CATEGORY: PRIMERGY | VERSION: 1.

0 | CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED
DATE: APRIL 04, 2019 | PAGES: 10

SERVICE FACTS
BOOT DEVICE NOT FOUND IN UEFI MODE

Affected Product(s): PRIMERGY Servers

Affected Operating System(s): N/A
Affected Version(s): UEFI Mode
Attachment(s): N/A
Reference: N/A
Document History: N/A
Related Support Bulletin(s): N/A

PROBLEM / QUESTION

There are numerous reasons why a server might not be able to boot the operating system. With the introduction of
the default boot method “UEFI Mode” the handling of boot devices has confused administrators. Two of many
inquiries that were made were the following:

 “When switching on the server it does not boot the operating system. Instead, it enters the BIOS setup
utility automatically. But in menu “Boot” / “Boot Option Priorities” there’s no boot device available.”

page 1 of 10 Uncontrolled if Printed Copyright © Fujitsu 2018

  “The server does not boot the operating system and there’s no boot device available in the boot selection
menu (after pressing the F12 key during BIOS POST).”

This document should help to understand the logic of UEFI boot mode, correct the above issues and prevent
unnecessary confusion.

REASON / CAUSE

Please note the following for servers with UEFI boot mode:

1. The UEFI boot process does not only check if a device is available and immediately displays it as a bootable
device. Instead, it will also check if there is a boot loader available on that device and if it can be used for
booting in UEFI boot mode. Only then the server will display and boot from that device, e.g. after switching
it on.

2. If no valid boot device (with UEFI boot loader) can be found, the server will start the UEFI setup utility
automatically after switching on or rebooting the server. There will be no error message.

3. When pressing the F12 key during the UEFI POST the boot device selection menu will be displayed. The list
of displayed boot devices depends on the available devices with an appropriate – UEFI – boot loader.

The boot device menu without any device that The boot device menu of the same server, but
contains a valid UEFI boot loader (e.g. if no this time with a valid UEFI boot loader of an
operating system has been installed, yet). installed Microsoft Windows operating system.

page 2 of 10 Uncontrolled if Printed Copyright © Fujitsu 2019

 4. The UEFI setup utility offers the possibility to change the boot option priorities of all detected devices with
a valid UEFI boot loader or PXE enabled devices in the menu section Boot:

If no boot option is displayed here, please check

 if the UEFI network stack is enabled (for enabling LAN PXE boot),
 if the respective SATA configuration mode is enabled correctly (e.g. for M.2 devices),
 if the option ROM (OpROM) of the controller’s PCIe slot is enabled,
 if an operating system is installed on the respective device.

page 3 of 10 Uncontrolled if Printed Copyright © Fujitsu 2019

 5. The UEFI setup utility shows a list of installed controllers in the lower half of the menu section Advanced:

The following few examples show the most common devices for booting an installed operating system in
UEFI boot mode:

 Onboard RAID Devices:

Disks that are attached to the onboard RAID controller (e.g. “LSI Embedded MegaRAID”) can be
viewed and configured here.

 RAID Controller Devices:

Disks that are attached to a PCIe RAID controller, like e.g. PRAID EP540i, can be viewed and
configured here.

Note:
The RAID controller generation PRAID EP5x0i can only be configured within the UEFI setup utility!
The legacy BIOS method by entering the RAID controller’s configuration utility during the BIOS POST
phase is no longer supported!

page 4 of 10 Uncontrolled if Printed Copyright © Fujitsu 2019

  M.2 Devices:

With two M.2 devices in the server it is possible to configure a RAID disk using this setup option if
the “SATA Mode” in the UEFI setup is set to “ [RAID Mode]”. If set to “[AHCI Mode]” the M.2 devices
are visible as independent disks in the “ SATA Configuration” section of the “Advanced” menu.

The “Boot Option Priorities ” section with an The same Microsoft Windows operating system
M.2 device configured in “AHCI Mode” with installed on two M.2 devices that are
installed Microsoft Windows operating system. configured in “RAID Mode”.

 SATADOM Devices:

Similar to M.2 devices, a SATADOM is not displayed in the lower part of the “ Advanced” menu.

page 5 of 10 Uncontrolled if Printed Copyright © Fujitsu 2019

 It will be listed in the “SATA Configuration ” section, like in this example taken from a PRIMERGY
CX2550 M2 server node. And of course it will only be displayed in the “ Boot Option Priorities”
section if a valid UEFI boot loader has been detected:

 OCuLink Devices (OCuLink = Optical Copper Link):

PCIe SSDs that are attached to the mainboard via an OCuLink cable and controlled by the CPU show
up as individual devices in the “Advanced” menu section of the UEFI setup utility:

As with all other devices, these only show up as boot device in the “Boot Option Priorities” list if a
valid UEFI boot loader is installed.

