Dell LifecycleController
Dell LifecycleController
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your product.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the
problem.
WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death.
Copyright © 2019 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. Dell, EMC, and other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its
subsidiaries. Other trademarks may be trademarks of their respective owners.
2019 - 12
Rev. A01
Contents
1 Introduction................................................................................................................................. 7
Advantages of using Lifecycle Controller........................................................................................................................... 7
Benefits of using iDRAC with Lifecycle Controller............................................................................................................ 7
New in this release.................................................................................................................................................................8
Key features........................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Licensable features in Lifecycle Controller.........................................................................................................................8
Viewing iDRAC license information..................................................................................................................................... 9
Other documents you may need......................................................................................................................................... 9
Social Media Reference.................................................................................................................................................10
Accessing documents from Dell support site................................................................................................................... 10
Contacting Dell...................................................................................................................................................................... 11
4 Monitor..................................................................................................................................... 22
Hardware inventory view and export................................................................................................................................22
About view and export current inventory........................................................................................................................ 22
About view and export factory-shipped inventory......................................................................................................... 22
Viewing hardware inventory — current or factory shipped.......................................................................................... 23
Exporting hardware inventory — current or factory shipped....................................................................................... 23
Exporting hardware inventory to a USB drive........................................................................................................... 23
Exporting hardware inventory to network share.......................................................................................................24
Viewing or exporting hardware inventory after part replacement................................................................................24
Viewing or exporting current inventory after resetting Lifecycle Controller............................................................... 25
Lifecycle Controller log....................................................................................................................................................... 25
Contents 3
Viewing Lifecycle Log history.......................................................................................................................................25
Exporting Lifecycle Log................................................................................................................................................ 26
Adding a work note to the Lifecycle Log....................................................................................................................28
5 Firmware update........................................................................................................................ 29
Firmware update methods................................................................................................................................................. 30
Version compatibility............................................................................................................................................................ 31
Updating firmware............................................................................................................................................................... 31
Selecting the type of update and update source...................................................................................................... 32
Using single component DUPs.....................................................................................................................................35
Selecting and applying updates................................................................................................................................... 35
System Configuration Lockdown mode........................................................................................................................... 36
Firmware rollback................................................................................................................................................................ 36
Rolling back to previous firmware versions................................................................................................................36
6 Configure.................................................................................................................................. 38
System control panel access options................................................................................................................................38
Controlling access to the front panel..........................................................................................................................38
Configuring iDRAC.............................................................................................................................................................. 39
Configuring system time and date.................................................................................................................................... 39
Configuring RAID................................................................................................................................................................. 39
Foreign configuration found......................................................................................................................................... 40
Viewing current RAID configuration............................................................................................................................40
Selecting RAID levels.....................................................................................................................................................40
Selecting physical disks..................................................................................................................................................41
Setting virtual disk attributes....................................................................................................................................... 42
Viewing summary...........................................................................................................................................................43
Configuring RAID using software RAID............................................................................................................................ 43
Creating a secure virtual disk on a RAID controller......................................................................................................... 44
Key encryption..................................................................................................................................................................... 44
Applying the local key on a RAID controller................................................................................................................44
Local key encryption mode................................................................................................................................................ 45
Encrypting unsecure virtual disks................................................................................................................................ 45
Rekey controller with new local key............................................................................................................................45
Removing encryption and deleting data..................................................................................................................... 46
Breaking mirrored drives.....................................................................................................................................................46
System setup — Advanced Hardware Configuration.................................................................................................... 46
Modifying device settings.............................................................................................................................................47
Collect system inventory on restart.................................................................................................................................. 47
Updating server inventory information....................................................................................................................... 47
Configuring local FTP server.............................................................................................................................................. 47
FTP authentication........................................................................................................................................................ 48
Requirements for a local FTP server...........................................................................................................................48
Copying repository to a local FTP server from the Dell EMC server Updates DVD............................................. 48
Using Dell Repository Manager to create the repository and copy it to a local FTP server................................ 48
Accessing updates on local FTP server...................................................................................................................... 48
Configuring a local USB drive............................................................................................................................................ 49
Copying repository to a local FTP server from the Dell EMC server Updates DVD.............................................49
Using Dell Repository Manager to create the repository and copy it to a local FTP server................................49
4 Contents
Configuring NFS and CIFS servers................................................................................................................................... 49
Configuring NFS servers.............................................................................................................................................. 49
Configuring CIFS servers..............................................................................................................................................50
Conditions while configuring HTTP or HTTPS server.................................................................................................... 50
7 Maintain.....................................................................................................................................51
Platform restore................................................................................................................................................................... 51
About server profile backup image.............................................................................................................................. 51
Supported components................................................................................................................................................ 52
Backup server profile.......................................................................................................................................................... 53
Backing up the server profile....................................................................................................................................... 53
System or feature behavior during backup................................................................................................................ 53
Export server profile........................................................................................................................................................... 54
Exporting server profile to USB drive or network share.......................................................................................... 54
Import server profile............................................................................................................................................................54
Importing server profile from a vFlash SD card, network share, or USB drive..................................................... 55
Importing server profile after system board replacement........................................................................................56
Import server license...........................................................................................................................................................57
Importing server license from a network share or USB drive.................................................................................. 57
Part replacement configuration.........................................................................................................................................58
Applying firmware and configuration updates to replaced parts.............................................................................58
Supported devices.........................................................................................................................................................59
Repurpose or retire system................................................................................................................................................59
Deleting server information.......................................................................................................................................... 59
Hardware diagnostics......................................................................................................................................................... 60
Performing hardware diagnostics................................................................................................................................60
SupportAssist Collection.................................................................................................................................................... 60
Exporting the SupportAssist Collection.......................................................................................................................61
Contents 5
10 Troubleshooting and frequently asked questions..........................................................................79
Error messages.................................................................................................................................................................... 79
Frequently asked questions................................................................................................................................................79
6 Contents
1
Introduction
Dell Lifecycle Controller provides advanced embedded systems management to perform systems management tasks such as deploy,
configure, update, maintain, and diagnose using a graphical user interface (GUI). It is delivered as part of integrated Dell Remote Access
Controller (iDRAC) out-of-band solution and embedded Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) applications in the latest Dell servers.
iDRAC works with the UEFI firmware to access and manage every aspect of the hardware, including component and subsystem
management that is beyond the traditional Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) capabilities.
NOTE: The UEFI environment provides the local console interface and the infrastructure for locally managed system
components.
Lifecycle Controller has the following components:
• GUI:
• Is an embedded configuration utility that resides on an embedded flash memory card.
• Is similar to the BIOS utility that is started during the boot sequence, and can function in a pre-operating system environment.
• Enables server and storage management tasks from an embedded environment throughout the life cycle of the server.
• Remote Services (WS-Man and iDRAC RESTful API with Redfish) simplify end-to-end server life cycle management by using the one-
to-many method. It can be accessed over the network by using the secure web services interfaces and can be used by applications
and scripts. Also, it provides a single view of all the system settings that can be imported and exported from the server to perform
one-to-many cloning operations. For more information about remote services features, see Lifecycle Controller Remote Services Quick
Start Guide available at www.dell.com/idracmanuals.
Topics:
• Advantages of using Lifecycle Controller
• Benefits of using iDRAC with Lifecycle Controller
• New in this release
• Key features
• Licensable features in Lifecycle Controller
• Viewing iDRAC license information
• Other documents you may need
• Accessing documents from Dell support site
• Contacting Dell
Introduction 7
• Enhanced embedded management — Lifecycle Controller provides deployment and simplified serviceability through the LC GUI for
local deployment, Remote Services WS-Man and iDRAC RESTful API with Redfish interfaces for remote deployment integrated with
OpenManage Enterprise, OpenManage Essentials, and partner consoles.
For more information on iDRAC, see the iDRAC User's Guide available at www.dell.com/idracmanuals . For more information on wsman,
see Lifecycle Controller User's Guide available at www.dell.com/idracmanuals .
Key features
The key features of Lifecycle Controller are:
• Provisioning — Entire preoperating system configuration from a unified interface.
• Deploying — Simplified operating system installation with the embedded drivers on Lifecycle Controller. Unattended installation mode
is available for Microsoft Windows and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 operating systems.
• Download drivers for operating system installation from www.dell.com/support.
• Patching or updating — Operating system agnostic, and reduced maintenance downtime with direct access to updates from . It
simplifies firmware updates by maintaining a working version for rollback.
• Servicing — Continuous availability of diagnostics without depending on a hard-disk drive. Ability to flash firmware automatically, while
replacing components such as a PowerEdge storage controller, NIC, and power supply unit. Support for VLAN in network
configuration.
• System erase — Deletes the server and storage-related data on selected components of a server. You can delete information on
BIOS, Lifecycle Controller data (LC logs, configuration database and rollback firmware versions), iDRAC settings, and storage
components on the server.
NOTE: You cannot delete the iDRAC license file.
• Security — Support local key encryption.
• Enhanced Security — Support for TLS 1.2, 1.1, and 1.0. To enhance security, default setting is TLS 1.1 and higher.
• Hardware inventory — Provides information about the current and factory system configuration.
• Lifecycle Controller logs for troubleshooting.
• CIFS operations — CIFS operations from LCUI uses SMBv2 protocol but is displayed as CIFS on the GUI.
Feature iDRAC Basic iDRAC Express (Rack iDRAC Express (Blade iDRAC Enterprise
and Tower Servers) Servers)
8 Introduction
Feature iDRAC Basic iDRAC Express (Rack iDRAC Express (Blade iDRAC Enterprise
and Tower Servers) Servers)
Device ID Indicates the Service Tag of the server on which iDRAC is installed.
License • Entitlement ID — Indicates a unique ID provided by the manufacturer.
• Status — Indicates the status of the installed license.
• Description — Indicates the license details.
• License Type — Indicates the type of license of the device. For example, Evaluation, Evaluation Extension, or
Perpetual.
• Expiration — Indicates the date and time at which the license expires.
Introduction 9
• The Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) User’s Guide provides information about configuring and using an iDRAC for
rack, tower, and blade servers to remotely manage and monitor your system and its shared resources through a network.
