Upgrading BMC Firmware

Identify and download the correct firmware file for your platform type. The upgrade fails if the selected firmware upgrade file does not match the platform type. The following table identifies the correct firmware files for an upgrade:

Upgrade Paths

There are two BMC firmware upgrade procedures based on the version from which you are upgrading. Each method requires a different file type as listed in the previous table. The SBC 5000 series supports both paths. The SBC 5400 supports only the upgrade method using the ".img" file.

• BMC upgrade from 2.x to 3.x: Use the ".rom" file. 
  For example: To upgrade from BMC 02.16.00 to 03.17.00, use "bmc5X00_v3.17.0-R0.rom" file.

  Note

  The firmware upgrade to 3.x can only be done from version 02.16.00 or later. If the existing BMC version is older than 02.16.00, upgrade it to 02.16.00 using the ".rom" file first and then perform an upgrade to 3.x version using a ".rom" file.

• BMC upgrade from 3.x to 3.y OR 1.x to 3.y: Use the ".img" file. 

For example: To upgrade from BMC 03.00.00 to 03.17.00, use "firmware-5XX0-V03.17.00-R000.img" file.

Upgrade BMC Firmware from Version 2.X (SBC 5000 Series Only)

The following procedure describes how to upgrade the BMC firmware from 2.x version using the ".rom" file.

1. Log on to the SBC BMC GUI.


   BMC 2.16 Login Screen

   

    
   The BMC Main screen is displayed. 

   BMC 2.16 Main Screen

    

2. Click Remote Control. The Remote Control window is displayed.
   

   BMC 2.16 Remote Control Screen

    

   
   

   
   

3. Click Power Control in the Options panel. The Power Control and Status window is displayed. 

   BMC 2.16 Power Control Screen

    

   
   

   
   

4. Choose Power Off Server - Orderly Shutdown option. 

   The BMC server must be shut down prior to performing a firmware upgrade.

   
   

   BMC 2.16 BMC Orderly Shutdown

   

    

   
   

5. Click Perform Action to initiate the shutdown process.

   BMC 2.16 BMC Shutdown

   

   
   

   
   

6. Click the Maintenance tab. The Maintenance window is displayed.

   BMC 2.16 Maintenance Window

   

   
   

   
   

7. Click Enter Update Mode. Confirm that you want to enter update mode when prompted.

   BMC 2.16 Maintenance Window Confirmation Message

   

   
   

   
   

8. Click OK to proceed. The BMC is now in Upgrade Mode.

   BMC 2.16 Firmware Update window

   

   
   

   
   

9. Browse and select the firmware file to upload. The firmware file to upgrade from 2.x version should be a .rom file. For example: bmc5X00_v3.17.0-R0.rom file.
   

10. Click Upload Firmware. The BMC validates the selected file.

    Note

    The BMC fails to upgrade if:

    • the selected version is same as the existing version.
    • the selected version is older than the existing version.
    • the selected firmware image is incorrect for the platform type. For example, selecting an SBC 5400 firmware file for an upgrade on the SBC 5000 Series platform.

    
    Once the verification is complete, a message is displayed stating the result of the verification.

    BMC 2.16 Firmware Validation

    

    
    

    
    

11. Click OK to proceed. The existing and the new BMC versions are displayed for validation.

    BMC 2.16 Firmware Comparison

    

    
    

    
    

12. Click Start Upgrade to initiate the upgrade process. Confirm that you want to upgrade when prompted.

    BMC 2.16 Upgrade Confirmation message

    

     

    
    

    Warning

    Once the upgrade process starts, do not close the screen.

    • If the window is closed or connectivity is lost before the upgrade starts, re-login to BMC GUI and reboot BMC. The BMC takes approximately 10 minutes to boot. Once the BMC boots up, re-login to BMC GUI and restart the upgrade process from step 1.
    • If the window is closed or the connectivity is lost during the upgrade process, wait for 20 minutes for the upgrade process to complete and try to access the BMC again. If you fail to gain access, contact Technical Support for assistance.

