Using Secure Erase

Intelligent Provisioning provides secure erase functionality for the internal system storage and hard disks following the guidelines outlined in DoD 5220.22-M.  Secure erase overwrites all block devices attached to the system through applying random patterns in a three-pass process. These block devices include hard disks, storage systems attached to the server, as well as the internal storage used by iLO.  Depending on the amount of storage installed on a system, the secure erase process can take many hours or even days to complete.

CAUTION:

  • Secure Erase should be used with extreme caution, and only when a system is being decommissioned. The secure erase process resets iLO and deletes all licenses stored there, resets BIOS settings in many cases, and deletes all AHS and warranty data stored on the system. The secure erase process also deletes any deployment settings profiles. iLO reboots multiple times after the process is complete.

  • Disconnect any FCoE, iSCSI, external SAS, and Fibre Channel storage before using secure erase, unless they should also be erased.