www.dell.com/powersolutions Reprinted from Dell Power Solutions, May 2006. Copyright © 2006 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. DELL POWER SOLUTIONS 1

SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT

Dell OpenManage Server Update Utility (SUU) 1.3

enables administrators to deploy version downgrades

as well as upgrades, and to customize a server update

with specific Dell Update Packages. Previous versions of

SUU allowed administrators to view the system software

inventory, update the system with the latest component

versions, and view the available versions for other sup-

ported systems—but not to roll back component versions

when necessary. SUU 1.3 also includes support for both

Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 and Microsoft

Windows Server 2003 Release 2 (R2) and is distributed

on two CDs: one for the Windows OS family and one for

the Linux OS family.

SUU 1.3 enables more flexibility and efficiency than

previous SUU versions, which required administrators to

execute all the updates in the System Update Set at one

time. In contrast, SUU 1.3 allows administrators to use

check boxes to select which components to update. For

example, Figure 1 shows a scenario in which only the Dell

Remote Access Controller 3 firmware will be upgraded,

even though other components are available for upgrade.

When a system component has a newer version than

is reflected in SUU 1.3, administrators can roll back to the

version contained in the System Update Set. In previous

versions, SUU allowed only updates to components. For

example, Figure 2 shows a scenario in which the BIOS can

be downgraded; the Enable Downgrade check box appears

in the upper left corner of the Comparison Report.

In addition, SUU 1.3 supports the Serial Attached SCSI

(SAS) Dell PowerVault™ MD1000 firmware and the Dell ™

BY STEVE FAGAN AND J. MARCOS PALACIOS, PH.D.

Expediting the Change Management Process Using Dell OpenManage Server Update Utility 1.3

Dell™ OpenManage™ Server Update Utility (SUU) 1.3 has been enhanced to support

the Novell® SUSE® Linux® Enterprise Server 9 and Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003

Release 2 operating systems. In addition, SUU 1.3 enables more management flex-

ibility and efficiency than previous versions by allowing administrators to customize

component updates, including rollback. This article discusses how such features can

help simplify operations and streamline the IT change management process.

Related Categories:

Change management

Dell OpenManage

Dell PowerEdge servers

Systems management

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Figure 1. Upgrading components in SUU 1.3

SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT

DELL POWER SOLUTIONS Reprinted from Dell Power Solutions, May 2006. Copyright © 2006 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. May 20062

PowerEdge™ Expandable RAID Controller 5/E adapter firmware and ™

driver. Support has also been added for updates to Dell PowerVault

firmware, including SDLT220, SDLT320, VS80, VS160, DDS4, DAT72,

and LTO-1 tape drives and related tape devices.

Supporting enhanced OS functionality SUU 1.3 supports SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 with Service

Pack 3 for Intel® Extended Memory 64 Technology (EM64T), in

addition to the Red Hat® Enterprise Linux OS. SUU 1.3 is designed

to perform updates in the same manner for any supported Linux

distribution installed on the target system. Figure 3 shows the stan-

dard Linux icon for the SUU 1.3 Linux repository.

The Dell PowerEdge Updates CD includes the OpenIPMI (Intel-

ligent Platform Management Interface) driver for Linux. At the

command-line interface, the -installIPMI command installs or

updates the OpenIPMI driver on the target Linux system. If SUU

1.3 detects that updates require the OpenIPMI driver to be installed

to enable commands such as suu -g, suu -c, suu -u, or suu -p,

an error message displays asking the administrator to install the

required OpenIPMI driver and then SUU exits. Running the suu -g

-installIPMI command will launch the graphical user interface

(GUI) and install or upgrade the OpenIPMI driver automatically.

If an OpenIPMI driver is not installed on the target system,

running the suu -installIPMI command installs the OpenIPMI

driver that is contained on the Dell PowerEdge Updates CD. If a

lower version of the OpenIPMI driver is currently installed on the

system, running the suu -installIPMI command updates it to the

version of the OpenIPMI driver contained on the Dell PowerEdge

Updates CD. If the same version or a higher version of the OpenIPMI

driver is installed on the system, running the suu -installIPMI

command does not affect the currently installed driver.

In addition, SUU 1.3 has added support for the Microsoft

Windows Server 2003 R2 IPMI driver. Previous versions of SUU

were designed to block component updates when this driver was

active. When the Intel InterModule Bus (IMB) IPMI driver is active,

SUU 1.3 will not inventory some components (a list of such com-

ponents is provided in the SUU 1.3 user’s guide); administrators

must temporarily uninstall the Intel IMB IPMI driver to update those

components. Note: Neither the Windows Server 2003 R2 IPMI driver

nor the Intel IMB IPMI driver is required for component updates.

SUU 1.3 is distributed on separate CDs for Microsoft Windows and

Linux operating systems. System administrators with mixed server

environments should have both SUU CDs available. For environments

that use Dell OpenManage IT Assistant for remote software updates,

repository imports from SUU 1.3 require two import operations. As

Figures 1 and 3 show, each repository listed on the GUI contains

only one OS family.

Streamlining the IT change management processAs administrators add software and hardware components to

PowerEdge servers, Dell OpenManage SUU 1.3 helps simplify the

change management process throughout the enterprise by allowing

administrators to customize component updates, including rollback.

In addition, SUU 1.3 is designed to support Microsoft Windows

Server 2003 R2 and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 with Service

Pack 3 for Intel EM64T as well as Red Hat Enterprise Linux. By

taking advantage of the enhancements discussed in this article,

administrators are enabled to maintain and manage server compo-

nents flexibly, efficiently, and cost-effectively.

Steve Fagan is a test engineer on the Dell OpenManage Product Test team. He has a B.S. from Texas Tech University.

J. Marcos Palacios, Ph.D., is a software quality engineer on the Dell OpenManage Product Test team. Prior to joining Dell, he specialized in software test processes and methodologies at BMC Software. He has a Ph.D. from Texas Tech University.Figure 2. Downgrading components in SUU 1.3