Changing BIOS settings online

[Milos Brkic]

Hi,

I know that the way to change BIOS settings is through a BIOS policy applied to the service profile. My question is whether it is possible to do this while the server is running, without rebooting. Specifically I am looking to change the power efficiency related settings (not power capping). I tried changing the BIOS policy on a service profile of a running server and FSM tab claims to update it, but when I look at the underlying server the BIOS settings do not reflect the changes.

Cheers,

Milos

[Wes Austin · Accepted solution]

Hello,

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/servers-unified-computing/ucs-manager/112034-bios-policy-00.html

When a configuration change is made via a BIOS policy or via default BIOS settings, the UCS manager immediately pushes these changes to the CIMC buffer. These changes take effect only after the server is rebooted.

[Milos Brkic]

Thanks Wesley,

That's the doc I was following, but I missed that sentence, so I just wanted to confirm.

It is interesting that other vendors allow you to change some of the BIOS settings while the server is online through their out-of-band management platforms.

Cheers,

Milos

[Wes Austin]

I think it depends on which BIOS setting you are adjusting. I could see where some settings may be able to be changed while the server is online, but others you would definitely want to take effect after reboot. It would be similar to changing the oil in your car while it is driving down the road.

Glad to help. Let us know if you need anything else.

[Milos Brkic]

Yes, most definitely - clearly some of the settings cannot be changed on the go (on any platform). I was specifically referring to some of the power savings settings that can.

Cheers,

Milos