Update Appliance Firmware

Occasionally, FireMon may publish firmware updates for branded machine hardware. Because FM appliances are built upon the Dell PowerEdge platform, the Lifecycle Controller present in these devices makes applying firmware updates extremely simple.

There are two methods for applying firmware updates using the Lifecycle Controller:

  • iDRAC web-based GUI
  • pre-boot console GUI

Warning! Updating system firmware will require the appliance to reboot. When updating firmware on a machine that is a member of a multi-server ecosystem, be sure any subordinate servers are placed into maintenance mode, as appropriate.

Using the iDRAC Web UI

For FM appliances that have their iDRAC connected and configured, the easiest way to apply firmware updates is by using the Update and Rollback feature within the iDRAC web UI.

  1. Navigate to the iDRAC web application using your browser and log in as a user with iDRAC administrator privileges.

The default iDRAC user name and password should be changed before putting am FM appliance into production.

  1. Click iDRAC Settings > Update and Rollback.
  2. On the Firmware Update page, click the Update tab and then select Local for File Location.
  3. Click the Browse button for File Path under Single Update Location and navigate to the firmware update image stored on your local machine. After selecting the correct file for your hardware, click Upload.

Although FMOS is a Linux-based operating system the Lifecycle Controller uses the Windows packaging format, so updates are distributed as .exe files.

  1. Uploading the firmware image to the iDRAC may take a few minutes. When the upload completes, select the check box next to the update in the Update Details pane and click Install and Reboot.

  2. The update will be processed in the background. To view the status of the update, click the Job Queue button. The job queue can also be accessed from the server link in the navigation tree and choosing the Job Queue button from the top bar.

  3. The job queue will show the status of the update as it progresses. Use the refresh button to update the display.

  4. After the update applies successfully, a new job queue entry will be created to reboot the machine. After the machine reboots, the update process is complete and FMOS will load as normal.

Using the Pre-boot GUI

In cases where the iDRAC is not usable, another option for updating appliance firmware is to use the pre-boot Lifecycle Controller GUI. This option requires physical access to the machine and a USB storage device.

  1. Copy the firmware image onto a USB storage device, such as a flash drive.

The device must be formatted with the FAT32 filesystem. USB 2.0 and 3.0 devices are supported.

  1. Connect the USB storage device to the appliance and power it on. During system initialization, a list of special boot options will be displayed on the screen. Press F10 on the keyboard to enter the Lifecycle Controller UI.

  2. When prompted for the Setup Password, contact FireMon support to obtain the specific password for your device.

  3. When the Lifecycle Controller UI finishes loading, select Firmware Update from the navigation list, then click Launch Firmware Update.

  4. On the Select Update Repository page, select Local Drive(CD or DVD or USB). Ensure the USB storage device is connected and click Next.

  5. On the Enter Access Details page, select the appropriate device from the Local Drive menu (e.g. USB0 (Front USB 1)). Type the name of the firmware image file in the File Path or Update Package Path field box and click Next.

  6. The Lifecycle Controller will scan the image file and verify its contents. This process may take a few minutes, depending on the size and type of firmware to update. If any errors are encountered, they must be resolved before continuing.

  7. After verifying the selected image file, the Lifecycle Controller will present a list of identified updates. Ensure the check box next to the desired update is selected and click Apply.

  8. At this point, the update process should proceed automatically. The Lifecycle Controller will download the update package from the USB storage device and apply the update to the system.

  9. After applying updates, the appliance will reboot and the Lifecycle Controller UI will start again. Click the Exit button at the top-right corner of the screen and then click OK to reboot the appliance and load FMOS as normal.