Hp iLO 4 Firmware can cause VMware ESXi PSOD and Windows BSOD

 

Today I received a call by a customer, followed by an email with the following pic.

PSOD

This is a PSOD of an ESXi 5.5 installed on a brand new HP ProLiant DL560 G8.

Remembering an article I read a few days ago on the Magnus Andersson (@magander3) blog, at first I thought of a problem caused by the HP HPSA driver 5.x.0.58-1.

Unfortunately I was wrong, but after a little search on the HP support center web site I found an update for the iLO 4 that solve the issue described on this advisory.

In rare instances, on a ProLiant Gen8-series server with HP Integrated Lights-Out 4 (iLO 4) Firmware Versions 1.30, 1.32, 1.40 or 1.50, intermittent Non-Maskable Interrupt (NMI) events may occur. After rebooting the server, the operating system loads properly and no additional impact to system operation will occur. HP has provided a permanent solution to this issue in an updated version of iLO 4 firmware, available for download at the following link http://www.hp.com/support/iLO4

If this issue occurs, the operating system will indicate that an NMI has happened; however, the specific indication will vary by OS:

  • VMware ESXi operating systems will experience a Purple Screen of Death (PSOD).
  • Linux operating systems will display a message indicating that an NMI occurred.
  • Windows will experience a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD).

No more PSOD after the iLO 4 firmware upgrade. :-)