Performing Updates on a PowerEdge

VRTX System Using CMC 1.0

This Dell Technical White Paper provides information about how to
update CMC, Chassis Infrastructure, IOM, and Software Component
firmware using the CMC Web Interface and RACADM Interface.

Author

Chandrasekhar G

Contributors

Michael Brundridge
Nikhil M
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Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................................... 3 
Recommended Sequence for Applying Firmware Update ..................................................... 3 
Downloading Updates ................................................................................................ 3 
Preferred Method of Downloading Updates Using Dell™ Repository Manager (DRM) ...................... 3 
Downloading Firmware .............................................................................................. 9 
Updates Using CMC Web Interface ................................................................................. 9 
Viewing Currently Installed Firmware Versions ................................................................. 9 
Updating CMC Firmware ........................................................................................... 10 
Updating Chassis Infrastructure Firmware ..................................................................... 12 
Updating IOM Firmware ........................................................................................... 13 
Updating Server Component Firmware (BIOS, Lifecycle Controller, OS Drivers Pack, iDRAC, RAID
Controller, Hard Disk Drive, and Expander) .................................................................... 18 
Updating iDRAC Firmware ....................................................................................... 18 
Updating RAID Controller Firmware ........................................................................... 21 
Updating Shared PERC Firmware ............................................................................... 24 
Updating Server Component Firmware―BIOS, Lifecycle Controller, OS Drivers Pack, and iDRAC... 26 
Updating Firmware Using RACADM Interface .................................................................... 28 
Viewing Currently Installed Firmware Versions ................................................................ 28 
Updating CMC Firmware and Chassis Infrastructure Firmware .............................................. 29 
Updating I/O Module Firmware .................................................................................. 30 
Updating Server Component Firmware ( iDRAC, RAID Controller) .......................................... 30 
Updating Shared PERC Firmware ................................................................................. 30 
Quick Reference to Update Various Components ............................................................... 31 
Frequently Asked Questions........................................................................................ 32 

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Introduction
This white paper describes different ways to update the Chassis hardware and the server on Dell
PowerEdge VRTX Servers. Customers can use any of the following methods on the basis of their
requirements and operating environment.

 Executing updates using the CMC Web Interface

 Executing updates using the RACADM Interface

 Executing updates using the Dell Repository Manager

Recommended Sequence for Applying Firmware Update

When applying firmware updates to your system, it is recommended they be done in the following 
sequence: 
 
1. CMC firmware should be updated prior to updating any server firmware.  
2. If  you  are  using  Dell  Update  Packages  (DUP)  to  perform  updates  on  servers,  the  firmware 
should be updated in the following order: 
 
 Lifecycle Controller 
 BIOS 
 iDRAC 

Downloading Updates
Preferred Method of Downloading Updates Using Dell™ Repository Manager
(DRM)
Dell™ Repository Manager (DRM) is an application that helps to manage system updates easily and
effectively. DRM is a tool that makes it easy to find multiple updates and download them as a single
package. In the latest release of DRM, Dell introduced a new feature to help customers update their
local repository, which makes the job of tracking and obtaining the latest updates easier. However,
Dell recommends the use of DRM for maintaining an update repository for use with other Dell tools.

Download and install the DRM before performing updates. The tasks involved in updating the local
repository with the latest from Dell Online Repository:

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1. Select the local repository you want to update.

By default, an existing repository displays the bundles.

2. Select the corresponding bundle and click Export.

3. In the Export Bundle(s) dialog box, click Next.

The Export Destination dialog box lists various options.

4. Select the appropriate options and click Next.

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Note: In this example, the bundle is being exported as an SUU ISO image.

5. The Export Destination wizard verifies whether or not the SUU plug-ins are available. If the SUU
is not available, you are asked to download and install the SUU plug-in. Else, the version of plug-in
currently used by DRM is displayed. Click Next.

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6. In the Browse For Folder dialog box, select the destination folder to download the bundle, and
then click OK.

