White Papers

5 Configuring server boot options on 14th generation Dell EMC PowerEdge servers
1 Introduction
Over the lifetime of a server, evolving uses may necessitate changes in the operating software or the source
of the operating software for server bootstrap. Variances in IT operational processes can also impact the
form of server boot – USB drives, PXE boot of network stored images, UEFI HTTP boot, and SAN boot are a
few of the possible options in addition to booting from server local hard drive storage. Further, to facilitate
maintenance operations and provide assurance of a successful server boot, administrators may have to
provide a sequence of boot options that can be attempted in a particular order.
Because boot sources may vary over time, modern server BIOS must provide administrators with options to
select specific boot sources and the means to order those options as dictated by IT processes.
The BIOS for the 14
th
generation of Dell EMC PowerEdge servers supports a wide range of sources for
bootstrapping operating systems (OSs), hypervisors, diagnostic programs, and other executable programs.
PowerEdge BIOS provides server administrators with manual and programmable methods for discovering,
ordering, and enabling selected boot sources, supporting these options in either legacy BIOS mode or Unified
Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) mode.
This technical white paper describes the boot options of the PowerEdge BIOS and provides illustrated
examples for managing the sources and sequence for boot operations.