How often do you update the firmware and BIOS of your Dell servers? If you are like many administrators, you rarely attempt it. Why? There are many reasons, including "It takes a long time," "There are no incompatibility or performance issues that require it," "Why risk running processes in a production OS if they aren't absolutely necessary," and so on.
Despite the concerns, there are very good reasons to keep your servers updated. This may include improving performance, reducing incompatibilities, added stability, improved features or configuration options, and maintaining warranty support.
The evolution of patching Dell server firmware has undergone some recent transformations with the free Dell™ Deployment add-on for Altiris® Deployment Solution™. These improvements provide new options making it easier and safer than ever to keep your servers updated.
Until now, Altiris Deployment Solution for Dell Servers has offered the ability to remotely execute Dell Update Packages (DUPs) in a Windows or Linux OS environment through the Altiris agent as part of the server provisioning process. Using this traditional method, firmware updates would be applied to the hardware components by running processes that began in a production OS and ended with a reboot. Until recently, DUPs were only designed and certified by Dell to execute in this manner.
Now, with the recent release of the Altiris Deployment Solution for Dell Servers 3.0 SP1, DUPs are fully supported for execution in the Linux pre-boot environments without the presence of an agent. There are several benefits that result from using this update method, including:
- Update sensitive server components without impacting the production OS (for example, eliminating the perceived risk of any residual memory or disk footprint). This improves availability and performance while minimizing potential risks of downtime, etc.
- A mechanism to update sensitive server components on diskless servers such as the new Dell PowerEdge R805 and R905 models.
- Ensuring that server component firmware is updated during the provisioning process and before the system is placed into production.
- Enabling service providers to offer more "risk-free" update services that can dramatically reduce customer concerns for modifying production systems (for example, no agent install/uninstall is required in a production OS).
This document discusses how to start leveraging the capabilities of Altiris Deployment Solution for Dell Servers in your environment.
Table of Contents
Obtaining the Software
There are two methods for obtaining the Altiris Deployment Solution and free Dell Deployment add-on products:
Method 1: Obtaining from Altiris wesite
- Navigate to www.altiris.com/downloads.
- Enter your email address and/or register online.
- Select Deployment Solution for Dell Servers.
- When prompted, choose the download link that best suits your needs. For example, if you do not currently have Deployment Solution installed, click the Altiris Deployment Solution with Dell Deployment Pack link and download the combined installation. If you currently own and have Deployment Solution installed, you can simply download and install the free Dell Deployment add-on.
- Click the Linux Supplemental files link and download the .supp file. Place this file in the root of the install directory of your combined Deployment Solution and/or Dell Deployment add-on install files. Note: This file is required for the Dell Deployment add-on to function properly, especially so when updating firmware in the Linux pre-boot automation environment.
- Click the Linux and FreeDOS Automation Environment for Deployment Solution link and download the automation environment in the form of an .FRM file. Note: This is the actual free Linux pre-boot automation environment used for pre-boot firmware updating and is applied during or after the Deployment Solution installation.
- Be sure to watch the QuickStart video and/or read the documentation provided in the "QuickStart Tools" section of the download page for more information on how to properly install, configure, and use the related products before continuing with this document. See Figure 1.
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Figure 1: Download page from www.altiris.com/downloads.
Method 2: Obtain from OEM DVD
- If purchasing a Dell blade server, an OEM DVD with all the resources listed in Method #1 will be provided in the box. Note: As of Oct. 2007 Dell has been shipping the Altiris Deployment Solution for Dell Servers as an OEM product with every blade server that leaves its manufacturing facilities.
- Be sure to watch the QuickStart video and/or read the documentation provided in the "QuickStart Tools" section of the download page for more information on how to properly install, configure, and use the related products before continuing with this whitepaper.