Note: In this example, the ISO image will be downloaded in the SUU ISO folder.

7. The downloaded bundle will be placed in the queue until all firmware(s) are downloaded, click
OK.

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8. In the lower-left corner, Jobs Queue displays the status of job download operation.

Note: The Jobs Queue tab also allows the job to be stopped or removed from the Job Queue, if
required.

9. DUPs that are part of a custom bundle can be downloaded as required from the My Repository
tab. To view the DUP(s), go to the Components tab where a list of available DUP(s) for the
selected bundle is displayed. Select the DUP(s) for download, and then click Download File.

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10. In the Browse For Folder dialog box, select the directory where you want to store the DUP(s) on
the local system, and then click OK.

After the download completes, the server DUP(s) can be updated.

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Downloading Firmware
To download the latest version of CMC firmware, Chassis Infrastructure, RAID Controller, iDRAC, or
HDD firmware(s) from support.dell.com:

1. Go to www.dell.com/support
2. Choose the product category “Servers, Storage & Networking”
3. Choose the “PowerEdge” server from the list.
4. Select the “PowerEdge VRTX” from the list of Power Edge Servers.
5. Select the Drivers and Download tab. The Dell firmware(s) packages will be listed under
various categories.
6. Download the package or Dell Update Package from the list.

Updates Using CMC Web Interface

Viewing Currently Installed Firmware Versions
To view the currently installed CMC firmware version, go to:

Chassis Overview  Update  Firmware Update  CMC Firmware.

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To view the currently installed Chassis Infrastructure firmware version, go to Chassis Overview 
Update  Firmware Update  Chassis Infrastructure Firmware.

Updating CMC Firmware

To update the CMC Firmware update, click Chassis Overview -> Update tab and do the following:

1. Locate the CMC Firmware section and select the options under the Update Targets column for the
CMC or CMC(s) to update the firmware, and then click Apply CMC Update.

2. On the Firmware Update page, click the Browse button.

3. In the Choose File to Upload dialog box, select the firmware image from your local system
directory to be used to update the CMC, and then click Open.

4. Click the Begin Firmware Update button.

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5. The Firmware Update Progress section displays information about a firmware. A status indicator
displays on the page while the image file uploads. File transfer time varies on the basis of
connection speed. When the internal update process begins, the page automatically refreshes and
the Firmware update timer is displayed.

Note: For a standby CMC, when the update is complete, the Update State field displays Done.
However, for an active CMC, during the final phases of the firmware update process, the browser
session and connection with CMC is lost temporarily as the active CMC is taken offline. After the
active CMC has restarted, you must log in again after a few minutes. After CMC resets, the new
firmware is displayed on the Firmware Update page.

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Updating Chassis Infrastructure Firmware

To update the Chassis Infrastructure firmware, go to Chassis Overview → Update and do the
following:

1. In the Chassis Infrastructure Firmware section, select the option in the Update Targets column
for the Main-Board, and then click Apply Chassis Infrastructure Firmware.

Note: To apply updates for the targets in the Chassis Infrastructure Firmware, the servers must
be turned off before starting the update. If the servers are not turned off, the page will redirect
to the Chassis Health page to manage and monitor the power states.

2. On the Firmware Update page, under the Chassis Infrastructure Firmware section, click the
Browse button.

3. In the Choose File to Upload dialog box, select the firmware image from your local system
directory to be used to update the Chassis Infrastructure Firmware, click Open, and then click the
Begin Firmware Update button.

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4. The Firmware Update Progress section displays the status of firmware update. A status indicator
displays on the page while the image file uploads. File transfer time varies on the basis of
connection speed. When the internal update process begins, the page automatically refreshes and
the Firmware update timer is displayed.

You must powercycle the chassis after performing update on Chassis Infrastructure Firmware.

