HP ProLiant Support Pack - Manual (Page 6)

Introduction 6
Introduction
HP Smart Update Manager overview
HP SUM provides a GUI and a command-line scriptable interface for:
• Deployment of firmware for single or one-to-many HP servers and network-based targets such as
iLOs, OAs, and VC Ethernet and Fibre Channel modules.
• Deployment of software for single or one-to-many HP ProLiant servers that is supported in both
Windows® and Linux environments.
HP SUM has an integrated hardware and software discovery engine that discovers the installed hardware
and current versions of firmware and software in use on target servers. This capability prevents
extraneous network traffic by sending only the required components to a target host. HP SUM installs
updates in the correct order and ensures all dependencies are met before deployment of a firmware
update. HP SUM prevents version-based dependencies from destroying an installation and ensures
firmware updates are handled in a manner that reduces any downtime required for the firmware update
process.
HP SUM does not require an agent for remote installations because it copies a small, secure SOAP server
to the target server for the duration of the installation. After the installation is complete, the SOAP server
and all remote files associated with the installation, except installation log files are removed. HP SUM
copies the log files from the remote targets back to the system where HP SUM is executed.
Key features of HP SUM include:
• Dependency checking, which ensures appropriate install order and dependency checking between
components
• Intelligent deployment deploys only required updates
• Simultaneous firmware and software deployment
• Improved deployment performance
• Local or remote (one-to-many) online deployment
• Local offline deployments with the earlier HP Firmware Maintenance CD or the HP Smart Firmware
Update DVD
• Remote offline deployment when used with the SmartStart Scripting Toolkit or iLO Virtual Media
• GUI or CLI/scriptable with extensive logging
• Remote command-line deployment
• Support for updating firmware on network-based targets such as the OA, iLO2 through Network
Management Port, and VC Ethernet and Fibre Channel modules