BCU to Enable VTx and VTd

kendlp · ‎01-26-2015

So I have been trying to enable Virtualization using the BIOS Configuration Utility on a series of Z210, Z220 and Z230 workstations. So far I have not had much success with enabling these entries, but for whatever reason it appears you can disable them using the BCU.

The specific entries that I am trying to enable are:

Virtualization Technology (VTx)
Virtualization Technology Directed I/O (VTd)
Intel TXT(LT) Support

I am using BCU version 3.2.3.1 and a password configuration file created using HPQ Password Utility 1.1.12.1.

Systems are running a Windows 7 x64 personalized image (Tried on an HP stock image without success)

The command I am running is:

BiosConfigUtility64.exe /Advanced /SET:"Z230_BIOS_V.txt" /CurSetupPasswordFile:"Z230BIOSPW.bin"

Bios configuration file contains the following:

English
;
;     Settings file originally created by BIOS Config Utility
;     Version:3.2.3.1
;     Date:2015.01.26
;
Virtualization Technology (VTx)
	Disable
	*Enable
Virtualization Technology Directed I/O (VTd)
	Disable
	*Enable
Intel TXT(LT) Support
	Disable
	*Enable

I get the following information upon running the command (in this case showing that only one of the values needed updating):

<BIOSCONFIG Version="3.2.3.1" Computername="NameRemoved" Date="2015/01/26" Time="12:12:52" UTC="-6" >
<SETTING changeStatus="pass" name="Virtualization Technology (VTx)" reason="" returnCode="0">
	<OLDVALUE><![CDATA[Disable]]></OLDVALUE>
	<NEWVALUE><![CDATA[Enable]]></NEWVALUE>
</SETTING>
<SUCCESS msg="Successfully set BIOS configuration." />
<Information msg="BCU return value" real="0" translated="0" />
</BIOSCONFIG>

I then shutdown the computer and wait ~30 seconds before turning it back on. When I then export the configuration using the BCU, I get the following showing that the values have not been updated.

