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Using the BIOS Setup Utility

Dell™ PowerVault™ 715N Systems Service Manual

	Entering the BIOS Setup Utility		Disabling a Forgotten Password
	BIOS Setup Options		Clearing CMOS
	Updating the BIOS		Responding to Error Messages

This section describes the BIOS Setup utility, which is used to change the system configuration information stored in NVRAM on the system board. If the system detects a discrepancy, an error message may appear on the screen that identifies the incorrect configuration settings. Many of the settings are established using the BIOS Setup utility. The system then prompts you to enter the BIOS Setup utility to correct the setting.

NOTE: To use the BIOS Setup utility, you must use the console redirection function on the serial port. See "Entering the BIOS Setup Utility" for information about connecting to the system through console redirection.

You can use the BIOS Setup utility as follows:

• To change the system configuration information after you add, change, or remove any hardware in your system
  
  
• To set or change user-selectable options—for example, the time or date on your system
  
  
• To enable or disable all integrated devices in your system

After you set up your system, run the BIOS Setup utility to become familiar with your system configuration information and optional settings. Print or record the information for future reference.

Entering the BIOS Setup Utility

1. Using a null modem serial cable, connect the client system to the NAS system.
   
   
2. Turn on the client system and set up a Hyperterminal connection.
   
   
   1. Click the Start button and point to Programs® Accessories® Hyperterminal® Hyperterminal.
      
      
   2. Select 115200 for the bits per second, 8 for data bits, None for parity, 1 for stop bits, and Xon/Xoff for flow control.
      
      
3. Restart the NAS system.
   
   
4. Press <F2> immediately after you see the following message:

   Press <F2> to enter the Function Select menu

   NOTE: If you use a version of Microsoft® Windows® 2000 earlier than Service Pack 2, the function keys do not work. You must press <Esc><2>.

   If you wait too long and your operating system begins to load into memory, allow the system to complete the load operation, and then shut down the system and try again.

5. When the Function Select menu appears, press 6 to run the BIOS Setup utility. 

Responding to Error Messages

If an error message appears on your screen while the system is booting, make a note of the message. Next, before entering the BIOS Setup utility, see "System Beep Codes" and "System Messages" in your Installation and Troubleshooting Guide for an explanation of the message and suggestions for correcting any errors.

Navigating the BIOS Setup Utility

Table 1 lists the basic keys used to view or change information in the screens and to exit the program. The keys used to navigate screens in the system differ, depending on the version of operating system installed on your console redirection client system.

Because of ANSI limitations, not all keys can be used with console redirection. Table 1 shows keystroke combinations used for the version of Windows on your client system.

Table 1. BIOS Setup Navigation Keys (Normal Operation)

Table 2 shows a list of keystroke combinations that you must use with versions of Windows 2000 released prior to Service Pack 2.

Table 2. Console Redirection  Keys

BIOS Setup Options

This section provides information about using the BIOS Setup utility to change the default settings on your system.

Main Screen

When the BIOS Setup utility starts, the main program screen appears. The following options or information fields appear on the main BIOS Setup screen.

The main BIOS Setup screen displays the current setup and configuration information and optional settings for your system.

• Standard CMOS Setup — Sets basic information, such as the date and time, the IDE devices, and the diskette drives.
  
  
• Advanced CMOS Setup — Enables you to make some changes to the basic operation of the system, such as primary and secondary boot device and password check.
  
  
• Advanced Chipset Setup — Enables you to make advanced changes to SDRAM, DRAM, and memory size.
  
  
• Power Management Setup — Sets parameters for power management operation.
  
  
• PCI/Plug and Play Setup — Sets how the system handles plug and play devices and PCI bus devices.
  
  
• Peripheral Setup — Sets parameters for peripheral items on the system.
  
  
• Hardware Monitor Setup — Sets hardware monitoring parameters so that the system can warn you when critical parameters are exceeded. You can also view your system’s asset tag and service tag on this screen.
  
  
• Change Supervisor Password — Enables you to set a supervisor password. See "Updating the BIOS" for more information.
  
  
• Auto Configuration with Default Settings — Automatically assigns the optimal setting for all items in the BIOS Setup utility.
  
  
• Save Settings and Exit — Saves any changes that you made in the BIOS Setup utility and exits.
  
  
• Exit Without Saving — Exits the BIOS Setup utility and does not save any changes you made.

Standard CMOS Setup Screen

Use this screen to view and set basic information, such as date, time, and primary or secondary drives.

• Date and Time — Sets the correct date and time for the system.
  
  
• Primary/Secondary Master/Slave — Displays the characteristics of IDE 0 and IDE 1, which are the first two drives of the system. The system automatically detects most modern hard drives using the Auto-Detect Hard Disks option from the main menu. See "Advanced CMOS Setup Screen" for information about how this feature works.