Preparing the Deployment Server
DUPs are typically retrieved through the Dell Configuration Utility (installed as part of the Dell Deployment add-on) if the Deployment Server has a connection to the Internet. For data center environments isolated from the Internet, you can retrieve DUPs using a combination of the Dell Configuration Utility and the use of Dell's Server Update Utility (SUU) CD/DVD, which is released quarterly. The challence to using the SUU is that if there are critical updates to be applied; chances are the the CS/DVD may not contain them due to its publication cycle. The SUU is free and is available from Dell's support Web site at www.dell.com/support in the form of an .ISO image. The latest SUU contains both Windows and Linus DUPs on one .ISO image making it very convenient to be imported by the Dell Configuration Utility. In this scenario, the SUU CD acts as a DUP repository. Altiris Deployment Server can copy needed DUPs from the SUU to the Altiris server or some other Client Access Point (CAP) for remote distribution.
After Deployment Solution and the Dell Deployment add-on have successfully been installed, the next step is to obtain the DUPs designed to run in the Linux pre-boot environment. Don't be concerned if you are not a Linux guru or do not know how to navigate your way through a command line based Linux console. The pre-defined Dell jobs are designed to work in the Linux pre-boot environment, making it very easy to simply drag and drop the job(s) from the console to the managed server that requires its hardware to be updated.
If your Deployment Server has a connection to the Internet, then obtaining the Linux DUPs is as easy as launching the built-in Dell Configuration Utility and downloading based on the PowerEdge model and type of hardware component to be updated. If your Deployment Server does not have a connection to the Internet, then simply insert the SUU CS/DVD or mount the .ISO image as a drive letter using any third pary virtual ROM software and then retrieve them through the Dell Configuration Utility using the steps below.
If Deployment Server Has a Connection to the Internet (Preferred):
- From within the Deployment Solution console, click Tools > Dell Tools > Configuration Utility. See Figure 2
- Click the Get DUP Catalog button.
- Browse to the PowerEdge model(s) that are supported in your environment.
- Expand the Red Hat Linux folder.
- Expand the folder of the name of the component you would like to update (for example, BIOS, BMC, DRAC, ESM, RAIDFRMW, etc.).
- Highlight the latest version of the Dell Update Package listed and then click the Download DUP button.
- Repeat these steps for each PowerEdge model and type of component you plan on updating.
If Deployment Server Does NOT Have a Connection to the Internet:
Method 1: Retrieve from the Dell SUU CD/DVD
- From within the Deployment Solution console, click Tools > Dell Tools > Configuration Utility.
- Click the blue Options link.
- Click the radio button, Local (usually the Server Update Utility CD/DVD).
- Browse to the SUU CD/DVD drive letter and click OK. Note: The field should now be populated with <drive letter>:\repository.
- Click OK.
- Browse to the PowerEdge model(s) that are supported in your environment.
- Expand the Red Hat Linux folder.
- Expand the folder of the name of the component you would like to update (for example, BIOS, BMC, DRAC, ESM, RAIDFRMW, etc.).
- Highlight the latest version of the Dell Update Package listed and then click the Download DUP button.
- Repeat these steps for each PowerEdge model and type of component you plan on updating.
Note: See below for a better understanding of where the Linux DUPs are copied after clicking the Download DUP button. For more experienced users, it is possible to manage your DUPs directly from each respective directory located in step 6 below; however, the initial directory structure for your PowerEdge model(s) must first exist. When downloading DUPs from the Dell Configuration Utility, the directory structure is created for you automatically.
Method 2: Manually downloading from Dell's support website
- Navigate to Dell's support Web site at www.dell.com/support.
- Click the Drivers and Downloads link.
- Select the model of your PowerEdge Server.
- Navigate to category of component needing to be updated. In this example I will use the BIOS for a PowerEdge 1950. See Figure 3.
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Figure 3: Drivers and Downloads page from the Dell Support Web site (www.dell.com/support) for the BIOS of a PowerEdge 1950 Server.
- Click the link under "Update Package for Red Hat Linux" and save the .BIN file to your computer. Note: When saving the .BIN files to your computer, it's always a good idea to sort the files by creating a folder based on the PowerEdge model and type of component in which that DUP was designed to update. For example, .\PE1950\BIOS, .\PE1950\BMC, etc. This will make it easier when you copy the DUPs from your computer to the respective directories on the Deployment Server for later distribution.
- Copy the Linux DUPs to each respective directory on the Deployment Server based on the PowerEdge model and operating system in which the DUP is designed to run. In this case, all DUPs will be copied to the DUPRH sub-folder, which stands for DUP Red Hat. You can find it here: .\Program Files\Altiris\eXpress\Deployment Server\Dell\Toolkit\Systems. For example, if copying a Linux DUP for the PowerEdge 1950's BIOS, the file would be placed in this directory: .\Program Files\Altiris\eXpress\Deployment Server\Dell\Toolkit\Systems\PE1950\BIOS\DUPRH.
Note: If the directory structure does not exist for your PowerEdge model, then that model has probably has not been managed by the Deployment Server. An easy way to populate this folder structure is to use one of the other methods described from this section (i.e. Obtain from the internet or from the SUU CS/DVD) and then copy to the respective directory. Another way to create the directory structure is to copy an existing directory structure's shell, if one exists, and then name it after the desired PowerEdge model. If you do this, make sure you empty the contents of the copied directory structure to avoid incompatibility issues with DUPs designed to execute on other PowerEdge models, components, etc.
Applying the Updates
After the Deployment Server has been fully prepared and all Linux DUPs have been copied to their respective directories for each PowerEdge model and type of component to be updated, you can drag and drop the job(s) to your managed Dell servers. Note that only one job is provided for each type of hardware component to be updated-separate jobs are NOT required for each PowerEdge model. Instead, when the job is dragged and dropped to the managed server, Altiris will determine at runtime:
- That the server is indeed running in the "Dell DUP Linux v3SP1" pre-boot automation environment.
- Which server model this job is being run on (for example, PowerEdge M600, M605, 1950, etc.).
- Where the DUPs reside based on the model of server identified. It's these scripts that allow for the consolidation of pre-defined Dell jobs based on the type of hardware component.
If the Dell Server is NOT Already Managed by Deployment Server:
If the Dell server is not already managed by the Deployment Server, meaning, the computer is not visible in the Deployment Server console and the computer does not have the Altiris AClient Agent installed, then follow these directions:
- Boot the Dell server to the pre-boot execution environment (PXE). Note: Iif the environment is not configured to support PXE, there are alternatives for pre-boot hardware patching and provisioning of your Dell servers using other mediums such as CD, USB Drives, embedded automation partitions, etc. For more information, refer to the Deployment Solution Reference Guide.
- When prompted, choose Dell DUP Linux v3SP1. See Figure 4.
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Figure 4: Altiris Deployment Solution PXE Menu after the Dell Deployment add-on has been fully installed.
- Drag and drop the desired job from the "1.5 Apply Dell Update Packages (DUPs)" job folder to the computer resembling a yellow warning sign. See Figure 5.
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Figure 5: Deployment Solution console shownwith a PowerEdge server waiting to be deployed. Also shown are the pre-boot Dell Update Package jobs for the Linux automation environment.
- When the job is complete, a green checkmark will indicate successful deployment. This history will be stored with the actual computer unless removed manually or the computer is deleted from the console. See Figure 6.
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Figure 6: Successful deployment of a BIOS Dell Update Package in the Linux pre-boot automation environment.
If the Dell Server is Already Managed by Deployment Server:
- Simply drag and drop the desired job from the "1.5 Apply Dell Update Packages (DUPs)" job folder to the managed computer in the Deployment Solution console. Note: As long as PXE is enabled on at least one of the NICs and set to boot before the floppy, CD-ROM, USB, and hard drive, the computer will boot to the proper Linux pre-boot automation environment and update the desired component(s).