• The Dell Repository Manager User Guide provides information about creating customized bundles and repositories comprised of Dell
Update Packages (DUPs) for systems running supported Microsoft Windows operating systems.
• The "Lifecycle Controller Supported Dell Systems and Operating Systems" section in the Dell Systems Software Support Matrix
provides the list of Dell systems and operating systems that you can deploy on target systems.
• The PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) 9 User's Guide provides specification and configuration-related information about the PERC
9 controllers.
• The Glossary provides information about the terms used in this document.
• The OpenManage Server Update Utility User's Guide provides information about using the DVD-based application for identifying and
applying updates to the system.
The following system documents are available to provide more information:
• The safety instructions that came with your system provide important safety and regulatory information. For additional regulatory
information, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatorycompliance. Warranty information may be included
within this document or as a separate document.
• The Rack Installation Instructions included with your rack solution describe how to install your system into a rack.
• The Getting Started Guide provides an overview of system features, setting up your system, and technical specifications.
• The Owner’s Manual provides information about system features and describes how to troubleshoot the system and install or replace
system components.
• Lifecycle Controller Web Services Interface Guide–Windows and Linux.
10 Introduction
NOTE: For some products, you may need to navigate through the subcategories.
5. Click Manuals & documents.
Contacting Dell
NOTE: If you do not have an active Internet connection, you can find contact information on your purchase invoice,
packing slip, bill, or Dell product catalog.
Dell provides several online and telephone-based support and service options. Availability varies by country and product, and some services
may not be available in your area. To contact Dell for sales, technical support, or customer service issues:
1. Go to www.dell.com/support.
2. Select your support category.
3. Verify your country or region in the Choose a Country/Region drop-down list at the bottom of the page.
4. Select the appropriate service or support link based on your need.
Introduction 11
2
Using Lifecycle Controller
This section provides information about starting, enabling, and disabling Lifecycle Controller. Before using Lifecycle Controller, make sure
that the network and iDRAC are configured. For more information, see the Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller User’s Guide at
www.dell.com/esmmanuals.
Topics:
• Starting Lifecycle Controller
• Using Lifecycle Controller for the first time
• Lifecycle Controller features
NOTE: If the system does not start Lifecycle Controller, see Start messages during POST, causes, and resolutions.
• Lifecycle Controller is manually disabled Press <F2> during POST, select System
Setup > iDRAC Settings > Lifecycle
Controller > Enable.
Lifecycle Controller update required • The embedded device that has a backup Enable Lifecycle Controller. For more
of the product may contain corrupted information, see Enabling Lifecycle Controller
data.
• Ungracefully exits Lifecycle Controller for
three consecutive times if one of the
following conditions occur:
• 3 consecutive unsuccessful attempts
to enter Lifecycle Controller GUI.
• 3 consecutive unsuccessful attempts
to complete inventory collection.
• 3 consecutive unsuccessful attempts
to perform tasks in Automated Task
applications.
Lifecycle Controller not available Another process is using iDRAC. Wait for 30 minutes for the current process
to complete, restart the system, and then
NOTE: If you are unable to connect to a network, verify the settings. For information about correct network
settings, contact your network administrator.
0-9 1-16
A-Z
a-z
-!#$%&()*/;?@[\]^_`{|}~+<=>
0-9 1-20
A-Z
a-z
'-!"#$%&()*,./:;?@[\]^_`{|}~+<=>
NOTE: You may be able to create user names and passwords that include other characters. However, to ensure
compatibility with all interfaces, Dell recommends using only the characters listed here.
NOTE: To improve security, it is recommended to use complex passwords that have 8 or more characters and include
lower-case alphabets, upper-case alphabets, numbers, and special characters. It is also recommended to regularly
change the passwords, if possible.
Accessing help
Each Lifecycle Controller page has a help associated with it. Press <F1> or click Help (in the upper-right corner) to view the help
information about the features available on a page.
NOTE: If you are unable to connect to a network, verify the settings. For information about correct network
settings, contact your network administrator.
NOTE: FAT32 limits the size of a single file to 4 GB. If you are using a Windows image file that is more than 4 GB, split
the file in to multiple files. For more information see the documentation available at Docs.microsoft.com.
NOTE: UEFI environment doesn't support NTFS file format. USB Boot Media must be MBR disk with FAT32 filesystem.
Topics:
• Installing an operating system
• Using the optional RAID configuration
• Configuring RAID using the operating system deployment wizard
• Unattended installation
• UEFI Secure Boot
• Driver access
• Installing an operating system on iSCSI LUN and FCoE LUN
• Post reboot scenarios
NOTE: The secure boot policy settings made on BIOS can also be changed on the Lifecycle Controller GUI.
NOTE: The Secure Boot option is available only if the BIOS of the system supports the feature.
• Available Operating Systems — Displays the list of operating systems depending on the boot mode selected. Select the
operating system to install on the server. The drivers pack for deploying the Windows and Linux operating systems supported by
Lifecycle Controller are available and extracted to a local repository (OEMDRV). These driver packs contain the drivers required for
installing an operating system.
NOTE: If you select Any Other Operating System option, make sure that you have prepared the necessary drivers
for your system. See www.dell.com/support for more information on operating system installation images and
drivers for these operating systems.
5. On the Select Installation Mode page, select any one of the following:
• Unattended Install
• Manual Install
NOTE: The Unattended Install option is enabled only if the operating system is compatible for an unattended
installation. If the operating system is not compatible, the option is grayed out. For more information on unattended
install mode, see Unattended Installation
NOTE: A detailed procedure for installing an operating system using the unattended installation mode is provided in
the white paper about unattended installation of operating system at www.dell.com/support/article/sln311809.
6. On the Select Installation Mode page, select or enter the appropriate data to import the operating system configuration file and
then click Next. For more information about the fields available on the Select Installation Mode page, see the online help by clicking
Help in the upper-right corner of the Lifecycle Controller GUI.
7. On the Select OS Media page, insert the appropriate operating system media and click Next.
Lifecycle Controller validates the media and displays an error message if the verification process is not successful. The verification may
be unsuccessful if:
• An incorrect operating system media is inserted.
• An operating system media is damaged or corrupted.
• The optical drive in the system cannot read the media.
8. On the Reboot the System page, the summary of selections is displayed. Verify the selections and click Finish.
The system reboots and starts the operating system installation. For more information about the post-reboot scenarios, see Post
reboot Scenarios
Unattended installation
An unattended installation is a scripted operating system installation process that allows you to install an operating system using the
configuration file with minimal intervention. A scripted configuration file that contains the desired operating system setting information is
required for this option. The Unattended Install option is available only if the operating system that you have selected for installation is
compatible for an unattended installation. To deploy an operating system using the unattended mode, see Installing an operating system
You can also see the Unattended Installation of operating systems from Lifecycle Controller on PowerEdge Servers white paper at Dell
TechCenter.
NOTE: The unattended installation feature is supported only for the Microsoft Windows and Red Hat Enterprise Linux
version 6.9 and 7 onwards. If you select any other operating systems, the Unattended Install option is grayed out.
NOTE: The secure boot policy settings made on BIOS can also be changed on the Lifecycle Controller GUI.
During POST, the system prompts you to press a key to Press any key to begin the operating system installation; else, the system
boot to the operating system installation media. boots to the hard-disk drive and not the operating system installation media.
Operating system installation is interrupted and the The system prompts you to press a key to boot from the operating system
system restarts before the installation is completed. installation media.
During the 18-hour period when drivers are extracted to a Lifecycle Controller does not allow DUP after the operating system
temporary location after the operating system is installed, installation. However, if you disconnect the power supply to the managed
you cannot update the component firmware using a DUP. system, the OEMDRV directory is erased.
If you attempt a DUP through the operating system
during this time period, the DUP displays a message that
another session is active.
NOTE: The inventory displayed in the Lifecycle Controller GUI may not be the same as that of any iDRAC interfaces. To
get the updated inventory, run the CSIOR, wait for 2 mins, reboot the host, and then enter the LCUI.
22 Monitor
Viewing hardware inventory — current or factory
shipped
NOTE: For factory-shipped inventory, the status of few parameters for the installed components is displayed as
Unknown.
To view the currently installed or factory-installed hardware components and their configuration details:
1. Start Lifecycle Controller. For more information, see Starting Lifecycle Controller.
2. In the left pane, click Hardware Configuration.
3. In the right pane, click Hardware Inventory.
4. To view the current- or factory-shipped inventory, click View Current Inventory or View Factory Shipped Inventory respectively.
A list of hardware components are displayed on the View Current Hardware Inventory page.
NOTE: Lifecycle Controller does not provide the driver version for the RAID controller. To view the driver version,
use iDRAC, OpenManage Server Administrator Storage Service, or any other third-party storage management
application.
5. Select from the Filter by Hardware Component drop-down menu to filter the components. The Fully Qualified Device Descriptor
(FQDD) property of a component is also listed along with other properties of a hardware component.
NOTE: You can also filter data by a FQDD property of the hardware component. By default, the FQDD Device
Description property value is displayed for every hardware component listed.
Monitor 23
2. Click Browse, and in folder selection widget, select the folder path where the file is stored in the root location of the device.
CIFS
For CIFS, type the following details:
• Share Name — Type the server IP or host name followed by the root of the network share. Examples: \
\192.168.0.120\sharename or \\hostname\sharename.
• Domain and User Name — Type the domain and user name required to log on to the network share. If there is no domain, type the
user name.
• Password — Type the correct password.
• File Path — Type the sub-directories, if any. For example, 2015\Nov.
NOTE: The following characters are supported for user name and password:
• Digits (0–9)
• Alphabets (a-z, A-Z)
• Special Characters (-, _, .)
NOTE: Lifecycle Controller allows 256 characters in a path that includes the file name and file extension. For
example, if 56 characters are used for file name and extension, only 200 characters can be used for the path.
Lifecycle Controller does not support these characters -:, *,?,”,<,>,|,#,%,^, and SPACE.
NFS
For NFS, type the following details:
• Share Name — Type the server IP or hostname followed by the root of the network share. Examples: \\192.168.0.120\sharename
or \\hostname\sharename
• File Path — Type the subdirectories path, if any. For example, 2015\Nov.