6. Operating systems that were installed on a device in UEFI boot mode (“ CSM” = “Disabled”) will not be able
to boot if the boot mode is changed to legacy BIOS mode (“ CSM” = “Enabled”) and vice versa. So prior to
changes in the UEFI / BIOS setup utility or exchange of the mainboard, please check which boot mode was
used to boot the operating system!

page 6 of 10 Uncontrolled if Printed Copyright © Fujitsu 2019

 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

1. CSM (= Compatibility Support Module)

The evolution from BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) to UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) was
accompanied by changing the general handling of boot devices. Beginning with the PRIMERGY M4
generation, the UEFI boot mode has been introduced as the default boot mode. However, the boot mode
can be changed in the BIOS setup utility. The option can be found in menu “Advanced” / “CSM
Configuration”:

Please be aware that changing this setting will require a reboot for the changes to take effect. After t hat,
the new options of the selected mode will be active and available.

 Launch CSM – [Disabled]:

The server is operated in the UEFI mode. This is the default mode beginning with the PRIMERGY
servers of the M4 generation.
Note:
The configuration tools of RAID, LAN and other controllers are only available in the “Advanced”
section of the UEFI setup utility.

 Launch CSM – [Enabled]:

The server is operated in the legacy BIOS mode.

Note:
The configuration tools of RAID, LAN and other controllers must be started during the BIOS POST
phase by pressing a pre-defined combination of keys depending on the respective controller. These
configuration utilities are only available if the OpROM of the respective controller was enabled in
the BIOS setup utility beforehand.
The latest RAID controller generations (like e.g. PRAID EP5x0i) can only be configured in UEFI boot
mode! Configuration in legacy BIOS mode is no longer supported!

Future prospects:
 The recently released PRIMERGY M4 generation of mono CPU servers no longer offers the CSM
configuration in the UEFI setup utility. Therefore, it will only be possible to operate these servers in
the UEFI boot mode!

page 7 of 10 Uncontrolled if Printed Copyright © Fujitsu 2019

  For the upcoming PRIMERGY M5 generation of dual CPU servers (release planned in the second
quarter 2019) it is planned to continue offering the CMS configuration possibility. So these servers
will still have both – UEFI and legacy BIOS – modes.

2. RAID Controller Configuration

The configuration of RAID controllers differs between UEFI mode and legacy BIOS mode. Please be aware of
the differences:

a. UEFI Mode

Use the RAID Configuration Utility that is available in the “ Advanced” section of the UEFI setup
utility:

Use the “Actions” section for the quick selection of configuration tasks or the “ Main Menu” section
for all available actions:

page 8 of 10 Uncontrolled if Printed Copyright © Fujitsu 2019

 b. Legacy BIOS Mode

The RAID configuration utility can be started during the BIOS POST phase by pressing a pre-defined
combination of keys depending on the respective controller (e.g. “ <Ctrl><R>” for PRAID EP420i):

The RAID controller BIOS Configuration Utility looks completely different from the RAID
configuration utility in the UEFI setup utility. The layout and handling of these utilities may also
differ depending on the RAID controller. The following picture shows the utility of PRAID EP420i:

3. Recommendation

For some operating systems, like e.g. Microsoft Windows Server 2016 and 2019, a UEFI based system and
firmware is necessary for some implemented certain features and for booting the operating system from
the now common disks with bigger size.

With the introduction of the UEFI mode as default mode since the PRIMERGY M4 server generation, Fujitsu
strongly recommends using this default mode for productive environments!

page 9 of 10 Uncontrolled if Printed Copyright © Fujitsu 2019

Document Status: Valid Next Review Date: On request Content Authorizer: Global Technical Support
Retention Period: Retention period is unlimited

PUBLISHED BY DEPARTMENT PARTNER LOGIN All rights reserved, including intellectual property rights.
Technical data subject to modifications and delivery subject to
Fujitsu EMEIA partners.ts.fujitsu.com availability. Any liability that the data and illustrations are
complete, actual or correct is excluded. Designations may be
Global Technical Support trademarks and/or copyrights of the respective manufacturer, the
E-mail: [email protected] use of which by third parties for their own purposes may infringe
Internet: https://ts.fujitsu.com/support the rights of such owner. For further information see
ts.fujitsu.com/terms_of_use.html

page 10 of 10 Uncontrolled if Printed Copyright © Fujitsu 2019