[Beowulf] BIOS

[Guy Coates]

John Hearns wrote:
> Beat Rubischon wrote:
>>
>> It's probably the safest way to organize some students, give them a
>> keyboard, a monitor and a memoy stick containing the flash files...
>>   
> Having been involved in this exercise several times, ie. updating and
> subequently resetting BIOS settings on large clusters, I agree with Beat.
> The only reliable way to do it is with several people, monitors and USB
> floppies or memory sticks.

Or spend money on "proper" server hardware. IBM provide their advanced setting
utility:

http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/toolsctr/v1r0/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.xseries.tools.doc/config_tools_asu.html

and  HP have their smartstart scripting toolkit:

http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/servers/management/toolkit/index.html

which allows you to automate the twiddling of BIOS settings. Don't leave home
without em. I'm sure the other tier 1 vendors have similar products, but those
are the two I've used in anger.


Cheers,

Guy

-- 
Dr. Guy Coates,  Informatics System Group
The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1HH, UK
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Fax: +44 (0)1223 496802


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