  If the system does not automatically detect a drive, find a preset type from 1 through 46 that matches your hard drive. If a preset does not exist, set the type to User and enter the characteristics of the drive in the specified columns.
  
  

• Boot Sector Virus Protection — Provides protection against viruses that attack the boot sector of a hard drive.
  
  
• Base/Extd Memory — Displays the total amount of base and extended memory on your system. The fields are display only.
  
  

Advanced CMOS Setup Screen

Use this screen to make changes to the basic operation of your system.

• Clear DMI event logs — When set to Yes, clears the DMI event log, which is a log of system events.
  
  
• Event Logging — Enables the DMI event log.
  
  
• Mark DMI events as read — Marks the events as read after you open them in the event log.
  
  
• Memory Test — When enabled, verifies the amount of memory on your system when you boot.
  
  
• 1st/2nd/3rd/4th Boot Device — Determines where and in which order the system looks for a bootable operating system each time it is started.
  
  

Advanced Chipset Setup

Use this screen to make changes to the system’s memory settings.

• DRAM Integrity Mode — Allows BIOS to perform a parity/ECC check to the POST memory tests, when enabled.

Power Management Setup

Use this page to set parameters for system power management operation.

• Power Management/APM — Allows operating systems that have advanced power management (APM) to control some of the power management operations on the system.
  
• System Thermal — When enabled, the system shuts down after exceeding the Thermal Active Temperature threshold of 75°C or 167°F.
  
• Thermal Active Temperature — The temperature at which the system automatically shuts down if System Thermal is enabled. This field is display only.
  
• Restore on AC/Power Loss — Sets the power state after a shutdown caused by an unexpected interruption of AC power. When the value is set to ON, the system turns back on. When the value is set to OFF, the system remains off after the power interruption. If the value is set to KEEP LAST, the system returns to the last power state.

PCI/Plug and Play Setup

Use this screen to set how the system handles Plug and Play devices and PCI bus devices.

• Clear NVRAM — When set to Yes, this option removes information in the Non-Volatile Random Access Memory (NVRAM) about the configuration of Plug and Play devices. The system creates new configuration information the next time you boot.
  
• PCI Latency Timer (PCI Clocks) — Allows the chipset to use an embedded, 32-bit posted write buffer to support timed delay transaction cycles.

Peripheral Setup

Use this screen to set parameters for peripheral items on the system.

• Onboard Serial Port 1 and Serial Port 2 — Disables the serial ports or assigns a port address and name to the ports. Dell recommends that you set the items to Auto so the system can dynamically assign port addresses and names.
  
• Onboard IDE — Enables or disables the primary and secondary IDE channels installed on the system board.
  
• Console Redirect — Enables and selects the serial port for console redirection. Select C.R. Baud Rate to set a specific baud rate for the serial port and select C.R. Mode to assign the console redirection function to work only on POST or runtime mode.

NOTE: Console redirection is enabled by default. However, if you disable it in the BIOS Setup utility, you can re-enable it only by pressing the console redirection button on the system board. See your Installation and Troubleshooting Guide for information about enabling console redirection.

Hardware Monitor Setup

This screen, which is display only, shows the hardware monitoring parameters and the system’s asset tag and service tag number. The system warns you when the monitoring parameters are exceeded.

Change Supervisor Password

Use this screen to set a supervisor password for the BIOS Setup utility. A supervisor has access to all features in the BIOS Setup utility.

NOTE: The supervisor password is disabled by default. Because the password is required to enter the BIOS Setup utility, you should not enable it unless security is a concern.

To change a supervisor password, perform the following steps:

1. Highlight Change Supervisor Password, and then press <Enter>.
   
   
2. Enter a password in the dialog box that appears.
   
   You can enter no more than six letters or numbers.
   
   
3. Press <Enter>.
   
   
4. To confirm, enter the password again in the dialog box that appears.
   
   
5. Press <Enter>.

The password is required when the system boots or when the user enters the BIOS Setup utility.

Auto Configuration With Default Settings

To install default settings for all features in the BIOS Setup utility, highlight this menu item and press <Enter>. When asked if you want to install default settings for all items in the BIOS Setup utility, press <Y>, and then press <Enter> to install the settings.

Save Settings and Exit

Highlight this item and press <Enter> to save any changes that you have made in the BIOS Setup utility and exit. When asked if you want to save the changes, press <Y> to save the changes and exit, or press <N> to return to the main menu.

Exit Without Saving

Highlight this item and press <Enter> to discard any changes you made in the BIOS Setup utility and exit. When asked if you want to discard the changes, press <Y> to discard changes and exit, or press <N> to return to the main menu.

