HP Dc7700 HP Compaq Business PC with vPro Technology AMT 2.1 Firmware Update - Page 2

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Introduction

Active Management Technology (AMT) allows for out of band management (OOB) of systems regardless

of their current power state. The initial version of AMT shipped with the HP Compaq dc7700 Business PC

with vPro technology systems is referred to as AMT version 2.0. Version 2.0 will keep the management

engine (ME) active executing the AMT firmware during sleep and power off states when OOB manage-

ment is configured. With this configuration, the HP Compaq dc7700 Business PC with vPro technology

will draw power during these states to provide the OOB capabilities. In some business configurations,

power draw is a big concern. AMT 2.1 addresses this concern by allowing the ME to be placed into a

lower power state to greatly reduce the power draw during system sleep and power states when OOB

management actions are not taking place.

The procedure for updating system firmware is different than on past products. The ME firmware is a sep-

arate entity which can be updated independent of the system BIOS firmware. In the ME sections, the term

“provisioned” describes a vPro AMT system that has been configured by the customer (user or administra-

tor). Please consult the HP white paper “vPro Setup and Configuration for the dc7700 Business PC with

Intel vPro Technology” (

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/DocumentIn-

dex.jsp?contentType=SupportManual&lang=en&cc=us&docIndexId=179911&taskId=101&prod-

TypeId=12454&prodSeriesId=3232028#7

) for information regarding the vPro provisioning process.

This white paper outlines Hewlett-Packard business PC BIOS flashing and ME update options for the

2006 vPro products. Users or administrators can choose the best method depending on the operating

environment of the computer(s). BIOS and ME updates are available in a downloadable softpaq contain-

ing the BIOS image and upgrade instructions for the various methods. Regardless of the BIOS flash

method, business PC products provide a high degree of upgrade reliability and offer failure safe recov-

ery.

The remaining sections of this document answer frequently-asked questions concerning typical BIOS and

ME flash scenarios.

AMT 2.1 Specific Changes

What is changing in the system upgrade process for AMT 2.1?

To properly configure the HP Compaq dc7700 Business PC with vPro technology for the AMT 2.1 func-

tionality, the system must be altered in the following order:

1.

Update the ME firmware to 2.1.0.1029 or later.

2.

Update the system BIOS firmware to version 2.0x or later.

3.

Configure the ME firmware “Idle Timeout” to allow lower ME power states during OOB inactivity.

ME firmware “Idle Timeout” determines the minutes the ME will wait for management activity during OOB

situations (system in a sleep state) before the ME will transition to a lower power state. This feature allows

the ME to draw less power during inactive OOB situations. If a remote console requests management

information, the ME wakes the system, reconfigures the ME, and places the system back into the original

sleep state. After this operation, the ME will respond to any management query and begin the wait cycle

again before going back to a lower power state. The section

“How do I configure the ME Idle Timeout?”

on page 6

provides a detailed description of how the feature is configured.