The examples provided for Share Name and File Path are in the correct format even though it does not follow the mount behavior for
NFS shares.
NOTE: Lifecycle Controller allows 256 characters in a path that includes the file name and file extension. For example, if
56 characters are used for file name and extension, only 200 characters can be used for the path. Lifecycle Controller
does not support these characters -:, *,?,”,<,>,|,#,%,^, and SPACE.
24 Monitor
4. Click View Current Inventory.
Lifecycle Controller displays the old hardware inventory.
5. Restart the server and relaunch Lifecycle Controller.
6. On the Hardware Inventory page, click View Current Hardware Inventory to view the latest inventory, or click Export Current
Inventory to export the latest inventory to an external location.
To view or export the current hardware inventory data after resetting Lifecycle Controller:
1. Turn on the system and wait for a few minutes for iDRAC to start functioning.
2. Press <F10> during POST to start Lifecycle Controller and the system inventory is collected as Collect System Inventory On Restart
(CSIOR) is enabled by default.
3. After Lifecycle Controller starts, click Hardware Configuration > View Current Hardware Inventory or Export Current
Hardware Inventory to view or export current hardware inventory respectively. If the following message is displayed, click No,
reboot the system, and then retry.
Hardware change is detected on the system. The current hardware inventory does not contain
the latest updates as the hardware inventory update is in progress. To view or export the
latest hardware inventory, relaunch Lifecycle Controller and retry. Do you want to continue
with the old current hardware inventory information?
Monitor 25
• All — Events related to all categories are listed.
• System Health — Events related to the installed hardware such as fan, PSUs, NIC/LOM/CNA link, BIOS errors, and so on.
• Storage — Events related to the external or internal storage components such as storage controller, enclosure, HDDs, and
software RAID.
• Configuration — Events related to the hardware and software changes such as addition or removal of hardware in the
system, configuration changes made using Lifecycle Controller or system management tools.
• Audit — Events related to a user login, intrusion, licenses, and so on.
• Updates — Events related to updates or rollback of firmware and drivers.
• Work Notes — Events logged by you.
NOTE: These options are available in the Filter by Category drop-down menu. Select the category to filter the
data depending on the category option selected.
• Severity
• Critical — Indicates the events that are business-critical.
• Informational — Indicates the events that are generated only for information purpose.
• Message ID — Each event is represented with a unique Message ID. For example, SWC0001.
• Description — A brief description about the event. For example, Dell OS Drivers Pack, v.6.4.0.14, X14 was
detected.
NOTE: If you initiate configuration jobs using RACADM CLI or iDRAC web interface, the Lifecycle log description
displays the information about the user, interface used, and the IP address of the system from which you initiate
the job.
• Date and Time — Indicates the date and time when an event occurred.
4. You can also view feature specific logs using the filter option. For viewing logs for specific category (Power Supply, Audit, Storage,
Updates etc), select the required category from the Filter by Category drop down. For further more filtering of the feature (CPU,
Slot number, BIOS etc), you can use Keyword Search option.
NOTE: The log data is exported to a compressed file (.gz format) only if iDRAC version 1.50.50 or later is installed.
Else, the data is exported as an .xml file.
To export the Lifecycle Log:
1. Start Lifecycle Controller. For more information, see Starting Lifecycle Controller
2. In the left pane, click Lifecycle Log.
3. In the right pane, click Export Lifecycle Log.
4. Select either USB Drive or Network Share.
For more information, see Exporting hardware inventory to a USB drive or Exporting hardware inventory to network share
When you select Network Share, to verify connection, click Test Network Connection. Lifecycle Controller pings the Gateway IP,
DNS server IP, and host IP.
NOTE: Lifecycle Controller cannot ping the domain name and cannot display the IP address if the DNS is not able to
resolve the domain name. Make sure that the issue with DNS is resolved and retry.
5. Click Finish.
The Lifecycle Log is exported to the specified location.
26 Monitor
Exporting Lifecycle Log to a USB drive
To export the Lifecycle Log to a USB drive:
1. From the Select Device drop-down menu, select a USB drive.
2. Click Browse, to select the respective folder where the file is stored.
For example, Logs\LCLogs.
NOTE: Lifecycle Controller allows 256 characters in a path that includes the file name and file extension. For example, if
56 characters are used for file name and extension, only 200 characters can be used for the path. Lifecycle Controller
does not support these characters -:, *,?,",<,>,|,#,%,^, and SPACE.
CIFS
For CIFS, type the following details:
• Share Name — Type the server IP or host name followed by the root of the network share. Examples: \
\192.168.0.120\sharename or \\hostname\sharename.
• Domain and User Name — Type the domain and user name required to log on to the network share. If there is no domain, type the
user name.
• Password — Type the correct password.
• File Path — Type the sub-directories, if any. For example, 2015\Nov.
NOTE: The following characters are supported for user name and password:
• Digits (0–9)
• Alphabets (a-z, A-Z)
• Special Characters (-, _, .)
NOTE: Lifecycle Controller allows 256 characters in a path that includes the file name and file extension. For
example, if 56 characters are used for file name and extension, only 200 characters can be used for the path.
Lifecycle Controller does not support these characters -:, *,?,”,<,>,|,#,%,^, and SPACE.
NFS
For NFS, type the following details:
• Share Name — Type the server IP or hostname followed by the root of the network share. Examples: \\192.168.0.120\sharename
or \\hostname\sharename
• File Path — Type the subdirectories path, if any. For example, 2015\Nov.
The examples provided for Share Name and File Path are in the correct format even though it does not follow the mount behavior for
NFS shares.
NOTE: Lifecycle Controller allows 256 characters in a path that includes the file name and file extension. For example, if
56 characters are used for file name and extension, only 200 characters can be used for the path. Lifecycle Controller
does not support these characters -:, *,?,”,<,>,|,#,%,^, and SPACE.
Monitor 27
Adding a work note to the Lifecycle Log
You can add a work note to the Lifecycle Log to record comments for your reference. You can enter comments such as scheduled
downtime or changes made by administrators who work in different shifts for later reference.
NOTE: You can type a maximum of 50 characters in the Lifecycle Log field. The special characters such as <, >, &, and %
are not supported.
To add a work note:
1. Start Lifecycle Controller. For more information, see Starting Lifecycle Controller.
2. In the left pane, click Lifecycle Log.
3. In the right pane, click Add a work note to Lifecycle Log.
4. In the Enter a work note field, enter the comments and click OK.
28 Monitor
5
Firmware update
With Lifecycle Controller, the system can be updated using the repositories accessible through FTP, a network share or on a locally
attached USB drive or a DVD. Use the Firmware Update page to:
• View the current version of the installed applications and firmware.
• View a list of available updates.
• Select the required updates, downloads (automatic), and then apply the updates to the following components listed in the table:
NOTE: When you update the firmware on a BCM57xx and 57xxx adapters, you notice that the cards are displayed as
QLogic. This is due to the acquisition of Broadcom NetXtreme II by QLogic.
The following table lists the components that support the Firmware Update feature:
NOTE: When multiple firmware updates are applied through out-of-band methods or using the Lifecycle Controller GUI,
the updates are ordered in the most efficient possible manner to reduce unnecessary restarting of a system.
NOTE: Firmware update for SAS and SATA hard drives or solid-state drives is not supported from Lifecycle Controller
GUI.
Firmware update 29
* Indicates that though a system restart is not required, iDRAC must be restarted to apply the updates. iDRAC communication and
monitoring will temporarily be interrupted.
** The backplanes that cannot be updated are not listed.
***Applicable only for FX2 modular systems.
Topics:
• Firmware update methods
• Version compatibility
• Updating firmware
• System Configuration Lockdown mode
• Firmware rollback
NOTE: For Dell online catalog update, downloads.dell.com only supports https protocol.
NOTE: If you select a local drive for updates, you will not get an option to browse the device you have selected. You
must know the name or path of the filename before selecting the local drive.
The following table lists the supported interfaces, image-file types, and whether Lifecycle Controller must be in enabled state for the
firmware to be updated:
30 Firmware update
.D9 Image iDRAC DUP
iDRAC UI Yes Yes Yes Yes
WSMAN Yes Yes Yes Yes
In-band OS DUP No N/A Yes No
Version compatibility
The version compatibility feature enables you to update the component firmware versions that are compatible with system components.
In case of compatibility issues, Lifecycle Controller displays upgrade or downgrade error messages during the update.
Updating firmware
You can update to the latest version of Lifecycle Controller using the Firmware Update wizard. It is recommended that you run the
Firmware Update wizard regularly to access the latest updates. You can update the component firmware by either using update
repositories or individual DUPs—single component DUP.
NOTE:
• The firmware for iDRAC and Lifecycle Controller is combined in a single package.
• Make sure that the file name for the single component DUPs does not have any blank space.
• If Collect System Inventory On Restart (CSIOR) is disabled while performing an update, Lifecycle Controller
automatically updates the system inventory.
• Both 32–bit and 64–bit DUPs and catalog are supported. If both the 32-bit and 64-bit DUPs are available in a catalog,
the 64-bit DUP is preferred for the firmware update. 32-bit DUP is used for firmware update only when 64-bit DUP
is not available in a catalog.
• When you check for updates, all compatible versions are listed. Before you install the update, ensure that you select
the latest available version and also ensure that it is newer than the version currently installed. If you want to control
the version that iDRAC detects, create a custom repository using Dell Repository Manager (DRM) and configure
iDRAC to use that repository to check for updates.
NOTE:
• When SEKM mode is enabled on a controller, iDRAC Firmware downgrade/upgrade shall fail when tried from a SEKM
to a non-SEKM iDRAC version. iDRAC Firmware upgrade/downgrade shall pass when done within the SEKM
versions.
• PERC firmware downgrade to a non-SEKM version shall fail when SEKM encryption mode is enabled on PERC
controller.
To update the firmware:
1. Start Lifecycle Controller. For more information, see Starting Lifecycle Controller.
2. In the left pane, click Firmware Update.
3. In the right pane, click Launch Firmware Update.
4. Select any one of these update repositories: FTP Server, Local Drive (CD, DVD, or USB), or Network Share (CIFS, NFS, HTTP,
or HTTPS), and click Next.
