Users Guide
Table Of Contents
- Dell Lifecycle Controller GUI v2.70.70.70 User's Guide
- Contents
- Introduction
- Using Lifecycle Controller
- Operating system deployment
- Monitor
- Hardware inventory view and export
- About view and export current inventory
- About view and export factory-shipped inventory
- Viewing hardware inventory — current or factory shipped
- Exporting hardware inventory — current or factory shipped
- Viewing or exporting hardware inventory after part replacement
- Viewing or exporting current inventory after resetting Lifecycle Controller
- Lifecycle Controller log
- Firmware update
- Configure
- System control panel access options
- Configuring iDRAC
- Configuring system time and date
- Configuring vFlash SD card
- Configuring RAID
- Configuring RAID using software RAID
- Creating a secure virtual disk on a RAID controller
- Key encryption
- Local key encryption mode
- Breaking mirrored drives
- System setup — Advanced Hardware Configuration
- Collect system inventory on restart
- Configuring local FTP server
- Configuring a local USB drive
- Configuring NFS and CIFS servers
- Conditions while configuring HTTP / HTTPS server
- Maintain
- Platform restore
- Backup server profile
- Export server profile
- Import server profile
- Import server license
- Part replacement configuration
- Repurpose or retire system
- Hardware diagnostics
- SupportAssist Collection
- Easy-to-use system component names
- Using the system setup and boot manager
- Troubleshooting and frequently asked questions
○ Signature to validate that the backup file is not tampered and generated by Lifecycle Controller.
The server profile backup image file does not contain:
● Operating system or any data stored on hard-disk drives or virtual drives.
● vFlash SD card partition information.
● Lifecycle log.
● Dell diagnostics.
● Dell OS Driver Pack.
● A Local Key Management (LKM) passphrase, if the LKM–based storage encryption is enabled. However, you must provide
the LKM passphrase after performing the restore operation.
Security
The contents of the backup image file cannot be accessed with any application, even if it is generated without a passphrase.
However, if the backup image file is created using a passphrase, Lifecycle Controller uses the passphrase to encrypt the backup
image file with 128-bit encryption.
Size
Based on the server configuration, the size of a backup image file can be a maximum of 384 MB.
Performance
● Back up — The time taken to collect the required information and store the backup image file on a vFlash SD card is 45
minutes (maximum).
● Restore — The time taken to restore a server using a backup image file depends on the number of components installed on
the server. Most of the server components such as BIOS, NIC, RAID, and other host bus adapters require multiple system
restarts in order to restore the server to its previous configuration. Each restart may take 1–15 minutes (for maximum
system hardware configurations). This restart time is in addition to the time taken for accessing the backup image file, which
depends on where it is stored (vFlash SD card, USB drive, or network share).
Supported components
The following table lists the server components that are supported by Lifecycle Controller while performing a backup or restore
operation.
Table 12. Supported Components
Component Firmware Configuration Security Information*
BIOS Yes Yes Yes
RAID Controller Yes Yes NA
NIC Yes Yes NA
iDRAC Yes Yes Yes
OS Driver Pack NA NA NA
Dell Diagnostics NA NA NA
Lifecycle Controller Yes NA NA
Backplane NA NA NA
CPLD NA NA NA
Power Supply Unit Yes NA NA
FC HBA Yes Yes NA
Enclosure NA NA NA
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