Updating the DRAC Firmware

• Introduction
• Previous versions
• Problem of two cursors on console
• Methods of updating your DRAC firmware
• Where to find the firmware update
• Before You Begin
• Downloading and extracting the DRAC Firmware
• Updating the DRAC Firmware Using the Web-Based Interface
  

Introduction

There are two major ways to apply DRAC firmware upgrade:

• Using d7 file extracted form windows exe file. This is the recommended option.
• Using bin file. Using bin file can lead to troubles especially if your current version of DRAC is way too old. I once bricked DRAC using this method  and since then use d7 method exclusively. It is the most reliable.

In case you don't have personnel on a remote site frozen DRAC this is a disaster for rack servers (blades has ability to reboot DRAC from the enclosure controller) . Again, in the rat race for additional functionality Dell forgot the primary purpose of the DRAC -- to be reliable KVM -- and the main criteria of its usefulness -- reliability.

The current version of DRAC 7 for M620 R620 generation server is 2.65.65.65 (Feb 2020). This version works OK, but sometime to display Web interface in browser you need to click reload. It does not display it from the first time.

For M630/R630 server the current version is different and higher.

• How to update iDRAC Firmware and BIOS for Dell PowerEdge R720 Server - YouTube
• Updating iDRAC firmware using Dell's iDRAC HTTP(s) interface - YouTube
• How to update iDRAC Firmware and BIOS for Dell PowerEdge R720 Server - YouTube

While it is now history, until version 1.51.51 DRAC was  very unstable and the only enhancement listed are "Adjustments for Intel IvyBridge processor specification updates"

You need to have reliable TCP/IP connection when do the update of DRAC firmware from the DRAC GUI using .D7 file extracted from the DRAC update for Windows.

If download hangs sometimes you can't proceed. In this case you need to re-initialize the card and repeat the process. If you can still log in to GUI interface resetting DRAC  might help...

Other (not-recommended) methods

There are several methods to update your DRAC firmware.

• iDRAC updates via command line using RACADM — See "fwupdate".
• iDRAC updates via an Operating System executable -- do not do that -- this is invitation to troubles. I bricked DRAC using this method because it timeout and I close the terminal window, which was a mistake.
• iDRAC updates via Web Services for Management (WSMAN)

Where to find the firmware update

The first step to updating the firmware on your iDRAC is to download the update package / image. (Updating DRAC Firmware)

To find the latest version of the iDRAC firmware, check the Dell TechCenter iDRAC page or go to support.dell.com and search for iDRAC6 or iDRAC7.

There are two versions of iDRAC firmware update one for Windows and one for Linux. Use windows version as only from it you can xteact .D& file which allow you to perform the update from DRAC GUI interface.

To update your DRAC firmware, download the latest firmware from the Dell Support website located at support.dell.com and save the version for window  to your PC.

The following software components are included with your .exe DRAC firmware package:

• Compiled DRAC firmware code and data (*.d7 file)
• Readme file

This is self-extractable archive. Run it and you will get the two files mentioned above.  Then read the readme file. Don't skip this step, it's important.

Before You Begin

Before you update your DRAC firmware:

1. Ensure that the DRAC virtual flash is unmounted or not in use by the operating system or another application or user.
2. Disconnect and unmount Virtual Media.

Updating the DRAC Firmware Using the DRAC Web-Based Interface

This is the most common and the most reliable approach.  In order to get the update package, download Windows version and extract it into some folder. You will see in this folder the file with the extension D7. For example:

C:\Dell\Drac7\<image_name>. 

The default firmware image name is firmimg.d7. This is the file you need to use for the firmware update.

To update DRAC from the web interface  (assuming your iDRAC is connected to the network and is addressable) type in the IP address of your DRAC card in any web browser, log in with the username / password (if you haven’t changed anything u:root p:calvin) then go to

iDRAC Settings > Update and Rollback

Point the GUI towards the firmware D7 image.

1. In the System tree, click Remote Access and click the Update tab.
2. In the Firmware Update page in the Firmware Image field, type the path to the firmware image that you downloaded from support.dell.com or click Browse to navigate to the image.
3. Click Upload. (you need to move the right edge of your browser window to see the Upload button)
4. You will see the image started downloading is percentages of downloaded art will appear on the screen. Download can take up to 30 min, even more on slow VPN links. Do not try several downloaded over VPN link as timeout can occure.
5. Sometimes, the download can stop at some point too leaving image unfinished.  When did not finishes reinitialize the card and try again. If this does not help reboot DRAC and try again.

After that you need to check the image and start the update. This is a long process: update of firmware can take up to 10 min. Responses from DRAC might be absent. Please be patient.  DRAC reboots after upgrade.