Updating IOM Firmware

IOM Firmware updated is performed using the IOM user interface:

1. Copy the r2401-10052.ros files to a TFTP server.

2. Turn on the VRTX Chassis.
3. Make sure that the TFTP server is addressable on the CMC Ethernet segment.
4. Configure the ARC-II out-of-band port IP Address so that it is in the same network as the TFTP
server.

In this example, TFTP server IP address is 192.168.1.162, and ARC-II OOB is 192.168.1.167/24.

1. Connect to CMC using Telnet/SSL by using an Ethernet-based attachment.

2. Log in to the CMC and then type connect switch, at the login prompt enter the User Name and
Password (default is the CMC user name and password).

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3. Run the CMC getversion command to verify which firmware version is currently running on the
device. The screen shot here shows as example of the output.

4. Run the CMC connect switch command to redirect the console to the switch.

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5. Run the switch show version command to check the switch firmware version.

6. Run the switch show ip interface command to check the current IP address, gateway IP
address, and OOB IP address.

7. If the switch-configured OOB IP address is not properly configured to reach the TFTP server,
change the OOB IP address by running the switch ip address commands listed below.

console#config
console(config)#interface oob

console(config-oob)#ip address 192.168.1.167 /24 (for static

address)
OR
console(config-oob)#ip address dhcp (for dhcp server)

console(config-if)#exit
console(config)#exit
console#

8. Run the switch copy command to copy the image from the TFTP server to the switch.

console#copy tftp://oob/192.168.1.162/r2401-10052.ros image

01-Oct-2006 17:36:41 %COPY-I-FILECPY: Files Copy - source URL

tftp://192.168.1.162/r2401-10051.ros destination URL flash://image

01-Oct-2006 17:38:23 %COPY-N-TRAP: The copy operation was completed

successfully

Copy: 7098286 bytes copied in 00:01:39 [hh:mm:ss]

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9. Run the switch write command to update the firmware image.

console#write
Overwrite file [startup-config].... (Y/N)[N] ?Y
01-Oct-2006 15:25:56 %COPY-I-FILECPY: Files Copy - source URL running-
config destination URL flash://startup-config
01-Oct-2006 15:26:05 %COPY-N-TRAP: The copy operation was completed
successfully
Copy succeeded
console#

10. Run the switch show bootvar command to verify the new image is selected for the next system
start.

console#show bootvar

Image Filename Version Date Status

----- --------- --------- --------------------- -----------
1 image-1 1.0.0.51 13-Feb-2013 17:10:14 Active*
2 image-2 1.0.0.52 20-Feb-2013 18:41:53 Not active

"*" designates that the image was selected for the next boot

11. If the new image is not active as shown earlier, run the switch boot system command to make it
active.

console#boot system image-2

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12. Run the switch reload command to restart the switch to load the new firmware image.

console#reload

This command will reset the whole system and disconnect your current
session.

Do you want to continue ? (Y/N)[N] Y

Shutting down ...

Shutting down ...
Resetting local unit
Shutting down ...

**************************************************
***************** SYSTEM RESET *****************
**************************************************
mii4: link is down
mii4: link is up, 100 FDX

13. It may take a few minutes for the switch to complete the reset process. To verify whether or not
the switch is running the correct firmware image, run the CMC connect switch command to
attach to the switch.

$ connect switch
connect: acquiring remote port.
Connected to remote port.

Escape character is '^\'.

User Name:root
Password:calvin

14. Run the switch show version command to verify the firmware version.

console#show version

SW version 1.0.0.52 ( date 20-Feb-2013 time 17:10:14 )

Boot version 1.0.0.9 ( date 21-Jan-2013 time 15:19:49 )
HW version 00.00.00

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Updating Server Component Firmware (BIOS, Lifecycle Controller, OS Drivers

Pack, iDRAC, RAID Controller, Hard Disk Drive, and Expander)

Updating iDRAC Firmware

1. To update iDRAC Firmware, you can go to the Firmware Update page by clicking any one of
the following.

a. Chassis Overview  Chassis Controller  Update

b. Chassis Overview  Update

c. Chassis Overview  I/O Module Overview  Update

d. Chassis Overview  Server Overview  Update

After you click the tabs as listed above, the Firmware Update page is displayed. A sample
screen shot is given here.

