Using iDRAC, you can update the iDRAC, BIOS, and all
device firmware that is supported by using Lifecycle Controller update
such as:
Fibre Channel (FC) cards
Diagnostics
Operating System Driver
Pack
Network Interface Card
(NIC)
RAID Controller
Power Supply Unit (PSU)
NVMe PCIe devices
SAS/SATA hard drives
Backplane update for
internal and external enclosures
OS Collector
CAUTION The PSU firmware update may take several minutes depending on the
system configuration and PSU model. To avoid damaging the PSU, do
not interrupt the update process or power on the system during PSU
firmware update.
You must upload the required firmware to iDRAC. After
the upload is complete, the current version of the firmware installed
on the device and the version being applied is displayed. If the firmware
being uploaded is not valid, an error message is displayed. Updates
that do not require a reboot are applied immediately. Updates that
require a system reboot are staged and committed to run on the next
system reboot. Only one system reboot is required to perform all updates.
After the firmware is updated, the System Inventory page displays the updated firmware version
and logs are recorded.
The supported firmware image file types are:
.exe — Windows-based Dell Update Package (DUP)
.d9 — Contains both iDRAC and Lifecycle Controller firmware
For files with .exe extension,
you must have the System Control privilege. The Remote Firmware Update
licensed feature and Lifecycle Controller must be enabled.
For files with .d9 extension,
you must have the Configure privilege.
NOTE After upgrading
the iDRAC firmware, you may notice a difference in the time stamp
displayed in the Lifecycle Controller log until the iDRAC time is
reset using NTP. The Lifecycle log displays the BIOS time until the
iDRAC time is reset.
You can perform firmware updates by using the following
methods:
Uploading a supported
image type, one at a time, from a local system or network share.
Connecting to an FTP,
TFTP, HTTP or HTTPS site or a network repository that contains Windows
DUPs and a corresponding catalog file.
You can create
custom repositories by using the Dell Repository Manager. For more
information, see Dell Repository Manager Data Center User's Guide. iDRAC can provide a difference report between the BIOS and firmware
installed on the system and the updates available in the repository.
All applicable updates contained in the repository are applied to
the system. This feature is available with iDRAC Enterprise license.
Scheduling recurring
automated firmware updates by using the catalog file and custom repository.
There are multiple tools and interfaces that can be
used to update the iDRAC firmware. The following table is applicable
only to iDRAC firmware. The table lists the supported interfaces,
image-file types, and whether Lifecycle Controller must be in enabled
state for the firmware to be updated.
Table 1. Image file types
and dependencies
.D9
Image
iDRAC
DUP
Interface
Supported
Requires LC enabled
Supported
Requires LC enabled
BMCFW64.exe utility
Yes
No
No
N/A
Racadm FWUpdate (old)
Yes
No
No
N/A
Racadm Update (new)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
iDRAC UI
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
WSMan
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
In-band OS DUP
No
N/A
Yes
No
The following table provides information on whether
a system restart is required when firmware is updated for a particular
component:
NOTE When multiple
firmware updates are applied through out-of-band methods, the updates
are ordered in the most efficient possible manner to reduce unnecessary
system restart.
Table 2. Firmware update
— supported components
Component Name
Firmware Rollback Supported? (Yes or No)
Out-of-band — System Restart Required?
In-band — System Restart Required?
Lifecycle Controller GUI — Restart Required?
Diagnostics
No
No
No
No
OS Driver Pack
No
No
No
No
iDRAC with Lifecycle Controller
Yes
No
No*
Yes
BIOS
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
RAID Controller
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Backplanes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Enclosures
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
NIC
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Power Supply Unit
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
CPLD
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
FC Cards
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
NVMe PCIe SSD drives
Yes
No
No
No
SAS/SATA hard drives
No
Yes
Yes
No
CMC (on PowerEdge FX2 servers)
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
OS Collector
No
No
No
No
* Indicates that though a system restart is not required,
iDRAC must be restarted to apply the updates. iDRAC communication
and monitoring may temporarily be interrupted.
When you check for updates, the version marked as Available does not always indicate that it is the latest version
available. Before you install the update, ensure that the version
you choose to install is newer than the version currently installed.
If you want to control the version that iDRAC detects, create a custom
repository using Dell Repository Manager (DRM) and configure iDRAC
to use that repository to check for updates.
Data is not available for the Topic
Please provide ratings (1-5 stars).
Please provide ratings (1-5 stars).
Please provide ratings (1-5 stars).
Please select whether the article was helpful or not.
Comments cannot contain these special characters: <>()\