18

Updating BIOS, firmware, drivers, and system applications

With the System Update feature in OpenManage Essentials, you can:

• Upgrade and downgrade firmware, drivers, BIOS, application, and OpenManage Server Administrator.

• Compare the drivers and firmware on the inventoried servers and modular blade enclosures with a source catalog and update them if needed.

NOTE: The recommended minimum network bandwidth that is required for OpenManage Essentials in a WAN environment is 10 Mbps (for monitoring) and 20 Mbps (for updates). Inventory automatically starts after the updates are applied to a target server.

NOTE: OpenManage Essentials supports system updates on PowerEdge 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th generation servers using iDRAC with Lifecycle Controller.

• Filter devices by clicking the Filtered by option. You can either select a query or select the devices/groups from the device tree.

Check for these prerequisites before you update systems:

• Internet is accessible, and you can access downloads.dell.com

(port 443)—if you are using the online catalog source.

• DNS is resolved.

NOTE: When providing system credentials, if the username has spaces or periods, the username must be provided within quotation marks. For example, "localhost\johnny marr" or "us-domain\tim verlaine". Spaces and periods can be used in usernames for OpenManage System Administrator Tasks, Generic Command Line Tasks (local system), OpenManage

Systems Administrator Deployment Tasks. System Updates (In Band, through OpenManage System Administrator) also support spaces and periods. Out of Band updates (through RAC device) or commands such as RACADM do not support space or period in the username.

NOTE: If a deployment task is run on a target server that is configured with a BIOS System Password, when the task is running, ensure that you launch the iDRAC virtual console, and if prompted, enter the system password. Else, the task might display running state for some time and eventually timeout.

NOTE: If there are both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of OpenSSL libraries that are installed on an RHEL system, Dell EMC recommends to uninstall the 32-bit version. Also, if there is a symbolic link to libcrypto.so.6

created by

OpenManage Essentials, remove the symbolic link, and then redeploy BIOS, firmware, drivers, and system applications.

Viewing the System Update page

To view the System Update page, click Manage → System Update .

By default, the System Update page displays all the discovered devices. You can use the Filtered by: link to display only the selected devices or device groups.

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Figure 34. System Update page

1.

Compliance report. See Compliance Report

2.

Tabbed systems information. See Compliant Systems ,

Non Compliant Systems

,

Non Inventoried Systems , and Issues and

Resolutions .

3.

System update tasks. See

All System Update Tasks

Understanding sources of system updates

• Online source —Default option which downloads latest driver and firmware versions from downloads.dell.com

. This is also a default option for updating MX Chassis devices.

NOTE: OpenManage Essentials automatically checks for system updates and displays a message if a newer version is available.

• File system source —Drivers and firmware from the OpenManage Server Update Utility (SUU) media.

• Repository Manager file —Customized selection of specific drivers and firmware generated from the Repository Manager tool.

Choosing the right source of system updates

• Recommended option —Use the online source to ensure that you consistently have the latest drivers and firmware available from Dell EMC or use the Server Update Utility (SUU) option for a qualified set of drivers and firmware.

• Create custom catalog —Using this option gives you maximum control over driver and firmware revisions in your environment because you select them individually from either the SUU media or online source using the Repository Manager. You can install

Repository Manager, a separate tool, from the OpenManage Essentials installation package.

Selecting an update catalog source

1.

Click Manage → System Update → Select a Catalog Source .

2.

In Select a Catalog Source :

• Select one of the update sources.

• For MX7000 chassis, select the Use an online source option, and then select the preferred protocol.

3.

Click Import now .

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Viewing comparison results

This section provides information required to view the results of the comparison of devices to a source catalog.

Viewing compliant systems

1.

Click Manage → System Update .

2.

To view the compliant systems, click Compliant Systems .

For a MX7000 chassis, compliance details of the lead chassis, member chassis, and compute sleds are listed individually.

Viewing noncompliant systems

1.