The Enter Access Details page is displayed.
NOTE: If you select FTP Server, you can verify the connection by clicking Test Network Connection. If the domain
name is provided, then the server IP address and the domain name is displayed. If proxy IP is provided, then the
proxy IP along with the server IP is displayed.
NOTE: If you select Network Share (CIFS, NFS, HTTP, or HTTPS), you can verify the connection by clicking Test
Network Connection. By default, Lifecycle Controller pings the host and proxy IP.
5. Type or select the appropriate data.
NOTE: In the FilePath or Update Package Path field, you can directly enter the customized name for the catalog file.
For example DUP\adc.xml.
6. Click Next.
Firmware update 31
The Select Updates page is displayed with the catalog file, catalog version, and component names for which the updates are
available.
7. Select the components that require an update, and then click Apply.
The update process is initiated, and the firmware update is completed. After restart, the system is ready to use.
NOTE: The system does not restart if operating system driver packs, OS collector tool, or hardware diagnostics are
updated.
NOTE: When applying more than one update, the system may restart between updates. In this case, Lifecycle
Controller restarts the server and automatically continues the update process.
NOTE: iDRAC resets while updating iDRAC. If the iDRAC firmware update is interrupted for any reason, wait for up
to 30 minutes before you attempt another firmware update.
NOTE: After the CPLD firmware is updated on the modular servers, on the View Current Versions page, under
Firmware Update, the firmware update date is displayed as 2000-01-01, regardless of the actual update date. The
updated date and time are displayed based on the time zone that is configured on the server.
NOTE: On a PowerEdge server, if you use Lifecycle Controller to update the Intel network card firmware from
version 15.0.xx to 16.5.xx or conversely, reboot the server to view the updated firmware.
NOTE: If you update the Intel Network Card firmware from version 14.5.x to 16.5.xx or vice versa on a PowerEdge
server by using Lifecycle Controller, the Firmware Rollback page may display the firmware version as 15.0.xx instead
of 14.5.x . However, the Firmware Rollback page displays the version 14.5.x if you update the firmware by using the
Intel Network firmware DUPs on the OS.
Using a DVD
Use either the Server Update Utility (SUU) DVDs or custom DVDs (SUU ISO downloaded from www.dell.com/support/article/in/en/
indhs1/sln312253 and written to a DVD) to perform the firmware updates. The available DVDs are:
• OpenManage SUU DVD to update all the server components such as Lifecycle Controller, Dell Diagnostics, BIOS, RAID controller, NIC,
iDRAC, and Power Supply Unit.
• Lifecycle Controller OS Driver Packs DVD (Windows only) to update the operating system driver packs.
To access the updates from a DVD:
1. Insert the appropriate DVD in the locally attached CD/DVD drive. Alternatively, insert the appropriate DVD in the client and use the
Virtual Media feature to access the attached CD/DVD drive. For more information, see the iDRAC User's Guide available at
www.dell.com/idracmanuals .
2. From the Local Drive drop-down menu, select the drive that contains the updated DVD.
3. In the File Path or Update package path field, enter the location or subdirectory where the catalog is available.
32 Firmware update
NOTE: If the catalog file is located in the root folder, do not enter the file name in the File Path or Update package
path field. However, if the catalog file is located in a subdirectory, enter the subdirectory name.
NOTE: If the catalog file or DUP is downloaded from downloads.dell.com, do not copy them to a subdirectory.
NOTE: Lifecycle Controller allows 256 characters in a path that includes the file name and file extension. For
example, if 56 characters are used for file name and extension, only 200 characters can be used for the path.
Lifecycle Controller does not support these characters -:, *,?,”,<,>,|,#,%,^, and SPACE.
NOTE: Lifecycle Controller allows 256 characters in a path that includes the file name and file extension. For
example, if 56 characters are used for file name and extension, only 200 characters can be used for the path.
Lifecycle Controller does not support these characters -:, *,?,”,<,>,|,#,%,^, and SPACE.
NOTE: Lifecycle Controller allows 256 characters in a path that includes the file name and file extension. For
example, if 56 characters are used for file name and extension, only 200 characters can be used for the path.
Lifecycle Controller does not support these characters -:, *,?,”,<,>,|,#,%,^, and SPACE.
Firmware update 33
Using proxy FTP server
Using Lifecycle Controller, you can update the firmware by using downloads.dell.com , or by using an internal FTP server, when you are
connected to the Internet through a proxy server.
Before performing an update using a proxy FTP server, make sure that the following prerequisites are met:
• The network settings are configured—Settings > Network Settings.
• The updates are downloaded using the Dell Repository Manager, and the repository is created on an internal FTP server.
• The proxy server supports either HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS4, or SOCKS5 protocols.
• Information related to proxy server such as IP address or host name of the proxy server, login credentials, and the port number are
readily available.
NOTE: Lifecycle Controller does not support CCproxy. It supports only Squid proxy.
To update the system using the an internal FTP server in a proxy environment:
• Internal FTP server — Enter the following details:
• User Name—The user name to access the FTP location.
• Password—The password to access the FTP location.
• File Path or Update package path — Name of the DUP location or subdirectory where the catalog is stored.
NOTE: If the catalog file is located in the root folder, do not enter the file name in the File Path or Update
package path field. However, if the catalog file is located in a subdirectory, enter the subdirectory name (for
example, subdirectory).
NOTE: If the catalog file or DUP is downloaded from downloads.dell.com, do not copy them to a subdirectory.
NOTE: Lifecycle Controller allows 256 characters in a path that includes the file name and file extension. For
example, if 56 characters are used for file name and extension, only 200 characters can be used for the path.
Lifecycle Controller does not support these characters -:, *,?,”,<,>,|,#,%,^, and SPACE.
• Enable Settings — Select this option to enter the following details:
• Server—The host name of the proxy server.
• Port—The port number of the proxy server.
• User Name—The user name required to access the proxy server.
• Password—The password required to access the proxy server.
• Type—The type of proxy server. Lifecycle Controller supports HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS 4 proxy server types.
\\192.168.20.26\shared_folder or \\hostname\share_folder
• Domain and User Name—Type the correct domain and user name required to login the network share. For example, login-
name@myDomain, and if there is no domain, type only the login name. For example, login-name.
• Password—Password to access the share.
• File Path or Update package path—Name of the DUP location or subdirectory, where the catalog is stored.
NFS
For NFS, type the following details:
• Share Name—Path to the repository or the shared folder where the DUPs are stored. For example,
\\192.168.20.26\sharename or \\servername\sharename
• File Path or Update package path—Name of the DUP location or subdirectory, where the catalog is stored.
NOTE: If the catalog file is located in the root folder, do not enter the filename in the File Path or Update package path
field. However, if the catalog file is located in a subdirectory, enter the subdirectory name.
34 Firmware update
NOTE: If the catalog file and DUP are downloaded from downloads.dell.com, do not copy them to a subdirectory.
NOTE: Lifecycle Controller allows 256 characters in a path that includes the file name and file extension. For example, if
56 characters are used for file name and extension, only 200 characters can be used for the path. Lifecycle Controller
does not support these characters -:, *,?,”,<,>,|,#,%,^, and SPACE.
HTTP or HTTPS
For HTTP or HTTPS, type the following details:
• Share Name/Address—Path to the address where the DUPs or repository is located. For example,
192.168.20.26 or servername
• File Path or Update package path—Name of the DUP location or subdirectory, where the catalog is stored.
NOTE: There is no option to browse to the folder. To access the file, type the complete URL of the HTTP or HTTPS web
server.
• Enable Settings—Select this option to enter the following details:
• Server: The hostname of the proxy server.
• Port: The port number of the proxy server.
• User Name: The user name required to access the proxy server.
• Password: The password required to access the proxy server.
• Type: The type of proxy server. Lifecycle Controller supports HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS 4, and SOCKS 5 proxy server types.
NOTE: HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS 4, and SOCKS 5 (for IPv6) proxy server types are supported in this release.
NOTE: If you execute multiple jobs for various components and iDRAC DUP is one of the jobs, ensure that iDRAC job is
the last job in the queue. Ensure that all other jobs are either in SCHEDULED or COMPLETED state before you execute
the iDRAC job.
In the File Path or Update package path field, enter the name of the DUP (for example, APP_WIN_RYYYZZZ.EXE) or if the DUP is
present in a subdirectory, enter both the subdirectory name and name of the DUP (for example, subdirectory
\APP_WIN_RYYYZZZ.EXE).
NOTE: Lifecycle Controller allows 256 characters in a path that includes the file name and file extension. For example, if
56 characters are used for file name and extension, only 200 characters can be used for the path. Lifecycle Controller
does not support these characters -:, *,?,”,<,>,|,#,%,^, and SPACE.
NOTE: The system does not restart after updating the operating system driver pack and hardware diagnostics.
Firmware update 35
NOTE: While using Lifecycle Controller to update the Power Supply Unit (PSU) firmware, the system turns off after the
first task. It takes a couple of minutes to update the PSU firmware, and then automatically turns on the server.
NOTE: You must have Configure iDRAC and System Control privilege to enable / disable lockdown mode.
Firmware rollback
Lifecycle Controller allows you to roll back to a previously installed version of component firmware such as BIOS, iDRAC with Lifecycle
Controller, RAID Controller, NIC, Enclosure, Backplane, Fibre Channel cards, BOSS-S1, NVDIMM, and Power Supply Unit (PSU). Use this
feature if you are facing an issue in the current version, and want to revert to the previously‑installed version.
All servers supported by this release have a single iDRAC and Lifecycle Controller firmware. Rolling back the iDRAC firmware also rolls
back the Lifecycle Controller firmware.
• Dell Diagnostics, operating system driver packs, CPLD, and operating system collector tool cannot be rolled back to earlier versions.
• The earlier version is available only if the component firmware is updated at least once to a different version.
• Except for iDRAC firmware, the earlier version of the firmware is not displayed if the current version and the earlier version are the
same.
• Every time a firmware image is updated, the earlier version of the firmware image is backed up.
