Support FAQ 244 | How can I access my computers BIOS and view the Power-On-Self-Test out-of-band?

How can I access my computers BIOS and view the Power-On-Self-Test out-of-band?

To perform out-of-band (OoB) remote management during the period of time between system restart and the initial load phase of the operating system you can either:

redirect the BIOS/console to the server's serial port (as described below) then access the BIOS OoB through the serially connected console server, or
for servers with BMC processors you can use Serial over LAN (SOL) to access the redirected BIOS OoB through the network connected console server (SOL requires firmware 2.2.0 or later), or
for servers with service processors that support KVM (like the Dell DRAC) you can use the service processor management tool (like Dell Open Mange) to access the BIOS through the network connected console server (SOL requires firmware 2.2.0 or later)
Use an Opengear IP-KVM to capture the server screen boot up

Redirection and OoB serial access

BIOS/Console redirection is supported by all the first tier boot ROM suppliers e.g.:

And the majority of server manufacturers have been including this BIOS redirection capability with all new servers for some years e.g.:

With Windows systems when firmware redirection is coupled with Emergency Management Services, you can manage and monitor a server remotely as soon as the POST process begins and until the operating system components are initialized:

Microsoft Technet- Best practices for selecting and configuring hardware
For older machines, you also can upgrade the server BIOS to newer revisions that provide serial console BIOS redirection

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