OpenManage Enterprise: How to Perform Firmware Updates

The following video provides a basic overview of how to perform firmware updates to devices in OpenManage Enterprise.

OpenManage Enterprise Firmware Updates

Firmware Update Basics: 

Requirement 1: Catalog 

• The default online catalog, if set to update automatically, refreshes on a weekly basis
• Dell Repository Manager (DRM) catalog can be used if hosted on a share 
• Supports CIFS, NFS, and HTTP, HTTPS shares 
• Catalog maps Windows DUP to update the Server using the DRAC interface

Requirement 2: Baseline 

• The baseline has two components: Catalog and Target Servers 
• Multiple baselines with the same catalog or the same devices can be created. 

Alternate Option: Single DUP to Single Device 

• Go to the OpenManage Enterprise (OME) Devices page, select a device, then click View Details 
• Select Firmware, then Update firmware 
• Option is presented to give it a single update package to push. 

Firmware Update Workflow - Out of Band: 

Step 1: OpenManage Enterprise (OME) downloads Updates to the Appliance. 

• Download the updates from downloads.dell.com or from a local share 
• If it fails in this step, then it is either a network, firewall issue, or a problem with a specific update in the catalog  

Step 2: Copy the firmware update to the iDRAC/CMC. 

• If this fails it is either proxy or network, or an issue with the remote device OpenManage Enterprise (OME) is connecting to 
• The easiest way to tell is by the number of devices affected - if 100% are affected it is more likely the network 
• Review the OM Enterprise job for the error code, or check the LC login one of the iDRACs 

Firmware Update Troubleshooting Workflow: 

Step 1: Check the Update Job Log in OM Enterprise. 

• Does it fail on the download or the push of the Firmware Update? 
• Debug Log entries to look for: 

[FirmwareConfig-Task-Pool] - Overall task for the FW Update 

INITIATE_FIRMWARE_JOBS – Start of the FW Update job 

REMOTE_SERVICE_API_STATUS – Checking LC Availability 

INSTALL_FROM_URI – Actual Firmware Update start 

TransformerUtils – CIFS Mount start

Step 2: If all Devices are affected or fails to download all updates, Troubleshoot the Network. 

• Check Proxy configuration 
• Check any available network logs 

Step 3: If all updates download but one, check the catalog. 

• New release updates may take 1-2 weeks to be promoted to the catalog 

Step 4: Check the iDRAC. 

• Check the LC Log for what occurred. 
• Attempt to update the server manually through the iDRAC.
• Updates can be performed directly to the iDRAC as a troubleshooting step

Step 5: Mount SMBv2 Share to the iDRAC. 

• IDRAC8 older than 2.52.52.52 only support SMBv1, must enable that manually in Application Settings 
• Uses ports 137, 138, 139 and 445 
• Error when this fails is RED016: Unable to Mount Remote Share