• Every time a rollback operation is performed, the previously installed firmware becomes the current version. However, for iDRAC, the
previously installed version becomes the current version and the current version is stored as the previous version.
• The earlier version of the firmware is available only if any of the following tools are used to update the firmware: Lifecycle Controller
Firmware Update feature, Lifecycle Controller-Remote Services, or the Dell Update Package (DUP) from operating system.
NOTE:
• When SEKM mode is enabled on a controller, iDRAC Firmware rollback shall fail when tried from a SEKM to a non-
SEKM iDRAC version. iDRAC Firmware rollback shall pass when done within the SEKM versions.
• PERC firmware rollback to a non-SEKM version shall fail when SEKM encryption mode is enabled on PERC
controller.
36 Firmware update
Comparing firmware versions
To compare the version of the update or rollback with the version currently installed on the system, compare the versions in the Current
and Available fields:
• Component — Displays the name of the components. Select the check box corresponding to the component that you want to
update.
• Current — Displays the component version currently installed on the system.
• Available — Displays the version of the available firmware.
Firmware update 37
6
Configure
Lifecycle Controller provides various system configuration wizards. Use the configuration wizards to configure system devices. The
Configuration Wizards has:
• System Configuration Wizards — This wizard includes LCD Panel Security, iDRAC Settings, and System Date and Time
Configuration.
• Storage Configuration Wizards — This wizard includes RAID Configuration, Key Encryption, and Break Mirror.
Topics:
• System control panel access options
• Configuring iDRAC
• Configuring system time and date
• Configuring RAID
• Configuring RAID using software RAID
• Creating a secure virtual disk on a RAID controller
• Key encryption
• Local key encryption mode
• Breaking mirrored drives
• System setup — Advanced Hardware Configuration
• Collect system inventory on restart
• Configuring local FTP server
• Configuring a local USB drive
• Configuring NFS and CIFS servers
• Conditions while configuring HTTP or HTTPS server
38 Configure
Configuring iDRAC
To configure iDRAC parameters applicable to the system, such as LAN, common IP settings, IPv4, IPv6, Virtual Media, and LAN user
configuration use the iDRAC Settings wizard.
NOTE: You can also use the System Setup utility during startup for configuring iDRAC. For more information about the
System Setup utility, see Using the System Setup Program and Boot Manager.
To configure and manage the iDRAC parameters:
1. Start Lifecycle Controller. For more information, see Starting Lifecycle Controller.
2. In the left pane of Home page, click Hardware Configuration.
3. In the right pane, click Configuration Wizards.
4. On the System Configuration Wizards page, click iDRAC Settings, and then click the following options to configure the different
iDRAC parameters.
For more information about configuring iDRAC settings, see the iDRAC User's Guide available at www.dell.com/idracmanuals .
NOTE: Click System Summary to view the parameters and their values.
• Network
• OS to iDRAC Pass Through
• Alerts
• System Event Log
• Virtual Media
• Thermal
• System Location
• Front Panel Security
• User Configuration
• Smart Card
• Lifecycle Controller
• Remote Enablement
• Reset iDRAC Configuration to defaults
5. Click Back after setting the parameters for each option to return to the main menu.
6. Click Finish to apply the changes.
Configuring RAID
If your system has one or more supported PERC RAID controllers with PERC 8 firmware or later, or software RAID controllers, use the
RAID Configuration wizard to configure a virtual disk as the boot device.
NOTE: Create boot virtual disk only from disk drive populated across slots 0–3 of the system. For slot information, see
the server Owner’s Manual at www.dell.com/poweredgemanuals.
NOTE: If there are any internal storage controller cards on the system, all other external cards cannot be configured.
The external cards can be configured only if there are no internal cards.
To configure RAID using LC:
1. Start Lifecycle Controller. For more information, see Starting Lifecycle Controller.
Configure 39
2. In the left pane, click Hardware Configuration.
3. In the right pane, click Configuration Wizards.
4. Under Storage Configuration Wizards, click RAID Configuration to launch the wizard.
The View Current RAID Configuration and Select Controller page is displayed.
NOTE: BOSS-S1 controller is supported at RAID 1 level only.
5. Select the controller and click Next.
The Select RAID Level page is displayed.
6. Select the RAID level and click Next.
The Select Physical Disks page is displayed.
7. Select the physical disk's properties and click Next.
The Virtual Disk Attributes page is displayed.
8. Select the virtual disk parameters and click Next.
The Summary page is displayed.
9. To apply the RAID configuration, click Finish.
NOTE: You can create only one virtual disk using Lifecycle Controller. To create multiple virtual disks, use Option
ROM. To access Option ROM, press <Ctrl> <R> during boot or POST.
40 Configure
• RAID 0 — Stripes data across the physical disks. RAID 0 does not maintain redundant data. When a physical disk fails in a RAID 0
virtual disk, there is no method for rebuilding the data. RAID 0 offers good read and write performance with zero data redundancy.
• RAID 1 — Mirrors or duplicates data from one physical disk to another. If a physical disk fails, data can be rebuilt using the data from
the other side of the mirror. RAID 1 offers good read performance and average write performance with good data redundancy.
• RAID 5 — Stripes data across the physical disks, and uses parity information to maintain redundant data. If a physical disk fails, the
data can be rebuilt using the parity information. RAID 5 offers good read performance and slower write performance with good data
redundancy.
• RAID 6 — Stripes data across the physical disks, and uses two sets of parity information for additional data redundancy. If one or two
physical disks fail, the data can be rebuilt using the parity information. RAID 6 offers good data redundancy and read performance but
slower write performance.
• RAID 10 — Combines mirrored physical disks with data striping. If a physical disk fails, data can be rebuilt using the mirrored data.
RAID 10 offers good read and write performance with good data redundancy.
• RAID 50 — A dual-level array that uses multiple RAID 5 sets in a single array. A single physical disk failure can occur in each of the
RAID 5 without any loss of data on the entire array. Although the RAID 50 has increased write performance, its performance
decreases, data or program access gets slower, and transfer speeds on the array are affected when a physical disk fails and
reconstruction takes place.
• RAID 60 — Combines the straight block level striping of RAID 0 with the distributed double parity of RAID 6. The system must have
at least eight physical disks to use RAID 60. Failures while a single physical disk is rebuilding in one RAID 60 set do not lead to data loss.
RAID 60 has improved fault tolerance because more than two physical disks on either span must fail for data loss to occur.
NOTE: Depending on the type of controllers, some RAID levels are not supported.
0 1*
1 2
5 3
6 4
10 4
50 6
60 8
* For PERC S140 / S150 RAID controllers, a minimum of two hard-disk drives are required.
Configure 41
• T10 Protection Information (T10 PI) Capability— It is known as DIF (Data Integrity Fields) and the supporting HDDs are referred
to DIF drives. The T10 enabled HDDs validates and stores the data integrity fields for each block. It performs this action when you
write the data on the disk and return these values on a read request. When you read or write the data from the HDD, the data is
checked for the errors. Select one of the following types of T10 protection information capabilities:
• All — indicates that both the T10 PI capable and non-capable HDDs are selected.
• T10 PI Capable — indicates that only T10 PI capable HDDs are selected.
• Non-T10 Capable — indicates that only non-T10 capable HDDs are selected.
NOTE: PERC 9 with version 9.3.2 and above doesn’t support T10 PI capabilities.
• Encryption Capability — Select Yes to enable encryption capability.
• Select Span Length — Select the span length. The span length value refers to the number of physical disk drives included in each
span. Span length applies only to RAID 10, RAID 50, and RAID 60. The Select Span Length — Span length can be changed only for
RAID-50 or RAID 60, and it is always 2 for RAID 10.
• Drives remaining for current span — Displays the number of physical disk-drives remaining in the current span based on the span
length value selected.
• Select the physical disk-drives using the check boxes at the bottom of the screen. The physical disk-drive selection must meet the
requirements of the RAID level and span length. To select all the physical disk-drives, click Select All. After you select the option, the
option changes to Deselect.
42 Configure
Viewing summary
The Summary page displays the virtual disk attributes based on selections.
CAUTION: Clicking Finish deletes all existing virtual drives except any foreign configurations that you specified. All data
residing on the virtual drives is lost.
To return to a previous page to review or change selections, click Back. To close the wizard without making changes, click Cancel.
Click Finish to create a virtual drive with the displayed attributes.
NOTE: If you have an older BIOS, you can configure RAID only through option ROM.
NOTE: Software RAID creation using NVMe/HHHL drives supports only on UEFI mode.
Use this feature to configure RAID, if a PERC S140 / S150 controller is enabled on the system. If you select the software RAID option, you
cannot create partial virtual disk through the Lifecycle Controller interface and it displays the physical disk-drives as the Non-RAID disks or
RAID-ready disks.
• Non-RAID disk—A single disk-drive without any RAID properties. Needs initialization to apply RAID levels.
• RAID-ready disk—The disk drive is initialized and a RAID level can be applied.
NOTE: From Lifecycle Controller UI, you can deploy only Windows server operating system using software RAID
controller.
To configure software RAID:
1. Start Lifecycle Controller. For more information, see Starting Lifecycle Controller.
2. In the left pane, click Hardware Configuration.
3. In the right pane, click Configuration Wizards.
4. Under Storage Configuration Wizards, click RAID Configuration to launch the wizard.
The View Current RAID Configuration and Select Controller page is displayed.
Select the Windows or Linux RAID option to install the appropriate operating system. This option is available only for the software
RAID controller, which enabled only if the software RAID controller is supported.
NOTE: Windows RAID supports RAID levels 0, 1, 5, and 10, but, the Linux RAID supports RAID level 1 only. After the
RAID type is initialized, this option is grayed out in the LCUI. To enable the RAID type, go to BIOS F2 settings,
convert the RAID Type to Non-RAID disk.
5. Select the controller, and click Next.
NOTE: If the non-RAID disk drives are attached to the selected controller, select the non-RAID physical disk-drives,
and then click Next to initialize them. Else, the Select RAID Level page is displayed.
NOTE: During initialization, all the data on the non-RAID disk drives are deleted.
6. Select the RAIDlevel and click Next.
The Select Physical Disks page is displayed.
