IBM IntelliStation M Pro 6218, Problem Determination And Service Manual

Page: 141 / 168

Chapter 5. Configuration information and instructions
This chapter provides information about updating the firmware and using the
configuration utilities.
Detailed information about configuring the computer is in the User’s Guide on the
IBM IntelliStation Documentation CD.
The latest information on these programs and the most recent device-driver files are
available at http://www.ibm.com/support/.
Updating the firmware
The firmware for the computer is periodically updated and is available for download
on the Web. Go to http://www.ibm.com/support/ to get the latest level of firmware,
such as BIOS code, vital product data (VPD) code, and device drivers.
When replacing devices in the computer, you might have to either update the
computer with the latest version of the firmware stored on the system board or
restore the pre-existing firmware from a diskette or CD image. The firmware code is
stored as follows:
v BIOS code is stored in ROM on the system board.
v
Ethernet firmware is stored in ROM on the Ethernet controller on the system
board.
v
Major components contain VPD code. You can select to update the VPD code
during the BIOS code update procedure.
Configuring the computer
The following configuration programs are available to configure the computer:
v
Configuration/Setup Utility program
The Configuration/Setup Utility program is part of the basic input/output system
(BIOS) code in the computer. You can use this program to configure serial port
assignments, change interrupt request (IRQ) settings, change the drive startup
sequence, set the date and time, set passwords, and set the chassis-intrusion
detector. For more information about using this utility program, see “Starting the
Configuration/Setup Utility program” on page 126.
v
Boot Menu program
The Boot Menu program is part of the BIOS code in the computer. Use it to
temporarily assign a device to be first in the startup sequence, overriding the
startup sequence that is set in the Configuration/Setup Utility program. For
information about how to start the Boot Menu, see “Using the Boot Menu
program” on page 127.
v Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet Boot Agent
The Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet Boot Agent is part of the BIOS code
in the computer. You can use it to configure the network as a startable device,
and you can customize where the network startup option appears in the startup
sequence. You enable and disable the Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet
Boot Agent from the Configuration/Setup Utility program. For information, see
“Enabling the Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet Boot Agent” on page 127.
© Copyright IBM Corp. 2005
125