HPIA fails to update BIOS for HP Z4 G4 Workstation

[Mugbaz]

HPIA (5.1.5) fails to update BIOS for HP Z4 G4 Workstation (System ID 81C5). My Current BIOS version is 2.78 and HPIA detects and tries to install version 2.82 (sp140090) but fails to install the update.

When checking the log file, it seems that the BIOS it tries to install is wrong: "System family 'P61' does not match family 'P62' in ROM update, Update will be disabled."

Here's the log snippet:

2022/06/08 16:41:55.663|00001C9C|Information|CHPBiosUpdateApp::InitializeProperties|******************************************************************
2022/06/08 16:41:55.664|00001C9C|Information|CHPBiosUpdateApp::InitializeProperties|** Start of HPBIOSUPDREC session, version 1.1.28.1 **
2022/06/08 16:41:55.664|00001C9C|Information|CHPBiosUpdateApp::InitializeProperties|******************************************************************
2022/06/08 16:41:55.665|00001C9C|Information|CHPBiosUpdateApp::InitializeProperties|Command line: -s -r -b -pcurrentbiossetuppwd.bin
2022/06/08 16:41:55.666|00001C9C|Information|CHPBiosUpdateApp::InitializeProperties|DASL PnP ID NOT found
2022/06/08 16:41:55.670|00001C9C|Information|HPBiosUpdate::SmbiosInfo::GetSmbiosInfo|Getting SMBIOS information
2022/06/08 16:41:55.670|00001C9C|Information|HPBiosUpdate::SmbiosInfo::GetSmbiosInfo|Successfully retrieved SMBIOS settings: BIOS Family = P61, version = 02.78
2022/06/08 16:41:55.670|00001C9C|Information|HPBiosUpdate::SmbiosInfo::GetSmbiosInfo|PCID: '', AT-p supported: no, portable: yes
2022/06/08 16:41:55.717|00001C9C|Information|HPBiosUpdate::PrivateWmiInfo::GetPrivateWmiSettings|Successfully retrieved Private WMI settings
2022/06/08 16:41:55.717|00001C9C|Information|HPBiosUpdate::PrivateWmiInfo::GetPrivateWmiSettings|m_isEfiUpdateSupported = 1, m_isEspDriveSupported = 1, m_isEncryptionSupported = 1
2022/06/08 16:41:55.717|00001C9C|Information|HPBiosUpdate::PrivateWmiInfo::GetPrivateWmiSettings|m_isBiosUpdateSet = 0, m_isUefiToolsRequired = 0
2022/06/08 16:41:55.795|00001C9C|Information|HPBiosUpdate::PublicWmiInfo::CheckWmiSettingSetupLogIn|Setup Password is set.
2022/06/08 16:41:59.090|00001C9C|Information|HPBiosUpdate::PublicWmiInfo::CheckWmiSettingCurrentValue|Bios setting = Lock BIOS Version, expected = Enable, actual = Disable
2022/06/08 16:42:00.792|00001C9C|Information|HPBiosUpdate::PublicWmiInfo::GetBiosSettingValue|Setting not found: Update Base Embedded Controller Firmware
2022/06/08 16:42:00.792|00001C9C|Information|HPBiosUpdate::PublicWmiInfo::GetPublicWmiSettings|Successfully retrieved Public WMI settings
2022/06/08 16:42:00.792|00001C9C|Information|HPBiosUpdate::CabFile::FindUpdateFile|Checking filename 'P62_0282'.
2022/06/08 16:42:00.792|00001C9C|Information|HPBiosUpdate::CabFile::ParseUpdateName|Processing image filename 'C:\TEMP\HP Z4 G4 Workstation\sp140090_HPZ4G4CoreXWorkstationSystemBIOS\bin\HPBIOSUPDREC\P62_0282.bin'.
2022/06/08 16:42:00.792|00001C9C|Information|CHPBiosUpdateApp::InitInstance|Update BIOS Family = P62, version = 02.82
2022/06/08 16:42:00.792|00001C9C|Information|CHPBiosUpdateApp::IsBiosUpdateAllowed|System family 'P61' does not match family 'P62' in ROM update, Update will be disabled.
2022/06/08 16:42:00.792|00001C9C|Information|CHPBiosUpdateApp::ExitInstance|HPBIOSUPDREC Return Code = 259
2022/06/08 16:42:00.792|00001C9C|Information|CHPBiosUpdateApp::ExitInstance|****************** End of HPBIOSUPDREC session ******************

So.. yeah. Co-worker encountered a similar situation about a year ago. Manual update from BIOS seems to work though, but we'd rather not go down that road (again).

[MAthb]

just a pointer, but there 2 type of bios for those units,

• HP Z4 Xeon G4 P61 
• HP Z4 Core-X G4 P62 

maybe hpai fail to identify the correct pack

but i just check and since last bios both where offer on Z4 g4 driver page but look now there only the core x version, 

and from your error message SP140090 carry the bios for P61 board and you have a P62 unit 

i extracted sp140090 and look like the bin file are mark for P62 system. maybe something is wrong in the bin enumeration 

doing the update from the bios could be a work around for the moment, did mine last night with no issue on a P62 system 

**'i don't work for HP, this info is provide from experience and pain** 

[Mugbaz]

My systems are Xeon ones (P61) indeed. HPIA doesn't seem to have a logic built in to separate these two models, since they apparently share the same baseboard system ID. 

Doing the update manually from the BIOS does work like I said. The system is now running BIOS version P61 v02.82. The issue is that we have these systems in multiple locations far away from each other. Having tech support travel to each location to do the update manually onsite, since HP's own client management solution fails to do the update is a REALLY bad workaround.

P61 v2.82 exists and is correctly detected and applied when updated manually from BIOS. It includes enhancements to mitigate security vulnerabilities CVE-2022-21166, CVE-2021-21131, and CVE-2021-21136. and "HP strongly recommends promptly transitioning to this updated BIOS version." as mentioned in the CVA. This is why, if baseboard ID is the only way HPIA determines which updates to install, HP needs to fix and/or release a newer version of the softpaq itself to include the system BIOS image to P61 as well. The logic of detecting whether it is a P61 or a P62 system is easily implemented in the installer.