Z8G4 MPM Questions

[CFDMax]

Thanks All, this is getting me very close...  However, my understanding is that once you lock MPM, you cannot unlock it (without the true factory tools, or BIOS-hacker programs...).  Therefore, I'd like to try to find out if I need to add data for the serial number, build ID, and feature code fields, or if I could just lock it without them (and have a permanently working machine, of course).

If I do need to add these fields before locking MPM, is it all of them?  Or only the serial number, etc...  Especially the feature code, I have no interest in getting an HP-paid license for either Windows or RHEL.

I'm going to keep looking and see if I can find out anything else.  In the meantime, I'll leave it running 24/7 on a UPS 😉

[DGroves]

mfgr mode only asks for about six things as i recall and only the UUID and feature byte string become locked once entered, and in almost all cases the UUID string is already filled in and only the feature byte string needs to be entered

and if necessary this could be taken from another HP label using the same model motherboard

[SDH]

I'm sure DGroves has done this process more than I have. There are some good added details from the forum HERE ...

[CFDMax · Accepted solution]

Thanks again SDH; yup, I had seen that post also...

Well, I think I can close this out.  So here's what I did:

- Downloaded and installed the linux hp-flash archive, which contained both the kernel module (source code, had to be compiled), and the flash utilities.  Followed instructions (RTFM), worked fine...  There is a Windoze version of this also...

- Went into the BIOS; used Ctrl-A to edit fields, and entered available or concocted data for the system IDs.

- Went back to Linux and pulled the BIOS data to a text file using the hp-repsetup -g command.  Note that I did this before modifying the BIOS fields, and the "MPM Ready To Lock" parameter was set to "Not Ready".  After entering the data, it was set to "Ready To Lock".

- Edited the same text file and changed the "Manufacturing Programming Mode" to "Lock"; you do this by putting an asterisk in front of the appropriate selection.

- Used hp-repsetup -s <filename> to write to BIOS.  The output listed all the fields that it could not edit (protected); MPM Lock mode wasn't one of them.  However, a new pull hp-rpsetup showed MPM still unlocked.

- Rebooted; apparently, how it did this was it reset the countdown counter to 1; it automatically rebooted again, came up with a low-res boot screen with no countdown timer; however, it still gives the warning that the machine is not completely configured, contact HP service...  Another boot gave the same warning, no countdown counter, normal boot screen resolution (high), and normal boot...

So, I can live with that, although I wonder if it would have done this on it's own and just locked MPM with no System ID data and kept working; I got a reply from the folks who I bought it from, and they said it would keep working, but I wasn't sure I could trust that ;-).  If it would have failed, my two backups were finding the SCM.bin files and trying to slam the BIOS using the factory method (BIOS blogs talk about this); or, I could have bought a new pre-programmed chip on Ebay and got out the heat gun...  So it's like the light in the fridge, I guess we'll never know 😉

I must admit though that the final result is worth it; this is an amazing machine for what I have into it (about $800 with two 8160 Xeons, 128GB of ram, and an RTX 2060 video card); I'm developing computational fluids software on it, and need the high core count (MPI runs) and memory capacity (I'll end up having over 512GB).  When running as a desktop, even transcoding video, it's completely silent and lightning fast...

Thanks!