Dell Latitude D630C (Late 2008) - Manual (Page 18)

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Provisioning: Completing the Setup and Configuration Process
Dell™ Systems Management Administrator's Guide
Using a Configuration Service to Complete Provisioning
Using MEBx Interface to Complete Provisioning
The computer has to be configured before the Intel ® AMT capabilities are ready to interact with the management application. Two methods are available to
complete the provisioning process (in order from least complex to most complex):
l Configuration service — A configuration service allows you to complete the provisioning process from a GUI console on their server with only one touch
on each of the Intel AMT capable computers. The PPS and PID fields are completed using a file created by the configuration service saved to a USB mass
storage device.
l MEBx interface — The IT administrator manually configures the Management Engine BIOS Extension (MEBx) settings on each Intel AMT ready computer.
The PPS and PID fields are completed by typing the 32 character and 8 character alpha-numeric keys created by the configuration service into the MEBx
interface.
Using a Configuration Service to Complete Provisioning
Using a USB Storage Device
This section discusses Intel® AMT setup and configuration using a USB storage device. You can set up and locally configure password, provisioning ID (PID),
and provisioning passphrase (PPS) information with a USB drive key. This is also called USB provisioning. USB provisioning allows you to manually set up and
configure computers without the problems associated with manually typing in entries.
USB provisioning only works if the MEBx password is set to the factory default of admin. If the password has been changed, reset it to the factory default by
clearing the CMOS. For instructions, see "System Setup" in the User's Guide for your computer.
The following is a typical USB storage device key setup and configuration procedure. For a detailed walk-through using Altiris® Dell™ Client Manager (DCM),
see
Configuring Intel AMT With the Dell Client Management Application .
1. An IT technician inserts a USB drive key into a computer with a management console.
2. The technician requests local setup and configuration records from a setup and configuration server (SCS) through the console.
3. The SCS does the following:
¡ Generates the appropriate passwords, PID, and PPS sets
n Stores this information in its database
n Returns the information to the management console
4. The management console writes the password, PID, and PPS sets to a setup.bin file in the USB drive key.
5. The technician takes the USB drive key to the staging area where new Intel AMT capable computers are located. The technician then does the following:
¡ If necessary, npacks and connects computers
¡ Inserts the USB drive key into a computer
¡ Turns on that computer
6. The computer BIOS detects the USB drive key.
¡ If found, the BIOS looks for a setup.bin file at the beginning of the drive key. Go to step 7.
¡ If no USB drive key or setup.bin file is found, then restart the computer. Ignore the remaining steps.
7. The computer BIOS displays a message that automatic setup and configuration will occur.
¡ The first available record in the setup.bin file is read into memory. The process accomplishes the following:
n Validates the file header record
n Locates the next available record
n If the procedure is successful, the current record is invalidated so it cannot be used again
¡ The process places the memory address into the MEBx parameter block.
¡ The process calls MEBx.
8. MEBx processes the record.
9. MEBx writes a completion message to the display.
10. The IT technician turns off the computer. The computer is now in the setup state and is ready to be distributed to users in an Enterprise mode
environment.
11. Repeat step 5 if you have more than one computer.
Refer to the management console supplier for more information on USB drive key setup and configuration.
USB Storage Device Key Requirements
The USB storage device key must meet the following requirements to be able to set up and configure Intel AMT:
l It must be greater than 16 MB.
l It must be formatted with the FAT16 file system.
l The sector size must be 1 KB.
l The USB drive key is not bootable.
l The setup.bin file must be the first file landed on the USB drive key. The USB key must not contain any other files whether hidden, deleted, or otherwise.
Configuring Intel AMT With the Dell Client Management Application
The default console package provided is the Dell™ Client Management (DCM) application. This section provides the procedure to set up and configure Intel®
AMT with the DCM package. As mentioned earlier in the document, several other packages are available through third-party vendors.
The computer must be configured and seen by the DNS server before you begin this process. Also, a USB storage device is required and must conform to the
requirements listed in the previous section.
The nature of management software is that it is not always dynamic or real time. In fact, sometimes if you tell a computer to do something, such as to reboot,
you may have to reboot again for it to work.