In the iDRAC7 Firmware section, select the corresponding Update Target(s) to update the
iDRAC firmware.

After clicking the Update link the Server Component Update page is displayed. However, if
you click the tabs as listed in step 4, the Server Component Update page is directly
displayed.

2. The Component/Device Update Filter section has an option to filter information about
specific components from the available list of components. For example, to list all the
available iDRAC component devices, select the iDRAC option under the Component/Device
Update Filter section.

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The Server Component Update page displays all iDRACs that are available. One or more
iDRACs can be selected for update. You can browse through and select a Windows Dell Update
Package (DUP).

Note: Windows DUP can be either 64bit or 32bit.

If Reboot Now is selected, the update process starts immediately and system is restarted
after an update. However, if the On Next Reboot option is selected, update process will be
started whenever system gets restarted the next time.

After the selection of Reboot Now, the following message is displayed.

The server firmware operation forces the selected servers to reboot.

3. Click OK to continue the operation. Else, click Cancel.

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4. Click OK to continue the update process. CMC schedules the update task.

After an update is successfully scheduled, the following message displayed

Update schedule request for all servers succeeded.

The DUP is downloaded and the status in Job Status is shown as Downloading.

After downloading, the update task will be scheduled, executed and completed. After completion of
the update and restart, the Job Status is indicated as Completed.

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The Current Version and Rollback Version displays the data in respective columns.

Updating RAID Controller Firmware

RAID controller firmware update can be done in two methods:

 Chassis Overview  Server Overview  Update.

 Chassis Overview  Storage  Storage Component Update.

Chassis Overview  Server Overview  Update

1. To update RAID controller firmware, in the Component/Device Update Filter, select the RAID
Controller option. A list of RAID controller components that can be updated is displayed. If
the Update option is selected, a Browse button is shown, which enables searching for a Dell
Update Package (DUP), and then scheduling an update.

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2. The following message is displayed. To schedule an update process, click OK.

The server firmware operation forces the selected servers to reboot.

Click OK to continue the operation. Else, click Cancel.

After an update process is scheduled, the job status changes to Scheduled.

The sample screen shot here shows an update process that is in progress.

After successful execution of update, current & earlier version numbers are shown accordingly.

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Chassis Overview  Storage  Storage Component Update

1. To select the required update package, click the Browse button, browse through to select the
DUP file, and then click Upload. The status of uploading is shown by a spinning wheel and the
following message.

The file is being uploaded. This may take several minutes.

Note: While updating storage components, the corresponding server must be turned off. If a
server is not turned off, the following message is displayed.

The servers must be turned off to perform update operation.

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If a server is already turned off, upload operation will be successful and the information about current
version and update version is displayed. To start the update process, select the Update option, and
then click the Update button.

After successful completion of an update, the following message is displayed.

Update finished.

Updating Shared PERC Firmware

Log in to the CMC Web interface. In the left pane, click Chassis Overview, click Storage, and then
click Update.

1. On the Storage Component Update page, select the RAID controller you want to update,
browse through to the firmware image file, click Browse, and then click Upload.

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File upload process is started and it takes some time to upload the image file.

2. Select the Update option, and then click Update.

Firmware process is started and it takes some time to complete the update.

After successfully completing the update process, a message is displayed as shown in the screen
shot here.

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After the firmware of RAID controller is successfully updated, the Update status is indicated as
Complete.

Updating Server Component Firmware―BIOS, Lifecycle Controller, OS Drivers Pack, and

iDRAC
1. Click Chassis Overview  Server Overview  Update.

2. On the Server Component Update, the component inventory of all the severs is displayed and
update filter to select particular component firmware to update. Check the component which
requires an update.

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Selecting BIOS gives information about BIOS firmware in all servers such as current version,
rollback version, and update status.