Click Manage → System Update .

2.

To view the noncompliant systems, click Non-Compliant Systems .

Devices with the driver and firmware versions that are different from the catalog are displayed. For a MX7000 chassis, noncompliance details of the lead chassis, member chassis, and compute sleds are listed individually.

Viewing non-inventoried systems

1.

Click Manage → System Update .

2.

To view the non-inventoried systems, click Non-Inventoried Systems .

NOTE: CMC firmware updates (CMC active controller only) are also displayed in these results.

NOTE: To inventory the non-inventoried servers, you can select the non-inventoried servers and click Inventory. The method of inventory collection may vary based on the following criteria:

• If the server is discovered through SNMP and has OMSA installed, the default discovery and inventory is initiated.

• If the server is discovered through WMI/SSH and does not have OMSA installed, the Create F/W & Driver Inventory

Task window is displayed.

Viewing systems with issues and resolutions

1.

Click Manage → System Update .

2.

Click the Issues and Resolutions For Updates tab.

For more information about the update issues and the possible resolutions, see

Issues and Resolutions Use Case Scenarios

.

Creating a catalog baseline

1.

Click System Update → Create Catalog Baseline .

The Create Catalog Baseline wizard with a baseline name is displayed.

2.

Enter to change the baseline name.

3.

Click Browse to navigate to the file system and select the repository manager file.

4.

Click Import Now .

The catalog is listed under List of Catalog Baselines , and the baseline details are displayed on the Baseline details page.

Viewing the Default Catalog

Select to view the catalog file that is currently in use for applying software updates.

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Table 216. View Default Catalog

Field

Source

Source Type

Release ID

Release Date

Newer version available

Description

Displays the source. The source is either Server Update Utility, downloads.dell.com, or Repository Manager.

The type for source from which the catalog file is taken. For example, downloads.dell.com.

The unique identification number assigned to the released catalog file.

The date on which the catalog file was released.

Displays if a newer version is available.

System Update Use Case Scenarios

The following table provides use case scenarios about how system updates occur based on different protocols and the update modes.

NOTE: If the preferred system update method selected in Advanced Settings is In-Band (Operating System) and

OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA) is installed on the target server, the components are updated using OMSA. If

OMSA is not installed on the target server, the components are updated through the operating system.

Table 217. System Update Use Case Scenarios

Protocol Used for

Server IP

Discovery and

Inventory

SNMP

SNMP

Protocol Used for iDRAC IP

Discovery and

Inventory

SNMP

SNMP

Preferred System Update

Mode Selected in

Advanced Settings

In-Band (Operating

System)

Out-of-Band (iDRAC)

Credentials for

System Update

Server

Server

Actual Update Mode

All components are updated using

OpenManage Server Administrator.

NOTE: When an iDRAC IP is discovered using SNMP, iDRAC software inventory is not retrieved and all components are updated are using Server Administrator irrespective of the preferred system update mode selected.

WMI

WMI

SNMP

SNMP

In-Band (Operating

System)

Out-of-Band (iDRAC)

Server

Server

WMI

SSH

SNMP

SNMP

WS-Man/SNMP

WS-Man

In-Band (Operating

System)

In-Band (Operating

System)

In-Band (Operating

System)

Server

Server

Server

All components are updated using

OpenManage Server Administrator.

All components are updated using

Server Administrator because the protocol used for iDRAC discovery and inventory was SNMP.

All components are updated using the operating system.

All components are updated using the operating system.

All components are updated using

OpenManage Server Administrator.

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Protocol Used for

Server IP

Discovery and

Inventory

SNMP

Protocol Used for iDRAC IP

Discovery and

Inventory

WS-Man

Preferred System Update

Mode Selected in

Advanced Settings

Credentials for

System Update

Out-of-Band (iDRAC) iDRAC

WMI

WMI

WS-Man (ESXibased server)

WS-Man (ESXibased server)

WS-Man

WS-Man

WS-Man (ESXibased server)

WS-Man (ESXibased server)

Not applicable. The server IP is not discovered.

