There are a few different methods for updating your Dell server’s firmware, but we’ll walk you through the simplest and most reliable method that uses the server’s “Lifecycle Controller” which is also known as the “Unified Server Configurator”.
This method can be used with any operating system (i.e. Linux, Windows, VMware, etc.), because it operates outside of the OS, similar to the BIOS menus. It requires a working network connection with Internet access and rebooting the server for as long as it takes for the updates to be downloaded and installed, which is typically 15 minutes to an hour, depending on the speed of your Internet connection and how many updates need to be installed.
Here is a step-by-step guide:
- Before rebooting the server, make note of the server’s LAN IP address, network mask, and default gateway, because you’ll need to enter these settings into the Lifecycle Controller the first time you use it.
- Reboot the server.
- When the BIOS menu and Dell logo appears, press the <F10> key within 10 seconds
- Wait for the Lifecycle Controller GUI to appear
- If this is your first time using the Lifecycle Controller to access the Internet and install updates, you’ll need to configure the network interface:
- Click Settings in the left pane
- Select Network Settings
- Select Static IP address
- Specify the IP Address, Subnet Mask, Gateway and DNS server you previously noted
- Click Finish
- Click Platform Update in the left pane
- Click Launch Platform Update in the right pane
- Select FTP Server
- Verify that the server name is ftp.dell.com
- Click Next
- The Platform Update tool will now download a list of available packages for your server. This may take a while, depending on the speed of your network connection.
- When prompted, review and select the appropriate updates to be installed
- Click Apply
- The system will reboot after the update process is complete. When applying more than one update, the system may need to reboot between updates. In this case, the system boots directly into USC and continues the update process. No action on your part is required when the system reboots to complete the update process.
- When the updates are complete, the system will boot back into your operating system.
For more information, please see Updating the Platform on Dell’s website.