Dell POWEREDGE 1855 - Manual

DELL POWER SOLUTIONS Reprinted from Dell Power Solutions, August 2005. Copyright © 2005 Dell Inc. All rights reserved . August 2005 56
SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT
E quipped with 10 server blades and several I/O mod-
ules and management modules, the Dell PowerEdge
1855 blade server contains numerous system software
components to update during the change-management
process. Although best practices dictate careful planning
and methodical implementation when deploying system
software updates for the PowerEdge 1855 blade server,
such change management need not be difficult. As is
the case with other PowerEdge servers, administrators
can manage software updates for the PowerEdge 1855
blade server using standards-based Dell OpenManage ™
tools, third-party enterprise change-management
tools, or both.
Updating server blades
The process for updating system software components on
PowerEdge 1855 server blades is designed to be the same
as on other PowerEdge servers. This similarity allows
administrators to leverage existing change-management
processes in their IT organization to manage updates to
PowerEdge 1855 server blades. On PowerEdge 1855 server
blades, administrators can typically update firmware on
the following system software components:
• Server system BIOS
• Baseboard management controller (BMC)
• PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller 4,
Integrated Mirroring (PERC 4/IM)
• Adaptec SCSI Card 39160
• SCSI hard disk drives
• OS-level drivers
As part of the change-management planning
process, administrators must decide which update
method best fits their environment. System software
components on a PowerEdge 1855 server blade can be
updated using one of two methods: offline updates or
online updates.
BY NARAYAN DEVIREDDY AND RUOTING HUANG
Updating the
Dell PowerEdge 1855 Blade Server
Chassis and Server Blades
Many hardware components in the Dell ™ PowerEdge ™ 1855 blade server have been
designed with a firmware upgrade option—including the Dell Remote Access Controller/
Modular Chassis (DRAC/MC) management module; server baseboard management
controllers; I/O modules; and keyboard, video, mouse modules. This article discusses
standards-based frameworks for updating individual server blades and available
software utilities as well as recommended methods and best practices for updating
chassis component firmware.
Related Categories:
Blade servers
Dell PowerEdge blade servers
New-generation server technology
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