FAQ

7 iDRAC9 with Lifecycle Controller—Best in class management for Dell EMC 14th generation PowerEdge Servers
Speed up the server deployments using Dell’s Server Configuration Profile (SCP)
The heart of embedded management in every Dell PowerEdge server, the iDRAC with Lifecycle Controller
provides the ability to generate a human-readable snapshot of server configuration via a Server Configuration
Profile. This single file contains all BIOS, iDRAC, Lifecycle Controller, Network, and Storage settings. After
capturing, this file can be modified, as required, and then applied to other servers—even with different server
models. However, this operation requires attention to details such as I/O identity, storage configuration, and
other settings that could cause issues, if misconfigured.
Among the operational features of the Server Configuration Profile are “Clone” and “Replace” modes of
Profile Export and a “Preview” mode for Profile Import. As these names suggest, these methods can save
significant time in highly automated IT environments where multiple servers are to be configured, cloned, and
in the future, reconfigured for different workloads. For more information, see the server configuration profile
whitepaper.
o Benefits
o Configure all the components in a Dell EMC PowerEdge server by using a single file—
iDRAC, BIOS, Users, RAID, NICs, HBAs—everything in the server
o Import or export to multiple servers
o Script by using various CLIs or use console tools such as OpenManage Essentials
o The SCP can also be loaded on a USB key. This allows for error free bare-metal
configuration if ToR switch is not connected.
o 14G Enhancements
o Adds firmware deployment
o HTTP(S) support for iDRAC with Lifecycle Controller interfaces
o Selectable JSON or XML format
o HTTP file streaming
o Configure all BIOS settings from the iDRAC GUI; set or stage
Automatically sync both hardware and firmware baselines using iDRAC9
Many companies are looking for ways to not only automate the initial setup of the server, but ways to keep it
that way. They are concerned about “drift” or any changes to the configuration to hardware settings or
firmware version. iDRAC9 provides options to automatically control both.
o Benefits
o The Zero Touch configuration automatically pulls server settings from a network share you
set up.
o The Auto Update feature pulls firmware bundles from network repositories (built with
Repository Manager).
o 14G Enhancements
o HTTP support
o Complex RAID support