Users Guide

If the chassis contains an earlier generation server, whose iDRAC is in recovery mode or if CMC detects
that iDRAC has corrupted firmware, then the earlier generation iDRAC is also listed on the Firmware
Update page.
Viewing Currently Installed Firmware Versions Using RACADM
To view the IP information for iDRAC and CMC, and the CMC service- or asset tag using RACADM, run
the racadm getsysinfo sub-command. For more information about other RACADM commands, see
the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide.
Updating the CMC Firmware
You can update the CMC firmware using web interface or RACADM. The firmware update, by default,
retains the current CMC settings. During the update process, you can reset CMC configuration settings
back to the factory-default settings.
NOTE: To update firmware on CMC, you must have the Chassis Configuration Administrator
privilege.
If a Web user interface session is used to update system component firmware, the Idle Timeout (0, 60–
10800) setting must be set to a higher value to accommodate the file transfer time. In some cases, the
firmware file transfer time may be as high as 30 minutes. To set the idle timeout value, see Configuring
Services.
During CMC firmware updates, it is normal for some or all of the fan units in the chassis to rotate at 100%
speed.
If you have redundant CMCs installed in the chassis, it is recommended to update both the CMCs to the
same firmware version, at the same time, with a single operation. If CMCs have different firmware and a
failover occurs, unexpected results may occur.
The Active CMC resets and becomes temporarily unavailable after the firmware has been uploaded
successfully. If a standby CMC is present, the standby and active roles swap. The standby CMC becomes
the active CMC. If an update is applied only to the active CMC, after the reset is complete, the active
CMC does not run the updated image, only the standby CMC has that image. In general, it is highly
recommended to maintain identical firmware versions for the active and standby CMCs.
When the standby CMC has been updated, swap the CMCs’ roles so that the newly updated CMC
becomes the active CMC and the CMC with the earlier firmware becomes the standby. For information
about swapping roles, see the cmcchangeover command section in the Chassis Management Controller
for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide
. Running this command helps you to
verify that the update has succeeded and that the new firmware is working properly, before you update
the firmware in the second CMC. When both CMCs are updated, you can use the cmcchangeover
command to restore the CMCs to their previous roles. CMC firmware revision 2.x updates both the
primary CMC and the redundant CMC without running the cmcchangeover command.
To avoid disconnecting other users during a reset, notify authorized users who may log in to CMC and
check for active sessions on the Sessions page. To open the Sessions page, click Chassis Overview in the
left pane, click Network, and then click the Sessions.
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