PowerFlex: OS Conversion is Not Allowed with Nodes in Boot Mode in BIOS Mode

• PowerFlex OS Conversion is not allowed with nodes in BIOS mode, and these must be changed to UEFI.
• Consult the OS vendor before changing BIOS to UEFI (one node at a time).

In a Linux OS, refer to the article Recommended BIOS Settings for your Linux System

Changing BIOS to UEFI has not been tested on Linux Storage Only (SO) nodes (no issues are seen with ESXi).

• SO nodes running SLES or CentOS should not be modified as it can cause the node to fail to boot.
• If a Boot Mode on a SO node running CentOS is changed from BIOS to UEFI, the node does not boot due to no GPT partition on CentOS. Switching back to BIOS enables the node to boot.

Therefore, use Option #1 to completely remove SO node from Resource Group/Service and PowerFlex Manager.

Option 1: Reprovision Node over PowerFlex Manager (Recommended)

Use this option for SLES/CentOS SO nodes (can also be used for HCI/CO ESXi nodes)

Refer to the admin guide for steps 1 and 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

If this is an HCI node, the sds or svm should be placed in Maintenance Mode first.

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