English
;
;     Settings file originally created by BIOS Config Utility
;     Version:3.2.3.1
;     Date:2015.01.26
;
Product Name
	HP Z230 Tower Workstation
Manufacturer
	Hewlett-Packard
ME Firmware Version
	Disabled
Setup Language
	*English
	Danish
	Finnish
	French
	German
	Italian
	Japanese
	Dutch
	Norwegian
	Portuguese
	Swedish
	Spanish
eSATA Port
	Disable
	*Enable
Max eSATA Speed
	*3.0 Gbps
	1.5 Gbps
SATA Emulation
	IDE
	*RAID
	AHCI
Removable Media Boot
	Disable
	*Enable
	Disable USB
Hard Drive Boot Order
	*No Change
	SATA
	USB
EFI Boot Order
	USB Hard Drive
	USB Floppy/CD
	ATAPI CD-ROM Drive
	Network Controller IPv4
	Network Controller IPv6
	Other
Legacy Boot Order
	ATAPI CD-ROM Drive
	USB Floppy/CD
	Hard Drive
	Network Controller
	PnP Device #1
	PnP Device #2
	PnP Device #3
	PnP Device #4
	PnP Device #5
	PnP Device #6
	PnP Device #7
	PnP Device #8
	PnP Device #9
	PnP Device #10
	PnP Device #11
Legacy HDD Order
	USB Hard Drive
	AHCI HDD1
Lock Legacy Resources
	*Disable
	Enable
Network Server Mode
	*Disable
	Enable
Setup Browse Mode
	Disable
	*Enable
Password prompt on F9
	*Enable
	Disable
Password prompt on F11
	*Enable
	Disable
Password prompt on F12
	*Enable
	Disable
Stringent Password
	*Disable
	Enable
Cover Lock
	*Unlock
	Lock
Cover Removal Sensor
	*Disable
	Notify User
	Setup Password
Front USB Ports
	Enable
	*Disable
Front USB3 Port 1
	Disable
	*Enable
Front USB3 Port 2
	Disable
	*Enable
Front USB Port 3
	Disable
	*Enable
Front USB Port 4
	Disable
	*Enable
Rear USB Ports
	*Enable
	Disable
Rear USB3 Port 1
	Disable
	*Enable
Rear USB3 Port 2
	Disable
	*Enable
Rear USB Port 3
	Disable
	*Enable
Rear USB Port 4
	*Disable
	Enable
Rear USB Port 5
	*Disable
	Enable
Rear USB Port 6
	*Disable
	Enable
Internal USB Ports
	Enable
	*Disable
Accessory USB Port 1
	*Disable
	Enable
Accessory USB Port 2
	*Disable
	Enable
Accessory USB Port 3
	*Disable
	Enable
Accessory USB Port 4
	*Disable
	Enable
Slot 1 - PCI Express x4
	Disable
	*Enable
Slot 2 - PCI Express x16
	Disable
	*Enable
Slot 3 - PCI Express x1
	Disable
	*Enable
Slot 4 - PCI Express x16
	Disable
	*Enable
Slot 5 - PCI
	Disable
	*Enable
System Audio
	Device hidden
	*Device available
Network Controller
	Device hidden
	*Device available
Embedded Security Device
	*Device hidden
	Device available
SATA0
	Device hidden
	*Device available
SATA1
	Device hidden
	*Device available
SATA2
	Device hidden
	*Device available
SATA3
	Device hidden
	*Device available
SATA5
	Device hidden
	*Device available
Network Service Boot
	Disable
	*Enable
Enter Ownership Tag
	Buisness Name
Data Execution Prevention
	Disable
	*Enable
Virtualization Technology (VTx)
	*Disable
	Enable
Virtualization Technology Directed I/O (VTd)
	Disable
	*Enable
Intel TXT(LT) Support
	Disable
	*Enable
Activate Embedded Security On Next Boot
	*Disable
	Enable
Embedded Security Activation Policy
	F1 to Boot
	*Allow user to reject
	No prompts
OS management of Embedded Security Device
	Enable
	*Disable
Reset of Embedded Security Device through OS
	*Disable
	Enable
Master Boot Record Security
	*Disable
	Enable
Tpm PPI policy changed by OS allowed
	*Disable
	Enable
Tpm measure boot variables/devices to PCR1
	*Disable
	Enable
Tpm No PPI provisioning
	*Disable
	Enable
Tpm No PPI maintenance
	*Disable
	Enable
Legacy Support
	Disable
	*Enable
Secure Boot
	*Disable
	Enable
Clear Secure Boot Keys
	*Don't Clear
	Clear
Key Ownership
	*HP Keys
	Custom Keys
Fast Boot
	*Disable
	Enable
Runtime Power Management
	*Disable
	Enable
Idle Power Savings
	*Normal
	Extended
ACPI S3 PS2 Mouse Wake Up
	*Disable
	Enable
Unique Sleep State Blink Rates
	*Disable
	Enable
S5 Maximum Power Savings
	*Disable
	Enable
SATA Power Management
	*Disable
	Enable
Fan Idle Mode
	*------
	+-----
	++----
	+++---
	++++--
	+++++-
	++++++
POST Messages
	Enable
	*Disable
Press ESC for Startup Menu Prompt
	*Enable
	Disable
Factory Recovery Boot Support
	Disable
	*Enable
Option ROM Prompt
	*Enable
	Disable
Remote Wakeup Boot Source
	Remote Server
	*Local Hard Drive
After Power Loss
	*Off
	On
	Previous State
POST Delay (in seconds)
	*None
	5
	10
	15
	20
	30
	40
	50
	60
POST Memory Manager Runtime Allocation
	Disable
	*Enable
Bypass F1 Prompt on Configuration Changes
	*Disable
	Enable
Sunday
	*Disable
	Enable
Monday
	*Disable
	Enable
Tuesday
	*Disable
	Enable
Wednesday
	*Disable
	Enable
Thursday
	*Disable
	Enable
Friday
	*Disable
	Enable
Saturday
	*Disable
	Enable
BIOS Power-On Time (hh:mm)
	00:00
PCI SERR# Generation
	Disable
	*Enable
PCI VGA Palette Snooping
	*Disable
	Enable
PCI Latency Timer
	32 PCI Clocks
	64 PCI Clocks
	96 PCI Clocks
	*128 PCI Clocks
	160 PCI Clocks
	192 PCI Clocks
	224 PCI Clocks
	248 PCI Clocks
Turbo Mode
	*Disable
	Enable
Num Lock State at Power-On
	Off
	*On
S5 Wake on LAN
	*Enable
	Disable
Integrated Video
	*Disable
	Enable
IGD Memory
	32M
	*64M
	128M
	256M
	512M
	1024M
Internal Speaker
	Disable
	*Enable
USB EHCI Port Debug
	*Disable
	Enable
Multi-Processor
	*Enable
	Disable
Slot 1 Option ROM Download
	Disable
	*Enable
Slot 2 Option ROM Download
	Disable
	*Enable
Slot 3 Option ROM Download
	Disable
	*Enable
Slot 4 Option ROM Download
	Disable
	*Enable
Slot 5 Option ROM Download
	Disable
	*Enable
VGA Configuration
	*Slot 2: Nvidia VGA
Manufacturing Programming Mode
	Unlock
	*Lock
Serial Port A
	*Disabled
	IO=3F8; IRQ=4
	IO=3F8; IRQ=3
	IO=2F8; IRQ=4
	IO=2F8; IRQ=3
	IO=3E8; IRQ=4
	IO=3E8; IRQ=3
	IO=2E8; IRQ=4
	IO=2E8; IRQ=3
	IO=3F8; IRQ=6
	IO=3F8; IRQ=5
	IO=2F8; IRQ=6
	IO=2F8; IRQ=5
	IO=3E8; IRQ=6
	IO=3E8; IRQ=5
	IO=2E8; IRQ=6
	IO=2E8; IRQ=5
Serial Port B
	*Disabled
	IO=3F8; IRQ=4
	IO=3F8; IRQ=3
	IO=2F8; IRQ=4
	IO=2F8; IRQ=3
	IO=3E8; IRQ=4
	IO=3E8; IRQ=3
	IO=2E8; IRQ=4
	IO=2E8; IRQ=3
	IO=3F8; IRQ=6
	IO=3F8; IRQ=5
	IO=2F8; IRQ=6
	IO=2F8; IRQ=5
	IO=3E8; IRQ=6
	IO=3E8; IRQ=5
	IO=2E8; IRQ=6
	IO=2E8; IRQ=5
Parallel Port\Onboard Devices
	*Disable
	IO=378; IRQ=7; DMA=1
	IO=378; IRQ=7; DMA=3
	IO=278; IRQ=7; DMA=1
	IO=278; IRQ=7; DMA=3
Printer Mode
	Bi-Directional
	*EPP+ECP
	Output-Only
AMT
	Enable
	*Disable
Unconfigure AMT/ME
	*Disable
	Enable
Bypass Unconfigure AMT/ME Prompt
	*Disable
	Enable
WatchDog Timer
	Disable
	*Enable
OS WatchDog Timer
	5
BIOS WatchDog Timer
	5
PXE Option ROMs
	Do Not Launch
	UEFI Only
	*Legacy Only
Storage Option ROMs
	Do Not Launch
	UEFI Only
	*Legacy Only
Video Option ROMs
	UEFI Only
	*Legacy Only
Default Setup
	*Leave Defaults As Is (No Update)
	Save Current Settings as Default
	Restore Factory Settings as Default
Apply Defaults and Exit
	*Do Not Apply
	Apply
Connected BIOS
	*Disable
	Enable
Use Proxy
	*Disable
	Enable
Proxy Address
	
