Onboard Ethernet does not fully disable in UEFI setup menu - IBM System x3100 M5 (5457)

Resolving The Problem

Source

RETAIN tip: H212654

Symptom

The UEFI F1 Setup menu option System -> Settings -> Devices and I/O Ports -> 'Enable /Disable on-board Device(s)' does not fully disable the onboard Ethernet. The adapter still starts from Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE) during Power-On Self-Test (POST). The operating system still shows the adapter, though it is disabled.

Affected configurations

The system can be any of the following IBM servers:

• System x3100 M5, type 5457, any model

This tip is not software specific.

This tip is not option specific.

The following system BIOS/uEFI level is affected:

Build ID: J9E114GUS, 1.02

The system has the symptom described above.

Solution

This behavior is corrected in UEFI firmware v1.07 (J9E118C) or later version.

The file is or will be available by selecting the appropriate Product Group, type of System, Product name, Product machine type, and Operating system on IBM Support's Fix Central web page, at the following URL:    

• http://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/

Workaround

There is no workaround to disable the Ethernet device.

Additional information

This is a side effect when UEFI enhanced the behavior of ServeRAID-C100 software RAID support.