WS-MAN

Not applicable. The server IP is not discovered.

WS-MAN

In-Band (Operating

System)

Out-of-Band (iDRAC)

In-Band (Operating

System)

Out-of-Band (iDRAC)

In-Band (Operating

System)

Out-of-Band (iDRAC)

Server iDRAC iDRAC iDRAC iDRAC iDRAC

Actual Update Mode

BIOS, firmware, and applications are updated using iDRAC.

NOTE: When an iDRAC IP is discovered using WS-Man, the iDRAC software inventory is retrieved and the components are updated using iDRAC.

However, if drivers are present in addition to BIOS, firmware, and applications, then all the components are updated using

Server Administrator and not iDRAC.

All components are updated using

OpenManage Server Administrator.

BIOS, firmware, and applications are updated using iDRAC.

NOTE: When an iDRAC IP is discovered using WS-Man, the iDRAC software inventory is retrieved and the components are updated using iDRAC.

However, if drivers are present in addition to BIOS, firmware, and applications, then all the components are updated using

Server Administrator and not iDRAC.

All components are updated using iDRAC. For ESXi-based servers, all components are updated using iDRAC , irrespective of preferred system update mode selected.

All components are updated using iDRAC.

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Applying system updates by using the Non-Compliant Systems tab

NOTE: The following are some of the considerations when applying system updates:

• You can only update systems using iDRAC6 or later if they are discovered using the WS-Man protocol.

• If the iDRAC firmware version is 1.40.40 or earlier, applying system updates out-of-band (iDRAC) is supported only for 32bit Dell Update Packages (DUPs). If you select a catalog that has no 32-bit DUPs for applying an out-of-band system update, OpenManage Essentials does not display any updates under Select Updates to Apply .

• Applying system updates in-band (Operating System) requires that the Windows Management Instrumentation service is running on the selected targets.

• Applying system updates requires the availability of the default Temp folders (C:\Windows\Temp and C:\Users

\<username>\AppData\Local\Temp). Ensure that the Temp folders are not deleted or moved.

• For out-of-band system updates, Dell recommends that system on which OpenManage Essentials is installed and the iDRAC should be on the same network. If they are on different network, the system update task cannot be performed successfully. If you are using Active Directory authentication for the iDRAC, it is recommended that system on which

OpenManage Essentials is installed and the iDRAC should be on the same network domain.

• In an MCM group, system updates can be applied only to the lead MX7000 chassis.

To apply system updates:

1.

Click Manage → System Update .

2.

Click the Non-Compliant Systems tab.

NOTE: You can also filter systems based on either the groups or the devices by clicking the Filtered by: link. Select the devices in the Select System Update Target Devices and Device Groups window and click Apply.

3.

Select the systems from the list that you want to update.

NOTE: You can update multiple systems at the same time.

NOTE: The following are the considerations when using 64-bit DUPs for system update:

• For in-band updates (Operating System) – If the selected target is a server running a Windows 64-bit operating system, all applicable 64-bit packages are available for update. If the catalog does not contain 64-bit packages for a component, the corresponding 32-bit package is available for update.

• For out-of-band updates (iDRAC) – If the selected target is an iDRAC of a 12th or 13th generation PowerEdge server and has iDRAC firmware version later than 1.40.40 installed, all applicable 64-bit packages are available for update. If the catalog does not contain 64-bit packages for a component, the corresponding 32-bit package is available for update.

• For in-band or out-of-band updates – If the selected 12th or 13th generation PowerEdge server is running a 32-bit operating system and has iDRAC firmware version later than 1.40.40 installed, by default, only 32-bit packages are available for update unless there is a package that is known only to iDRAC and not known to OMSA.

4.

Click Apply Selected Updates .

A window is displayed to schedule updates.

