HX520 / K520 BIOS Manual

1- Getting Started

1.1- Introduction

This Helix 520 / Karbon 520 Series BIOS Manual covers OnLogic Custom Features and displays standard options and configurations in the BIOS. Additional content pertaining to other configurable elements may be added in subsequent versions of this manual.

1.2- Navigating the Setup Menu

To access the BIOS setup menu, hold the Delete key on the keyboard while turning the system on. After a few seconds, the BIOS front page menu will appear.

On each menu, the selected option is shown in white, other options are shown in blue, and read-only options are shown in gray. Some menus have multiple screens, which are shown at the top of the screen. The active screen has a gray background and inactive screens have blue backgrounds.

BIOS menus are navigated by pressing keys on the keyboard:

• F1: Shows help on available keyboard shortcuts.

• ↑/↓: Select the option above or below the currently-selected option.

• →/←: Activate the screen to the right or left of the currently-activated screen.

• Enter: Activates the selected option. If the option is a menu, the menu is opened. If the selected option is a configurable option, a dialog box is opened to enter a new value.

• F5/F6: Change the selected option to its previous or next value.

• Esc: Returns to the previous menu.

• F9: Restores all options to their factory default values.

• F10: Saves all options and restarts the system.

1.3- The Front Page

Several options are available on the front page:

• Continue: continues the boot process normally, booting the installed operating system

• Boot Manager: opens a menu to select which device should be booted

• Device Management: opens a menu which shows the status of the system hardware

• Boot From File: opens a menu to select a UEFI executable to boot

• Administer Secure Boot: opens a menu which manages the Secure Boot configuration of the system

• Setup Utility: opens the BIOS setup utility

• MEBx: opens the Intel AMT configuration utility

1.4- Boot Manager

The boot manager menu shows the devices available to be booted. The installed operating system and any attached USB drives will be listed. If enabled in the setup utility, the UEFI shell is also listed. Selecting an option boots it.

1.5- Setup Utility

The setup utility shows the status of the system and allows many configuration options to be changed. These options affect the functionality, stability and security of the system, and should not be changed without an understanding of their meaning.

The setup utility has many screens. Press the →/← arrow keys to select between them.

1.6- Commonly-used Configuration Options

Several configuration options are frequently used.

Advanced > PCH-IO Configuration > State After G3

Default value: S0 State; possible values: S0 State, S5 State

Controls the state the system enters after G3 (power loss). If set to S5, the system remains off when initially connected to power. If set to S0, the system boots when connected to power.

1.7- Front Page > Administer Secure Boot

Secure Boot verifies the digital signatures of boot software to ensure only trusted software loads during a computer's startup. A Supervisor password is required to change these settings.

Advanced > PCH-IO Configuration > Wake on LAN Enable

Default value: Enabled; possible values: Enabled, Disabled

Enables or disables Wake-on-LAN functionality on the onboard network interfaces.

1.8- Main Screen

The main screen shows the BIOS version, information about the installed CPU, and the system date and language.

2- Advanced Menu

2.1- Core Component Configuration

CPU Configuration

The "CPU Configuration" section provides a comprehensive set of options for managing the processor's features, performance, and security.

Chipset Configuration

This section contains settings related to the motherboard's chipset. A warning precedes these settings, indicating that incorrect values can lead to system malfunction.

System Agent (SA) Configuration

Advanced > System Agent (SA) Configuration -> Graphics Configuration

• Primary Display:

  • When set to Auto, with iGFX enabled, and an external GPU card and monitor are connected, the BIOS will direct video output to the external card.

  • If no monitor is connected, the system will reboot and switch to the internal graphics.

PCH-IO Configuration

PCH-FW Configuration

2.2- Peripherals and Expansion

SATA Configuration

This section pertains to the Serial ATA (SATA) interface, primarily used for connecting storage devices. The top-level entries for individual SATA ports (0-7) are informational placeholders.

USB Configuration

This section manages the system's Universal Serial Bus (USB) controllers and ports.

PCIe Configuration

SIO NCT6126D

Advanced > SIO NCT6126D

• UART Port Configuration

  • Power Enable: COM port power over enable.

  • Default mode: Disabled.

  • Power Select: COM port power over cable select 5V or 12V.

  • Default mode: 5V.

• Fan Control

  • Fan Hat Control: Default mode is Thermal Cruise.