Updating the BIOS

There are two methods of updating the BIOS:

• Downloading and copying the latest BIOS file to the NAS system using a Microsoft Windows-based utility.
  
  
• Downloading the latest BIOS file to a client system, connecting to the NAS system via a serial cable, and then transferring the BIOS file to the NAS system.

Downloading and Copying BIOS to the NAS System

To update the BIOS, you must be logged into the NAS Manager as an administrator. You can log in only if the NAS system is on the network or if the client system is connected directly to the NAS system with a serial cable (see the User's Guide for complete instructions in setting up a HyperTerminal connection).

Because the NAS system does not use a monitor, keyboard, or diskette drive, you must download the compressed BIOS file using a  Windows-based client system on the network. To update the BIOS, you must first copy the BIOS file to the NAS system and then update it using Terminal Services.

NOTE: See the Dell | Support website at support.dell.com for the latest BIOS updates for your system.

Before updating your BIOS, perform the following steps to copy the BIOS to your NAS system:

1. Using a  Web browser, connect to the Dell™ PowerVault™ NAS Manager and create a shared folder on the NAS system (see your system Administrator’s Guide).
   
   
2. From a Windows 2000 client system, map the share you created in step 1.

NOTE: If you are using a Windows-based client system other than Windows 2000, see your operating system documentation for information about how to map and disconnect a network drive.

1. Right-click My Computer and select Map Network Drive.
   
   
2. Specify the drive letter and folder for the connection and click OK.
   
   
3. Enter the name of the NAS system and the name of the share you created in step 1 and click OK.
   
   
4. In the Map Network Drive window, click different user name.
   
   The Connect As... window is displayed.
   
   
5. Enter a user name and password to connect to the NAS system with administrator privileges.
   
   
6. Click OK.
   
   
7. Click Finish.
   
   

3. Copy the latest BIOS file from support.dell.com to the share.
   
   
4. Disconnect the share from the client system.

1. Right-click My Computer and select Disconnect Network Drive.
   
   
2. Select the share that you want to disconnect and click OK.
   
   

To log in to the NAS Manager and run the BIOS Update Utility, perform the following steps:

1. Open a Web browser.
   
   The NAS Manager is compatible with clients running Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01 or later (or for Red Hat Linux only, Netscape Navigator 6.1 or later). 
   
   
2. Type in the name of the NAS system in the URL box, and then press <Enter>.
   
   The default system name is Dellxxxxxxx, where xxxxxxx is the system's service tag number. For example, if your service tag number is 1234567, enter DELL1234567. You can find the service tag number on the top cover of your NAS system.
   
   The NAS Manager is served on port 1279 and is accessed by the URL https://system_name:1279, where system_name is DELLservice_tag. For example, if your service tag number is 1234567, you would enter https://DELL1234567:1279. Port 1279 uses secured socket layers (SSL) to encrypt data going to and coming from the NAS system to provide data security.
   
   

NOTICE: Although port 1278 can be used, it uses plain text authentication, which can be a significant security risk. Therefore, using port 1278 is not recommended.

3. When the Enter Network Password window displays, type a user name and password and then click OK to log in as the administrator.
   
   

NOTE: The NAS Manager default administrator user name is administrator and the default password is powervault.

4. Click the Administer This Server Appliance link.
   
   

5. When the Enter Network Password window appears again, enter the same user name and password that you entered in step 2, and then click OK.
   
   You are now logged in to the NAS Manager.

6. On the NAS Manager primary menu, click Maintenance.

7. Click Terminal Services.

8. Log in to the Terminal Services session as administrator.

9. If the Advanced Administration Menu is open, click Exit, and then OK to close it.

10. Open the Windows Explorer, and expand the directory C:\ Dell\BIOS Update Utility.

11. Double-click the WinSFI.exe file. 
    
    This is the BIOS Update Utility.

12. In the WinSFI_AMIWinFlash window, ensure that only the boxes for Boot Block Programming and NVRAM Programming are checked.
    
    
13. In the File pull-down menu, select Load BIOS and Flash.
    
    
14. When the Open window appears, use the folder's navigation icons to move to the NAS system's desktop, and select the share folder in which you placed the downloaded BIOS file.
    
    
15. Click Open.
    
    A Load BIOS window appears.
    
    
16. Select Load BIOS.
    
    This message appears:
    
    Are You Sure?
    
    
17. Click Yes.
    
    The utility erases the current BIOS, opens the new updated BIOS file, and programs the system to accept the new BIOS file (a status bar at the bottom of the window provides progress information).
    
    The message appears:
    
    Flash ROM update complete. Please restart your system.
    
