Chapter 6. BIOS, firmware, and hardware policies

Changes to BIOS, firmware, or hardware that enable or disable features require recertification. However, partners need not recertify their product for minor fixes, such as correcting small flaws, addressing minor bugs, or modifying superficial elements like splash screens and silkscreens.

Partners must internally test these changes to ensure they do not negatively impact customers, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, or certification status. Red Hat does not require submission of these test results.

Any required BIOS/Firmware configuration information must be provided in a comment in the certification request. Providing suggested and/or default configuration data is encouraged but not required. Vendor provided configuration information may be provided in the certification listing using an associated Red Hat Knowledge Base Solution. Validating alternate configuration settings do not expose data corruption issues or unexpectedly disrupt functionality is the responsibility of the hardware vendor.

CCSP Instances available in configurations beyond the Red Hat product limits may still be eligible for certification. Testing will need to be performed demonstrating functionality within the limits and the partner will need to decide if they also want to pursue the features beyond the limits. Like all Red Hat Enterprise Linux feature requests, the required time lines, development, and testing efforts are determined on a case-by-case basis and are considered outside of the certification process.

A Red Hat Knowledge Base article can be added to the certification listing for clarity.

In general, Red Hat places the responsibility of performance testing on the Partner; however, major performance issues that are deemed to have significant customer impact may delay certification until a resolution is determined.