7. Select the physical disk properties and click Next.
The Virtual Disk Attributes page is displayed.
Select NVMe protocoltype to enable software RAID creation on the NVMe disks. To enable software RAID, go to BIOS F2 settings,
and change the interface type to NVMe on the NVMe disks.
8. Select the virtual disk parameters and click Next.
The Summary page is displayed.
9. To apply the RAID configuration, click Finish.
Configure 43
Creating a secure virtual disk on a RAID controller
Make sure that the controller is set to use either Local Key Management (LKM) or Secure Enterprise Key Manager (SEKM).
To create a secure virtual disk on a RAID controller:
1. Start Lifecycle Controller. For more information, see Starting Lifecycle Controller.
2. In the left pane, click Hardware Configuration.
3. In the right pane, click Configuration Wizards.
4. Under Storage Configuration Wizards, click RAID Configuration to launch the wizard.
The View Current RAID Configuration and Select Controller page is displayed along with the information on whether the
displayed virtual disk is secure.
NOTE: PERC controller name will be associated with phrase SEKM, if the controller is set to Secure Enterprise Key
Manager (SEKM) mode.
5. Select a security capable controller and click Next.
If the non-RAID disks are attached to the selected controller, select the non-RAID physical disk-drives, and then click Next to initialize
them. Else, the Select RAID Level page is displayed.
NOTE: During initialization, all the data on the non-RAID disk drives are deleted.
6. Select the RAID level and click Next.
The Select Physical Disks page is displayed.
NOTE: Create boot virtual disks only from disk drives populated across slots 0–3 of the system. For slot information,
see the system Owner’s Manual.
7. From the Encryption Capability drop-down menu, select Self-encryption.
The self-encryption disks (SEDs) are displayed.
8. Select the SEDs and specify the properties, and then click Next.
The Virtual Disk Attributes page is displayed.
9. Select the virtual disk parameters, select the Secure Virtual Disk option, and click Next.
The Summary page is displayed.
10. To apply the RAID configuration, click Finish.
Key encryption
Use the Key Encryption feature to:
• Apply local encryption for PERC H730, H730P, H740, H740P, H745, and H840 RAID controllers.
• Delete the local encryption key.
• Encrypt the existing unsecure virtual drives.
• To change an existing encryption key to another one.
NOTE: When PERC controllers H740 and H740P are set to Secure Enterprise Key Manager (SEKM) mode, they will not
be listed under Key Encryption feature.
44 Configure
8. In the New Passphrase field, enter a passphrase.
NOTE: The controller uses the passphrase to encrypt the disk drive data. A valid passphrase contains 8–32
characters. It must include a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols without spaces.
9. In the Confirm Passphrase field, re-enter the passphrase, and then click Finish.
Configure 45
Removing encryption and deleting data
To remove the encryption and delete the data on the virtual disks:
CAUTION: The existing encryption, virtual drives, and all the data are permanently deleted.
1. Start Lifecycle Controller. For more information, see Starting Lifecycle Controller.
2. In the left pane, click Hardware Configuration.
3. In the right pane, click Configuration Wizards and click Key Encryption.
4. Select the controller on which you must remove the key that was applied and click Next.
5. In the right pane, select Remove encryption and delete data and click Next.
6. Select Delete encryption key and all secure virtual disks and click Finish.
The system automatically turns off even if one mirrored array is successfully delinked.
46 Configure
• Identify operations to blink an LED
• Run diagnostics
Integrated Broadcom NICs are controlled by both BIOS and the settings stored on the device itself. As a result, the Boot Protocol field in
the HII of integrated NICs has no effect; this setting is instead controlled by the BIOS on the Integrated Devices screen.
To set integrated NICs to an iSCSI or PXE boot mode, select System BIOS Settings, and then select Integrated Devices. In the list for
each embedded NIC, select the appropriate value:
• Enabled for no boot capability.
• Enabled with PXE to use the NIC for PXE boot.
• Enabled with iSCSI to use the NIC to boot from an iSCSI target.
One or more of the settings requires a reboot to be saved and activated. Do you want to
reboot now?
5. Select No to continue making additional configuration changes or select Yes to save the changes and exit the wizard.
All changes are applied during the next system restart.
Configure 47
FTP authentication
Although you must provide the user name and password for the FTP server, Lifecycle Controller supports anonymous login to the FTP
server using the FTP server address to download the catalog information. If you use a firewall, you should configure it to allow outgoing
FTP traffic on port 21. The firewall must be configured to accept incoming FTP response traffic.
48 Configure
• Alphabets—a-z, A-Z
• Hyphen—-
NOTE: A USB drive is not required for users, who have access to downloads.dell.com through a proxy server.
For the latest updates, download the most recent Dell EMC server Updates ISO images for your system from www.dell.com/support.
NOTE: Lifecycle Controller supports internal SATA optical drives, USB drives, and Virtual Media devices. If the
installation media is corrupt or not readable, then Lifecycle Controller may be unable to detect the presence of a media.
In this case, an error message is displayed stating that no media is available.
Configure 49
Configuring CIFS servers
To configure an CIFS server, perform the following tasks:
1. Right-click the folder that you want to configure as CIFS share and select Properties > Sharing.
2. Click the Advanced Sharing tab and select Share this folder.
3. Click the Permissions tab.
4. Click Add to add names of the users for whom you want to provide access to the CIFS share.
5. Type the names and click OK.
6. In the Permissions section under Allow column, select Full Control.
NOTE: The SMB2 option-RequireSecuritySignature must be set to False. The command to set the value from
PowerShell is Set-SmbServerConfiguration -RequireSecuritySignature $false. For more information on
SMB2 support in iDRAC and LC, see the white paper available here.
Now the selected folder is shared over network and it can be accessed over CIFS protocol by using the \\<ip address>
\share_name folder path.
NOTE: Ensure that the folder is accessible and folder names doesn't have any space. If the problem persists, check the
network settings or retry using a share with fewer files and folders.
50 Configure
7
Maintain
Using Lifecycle Controller, you can maintain the health of a system throughout its life cycle using the features such as Part Replacement
Configuration and Platform Restore.
Topics:
• Platform restore
• Backup server profile
• Export server profile
• Import server profile
• Import server license
• Part replacement configuration
• Repurpose or retire system
• Hardware diagnostics
• SupportAssist Collection
Platform restore
The following features are available to maintain a server:
• Import Server License—Allows you to import an iDRAC license from a network share or a USB drive. Use this feature to import an
iDRAC license from the Lifecycle Controller GUI. The scenarios in which you may want to import a license are when you set up a new
server shipped from the factory, while upgrading an Express license to an Enterprise license, and so on. You can import the license
that is stored on a USB drive or on the network share such as CIFS or NFS.
• Part Replacement Configuration—Use this feature to automatically update a new part to the firmware version or the configuration
of the replaced part, or both. The update occurs automatically when you reboot your system after replacing the part. It is activated
through a license, and can be disabled remotely using Lifecycle Controller-Remote Services, or through the Lifecycle Controller.
NOTE: Part replacement does not support RAID operations such as resetting configuration, recreating VDs, setting
controller key, or changing controller mode.
NOTE: This feature is licensed. You must acquire the required license to enable this feature. For more information about
acquiring and using the licenses, see iDRAC User's Guide available at www.dell.com/idracmanuals .
Maintain 51
• Operating system or any data stored on hard-disk drives or virtual drives.
• vFlash SD card partition information.
• Lifecycle log.
• Dell diagnostics.
• Dell OS Driver Pack.
• A Local Key Management (LKM) passphrase, if the LKM–based storage encryption is enabled. However, you must provide the LKM
passphrase after performing the restore operation.
Security
The contents of the backup image file cannot be accessed with any application, even if it is generated without a passphrase. However, if
the backup image file is created using a passphrase, Lifecycle Controller uses the passphrase to encrypt the backup image file with 256 bit
encryption.
Size
Based on the server configuration, the size of a backup image file can be a maximum of 384 MB.
Performance
• Back up — The time taken to collect the required information and store the backup image file on a vFlash SD card is 45 minutes
(maximum).
• Restore — The time taken to restore a server using a backup image file depends on the number of components installed on the
server. Most of the server components such as BIOS, NIC, RAID, and other host bus adapters require multiple system restarts in order
to restore the server to its previous configuration. Each restart may take 1–15 minutes (for maximum system hardware
configurations). This restart time is in addition to the time taken for accessing the backup image file, which depends on where it is
stored (vFlash SD card, USB drive, or network share).
Supported components
The following table lists the server components that are supported by Lifecycle Controller while performing a backup or restore operation.
52 Maintain
Component Firmware Configuration Security Information*
NVDIMM No NA NA
IDSDM Yes NA NA
* The security information refers to the user credentials that are used to access the components.
** PSU firmware will be extracted from the backup file, but will not be applied as it can interrupt the restore process.
Maintain 53
• Takes a backup of all configuration information.
• Does not back up diagnostics and driver pack information.
• Backup fails if an AC power cycle is performed.
54 Maintain
Importing server profile from a vFlash SD card, network
share, or USB drive
Before importing the server profile, make sure that the following prerequisites are met:
• The Service Tag of the server is same as when the backup was taken.
• If you are restoring from a vFlash SD card, the vFlash SD card must be installed and must contain the backup image in a folder labeled
SRVCNF. This image must be from the same server that you are trying to restore.
• If you are restoring from a network share, make sure that the network share where the backup image file is stored is accessible.
You can import the server profile from a vFlash SD card, Network Share, or a USB drive.
Maintain 55
9. If you have secured the backup image file with a passphrase, enter the passphrase (entered during backup) in the Backup File
Passphrase field, and then click Finish.
Post-import scenario
The managed-system performs the following operations:
1. The system if turned on, automatically turns off. If the system boots to an operating system, it attempts to perform a graceful
shutdown. If it is not able to perform a graceful shutdown, it performs a forced shutdown after 15 minutes.
2. The system turns on and boots to System Services to perform firmware restore for supported devices (BIOS, storage controllers, and
Add-in NIC cards).
