HP ProLiant SL230s HP ProLiant firmware management architecture - Page 4

Updating Linux In most cases, drivers that are part of the Linux kernel are sufficient to allow firmware updates. If not, HP SUM attempts to update the driver either from a locally hosted RPM package manager or by pulling the latest RPM from the ftp.hp.com website. If you are using YUM for package management of multiple servers, we plan to integrate HP SUM with existing YUM repositories in a future release of HP SUM. HP Integrity servers You can use HP SUM to update firmware on HP Integrity servers. But, you must deploy firmware remotely to HP Integrity BL860c/BL870c/BL890c i2 Servers. HP SUM supports the following firmware on HP Integrity servers:  Online System ROM  Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)  iLO MP  Power Management Controller We use the HP Integrity iLO Network Management Interface to update the System ROM, FPGA, and Power Management Controller. The interface must power them down to communicate with them and apply the updates. This process avoids having to reboot the server multiple times. Updates to iLO do not require power down. HP BladeSystem Release Sets for ProLiant and firmware bundles HP servers contain numerous components that must work together. The firmware update process for these components is similar across the ProLiant BladeSystem, DL, ML, and SL server lines. HP groups firmware Smart Components as follows:  HP BladeSystem Release Sets for ProLiant BL servers  Firmware bundles for ProLiant ML, DL, and SL servers (ProLiant 300/500/700/900 series servers)  Firmware bundles for the ProLiant ML, DL, and SL servers (ProLiant 100 series servers) We test all firmware packages to ensure compatibility with one another and with existing system components. You can download these packages from the HP website at http://www.hp.com/go/proliant/bladesystem/updates, where we tell you the components that a package updates, as well as prerequisites, fixes employed, and other information about the package. Release Sets An HP BladeSystem Release Set for ProLiant is an enhanced, solutions-oriented firmware set for ProLiant BladeSystem hardware. Release Sets include HP SUM, firmware smart components, and the latest available driver smart components from the PSPs for Windows and Linux OSes. HP tests the Release Set components together and against software, drivers, and PSPs to ensure compatibility. The driver smart components are a convenience if you do not want to deploy a full PSP but need the drivers for firmware updates. You can use the Release Sets if you have an installed OS on a target server and only want to update the firmware. The Release Sets are for online deployment on local or remote equipment. HP SUM deploys the updates, enforces limitations, and moves the smart components to remote targets. We provide new Release Sets at regular intervals to make maintaining firmware easier and maintenance scheduling more predictable. HP BladeSystem Firmware Release Sets are part of the Smart Update Firmware DVD ISO. Figure 1 illustrates HP cycles for developing, validating, and publishing Release Sets. The yellow block represents the period for collecting and testing the components in a Release Set. We collect these components as a "Solution Stack" and test them as part of a Release Set. Meanwhile, firmware 4