As an admin, you know you have to do it. If you come from an HP Server world, your question is most likely, "How do I do it?". This section will help you with the Dell terminology for Dell™ PowerEdge™ server updates, where you can find the updates, and what tools to use to deploy the updates.

Dell Update Packages - DUPs

Dell Update Packages are designed as self-contained, easy-to-use programs that update a single system software element on the server - either the system BIOS, a device driver, or firmware. Applying the update package requires only that the admin execute the package directly on the running system. DUPs are available for both Linux and Windows operating systems.

Finding DUPs

http://support.dell.com is the definitive site for Dell Update Packages; click on "Download Drivers" and drill through your system of choice.

Dell's ftp site

If you know exactly what you need, you can also go directly to Dell's ftp site. It is accessible through both ftp and http protocols.

OpenManage Subscription Service

You can also subscribe to the OpenManage Subscription Service. You will then receive DUPs in the mail on DVDs. This service is a packaging of all the latest Dell Updates conveniently shipped to your door. It also includes the Server Update Utility and Content Manager to easily manage the updates.

Managing Updates - Repositories

You can also manage and create local repositories using Dell ITA and Dell Content Manager. These tools will allow you to compare the DUPs you have downloaded with the latest available from the official support.dell.com site and then merge them into your local repository for deployment.

ITA Server Updates Demo with Online Repository
By Scott Hanson
Download .WMV file ~8MB
This demo shows the new Online Repository functionality of IT Assistant to keep firmware/BIOS/drivers up to date with the latest versions that are available on the Dell.com support website.

Using Server Update Utility with Content Manager
By Scott Hanson
Download .WMV file ~8.4MB
This demo shows how Content Manager is used to keep a local repository of firmware/BIOS/driver updates from support.dell.com that can then be used to update your Dell PowerEdge Servers from a network share drive.