  • PCIe Riser Fan Control: Default mode is Thermal Cruise.

• Hardware Monitor

  • Temperature:

    • Rear_Temp: Power Input Entrance area temperature.

    • Riser_Temp: Riser card temperature.

    • Front_Temp: Remote Power Button Area temperature.

  • Voltage:

    • VINPUT: Input voltage.

    • VCELL: RTC battery voltage.

    • V1.8: 1.8V rail voltage.

    • V3.3: 3.3V rail voltage.

    • VRTC: RTC voltage.

    • V1.25: 1.25V rail voltage.

  • Fan Speed:

    • Fan_HAT_FAN_RPM

    • PCIe_Riser_Fan_RPM

• Watch-Dog Timer

  • The OS built-in driver refreshes the Watch-Dog Timer periodically. If the system hangs, the driver stops refreshing the WDT. The expiration of the timer will trigger a hardware reset to reboot the system.

  • The WDT length range is 1 to 255 minutes.

  • Always Off: Turn off WDT function.

  • Always On: Turn on WDT function.

  • Timeout value in sec / min

  • Suspended at BIOS Setup: Turn on WDT except in the BIOS setup menu.

2.3- Power, Performance, & Thermal

Power & Performance Section

This section groups settings for the system's power consumption and performance.

2.4- Platform & Boot Configuration

OnLogic Feature Configuration

Advanced > OnLogic Feature Configuration

• Pseudo G3: A power management state that mimics a full power-off (G3) while maintaining a low-power state for faster wake-up times.

• M.2 Power Off in Soft-Off State: When enabled, the M.2 slot will power off during soft-off states, including hibernation and system shutdown, to save more power.

• Retimer Compliance Mode: This is for Thunderbolt certification tests only when enabled.

• Intrusion Detect (requires a DIO expansion card): If enabled, the following actions can be taken when intrusion is detected:

  • Perform Power Cycle - Forced power-off and on

  • Power Button Emulation - Mimics a power button press

  • No Action

• SATA/SSD S.M.A.R.T. Monitoring and Display: If enabled, it monitors the health of HDDs/SSDs for predictive failures, displaying a warning during startup if any critical S.M.A.R.T. attribute indicates a problem.

Console Redirection Configuration

Console redirection allows the input and output of a computer's console to be rerouted to another device or location, often for remote management or troubleshooting

2.5- Automotive Settings

Automotive Ignition

Advanced > Automotive Ignition (Only for Karbon 520)

For a brief overview of automotive ignition functionality, refer to the OnLogic blog post.

Automotive ignition settings are shown below. Note: These values are only examples.

• Input Voltage (Unit: Volt): [12.0]

• Ignition State:

• Automotive Mode:

• Low Power Mode:

• Startup Timer (Unit: Sec): [10]

• Soft Off Timer (Unit: Sec): [10]

• Hard Off Timer (Unit: Sec): [30]

• Low Voltage Timer (Unit: Sec): [300]

• Shutdown Voltage Integer (Unit: Volt): [10]

• Shutdown Voltage Decimal (Unit: 0.1 Volt): [5]

Description of Settings:

• Input Voltage: Instant input voltage level reading.

• Ignition State: Instant ignition state reading.

• Automotive Mode: Enable or disable all automotive ignition features.

• Low Power Enable: Enable to enter a low-power state when the system is powered off by an ignition switch. The system can only wake from the ignition switch in this state.

• Startup Timer: The number of seconds the ignition input must be stable before the system powers on, or input voltage must recover from low-voltage shutdown before powering on.

• Soft Off Timer: The number of seconds until a virtual power button shutdown event is triggered.

• Hard Off timer: The number of seconds until the system is forced to power down, beginning only after the soft-off or low-voltage timer expires.

• Low Voltage Timer: The number of seconds the input voltage can be lower than the shutdown threshold before a virtual power button shutdown event.

• Shutdown Voltage Integer: Integer part of the low-voltage shutdown threshold. The minimum recommended value is 10.5 V.

• Shutdown Voltage Decimal: Decimal part of the low-voltage shutdown threshold.

2.6- Expert Mode

3- Security Settings

Security

Secure Boot

BIOS Secure Boot is a security feature that prevents malicious software from loading during your PC's startup. It verifies the digital signatures of boot components against a database of trusted keys. If a signature doesn't match, the system will not boot, protecting against pre-boot malware.

