Updating Server Component Firmware - Dell PowerEdge FX2 User Manual

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. The iDRAC firmware must be at version 2.3
or later to update firmware using Lifecycle Controller.
Dell Update Packages (DUPs) are used to perform the firmware updates using Lifecycle Controller. The Operating System Driver
Pack component DUP exceeds this limit and must be updated separately using the Extended Storage feature.
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:
– iDRAC
– Lifecycle Controller
– BIOS
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 setup 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, refer to http://en.community.dell.com/TECHCENTER/EXTRAS/M/WHITE_PAPERS/
20438118/DOWNLOAD 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
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