HP Blade system in a c7000 enclosure

[seabass]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone has read or been told that you can update the system BIOS on a blade system (in my case, a ProLiant BL460c G1)without a reboot of the server?

A co-worker and I had discussed this previously...he thought Support had told him this was do-able. I didn't think the system BIOS could be upgraded without a reboot?

Thanks for any input.

[Matti_Kurkela]

Most modern Proliant server BIOS updates allow _installing_ the new BIOS without a reboot. Of course, the new BIOS will _take effect_ only after the system is rebooted.

Go to http://www.hp.com/go/support and find the downloads for your server model and OS. Look for "on-line" BIOS update packages.

The BIOS upgrade procedure will remind you that a reboot is recommended after a BIOS upgrade, but won't force an immediate reboot.

Installing a BIOS update and leaving it "pending" without a reboot requires careful attention: anyone who might be called to diagnose the system needs to know that a BIOS update was in pending state, and know how to reboot with an alternate BIOS if there are problems. (Many Proliant models have easy options for this: read your hardware manual PDFs.)

In my opinion, installing a BIOS update during regular office hours and rebooting the system in a scheduled maintenance window during the following evening/night/weekend is usually acceptable. Leaving the system waiting for reboot for weeks after the BIOS update is not.

MK