Dell CD ISO - Dell Systems Build and Update Utility

"I get a message that I need a valid service tag.  Can you please advise me as to what I need to do?"

Enter your Service Tag to proceed.  It is that simple.  Every Dell server has a Service Tag, so this should be easy.  It can be found: on a white barcode sticker on the back, a black sticker on the side/top, at the top of the BIOS Setup (F2) screen, or by typing in "WMIC BIOS GET SERIALNUMBER" at the Command Prompt in Windows.  However, if for some reason it does not proceed to the download, use the direct link below:

http://ftp.dell.com/secure/sysman/OM_5.5.0_SBUU_A00.ISO

Do you have an OS installed?  If so, you don't need SBUU (Systems Build and Update Utility).  Just download and run this from Windows:

BIOS:
http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/usgen1/DriverDetails?DriverId=R136685&FileId=2731115395&DriverName=Dell%20Server%20System%20BIOS%2C%20A21

Don't forget to also update your ESM/BMC firmware:
http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/usgen1/DriverDetails?DriverId=R53488&FileId=2731128215&DriverName=Dell%20Backplane%20Firmware%2C%20A02

If you don't have an OS installed, you can boot to SBUU to begin the update process, but after selecting Update Firmware, you will be prompted for the repository where the updates are stored.  You would then need to insert the SUU (Server Update Utility) disk.

If you only have a CD drive:
http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/usgen1/DriverDetails/DriverFileFormats?DriverId=R99082&FileId=2731131089

If you have a DVD drive (pay attention to the Installation Instructions):
http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/usgen1/DriverDetails/DriverFileFormats?DriverId=GHC9V&FileId=2731109501

Thank you.  I now know how to get the Service Tag, and I have downloaded the various files and created a bootable SBUU CDR and a bootable Prereq CD.  The Prereq CD did an automatic upgrade of the BIOS to A19 as far as I can tell.  

You are correct that the standalone boot of the SBUU disk leads to a request for the repository.  As of now, I have not been able to figure out how to create the Server Update Utility disk.  Can you point me in the right direction for that step?

Thanks again.

let it not be said that theflash doesnt provide enough information :)

Ok, thanks again.  Now I know that the prerequisites cd is the server updates cd, but still when I boot the SBUU and select the CD for the repository, then insert the prereq cd, it ejects the cd and tells me to insert the correct one.  I also tried to extract the windows files you pointed me to and select the updates from there, with no joy so far, but I am continuing to try to figure out what files need to be on the cd top level directory for this to work.  

I don't know if it is the BIOS or the ESM that contains the RAID configuration utility, and I don't know how to update the ESM from my OS (Ubuntu 9.04).

I don't have a DVD drive on any of these old servers, and I don't have anything that I can use to make a bootable floppy.  It is true that I don't know very much and it is a struggle to understand what to do, never mind know how to ask the right questions.

Perhaps, I am on the wrong track, so I will ask another question.  One of my 2650's boots up and gives me the option of entering the RAID configuration utility.  The other one does not, it only allows me to go into the SCSI selection utility.  The two hardware configurations are, as far as I know, identical, and I believe, although I cannot be certain, that both of them originally allowed me to access the RAID configuration utility, and since then, something has changed on one of them.

To test things out, I took out all 5 drives from the Raid configured machine and replaced them with the other 5 drives from the not-working-correctly machine.  On boot up, I can access the Raid configuration, but I did not go so far as to fully configure the array and put it back into the non-working-correctly machine.  I don't want to put the drives from the working machine into the other for fear of losing my data.

I really appreciate your help, and especially the very quick response.

The CD version of the server updates (called Prerequisites) has all but the latest version of the BIOS for the 2650.  If you need/want the latest version, you will need to either update from Windows or use the DVD SUU version.  All you need for the SUU DVD version is in the Installation Instructions:

Because the final DVD ISO is in two parts, it is necessary to combine them into a single ISO image.  Download both DVD ISO Images into an empty folder, then run the following at a Windows Command Prompt: 

copy /b om*  om_5.5.2_suu_a00.iso

Once this is done, you can then burn om_5.5.2_suu_a00.iso to a DVD.  Keep in mind that you cannot simply copy the ISO to the DVD.  You must use software capable of creating a DVD from that ISO (usually the premium versions of Roxio, and similar; Windows 7 can also do this - right-click the ISO file and choose Copy Image to CD/DVD.  If using Vista or XP, you can download CDBurnerXP or ISORecorder to do this.

Rey ... I do sometimes get carried away with the details, don't I?  Maybe a have a little birdie on my shoulder saying, "hey, but what about this?, and what if that?", as I type :)  From such a short question, it's hard to know how much the asker knows - if anything sometimes :)

Thanks again.  You identified the problem.   The integrated devices controller was set to SCSI, not RAID.  I am now able to access the RAID configuration.

No offense taken or even perceived.  I agree, it is very hard to know what someone is asking, especially when they don't know what the right question is.  Your responses provided much more information than, in hindsight, I really needed, but you also saved me a lot of time and trouble, and it cost you only a few seconds to provide a thorough answer.  I appreciate that.

I will check into the Ubuntu forums to see if I can figure out how to do the updates, but this problem is solved.

There are also people here who might be able to guide you on how to install firmware updates from Ubuntu ... I would ask another, specific question though so they see it and know exactly what you're after.

Take care and good luck.

First ... the remark about sometimes people not knowing anything was not directed at you.  Sorry if you read it that way ... It is often difficult to judge a person's technical level by the questions they ask, so you might get information that, to you (like the Service Tag thing), is overly basic (because there are those who don't know what the Service Tag even is).  No offense is intended ... just trying to anticipate the questions you might not have thought to ask.

As for updating firmware from Ubuntu, I have not tried, so I don't know if it is possible to do from the OS.  In fact, neither the BIOS nor the ESM contain the RAID configuration.  That is in its own separate chip.  If you are able to access the RAID CTRL-A utility during POST on one machine and not the other, then either the one machine does not have the RAID components installed or RAID has been turned off - or is malfunctioning.  You mentioned you thought at one time you could, so assuming the hardware is in place, boot to the BIOS Setup (F2), Integrated Devices, and make sure that Embedded RAID is set to RAID Enabled.  This should then give you the CTRL-A prompt for the PERC 3/Di Container Configuration Utility.  If that doesn't work or the option to Enable is not present, then check for the RAID hardware (key, memory, battery) ... if all present, then reseat them all (battery before the memory).

When you put drive from one controller onto another, the configuration is foreign to the controller ... you will get a message about a mismatch or a change having occured.  You will need to Accept those changes in order for the controller to import the new configuration on the disks into the controller for use.

As for the SBUU/SUU problem ... it is hard to say why it would reject the CD, unless the CD was corrupt.  Do you have another server with a DVD drive?  With many servers (like a 2850), the DVD drive is pretty simple to swap to the new machine.  Maybe even swapping the CD drive for another may help.