[Beowulf] Performance issue - CPU Intel 00/02

[Bruce Allen]

> > If you have lots of sick machines, you could try making BIOS
> > settings using the nvram module
> > 
> > On a good node: modprobe nvram; cat /dev/nvram >  biosfile
> > 
> > On a bad one: modprobe nvram; cat biosfile > /dev/nvram
> > 
> > YMMV. The management accept no liability for lost bits.
> > Seriously, give it a try on one node.
> 
> Before you do this, you may want to check BIOS levels on a good v. bad
> system and try a BIOS reset on the bad machine.  Even a batch of systems
> delivered at the same time can have different BIOS levels.  I've also
> seen a BIOS reset cure these odd problems if they were all already at
> the same version.
> 
> The final bit, which is more in the voodoo camp, is the battery...
> 
> If the BIOS versions differ, would copying the nvram from one system to
> another be an issue?

Even if the BIOS versions are the same, this won't copy the setting
reliably.  We tried this several years ago using some identical Intel
motherboards and discovered that there are lots of BIOS settings that are
not kept in the handful of nvram bytes that /dev/nvram has access to.

Bruce