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How to configure the BIOS/UEFI?

You will need to configure your BIOS/UEFI in order to harden security and to make things work.

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The following guide is especially written for Intel Visual Bios which is present on Intel NUC devices. If you use a different device as your server it is possible, that some things are different for you. Since BIOS/UEFI can be visually very different, this guide is only plain text.

  1. Connect the power-cable, HDMI-display, USB-mouse and -keyboard to your server
  2. Power on your server and open the BIOS/UEFI by pressing [F2] (and enter the password if one is already set)
  3. Load the BIOS/UEFI defaults by pressing [F9] and [ENTER] to confirm
  4. Now open the Advanced Menu by clicking on the Advanced button in the top right corner
  5. Set the Fan Control Mode to quiet by clicking on the Cooling tab. In the CPU Fan Header section, select Fan Control Mode and choose Quiet (this will make the server operate as quiet as possible)
  6. Set a Supervisor password by clicking on the Security tab. In the Passwords section, click on Set Supervisor Password and type in a password. Store it at a safe place! (The password should be random, at least 8 characters long and no special characters needed)
  7. Configure your server to boot automatically after a power failure by clicking on the Power tab. In the Secondary Power Settings section, click on After Power Failure and choose Power On
  8. Enable UEFI Boot and disable Legacy Boot by clicking on the Boot tab. The Boot Priority tab is now automatically selected. In the UEFI Boot Priority section, enable UEFI Boot and disable Legacy Boot
  9. Only allow to boot from USB-sticks by clicking on the Boot Configuration tab. In the UEFI Boot section, disable everything and only enable Boot Network Devices Last. In the Boot Devices section, disable everything and only enable USB
  10. Configure Secure Boot by clicking on the Secure Boot tab. In the Secure Boot Config section, disable everything and only enable Secure Boot (Install Intel Platform Key might not deactivatable)
  11. Now confirm your settings by pressing [F10] and [ENTER]
  12. Your server might start now automatically, press the power button to shut it down again.

The BIOS/UEFI should now be correctly configured.