How to factory reset an ML30 Gen10 m/b?

[BunnyPon]

I have an interesting device in my collection.

It is an ML30 Gen10 board that has obviously been used in some OEM device and now is convinced it is a hitachi 8000V.

How do I completely reset it so that it thinks it is an HP, then I can keep it as a spare for the existing ML30 Gen10 that has been running for the past 3 years? (freebsd ^^!)

I can't find anything useful in the manual and I would expect it would be some magical jumper option. ILO reports some weird files too, one of those is causing this identity crisis.

[TVVJ]

Hello,

When the system maintenance switch position 6 is set to the "On" position, the system is prepared to restore all configuration settings to their manufacturing defaults.

To achieve this, please power off the server, remove the power cable from the power supply and then the access panel.

You may refer to the item "X" on the diagram of the "System board components" in the HPE ProLiant ML30 Gen10 Plus Server User Guide for the location of the system maintenance switch on the system board.

Set system maintenance switch position 6 is set to the "On" position, replace the access panel and connect the power cable to the power supply.

Power on the server. When a message indicates that a system maintenance switch is turned on and it needs to be reversed, power off the server, remove the power cable from the power supply and reverse the system maintenance switch's position 6 to the "On" position, replace the access panel, connect the power cable to the power supply and the power on the server.

Regards,

[BunnyPon]

Unfortunately, I'm just about to go get on a plane, I will have to try this when I get back. I do appreciate the answer. Hopefully it will turn this board back from an unusable OEM thing into an HPE thing.

I am not sure if it makes a difference, but the MB is not from a Gen10 plus, but from a regular Gen10, according to the note I have on file

SP# P19337-001 DG# P01969 AS# P01969-002 REV A2

[BunnyPon]

@TVVJ I just got around to trying your recommended method. Connected everything up, Switch 6, wait for the warning and then back.

Verdict: No Change.

It still thinks it is an HA8000/V, the only reason I can find is this mysterious file "HITACHI Profile" which makes me wonder what is in it.

One of the issues here is you can't even try a trial ILO Advanced license, it doesn't work, whatever they have done to make this an OEM board renders it entirely alien and I have to wonder why anyone would buy something HITACHI OEM'd at all. It's more expensive, one look at their support site is enough to put you off *AND* good luck trying to find how to buy *THEIR* ILO Advanced. (also, FUJITSU do this because HPE is fundamentally good solid hardware.)

At this point, I'm starting to think that this board is just scrap and the only value is the parts that happen to be on it...

[BunnyPon]

As you can see, it's regular HPE but for this one mystery file. "HITACHI Profile"

Which is good, because I just throw the board away and keep the parts for the other ML30/Gen 10 which is a "genuine" HPE, not a fake. So If I can't get rid of that, then it's just scrap unless I can find another "genuine" HPE board ^^;

I wonder who buys these rebadged things from HITACHI, at an unhealthy Premium too. (Fujitsu do the same thing...) Good luck trying to find a price at all.

[BunnyPon]

And here we are, now half a year later and no one knows how to "de-Hitachi" (or "de-NEC") an HPE Gen 10 system.

It can't seriously be a one way operation. "Put this file in your firmware to render your machine unsupportable by us." or something like that? Is there no way to erase things from the "Firmware" at all? It also has a woefully out of date "Japanese Language Pack" also on the system board.

(Edit) I found this: Hitachi can't do it either  URL which suggests either it is impossible (very hard to believe) or Hitachi are stunningly incompetent and their solution to anything is just "swap the motherboard."