Update BIOS via Network
	*Disable
	Enable
Update Source
	Custom
	*HP
Update Address
	
Automatic BIOS Update Setting
	*Disable
	Install all updates automatically
	Install only important updates automatically
	Let user decide whether to install updates
Automatically Check for Updates
	Daily
	Weekly
	Monthly
Force Check on Reboot
	*Disable
	Enable

Anyone have any ideas or experience with this?

richard429 · ‎01-26-2015

If you set these values using F10 setup, save and reboot - does BIOS save them after a reboot ?

Based upon the results you posted, BIOS reported to BCU the values were set successfully.

I know from discussions with the development team, BCU simply reports what BIOS told BCU.

Can you set/change other BIOS values with BCU that are saved after reboot?

I have not worked with the VTx/VTd settings before so I wonder if there are other pre-requisites.

example - TPM requires a BIOS password be set, but it appears you already have that so I can only suggest trying the items above.

Perhaps there is someone else that has experience with VTx/VTd specifically that will see your post.

Thanks,

Richard

I work for HP but am not a company spokesperson. Participation in the community forums is voluntary.

kendlp · ‎01-27-2015

Richard thanks for your reply.

Yes, the values for the VTx and VTd entries can be updated and saved by entering the BIOS, updating the values and then saving the changes.

Other settings can be changed without an issue. The values for VTx/VTd can even be updated to "Disabled" using the BCU and the change stays after reboot. The issue only occurs when trying to enable these settings.

I set the password just in case it was a requirement and am wondering the same thing, but documentation on these settings are lacking. The only options I can see are that their are other prerequisits, this behavior is by design, or there is a bug in the Software. I am hoping for the first one.

kendlp · ‎01-29-2015

Ok so I think that I may have stumbled upon the answer. I switched to yet another Z230 system and attempted to push down the configuration to it. Ended up with the same result when looking at the output from the BCU.

I checked out the settings in the BIOS and found that the lines for setting VTx amd VTd were greyed out, and the entry for LT support was missing while the BCU output showed it as enabled. I disabled LT using the BCU and power cycled the system. The VTx and VTd were no longer greyed out in BIOS. Booted into Windows and ran the configuration script with VTx Enabled, VTd Enabled, LT Disabled, restarted and it worked.

Checked the BIOS on the original systems and found that while LT was enabled it did not grey out VTx and VTd. Reflashed the BIOS on them and then tested enabling LT with the BCU which then greyed out VTx and VTd. So it appears that this is a dependacy and that there was something wrong with the BIOS on the first couple of systems.

So best I can tell if you want to enable VTx and VTd using the BCU you need the following:

Set password on the BIOS
Disable "Intel TXT(LT) Support" using the BCU
Reboot
Enable "Virtualization Technology Directed I/O (VTd)" and "Virtualization Technology (VTx)" using the BCU

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