Updating or Repairing the LCC / USC

Dell periodically provides updates to the software component of the Lifecycle Controller known as the Unified Server Configurator or USC for short. Customers who want to take advantage of the new features will want to download and install them as they become available. In rare situations, it’s also possible that the USC code can become corrupt and in need of ‘repair’. The same process exists for updating the USC as does for repairing it. The server does not need to be shutdown in order to perform the update but you may want to test the ensuing steps on a lab server first.

If you are certain which file you want to use to update / repair the USC, you can just point your browser to ftp.dell.com and select the LifeCycleController directory and download the file. Typically, the latest revision will have the most current date so you can just sort the directory by date an example of the current USC file as of this writing is USC_1.2.0_Rep_Pack_A00.usc.

If you are not certain which file to download, the preferred method is to go to the Drivers and Downloads area at support.dell.com, input your system model number or Service Tag and then allow the support web site to find the appropriate downloads for your system. The screen shot below shows the downloads for an R710 as of 9/1/09.

You will note there are two downloads available to update / repair the USC but you only need one.

The first item listed is a Windows based .EXE file which can be run at the Windows server to update the USC:

The second item is a .USC file that performs the same function, but is loaded using the iDRAC management web interface.

The next sections of this document outline the procedures to follow to perform the update / repair using these two options.

Option #1Updating the LCC & USC using the Windows or Linux Utilities

Run the executable that performs the update that you downloaded from support.dell.com or ftp.dell.com. The screen shots below only include the process for a Windows server – my apologies to the Linux folks!

A ‘welcome’ screen of sorts appears that allows you to review the requirements and some details of the update. When ready, click on Install.

The install screen appears and informs you that it is “Collecting Inventory” – in other words, determining the installed version of the USC and comparing it to the version included in the utility.

After about 40 seconds, a window appears indicating the details of the upgrade about to be performed. As an FYI, it is also possible to perform a downgrade by merely downloading an older version of the USC code such as 1.1.0.

After selecting Yes, the upgrade commences and elapsed time is displayed.

After 5-10 minutes, the update completes.

When complete, exit the utility. To actually check the USC for the update and see the new features, proceed to that section of this document.

Option #2Updating the LCC & USC using the iDRAC Management Interface

The first step is to connect to the iDRAC Enterprise in your server. All you should need is a java enabled browser and the IP address of the iDRAC in the server you want to connect.  This information is displayed during bootup of the server as the iDRAC firmware loads - OR – if it is an 11G server, you can obtain the information using the LCD front panel on the server (depress ‘check’ button, select View, and then select DRAC IP, IPv4, IP).  Once you connect to the iDRAC, login as root with the password of calvin – unless you have changed the password. 

Once authenticated, in the left pane, select Remote Access and then the Update tab. See screen for blade servers a bit further below.

For blade servers, you must select the iDRAC entry under Remote Access in order to display the Update tab.

Step #1

Click on Browse and then select the directory where you downloaded the USC update/repair file – this will be on your local management workstation, not the server. In the example below, C:\USC\ USC_1.2.0_Rep_Pack_A00.usc

The .USC file is then uploaded to the server.

Step #2

The uploaded image is displayed on the iDRAC management screen. Click Next to proceed.

When prompted, click OK.

Step #3

The uploaded image is applied to the LifeCycle Controller.

In my particular case, the screen stayed at 10% for 2-3 minutes and then jumped to 100%.

When complete, you are notified that the “Recovery Image” was uploaded successfully and you are done! To confirm the update occurred, refer to that section in this document.

Confirming LCC & USC Update

Reboot the server and depress the F10 key to enter System Services (a.k.a. USC). After a minute or so, the main screen appears.

Note: Despite the fact that the Home page of the USC recommends that you should check for updates, when actually performing the check against ftp.dell.com. My system was already current.

Using the mouse or cursor keys, select the About menu option and the version of the USC is displayed.

New Features

The 1.2 version of the USC has some improvements in the UI and navigation as well as several other features.

Under Platform Update, you now have an option to display the current versions of all the system components.

Here’s an example of the current versions for a R710 system.

With the 1.2 version of the USC, you have a new option for updating the server / “Platform” – the SUU (System Update Utility) DVD. This is in addition to the existing options of ftp.dell.com or a USB stick. If you select the Platform Update option on the main USC screen, select Local Drive and then look at the drop down box, you will see that you can use a USB stick or the DVD. The USB stick has to be inserted in the server and/or the DVD must be in the drive tray prior to launching Platform Update in order for them to be visible in the drop down box.

Instructions for creating the necessary file structure for the USB can be found athttp://www.delltechcenter.com/page/Updates+using+USB+with+Lifecycle+Controller

The Current SUU 6.1.0 files can be downloaded from the URL below. Keep in mind that you have to download both the 001 and 002 files and then concatenate them into a single ISO file (3.5GB total) before you can actually burn the SUU DVD.

http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/format.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen&deviceid=16823&libid=36&releaseid=R236931&vercnt=3&formatcnt=0&SystemID=PWE_R710&servicetag=&os=WNET&osl=en&catid=-1&impid=-1

To concatenate the files properly, use one of these commands after moving the two files into an empty directory

copy /b OM* OM_610_SUU_A00.iso [Windows]cat OM* > OM_610_SUU_A00.iso [Linux]