PowerFlex 4.6: Unable to add existing RG when node is in BIOS mode VXFM0004

Unable to add an existing Resource Group (RG). Add Existing Resource Group results in generic error, VXFM0004 which means logs should be looked into further:

The operation cannot be performed because of an internal issue (VXFM0004)

asmui logs show the following error:

2025-01-07 02:03:45 [https-jsse-nio-9030-exec-1] (RestTemplateResponseErrorHandler.java:52) [ERROR] REST Error: {
  "detailMessage" : "[com.dell.asm.i18n2.AsmDetailedMessage@2fbb3c2b[\n  id=<null>\n  messageCode=VXFM0004\n  messageBundle=AsmManagerMessages\n  severity=ERROR\n  category=USER_FACING\n  displayMessage=The operation cannot be performed because of an internal issue

asmmanager shows one or more nodes without FQDN, that are part of the resource group trying to be added as 'imageId: null':

2025-01-08T02:42:01.484517696-06:00 stdout F 2025-01-08 08:42:01,484 [https-jsse-nio-9080-exec-9] (ServiceTemplateUtil.java:1565) [DEBUG] processServerRepos() ServiceTemplateComponentType{ SERVER } name mnoytgnvs2.corp.riotinto.org subtype HYPERVISOR imageType: vmware_esxi imageId: ESXi7.0.3p
..
2025-01-08T02:42:50.236259935-06:00 stdout F 2025-01-08 08:42:50,236 [https-jsse-nio-9080-exec-6] (ServiceTemplateUtil.java:1565) [DEBUG] processServerRepos() ServiceTemplateComponentType{ SERVER } name mnoytgnvs2 subtype null imageType: null imageId: null

BootMode is set to BIOS on one or more nodes but should be set to UEFI.
Example of BIOS attribute:

"AttributeName": "OneTimeHddSeqDev",
            "CurrentValue": "AHCI.Slot.1-1",
            "DisplayName": "BIOS Hard-Disk Drive Sequence Device",
            "DisplayOrder": 6302,
            "HelpText": "This field determines the one-time boot hard disk when the One-Time Boot Device List is set to BIOS Hard-Disk Drive Sequence Device. If Boot Mode is set to UEFI, the system temporarily switches the Boot Mode to BIOS when attempting a one-time boot to the device.",

BIOS is not a supported mode so we cannot create an RG from such nodes.

In versions prior to 4.6.x, adding an existing Resource Group with nodes in BIOS mode caused the Resource Group to enter Lifecycle mode.

Option 1: Reprovision Node over PowerFlex Manager (Recommended)

Refer to the admin guide for steps 1 & 3 - Managing components with PowerFlex Manager

1. 'Remove a PowerFlex node' from Resource Group/Service

2. Change Boot Mode to UEFI

   1. Enter BIOS/firmware setup during boot (typically by pressing F2 or DEL).
   2. Browse to Boot Settings and change the boot mode to UEFI.
   3. Save changes and exit.

3. 'Perform PowerFlex node expansion' from Resource Group/Service

Option 2: Manual Procedure for Compute/ESXi Nodes

1. Put Node in Maintenance Mode

   • Use PowerFlex Manager or vCenter to place the host in Maintenance Mode.

2. Change Boot Mode to UEFI

   1. Enter BIOS/firmware setup during boot (typically by pressing F2 or DEL).
   2. Browse to Boot Settings and change the boot mode to UEFI.
   3. Save changes and exit.

3. Attempt Boot of Existing ESXi Installation

   • If the system boots, run:

     esxcli hardware platform get | grep -i firmware

   • If the output shows Firmware Type: EFI, the node is UEFI-booted.
   • If Firmware Type: BIOS or boot fails, proceed with reinstall (Option 1).

4. Exit Maintenance Mode

Impacted Versions
PFMP 4.6

Fixed In Version
PFMP 4.8