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Static IP address info may be lost after applying new firmware on Windows Server 2008 and Server 2008 R2

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Summary

Applying updated UEFI firmware (which adds ACPI PCI Express _OSC support) onto an existing server may cause existing network interface cards to appear as "new" devices. This causes pre-existing network configuration settings to be lost, including Static IP address information leading to a loss of network connectivity to attached network shares and network-attached storage, requiring IP address information to be reconfigured. The re-enumerated network interfaces will also affect NIC teaming and Windows Cluster configurations, requiring them to be reconfigured. Network interfaces which dynamically receive IP address information through a DHCP Server or link-local auto assignment will not be affected.

NOTE: If the affected machine is booting from an iSCSI device or SAN, this issue can cause an inaccessible boot device. See the following article before upgrading the firmware in order to work around this problem:

Windows may fail to boot from an iSCSI drive if networking hardware is changed
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976042/EN-US
Windows uses two distinct methods to enumerate installed devices, determined at boot time, depending on whether the hardware indicates support for "PCI" or "PCI-Express". For "PCI" capable systems, each device is identified based on its device name and slot number where it is installed. For "PCI-Express" capable systems, each device is identified based on its unique serial number. These methods are mutually exclusive, and there is no operating system capability to dynamically migrate from one to another. PCI-Express support was added in Windows Vista.

If a Windows Server/Client is currently installed on a PCI capable system, and a firmware update causes the hardware to suddenly indicate support for PCI-Express, new network devices are created and set to default values (automatically obtain IP address from a DHCP Server). Previously configured Static IP address information is no longer associated with the new device(s).

This has been observed when upgrading IBM UEFI firmware from Version 1.40 (or older) to Version 1.60 (or later) on an IBM X5 Platform Server. IBM firmware update 1.60 (and later) properly implements PCI Express Native Control Mode (_OSC support), as described in the following article:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/gg487424.aspx

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More Information

There are several workarounds for this problem:

  • Contact the hardware vendor and determine if there is a UEFI / BIOS update that allows disabling of the PCI Express Native Control (ACPI _OSC) feature.
  • Temporarily reapply an older UEFI / BIOS firmware level.
  • If the affected system has an iSCSI boot device, refer to the knowledgebase article above before proceeding with the firmware update.
  • Before applying the new firmware, save existing network configuration settings, apply the firmware update, and restore the network configuration settings.

The first two workarounds will restore the network configuration with no additional steps. The last two workarounds provides additional steps to recover functionality while still maintaining the new firmware in PCI-Express Native Control Mode. Note the special instructions provided above for iSCSI boot scenarios. 

To migrate network configuration information during the firmware upgrade process

Before upgrading the firmware, the following procedure can be used to save existing network configuration (IP address, subnet mask, default gateway and any other global interface configuration values). Once saved, this can be used to restore the interface values after the firmware upgrade has been applied.

NOTE: The following instructions should help restore network settings for simple configurations. However, servers which use third party NIC teaming features will require additional steps – based on the third party software being used. However, once third-party NIC teaming configuration has been restored, this procedure should also help restore the Static IP configuration information even with NIC teaming scenarios.

1) Prior to applying the firmware update, open a command prompt under the Administrator context, and run the following command:

Netsh dump > netconfig1.txt

2) Apply the UEFI Firmware update and reboot. 

3) The network adapters will be re-enumerated and new Local Area Connection interfaces will be created. In the case of an IBM X5 Platform Server, the IBM "integrated management module" (IMM) may remain as “Local Area Connection”. However, new Local Area Connections will be created for the newly re-enumerated network adapters – one for each network card installed in the machine. For example, if you have two network cards, you will observe the following new connections: 

Before upgrade                                             After upgrade
Local Area Connection 2                              Local Area Connection 4
Local Area Connection 3                              Local Area Connection 5

4) Edit the netconfig1.txt file to point to the new Local Area Connection numbers. 

Change all references to “Local Area Connection 2” to “Local Area Connection 4”
Change all references to “Local Area Connection 3” to “Local Area Connection 5”

Save the file as Netconfig2.txt

5) Run the following command to re-apply the network configuration settings. 

Netsh exec netconfig2.txt

This will restore the previous network settings to the system.

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Article Info
Article ID : 2621024
Revision : 1
Created on : 1/7/2017
Published on : 9/27/2011
Exists online : False
Views : 195