• For blades you will see the new version on CMS screen.  
• For rack servers try try to login from a new browser windows without closing an old one. If it is done you will be able to login and will see the new version listed on the initial DRAC  screen.

Some update have minor but annoying problem: they do not display full WEB interface until you click reload on the browser.

Sometimes DRAC automatically log you out from the windows on which you performed update  (as it should be) but this is not a sure thing.

1. Crick Install (you need to move the right button corner of your browser window to see the Install button button)
2. You will see System alert RAC0603: Updating Job queue. You can click see the status.
3. New Windows opens you will see something like JID_911131619378 Firmware update: DRAC
4. When update finishes you will be automatically logged out.
5. After the DRAC resets, close the browser, open it again and then log in to the DRAC. It should be a new version of DRAC.

NOTES:

1. If you are running Firefox, the text cursor does not appear in the Firmware Image field.
2. After the firmware upgrade, it is recommended to clear the Web browser cache. The simplest way is to close the browser and open it again.
3. You can also reset DRAC manually from Server Overview/Troubleshooting menu. But it is not recommended as DRAC after the update should reboot tiself. Please be patient.  You can reboot it only when in SLOT menu you will see the new version.
4. Sometime update screw root password and you need to reset it via Server Overview/Setup menu

NEWS CONTENTS

• 20140531 : How do I update Dell iDRAC firmware? ( How do I update Dell iDRAC firmware?, May 31, 2014 )
• 20140203 : Updating firmware on Dell PowerEdge R710 by Yury Zaytsev ( Jun 04, 2011 , yury.zaytsev.net )
• 20140203 : Update iDRAC Firmware, LifceCycle Controller, Bios via Command Line ( May 17, 2013 , Dell Community )

Old News ;-)

[May 31, 2014] How do I update Dell iDRAC firmware?

(updated 8/29/2013)
This post was written by Peter Tsai and Raja Tamilarasan

How do I update Dell iDRAC firmware? is a question we are asked often.

Updating DRAC firmware is a relatively common task that doesn't have to be overly complicated. There are a variety of methods available and you should be able to find one firmware update method that is right for you.

The first step to updating the firmware on your iDRAC is to download the update package / image.

To find the latest version of the iDRAC firmware, check the Dell TechCenter iDRAC page or go to support.dell.com and search for iDRAC6 or iDRAC7.

There are two versions of iDRAC firmware - one for Blade servers (modular) and one for standard rack servers (monolithic). Download only the one you need, or both if you have each type of server.

Once you have the driver there are several ways to install iDRAC firmware updates:

1. iDRAC updates via an Operating System executable
2. iDRAC updates via iDRAC web GUI
3. iDRAC updates via command line using RACADM
4. iDRAC updates via Web Services for Management (WSMAN)

1. For those with Windows installed, the most simple and easiest option for you is to download the "Update Package for MS Windows" and per the instructions on the download page, run the executable on the server that contains the iDRAC to be updated. There are also Linux install options mentioned on the download page as well.

2. The other option is to get the .IMG file update package, extract the file then perform an update either through the DRAC web GUI (assuming your iDRAC is connected to the network and addressable). To do that you type in the IP address of your DRAC card in any web browser, log in with the username / password (if you haven't changed anything u:root p:calvin) then click on the iDRAC Settings > Update tab. Point the GUI towards the firmware image, and you should be good to go.

3. Using a tool called RACADM (Remote Access Controller Administrator) you can update the firmware via a command line. The comand to update firmware is racadm fwupdate -p -u -d <path>

4. Click me to jump to information about firmware update using WSMAN.

One other option is to use Dell Repository Manager or the United Server Configurator, which is a component of Lifecycle Controller.

If you have Internet connectivity in your datacenter, you can just boot USC by pressing F10 during post and choose platform updates. If you don't have access to the internet, it you can still do updates by creating an SUU USB key and booting to USC. To see how this is done, watch the video entitled "USB Updates Using Repository Manager with Lifecycle Controller" on www.delltechcenter.com/RepositoryManager.

[Feb 03, 2014]Updating firmware on Dell PowerEdge R710 by Yury Zaytsev

This blog post is about DRAC 6 process...