3. After you select the Update option, a browse button is displayed to select an update package.
Select an update package, and then click the Update button. A message is displayed as shown in
the screen shot here.

4. To continue the update process, click OK. The update operation is scheduled.

After the update operation is scheduled, a message is displayed as shown in the screen shot here.

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5. After clicking the OK button, the process will start downloading the update package, which is
shown in the Job Status column.

After downloading, the update task will be scheduled, executed and completed. After
completion of the update and reboot, the job status is shown as Completed.

Similarly, Lifecycle controller firmware, iDRAC firmware, OS driver pack firmware, 32-bit
Diagnostics firmware, RAID controller, and Network I/F controller can be updated.

Updating Firmware Using RACADM Interface

Viewing Currently Installed Firmware Versions

To view the currently installed firmware versions, the getversion command is run.

1. Command racadm getversion retrieves all module firmware information. For

example, racadm getversion –b retrieves information about the BIOS of a server.

2. If you want to get information about a specific module, you can use module option. For
example, racadm getversion –m server-1.

The above command retrieves firmware information of server-1. Here module can be
server-n (where n=1,2,3,4), PERC, HDD, CMC-n (n=1,2), PERC, and expander.

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3. Filter can be used to retrieve information about specific components. Filter option must
be used with the –l option. For example,

racadm getversion –l –m server-1 –m server-2 –f bios

retrieves the BIOS–related information of server 1 and server 2

Similarly, racadm getversion –f idrac retrieves iDRAC–related information of all

the servers.

Updating CMC Firmware and Chassis Infrastructure Firmware

To update the CMC firmware, the fwupdate command can be used:

 The fwupdate command allows you to update the firmware on the active and standby CMC
firmware, chassis infrastructure, iDRAC firmware, and storage components (RAID Controller,
Hard Drive and Expander).

 Can update the firmware from FTP and TFTP server by providing an IP address.

To update from FTP server, run the command.

racadm fwupdate –f <ftp server ipaddress> <username> <password> -d <path>

[-m <module>]

Here, path is the full path to the firmware image file. If it is not provided, then CMC, by default,
searches for in the C:\ftproot folder. Module can be one of cmc-active, cmc-standby, server-n,
(where n=1–4), iominf-1, main-board, perc‐fqdd, expander-fqdd, and hdd-fqdd.

To update from a TFTP server, run the command.

racadm fwupdate –g –u –a <tftp server ip address> -d <path> [-m <module>]

For example, racadm fwupdate –g –u –a 10.94.149.100 –d fw_folder –m server-1

Here, path is the full path to the firmware image and module can be one of cmc-active, cmc-standby,
server-n (where n=1 to 4), iominf-1, main-board, perc-fqdd, expander-fqdd, and hdd-fqdd.

To see the current status of the firmware update, run the command.

racadm fwupdate –s

To cancel the update which is being performed,

racadm fwupdate –c

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Updating I/O Module Firmware

To update the CMC I/O Module firmware:

1. Upload the firmware image from the FTP server and start the firmware update.

racadm fwupdate -f 192.168.0.100 fred password123 -d firmimg.cmc -m

cmc-active

2. Start I/O Module infrastructure firmware update.

racadm fwupdate -u -m iominf-<n>

Updating Server Component Firmware ( iDRAC, RAID Controller)

To update server component firmware:

1. Copy the payload of iDRAC or RAID Controller in an FTP or TFTP server.

2. To update iDRAC or RAID Controller, update using the TFTP Server.

racadm fwupdate –g –u –a <ip_address_of_tftp_server> -d

<path_to_fw_image>

Updating Shared PERC Firmware

To update shared PERC firmware:

1. Copy the payload of Shared PERC Controller in an FTP or TFTP server.

2. To update Shared PERC Controller, update using TFTP Server:

racadm fwupdate –g –u –a <ip_address_of_tftp_server> -d <path_to_shared

PERC_fw_image>

Update using FTP Server.

racadm fwupdate –f <ip_address> -d <path>

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Quick Reference to Update Various Components

The following tabular form shows the quick overview to update for various components both using
CMC Web Interface and RACADM command line interface.