3. The system reboots and goes to System Services to execute firmware validation and configuration restore for supported devices
(BIOS, storage controllers, and Add-in NIC cards).
4. The system turns off and performs iDRAC configuration and firmware restore. After completion, iDRAC resets and takes up to 10
minutes before the system turns on.
5. The system turns on and the restore process is complete. Check the Lifecycle Logs for the restore process entries.
56 Maintain
To restore the server profile using Easy Restore:
After you replace the motherboard on your server, Easy Restore allows you to automatically restore the following data:
• System Service Tag
• Licenses data
• UEFI Diagnostics application
• System configuration settings—BIOS, iDRAC, and NIC
Easy Restore uses the Easy Restore flash memory to back up the data. When you replace the motherboard and turn-on the system,
the BIOS queries the iDRAC and prompts you to restore the backed-up data. The first BIOS screen prompts you to restore the Service
Tag, licenses, and UEFI diagnostic application. The second BIOS screen prompts you to restore system configuration settings. If you
choose not to restore data on the first BIOS screen and if you do not set the Service Tag by another method, the first BIOS screen is
displayed again. The second BIOS screen is displayed only once.
NOTE:
• System configurations settings are backed-up only when CSIOR is enabled. Ensure that Lifecycle Controller and
CSIOR are enabled.
• System Erase does not clear the data from the Easy Restore flash memory.
• Easy Restore does not back up other data such as firmware images, vFlash data, or add-in cards data.
NOTE: For more information about Backup and Restore features, see the Methods to Save and Restore PowerEdge
Server Configuration Settings and Firmware Images white paper at www.dell.com/support/article/sln311809
Maintain 57
For more information about setting up a network connection, see Configuring Network Settings for a NIC. You can test the
connection of a network by clicking Test Network Connection.
6. If the network is configured, click CIFS, NFS, HTTP, or HTTPS select or type the appropriate data in the field, and then click Next.
The license is imported, installed, and the following message is displayed:
Insert Media
5. From the Select Device drop-down menu, select the attached USB drive.
6. In the File Path field, enter the directory or subdirectory path, where the backup image file is stored on the selected device and click
Finish.
The license is imported, installed, and the following message is displayed:
58 Maintain
• Disabled — Firmware update on replaced parts is not performed.
• Allow version upgrade only — Firmware update on replaced parts is performed only if the firmware version of the new part is
earlier than the existing part.
• Match firmware of replaced part — Firmware on the new part is updated to the version of the original part.
NOTE: Match firmware of replaced part is the default setting.
5. From the part configuration update drop-down menu, select one of the following:
• Disabled — The feature is disabled and the current configuration is not applied if a part is replaced.
• Apply always — The feature is enabled and the current configuration is applied if a part is replaced.
NOTE: Apply always is the default setting.
• Apply only if firmware match — The feature is enabled and the current configuration is applied only if the current firmware
matches with the firmware of a replaced part.
Supported devices
You can update the part firmware and configuration for the following devices:
• Fibre Channel cards
• NICs
• PERC series 9 and 10
• SAS series 7 and 8
• System board
• Power Supply Unit (PSU)
NOTE: PSUs support only firmware update and not part replacement.
NOTE:
• The Repurpose or Retire System feature does not allow deletion of iDRAC-related license information.
• PERC NV cache is displayed only if PERC card is available on the server.
Use this feature to delete any sensitive data and configuration-related information when you need to:
• Retire a managed system.
• Reuse a managed system for a different application.
NOTE: Storage disk erase may take a longer time depending on the disk size and speed.
4. Click Next.
Maintain 59
A summary of the features and components selected for deletion is displayed.
5. Read the information about the Summary page and click Finish.
6. The host server turns off when the operation is completed, iDRAC will reset.
When the iDRAC is backed up, you must manually turn on the host server. If you select BIOS component for System Erase, a flag is set to
reset the BIOS to default during POST and the server turns off again.
Hardware diagnostics
It is recommended that you run diagnostics using the Hardware Diagnostics utility, as part of a regular maintenance plan to validate
whether or not the system and the attached hardware are functioning properly. As the diagnostics utility has a physical (as opposed to
logical) view of the attached hardware, it can identify hardware problems that the operating system and other online tools cannot identify.
You can use the hardware diagnostics utility to validate the memory, I/O devices, CPU, physical disk drives, and other peripherals.
SupportAssist Collection
If you have to work with Dell technical support on an issue with a server but the security policies restrict direct Internet connection, you
can provide technical support with necessary data to facilitate successful troubleshooting of the problem without having to install any
software or download tools from Dell and without having access to the Internet from the server operating system or Lifecycle Controller.
You can send the report from an alternate system and make sure that the data collected from your server is not viewable by unauthorized
individuals while sending it to technical support.
You can generate a health report of the server and using Lifecycle Controller, you can export the report to a location on the management
station (local) or to following shared network location:
• CIFS - Common Internet File System
• NFS - Network File Share
• FTP - File Transfer Protocol
• USB
• HTTP / HTTPS
You can then share this report directly with technical support.
Lifecycle Controller allows you to collect data from the following options:
• System Information
• Debug logs
• Storage logs
• SMART Data logs - SMART logs are collected in a file and added as part of SupportAssist collection. This feature sends SMART data
for SATA disk to support assist in order to analyze the connected SATA disk.
NOTE: You need to select Storage logs to collect SMART data.
• Operating System and Application Data - Operating System (OS) and Application Data option will also be enabled if iDRAC Service
Module (iSM) is installed and running in OS and OS Collector (OSC) is present in iDRAC. As OSC is factory installed, it will be present
in iDRAC unless it is removed by user via System Erase or LC Wipe. You can select this option to retrieve either cached or live data.
Live data collection from OS required iDRAC Service Module (iSM) to be installed and running in the OS. For more information on
collecting Operating System and Application Data using the OS collector tool in iDRAC, see the iDRAC User's Guide available at
www.dell.com/idracmanuals .
60 Maintain
• Telemetry reports
NOTE: This feature needs Datacenter License.
SupportAssist Collection is exported in the standard ZIP format. The report contains information that is similar to the information available
in the DSET report such as:
• Hardware and inventory for all components
• System, Lifecycle Controller, and component attributes
• BIOS boot order information
• Installed and available component firmware versions
• Fresh Air and component statistics (for applicable servers)
• Operating system and application information
• Active Lifecycle Controller logs (archived entries are not included)
• Component hardware logs
• Trace logs
• Storage controller logs
After Lifecycle Controller exports the SupportAssist Collection file, you can delete information that you do not want to share with
technical support. Each time the data is collected, an event is recorded in the Lifecycle Controller Log. The event includes information
such as the interface used, the date and time of export, and iDRAC user name.
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• Telemetry Reports — Collects the information / reports for the features through telemetry. You can set the preferences for
telemetry reports through iDRAC UI.
6. Click Next.
7. On the Select Export Settings page, type or select the required information and click Next.
For information about the fields on this page, see the Online Help by clicking Help in the upper-right corner of the Lifecycle Controller
application.
8. On the Summary page, verify your selections and click Finish.
62 Maintain
8
Easy-to-use system component names
The following is the list of most commonly used Fully Qualified Device Descriptors (FQDD) used in all the interfaces including GUI, iDRAC
RESTful API with Redfish, WSMAN, and RACADM.
• ALL
• iDRAC
• System
• LifecycleController
• EventFilters
• BIOS
• NIC
• FC
• RAID
• NVDIMM
• BOSS-S1
• BOSS DISK
The following table lists the FQDD of the system components and the equivalent easy-to-use names.
NIC.Mezzanine.1C-1
NIC.Mezzanine.1C-2
NIC.Mezzanine.3C-2
iDRAC.Embedded.1-1 iDRAC
System.Embedded.1-1 System
Fan.Embedded.1 Fan 1
LCD.Chassis.1 LCD
Fan.Slot. 1 Fan 1
Fan.Slot. 2 Fan 2
Fan.Slot. 3 Fan 3
Fan.Slot. 4 Fan 4
Fan.Slot. 5 Fan 5
Fan.Slot. 6 Fan 6
Fan.Slot. 7 Fan 7
Fan.Slot. 8 Fan 8
Fan.Slot. 9 Fan 9
KVM.Chassis.1 KVM
IOM.Slot.1 IO Module 1
IOM.Slot.2 IO Module 2
IOM.Slot.3 IO Module 3
IOM.Slot.4 IO Module 4
IOM.Slot.5 IO Module 5
IOM.Slot.6 IO Module 6
CPU.Socket.1 CPU 1
System.Modular.2 Blade 2
DIMM.Socket.A1 DIMM A1
NVDIMM DIMM.Socket.A7
Boss-S1 AHCI.Integrated.1-1
Keystroke Description
<F10> Opens and starts Lifecycle Controller, which supports systems management features such as operating
system deployment, hardware diagnostics, firmware updates, and platform configuration, using a GUI.
The feature set available in Lifecycle Controller is determined by the iDRAC license installed.
<F11> Opens the BIOS Boot Manager or the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) Boot Manager,
depending on the boot configuration of the system.
Topics:
• Choosing the system boot mode
• Entering System Setup
• System and setup password features
• Entering the UEFI boot manager
• Embedded systems management
• iDRAC settings utility
1. From the System Setup Main Menu, click Boot Settings, and select Boot Mode.
2. Select the UEFI boot mode you want the system to boot into.
CAUTION: Switching the boot mode may prevent the system from booting if the operating system is not installed in
the same boot mode.
3. After the system boots in the specified boot mode, proceed to install your operating system from that mode.
NOTE: Operating systems must be UEFI-compatible to be installed from the UEFI boot mode. DOS and 32-bit operating
systems do not support UEFI and can only be installed from the BIOS boot mode.
NOTE: For the latest information about supported operating systems, go to www.dell.com/ossupport.
F2 = System Setup
If your operating system begins to load before you press F2, wait for the system to finish booting, and then restart your system and try
again.
Keys Action
Up arrow Moves to the previous field.
Down arrow Moves to the next field.
<Enter> Allows you to type in a value in the selected field (if applicable) or follow the link in the field.
Spacebar Expands or collapses a drop-down menu, if applicable.
<Tab> Moves to the next focus area.
