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RE: How often are the repositories updated?
The Dell Catalogs and their update frequency and location have been a mystery to me this last week.
Trying this method www.hypervisor.fr/ update my system from DRAC shows that the ftp.dell.com/Catalog.xml.gz file is from 5/23/2016. It tells me the latest R730 BIOS is 2.0.2, when in fact the latest bios is actually 2.1.7.
However, LCC, DRM, OME all show that the latest bios is 2.1.6 (because the catalogs haven't been refreshed).
The problem that bothers me is that there are at least two catalog locations. ftp.dell.com/Catalog.xml.gz (older) and ftp.dell.com/catalog/Catalog.xml.gz (which is what LCC, DRM, OME all seem to use).
The problem with using the catalog in the root directory with iDRAC is that it's older (why is this even in a different location?)
If I try and use the one in /catalog/ iDRAC cannot update, it says the updates fail instantaneously in the Job Queue. I believe this is because when you try and update, it uses the current catalog location in as the root folder, so it's looking for /catalog/FOLDER123123123/UPDATEFILE.EXE and it doesn't exist, because it's not meant to be under the catalog folder. It seems the DRAC updater logic uses the catalog folder as relational to the firmware, when it should just be looking for ftp.dell.com/FOLDER123123123/UPDATEFILE.exe (but it doesn't).
Hope that makes sense?
Mindflux
9 Posts
0
July 18th, 2016 14:00
I've been tinkering with this since last week.
If I try and use DRAC to do "bulk updates" to firmware instead of LCC, OME, DRM like so : www.hypervisor.fr/
I'm met with failures that the updates cannot be found.
I believe that is because DRAC tries to fetch the update in relation to the catalog. If I fetch the catalog from ftp.dell.com/Catalog.xml.gz the updates are found (although old, because this catalog is OLDER than the one LCC/DRM/OME uses which are found in ftp.dell.com/catalog/Catalog.xml.gz I do not want to use it (it's 'fresh')
If I tell DRAC the catalog location is /catalog/Catalog.xml.gz it fetches a new catalog (indicates BIOS 2.1.6 is newest), but when I stage those updates they fail in the Job queue IMMEDIATELY.
If I stage the updates from ftp.dell.com/Catalog.xml.gz they succeed. Looking at the paths in the XML catalog file it appears they are relative to the catalog location and not 'full paths'.
imgur.com/3I6JLrK.jpg
My guess DRAC looks for ftp.dell.com/(catalog location)/FOLDERXYZ/UPDATE.EXE
Where LCC everything else looks for: ftp.dell.com/FOLDERXYZ/UPDATE.EXE
It seems DRAC and LCC/DRM/OME are programmed slightly differently there. I really wish I had some wireshark captures to prove where it's looking but I'm RELATIVELY sure this is what's happening.
So my questions are:
A) Why is there more than one catalog location
B) Why does DRAC behave differently from LCC/OME/DRM in this regard
C) How do we fix this?
Dell-svc
54 Posts
0
July 22nd, 2016 01:00
ftp.dell.com/Catalog.xml.gz is updated last night. Please check again.
Mindflux
9 Posts
0
July 22nd, 2016 07:00
Sorry but it wasn't.
https://i.imgur.com/8oOEyD0.png
the one at ftp.dell.com/catalog/Catalog.xml.gz was however. Which doesn't work in DRAC for updating.