Dell PowerEdge 1500SC - Manual (Page 21)

Utility Partition
The utility partition is a bootable partition on the hard drive that provides some of the functions available on the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD. Most of
the application programs found on the CD are contained in the utility partition. When implemented, the partition boots and provides an executable
environment for the partition's utilities. When the utility partition is not booted, it is designated as a non–
MS-DOS® partition.
To start the utility partition, turn on or reboot the system. During the POST, the following message appears:
= Utility Mode
The utility partition provides a text-based interface from which you can run the partition's utilities. To select a menu option, you can either use the arrow keys
to highlight the option and press , or type the number of the menu option. To exit the utility partition, press from the Main Menu. Exiting the
utility from setup mode causes the system to reboot to the standard operating-system boot partition.
Table 2 -1 provides a sample list and explanation of the options that appear on the utility partition menu even when the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD is
not in the CD drive. The options displayed on your system may vary depending on the configuration.
Running the System Diagnostics
You can run the system diagnostics from the utility partition, but not from the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD. From the Utility Partition menu, select Run
System Diagnostics. To run the diagnostics from a set of diskettes, create diagnostics diskettes from the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD.
The system hardware diagnostics are described in "Running the System Diagnostics" in your Installation and Troubleshooting Guide.
Asset Tag Utility
The Asset Tag utility allows you to enter an asset tag number for your system.
Using the Asset Tag Utility
To create the Asset Tag utility diskette and boot the system, perform the following steps:
1. If you have not already done so, create a bootable Asset Tag Utilities With CD diskette from the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD using the Create
Diskettes option.
2. Insert the diskette into the diskette drive and reboot the system.
Assigning and Deleting an Asset Tag Number
An asset tag number can have up to ten characters; any combination of characters, excluding spaces, is valid.
To assign or change an asset tag number, perform the following steps:
1. Perform the steps in " Using the Asset Tag Utility ."
2. Type asset and a space followed by the new number.
For example, type the following command:
asset 1234567890
3. Press .
4. When you are prompted to verify the asset tag number, type y and press .
The system then displays the new or modified asset tag number and the service tag number.
NOTE: The utility partition provides only limited MS-DOS functionality and cannot be used as a general-purpose MS-DOS partition.
NOTE: Although most options are available from both the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD and the utility partition, some options or features are
available only from the CD.
Table 2-1. Utility Partition Main Menu Options
Option Description
Run System Diagnostics Runs the system hardware diagnostics.
Run RAID Configuration Utility Runs the RAID controller configuration utility if a RAID controller card is installed.
NOTE: The options displayed on your system are dependent on your system configuration and may not include all of those
listed here. For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the Glossary .
NOTE: The Asset Tag utility works only on systems running MS-DOS.
NOTE: The Asset Tag utility diskette contains CD drivers that provide access to the CD drive when you boot from the diskette.