Firmware updates
Several options are available to update the firmware for the server.
Update method 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 installed operating system executing on the target server itself.
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.
You can use the tools listed here to update the most current firmware for your server and the devices that are installed in the server.
Best practices related to updating firmware is available at the following site:
The latest firmware can be found at the following site:
You can subscribe to product notification to stay up to date on firmware updates:
Firmware updating tools
| Tool | Update Methods Supported | Core System Firmware Updates | I/O Devices Firmware Updates | Graphical user interface | Command line interface | Supports UXSPs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lenovo XClarity Provisioning Manager (LXPM) | In-band2 On-Target | √ | √ | ||||
| Lenovo XClarity Controller (XCC) | Out-of-band Off-Target | √ | Selected I/O devices | √ | |||
| Lenovo XClarity Essentials OneCLI (OneCLI) | In-band Out-of-band On-Target Off-Target | √ | All I/O devices | √ | √ | ||
| Lenovo XClarity Essentials UpdateXpress (LXCE) | In-band Out-of-band On-Target Off-Target | √ | All I/O devices | √ | √ | ||
| Lenovo XClarity Essentials Bootable Media Creator (BoMC) | In-band Out-of-band Off-Target | √ | All I/O devices | √ (BoMC application) | √ (BoMC application) | √ | |
| Lenovo XClarity Administrator (LXCA) | In-band1 Out-of-band2 Off-Target | √ | All I/O devices | √ | √ | ||
| Lenovo XClarity Integrator (LXCI) for VMware vCenter | Out-of-band Off-Target | √ | Selected I/O devices | √ | |||
| Lenovo XClarity Integrator (LXCI) for Microsoft Windows Admin Center | In-band Out-of-band On-Target Off-Target | √ | All I/O devices | √ | √ | ||
| Lenovo XClarity Integrator (LXCI) for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager | In-band On-Target | √ | All I/O devices | √ | √ | ||
Note
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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 start the server and press the key specified in the on-screen instructions. 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. For additional information about using Lenovo XClarity Provisioning Manager to update firmware, see:
Firmware Update
section in the LXPM documentation compatible with your server at Lenovo XClarity Provisioning Manager portal pageLenovo 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.
For additional information about configuring Ethernet over USB, see:
Configuring Ethernet over USB
section in the XCC documentation version compatible with your server at Lenovo XClarity Controller portal pageIf 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.
For additional information about using Lenovo XClarity Controller, see:
Updating Server Firmware
section in the XCC documentation compatible with your server at Lenovo XClarity Controller portal pageLenovo 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).
For additional information about using Lenovo XClarity Essentials OneCLI, see:
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 firmware updates, VPD updates, inventory and FFDC collection, advanced system configuration, FoD Keys management, secure erase, RAID configuration, and diagnostics on supported servers.
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.
For additional information about using Lenovo XClarity Administrator, see:
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.
For additional information about using Lenovo XClarity Integrator offerings, see: