubbing for DCACHE lines. Options include: 5.12 s, 10.2 s, 20.5 s, 41.0 s, Disabled, 640 ns, 1.28 s, 2.56 s.	5.12 s
	L2 ECC Scrub CTL: Sets the rate of background scrubbing for L2 cache lines. Options include: 10.2 s, 20.5 s, 41.0 s, 81.9 s, Disabled, 1.28 s, 2.56 s, 5.12 s.	10.2 s
	DRAM ECC Scrub CTL: Sets the rate of background scrubbing for DRAM (in addition to normal ECC scrubbing from system requests). Background agent works independently of CPU requests and bus masters, but cannot be enabled without first enabling DRAM ECC. Options include: 163.8 s, 327.7 s, 655.4 s, 1.31 ms, Disabled, 20.5 s, 41.0 s, 81.9 s.	163.8 s
	No Spec. TLB Reload: When this is at the default (Disabled), the translation look-aside buffer (TLB) is reloaded. When enabled, TLB reloading is turned off.	Disabled
I/O Device Configuration Note: Sun Fire V40z servers include a serial port B; this option does not appear for Sun Fire V20z servers.	Options for peripheral menu. Options include:
	PS/2 Mouse: Disabled prevents any installed PS/2 mouse from functioning, but frees up IRQ 12. Enabled forces the PS/2 mouse port to be enabled regardless of whether a mouse is present. Auto Detect enables the PS/2 mouse only if present. OS Controlled only displays if the OS controls the mouse.	Enabled
	Floppy Disk Controller: Options include: Enabled (user configuration), Disabled (no configuration), Auto (BIOS or OS chooses configuration) and OS Controlled (displayed when controlled by the operating system).	Enabled
	USB Host Controller: Enables or disables the USB hardware. Disabled resources are freed for other users.	Enabled
	USB BIOS Legacy Support: Enables or disables support for USB devices. Enable for use with a non-USB-aware OS such as DOS, Linux or Solaris.	Disabled
	Onboard PCI IDE: Enables the integrated local bus IDE adapter. Options include: Disabled, Primary, Secondary, Both.	IDE: Both
	Serial Port A: Assigns control of serial port A. Options include: Enabled, Auto or Disabled. When enabled, you must also select the Base I/O Address and Interrupt for serial port A. - Base I/O address: - Interrupt:	Enabled 3F8 IRQ4
	Serial Port B: Assigns control of serial port B. Options include: Enabled, Auto or Disabled. When enabled, you must also select the Base I/O Address and Interrupt for serial port B. - Base I/O address: - Interrupt:	Enabled 2F8 IRQ3
	Ethernet Adapter 1 MAC: Displays the Onboard Ethernet Adapter 1 MAC address.	MAC address
	Ethernet Adapter 2 MAC: Displays the Onboard Ethernet Adapter 2 MAC address.	MAC address
PCI Configuration Note: The Sun Fire V20z server has two PCI slots; the Sun Fire V40z server has seven slots.	Setup items for configuring the specific PCI device slots:
	Option ROM Scan: When disabled, the device is not bootable but is still usable under the OS. When enabled, initializes the device expansion ROM; makes device bootable.	Enabled
	Enable Master: Enables or disables the selected device as a PCI bus master.	Enabled
	Latency Timer: Minimum guaranteed time slice allotted for bus master in units of PCI bus clocks. Options include: 0040h, 0060h, 0080h, 00AOh, 00COh, 00EOh, default and 0020h.	0040h
	Setup items for configuring the Embedded Broadcom device GBIT 0 or GBIT 1:
	Option ROM Scan: When disabled, the device is not bootable but still usable under the OS. When enabled, initializes device expansion ROM; makes device bootable.	Enabled
	Reserve specific IRQs for use by legacy ISA devices:
	PCI/PNP IRQ Exclusion: Reserves the specified IRQ for use by legacy ISA devices.	Available
	PCI/PNP UMB Exclusion: Reserves the specified block of upper memory for use by legacy ISA devices.	Available
Console Redirection	Additional setup to configure console. Options include:
	COM port address: If enabled, the console uses a port on the motherboard. Options include: Disabled, On-board COM A, On-board COM B.	On-board COM A
	Console connection: Indicates whether the console is connected directly to the system or through a modem. Options include: Direct and Modem.	Direct
	Baud rate: Enables the specified baud rate. Options include: 300, 1200, 2400, 9600, 19.2K, 38.4 K, 57.6K, 115.2 K.	9600
	Flow control: Enables flow control. Options include: None, XON/XOFF, CTS/RTS.	None
	Console type: Enables the specified console type. Options include: VT100, VT100 8 bit, ANSI 7 bit, ANSI, VT100 plus, UTF8.	vt100 plus
	Continue CR after POST: Normally, console redirection is off before the OS loads. Set this item to On to troubleshoot the BIOS boot problems. Note: the OS loader typically interrupts console redirection once it starts. Options include: On and Off.	On

2.4.3 Security Menu

TABLE 2-4 shows the options that are available from the BIOS Security menu.