Component  CMC User Interface RACADM

Firmware  
CMC Firmware   1. Download Modular CMC Chassis 
  package. Image name is  racadm fwupdate –f <ftp
firmimg.cmc. server ipaddress>
2.  Go to the firmware update page by  <username> <password> -d
<path> [-m <module>]
clicking any of the following: 
 Chassis Overview → Update 
or
 Chassis Overview → Chassis 
Controller → Update  
 Chassis Overview → I/O Module  racadm fwupdate –g –u –a
Overview → Update   <tftp server ip address> -d
3. Upload the CMC firmware under the  <path> [-m <module>]
CMC section and begin the firmware 
update.  
Chassis  1. Download Chassis Infra Firmware.  
Infrastructure  2. Go to any of the following pages:    Same command as above  
firmware   Chassis Overview → Update 
 Chassis Overview → Chassis 
Controller → Update  
 Chassis Overview → I/O Module 
Overview → Update  
3. Upload the Chassis Infra  firmware 
under respective section and begin the 
firmware update.
IOM Firmware  1. Download IOM Firmware. 
2. Go to Chassis Overview  I/O racadm fwupdate -u -m
Module Overview  Update iominf-<n>
3. Upload the IOM firmware under 
the respective section and apply for 
update.
BIOS  1. Go to any of the following page
 Chassis Overview  Server racadm fwupdate –g –u –a
Overview  Update <ip_address_of_tftp_server>
 Chassis Overview  Storage -d <path_to_fw_image>
 Storage Component or
Update
2. Select BIOS under Component racadm fwupdate –f
Update filter <ip_address> -d <path>
3. Upload BIOS Dell Update Package
and begin Update. Image name
is ‘‘BIOS.exe’’

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Lifecycle Controller  Same as above. Instead of BIOS Same command as above

select the Lifecycle controller filter.
iDRAC  Same as above. Instead of BIOS Same command as above
select the iDRAC filter and upload the
<<iDrac.exe>>.
RAID Controller/  Same as above. Instead of BIOS Same command as above
Shared PERC  select the RAID Controller filter and
upload the <SAS_Firmware.exe> file.
Expander  Same as above. Instead of BIOS Same command as above
select the Expander filter and upload
the <SEP_Firmware.exe>.
Hard Disk Drive  Same as above. Instead of BIOS Same command as above
select the Hard disk filter and upload
the <HDDFirmware.exe>.
OS Driver Pack  Same as above. Instead of BIOS Same command as above
select the OS Driver Pack filter and
upload the <OSDriverpack.exe>.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can an SUU be used to update VRTX?

A: No. Not all updateable components in Plasma are in DUP format. Therefore, the recommended
method to insure that all components are updated properly is either through the CMC or RACADAM.

Q: How to setup a TFTP server for firmware updates?

A: You can download a Windows TFTP server for free, from a variety of sources. It is
recommended to use the following:
• SolarWinds
• Tftpd32

Q: Is it possible to update all the components at the same time?

A: Yes, it is possible to update all the components at the same time. Do not check the filter for
component update filter and you will see the list of the components which can be updated for the
corresponding servers. Choose the list of the servers that you want to update and proceed to
update. If you want to update more than one firmware, it is recommended to use mass update
instead of one-by-one update.

This document is for informational purposes only and may contain typographical errors and technical inaccuracies. The content
is provided as is, without express or implied warranties of any kind.

© 2013 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. Dell and its affiliates cannot be responsible for errors or omissions in typography or
photography. Dell, the Dell logo, and PowerEdge are trademarks of Dell Inc. Intel and Xeon are registered trademarks of Intel
Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Microsoft, Windows, and Windows Server are either trademarks or registered
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Other trademarks and trade names may be
used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell disclaims proprietary
interest in the marks and names of others.

June 2013| Version 1.0

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