Dell Server Firmware Update Iso

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Elisa Rathrock

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Aug 3, 2024, 5:44:16 PM8/3/24

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we have one Dell PowerEdge Server and we must Update the firmware.
on the server is installed vmware esx 6.5 and are 10VM.
what is the best practice or the steps to Update the Dell PowerEdge Server.
to shutdown the all VM and import the update .

If your lifecycle controller is too out of date, it will not be able to get the updates from Dell. If that is the case, boot to the current Dell Update DVD .iso to get the updates as of January, 2020. Once that is complete, you can use the lifecycle controller to get the rest of the updates.

I have gone through this process this past month, where I had to use the .iso to do the first round of updates, and then lifecycle controller to finish. Schedule a maintenance windows of at least 2 hours. Both processes are slow.

Side note: If you have idrac installed and configured you can upload the firmware through this controller also. The firmware will apply on next reboot. Again, all vms should be powered down and backed up for best practice.

I have not been able to update anything through the iDRAC except for the iDRAC itself. BIOS, PERC, NIC, etc. are through the lifecycle controller, in my experience. LIfecycle controller and iDRAC are not the same thing. They have independent networking settings, for example.

The firmware is a software program permanently etched into a hardware device such as keyboards, hard drive, BIOS, or video cards. It is programmed to give permanent instructions to communicate with other devices and perform functions like basic input/output tasks. Firmware is typically stored in the flash ROM (read-only memory) of a hardware device.

It can be erased and rewritten. Keep a server up to date is important to have the best interoperability between OS and server, and avoid issues. To better understand the changes and improvements introduced by a firmware, it is advised to read the Release Note associated.

A device driver is a particular form of a software application that is designed to enable interaction with hardware devices.

Without the required device driver, the corresponding hardware device fails to work. Device drivers are operating system-specific and hardware-dependent. It acts as a translator between the hardware device and the programs or operating systems that use it.

If you have an issue and there is a Critical update available, applying this update should be your first step.
Recommended updates can help with certain issues seen, and improve stability. Dell recommends you update these at your next scheduled maintenance window.
The optional updates are smaller and could introduce new features or other small tweaks. These updates are as it says, optional

We were informed by a consultant that many past driver and firmware version updates need to be installed to bring them up to the latest version. Is that correct or are the updates supplied cumulative? We were under the impression that just the latest version update would be necessary.

The recommendation by the consultant is to install the first and last update of each major version. This ends up being a dozen installs with reboots after each to bring drivers/firmware up to date for one device. They are also recommending BIOS and Chipset updates, bringing the total count of installs and reboots up to 20. Doesn't seem like the most efficient way to go about it but is that accurate?

I've never heard, nor have I ever done that. In most cases, you should be installing the latest version driver and firmware updates. Make sure to read the release notes and installation instructions for each to make sure that there are no prerequisites.

There may be cases where your driver or firmware version is so old that you need to install some intermediate version before installing the latest version, but needing to install every prior version sounds a bit like nonsense. Again, make sure to read the release notes and installation instructions for each to make sure that there are no prerequisites, and if in doubt, contact Dell tech support.

You can simply use the update DVD supplied for your model. That will bring to the latest version directly, multiple boot may be necessary, but the media will handle that corrcetly on it's own and will warn you.

iDRAC virtual media: 1.Mount the ISO using the iDRAC virtual media. 2.Mark the next boot option as virtual media. 3.Reboot the system. 4.The system will boot into the ISO and upgrades the system components.

USB drive: 1.Run any Bootable USB drive creator software. 2.Select the downloaded ISO and create bootable media from it. 3.Plugin in the USB drive to the server. 4.Boot using the USB from BIOS settings. 5.The system will boot into the ISO and upgrades the system components.

A small non profit contacted me who has had a Dell R730 donated to them. The server is out of warranty. Usually, to update the firmware and drivers we use something like Dell Support Assist to query the system and update everything. It seems Dell has taken this away since the system is out of warranty. I did locate a Dell utility named SUU (Server Update Utility), ran it, and while it did update the BIOS, it is not catching what is needed to update the drivers shown below:

In addition you will notice that the display adapter is detected as the Microsoft Basic Display Adapter. This driver allows the changing of the resolution under settings, but that change does not take affect. For instance, if you change from 1024x768 to 1920x1080, the system lets you select it, but the resolution does not change on the screen. Any adice would be appreciated.

I have a question, as I'm a bit confused. Attempting to check my Dell servers against the VMware HCL and a lot of them have Intel NICs in them. I am confused about the firmware versions that are being reported via the iDRAC versus esxcli.

iDRAC and ESXi's esxcli tool may pull firmware information from different sources within the system. Thus, they will have a different reporting format as well since they interacts differently as well.

Unfortunately versions are not up to date, because I'm undertaking a VMware hardware compatibility assessment for upgrade. I'd also like to know how I can install the Intel support utility for Windows on ESX - or it it possible to scan a remote system?

Intel does not verify all solutions, including but not limited to any file transfers that may appear in this community. Accordingly, Intel disclaims all express and implied warranties, including without limitation, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement, as well as any warranty arising from course of performance, course of dealing, or usage in trade.

I have a Dell Poweredge 2650 and I'm trying to install the ethernet firmware/driver. I found this page but I can't figure out how to install it. Their isn't a loader.conf and I would like to avoid modding the kernel. I am using 12.04 server.

modprobe should give no output and ifconfig should show the NIC. You should be able to use the NIC just fine once the driver is correctly loaded. If you do want to update the firmware anyway, you'll need to have the driver loaded first. You may be able to do any firmware updates following the Ubuntu instructions, but if there is difficulty you may need to boot to the Dell OpenManage Live CD and do the updates from that environment.

NetTrace, a leading provider of computer asset tracking solutions, reports that its Computrace (developed by Canadian-based Absolute Software) and Lease Manager product will now have embedded support in the BIOS firmware of Dell notebooks.

Effective December 2005, customers with any of these computers will be able to upgrade to a new BIOS that has Computrace embedded support. The announcement is the most recent success stemming from Absolute Software (NetTrace`s principal) strategic initiative to be embedded in the BIOS of the world`s leading PC manufacturers.

The Computrace technology allows NetTrace to offer theft recovery and secure PC inventory and tracking services to large South African corporate companies. When a Computrace-enabled computer is connected to the Internet (over IP or telephone), the Computrace software sends a silent signal to a central monitoring centre server providing its IP address or phone number to identify its physical location. For network and security managers, the ability to know the physical location of all computer assets at any given time is imperative. If a computer is stolen, from an enterprise or an individual, NetTrace has the ability to both track down its physical location for recovery and to remotely delete sensitive data - the effectiveness of which is significantly enhanced when the Computrace software is embedded in the BIOS. This allows the product to persist after operating system reloads.

Absolute Software Canada chairman and CEO John Livingston said the agreement with Dell means that his 10-year-old company has now has technology agreements with four of the world`s top personal computer makers, Gateway (not offered in South Africa), IBM, HP and Dell. While the technology deals don`t generate sales directly for Absolute, they will make it easier to convince end-users to subscribe to Absolute`s Computrace service, Livingston said in an interview from San Francisco.

In order to activate the Computrace service, Dell corporate notebook PC customers can order the product so that it is included with new notebook purchases directly from the Dell Web site. This option is called custom factory integration and already enjoys good success in Europe and North America. Alternatively, corporate customers can contact NetTrace South Africa directly for more information.