Question

Need a script to check HP servers for 'press f1 to continue' status

Asked by: bartsmit

Some of our HP servers will stick at boot with 'press F1 to continue'. This can only be prevented by going into the advanced configuration during boot.

I'm looking for a script (or MIB) that will test if the server is set to halt on errors and present this message, or (better still) a script that can set the BIOS to never halt the boot with the F1 error.

The script has to run under Windows and has to work without a reboot.

Does HP have any tools and/or API's that give access to the BIOS settings from the OS?

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Asked On
2008-04-11 at 03:53:52ID23314638
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HP servers

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Computer Servers

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Microsoft Server

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Answers

 

by: KCTSPosted on 2008-04-11 at 04:20:43ID: 21333073

I'm not aware of any tools that will eanble you to write a script to change the BIOS - I can't see how this can be done

 

by: bartsmitPosted on 2008-04-11 at 06:07:00ID: 21333817

Hi Brian,

I don't really need to change the BIOS values, just read the settings from NVRAM. On vanilla hardware I would agree with you, but I'm hoping that HP will have some obscure MIB or interface to insight manager to read these values.

Bart...

 

by: nsx106052Posted on 2008-04-11 at 08:57:13ID: 21335445

I don't think you can do this with a script.  You probably want to verify the BIOS is configured properly.  If it is it should not prompt you to continue.

 

by: martin_babarikPosted on 2008-04-11 at 12:26:54ID: 21337380

Hi, I think newer Intel motherboards has the technology to do some management remotely through some kind of BIOS ( by means of you don't need the OS to be started).
But as KCTS and nsx106052 mentioned, it's not very likelly that you will be able to run custom scripts do detect such a thing.

 

by: naldiianPosted on 2008-04-11 at 22:39:28ID: 21339995

Also, on server hardware, configuring the system BIOS to not halt on errors does not impact halts that occur from the RAID controller, remote access card, NICs... those are their own independent device BIOS boot checks that will halt the boot process while they own system control as they initialize. And those are generally the devices that are waiting for F1s and F2s due to battery voltage errors and irritating crap like that.

 

by: bartsmitPosted on 2008-04-18 at 06:04:10ID: 21385345

I guess we have concensus that this cannot be done. Thanks everybody for your input.

Bart...

 

by: KCTSPosted on 2008-04-18 at 08:24:17ID: 21386634

The correct answer is "It cannot be done"

 

by: bartsmitPosted on 2008-04-24 at 02:15:48ID: 21428859

With a *lot* of help from Terry Young at HP UK I figured this out:

- download the win32 SmartStart Scripting Toolkit from the HP website (http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/servers/management/toolkit/index.html)
- extract conrep.exe and conrep.xml to the target server
- run conrep.exe -s -ftest.xml
- search for the POST_F1_Prompt section in test.xml and read the value through a script

 

by: martin_babarikPosted on 2008-04-24 at 02:19:27ID: 21428876

OMG wouldn't believe that, thanks a lot!:-)

 

by: ForestDenizenPosted on 2008-04-28 at 15:06:59ID: 21458064

Closed, 125 points refunded.
ForestDenizen
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