Administrator Guide

Prerequisites
Before you use BMP to auto-configure your Dell Networking switch, configure the following:
• External DHCP server (required) — a network device offering configuration parameters.
• File server (required) — a network device for storing and servicing files.
• Domain name server (DNS) (optional) — a server that associates domain names in the network with IP
addresses.
• Relay agent (optional) — an intermediary network device that passes messages between the DHCP
clients and the DHCP server when the server is not on the same subnet. It can also provide IP
addresses for multiple subnets.
For more information, refer to Domain Name Server Settings and File Server Settings.
Industrial Standard Upgrades with BMP
Dell Networking OS follows the Industrial Standards with BMP. Following are the steps to perform the
upgrade process:
1. Chassis Loads in BMP mode.
2. The BMP_BOOT is a special variable in Non-volatile Random Access Memory (NVRAM) for Industrial
Standard Upgrades during BMP BOOT process.
3. The BMP_BOOT variable in NVRAM validates the presence of BOOT configuration.
4. If the BMP_BOOT variable is not configured, the system initiates the DHCP process and receives the
offer. However, if the BMP_BOOT variable is configured, the system applies and commits the BOOT
configurations present in the NORMAL_BOOT variable. Then, the system starts the DHCP process
and receives the offer.
5. The offer validates the presence of image file.
6. If the image file is present in the DHCP offer, the system validates the current active boot partition
with the DHCP offer image header.
7. If the image header matches, the system skips the image file download process and validates the
presence of configuration file in the offer.
8. If the image header mismatches, the system initiates the image upgrade process.
9. The system validates the BMP_BOOT variable in the NVRAM as part of the upgrade process. If the
BMP_BOOT variable is not configured, the system assigns the inactive boot partition to BMP_BOOT
variable. Then, it stores the copy of the current BOOT parameters in NORMAL_BOOT variable of
NVRAM. It also upgrades the image to the inactive boot partition.
10. The BMP process exits and the system cleans up the BMP_BOOT and NORMAL_BOOT variables, if
the configuration or script file is not present in the DHCP offer. However, if the configuration or
script file is present, download and apply the configuration or script file.
11. The system validates the auto-save BMP option. If the auto-save option is enabled, the system
commits the configuration changes and cleans up the BMP_BOOT variables and exits the BMP
process. If the auto-save option is disabled, the changes to the configurations do not take effect.
The system cleans up the BMP_BOOT and NORMAL_BOOT variables and exits the BMP process.
Bare Metal Provisioning
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