PowerShell HP BIOS Cmdlets failed to Connect-HPBIOS

[Simpat]

Hi All HP Gurus,

I am so happy that HP release PowerShell module HP BIOS Cmdlets becuase it seems to be very helpful a lot for my datacenter automation planned. 

I downloaded and install HPBIOSCmdlets-x64.msi with all prerequisites follow instructions on :

http://h20566.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/public/detail?sp4ts.oid=5440658&swItemId=MTX_1cedc5b3a4ec4bc7a942f6e682&swEnvOid=4158#tab3

Unfortunately, I cannot get it to works. I have got errors everytime when use Connect-HPBIOS command. I alway get this...

PS C:\> Connect-HPBIOS -IP 10.123.123.123 -Username MyiLOUser-Password MyPassword

Connect-HPBIOS : Failed for 10.123.123.123:Make sure iLO VSP and WinPE EMS is correctly set. You can use New-HPBIOSCustomWinPEImage to create a custom WinPE image that can 
check and update the iLO VSP and WinPE EMS settings.
At line:1 char:1
+ Connect-HPBIOS -IP 10.123.123.123 -Username MyiLOUser-Password MyPassword
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidOperation: (:) [Connect-HPBIOS], HPBIOSException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : HPBIOSCmdlets.ConnectHPBIOS

Can anyone help me to resolve this problem?

It's seems like some bugs on loading this HPBIOS PS module.

Thanks in Advance,

Jobbo

[Alain Tremblay]

First you need to boot your server with WinPE if no OS is install. You can create your WinPE iso with the tool that came with HPBIOS scripting

New-HPBIOSCustomWinPEImage to create a custom WinPE image

Alain

[awaldorf]

Alain,

I too had this issue and upon running the New-HPBIOSCustomWinPEImage script, it failed with out much explanation.  The error I got stated:

StatusType: Error

StatusMessage: Failed to create WINPE image.

I got this error whether I selected USB_DRIVE or ISO_FILE.   -Log didn't work at all, and FL didn't revela anything either.  Help files and documentation are moot on this.  There is a batch file located in the HPBIOS directory, called New-HPBIOSCustomWinPEImage.bat which creates a series of folders on the system disk.  I have no idea what these do and can't find any documention nor help from google.  

Running Windows 7 /64 on an HP 9470 with quad core i5 and 16 gb Corsair RAM.  ADK 8.3, Powershell 4.0, .NET 4.5.

[Simpat]

Hi Alain,

Thank you for advice and sorry for late reply. I have full load of many projects.

In fact, HP has embedded WinPE on the mainboard as Virtual Install Drive. Why don't HP activate and use it immediately.
If we do really need to boot to WinPE by PXE or mount virtual image, It sounds too complicated for large deployment on bare metal, and it will consume a lot network traffic.
It should be straight forward to use PowerShell, or RESTful Cli, or Python or SSH, uEFI directly same as HPiLOCmdlets.

Sincerely Yours, 

[Larry Hedrick]

So what was the fix...?

If I run the example I get...

New-HPBIOSCustomWinPEImage : Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
At U:\Scripts\HP\iLO_Config.ps1:21 char:1
+ New-HPBIOSCustomWinPEImage -OutputImageType ISO_File -OutputImage "C:\HPWinPE.is ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [], NullReferenceException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : System.NullReferenceException
 

[jbruns2006]

Why would I boot to a WinPE image when I am running the connect-HPBios under 2012R2? Seems ridiculous for HP to create a Powershell command that rejects the Windows OS you are using to connect to your BIOS and tell you to boot to a WinPE image. That would be like telling someone that you need to boot to a WinPE image to set the time. I can get to the ILO fine from a browser on same machine but not with Connect-HPBIOS?

[Jimmy Vance]

---

jbruns2006 wrote:
Why would I boot to a WinPE image when I am running the connect-HPBios under 2012R2? Seems ridiculous for HP to create a Powershell command that rejects the Windows OS you are using to connect to your BIOS and tell you to boot to a WinPE image. That would be like telling someone that you need to boot to a WinPE image to set the time. I can get to the ILO fine from a browser on same machine but not with Connect-HPBIOS?

---

I don't work with the Powershell cmdlets, but other utilites that access the BIOS from the OS require the iLO channel driver to be installed in the OS (The WinPE image refrenced has the required drviers) I'd suspect if you install the driver the cmdlets will start working properly

[A-Lingen]

Larry,

my best guess is that you did not install "Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) for Windows 8.1 Update" on your management client where you tried to run the powershell command.