NOTE: Chassis and blades are not associated for updates. They are treated as individual components and you must manually select them.

NOTE: Chassis, blade server BIOS, and iDRAC version interdependency management is not available.

5.

Enter a task name.

6.

Review the selected updates.

7.

Set the task schedule to Run Now , or set a specific date and time.

8.

If you want to apply the changes immediately, select After update, if required, reboot the target server .

The Out-of-band Reboot Type option is displayed.

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Using the Out-of-band Reboot Type option, you can set the types of reboot methods available for the system update. The reboot methods are:

• Power Cycle (Cold)—Select this option to power off and then restart the system.

• Graceful Reboot without forced shutdown (Warm)—Select this option to shut down and then reboot the operating system without forcefully turning off the target system.

• Graceful Reboot with forced shutdown (Warm with forced)—Select this option to shut down and then reboot the operating system by forcefully turning off the target system.

NOTE: By default, the Graceful Reboot with forced shutdown reboot method is selected.

9.

If you want to skip the signature and hash check on the system update package, select Skip Signature and Hash Check .

10.

For out-of-band update only—If you experience failures while performing updates using the iDRAC, select Before update, reset the iDRAC .

CAUTION: If the Before update, reset the iDRAC option is selected, all iDRAC jobs that are currently in the queue are deleted before the update is applied. If required, you must create the jobs again.

11.

Enter the administrator credentials of the operating system or iDRAC for the target device.

NOTE: For applying system updates on target systems running a Windows operating system with the User Account

Control (UAC) feature enabled:

• If the target system is part of a Domain, you must provide the credentials of either the Domain Administrator or a member in the Administrators group. Do not provide the credentials of the local, non-domain account on the target system, even if the account is in the Administrators group.

• If the target system is not part of a Domain, you must provide the Administrator credentials. If you want to provide the credentials of a non-default Administrator account, ensure that the Remote WMI permissions are enabled for that user account.

Examples: In a Windows domain environment, enter <Domain\Administrator> and password. In a Windows workgroup environment, enter <LocalHost\Administrator> and the password.

In a Linux environment, enter root and password. If you want to apply system updates using sudo, select Enable Sudo and update the SSH port number .

NOTE: Before you apply system updates using sudo, create a user account, edit the sudoers file using the visudo command, and add the following:

For target systems running a 32-bit operating systems:

Cmnd_Alias OMEUPDATE = /bin/tar,/opt/dell/srvadmin/bin/omexec,/tmp/

LinuxPreInstallPackage/runbada,/tmp/LinuxPreInstallPackage/omexec,/tmp/invcol.bin

<sudo_username> ALL=OMEUPDATE,NOPASSWD:OMEUPDATE

For target systems running a 64-bit operating systems:

Cmnd_Alias OMEUPDATE = /bin/tar,/opt/dell/srvadmin/bin/omexec,/tmp/

LinuxPreInstallPackage64/runbada,/tmp/LinuxPreInstallPackage64/omexec,/tmp/ invcol64.bin <sudo_username> ALL=OMEUPDATE,NOPASSWD:OMEUPDATE

NOTE: Applying system updates using sudo is not supported for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server targets.

12.

Click Finish .

NOTE: You cannot schedule Windows and Linux updates to occur using the same task, and separate tasks should be created.

Applying System Updates by using the System Update Task wizard

The system update task allows you to view and select non-compliant systems and their applicable updates.

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NOTE: The following are some of the considerations when applying system updates:

• You can only update systems using iDRAC6 or later if they are discovered using the WS-Man protocol.

• If the iDRAC firmware version is 1.40.40 or earlier, applying system updates out-of-band (iDRAC) is supported only for 32bit Dell Update Packages (DUPs). If you select a catalog that has no 32-bit DUPs for applying an out-of-band system update, OpenManage Essentials does not display any updates under Select Updates to Apply .

• Applying system updates in-band (Operating System) requires that the Windows Management Instrumentation service is running on the selected targets.