    
18. Click OK.
    
    

19. Restart your NAS system.
    
    

Transferring BIOS From the Client

1. Download the most recent BIOS from support.dell.com.
   
   
2. Using a null modem serial cable, connect the client system to the NAS system.
   
   
3. Turn on the client system and set up a Hyperterminal connection.
   
   
   1. Click the Start button and point to Programs® Accessories® Hyperterminal® Hyperterminal.
      
      
   2. In the program group, double-click Hyperterminal.
      
      
   3. Select 115200 for the bits per second, 8 for data bits, None for parity, 1 for stop bits, and Xon/Xoff for flow control.
      
      
4. Restart the NAS system.
   
   
5. Press <F2> immediately after you see the following message:

Press <F2> to enter the Function Select menu

NOTE: If you use a version of Windows 2000 earlier than Service Pack 2, the function keys do not work. You must press <Esc><2>.

If you wait too long and your operating system begins to load into memory, allow the system to complete the load operation, and then shut down the system and try again.

6. When the Function Select menu appears, press 5 to update the BIOS Flash ROM.
   
   
7. When a message appears asking you to confirm the selection, press <Y>.
   
   

The message Flash System BIOS appears.

8. In the HyperTerminal window, click Transfer, and then select Send File.
   
   
9. When the Send File dialog appears, click Browse, and then select the downloaded BIOS file.
   
   
10. Select XModem on the Protocol menu, and then click Send.

The client system sends the file to the NAS system and automatically updates the BIOS. The NAS system beeps four times and then reboots.

Disabling a Forgotten Password

If you forget your supervisor password, you cannot operate your system or change settings in the BIOS Setup utility until a trained service technician opens the system chassis, changes the password jumper setting to disable the password, and erases the existing password.

To disable the password, perform the following steps.

CAUTION: See "Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge" in the safety instructions of your System Information document.

1. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet.
   
   
2. Remove the cover, and then remove the battery.
   
   See your Installation and Troubleshooting Guide for more information about removing the battery.
   
   
3. Remove the jumper plug from jumpers 1-2, move it to jumpers 2-3, and leave the jumper plug on jumpers 2-3 for at least 5 seconds.
   
   The jumpers are located next to the battery, with jumper 1 the closest to the battery and jumper 3 the farthest from the battery.
   
   
4. Move the jumper plug back to jumpers 1-2.
   
   
5. Replace the battery and system cover.
   
   
6. Reconnect the system to an electrical outlet and to the client system.
   
   
7. Turn on the system .
   
   The system beeps twice to indicate that the password has been cleared.
   
   
8. If you want, enter a new supervisor password.
   
   For information about assigning a password, see "Change Supervisor Password."

Clearing CMOS

Clearing the CMOS memory allows you to  clear a forgotten password or re-enable console redirection. If the administrator forgets the supervisor password, you cannot operate the system or change settings in the BIOS Setup utility until you change the password jumper setting to disable the passwords and erase the existing passwords.

To clear the CMOS, perform the following steps.

CAUTION: Read the safety instructions in your System Information document.

1. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet.
   
   
2. Remove the  system cover.
   
   
3. Remove the battery.
   
   
4. Locate the password jumper (labeled "JP1") on the system board. 
   
   Jumper JP1 is located beside the system battery.
   
   
5. Remove the JP1 jumper plug from pins 1-2, move it to jumpers 2-3, and leave the jumper plug on jumpers 2-3 for at least 5 seconds.
   
   
6. Move the jumper plug back to jumpers 1-2.
   
   
7. Replace the battery.
   
   
8. Replace the system cover, and then reconnect the system to an electrical outlet and turn it on.
   
   The system beeps twice to indicate that the password has been cleared.
   
   
9. If you want, enter a new supervisor password.
   
   

NOTE: If you assign a new supervisor password with the jumper plug still removed, the system disables the new password(s) the next time it boots.

Responding to Error Messages

NOTE: To view error messages, you must use the console redirection function on the serial port (COM1). See the System Administrator's Guide for more information about console redirection.

If an error message appears on your monitor screen while the system boots, make a note of the message. Then, before entering the BIOS Setup utility, see "System Beep Codes" and "System Messages" in "Codes, Error Messages, and Indicators" for an explanation of the message and suggestions for correcting any errors.

NOTE: It is normal to receive an error message the first time you boot your system after installing a memory upgrade. In that situation, do not see "System Beep Codes" and "System Messages."  Instead, follow the instructions for performing a memory upgrade in "Performing a Memory Upgrade."

If you are given an option of pressing either <F1> to continue or <F2> to run the BIOS Setup utility, press <F2>.

NOTE: If you use a version of Windows 2000 earlier than Service Pack 2, the function keys do not work. You must press <Esc><1> or <Esc><2>.

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