DELL R720 server BIOS, iDRAC, PERC RAID array card settings, MAC address collection

1. Lifecycle Controller: Lifecycle Controller

Dell has launched the Lifecycle Controller (LC for Lifecycle Controller) from the 11th generation of servers. The Lifecycle Controller (LC) efficiently manages deployment, configuration, updates, diagnostics, and maintenance throughout the server's lifecycle through a controller chip and flash memory deployed on the motherboard, in conjunction with the BMC and iDRAC cards. The 12th generation server focuses on strengthening the management functions. One of the notable points is to update the life cycle controller to the second generation LC2, which is organically combined with iDRAC 7 and integrated on the motherboard to improve performance and increase functions. .

(1) LC includes the following functions

The management interface of LC is called Embedded Server Management Tool (USC), and you only need to press F10 at startup to enter . It is very simple and does not require any boot media.
Commonly used components such as iDRAC and PERC cards can be initialized and configured in USC. All operations to initialize the server can be done without entering the operating system.
The LC stores the firmware and drivers of the components in the flash memory, so when deploying the operating system using the USC, you can directly install the common operating system without loading any additional drivers. The work of deploying a server is reduced from hours or even days of manual work to tens of minutes of automated work.
Updating the firmware is no longer complicated. Just download the firmware CD of the system and simply click the upgrade operation in USC to complete. Administrators also have the option to roll back the firmware to a previous version.
The LC contains the hardware diagnosis software of the system, which can be used for hardware diagnosis of the system in the USC.
When the hardware is replaced, the LC can automatically detect the change of firmware and configuration of the spare part when the hardware is replaced, and prompt the user to choose whether to restore the firmware and configuration of the spare part to the original version. The administrator also backs up the BIOS and settings of the motherboard to the vFlash SD card of the iDRAC in USC or exports it to a USB device. If the motherboard needs to be replaced, the settings can be quickly restored.

2. Enter the Lifecycle Controller management interface

Press F10 when the system starts to enter the management interface USC (Unified Server Configurator) of Lifecycle Controller:

As we can see from the Chinese and English in the picture above, the main options in the LC2 management interface include:

Platform Update: Firmware Update
Hardware Configuration: Hardware configuration of PREC, iDRAC and other devices
OS Deployment: Deploy an operating system
Platform Restore: Backup and restore system configuration, refresh and rollback firmware after replacement of spare parts
Hardware Diagnostic: Hardware Troubleshooting
Others such as LC logs, settings, and switching to other configuration interfaces, such as BIOS configuration, etc.

3. Platform Update: Firmware Update

Select Platform Update to enter the firmware update interface

Here, we can choose to get the new firmware from an FTP server, a local CD/DVD/USB stick, or a network share. The easiest way is to go to the Dell service website to download the latest SUU (Server Update Utility) CD, which contains the latest firmware for all versions of the server.

Fourth, configure BOIS, iDRAC, network card MAC view, etc.

Using the Configuration Wizard, you can initialize hardware such as PERC (RAID card), iDRAC, front panel security, and vFlash SD card without an operating system. The hardware inventory list can also be viewed in HW Inventory.

Before installation, collect information such as the MAC address of the network card

Five, PERC array card configuration RAID

In the configuration of the PERC card, you can configure the type of RAID and so on. Existing RAID can also be reconfigured.

6. OS Deployment: Deploy the operating system

Mainstream operating systems can be installed directly using LC. All you need to do is provide the OS CD or image through the CD/DVD or iDRAC remote virtual media, and all the OS and driver installation processes will be completed automatically . It can be done with just a few mouse clicks.

Seven, Platform Restore: Backup and restore system configuration

Platform Restore: 备份和恢复系统配置，更换备件后固件的刷新、回滚

Platform Restore功能非常的强大。我们可以通过Backup Server Profile将主板的BIOS及设置备份到iDRAC的vFlash SD卡上，或者通过Export Server Profile导出到USB设备或者网络共享。如果更换主板后可以通过Import Server Profile迅速恢复设置。