Users Guide
Table Of Contents
- Dell Lifecycle Controller GUI v2.50.50.50 User's Guide
- Introduction
- Using Lifecycle Controller
- Operating system deployment
- Monitor
- Hardware inventory view and export
- About view and export current inventory
- About view and export factory-shipped inventory
- Viewing hardware inventory — current or factory shipped
- Exporting hardware inventory — current or factory shipped
- Viewing or exporting hardware inventory after part replacement
- Viewing or exporting current inventory after resetting Lifecycle Controller
- Lifecycle Controller log
- Firmware update
- Configure
- System control panel access options
- Configuring iDRAC
- Configuring system time and date
- Configuring vFlash SD card
- 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 server
- Maintain
- 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
- Easy-to-use system component names
- Using the system setup and boot manager
- Troubleshooting and frequently asked questions
● Secure environment — By providing secure access to remote servers, administrators can perform critical management
functions while maintaining server and network security.
● Enhanced embedded management — Lifecycle Controller provides deployment and simplified serviceability through the LC
GUI for local deployment, Remote Services (wsman) interfaces for remote deployment integrated with Dell OpenManage
Essentials and partner consoles, and Redfish UI.
For more information on iDRAC, see the Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller User’s Guide at dell.com/support/home.
For more information on wsman, see the Dell Lifecycle Controller GUI User’s Guide at delltechcenter.com/lc.
New in this release
The updates supported in this release are:
● Added support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 7.4 and 6.9
● Added support for SuSe Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 12 SP2
● Added support for Dell EMC DSS 9500 and DSS 9250 servers
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 downloads.dell.com.
● Patching or updating — Operating system agnostic, and reduced maintenance downtime with direct access to updates from
downloads.dell.com. 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 Dell 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.
● Restoring the server — Back up the server profile (including RAID configuration) and restore the server to a previously
known state. Importing a server license, firmware rollback, and restoring system configuration in case of system board
replacement.
● Hardware inventory — Provides information about the current and factory system configuration.
● Lifecycle Controller logs for troubleshooting.
Feature matrix
The following table lists the Lifecycle Controller features supported on the 12
th
and 13
th
generation Dell PowerEdge servers.
Table 1. Feature Matrix
Features supported Dell PowerEdge 12
th
generation servers Dell PowerEdge 13
th
generation servers
Firmware update
Operating system
deployment
Device configuration
Diagnostics
8 Introduction