Firmware updates
Several options are available to update the firmware for the server.
Lenovo typically releases firmware in bundles called UpdateXpress System Packs (UXSPs). To ensure that all of the firmware updates are compatible, you should update all firmware at the same time. If you are updating firmware for both the Lenovo XClarity Controller and UEFI, update the firmware for Lenovo XClarity Controller first.
Best practices related to updating firmware is available at the following location:
Important terminology
In-band update. The installation or update is performed using a tool or application within an operating system that is executing on the server’s core CPU.
Out-of-band update. The installation or update is performed by the Lenovo XClarity Controller collecting the update and then directing the update to the target subsystem or device. Out-of-band updates have no dependency on an operating system executing on the core CPU. However, most out-of-band operations do require the server to be in the S0 (Working) power state.
On-Target update. The installation or update is initiated from an Operating System executing on the server’s operating system.
Off-Target update. The installation or update is initiated from a computing device interacting directly with the server’s Lenovo XClarity Controller.
UpdateXpress System Packs (UXSPs). UXSPs are bundled updates designed and tested to provide the interdependent level of functionality, performance, and compatibility. UXSPs are server machine-type specific and are built (with firmware and device driver updates) to support specific Windows Server, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) operating system distributions. Machine-type-specific firmware-only UXSPs are also available.
The server UEFI settings for option ROM must be set to Auto or UEFI to update firmware using Lenovo XClarity Administrator or Lenovo XClarity Essentials. For more information, see the following Tech Tip:
| Tool | In-band update | Out-of- band update | On-target update | Off-target update | Graphical user interface | Command- line interface | Supports UXSPs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lenovo XClarity Provisioning Manager Limited to core system firmware only. | √2 | √ | √ | √ | ||||
| Lenovo XClarity Controller Supports core system firmware and most advanced I/O option firmware updates | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||||
| Lenovo XClarity Essentials OneCLI Supports all core system firmware, I/O firmware, and installed operating system driver updates | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||||
| Lenovo XClarity Essentials UpdateXpress Supports all core system firmware, I/O firmware, and installed operating system driver updates | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||||
| Lenovo XClarity Essentials Bootable Media Creator Supports core system firmware and I/O firmware updates. You can update the Microsoft Windows operating system, but device drivers are not included on the bootable image | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||||
| Lenovo XClarity Administrator Supports core system firmware and I/O firmware updates | √1 | √2 | √ | √ | ||||
| Lenovo XClarity Integrator offerings | Lenovo XClarity Integrator for VMware vCenter Supports all core system firmware, I/O firmware, and installed operating system driver updates | √ | √ | √ | ||||
| Lenovo XClarity Integrator for Microsoft Windows Admin Center Supports all core system firmware, I/O firmware, and installed operating system driver updates | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||
| Lenovo XClarity Integrator for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager Supports all core system firmware, I/O firmware, and installed operating system driver updates | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||||
Note
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The latest firmware can be found at the following site:
Lenovo XClarity Provisioning Manager
From Lenovo XClarity Provisioning Manager, you can update the Lenovo XClarity Controller firmware, the UEFI firmware, and the Lenovo XClarity Provisioning Manager software.
NoteBy default, theLenovo XClarity Provisioning Manager Graphical User Interface is displayed when you press F1. If you have changed that default to be the text-based system setup, you can bring up the Graphical User Interface from the text-based system setup interface. Additional information about using Lenovo XClarity Provisioning Manager to update firmware is available at:
Lenovo XClarity Controller
If you need to install a specific update, you can use the Lenovo XClarity Controller interface for a specific server.NoteTo perform an in-band update through Windows or Linux, the operating system driver must be installed and the Ethernet-over-USB (sometimes called LAN over USB) interface must be enabled.
Additional information about configuring Ethernet over USB is available at:
If you update firmware through the Lenovo XClarity Controller, make sure that you have downloaded and installed the latest device drivers for the operating system that is running on the server.
Specific details about updating firmware using Lenovo XClarity Controller are available at:
Lenovo XClarity Essentials OneCLI
Lenovo XClarity Essentials OneCLI is a collection of command line applications that can be used to manage Lenovo servers. Its update application can be used to update firmware and device drivers for your servers. The update can be performed within the host operating system of the server (in-band) or remotely through the BMC of the server (out-of-band).
Specific details about updating firmware using Lenovo XClarity Essentials OneCLI is available at:
Lenovo XClarity Essentials UpdateXpress
Lenovo XClarity Essentials UpdateXpress provides most of OneCLI update functions through a graphical user interface (GUI). It can be used to acquire and deploy UpdateXpress System Pack (UXSP) update packages and individual updates. UpdateXpress System Packs contain firmware and device driver updates for Microsoft Windows and for Linux.
You can obtain Lenovo XClarity Essentials UpdateXpress from the following location:
Lenovo XClarity Essentials UpdateXpress websiteLenovo XClarity Essentials Bootable Media Creator
You can use Lenovo XClarity Essentials Bootable Media Creator to create bootable media that is suitable for applying firmware updates, running preboot diagnostics, and deploying Microsoft Windows operating systems.
You can obtain Lenovo XClarity Essentials BoMC from the following location:
Lenovo XClarity Administrator
If you are managing multiple servers using the Lenovo XClarity Administrator, you can update firmware for all managed servers through that interface. Firmware management is simplified by assigning firmware-compliance policies to managed endpoints. When you create and assign a compliance policy to managed endpoints, Lenovo XClarity Administrator monitors changes to the inventory for those endpoints and flags any endpoints that are out of compliance.
Specific details about updating firmware using Lenovo XClarity Administrator are available at:
Lenovo XClarity Integrator offerings
Lenovo XClarity Integrator offerings can integrate management features of Lenovo XClarity Administrator and your server with software used in a certain deployment infrastructure, such as VMware vCenter, Microsoft Admin Center, or Microsoft System Center.
Specific details about updating firmware using Lenovo XClarity Integrator offerings are available at: