Firmware Updates for Datacenters and Clusters Using the Dell Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter This Dell technical white paper describes how to use the Dell Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter to perform firmware updates for datacenters and clusters onto Dell PowerEdge 11th generation or later host systems.
Firmware Update for datacenters and clusters using the Dell Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter 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.
Firmware Update for datacenters and clusters using the Dell Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter Contents Executive summary ................................................................................................... 4 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 4 Firmware update assurances ......................................................................................
Firmware Update for datacenters and clusters using the Dell Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter Executive summary The Dell Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter is a virtual appliance that streamlines tools and tasks associated with management and deployment of Dell servers in your virtual environment. It reduces complexity by natively integrating the key management capabilities into the VMware vSphere Client console.
Firmware Update for datacenters and clusters using the Dell Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter Servers must have a valid iDRAC Express or Enterprise License. Server must be part of a Connection Profile. Server must be compliant in terms of firmware, CSIOR status, Hypervisor, and OMSA status (in case for Dell PowerEdge 11th generation servers). At least the base level of firmware updates for Lifecycle Controller, iDRAC, and BIOS. See the product documentation for more details.
Firmware Update for datacenters and clusters using the Dell Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter Figure 1. Host and cluster view. 3. Click Update Firmware. If this link is not enabled or if you get a popup message when you click this option, then there is a firmware update job in progress or scheduled. Firmware updates can be performed on different vCenters simultaneously, however only one in progress firmware job for each vCenter is allowed. Dismiss the dialog. Wait, and try this again later.
Firmware Update for datacenters and clusters using the Dell Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter Welcome page 5. Click Next. 6. In the Firmware Inventory page, review the components that are currently installed on the servers. The list presented is using data from the last scheduled hardware inventory, not from a real-time data. This information is from the time the last inventory was run on the system.
Firmware Update for datacenters and clusters using the Dell Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter Figure 4. Firmware inventory information for the datacenter. NOTE: The Cluster column is populated with the cluster name the host is under. If the host is not associated with any cluster, then the column is populated with “Not Applicable”. 7. Click Next. 8. In the Select Updated Bundles page, use the check boxes to select the updates.
Firmware Update for datacenters and clusters using the Dell Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter Figure 5. Selecting the update bundles. NOTE: The bundle information is from the time specified on this screen. If the repository information was changed after that time, the change is not reflected. To reflect the change, exit the wizard. Next, update the repository location from the Dell Management Plug-in Settings > Firmware Repository.
Firmware Update for datacenters and clusters using the Dell Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter When changing the Firmware Repository, allow several minutes for the appliance repository catalog file to synchronize so that the new catalog file is used. When the catalog file is being downloaded and you visit the page above, an error mentioning the same is shown. Figure 7. Repository is being updated by another process. If a system does not have a bundle in the catalog, it is not listed.
Firmware Update for datacenters and clusters using the Dell Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter Figure 8. Select the systems/components to update. NOTE: If you select all components and some remain unselected, that means that there are no upgrades available for those components. You may select those components for a downgrade. CAUTION: There are some known issues with specific pre-existing firmware versions that may cause a firmware update job to fail.
Firmware Update for datacenters and clusters using the Dell Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter Figure 9. Review the components you selected. 13. Click Next. 14. In the Schedule Firmware Updates page, under Job Name, do the following: In the Firmware Update Job Name text box, type the firmware update job name. This is a mandatory field. If this text box is not filled in, this upgrade is blocked. Do not use a name that is already in use. If your purge this name, you may reuse it again.
Firmware Update for datacenters and clusters using the Dell Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter Figure 10. Schedule your firmware update. 16. Clicking Finish creates and schedules the firmware update job. A popup appears to ask if you want to go to the Job Queue page. The Firmware Update task normally takes 30 to 60 minutes for each host to update the firmware. Figure 11.
Firmware Update for datacenters and clusters using the Dell Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter The Job Queue The Job Queue is opened when you click the Job Queue tab in the Dell Management Center’s left pane navigation menu. There are four tabs to the Job Queue: Deployment Jobs, Inventory History, Warranty History and Firmware Update. Figure 12. Job Queue Firmware Update jobs The Firmware Update Job section of Job Queue shows a list of firmware Update jobs and their status.
Firmware Update for datacenters and clusters using the Dell Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter Figure 13. Firmware Update Job Details Clicking the Details link will show a link to the log page where the status of the updates can be tracked. Use the Purge Job Queue button to delete the Job queue based on the date and its status. Figure 14. Purging firmware update jobs.
Firmware Update for datacenters and clusters using the Dell Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter Version Affected: All Issue 2: After completing the firmware updates using the Dell Management Plug-in, an inventory may not be automatically initiated on the updated servers. The firmware versions displayed may show previous values until a new inventory has completed.
Firmware Update for datacenters and clusters using the Dell Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter Conclusion The Dell Management Plug-in contains many features to reduce complexity and help you manage and deploy Dell servers for use with VMware. Using the Firmware Update Wizard, you can easily update firmware on clusters or datacenters. Experience how the Dell Management Plug-in can speed deployment in your data center by downloading a free 1-host version. Browse to: http://dell.