Section	Page
HP Compaq Business PC with vPro Technology AMT 2.1 Firmware Update	1
Introduction	2
AMT 2.1 Specific Changes	2
What is changing in the system upgrade process for AMT 2.1?	2
1. Update the ME firmware to 2.1.0.1029 or later.	2
2. Update the system BIOS firmware to version 2.0x or later.	2
3. Configure the ME firmware “Idle Timeout” to allow lower ME power states during OOB inactivity.	2
What files and directories are in a BIOS dc7700 softpaq?	3
In what operating systems can I update the PC BIOS and Management Engine Firmware?	4
Updating ME Firmware	5
How do I update the ME firmware in DOS locally?	5
How do I update the ME firmware in Windows locally?	5
How do I configure the ME Idle Timeout?	6
Will I lose my AMT setup configurations when updating ME firmware?	8
Updating PC BIOS	8
Will I lose my setup configurations when updating the BIOS?	8
How do I update my PC BIOS in Windows XP or Vista?	8
How do I update the BIOS in a DOS environment?	8
How do I update the BIOS when not running Windows XP, Vista, or DOS?	9
What steps are necessary to execute the HPQFlash utility?	12
What are the steps necessary to execute the HPQPwsd utility?	14
Updating - General Questions	15
What steps are necessary to create the BIOS image CD for F10 ROM flash and recovery?	15
1. Obtain a blank CD and place it in the CD-R/RW drive.	15
2. Execute BIOS.iso to launch the CD burning software.	15
3. To make the BIOS binary image CD, follow instructions provided by the application.	15
4. Place the newly created BIOS binary image CD in the CD drive of the computer to be updated or restored and cycle system power.	15
5. Follow the procedures detailed in the \	15
What steps are necessary to create a bootable USB flash media (disk-on key) for BIOS update?	15
1. 6860	15
2. 786A	15
3. 786B	15
4. 786C	15
5. 786D	16
6. 786E	16
1. Press F10 at boot time to enter Setup.	16
2. Select File > System Information to verify the correct system BIOS.	16
1. HP Drive Key.	16
2. M-Systems USB DiskOnKey(R).	16
1. Turn off power to the computer.	16
2. Insert the USB flash media device into any of the computer USB ports.	16
3. Insert Startup diskette or DOS Bootable diskette into the floppy drive.	16
4. Turn on power to the computer to boot from the Startup diskette.	16
5. Run Fdisk from the A:\\ prompt by typing Fdisk and, then pressing Enter.	16
6. If prompted, select Yes to enable Large Disk support and answer Yes to any other questions that appear on the screen.	16
7. Select option 5 to show multiple drives in the system. Write down the partition drive letter that has been assigned to the USB flash media device. The drive letter is required to complete step 9. The drive letter should also display the re...	16
8. Exit the Fdisk program by pressing the Esc key several times until you are back to the A:\\ prompt.	16
9. At the A:\\ prompt, type Sys X: where X: is the drive letter for the USB flash media device noted in Step 7 above. Reconfirm that you have entered the correct drive letter for the USB flash media device. If confirmed, press Enter. You will ...	16
10. Remove the diskette and reboot the system. Do not remove the USB flash media device from the port it was originally inserted.	16
11. The system will boot the USB flash media device as drive C:	16
12. Any of the supported systems can now be booted from this USB flash media device.	16
What steps are necessary to use SSM for BIOS update?	17
What steps are necessary to use Altiris for BIOS update?	17
1. Copy Flashbin.exe, Adminpw.exe, and BIOS image to the server.	17
2. Create Flash.bat.	17
3. Create the Altiris ROM Flash Event.	17
4. Connect the Client PC to the Altiris Console.	17
1. Create a ROMFlash folder in the Altiris eXpress folder	17
2. Copy the following files to the ROMFlash folder:	17
1. Open a command box by clicking Start > Run, and typing cmd.	17
2. Type cd\\express	17
3. Type cd ROMFlash	17
4. Type edit flash.bat	17
5. Type in the following, where [Altiris Sever Name] is the name of the server:	17
6. Save the file.	17
7. Exit Cmd.	17
1. Select File > New > Event. This creates a new Event in the Events frame (bottom, left section)	18
2. Type in the name of the Event: ROM Flash	18
3. Double-click the new event to display an Event Properties form.	18
4. Click Add.	18
5. Select Run Script to display a new form	18
6. Select Run the script from file:	18
7. Click on the folder button. This is the button to the right of Run the script from file button and has an image of a folder on it.	18
8. Select the file “flash.bat“ created in the previous section.	18
9. Click Open.	18
10. Select DOS (from BootWorks).	18
11. Click OK.	18
12. The Events Properties Form should show:	18
13. Click OK.	18
1. Connect the client PC to the LAN with the Altiris Server.	18
2. On the client: Access the Altiris eXpress folder on the server:	18
3. Run Aclient.exe.	18
4. On the server:	18
What if the PC does not complete the BIOS or ME flash process?	19
What is a processor microcode update softpaq and how is it used?	19
What does the BIOS binary image naming convention indicate?	20
Can I modify the BIOS POST splash screen?	20
Summary	21

HP Dc7700 HP Compaq Business PC with vPro Technology AMT 2.1 Firmware Update - Page 2

Introduction, AMT 2.1 Specific Changes - vpro

Page 2 highlights