changing BL460c G6 firmware from linux to Windows

[Michael1]

Hello,

Would anyone know whether it is possible to change firmware on a BL460c G6 blade from linux firmware to windows firmware?

The background here is that we have BL460c G6 blade that for the past number of years has been running with Linux firmware and RedHat linux. Now we need to test Windows Server 2012 on a G6 blade. We were thinking of using the same blade for this. Installing the Windows Server 2012 ought to be straightforward. I then remembered that all the firmware on this G6 blade has to do with linux.

Is it possible to change the firmware on this blade from linux to windows? I was wondering whether the G6 blades come out of the HP factory with either linux or windows firmware which are then updated as and when required but that it may not be possible to change the firmware from linux to windows or vice-versa?

If it is possible what would be a good way to go about this change?

Kind regards,
Michael

[gregersenj]

FW and BIOS has nothing to do with the O/S at all.

So install windows. thats it.

BR

/jag

[Jimmy Vance]

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@gregersenj wrote:

FW and BIOS has nothing to do with the O/S at all.

So install windows. thats it.

BR

/jag

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Actually on older ProLiant servers there was a setting in the BIOS for OS selection. If I recall it at least changed settings for the ACPI mapping tables.

[Michael1]

Hello,

Thanks for the feedback so far. At the moment I still feel at little nervous of the effect the linux installed firmware might produce when installing a Windows 2012 server.

From looking at the two HP sites below dealing with firmware I see different files that have to be installed to keep the firmware up-to-date.

Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Downloads
http://h20566.www2.hpe.com/hpsc/swd/public/readIndex?sp4ts.oid=3884100&swLangOid=8&swEnvOid=4138

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Server (x86) Downloads
http://h20566.www2.hpe.com/hpsc/swd/public/readIndex?sp4ts.oid=3884100&swLangOid=8&swEnvOid=4006

As an example with the "Firmware" the for Windows there two files while with Linux there is one file required.

Is what is going on here is that the result is the same - have the blade installed with the latest firmware - but that there are two methods for installing this firmware - one from a windows OS and another from a linux OS?

If this is the case then I can see why it wouldn't matter installing a Windows 2012 Server onto a BL460c machine that previously had a Linux OS and used to updated with firmware in the normal way a blade running linux would be.

Would I be right then in presuming future firmware updates then be from the Windows HP site mentioned above? It begs the obvious question - "where else would they come from?".

-Michael

[Torsten.]

The firmware itself is always the same for the same release version, but the loaders are different - for windows, for linux and even for plain DOS (bootable USB key for BIOS).

The firmware does not depend on the OS running, only the update method.

[gregersenj · Accepted solution]

That's true Jimmy.

And the setting might still be there. I havn't chekked.

As Torsten write. even thoug the installer packages is different the firmware is excactly the same.

A FW packages e.i FW 1.70 for i.e Ilo. would be named 14123.exe for windows and 14124.scexe for linux.

But the FW is the same. no difference at all.

Aboave numbers are made up by me. 

Some times you will find that a FW 1.70 has been replaced by 1.70(B). This is due to a bug in the installer packages.

The 1.70 fw is still the very same.

Alos sometimes will find there's a fw xxxx. and one called FW DVD/SPP supplemtary. And the supplementary is a Linux packages, that is ment for off-line installation (boot on the SPP)

For FW and driver maintenance I will recommend that you use the SPP (Support Pack for ProLiant). This will run on both Windows and Linux.

If you boot on it, it do use Linux.

Most servers come as bare metal from factory, then customers install what ever they like.

A few years ago. A customer of mine, who got a BWA system. They got a production system and a test system.

They wanted to add an extra blade to the  test system. The BWA is running Linux.

Customer got more than 100 decomissioned BL460 G6's setting on the shelf (former windows and ESX systems).
We just pick one from the shelf. We did upgrade FW, to match the FW baseline, that is based on the SPP's.

And ofcource to have identical fw.

There's no difference on FW used for Linux, Windwos Vmware, or whatever.

As per Jimmys comment, there might still be a settnig in the BIOS. Do open the BIOS setup (RBSU). And if you hit CTRL+A. You will get more setup options.

BR

/jag