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Dell Chassis Management Controller Version 3.10 for Dell EMC PowerEdge VRTX User's Guide

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Updating Server Component Firmware

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 iDRAC Settings > Lifecycle Controller , 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 Hardware Configuration > Hardware Inventory . 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:
    • While selecting the individual server components for update, make sure that there are no dependencies between the selected components. Else, selecting some components that have dependencies on other components for update may cause the server to stop functioning abruptly.
    • Make sure to update the server components in the recommended order. Else, the process of component firmware update may become unsuccessful.

      Always update the server component firmware modules in the following order:

      • BIOS
      • Lifecycle Controller
      • iDRAC

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 Chassis Overview > Server Overview > Update > Server Component Update 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 Chassis Overview > Server Overview > Update > Server Component Update .

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.

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