The Boot Agent software provides configuration options that allow you to customize the behavior of the Boot Agent software. You can configure the Boot Agent in any of the following environments:
A pre-boot environment (before operating system is loaded)
The Boot Agent supports PXE and RPL in pre-boot, Windows*, and DOS environments. In each of these environments, a single user interface allows you to configure PXE and RPL protocols on Fast Ethernet, Gigabit, and PXE on 10GbE adapters.
To enter the Boot Agent setup menu, press and hold <Ctrl>-S during system start-up.
If you use Windows 2000 or a more recent version of the Windows operating system on your client computer, you can use LAN software for Windows* Device Manager to configure and update the Boot Agent software. the software is available through the device manager. the software provides a special tab, called the Boot Agent tab, used for configuring and updating the Boot Agent software.
To access the Boot Agent tab:
Open the software for Windows Device Manager by opening the System Control Panel. On the Hardware tab, click Device Manager.
Select the appropriate adapter and click the Boot Agent tab. If the tab does not appear, update your network driver.
The Boot Agent tab shows a list of current configuration parameters and their corresponding values. Corresponding configuration values appear for the selected setting in a drop-down box. A brief description of the setting’s function appears in the Description box below it. See Boot Agent Configuration Settings for a list of configuration parameters, their possible values, and detailed descriptions.
Select a setting you want to change from the Settings selection box.
Select a value for that setting from the Value drop-down list.
Repeat the preceding two steps to change any additional settings.
Once you have completed your changes, click Apply Changes to update the adapter with the new values.
vides a utility (IBAUtil) for installing and configuring the Boot Agent using the DOS environment. IBAUtil supports the 100, 1000 and 10GbE family of adapters. See Auxiliary DOS Utilities for more information.
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NOTE: Boot Agent may be disabled in the BIOS. |
You can customize the behavior of the Boot Agent software through a pre-boot (operating system independent) configuration setup program contained within the adapter's flash ROM. You can access this pre-boot configuration setup program each time the client computer cycles through the boot process. The boot process is triggered whenever any of the following boot events occur:
Power on
Hard reset (Reset button on system, if available)
Soft reset (Ctrl+Alt+Del)
Operating system or application-initiated system restart
When the boot process begins, the screen clears and the computer begins its Power On Self Test (POST) sequence. Shortly after completion of the POST, the Boot Agent software stored in flash ROM executes. The Boot Agent then displays an initialization message, similar to the one below, indicating that it is active:
Initializing Boot Agent Version X.X.XX PXE 2.0 Build 083 (WfM 2.0)
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NOTE: This display may be hidden by the manufacturer's splash screen. Consult your manufacturer's documentation for details. |
The configuration setup menu shows a list of configuration settings on the left and their corresponding values on the right. Key descriptions near the bottom of the menu indicate how to change values for the configuration settings. For each selected setting, a brief "mini-Help" description of its function appears just above the key descriptions.
Highlight the setting you need to change by using the arrow keys.
Once you have accessed the setting you want to change, press the spacebar until the desired value appears.
Once you have completed your changes, press F4 to update the adapter with the new values. Any changed configuration values are applied as the boot process resumes.
The table below provides a list of configuration settings, their possible values, and their detailed descriptions:
Configuration Setting |
Possible Values |
Description |
|---|---|---|
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Network Boot Protocol |
PXE (Preboot eXecution Environment) RPL (Remote Program Load) |
Controls whether the RPL or PXE boot protocol will be used. Select PXE for use with WfM-compatible network management programs, such as LANDesk* Management Suite, Windows* 2000 RIS, and Linux*. Select RPL for legacy-style remote booting, as well as for Novell* Netware* remote boot solutions. NOTE: Depending on the configuration of the Boot Agent, this parameter may not be changeable. |
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Boot Order |
Use BIOS Setup Boot Order Try network first, then local drives Try local drives first, then network Try network only Try local drives only |
Sets the boot order in which devices are selected during boot up if the computer does not have its own control method. If your client computer's BIOS supports the BIOS Boot Specification (BBS), or allows PnP-compliant selection of the boot order in the BIOS setup program, then this setting will always be Use BIOS Setup Boot Order and cannot be changed. In this case, refer to the BIOS setup manual specific to your client computer to set up boot options. If your client computer does not have a BBS- or PnP-compliant BIOS, you can select any one of the other possible values listed for this setting except for Use BIOS Setup Boot Order. |
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Legacy OS Wakeup Support. (For 82559-based adapters only) |
0 = Disabled (Default Value) 1 = Enabled |
If set to 1, the Boot Agent will enable PME in the adapter’s PCI configuration space during initialization. This allows remote wakeup under legacy operating systems that don’t normally support it. Note that enabling this makes the adapter technically non-compliant with the ACPI specification, which is why the default is disabled. |
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NOTE:
If, during PXE or RPL boot, more than one adapter is installed in a computer and you
want to boot from the boot ROM located on a specific adapter, you can do so by removing
the adapter from the BIOS Boot Order or disabling the flash by running IBAUTIL
-FlashDisable on the desired adapter.
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Anytime the configuration setup menu is displayed, you may press the D key to display diagnostics information in the lower half of the screen. This information can be helpful during interaction with support personnel or your IT team members. Once you press the D key, the information displayed remains until you leave the configuration setup screen (either by pressing F4, pressing the Esc key, or by rebooting the computer). For more information about how to interpret the information displayed, refer to Diagnostics Information for Pre-boot PXE or RPL Environments.
Last modified on 9/13/06 12:37p Revision 10