Change Service Tag of a Dell Server

INTRO

Changing the Service Tag on a Dell server is possible. Earlier this year, I worked on a server migration project for a business. They didn’t want to spend a lot of money of course, so we went with a refurbished server. When the Dell PowerEdge R730 arrived, I wanted to make sure firmware was up-to-date, BIOS, RAID controller, iDRAC, disk drives, etc.

So, what I will normally do if an OS is not pre-installed, I will boot up a customized Windows PE image and update through that. In this case, an image created via the PhoenixPE builder. I may share a guide on this in the future, as Windows PE has helped so many times!

Once in Windows PE, I will grab the serial number in Command Prompt via the command below:

wmic bios get serialnumber

Which for Dell systems is the also the Service Tag. I will then copy into the Dell Drivers and Downloads page and grab the installers to update the firmware, except in this case, what was showing in the search results was not a Dell PowerEdge R730, but a consumer-end desktop PC.

PROBLEM

What I realized is that the Service Tag label on the server chassis was correct but the one hard coded in the firmware was not, it was off by one character, probably a typo. It was at this point I wondered if my Guardian Angels enjoyed the little prank on me, because these issues always seem to find me, as if a curse has been placed on me.

So naturally I called Dell, lady said, “Go into the BIOS and then to ‘Service Tag Settings’ and change it to the correct one”. Except when I did no “Service Tag Settings” option was available, and they were no help after that. I then reached out to the vendor who sold the server to see if they could help and they did! It’s possible to change the Service Tag after the fact. Here are the steps:

Note: This may not work on all Dell servers but did work for a Dell PowerEdge R730.

CHANGING THE SERVICE TAG

Please find the steps below to reset the service tag on your motherboard.

A) Open the server and locate the “System Board Jumper Settings”
B) Move PWRD_EN jumper to pin 4-6 parallel to the NVRAM_CLR jumper and turn on the server.
C) When the boot menu pops up Press “F2” to enter “System Setup”
D) Find and select “Service Tag Settings”.
E) Delete the old service tag and type the new one then click OK and restart the server.
F) Turn off the server and move back the PWRD_EN to the original position then turn on the server.

CONCLUSION

Following these steps let me correct the Service Tag on the server and my OCD regarding the issue was now at rest. I was able to sleep at night and the world was OK again. I was worried that Windows Server 2019 might deactivate after the change since it was activated with the wrong Service Tag, but fortunately it stayed activated.

Although my Guardian Angels have quite the sense of humor regarding the stress, they put on me, I did learn something new in this and it was fun to solve and now I can share will all of you! Do you have Guardian Angels that play pranks on you? Let me know in the comments below.

WinReflection

My name is Dex Sandel, author at WinReflection, a blog which aims to help others on various IT and Christian related subjects. DON’T TREAD ON ME! The best is yet to come, and nothing can stop what’s coming!

You all have a greater destiny in Christ, should you choose to ‘follow’ Him, not just believe. Many of you feel lost, without drive, and lack a greater purpose in your life causing depression, sadness, anxiety, and loneliness. Working your 9-5 job isn’t your primary purpose. So, then what is? That’s for you to discover, but hopefully I can provide some new unlocks along your path.

What will ‘you’ do, and what will your destiny be?

John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.