HPE ProLiant servers from Gen10 onwards include Workload Profiles, part of HPE Intelligent System Tuning. Instead of changing dozens of BIOS options one by one, you pick a preconfigured profile and the server sets the related options for that workload. This guide shows how to choose a profile for a hypervisor host, check the virtualization options, and make your own changes without fighting greyed-out settings. Menu paths are from the HPE UEFI System Utilities user guides for Gen10 and Gen10 Plus and Gen11. The BIOS/Platform Configuration menus were formerly called the ROM-Based Setup Utility (RBSU).
Before you start
- Console access: a local monitor and keyboard, or the iLO remote console.
- The BIOS administrator password, if one is set. System Utilities asks for it before opening.
- A maintenance window: every profile change needs a reboot to take effect.
- A note (or screenshot) of the current Workload Profile and any options you changed by hand, so you can restore them.
What differs between generations
| Item | Gen10 / Gen10 Plus | Gen11 |
|---|---|---|
| Boot modes | UEFI Mode (default) or Legacy BIOS Mode | UEFI only. Legacy BIOS compatibility mode (CSM) is no longer supported |
| AMD virtualization options | AMD Virtualization Technology and AMD (R) IOMMU as separate options; on AMD Gen10 Plus with ROM 2.40 and later they are combined into AMD I/O Virtualization Technology | AMD I/O Virtualization Technology |
| Default workload profile | General Power Efficient Compute on most ProLiant servers | |
Options shown depend on the server model, processor and ROM version. If an option below is missing on your server, check the user guide for your generation.
Step 1 — Open UEFI System Utilities
- For remote work, log in to iLO at
https://<iLO host name or IP>, select Remote Console & Media and launch a console. - Restart or power on the server.
- When the POST screen appears, press F9. The System Utilities screen opens.
Step 2 — Choose a workload profile
- Select System Configuration > BIOS/Platform Configuration (RBSU) > Workload Profile.
- Select a profile. For hypervisor hosts HPE provides two:
- Virtualization - Power Efficient: enables all controllable virtualization options and applies power management settings that are virtualization friendly.
- Virtualization - Max Performance: enables all controllable virtualization options and disables power management in favour of maximum performance.
- Optionally change any non-dependent options. Dependent options are greyed out.
- Save the changes and reboot.
Other profiles include General Power Efficient Compute (the default), General Peak Frequency Compute, General Throughput Compute, Low Latency, Mission Critical, Transactional Application Processing, High Performance Compute, Decision Support, Graphic Processing and I/O Throughput. Note that HPE says the Graphic Processing profile disables virtualization, because peer-to-peer GPU traffic is critical.
For Intel Xeon Scalable processors, the Gen11 guide lists these dependencies for the two virtualization profiles (AMD tables are different):
| Option | Virtualization - Power Efficient | Virtualization - Max Performance |
|---|---|---|
| SR-IOV | Enabled | Enabled |
| VT-x | Enabled | Enabled |
| Power Regulator | OS Control | Static High Performance |
| Energy Performance Bias | Balanced Performance | Max Performance |
| Minimum Processor Idle Power Core C-state | C6 as ACPI C2 | No C-states |
| Sub-NUMA Clustering | Disabled | Enabled |
Note: When you switch profiles, only that profile's dependent settings change. Other settings keep whatever value they had before, including values carried over from the previous profile. There is no "undo" after saving: the only way back is to exit without saving, which returns to the state you had when you entered RBSU.
Step 3 — Check the virtualization options
Open System Configuration > BIOS/Platform Configuration (RBSU) > Virtualization Options and confirm what your hypervisor needs:
- Intel(R) Virtualization Technology (Intel VT): lets a hypervisor use the processor's virtualization features.
- Intel (R) VT-d: virtualization for directed I/O. HPE notes you can leave it enabled even if you do not use a hypervisor.
- SR-IOV: lets a hypervisor create virtual instances of a PCIe device. HPE says to leave it enabled when using a hypervisor.
- AMD I/O Virtualization Technology (Gen11 and newer AMD Gen10 Plus ROMs), or AMD Virtualization Technology and AMD (R) IOMMU on AMD Gen10 and older Gen10 Plus ROMs.
Available settings and defaults may vary with the selected profile; the virtualization profiles enable these options for you.
Step 4 — Fine-tune with Custom mode
Dependent options cannot be changed while a predefined profile is active. For example, Power Regulator requires the profile to be set to Custom. HPE's recommended method:
- Apply the profile that is closest to what you want, save and reboot.
- Go back to System Configuration > BIOS/Platform Configuration (RBSU) > Workload Profile and select Custom. All settings from the previous profile are carried forward and become editable.
- Change only the options you need, for example Power and Performance Options > Power Regulator (Dynamic Power Savings, Static Low Power, Static High Performance or OS Control).
- Save and reboot.
Custom is not a profile: your settings are not saved as a template, so document them.
Step 5 — Confirm the boot mode
On Gen10 and Gen10 Plus, open System Configuration > BIOS/Platform Configuration (RBSU) > Boot Options > Boot Mode. UEFI Mode is the default and is required for Secure Boot, UEFI Optimized Boot, NVMe boot, iSCSI boot and Boot from URL. Gen11 servers boot in UEFI mode only.
Warning: The boot mode must match the installed operating system. Changing it on a server that already has an OS can stop that OS from booting. Back up first and only change boot mode before an installation.
Check the active profile remotely
HPE documents a Redfish check: send a GET request to the BIOS resource and read the WorkloadProfile property, for example "WorkloadProfile": "Virtualization-PowerEfficient".
GET https://IP_ADDRESS/redfish/v1/systems/1/biosA changed value takes effect only after the server restarts.
Frequently asked questions
Which profile should a VMware ESXi or Hyper-V host use?
HPE provides two profiles for virtualization environments: Virtualization - Power Efficient and Virtualization - Max Performance. Both enable the virtualization options; the Max Performance profile also disables power management features. The best choice depends on whether power use or peak performance matters more for your cluster.
Why are some BIOS options greyed out?
They are dependencies of the active workload profile. Switch to Custom to edit them; Custom keeps the previous profile's values as a starting point.
Can I use Legacy BIOS mode on Gen11?
No. HPE states that Gen11 servers support UEFI-only boot mode.
Ready to install a hypervisor? See Install VMware ESXi on an HPE ProLiant server. For the deeper option-by-option tables, see HPE's UEFI Workload-based Profiles and Tuning Guide.
Checklist
- Current profile and manual changes recorded.
- Virtualization - Power Efficient or Virtualization - Max Performance applied, saved and rebooted.
- Intel VT, VT-d and SR-IOV (or the AMD equivalents) enabled.
- Any further tuning done in Custom mode and documented.
- Boot mode matches the OS (UEFI only on Gen11).
- WorkloadProfile value confirmed after reboot.
Skyline can supply, configure and maintain Dell, HPE and Huawei servers under an annual maintenance contract (AMC). Contact us.
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