[[fester:prelim_bios]]

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fester:prelim_bios [2016/06/10 17:14] – created danfester:prelim_bios [2016/06/10 17:25] – [AES-NI Encryption] dan
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 ====== Configuring the BIOS ====== ====== Configuring the BIOS ======
 +
 +We now need to configure the BIOS of the server motherboard.
 +
 +You can do this via a keyboard and monitor attached to the server or through IPMI as outlined in a previous section.
 +
 +The settings and screen shots are all taken from a Supermicro X10SRH-CLN4F, but most are applicable to most server motherboards (I would imagine).
  
 ===== Getting Into Your BIOS ===== ===== Getting Into Your BIOS =====
 +
 +In order to gain access to the motherboard’s BIOS the user is required to press a certain key at a certain point in time (usually as the POST messages are displayed).
 +
 +Consult your motherboard documentation to find out how to gain access to your motherboard’s BIOS.
 +
 +On Fester’s motherboard it is done by pressing the “DEL” key at a specific point.
 +
 +Incidentally, motherboards usually display a screen at some point during the POST process that tells you what key to press, something like this.
 +
 +{{:fester:94c6e18bdb6bd389e71de5c5b3531a94.png}}
 +
 +When you have access to the BIOS it’s time to configure it.
 +
 +Most BIOS settings are navigated using the “←→↑↓” keys.
  
 ===== BIOS Settings ===== ===== BIOS Settings =====
  
-===== Quiet Boot =====+==== Quiet Boot ==== 
 + 
 +This setting is entirely optional. 
 + 
 +It determines if POST messages are displayed on screen or a graphic logo (so the POST messages are hidden from view) when you first turn on the server. Fester likes to see the POST messages so I disabled this function. 
 + 
 +Navigate to the “Advanced” page. 
 + 
 +{{:fester:d8522b3a234972889e6cae3bfea826b5.png}} 
 + 
 +Select the submenu “Boot Feature”. 
 + 
 +{{:fester:598b861c7cfd26d240bd607d2c616cc5.png}} 
 + 
 +Now go to “Quiet Boot” and select “Disabled”. 
 + 
 +{{:fester:121ebb481316a793fd256996eb91c0a4.png}} 
 + 
 +==== Watch Dog Function ==== 
 + 
 +Remain in the “Advanced → Boot Feature” page and select “Watch Dog Function”. 
 + 
 +The watch dog function serves to reboot the server if it experiences an error it cannot recover from (and so hangs) for more than 5 minutes. It works by starting a 5 minute count-down timer when the server hangs. When this timer reaches zero the system is forced to reboot. 
 + 
 +When I first tried this in FreeNAS it caused my system to spontaneously reboot every 5 minutes even though the system was not hanging, so I disabled it. 
 + 
 +{{:fester:e67357e796d4f007ff943fd86ce3f70b.png}} 
 + 
 +===AES-NI Encryption ==== 
 + 
 +If you intend to encrypt the information on your storage drives then you need to enable this in the BIOS. 
 + 
 +This can be useful as it allows a failing HDD in a vdev to be discarded without worrying about wiping the information before disposal. 
 + 
 +Go to the “Advanced” page. 
 + 
 +{{:fester:d8522b3a234972889e6cae3bfea826b5.png}} 
 + 
 +Now navigate to “CPU Configurtion”. 
 + 
 +{{:fester:1a1fa05bff7f91bae574f5788093b363.png}}
  
-===== Watch Dog Function =====+Then scroll down (it is towards the bottom) to “AES-NI” and select “Enable”.
  
-===== AES-NI Encryption =====+{{:fester:3a6c951479ea3763d4012e3156539ff9.png}}
  
 ===== AHCI SATA Configuration ===== ===== AHCI SATA Configuration =====
  • fester/prelim_bios.txt
  • Last modified: 2016/06/10 17:34
  • by dan