Summary of software security features

The following table lists the software security features and describes what protection each offers. In general, to enable or set the features listed here, you must run the BIOS Setup utility and go to the Security Menu. The table also refers to other Setup utility menus. For more information on setting the security features, see “About the BIOS Setup utility” on page 111.

Feature

Description

Secure boot mode

To enter secure mode, set and enable a password to automatically

 

put the server into secure mode.

 

If you set a hot-key combination, you can secure the system by

 

pressing the key combination. This means you do not have to wait

 

for the inactivity time-out period.

 

When the system is in secure mode, the server boots and runs

 

the operating system. It does not accept mouse or keyboard input

 

until you enter the user password.

 

At bootup, if the server detects a CD in the CD drive or a diskette

 

in drive A, it requests a password. When you enter the password,

 

the server boots from CD or diskette and disables secure mode.

 

If you have not installed a CD drive or if there is no CD in the drive

 

or diskette in drive A, the server boots from drive C and

 

automatically enters secure mode. All enabled secure mode

 

features go into effect at bootup.

 

To leave secure mode, enter the correct password(s).

 

 

Disable writing to

In secure mode, the server will not boot from or write to a diskette

diskette

unless a password is entered. To set these features, see “About

 

the BIOS Setup utility” on page 111.

 

 

Disable the power and

If you enable this protection feature, the server disables the power

reset buttons

and reset buttons when in secure mode.

 

 

Set a time-out period

You can specify and enable an inactivity time-out period from 1 to

so that keyboard and

120 minutes. If no keyboard or mouse action occurs for the

mouse input are not

specified period, keyboard and mouse input is not accepted. To

accepted.

set this feature, see “About the BIOS Setup utility” on page 111.

 

 

Control access to the

To control access to the system configuration, set an administrator

BIOS Setup utility (set

password and enable it through the BIOS Setup utility.

administrator

If both the administrator and user passwords are enabled, either

password)

can be used to boot the server or enable the keyboard and/or

 

 

mouse, but only the administrator password allows changes to the

 

BIOS Setup utility.

 

Once set, passwords can be disabled by setting the password to

 

a null string or by changing the Clear Password jumper. See

 

“Password Clear jumper” on page 115.

 

 

128Managing the Server