This blog post is written by Shine KA and Charu Panigrahi from Dell iDRAC team
With recent iDRAC7 release (iDRAC7 1.30.30 onwards), you can use iDRAC Web GUI or Racadm interface to update all server components. Using this feature you can update any server component (BIOS, iDRAC, USC, NIC etc.) which is supported through Lifecycle Controller update. You can use windows Dell Update Packages (DUP) for this method.
To use this feature first you have to upload DUP for the required component to iDRAC. Once uploaded, jobs will be created for each component update. You can check the status of the job also in iDRAC GUI or Racadm. Some of the updates (E.g. BIOS, PERC, NIC Etc.) required system reboot to perform the update and some updates (iDRAC, USC, Driver Pack, Diagnostics Etc.) does not require system reboot to apply the update. Based on this you need to reboot the server if required. Once system is rebooted all updates will be applied.
For GUI based update, you can browse Dell Update Package (DUP) from local client file system for installation and for racadm based update you can keep DUP file on local file system (Local and Remote racadm) or in NFS/CIFS share (Local, Remote and FW Racadm). You need to have iDRAC Servercontrol privilege level to use this feature. The minimum required license level for this feature is express. But you can update .d7 and .usc with Basic management license.
Updating Server Component using iDRAC7 GUI
You can use this feature from the update section under Update and Rollback page of iDRAC GUI. To use this feature, first you have to browse and upload windows DUP for the component which require update. During the upload the package verification will be done. Depending on success or failure of verification the status message will be displayed. The Available and Current version of the uploaded component will be displayed in the update details section. Multiple components can be updated at a time by uploading multiple windows DUP one by one. You can schedule the reboot depending upon the requirement. If the DUP does not require a system reboot you can apply the update immediately. If a reboot is required either you can apply the update immediately which is followed by system reboot or schedule the update for next reboot. Different jobs will be created for each update. Job status can be viewed in the Job Queue page. On expanding (+) for each update job you can view the status of the update.
Updating Server Component using Racadm
You can use racadm interface also to perform firmware update of all server component. This can be done using any racadm interface (Local, Remote and FW Racadm - SSH, Telnet and Serial). Component update can be done from a Local File (Using Local and Remote Racadm) or from remote CIFS / NFS share (Using Local, Remote and FW Racadm). To initiate the pending or scheduled update user need to perform Server power action control using the racadm serveraction command. Once the update is successfully initiated one job will be created for each update operation. If the update does not require reboot then the update will be applied immediately. If the update requires a reboot, update will be scheduled for next reboot .You can upload multiple DUP by uploading one by one and apply all update in a single reboot. (Using “racadm jobqueue view ” command you can get the status of the update).
Usage-
Upload the Update file from the local file system using local racadm
racadm update –f <filename>
Upload the Update file from a remote CIFS share
racadm update -f <updatefile> -u username –p password -l //IP-Address/share
Upload the Update file from a remote NFS share:
racadm update -f <updatefile> -l IP-address:/share
To check the update status
racadm jobqueue view
For rebooting the server
racadm serveraction <powercycle/powerdown/powerup>
