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I'm having trouble getting into BIOs Setup from Supermicro IPMI "KVM" - Remote Control Console Redirection. I need to change the boot order to CDROM first. I'm running Windows 2008 server.

After some Googling, it says here that the method is to:

Press TAB to enter Setup screen. Press Esc twice to take effect.

http://www.supermicro.com/support/faqs/faq.cfm?faq=6222

A month ago, I tried that 30-40 times + DEL, over 2 hours, it worked. Now, I've been trying the same key combination for more than an hour, rebooting each time it failed, it still doesn't work.

Note: I've only got a notebook computer, no extra monitor.

natacado: How are you accessing the remote console? Are you using the graphical KVM-over-IP support, or just the simpler serial-over-LAN?

Reply: I'm using the web based KVM "Console Redirection", see screen capture below. Note, I've also tried SOL but the console is blank all the time.

http://postimage.org/image/56ayvd7wn/

natacado: Some things vary based on the motherboard you're using, but I'll assume you have a reasonably-recent (last 3 years or so) SuperMicro server.

Reply: I'm using 5015A-EHF-D525 - Click here to access product link

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I see you are asking about this with windows I dont have a lot of experience with that side of things. however you can change the boot order for next reboot with ipmitool and skip the bios all together. 'ipmitool chassis bootdev cdrom' or 'ipmitool chassis bootdev bios'

hopefully ipmitool is available for your platform

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  • yes, ipmitool is available, I hope to use it as a last resort.
    – Joshua Lim
    Nov 28, 2012 at 9:49
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I've managed to get it worked although I still don't know exactly what was causing the problem.

It appears that iKVM may not work well on all client machines, hangs sometimes or refreshes too infrequently. I was told by the Supermicro technician that my IPS is too low. Not sure if it is due to Java version or network problem.

According to the technician, the correct method is to press DEL repeatedly until you see BIOs setup.

The first couple of days I tried, it was not possible to enter BIOS from iKVM using the above method (I didn't even see the BIOs screen - it went from black blank screen to Windows login screen). The weird thing was that the Supermicro technicians was able to do the same on my same server from his PC.

Then I tried to attach a portable USB keyboard to the physical server and press DEL repeatedly until it enters BIOS. This worked, but I won't call this a solution as I need to access it remotely from my laptop, but it is a last resort.

The next day, I tried again, this time it worked from iKVM - I could enter BIOs from my laptop by repeatedly pressing DEL - I wasn't able to do that the previous day! I don't know what happened. Perhaps there was changes to my Windows or Java?

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How are you accessing the remote console? Are you using the graphical KVM-over-IP support, or just the simpler serial-over-LAN? Some things vary based on the motherboard you're using, but I'll assume you have a reasonably-recent (last 3 years or so) SuperMicro server.

If you're using the graphical KVM, the most reliable way I've found is to use the on-screen soft keyboard to send the key codes just like you're sitting at the console. If you're using the serial-over-LAN, you there are specific key combinations to send function keypresses. Press escape followed by the number 1 through 0 translates into F1 through F10; escape followed by shift-1 (!) or shift-2 (@) sends F11 and F12, respectively.

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There is IPMIView application for Android OS. Start IPMIView and connect to your machine. Then in IPMIView go to Raw Command menu and enter following command: 00 08 05 80 18 00 00 00 It's a command to enter BIOS setup menu directly on next boot without pressing DEL. Then still in IPMIView go to menu IPM Device and press Reset. Your machine should reboot to BIOS setup menu.

I have tested it on Supermicro X7SPA/D525 board.

More about the raw commands here: https://computercheese.blogspot.cz/2013/04/ipmi-chassis-device-commands.html

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