Standardizing BIOS Settings in a Dell Shop

I recently needed to standardize theBIOS settings across my organization, and I found the perfect tool: the Dell Client Configuration Utility(DCCU). This powerful applicationlets you obtain or configure BIOSsettings, flash the BIOS, and shutdown or restart the system. I've usedthe DCCU to set Preboot ExecutionEnvironment (PXE), Wake on LAN(WOL), and administrator passwords,as well as upgrade and flash theBIOS.

Dell's documentation indicatesthat the DCCU is compatible withGX150 and later systems. However,I've used the utility on models as oldas the GX1 to perform every functionexcept setting BIOS passwords. TheDCCU doesn't require you to installother Dell software (e.g., OpenManage) on the client PC.

You can search Dell's supportWeb site to find the DCCU. Makesure you download the latest versionrather than an old version. The current version of DCCU is 1.2.1, whichis available at http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/download.aspx?c=us&cs=555&l=en&s=biz&releaseid=r123761&formatcnt=2&libid=0&fileid=164480.

The DCCU interface is simple.The three main tabs correspond tothe actions you can perform. You cancollect information about currentBIOS settings, change BIOS configuration settings, and upgrade or flashthe BIOS. Select an action tab, choose the options you want, and click Create Package. The DCCU then createsa small executable package that runsin the Windows environment.

The DCCU Help files suggestusing Dell OpenManage ClientAdministrator (OMCA), Altiris Client Management Suite, or MicrosoftSystems Management Server (SMS)to deploy and execute the packageacross an enterprise. My organizationdoesn't have any of these solutions,so I wrote a Group Policy computerstartup script, which Listing 1 shows,to deploy the package. This script is abatch file that copies the package tothe local machine, then executes thepackage. You might need to modifythe script for your environment.

Numerous options exist for storing the DCCU package. I stored thepackage that I created in a subfoldernamed DELL in the Netlogon share.You can store the package in GroupPolicy and eliminate the need for thelocalserver variable, or you can storethe package in a static location on afile server. The %logonserver% variable isn't availableto computer startupscripts. If you havemultiple sites withdomain controllers(DCs) at each site,the best option is tostore the package inGroup Policy (in thesame directory asthe script) or in theNetlogon share, asin my example. Thismethod ensures that the system copies the package from the local server.

When a package runs, it uncompresses several files, executes them,and creates XML log files. You canspecify the log-file output directoryduring the package creation. TheXML log files tell you which settingsfailed, which succeeded, and whichweren't applicable because the setting doesn't exist in that BIOS. Aftera package runs, it cleans up afteritself: The package deletes all thefiles it uncompressed and eventuallydeletes the package itself. Therefore,you need to use a copy of any package you create when you test anddeploy the package.

The If exist line in the script prevents the package from needlesslycopying and running at each reboot.One run is sufficient. During thepackage creation, I specified C:BIOSas the location to store the XML logfiles. If C:BIOS exists, the packagehas already run and the script jumpsto the end and exits.

Although the packages are small(approximately 844KB), on large networks the copying can significantlyincrease traffic during peak boottimes. Thus, you might want to applythe policy in phases to workstationsubsets at various times.

If you want to create an image todeploy to new PCs, be sure to deletethe output log directory (i.e., C:BIOS) before running Sysprep. Thisaction ensures that new PCs run thescript in its entirety.

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