hi, no need for me to contact support directly because everything is hunky-dory now!
i was able to update the bios successfully to the lastest 2.5.0004 after my last reply and everything is humming along quietly.
here's what really happened...i tried to upgrade directly to 2.5.004 from the 1.2.0003 originally because when i read one of the text files in the 2.5.004 it said all i needed was a 1.1.1002 "
To update the system firmware to the versions included in this update package, the firmware
currently loaded on the given server system must meet the following:
- BIOS 01.01.1002, or later Version
- ME 02.01.05.069 or later Version
- BMC 01.00.2612 or later Version
- FRUSDR 1.01 or later version". But it didn't work and when everything else but the bios updated ok, i started researching and in reading each of the fw .txt files learned, along with i think it was one of your earlier posts, that you really need to update sequentially. so then i tried to downgrade to the original 1.2.0003 but i suspect the original attempt to 2.5.0004 changed something so that i got that "Error: SmiGetUpdateStatus status 0x1a SmiGetUpdateStatus returned error" stuff, even trying to go just to 1.2.0006.
but doing the bios recovery thing, really did put everything back normal and now the board is running 2.5.0004 bios and is fine!
cheers!