Jun 04, 2011 | yury.zaytsev.net

... There are generally several avenues that one might take to update the server firmware:

• iDRAC firmware update facility (limited to the firmware of the DRAC itself and the USC, Dell Universal Server Configurator / Lifecycle Controller dell-1), which requires manually downloaded firmware update (or repair) packages
• Dell USC / LC, which is an UEFI based software that is able to update almost all firmwares of the devices that are present in the server using a number of possible sources of updates:
  • Dell FTP site dell-2, in which case at least one of the network interface cards present in the system has to be configured from within USC, so that the server would be able to access external resources directly or via a proxy server
  • Special USB media prepared beforehand using a software called Dell Repository Manager dell-3, which needs to be deployed to a Windows management PC
  • Dell OpenManage Server Update Utility dell-4, which is a DVD image containing a comprehensive collection of firmware updates; in some sense, the USB media produced by the Repository Manager are subsets of SUU specific to each particular server
• Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation all-in-one DVD dell-5, which contains the whole suite of OpenManage-branded Dell systems management software (OMSA, SBUU, SSDT and ITA)
• Dell Update Packages (DUPs), which are accessible from the download pages for each specific Dell server dell-6; the right download page can be found by entering the service tag (unique server family identifier, which can be found in the DRAC interface or USC among other sources)

A rather complete (but possibly not exhaustive) list of components that might require updates is as follows:

• iDRAC card
• Dell BIOS
• Dell USC / LC
• Dell OS Drivers pack (part of LC)
• Dell 32-bit Diagnostics software (part of LC)
• Dell-branded RAID controllers, i.e. PERC H200I
• Network interface cards
• SSD devices

What follows are comments regarding each one of those and applicable update methods.

iDRAC firmware update

Updating the DRAC firmware should be the first step to updating anything else, especially in the case of a restricted onsite presence / remote hands availability. During the update, the DRAC might become unavailable for a period of time up to 15 minutes; this is normal and expected.

It is preferable to turn off the server and perform the update from the DRAC management console (iDRAC Settings | Update | Upload). The update package has to be downloaded manually from the server support and drivers home page at Dell.

Additionally, iDRAC is able to re-flash USC / LC using USC repair packages lc-1 in the case if it was hosed during the update. It is generally not recommended by Dell and considered to be a last-resort action, but I have found it to be the only reliable way of updating the USC.

Update iDRAC Firmware, LifceCycle Controller, Bios via Command Line

May 17, 2013 | Dell Community

nampnx

on 17 May 2013 3:29 AM

Hi all,

My company currently have over 200 dell m610 servers. Now I need to update my DELL M610 servers to latest versions (iDRAC, LifeCycle, Bios) via command line. With dell m620 i used WSMAN command to update many server by creating script but m610 i couldn't because out of date versions: iDRAC, LC, Bios. If using RACADM I only update iDRAC firmeware not LC, Bios. Is there any way to update date all of them by command line?

Thanks so much.

DELL-Josh Cr

Hi nampnx,

What OS are you running? If you are using Windows or Red Hat you can use the update packages for those OSes and run them from command line. You can use the /s switch to run them silently without user intervention as part of a script.

Here are the current updates:

iDRAC remote access controller firmware 3.50, A00, released 3/29/13, URGENT, *May take 8-15 minutes to complete:

• Windows:, downloads.dell.com/.../ESM_Firmware_C1GG0_WN32_3.50_A00.EXE
• Linux: downloads.dell.com/.../ESM_Firmware_C1GG0_LN32_3.50_A00.BIN
• Lifecycle Controller Firmware Update Version 1.6.0.73, A00 released 3/27/13, URGENT if at or below 1.5.2.32
• Windows: downloads.dell.com/.../Lifecycle-Controller_Application_GFFFC_WN32_1.6.0.73_A00.EXE
• Red Hat: downloads.dell.com/.../Lifecycle-Controller_Application_GFFFC_LN_1.6.0.73_A00.BIN
• Bios 6.3.0 Firmware Update, released 8/16/12, Urgent if below 2.1.15
• Windows: downloads.dell.com/.../BIOS_J0GY0_WN32_6.3.0.EXE
• Red Hat: downloads.dell.com/.../BIOS_J0GY0_LN32_6.3.0.BIN

Recommended Links

Softpanorama Recommended

Top articles

Sites

Documentation

Etc

Society

Groupthink : Two Party System as Polyarchy : Corruption of Regulators : Bureaucracies : Understanding Micromanagers and Control Freaks : Toxic Managers :   Harvard Mafia : Diplomatic Communication : Surviving a Bad Performance Review : Insufficient Retirement Funds as Immanent Problem of Neoliberal Regime : PseudoScience : Who Rules America : Neoliberalism  : The Iron Law of Oligarchy : Libertarian Philosophy