TABLE 2-4 BIOS Security Menu
Menu Option	Description	Default
Supervisor Password Is:	Displays whether a supervisor password has been entered for the system. Clear means such a password has not been used and Set means a supervisor password has been entered for the system.	Clear
User Password Is:	Displays whether a user password has been entered for the system. Clear means such a password has not been used and Set means a user password has been entered for the system.	Clear
Set Supervisor Password	Supervisor password controls access to the Setup Utility. Enter the Supervisor's password to set or change it. Enables access to BIOS.	Enter
Set User Password	Enter the user's password to set or change it. Enables access to the system at boot time.	Enter
Password on Boot	Allows you to require a password to be entered when the system boots. Options include: Enabled (password required) and Disabled (password not required).	Disabled
Fixed Disk Boot Sector	May offer protection against viruses when set to Write Protect, which protects the boot sector on the hard drive from having a virus written to it. Options include: Write Protect and Normal.	Normal

2.4.4 Power Menu

TABLE 2-5 shows the options that are available from the BIOS Power menu.

TABLE 2-5 BIOS Power Menu
Menu Option	Description	Default
Resume on Time	Wakes the system up at the specified time. Options are On or Off.	Off
Resume Time	If turned on, specifies the time you want the system to wake up.	00.00.00
Resume Date	If turned on, specifies the date you want the system to wake up.	00/00/0000
After Power Failure	Sets the mode of operation if an AC power loss occurs. Three modes are available: - Stay off: returns the system to an off state. - Power on: returns the system to a full on state. - Last state: returns the server to the state it was at before the power went off.	Stay off

2.4.5 Boot Menu

TABLE 2-6 shows the options that are available from the BIOS Boot menu. To change the order of the boot items, select an item and press the plus (+) key to move the item up in the order and the minus (-) key to move the item down in the order.

TABLE 2-6 BIOS Boot Menu
Menu Option	Description	Default Boot Order
Removable Devices (Floppy)	Boot from the diskette drive	First boot device
CD-ROM Drive	Boot from the CD/DVD-ROM	Second boot device
Hard Drive	Boot from the hard disk	Third boot device
Network Boot	Boot from a networked device	Networked boot device
MBA v7.0.x Slot 0210	Boot from the on-board NIC #1	Fourth boot device
MBA v7.0.x Slot 0218	Boot from the on-board NIC #2	Fifth boot device

2.4.6 Exit Menu

TABLE 2-7 shows the options that are available from the BIOS Exit menu.

TABLE 2-7 BIOS Exit Menu
Menu Item	Description
Exit Saving Changes	Exit System Setup and save changes to CMOS.
Exit Discarding Changes	Exit System Setup without saving changes.
Load Setup Defaults	Load defaults for all setup items.
Discard Changes	Load previous values from CMOS for all setup items.
Save Changes	Save setup data to CMOS.

2.4.7 QuickBoot Feature

The QuickBoot feature, which disables BIOS memory tests, defaults to disabled, which is the recommended setting.

Note - If you choose to set Quickboot to enabled, you need to perform the following steps to disable the QuickBoot feature whenever you add new memory, so that the new memory configuration can be tested.

1. Boot the server and run BIOS Setup by pressing the F2 key during the boot process.

2. From the Advanced menu, disable the QuickBoot feature.

Now the BIOS will run at least one full memory test for your new memory when the server is rebooted.

3. Press F10 to save the changes and exit.

The system will automatically reboot and run the memory configuration tests.

4. When all memory passes the tests, press the F2 key to enter BIOS Setup and re-enable the QuickBoot option in the BIOS Advanced menu, if needed.

2.5 Booting From a USB Diskette Device

Only one diskette device is bootable on these servers. By default, the internal diskette device is the only device from which you can boot.

To change the assignment of the diskette devices so that the server boots from a USB diskette device, rather than the internal diskette device, perform the following steps:

1. Attach the USB diskette device.

2. Power on and reboot the system.

3. Press the F2 key to enter the BIOS Setup utility.

4. From the Advanced menu, choose I/O Device Configuration.

5. Change the USB Host Controller and USB BIOS Legacy Support submenu options to Enable.

6. Press the F10 key to save your changes and reboot the server.

7. When prompted, press the F2 key to enter the BIOS Setup utility.

8. In the Boot menu, select Removable Devices.

9. Select USB Floppy from the Removable Devices submenu, and press the plus (+) key to move USB Floppy to the top of the list of devices.

10. Press the F10 key to save your changes and reboot.

The USB diskette device is bootable as drive A. If left enabled, the internal diskette drive becomes drive B and is not bootable.

Note - To change the internal diskette drive to be drive A again, disconnect the USB diskette device and reboot the server. The internal diskette device will be assigned to drive A, and if you reattach the USB diskette device, it will be assigned to drive B.