    
    

13. Click OK to proceed. The BMC starts the firmware upgrade process.

    BMC 2.16 Upgrade Process

    

    
    Once the upgrade process is complete, the BMC reboots and a message appears requesting you to open a new browser window to access the BMC GUI.

    BMC 2.16 Upgrade Process Complete

    

14. Exit the browser. 
15. Clear the browser cache.
    
16. Open a new browsing window to access the BMC GUI again.

17. Access the same BMC IP address to reach the BMC login window. In the new BMC version (3.X), the login window includes additional browser settings.

    BMC 3.X Login Window

    

    
    

    
    

18. Log on to the SBC BMC GUI.

Upgrading BMC Firmware from Version 3.x or 1.x

The following procedure describes how to upgrade the BMC firmware from a 3.x version to a 3.y version (for example, from version 03.10.00 to version 03.17.00) or from 1.x to a 3.x version using the ".img" file.

1. Log on to the SBC BMC GUI.


   BMC Login Screen

   

   The BMC main screen is displayed.

   SBC BMC Main Screen

   

2. Click Firmware Update.

   BMC Firmware Update option

   

   
   The Firmware Update screen is displayed.

   BMC Firware Update screen

   

3. Click Browse, and from the Open dialog browse to and select the firmware image (for example; firmware-5XX0-V03.17.00-R000.img). Refer to the table at the start of this page to make sure you have chosen the correct type of file for an upgrade. To determine the exact firmware version, refer to the release notes in SBC Release Information.
    

4. Click Upload.

   Note

   The firmware image is approximately 17MB for the SBC 5000 Series and 24MB for the SBC 5400 and takes few minutes to upload based on the network.

   Note

   The BMC fails to upgrade if:

   • the selected version is same as the existing version.
   • the selected version is older than the existing version.
   • the selected firmware image is incorrect for the platform type. For example, selecting an SBC 5400 firmware file for an upgrade on the SBC 5000 Series platform.

    The selected file is verified and the uploading process starts.

   
   

5. Once the file verification is complete, when prompted, click Confirm to proceed with the upgrade.

   Caution

   This is a service-affecting procedure and will power off the host side of the SBC.

   After you confirm, the BMC initiates an orderly shutdown of the host. If the process to shutdown the host fails, the upgrade fails. Take one of the following actions based on the current BMC version:

   • If the BMC version is less than 3.18-R000, reboot the BMC by issuing the "reboot" command from the BMC command line. After the BMC boots up, shut down the host manually before continuing with the upgrade.
   • If the BMC version is 3.18-R000 or greater, a reboot is not needed. Power off the host manually before continuing with the upgrade from step 2.
   
   Once the upload starts, the actions performed are displayed in the same window along with the estimated time left to complete the process.
   Warning

   Once the upgrade process starts, do not close the screen.

   • If the window is closed or connectivity is lost before the upgrade starts, log back into BMC GUI and restart the upgrade process from step 1.
   • If the window is closed or the connectivity is lost during the upgrade process, wait for 20 minutes for the upgrade process to complete and try to access the BMC again. If you fail to gain access, contact Technical Support for assistance.

   
   Once the update process is complete, a completion message displays.

   Firmware Update Complete message

   

6. Click OK to complete the process.The BMC automatically restarts at this point.

7. Close the existing browser window.

8. Clear the browser cache and log on to the BMC GUI again. The updated BMC version is displayed on the BMC main screen.

9. Log onto the BMC GUI.
   
    The SBC BMC prompts you to change the password after a successful upgrade only if it is a default password.
   

   Note

   This change is applicable only when the BMC is upgraded to version 03.16.00 and later versions. 

   
   

   Change Default Password Window

   

10. Click OK to proceed. The User Management window is displayed.

    Note

    You have an option to cancel the action. If canceled, the password remains the same as the default password and you are allowed to continue to work on BMC. However, the warning message is displayed again on your next login to BMC. This reminder continues until the password is changed. To know more about how to successfully change the SBC BMC password, refer to Changing the BMC Password. 

11. Verify the upgraded version in the BMC main screen.