Quotes

War and Peace : Skeptical Finance : John Kenneth Galbraith :Talleyrand : Oscar Wilde : Otto Von Bismarck : Keynes : George Carlin : Skeptics : Propaganda  : SE quotes : Language Design and Programming Quotes : Random IT-related quotes :  Somerset Maugham : Marcus Aurelius : Kurt Vonnegut : Eric Hoffer : Winston Churchill : Napoleon Bonaparte : Ambrose Bierce :  Bernard Shaw : Mark Twain Quotes

Bulletin:

Vol 25, No.12 (December, 2013) Rational Fools vs. Efficient Crooks The efficient markets hypothesis : Political Skeptic Bulletin, 2013 : Unemployment Bulletin, 2010 :  Vol 23, No.10 (October, 2011) An observation about corporate security departments : Slightly Skeptical Euromaydan Chronicles, June 2014 : Greenspan legacy bulletin, 2008 : Vol 25, No.10 (October, 2013) Cryptolocker Trojan (Win32/Crilock.A) : Vol 25, No.08 (August, 2013) Cloud providers as intelligence collection hubs : Financial Humor Bulletin, 2010 : Inequality Bulletin, 2009 : Financial Humor Bulletin, 2008 : Copyleft Problems Bulletin, 2004 : Financial Humor Bulletin, 2011 : Energy Bulletin, 2010 : Malware Protection Bulletin, 2010 : Vol 26, No.1 (January, 2013) Object-Oriented Cult : Political Skeptic Bulletin, 2011 : Vol 23, No.11 (November, 2011) Softpanorama classification of sysadmin horror stories : Vol 25, No.05 (May, 2013) Corporate bullshit as a communication method  : Vol 25, No.06 (June, 2013) A Note on the Relationship of Brooks Law and Conway Law

History:

Fifty glorious years (1950-2000): the triumph of the US computer engineering : Donald Knuth : TAoCP and its Influence of Computer Science : Richard Stallman : Linus Torvalds  : Larry Wall  : John K. Ousterhout : CTSS : Multix OS Unix History : Unix shell history : VI editor : History of pipes concept : Solaris : MS DOS :  Programming Languages History : PL/1 : Simula 67 : C : History of GCC development :  Scripting Languages : Perl history   : OS History : Mail : DNS : SSH : CPU Instruction Sets : SPARC systems 1987-2006 : Norton Commander : Norton Utilities : Norton Ghost : Frontpage history : Malware Defense History : GNU Screen : OSS early history

Classic books:

The Peter Principle : Parkinson Law : 1984 : The Mythical Man-Month :  How to Solve It by George Polya : The Art of Computer Programming : The Elements of Programming Style : The Unix Hater’s Handbook : The Jargon file : The True Believer : Programming Pearls : The Good Soldier Svejk : The Power Elite

Most popular humor pages:

Manifest of the Softpanorama IT Slacker Society : Ten Commandments of the IT Slackers Society : Computer Humor Collection : BSD Logo Story : The Cuckoo's Egg : IT Slang : C++ Humor : ARE YOU A BBS ADDICT? : The Perl Purity Test : Object oriented programmers of all nations : Financial Humor : Financial Humor Bulletin, 2008 : Financial Humor Bulletin, 2010 : The Most Comprehensive Collection of Editor-related Humor : Programming Language Humor : Goldman Sachs related humor : Greenspan humor : C Humor : Scripting Humor : Real Programmers Humor : Web Humor : GPL-related Humor : OFM Humor : Politically Incorrect Humor : IDS Humor : "Linux Sucks" Humor : Russian Musical Humor : Best Russian Programmer Humor : Microsoft plans to buy Catholic Church : Richard Stallman Related Humor : Admin Humor : Perl-related Humor : Linus Torvalds Related humor : PseudoScience Related Humor : Networking Humor : Shell Humor : Financial Humor Bulletin, 2011 : Financial Humor Bulletin, 2012 : Financial Humor Bulletin, 2013 : Java Humor : Software Engineering Humor : Sun Solaris Related Humor : Education Humor : IBM Humor : Assembler-related Humor : VIM Humor : Computer Viruses Humor : Bright tomorrow is rescheduled to a day after tomorrow : Classic Computer Humor

The Last but not Least Technology is dominated by two types of people: those who understand what they do not manage and those who manage what they do not understand ~Archibald Putt. Ph.D

The statements, views and opinions presented on this web page are those of the author (or referenced source) and are not endorsed by, nor do they necessarily reflect, the opinions of the Softpanorama society. We do not warrant the correctness of the information provided or its fitness for any purpose. The site uses AdSense so you need to be aware of Google privacy policy. You you do not want to be tracked by Google please disable Javascript for this site. This site is perfectly usable without Javascript.

Last modified: February 26, 2021