Silent BIOS Upgrade?

Microsoft's WMI interface allows this via Dell open manage.

http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/power/ps1q05-20040158-Lathan.pdf

The processis simple:

1.Use the– nopausecommand option when executing theBIOS file for a system BIOS that supports silent installations;for older systems or a BIOS that does not support silent installations, download the updated BIOS from the Dell support Web site (support.dell.com).
2. Convert the unpackaged system BIOS file to a BIOS .hdr file using the write hdr file command option.

For example:Sx270A04.exe –writehdrfile
3. Select the flash function from within the DCCU and browseto the downloaded BIOS file.
4. Create the executable package and distribute it to the target PCs for execution. After delivery, the PCs will automatically reboot and perform the update—preserving the integrityof the BIOS settings—and then automatically remove theupdate package from each PC, leaving behind only a tiny XML results file.

 

 

Using the "-nopause" switch causes a reboot immediately.  Is there a way that I can run the BIOS update silently and suppress the reboot until later in a script?  (Using OpenManage is not an option for us.)

Thanks,

TX Techie

Message Edited by TX Techie on 12-27-2005 02:02 PM

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@TX Techie wrote:

Hi Buffics,

Thank you for your response. I am running this locally from a CD (during a new PC image or re-image). While I would still like to supress the reboot so that the BIOS will get flashed whenever I perform the reboot later in a NT Command Script (.cmd), I have developed around this requirement as a workaround - which meets my needs for now.

Thanks,

TX Techie

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Excellent that you have a workaround. Unfortunately, I'm still looking for a way to do this. Using psexec doesn't work with the package that I created using DCCU.

Although, if I am logged in locally as administrator and then use psexec on the file (which I manually copied over), the computer looks like it does something and reboots itself. Unfortunately the bios stays the same version.

(These tests were done on SX280's where I am the domain admin).

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@Buffics wrote:

Excellent that you have a workaround. Unfortunately, I'm still looking for a way to do this. Using psexec doesn't work with the package that I created using DCCU.

Although, if I am logged in locally as administrator and then use psexec on the file (which I manually copied over), the computer looks like it does something and reboots itself. Unfortunately the bios stays the same version.

(These tests were done on SX280's where I am the domain admin).

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