This "Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit" is mentioned (last bullet) in the system prerequisites in chapter 2 of the document "HP Scripting Tools for Windows PowerShell User Guide - BIOS Cmdlets"

If you download and install the DK than the WinPE ISO image can be created because the WinPE source files are present on your management client. (at least...that worked for me)

grtz,

Andre

[Simpat]

Hi All,

Thank you for brain strom ideas. It's seem like I need to create myown custom WinPE with HPBIOSCmdLet Module.

However,  I feel like this was not a good practice for delivered solution to customers. 

In fact, HP has embedded WinPE on the mainboard as 1GB Virtual Install Drive. Why don't HP just activate and use it immediately. If we do really need to boot to WinPE by PXE or mount virtual image, It sounds too complicated for large bare metal deployments, and it will consume a lot network traffic just for change some few BIOS setting.

It should be straight forward to use PowerShell, or RESTful Cli, or Python or SSH, uEFI directly same as HPiLOCmdlets.

Can you guys share me the script for building WinPE right from ADK server?

and If possible, can you share us how your scenarios of using this HPBIOSCmdLet?

for my case, I just want to change Power Profile Setting, Disabled Embeded LOM 1GB NIC, Disabled Embeded Software RAID.

Thanks in Advance,

Jobbo

[KSGokul]

Hi Jobbo,

I am from PowerShell team went through your complete thread looks like there are some confusions on the HPBIOSCmdlets usuage and its behavior. Let me clarify these first before asking for more logs.

Two use-cases of BIOS cmdlets possible they are :

1. Connecting through Server Mode – This can be used when you have a supported Windows server OS installed on the target server and user want to modify\get any of the BIOS settings. This mode does not require pre-requisite step to boot the WinPE image instead use the Target Server IP address and credentials directly to connect.
2. Connecting through WinPE Mode – This can be used where you have a bare metal server which does not have any OS installed. This has a pre-requisite to boot custom WinPE image on the target server and once its loaded use iLO IP address in connnect cmdllet for connecting BIOS and modifiying its setttings. 

To boot in WinPE mode on the target server an ISO image is required. This ISO image does not require any script to create but can be generated by using the HPBIOS cmdlet New-HPBIOSCustomWinPEImage.

Before using this cmdlet, as a prerequisite Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) for Windows 8.1 Update has to be installed (Download link: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=39982)

Steps for creating the custom winpe image are detailed in the attached document. Please go through and come back if you fail in any of the steps.

Same time please share the winpe log that get created when following option is used for creating custom winpe image.

PS C:\> New-HPBIOSCustomWinPEImage -OutputImageType ISO_File –OutputImage "C:\WinPE.iso" –Log | fl 

Thanks,

Gokul

HP PowerShell Team

[NJK-Work]

Just to add to this conversation:

Connecting to the OS works for Gen8 but not for Gen9.  When I try the Gen9, it tells me I have to use the iLO to connect.

When connecting to the Gen9 iLO, I did not have to use the WinPE boot image, but it only worked for me if I used the "-DisableCertificateAuthentication" parameter in the Connect-HPBIOS cmdlet.  This could be because the server I was testing with did not have trusted certificate on it in the iLO.

Also, a reboot was required to make the change take affect.  In my test, we wanted to see if we could limit the cores per processor for SQL licensing purposes.  After rebooting, the server dropped from 6 cores to 4.

NK

[Matt Sebel]

Do I have any option for making this work on a BL465c G8 running VMware ESXi 6.x? I'd really like to be able to incorproate these powershell commands into existing maintenance scripts. So far I've run into nothing but issues and functionality annomolies between generations of hardware.

[GZahidi]

Hello Matt

To execute BIOSCmdlets on Gen8 Servers there are following ways to do connection (Once connection is established then use this connection object to execute HPBIOSCmdlets) 

1) Executing BIOSCmdlets on Server runing Windows operating system (Remotely)

2) Executing BIOSCmdlets on localhost having windows opeartiong system 

3) Runing cmdlets on bare metal servers.

for condition 1 and 2  use server IP , Windows Administrator username and password to connect  to the server.

for condition 3 :- Boot the server in WinPE mode and use ILO IP and Credential to connect to the server.

Please specify in which way you are trying to  exeute BIOSCmdlets.

[1ThatNeverWas]

I had a similar issue trying to get New-HPEBIOSCustomWinPEImage to play nice. It failed for me (a million times) before I started to dig through files. I came across this file, New-HPEBIOSCustomWinPEImage.bat. At the very bottom of the file is the makewinpeimage.bat command and in it delcared UFD instead of ISO. I changed that and now it makes ISOs instead of loading a usb drive up