Users Guide

and embedded, formatting or reinstalling the operating system does not remove the tool, thus saving
significant time and money.
Benefits of using iDRAC with Lifecycle Controller
The benefits include:
• Increased availability — Early notification of potential or actual failures that help prevent a server
failure or reduce recovery time after failure.
• Improved productivity and lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) — Extending the reach of
administrators to larger number of distant servers can make the IT staff more productive while driving
down operational costs such as travel.
• Secure environment — By providing secure access to remote servers, administrators can perform
critical management functions while maintaining server and network security.
• Enhanced embedded management through Lifecycle Controller — Lifecycle Controller provides
deployment and simplified serviceability through the Lifecycle Controller GUI for local deployment
and Remote Services (WS-Man) interfaces for remote deployment integrated with Dell OpenManage
Essentials and partner consoles.
For more information on iDRAC, see the Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller User’s Guide at
dell.com/support/home.
What's new in this release?
The new features for this release include:
• Added support for Dell PowerEdge T430, R530, R430, M630, FC630 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 one of the following sources:
– ftp.dell.com
– Dell Lifecycle Controller OS Driver Packs DVD for Windows and Linux
• Patching or updating — Operating system agnostic, and reduced maintenance downtime with direct
access to updates from ftp.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 logs, iDRAC settings, and storage components
on the server.
NOTE: You cannot delete the iDRAC license file.
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