Chapter 12. additional service information, Security features, Hardware controlled passwords – Lenovo THINKCENTRE 8177 User Manual
Page 219: Operating system password, Vital product data, Management information format (mif), Chapter, Additional, Service, Information
Chapter
12.
Additional
Service
Information
This
chapter
provides
additional
information
that
the
service
representative
might
find
helpful.
Security
features
Security
features
in
this
section
include
the
following:
v
Passwords
v
Vital
Product
Data
v
Management
Information
Format
(MIF)
v
Alert
on
LAN
™
Hardware
controlled
Passwords
Hardware
controlled
passwords
are
set
using
the
Setup
Utility
program.
For
more
information
about
passwords,
see
Operating
system
password
An
operating
system
password
is
very
similar
to
a
power-on
password
and
denies
access
to
the
computer
by
an
unauthorized
user
when
the
password
is
activated.
The
computer
is
unusable
until
the
password
is
entered
and
recognized
by
the
computer.
Vital
product
data
Each
computer
has
a
unique
Vital
Product
Data
(VPD)
code
stored
in
the
nonvolatile
memory
on
the
system
board.
After
you
replace
the
system
board,
the
VPD
must
be
updated.
To
update
the
VPD,
see
Management
Information
Format
(MIF)
Management
Information
Format
(MIF)
is
a
file
used
to
maintain
a
list
of
the
system
unit
serial
number
along
with
all
serialized
components
(for
example,
system
board,
riser
card,
memory,
and
processor).
At
the
time
of
computer
manufacture,
the
EPROM
is
loaded
with
the
serial
numbers
of
the
system
and
all
major
components.
A
company
called
Retain-a-Group
is
a
central
data
warehouse
offering
serial
number
data
management.
Retain-a-Group
acts
as
a
focal
point
to
law
enforcement.
The
customer
has
the
option
to
purchase
serial
number
information
and
services
from
Retain-a-Group.
It
is
the
customer’s
responsibility
to
maintain
the
MIF
file
and
to
inform
Retain-a-Group
of
any
changes
to
the
file.
Some
customers
might
request
that
their
servicers
assist
them
in
maintaining
the
MIF
file
when
serialized
components
are
replaced
during
hardware
service.
This
assistance
is
between
the
customer
and
the
servicer.
The
servicer
can
use
the
DMI
MIF
Browser
to
update
the
MIF
information
in
the
EPROM.
It
is
anticipated
that
some
servicers
might
charge
for
this
service.
To
update
the
EPROM
using
the
DMI
MIF
Browser,
use
the
following
procedure.
©
Lenovo
2005.
Portions
©
IBM
Corp.
2005.
213