HP Systems Insight Manager 5.2 Update 2 Technical Reference Guide

Related topics
• Version Control
• About integration
• About multiple system management
• About software repositories
About integration
For software versioning and updating, HP Systems Insight Manager (HP SIM) relies on the VCRM and the
VCA. By using these applications, HP SIM provides a single view of the software status for all managed
ProLiant or Integrity servers, plus the capability to update software and firmware on those servers through
its powerful query and task features. Updates can be scheduled and applied to specific sets of servers based
on predetermined criteria, including applying updates only to those systems that require an update.
To take full advantage of the software update capabilities of HP SIM, ensure that the following conditions
are met:
• Every managed target server on the network has the VCA installed and is configured to use a repository.
• Every repository that is to be used has the VCRM installed.
• You can optionally use the automatic update feature of the VCRM to update all repositories with the
latest software from HP automatically.
Related procedures
• Installing Software and Firmware
• Installing ROM firmware updates
• Initial ProLiant Support Pack Install
• HP Version Control Agent reports
Related topics
• Version Control
• About the Version Control Agent
• About the Version Control Repository Manager
About software repositories
The practice of updating HP ProLiant Support Packs and components using VCRM from a single or multiple
repositories saves time and is key to standardizing software maintenance and update procedures on distributed
systems .
For maximum manageability and flexibility across operating system platforms, each repository that is created
should conform to the following conditions:
• Located on a local drive with write access
• Updated automatically by the VCRM
• Managed by VCRM.
When a repository has been created, the repository must be populated with HP ProLiant Support Packs and
components before being updated on the target HP systems. Although it is optional, the easiest and most
efficient way to update a repository is by using the Automatic Update feature of the VCRM. The Automatic
Update feature of the VCRM enables you to schedule an automatic population of the repository. However,
the repository can be updated in any, or combination of any, of the following ways:
• The Automatic Update feature of the VCRM
• The Upload HP ProLiant Support Pack feature of the VCRM, which enables users to easily copy HP
ProLiant Support Packs from a SmartStart CD or other accessible media
• Manually downloading the software into the repository from http://www.hp.com
Version Control 457