To enable Secure Boot:

1. Go to the Security page to set a Supervisor Password. Then save and exit.

2. Go to "Administer Secure Boot" on the front page to enable secure boot.

After enabling Secure Boot, the system will only boot to signed EFI boot files or Operating Systems.

4- Power Management

5- Boot Configuration

6- Front Panel Factory Reset Button

If the BIOS detects a 5-second assertion of FAC_RST_R_N at power-on, it will:

• Reset default UEFI settings to OnLogic factory defaults.

• Clear any custom defaults.

• Clear any UEFI passwords (Power On and Boot).

To perform a factory reset:

1. Hold the factory reset button while the system is powered off.

2. While holding the reset button, press the power button to power the system on.

3. After 5 seconds, release the factory reset button.

4. The screen will show "System will reboot to reset to default." and prompt the user to press “ok”. Note: The blank screen could take up to 3 minutes.

5. The system will reboot and reset to default.

7- Secure Flash

BIOS Secure Flash is a security measure that protects the BIOS from unauthorized modifications by requiring digitally signed BIOS updates. Only OnLogic-signed BIOS images can be updated to the system.

6- Exit Options

The exit screen provides options to leave the setup utility and to load and save settings.

• Exit Saving Changes: saves the current configuration and restarts the system to apply it

• Save Change Without Exit: saves the current configuration but does not restart the system

• Exit Discarding Changes: returns to the front page without saving or applying the current configuration

• Load Optimal Defaults: loads the factory default configuration

• Load Custom Defaults: loads a previously saved custom configuration

• Save Custom Defaults: saves the current configuration so it can be loaded later

• Discard Changes: restores the current configuration to its original state

7- Intel MEBx (Management Engine)

7.1- Intel AMT and VPro

Remote Power Control

On the Host Computer

Only one of the four onboard LAN ports supports vPro. Port 4, as shown below, must be used to connect to the host PC.

To enable Intel AMT using MEBX in the BIOS setup menu:

1. Navigate to the front page of the BIOS setup menu and select MEBX.

2. Set up a new password. First, enter the default password: admin, then enter a new password.

3. After setting a new password, Intel® AMT will be enabled.

4. Navigate to Intel® AMT Configuration and select Network Access State and choose Network Active.

5. Press F10 to Save and Exit, then navigate to Setup Utility > Advanced > PCH-FW Configuration to check the ME Firmware Version to confirm the ME is installed.

To access Local AMT:

1. Open the system's Device Manager and check that the LAN device is enumerated correctly.

2. Open a browser and load the local WebUI: http://127.0.0.1:16992.

3. Enter the Intel® AMT login, input username (admin) and the password.

4. The system status will be displayed in the local WebUI.

On the Remote Computer

1. On another system on the same network, open a browser and open the WebUI as follows: https://[DUT IP address]:16993.

2. Ensure both systems are connected to the same network.

3. If a message indicating “Your connection is not private” appears, select proceed.

4. For the username enter admin and for the password enter the password configured in the BIOS MEBX tab, then select Sign in.

5. A WebUI will appear. Ensure the IP address shown is the same as the DUT IP address (VPRO system).

6. Select Remote Control to control the Power Off, Cycle power off and on, Reset, and Graceful shutdown of the DUT system.

MAC address Pass Through (for Thunderbolt docks)

1. Go to BIOS setting > Setup Utility > Advanced > PCH-FW Configuration > AMT Configuration > MAC Pass Through .

2. Check that the MAC address of the Thunderbolt dock LAN port matches the VPro LAN port.

Remote KVM (VPro Enterprise Only)

Intel vPro remote KVM is a hardware-level remote management feature that allows an IT administrator to take full control of a computer's keyboard, video, and mouse (KVM) as if they were physically sitting in front of it.

Requirements:

• Intel vPRO Enterprise SKU CPU.

• Software Required: MeshCommander / Intel Endpoint Management Assistant (EMA) / Third-Party IT Management Solutions.

An example of execution using MeshCommander is shown below.

1. Add a computer with the hostname and select “Digest / TLS” in the Auth / Security field.

2. Click Connect to connect to the host computer.

1. Go to “Remote Desktop” to connect and enter the Consent code that is displayed on the host computer.