Dell 2950 - How to update BIOS + DRAC Firmware + Network Cards Firmware - HELP URGENT

You can see in this screenshot what error I mean about mfi0 :

http://prntscr.com/96nzii

1. The developer simply raised his hand and he said, he cannot support until I fix this mfi0 issue, as its my problem and not his. So, he left me abandoned.

2. Just downloaded this ISO, And booted it to a USB and booted the server to this. Now I have reached the updates screen. So let me know, if Im succeed with the updates here.

3. Do you mean, FreeBSD wont work with 2950 even if I upgrade all the firmware ?

4. I have already spent a lot of money in importing this from USA to India. Isnt there a workaround to get this server working ? The past part what you said about virtual machine,I did not understand., But if that solves the problem, then Im interrested to know more about it.

1. The developer simply raised his hand and he said, he cannot support until I fix this mfi0 issue, as its my problem and not his. So, he left me abandoned. 

2. Just downloaded this ISO, 

http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/Drivers/DriversDetails?driverId=NF1CT&osCode=WNET&fileId=2731102793

And booted it to a USB and booted the server to this. Now I have reached the updates screen. 

So let me know, if Im succeed with the updates here. 

3. Do you mean, FreeBSD wont work with 2950 even if I upgrade all the firmware ?

5. I have already spent a lot of money in importing this from USA to India. Isnt there a workaround to get this server working ?

The past part what you said about virtual machine,I did not understand., 

But if that solves the problem, then Im interrested to know more about it.

Don't be disappointed with your server. Be disappointed in the developer for not providing better specs and requirements for the hardware on which to run the software. Be disappointed in the lack of research that went into selecting the hardware. Did you check the HCL for FreeBSD 10.1? FreeBSD is not supported by Dell on the 2950, so it is left up to FreeBSD to certify it (and/or the user to test and troubleshoot). The 2950 was released 9 years ago.

Updating the firmware is a pretty basic chore, and honestly, one that should be performed before deploying any server, particularly with a newer OS.

SUU is not bootable. If you use SUU, you must first boot to SMTD and use SUU as the repository for the Firmware Update process.

You can also use Repository Manager to create a bootable ISO with updates specific to the 2950.

You could also install Windows and run the upgrade packages from Windows. It is certainly the "easiest" path.

Another option - and probably your best one, depending on the software requirements - would be to install ESXi and run your Linux OS as a virtual machine.

Err.. I would suggest doing some research first. All the information you need is on Dell's website - plenty of it too. (almost) demanding people to help you because you can't be bothered to learn is a bit out of order.

Why would anybody buy a server without even checking to see if what they want to do will work.

2. When you choose Firmware Update, it will ask you for a repository - insert the SUU disc at that time.

3. I didn't say that. Dell just didn't test it or develop any potentially needed drivers or utilities to help it work. Not being "supported" simply means that you are on your own to make it work and troubleshoot issues. There are generic linux files on support.dell.com, so if you run into problems, you can try there. If you are running into issues installing/running it, updating the firmware for a newer OS is always a good idea and may change the operation of the hardware just enough to fix issues.

4. ?? I'm sure there are cheaper options to obtain a 2950 in India without having to import it from the US.

Virtualization:

Download and install ESXi on the 2950. This is a link to the latest version, but again, you may need to update the firmware on the 2950 (depending on how old your model and firmware is) for it to run reliably.

http://downloads.dell.com/FOLDER03393773M/1/VMware-VMvisor-Installer-5.5.0.update03-3116895.x86_64-Dell_Customized-A01.iso

Once installed, connect to it from a workstation and install the client to manage the ESXi server. You can then install FreeBSD as a virtual machine in ESXi.

@ your issue:

So the "error" you are seeing in your screenshot is either caused by a bad hard drive or an incompatible hard drive (disk 1).

How many disks do you have in your system? What is the RAID level? Did you initialize the array when you created it? What is the make/model of your disks? Are they Dell branded?

1. Yes, I did all the updates to BIOS and RAID Firmware. Im not sure, if the Broadcom network interfaces also got updated. How do I check if its done and whats the latest version ? 

2. The issue is, after installing FreeBSD, it says no-carrier for the interface and there is no internet access. 

3. India, it costs much high. 

4. Is ESXi open source ? So, you mean install ESXi and then simply install FreeBSD as a virtual machine ? But will it use the complete resource of the server ? Good to go ?

5. The same server works amazing with Ubuntu server. But fails with FreeBSD. So, there cannot be any issue with drives or hardware whatsoever. Its somethign related to incompatibility or something else, which I dont know. 

And its all done in RAID0. 

I run pfsense 2.3.4 which is freebsd based and it runs prefect