NOTE: For the standard graphics browser only.
<Esc> Moves to the previous page till you view the main screen. Pressing <Esc> in the main screen displays a
message that prompts you to save any unsaved changes and restarts the system.
<F1> Displays the System Setup help file.
NOTE: For most of the options, any changes that you make are recorded but do not take effect
until you restart the system.
NOTE: System Setup defaults are listed under their respective options in the following sections, where applicable.
Boot Settings Displays options to specify the boot mode (BIOS or UEFI). Enables you to modify UEFI and BIOS boot settings.
Integrated Devices Displays options to enable or disable integrated device controllers and ports, and to specify related features and
options.
Serial Displays options to enable or disable the serial ports and specify related features and options.
Communication
System Profile Displays options to change the processor power management settings, memory frequency, and so on.
Settings
System Security Displays options to configure the system security settings like, system password, setup password, TPM security,
and so on. It also enables or disables support for local BIOS update, the power and NMI buttons on the system.
Miscellaneous Displays options to change the system date, time, and so on.
Settings
NOTE: The Dell Fault Resilient Mode establishes an area of memory that is fault resilient. This
mode can be used by an operating system that supports the feature to load critical applications or
enables the operating system kernel to maximize system availability.
Node Interleaving If this field is Enabled, memory interleaving is supported if a symmetric memory configuration is installed. If
Disabled, the system supports Non-Uniform Memory architecture (NUMA) (asymmetric) memory
configurations. By default, Node Interleaving option is set to Disabled.
Serial Debug By default, it is set to disabled.
Output
Alternate RTID Allows you to allocate more RTIDs to the remote socket, increasing cache performance between the sockets or
(Requestor work in normal mode for NUMA. By default, the Alternate RTID (Requestor Transaction ID) Setting is set to
Disabled.
Processor 1 NOTE: The following settings are displayed for each processor installed in the system.
Family-Model- Displays the family, model and stepping of the processor as defined by Intel.
Stepping
Brand Displays the brand name reported by the processor.
Level 2 Cache Displays the total L2 cache.
Level 3 Cache Displays the total L3 cache.
Number of Cores Displays the number of cores per processor.
Dell Controlled Allows you to control turbo engagement. This feature is also referred to as Dell Processor Acceleration
Turbo Technology (DPAT).
NOTE: Depending on the platform, some attributes may or may not be displayed.
NOTE: Ports A, B, C, and D are used for the backplane drives, port E for the optical drive (CD/DVD), and port F for the
tape drive.
Boot Sequence Allows you to enable or disable the boot sequence retry feature. If this field is enabled and the system fails to boot,
Retry the system reattempts the boot sequence after 30 seconds. By default, the Boot Sequence Retry option is set
to Disabled.
BIOS Boot Allows you to enable or disable BIOS Boot options.
Settings NOTE: This option is enabled only if the boot mode is BIOS.
UEFI Boot Allows you to enable or disable UEFI Boot options. The Boot options include IPv4 PXE and IPv6 PXE. By default,
Settings the UEFI PXE boot protocol is set to IPv4.
NOTE: This option is enabled only if the boot mode is UEFI.
One-Time Boot Allows you to enable or disable a one-time boot from a selected device.
Internal SD Card If set to Mirror mode, data is written on both SD cards. If any one of the SD card fails, data is written to the
Redundancy active SD card. Data from this card is copied to the replacement SD card at the next boot. By default, Internal
SD Card Redundancy option is set to Mirror.
NOTE: This option is displayed only if IDSDM is installed on the system board.
Integrated Allows you to enable or disable the integrated network card 1. By default, the Integrated Network Card 1 option
Network Card 1 is set to Enabled.
OS Watchdog Allows you to enable or disable the OS watchdog timer. When this field is enabled, the operating system initializes
Timer the timer and the OS watchdog timer helps in recovering the operating system. By default, the OS Watchdog
Timer option is set to Disabled.
External Serial Allows you to associate the external serial connector to serial device 1, serial device 2, or remote access device. By
Connector default, the External Serial Connector option is set to Serial Device1.
NOTE: Only Serial Device 2 can be used for SOL. To use console redirection by SOL, configure the
same port address for console redirection and the serial device.
Failsafe Baud Rate Displays the failsafe baud rate for console redirection. The BIOS attempts to determine the baud rate
automatically. This failsafe baud rate is used only if the attempt fails and the value must not be changed. By
default, the Failsafe Baud Rate option is set to 11520.
Remote Terminal Allows you to set the remote console terminal type. By default, the Remote Terminal Type option is set to VT
Type 100/VT 220.
Redirection After Allows you to enable or disable to the BIOS console redirection when the operating system is loaded. By default,
Boot the Redirection After Boot option is set to Enabled.
Option Description
System Profile Sets the system profile. If you set the System Profile option to a mode other than Custom, the BIOS
automatically sets the rest of the options. You can only change the rest of the options if the mode is set to
Custom. This option is set to Performance Per Watt Optimized (DAPC) by default. DAPC is Dell Active
Power Controller.Performance Per Watt (OS).
NOTE: All the parameters on the system profile setting screen available only when the System
Profile option is set to Custom.
CPU Power Sets the CPU power management. This option is set to System DBPM (DAPC)OS DBPM by default. DBPM is
Management Demand-Based Power Management.
NOTE: When C States is set to Enabled in the Custom mode, changing the Monitor/Mwait setting
does not impact the system power or performance.
Memory Patrol Sets the memory patrol scrub frequency. This option is set to Standard by default.
Scrub
Memory Refresh Sets the memory refresh rate to either 1x or 2x. This option is set to 1x by default.
Rate
Memory Operating Sets the DIMM voltage selection. When set to Auto, the system automatically sets the system voltage to the
Voltage optimal setting based on the DIMM capacity and the number of DIMMs installed. By default, the Memory
Operating Voltage option is set to Auto.
Collaborative CPU Enables or disables the CPU power management. When set to Enabled, the CPU power management is
Performance controlled by the OS DBPM and the System DBPM (DAPC). This option is set to Disabled by default.
Control
AC Power Allows you to set how the system supports staggering of power up after AC power is restored to the system. By
Recovery Delay default, the AC Power Recovery Delay option is set to Immediate.
NOTE: Set the AC Power Recovery Delay option to User to enable or disable the User Defined
Delay option.
User Defined Allows you to set the User Defined Delay when the User Defined option for AC Power Recovery Delay is
Delay (60s to selected.
240s)
Miscellaneous settings
Menu Item Description
System Time Allows you to set the time on the system.
System Date Allows you to set the date on the system.
Asset Tag Displays the asset tag and allows you to modify it for security and tracking purposes.
Keyboard Allows you to set whether the system boots with the NumLock enabled or disabled. By default the Keyboard
NumLock NumLock is set to On.
NOTE: This option does not apply to 84-key keyboards.
Report Keyboard Allows you to set whether keyboard-related error messages are reported during system boot. By default, the
Errors Report Keyboard Errors option is set to Report.
F1/F2 Prompt on Allows you to enable or disable the F1/F2 prompt on error. By default, F1/F2 Prompt on Error is set to Enabled.
Error
In-System This option enables or disables In-System Characterization. By default, In-System Characterization is set to
Characterization Enabled.
System password This is the password that you must enter before you can boot your system.
Setup password This is the password that you must enter to access and make changes to the BIOS or UEFI settings of your
system.
CAUTION: Avoid leaving your system running and unattended. Enabling the password feature provides a basic level of
security for the data on your system.
NOTE: Your system is shipped with the system and setup password feature disabled.
You can assign a new system password or setup password or change an existing system password or setup password only when the
password jumper setting is enabled and Password Status is set to Unlocked. If the Password Status is set to Locked, you cannot
change the system password or setup password.
If the password jumper setting is disabled, the existing system password and setup password is deleted and you need not provide the
system password to boot the system.
1. To enter System Setup, press F2 immediately after a power-on or reboot.
2. In the System Setup Main Menu, select System BIOS and press Enter.
3. In the System BIOS screen, select System Security and press Enter.
4. In the System Security screen, verify that Password Status is Unlocked.
5. Select System Password, enter your system password, and press Enter or Tab.
Use the following guidelines to assign the system password:
• A password can have up to 32 characters.
• The password can contain the numbers 0 through 9.
• Only the following special characters are allowed: space, (”), (+), (,), (-), (.), (/), (;), ([), (\), (]), (`).
A message prompts you to reenter the system password.
6. Reenter the system password and click OK.
7. Select Setup Password, enter your system password, and press Enter or Tab.
A message prompts you to reenter the setup password.
8. Reenter the setup password click OK.
9. Press Esc to return to the System BIOS screen. Press Esc again, and a message prompts you to save the changes.
NOTE: Password protection does not take effect until the system reboots.
Invalid Password! Number of unsuccessful password attempts: <x> System Halted! Must power
down.
Password Invalid. Number of unsuccessful password attempts: <x> Maximum number of password
attempts exceeded.System halted.
Even after you turn off and restart the system, the error message is displayed until the correct password is typed. The following options
are exceptions:
• If System Password is not set to Enabled and is not locked through the Password Status option, you can assign a system
password. For more information, see the System Security Settings screen section.
• You cannot disable or change an existing system password.
NOTE: You can use the password status option with the setup password option to protect the system password from
unauthorized changes.
If your operating system begins to load before you press <F11>, allow the system to finish booting, and then restart your system and
try again.
<Esc> Moves to the previous page till you view the main screen. Pressing <Esc> in the main screen exits the Boot
Manager and proceeds with system boot.
<F1> Displays the System Setup help file.
NOTE: For most of the options, any changes that you make are recorded but do not take effect until you restart the
system.
NOTE: Certain platform configurations may not support the full set of features provided by the Lifecycle controller.
For more information about setting up the Lifecycle controller, configuring hardware and firmware, and deploying the operating system,
see the Lifecycle controller documentation at www.dell.com/support/article/sln311809.
Error messages
Each error message that is generated from Lifecycle Controller has a Message ID, Message Description, and Recommended Response
Action in a single dialog box. If you want to view the detailed description about a message, see the Dell Event Message Reference Guide at
www.dell.com/support.