The one-to-many update feature in CMC enables you to update server
component firmware across multiple servers. You can update the server
components using the Dell Update Packages available on the local system
or on a network share. This operation is enabled by leveraging the
Lifecycle Controller functionality on the server.
The Lifecycle
Controller service is available on each server and is facilitated
by iDRAC. You can manage the firmware of the components and devices
on the servers using the Lifecycle Controller service. The Lifecycle
Controller uses an optimization algorithm to update the firmware that
efficiently reduces the number of restarts.
The Lifecycle
Controller provides module update support for iDRAC7 and later servers.
-
NOTE: Before using
the Lifecycle Controller–based update feature, server firmware versions
must be updated. You must also update the CMC firmware before updating
the server component firmware modules.
-
NOTE: To update component
firmware, the CSIOR option must be enabled for servers. To enable
CSIOR on:
-
12th generation servers and later— After restarting
the server, from the
F2 setup, select
, enable
CSIOR and save the changes.
-
13th generation servers —After rebooting the server,
when prompted, press
F10 to access
Lifecycle Controller. Go to the
Hardware Inventory page by selecting
. On the
Hardware Inventory page, click
Collect System
Inventory on Restart
.
The
Update from File method enables you to update the server component firmware using
DUP files stored on a local system. You can select the individual
server components to update the firmware using the required DUP files.
You can update large number of components at a time by using an SD
Card to store DUP file of more than 48 MB memory size.
-
NOTE: Note the following:
The Single Click all blade update or the
Update from Network Share method enables you to update
the server component firmware using DUP files stored on a network
share. You can use the Dell Repository Manager (DRM) based update
feature to access the DUP files stored on a network share and update
the server components in a single operation. You can set up a custom
remote repository of firmware DUPs and binary images using the Dell
Repository Manager and share it on the Network Share. Alternatively,
use the Dell Repository Manager (DRM) to check for the latest available
firmware updates. The Dell Repository Manager (DRM) ensures that the
Dell systems are up-to-date with the latest BIOS, driver, firmware,
and software. You can search for the latest updates available from
the Support site (
support.dell.com) for supported platforms
based on Brand and Model or a Service Tag. You can download the updates
or build a repository from the search results. For more information
on using the DRM to search for latest firmware updates, see
Using Dell Repository Manager to Search for the Latest
Updates on the Dell Support Site
on the Dell Tech Center.
For information on saving the inventory file that DRM uses as input
to create the repositories, see
Saving Chassis Inventory
Report Using CMC Web Interface
-
NOTE: The Single Click all
blade update method has the following benefits:
-
Enables you to update all the components on all the
blade servers with minimal clicks.
-
All the updates are packaged in a directory. This
avoids individual upload of each component’s firmware.
-
Faster and consistent method of updating the server
components
-
Enables you to maintain a standard image with the
required updates versions of the server components that can be used
to update multiple servers in a single operation.
-
You can copy the directories of updates from the Dell
Server Update Utility (SUU) download DVD or create and customize the
required update versions in the Dell Repository Manager (DRM). You
do not need the latest version of the Dell Repository Manager to
create this directory. However, Dell Repository Manager version 1.8
provides an option to create a repository (directory of updates) based
on the inventory that was exported from the servers in the chassis.
For information on creating a repository using the Dell Repository
Manger see the
Dell Repository Manager Data Center Version 1.8
User’s Guide
and the
Dell Repository Manager Business Client
Version 1.8 User’s Guide
available at
dell.com/support/manuals.
Lifecycle Controller provides module update
support through iDRAC. It is recommended to update the CMC firmware
before updating the server component firmware modules. After updating
the CMC firmware, in the CMC Web interface, you can update the server
component firmware on the
page.
It is also recommended to select all the component modules of a server
to be updated together. This enables Lifecycle Controller to use
its optimized algorithms to update the firmware, reducing the number
of reboots.
To update the server component firmware,
using the CMC Web interface, click
.
If the server does not support
the Lifecycle Controller service, the
Component/Device
Firmware Inventory
section displays
Not Supported. For the latest generation servers, install the Lifecycle Controller
firmware and update the iDRAC firmware to enable the Lifecycle Controller
service on the server. For earlier generation servers, this upgrade
is not possible.
Normally, the Lifecycle Controller
firmware is installed using an appropriate installation package that
is executed on the server operating system. For supported servers,
a special repair or installation package with an
.usc file extension is available. This file enables you to install the
Lifecycle Controller firmware through the firmware update facility
available on the native iDRAC Web browser interface.
You can also install Lifecycle Controller firmware through an appropriate
installation package executed on the server OS. For more information,
see the
Dell Lifecycle Controller User’s Guide.
If Lifecycle Controller service is disabled on the server, the
Component/Device Firmware Inventory section displays
Lifecycle Controller may not be enabled.