docs(prod): CORRECTION — BIOS attributes are read-only in practice, not writable

I recorded that the hp-bioscfg attributes were 'writable from the OS' because current_value
has mode rw and no BIOS passwords are set. That was WRONG, and the firmware said so when the
write was actually attempted:

  hp_bioscfg: Returned error 0x4, "Invalid command type"   (surfaces as printf: I/O error)

HP requires BIOS-admin authentication for programmatic changes and neither credential is
provisioned on these nodes — Setup Password is_enabled=0 (role bios-admin), SPM
key_mechanism=not provisioned. Secure Boot is also enabled. File mode is not authority; the
firmware is.

What survives the correction, and it is the useful half: READS WORK. Diffing 215 attributes
between node 1 and node 2 is exactly how the drift in §0b was found — nobody spots
'After Power Loss=Power Off' by eye. So the §1 firmware checklist IS machine-CHECKABLE today
with reads alone, and node_health should assert it.

What does NOT survive: machine-ENFORCEABLE. Converging BIOS settings automatically would
require provisioning a BIOS Setup Password on every node — a stored credential that can rewrite
firmware. That is a real security decision and the operator's call, not something to default to.

Consequence for the node-2 memory fault: setting Fast Boot=Disable and After Power Loss=Power On
must be done in F10 on the box. Updated §0b and §1 accordingly.

Serves: R-ENV-03. Task: T-7.1.
This commit is contained in:
jakman85 committed 2026-09-01 21:45:15 -05:00
1 parent 11b21f7347
commit 3c8f809aaf
1 file changed
+25 -10
+25 -10
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@@ -64,8 +64,15 @@ is per-machine state.
**BIOS settings compared programmatically (2026-09-01).** Both nodes load the `hp-bioscfg`
kernel driver, which exposes **215 BIOS attributes** read/write at
`/sys/class/firmware-attributes/hp-bioscfg/attributes/<name>/current_value`. No BIOS passwords
are set (`authentication/*/is_enabled` = 0), so these are also **writable from the OS** — see
§1, this changes how the firmware checklist can be enforced.
are set (`authentication/*/is_enabled` = 0).
**They are READ-ONLY in practice, despite `current_value` having mode `rw`.** A write attempt was
made on 2026-09-01 and the FIRMWARE refused it:
`hp_bioscfg: Returned error 0x4, "Invalid command type"`, surfacing as `printf: I/O error`.
HP requires BIOS-admin authentication for programmatic changes, and both credentials are absent
— `Setup Password is_enabled=0` (role `bios-admin`) and `SPM key_mechanism=not provisioned`.
Secure Boot is also enabled. So BIOS changes on these nodes are an **F10 exercise** unless a BIOS
Setup Password is deliberately provisioned (see §1).
What the comparison ruled OUT as the cause:
- **Firmware inventory is correct.** Node 2's BIOS itself reports `Memory Size=16384 MB` and
@@ -97,7 +104,7 @@ and a reboot, which needs operator sanction.
To investigate, cheapest first:
- [ ] **Set `Fast Boot=Disable` and reboot** (tests the hypothesis directly, and matches node 1).
Can be done from the OS — see §1 — or in the F10 setup menu.
**Must be done in F10** — the firmware refuses programmatic writes (above).
- [ ] **Set `After Power Loss=Power On`** regardless of the memory question — §1 requires it and
node 2 currently violates it.
- [ ] Clear CMOS / load setup defaults on node 2 to force a full memory retrain, then re-check.
@@ -115,13 +122,21 @@ To investigate, cheapest first:
## 1. Firmware / BIOS (per node, before OS install)
> **These are now MACHINE-CHECKABLE, not just eyeball-at-F10 items.** The `hp-bioscfg` driver
> exposes 215 BIOS attributes at `/sys/class/firmware-attributes/hp-bioscfg/attributes/`, and
> with no BIOS password set they are **writable from the OS**. That means the checklist below can
> be *asserted* by `roles/node_health` and *enforced* by a role, instead of trusted to whoever
> was last in the setup menu — which is exactly how node 2 ended up with `After Power Loss=Power
> Off` and `Fast Boot=Enable` while node 1 has the opposite. **Follow-up worth doing: extend
> node_health to assert the firmware checklist, and add a role to converge it.**
> **These are MACHINE-CHECKABLE — but NOT machine-enforceable.** The `hp-bioscfg` driver exposes
> 215 BIOS attributes at `/sys/class/firmware-attributes/hp-bioscfg/attributes/`, and **reads work
> fine**: node 1 and node 2 were diffed programmatically, which is how the drift in §0b was found
> at all. Nobody could have spotted `After Power Loss=Power Off` on node 2 by eye.
>
> **Writes are refused by the firmware** — verified 2026-09-01, `hp_bioscfg: Returned error 0x4,
> "Invalid command type"`. HP requires BIOS-admin authentication and neither credential is
> provisioned (`Setup Password is_enabled=0`, `SPM not provisioned`). Setting these therefore means
> F10 on the box.
>
> **Follow-up worth doing: extend `roles/node_health` to ASSERT this checklist** — that is
> achievable today with reads alone, and would have caught node 2's drift on its first health run.
> Converging it automatically additionally requires provisioning a BIOS Setup Password on every
> node, which is a real security decision (a stored credential that can rewrite firmware) and is
> the operator's call, not a default.
- [ ] **Virtualization enabled** — VT-x *and* VT-d. Required for KubeVirt (R-PLAT-03); verify after