Frequently Asked Questions
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Q: When should I use the rolling BIOS functionality?

A: The 9415/9515 platforms support a function called rolling BIOS. There are two firmware chips known as banks located on the motherboard of the server. One bank is used to boot the server, the other bank is used as a backup should the BIOS become corrupted. The banks can change roles; i.e., the lower bank can be primary while the upper bank is backup and vice-versa.

When a BIOS is flashed on the server, unless both banks are flashed, the backup bank is upgraded to the newer firmware. When the system is rebooted, the backup bank becomes the primary, attempting to boot off of the new firmware. If the server is unable to boot from the new firmware, the server switches back to the other bank containing the older firmware version to allow the server to function.

Typically there is no need to specify what bank to boot from. However on occasion it may be required. Jumper J1A4, by default is on pins 1 and 2, meaning the server will operate as previously described. Moving the jumper to pins 2 and 3 forces the server to use the lower bank.