Avamar: Gen4T and Gen4S Hardware: How to disable "boot from USB"

Summary: This article provides the steps to disable "boot from USB" option inside the BIOS for Avamar Gen4S and Gen4T Hardware.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
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Instructions

The Avamar Product Security Guide provides the following guidelines about the "Boot from USB" option: 

Disable boot from USB and boot from CD/DVD in the BIOS settings of the Avamar system computers to prevent starting the computers from remote media. Do not put the USB interface in the boot path.

 

The BIOS settings can be modified to prevent USB devices from appearing in the boot option menu.

Note: Many of these steps require physical access to nodes. It is recommended that a Service Request be created to request an engineer be onsite to perform them.
 
 

Perform these steps:

1. Take a checkpoint, and verify that there is a recent checkpoint validation (hfscheck).

2. Shut down the Avamar services using Avamar: How to to Safely Shut Down and Restart

3. After the services are stopped, reboot each node one at a time and perform the following steps on each:

For Avamar Data Store Gen4T:            
    • During Boot, Press <F2> or <Del> to enter BIOS setup.
    • Navigate to Advanced -> USB Configuration
    • Set "USB Mass Storage Drive" to Disabled (This disables USB Mass Storage Driver Support so that no USB drives appear as a boot option)
    • Save and exit
 
For Avamar Data Store Gen4S:
    • During Boot, Press <F2> or <Del> to enter BIOS setup.
    • Navigate to Advanced -> USB Configuration
    • Set "Make USB Devices Non-Bootable" to Enabled
    • Press <F10> to save changes and reset
 

4. Once all nodes are back online, restart the Avamar Services. (Avamar: How to to Safely Shut Down and Restart)

Additional Information

Dell Avamar Product Security Guides:

Affected Products

Avamar

Products

Avamar, Avamar Data Store, Avamar Data Store Gen4S, Avamar Data Store Gen4T
Article Properties
Article Number: 000023708
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 22 Aug 2025
Version:  6
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