Device templates
XClarity One makes it easy to quickly set up and maintain your devices by deploying firmware, device settings, and operating systems on your managed devices and static collections using templates. Device templates consist of a set of rules and criteria that define the desired configuration for a certain type of device and identifies which managed devices are monitored for compliance. If a device is out of compliance, you can use templates to update the device to match the desired profile.
You can create a template by clicking the Lifecycle Management tab in the context menu from the Device management view, clicking the Templates context menu, and then clicking the Add icon (
). Follow the steps in the wizard to create the template and assign the template to one or more devices.
You can view template details, criteria, and assigned devices by clicking the template name in the table.
Template assignment
From the Template page by selecting a template and clicking the Assign icon (
).From the Template details page by clicking the Add icon (
) from the devices table.From the Managed devices page by selecting one or more devices and clicking the Assign icon (
).
Each device can have only one assigned template or no assigned template. When a server has an assigned template, compliance is based on the rules and criteria that is defined in the template. If a server has no assigned template, compliance is based on the latest available version.
Ensure that the template is applicable to the type of server to which it is assigned. If a template is not applicable, then individual component compliance status might be "Not Assigned” even when the overall device compliance is "Compliant."
Applicability and compliance checks
XClarity One checks the compliance status of devices by comparing the firmware versions and device settings on the device to the rules that are defined by its assigned template. The compliance check is run on a device when:
When a template is initially assigned to the device, or when the template assignment is changed.
When the template assigned to the device is modified.
When the device inventory is changed.
When a power action is performed on the device.
24 hours has passed since the last compliance check (for firmware)
One week has passed since the last compliance check (for device settings)
XClarity One does not know what operating system is currently installed on a device unless the operating system is deployed using a template. XClarity One determines operating-system compliance by comparing the target operating-system version in the currently assigned template to the operating-system version that was last deployed using a template. This compliance check is run on a device when:
When a template is initially assigned to the device, or when the template assigned is changed.
When the assigned template is modified.
After deploying device settings to many devices using a template, the updated compliance status might take a while to synchronize. You cannot continue to deploy the operating system using the same template until after the status is synchronized.
Verified templates
Verified templates are predefined configurations that consist of a carefully curated and validated set of firmware versions that are tested together to ensure compatibility, stability, and supportability for specific hardware platforms and workloads. By leveraging verified templates, you can minimize interoperability issues, streamline lifecycle and update management, and maintain environments that align with Lenovo-supported configurations.
Verified templates are identified by the Verified template icon (
). Lenovo verified template names start with the prefix LENOVO-XC1.
For XClarity One on premises, you can access verified templates by importing the latest repository packs. Repository packs include applicable verified templates. For information about repository packs. For information about repository packs, see Firmware repository.
For XClarity One in the cloud, verified templates are not yet supported..
Template deployment
When deploying a template that includes firmware, device settings, and operating system, firmware updates are applied first, device settings are applied seconds, and the operating system is deployed last.
While a template deployment is in progress, the target servers are locked. You cannot initiate other management tasks on the target servers until the deployment process is complete.
When devices are not compliant with their assigned template, you can make the devices compliant by deploying the assigned template to those devices. Deploying the template updates non-compliant firmware, device settings, and operating systems to the desired version based on the template rules.
You can deploy a template to one or more devices when you create and assign the template using the Create template wizard. You can also deploy a template to assigned device in the following ways.
From the Template manager page by clicking the Add icon (
) from the devices table.From the Things to do pane, click Update from the New non-compliant devices card, and follow the wizard.
From the Managed Devices page by clicking Firmware status from the context menu, and then selecting the devices and clicking the Deploy icon (
).
In some cases, prerequisite firmware might be needed to install the intended firmware version. XClarity One automatically installs prerequisite firmware, when available.
Firmware payloads must be in the repository before you can update firmware on your devices. When using XClarity One on premises, ensure that the firmware packages are imported in XClarity One before you attempt to update the firmware (see Firmware repository).
XClarity One updates firmware only on components that are supported by the platform.
Some components require the device to be restarted to complete the firmware update, such as unified extensible firmware interface (UEFI), network cards, RAID adapters, and disks. During the update process, the server might be restarted automatically one or more times until the entire process is complete. Ensure that any running workloads have either been stopped or moved to a different server.
Performing firmware updates, device settings, operating system deployments, and power operations on managed devices are disabled by default. Before updating firmware, ensure that you enable this function from the XClarity One portal and from the hub that manages those target devices. For more information, see Functions enablement.
You cannot apply a template to a device whose compliance check failed. Unassign the template and assign it again to trigger another compliance check.
- For storage systems:
To update firmware, storage systems must have active warranties (verified by serial number). Updating firmware is not supported by storage systems with expired warranties.
XClarity One recommends firmware updates based on vulnerability data only for storage systems with a valid warranty (verified by serial number).
Currently, only Lenovo ONTAP update bundles can be deployed to storage systems.
You cannot update from the encrypted version of ONTAP to the non-encrypted version of ONTAP. If you attempt to perform the update you could encounter an issue where the initial node update fails to boot up.
When updating firmware on a storage system in a storage cluster, all controllers in all storage systems in the cluster are updated one controller at a time to allow for an online update.
During the update process, if one component fails on a device, the remaining components on that device fails, but the hub continues to apply updates on the remaining device in the same job.
Update now or after next reboot
Some updates (such as unified extensible firmware interface (UEFI), network cards, RAID adapters, and disks) require the target devices to be restarted, which could disrupt work on those devices. Firmware packages that depend on a prerequisite package requiring a restart, a Bare Metal Update (BMU) process, or activation through a reboot are not installed until that prerequisite package is successfully installed.
By default, target devices are restarted immediately to complete the update process.
To minimize the disruption, you can choose Update after next reboot to immediately deploy firmware that does not require a restart but delay the deployment of firmware that requires a restart until after the target device is restarted. During the deployment, the job enters a waiting state until the target device is restarted, and a todo is raised to notify you that target device needs to be restarted to complete the update process. After the device is restarted, the job resumes automatically and completes the update process.
You can find a list of devices that must be restarted from the Managed devices page by filtering for devices in the Pending state. These devices are identified by the Restart Required icon (
).
Ensure that any running workloads are stopped or moved to a different device before performing updates that require a restart or before manually restarting a device to complete the update process.
After an update is completed, it might take several minutes before the correct firmware level is reflected in the portal.
When enabled, the Wake-on-LAN boot option can interfere with XClarity One operations that power off the server if there is a Wake-on-LAN client in your network that issues “Wake on Magic Packet” commands.
For supported servers that are managed through XClarity Controller, when Update after next reboot is selected, firmware packages that require the BMU process are installed after the target server is restarted and successfully enters BMU mode.
For storage systems, only Update Now is supported.