Viewing the Logs
Altiris Deployment Solution for Dell Servers keeps a log of everything that occurs in the pre-boot environment when leveraging the embedded Dell Tool Kit (DTK) utilities. The DTK is the underlying technology that makes the bare-metal Dell server provisioning possible. For an in-depth log of all activity, including the patching of hardware components in the Linux pre-boot automation environment, navigate to the .\Program Files\Altiris\eXpress\Deployment Server\Dell\alogs directory. The directory contains log files that are named after the computer ID, as assigned by the Deployment Server. To identify the computer ID for a particular PowerEdge server, double-click on the managed computer from within the console. The computer ID appears at the bottom of the dialog. See Figure 7.
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Figure 7: Computer properties for a managed computer in the console.
Open the respective log file named after the computer ID in WordPad. If you look at the log file, you should see among other things, something similar to the text listed below. Note: This log file will be formatted in Linux and is best viewed in WordPad to add the necessary carriage returns for proper formatting.
BIOS
The version of this Update Package is newer than the currently installed version.
Software application name: BIOS
Package version: 1.0.0
Installed version: 0.2.8
Executing update...
WARNING: DO NOT STOP THIS PROCESS OR INSTALL OTHER DELL PRODUCTS WHILE UPDATE IS IN PROGRESS.
THESE ACTIONS MAY CAUSE YOUR SYSTEM TO BECOME UNSTABLE!
.
The system should be restarted for the update to take effect.
Conclusion
Altiris Deployment Solution for Dell Servers provides the easiest, fastest, and safest way yet to keep your Dell server BIOS and firmware up-to-date. Once the server is placed in production, administrators have a choice of solutions-depending on their needs and expectations-for keeping firmware updated. By using the free Altiris Patch Management Solution™ for Dell Servers, an IT administrator can leverage email notifications and graphical reports to track server compliance with published updates. Then, by using policy-based distributions, he/she can simply right-click and enable a policy for "set it and forget it" firmware update distribution. The alternative, of course, is to continue using Altiris Deployment Solution for Dell Servers for agentless pre-boot updates.
For more information about the differences between updating Dell server firmware in Deployment Solution vs. Patch Management Solution for Dell Servers, click here.
Additional Resources
Deployment Solution for Dell Servers Installation and Configuration Resources
www.altiris.com/delldeploy
Altiris/Dell Whitepapers Portal
www.altiris.com/dellwhitepapers
Altiris/Dell Alliance Website
www.altiris.com/dell
Appendix A
Though it is possible, we do not recommend that you force a downgrade of firmware versions to a particular hardware component. However, it may be helpful if you are in a classroom environment and need to constantly upgrade/downgrade firmware versions for training or testing purposes. To allow this behavior, follow the directions below:
- Open the Deployment Solution console.
- Navigate to the 1.5 Apply Dell Update Packages (DUPs) folder from the pre-defined Linux jobs.
- Highlight the job containing the type of hardware component you want to force a downgrade.
- In the upper-right section of the console, double-click the Run Script task.
- Scroll down until you see a "USER MODIFICATION BEGIN" section.
- Look for the following line: declare -x DDP_OPTS="-q" and reflect the following changes by adding an "-f" to the end of the line, but before the quotation marks. For example, declare -x DDP_OPTS="-q -f"
- Click Next > Finish.
- Repeat these steps for each job and subsequent hardware component you want to force a downgrade to.
When you are ready to force the downgrade of the hardware component's firmware, browse to the respective directory containing the Linux DUP and ensure that only the DUP that will force the downgrade is contained in this directory. Note: As a best practice, we recommend that you create a sub-directory and call it .\DNE for "Do Not Execute." We also recommend that you place the DUP that you do NOT want to execute in this directory and leave the DUP you DO want to execute in the root folder. When upgrading/downgrading components, you can simply alternate each DUP file in these directories to ensure that you're applying the correct DUP file. Note: If you leave both the current and older DUP file in the same root directory, then when the job is executing, the first DUP file Deployment Server finds will be executed, leaving the remaining one untouched. See Figures 8 and 9 respectively.
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Figure 8: Older Dell Update Package for the BIOS of a PowerEdge 1950 in the root directory and ready to be downgraded.
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Figure 9: Newer Dell Update Package for the BIOS of a PowerEdge 1950 in the .\DNE directory and currently set to NOT be upgraded.