• Applying system updates requires the availability of the default Temp folders (C:\Windows\Temp and C:\Users

\<username>\AppData\Local\Temp). Ensure that the Temp folders are not deleted or moved.

• For out-of-band system updates, Dell recommends that system on which OpenManage Essentials is installed and the iDRAC should be on the same network. If they are on different network, the system update task cannot be performed successfully. If you are using Active Directory authentication for the iDRAC, it is recommended that system on which

OpenManage Essentials is installed and the iDRAC should be on the same network domain.

• In an MCM group, system updates can be applied only to the lead MX7000 chassis.

To create a system update task:

1.

Click Manage → System Update .

The System Update portal is displayed.

2.

In the Update Action section, click Create System Update Task .

The Non-Compliant Systems page of System Update wizard is displayed.

3.

Select any noncompliant systems that you want to update and click Next .

NOTE: You can update multiple systems at the same time.

NOTE: The following are the considerations when using 64-bit DUPs for system update:

• For in-band updates (Operating System) – If the selected target is a server running a Windows 64-bit operating system, all applicable 64-bit packages are available for update. If the catalog does not contain 64-bit packages for a component, the corresponding 32-bit package is available for update.

• For out-of-band updates (iDRAC) – If the selected target is an iDRAC of a 12th or 13th generation Dell PowerEdge server and has iDRAC firmware version later than 1.40.40 installed, all applicable 64-bit packages are available for update. If the catalog does not contain 64-bit packages for a component, the corresponding 32-bit package is available for update.

• For in-band or out-of-band updates – If the selected 12th or 13th generation PowerEdge server is running a 32-bit operating system and has iDRAC firmware version later than 1.40.40 installed, by default, only 32-bit packages are available for update unless there is a package known only to iDRAC and not known to OMSA.

The Applicable Packages page is displayed.

4.

Select the packages that you want to update and click Next .

The Summary and Credentials page is displayed.

5.

Type a name for the task in the appropriate field.

6.

In the Set the Task Schedule section: a. Set the task schedule to Run Now or set a specific date and time.

b. If you want to apply the changes immediately, select After update, if required, reboot the target server .

The Out-of-band Reboot Type option is displayed.

Using the Out-of-band Reboot Type option, you can set the types of reboot methods available for the system update. The reboot methods are:

• Power Cycle (Cold) — Select this option to power off and then restart the system.

• Graceful Reboot without forced shutdown (Warm) — Select this option to shut down and then reboot the operating system without forcefully turning off the target system.

289

• Graceful Reboot with forced shutdown (Warm with forced) — Select this option to shut down and then reboot the operating system by forcefully turning off the target system.

NOTE: By default, the Graceful Reboot with forced shutdown reboot method is selected.

c. If you want to skip the signature and hash check on the system update package, select Skip Signature and Hash Check .

d. For out-of-band update only — If you experience failures while performing updates using the iDRAC, select Before update, reset the iDRAC .

CAUTION: If the Before update, reset the iDRAC option is selected, all pending jobs or activities scheduled on the iDRAC will be cancelled before the update is applied. If required, you must create the iDRAC jobs again.

7.

In the Enter Credentials for the task execution section, type the user name and password of the iDRAC (for out-of-band updates) or operating system (for in-band updates).

NOTE: For applying system updates on target systems running a Windows operating system with the User Account

Control (UAC) feature enabled:

• If the target system is part of a Domain, you must provide the credentials of either the Domain Administrator or a member in the Administrators group. Do not provide the credentials of the local, non-domain account on the target system, even if the account is in the Administrators group.

• If the target system is not part of a Domain, you must provide the Administrator credentials. If you want to provide the credentials of a non-default Administrator account, ensure that the Remote WMI permissions are enabled for that user account.

Examples: In a Windows domain environment, enter <Domain\Administrator> and password. In a Windows workgroup environment, enter <LocalHost\Administrator> and the password

In a Linux environment, enter root and password. If you want to apply system updates using sudo, select Enable Sudo and update the SSH port number .

