The software update feature of Dell OpenManage™ IT Assistant version 8.0 comprises:
Repositories: A repository is a container for Dell Update Packages and System Update Sets. Update Packages are available from the Dell™ PowerEdge™ Installation and Server Management CD, Dell™ PowerEdge™ Server Update Utility CD, or the Dell website at ftp.dell.com. The repositories are displayed in a hierarchical tree view, with Software Update Repositories as the parent and IT Assistant Repository as the child node.
Custom update sets: You can create custom System Update Sets or bundles. These custom update sets can be subsequently used to drive system compliance reports and perform the updates.
NOTE: You can create custom bundles only from the system bundles that have been imported into the
IT Assistant Repository.
Digital Signature verification: IT Assistant checks the authenticity and integrity of the update packages and MSI files using digital signature verification.
IT Assistant provides a centralized software update capability. You can load Dell Update Packages and System Update Sets into the IT Assistant repository, then run a compliance check of all the systems in your enterprise against the Update Packages. A System Update Set is a logical set of Dell-certified packages that work together without problems. Dell Update Packages are available from the Dell Support website at support.dell.com or from the Dell PowerEdge Server Update Utility CD. This CD is available through the Dell OpenManage Subscription Service or as an ISO image downloadable from the Dell Support website at support.dell.com. You can download the Dell OpenManage Subscription Service from www.dell.com.
The Dell PowerEdge Server Update Utility CD contains quarterly updates to the Dell Update Packages and System Update Sets (certified sets of packages for specific PowerEdge platforms).
To use the Dell Update Packages from within IT Assistant, perform the following steps:
Insert the Dell PowerEdge Server Update Utility CD into the CD drive
Navigate to Manage→ Software Updates.
Right-click the root node (Software Update Repositories) and select Open Repository
(Update CD)....
Navigate to the CD location and locate the repository directory.
Select catalog.xml and click Open.
The contents of the Dell PowerEdge Server Update Utility CD will be displayed on the
IT Assistant UI. You can then perform operations such as importing packages, performing
compliance checks, and performing software updates.
Using Software Updates in IT Assistant
Let us look at how Jane might use this feature in her enterprise.
Jane has downloaded an Update Package from the Dell Support website at support.dell.com. She knows that some of her systems need the firmware upgrade that the update package contains, but she wants to determine which ones without manually checking each of her 50 servers. She can use IT Assistant to quickly find out.
Here is how she would find out how many systems need an update:
Select Manage→ Software Updates from the menu bar.
Right-click IT Assistant Repository in the left navigation pane and choose Add.
Jane navigates to the location on her system where she downloaded the Update Package. When she selects the file and clicks Open, IT Assistant adds the update package to the window.
Clicking the Update Package name in the left-hand pane shows a summary of its contents in the
right-hand pane.
Click the Compliance tab, then click a specific group of devices (or a query) against which you want to
check the package.
Click Compare to check the devices you selected against the contents of the Update Package.
IT Assistant performs a comparison and generates a compliance report that shows a graphical presentation of the differences, full version information on the selected devices, and other information that can help identify non-compliant systems or devices.
If IT Assistant finds servers or devices that need updating, Jane can select the devices she wants to
update and click the Update button. This action automatically starts the Software Updates
task wizard.
NOTE: You cannot upgrade the firmware on the system running IT Assistant. To upgrade the firmware on this
system, run the software updates from another system.
Using Server Software Deployment
IT Assistant provides an integrated method to install Dell OpenManage Server Administrator on supported Dell systems.
NOTE: In the system where you run the IT Assistant user interface from, the Java Runtime Environment (JRE)
should have at least 256 MB of free space for the JRE memory (heap memory). This memory requirement is
recommended for IT Assistant to download the MSI file that contains the Dell agent. The MSI file size is typically in
the range of 60–64 MB.
Setting the Java Runtime Parameter in Supported Windows Environment
Click the Start button. Point to Settings→ Control Panel→ Java.
In the Java tab, click View in the Java Applet Runtime Settings section.
Set Java Runtime Parameters to -Xmx256M.
Setting the Java Runtime Parameter in Supported Linux Environment
Navigate to the Java home directory. The default path is /usr/java/jre1.5.xxx/bin/.
Run ./ControlPanel.
In the Java tab, click View in the Java Applet Runtime Settings section.
Set Java Runtime Parameters to -Xmx256M.
Installing the Dell Agent on a Remote Managed Node
If you are managing a corporate network using IT Assistant, you can install the latest Dell OpenManage Server Administrator on multiple systems in the environment. These systems may or may not have Server Administrator previously installed on them.
Obtain a Server Administrator MSI file from one of the following sources:
Dell™ PowerEdge™ Installation and Server Management CD
NOTE: IT Assistant version 8.0 supports Server Administrator deployment only on Microsoft® Windows®
operating systems.
Dell Support website at support.dell.com - FTP download
Use the task management feature in IT Assistant to create a Software Agent Deployment task to schedule the deployment of Server Administrator on multiple systems on the network. After Server Administrator is installed, the new status will display:
Only if you forcibly discover, inventory, or do a manual status poll.
After the next scheduled discovery, inventory, or status poll.
NOTE: The protocol configuration settings for inventory must be specified for the device during initial device
detection and the corresponding services must be running on the device.
Creating a Software Deployment Task
Select Manage→ Tasks from the menu bar.
Under the Task parent node, right-click Software Deployment and select New Task....
The New Task Wizard appears.
Under Task Creation, enter a descriptive name for the task and select the Server Administrator
Deployment task.
Click Next.
Under Task Installer Specification, specify the Installation File Path.
NOTE: The default installation path on the Dell™ PowerEdge™ Installation and Server Management CD is
<CD>\srvadmin\windows\SystemsManagement\SysMgmt.msi.
NOTE: Ensure that you select only the version 5.0 or later SysMgmt.msi file. The .msi files of earlier versions
of Dell OpenManage are not supported by IT Assistant 8.0. You can check the version of Server Administrator
by right-clicking the SysMgmt.msi file and selecting Properties. The Server Administrator version is displayed
in the Summary tab.
NOTE: Ensure that there is sufficient free space (at least 65 MB) on the management station for creating the
task. The managed node should have about 130 MB of free space in %SYSTEMDRIVE% or the drive where the
operating system is installed.
NOTE: This feature supports only ADDLOCAL parameter. For more information on this parameter and the
arguments you use with it, see the Dell OpenManage Installation and Security User's Guide.
It is recommended that you select Upgrade Installer Engine on target node (if required). This option ensures that the latest version of msiexec is installed on the managed systems.
If you do not select this option, and the managed systems do not have the required version, a error message is displayed.
NOTE: This option fails if the required upgrade engine files (.exe and .bat) are not found in the same folder as
the Systems Management installer (.msi). If you deleted these files, go to ftp.dell.com and download them to
the SystemsManagement folder.
Under Device Selection, select the appropriate systems on which Server Administrator is to
be deployed.
NOTE: IT Assistant performs prerequisite checks at the time of task execution and execution details can be
viewed in the Task Execution Details pane. If the task execution fails, correct the error (for example,
inadequate disk space) and run the task again. For more information, see the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant
Online Help.
Under Select Schedule, you can either schedule the task to run at a specified time, or run the task
immediately.
Under Enter Credentials, enter your operating system credentials
View and verify your selections in Summary.
Click Finish to accept your selection, or Back to make changes.
NOTE: At this point, the files will be uploaded to the IT Assistant Repository. This process may take a
few minutes.
