Use the Easy Restore feature if you do not know the service tag of your system. The Easy Restore feature allows you to restore your system’s service tag, license, UEFI configuration, and the system configuration data after replacing the system board. All data is backed up in a backup flash device automatically. If BIOS detects a new system board and the service tag in the backup flash device, BIOS prompts the user to restore the backup information.
Note: This feature is available for 13th generation servers and later.
Easy Restore Storage is part of the server front panel or the management riser (for blade servers)
2. What information is stored?
System Service Tag All licenses UEFI diagnostics System configuration settings (BIOS, iDRAC, and NIC) OEM ID (Personality Module)
3. How to do a full server profile backup?
Customers can still choose to do the full system backup with iDRAC8 as they do with iDRAC6 and iDRAC7 as this solution will back up and restore the firmware versions in addition to the hardware settings. Easy Restore does not carry the firmware drivers due to size limitations.
4. Restoring the service tag using Easy Restore
1. Turn on the system. If BIOS detects a new system board, and if the service tag is present in the backup flash device, BIOS displays the service tag, the status of the license, and the UEFI Diagnostics version.
Do one of the following:
Press Y to restore the service tag, license, and diagnostics information.
Press N to navigate to the Lifecycle Controller based restore options.
Press <F10> to restore data from a previously created Hardware Server Profile.
After the restore process is complete, BIOS prompts to restore the system configuration data.
Do one of the following:
Press Y to restore the system configuration data.
Press N to use the default configuration settings.
After the restore process is complete, the system reboots.
5. Manually setting the service tag when the Easy Restore does not work
If Easy Restore fails to restore the Service Tag, use the System Setup to manually set the Service Tag. This method works for 13G & 14G PowerEdge servers.
Turn on the system.
Press F2 to enter System Setup.
Click Service Tag Settings.
Enter the Service Tag.
Click Ok.
Warning:
- The Service Tag can only be entered when the Service Tag field is empty.
- After the Service Tag is entered, it cannot be updated or changed. Ensure that you enter the correct Service Tag.
- Incorrect service tag entry requires a system board replacement to input the correct service tag.