NOTE: Before you apply system updates using sudo, create a new user account, edit the sudoers file using the visudo command, and add the following:

For target systems running a 32-bit operating systems:

Cmnd_Alias OMEUPDATE = /bin/tar,/opt/dell/srvadmin/bin/omexec,/tmp/

LinuxPreInstallPackage/runbada,/tmp/LinuxPreInstallPackage/omexec,/tmp/invcol.bin

<sudo_username> ALL=OMEUPDATE,NOPASSWD:OMEUPDATE

For target systems running a 64-bit operating systems:

Cmnd_Alias OMEUPDATE = /bin/tar,/opt/dell/srvadmin/bin/omexec,/tmp/

LinuxPreInstallPackage64/runbada,/tmp/LinuxPreInstallPackage64/omexec,/tmp/ invcol64.bin <sudo_username> ALL=OMEUPDATE,NOPASSWD:OMEUPDATE

NOTE: Applying system updates using sudo is not supported for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server targets.

8.

Click Finish .

NOTE: You cannot schedule Windows and Linux updates to occur using the same task, and separate tasks should be created.

Viewing status of the System Update task

To view and confirm that updates were applied successfully, click Manage → System Update → Summary . The Task Execution

History pane displays if the updates were applied successfully.

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Updating systems without OpenManage Server Administrator

To update the firmware, BIOS, and drivers on a system that does not have OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA) installed:

1.

Collect the software inventory from the server. See Collecting Firmware and Driver Inventory .

2.

Update the system through the system update portal. See

Applying System Updates Using the Non-Compliant Systems Tab or

Applying System Updates Using the System Update Task Wizard

.

Issues and Resolutions Use Case Scenarios

The following table provides information about the issues that are displayed in the Issues and Resolutions for Updates tab with the possible resolutions.

Table 218. Issues and Resolutions Use Case Scenarios

Issue Resolution

PowerEdge VRTX was inventoried using either SNMP or IPMI.

Perform discovery and inventory of PowerEdge VRTX using

WS-Man.

iDRAC was inventoried using either SNMP or IPMI.

Perform discovery and inventory of iDRAC using WS-Man.

iDRAC does not meet the minimum version requirements.

iDRAC does not have the required license.

Minimum supported iDRAC version for modular servers is 2.20 and for monolithic servers is 1.4. Manually install the required iDRAC versions to proceed.

iDRAC requires license to perform system updates which can be obtained using License Manager.

The server does not have Server Administrator installed on it or is discovered using SSH. This issue occurs if:

• A Windows-based server without Server Administrator is discovered using WMI.

• A Linux-based server with or without Server Administrator is discovered using SSH.

Schedule Inventory Collection Task. Recommended to schedule

Periodic Inventory Collection Task.

Configuring automatic purging of downloaded system update files

To apply system updates and to perform remote tasks on target devices, OpenManage Essentials might download the appropriate

BIOS, firmware, driver, and application files. By default, the downloaded files are saved in the <install location>\Essentials\System

Update folder. You can configure OpenManage Essentials to automatically purge some of the downloaded files if the downloads folder (<install location>\Essentials\System Update) reaches a defined size limit.

NOTE: By default, the purging of downloaded files is disabled.

To configure automatic purging of downloaded files:

1.

Click Settings → Purge Download Settings .

The Purge Download Settings page is displayed.

2.

Select Enable purging of downloaded files to allow the automatic purging of the downloaded files using the default settings.

3.

If required, set the size limit of the downloads folder based on your preference.

NOTE: Purging of the downloaded files is initiated when the downloads folder reaches the defined size limit.

4.

If required, set the approximate size of the downloaded files to be purged based on your preference.

NOTE: Files in the downloads folder are purged until the total size of the purged files reaches or exceeds the approximate size that you have defined.

5.

Click Apply .

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