how to undo a previous owners linux firmware update to the windows version using bootable hp sum

[peter ridgway-davies]

hi

desperately seeking help on this. i have  an hp dl380 g7 and the previous owner installed the linux version of the p410 raid controller firmware. this is stpping me from installing windows server. i want to remove the linux firmware and install the windows version.

i want to reflash with the current windows firmware for this controller. however when i boot into the hp sum software it does not give me the option of installing the windows firmware for the p410. it just lists the linux firmware upon detection.

i tried creating a bootable winpe and copied the windows firmare to it but it fails when i try to run it.

[Jimmy Vance]

The installation medium might have been Linux (which is what the SPP uses) but the firmware payload itslef isn't specific to an OS.  What exactly is your issue?

[Torsten.]

firmware is totally OS independent.

what is the issue?


to correct myself - some smart array controllers for integrity server line have a special firmware. but there is no difference at all between windows and linux os, except the update utility.

[peter ridgway-davies]

Hi

The specific issue i have is that when i boot using the server 2012 r2 iso no matter what i do windows will not start installing. i have previously installed 2012 r2 on half a dozen dl380 g7 systems.

i know that there are difficulties with this but am using the same bootable usb that worked previously.

the specific message the install gives me is that the drive i created is not set to bootable in the bios. But it is set to bootable. i have set the raid up using brand new disks. i have created the logical volume in raid. i have also set it to the boot volume in raid. i have also checked the bios settings and the raid is set as the boot device (second only to the usb device).

i am able to create a new partition on the volume using the p410 drivers but the next step to install windows fails.

After trying many different options like creating a new bootable iso image on a new usb and also creating a new hp sum 2015/6 usb i stated thing about what was different between my other six servers and this one. i even replaced the new drives with a second set. i also replaced the raid memory p410i.

The difference is the installed linux firmware.

when i boot using hp sum it correctly detects linux firmware updates but will not allow me to reflash with windows firmware updates no matter what i try and this was my next step to try.

i have now bought a p410 raid card to see if that cures the issue.

i could appreciate some help in being able to reflash the p410i bios with the windows version and ditto for the backplane using the bootable sum image but i cannot see a way of doing that.

when i boot using the most recent sum version it sets the baseline but then only gives me options to install linux versions of the firmware.... very frstrating. Any help gratefully received.

Thanks

[Torsten.]

believe it or not, firmware is the same.

go into the controller bios during boot and check if it is set as bootable there.

[peter ridgway-davies · Accepted solution]

it is most definitely set at the boot device. i have now installed a p410 and disabled the p410i in the bios and then chreated a new volume using new disks on the p410. same result and i also reset the boot device again.

i do notice that in orca (p410 bios) i get an option i have not seen before which is to use shared storage or attached storage. i select atteched storage.

Whenever I run hp sum it lists linux firmware updates which I also installed.

I do wonder if there is no difference why do HP provide seperate firmware - ah I get it I think its because people running linux need to update from within linux! Which explains the comment about no difference

Tearing my hair out. sometimes I hate computers.

[Jimmy Vance]

The SPP when used in offline mode (boot from the SPP) uses a Linux boot environement. All of the firmware files that work with HPSUM are therefore in a Linux format.  The firmware blob inside of the package isn't OS specific, just that the standard installation medium and tools are Linux based