HP Smart Update Best Practices Implementer Guide

5 FAQs
The following sections provide typical questions and answers about firmware updates. Over time,
some of the answers might change, so be sure to see the most recent edition of this document for
the most current information about firmware deployment best practices.
Firmware update questions
1 What tools should I use to update the various firmware types?
The recommended tools for updating firmware are HP SUM and VCSU. HP releases firmware
updates as part of the HP SPP and HP Integrity Smart Update Firmware bundles
2 Why must I always upgrade to the latest individual firmware and driver components?
HP SPP
You do not have to update your server environment with every HP SPP release. HP supports
the HP SPP for one year. Hot fixes are updates that HP considers important enough to
•
release outside of the HP SPP cycle. A Customer Advisory is assigned to each hot fix. Hot
fixes are then added to the next HP SPP release. If a hot fix does not affect your server
environment, there is no need to install it immediately. You can wait until you update your
environment. For more information about HP SPP, see the HP SPP website at http://
www.hp.com/go/spp.
• HP Integrity Firmware bundles
HP recommends updating to the latest HP Integrity Firmware bundle to make sure you have
the latest updates and bug fixes.
HP SUM questions
This section contains questions that are directly related to HP SUM and its use in the firmware
environment.
1 How does HP SUM work when applied to an entire chassis; for example, does it update each
blade, iLO, and so on, sequentially or in parallel?
HP SUM performs dependency checking on targets, which ensures that all dependencies are
met before an installation begins. The HP SUM discovery process also detects the required
updates for targets, and allows HP SUM to perform updates in the correct order.
2 When should I use HP SIM to update my server environment, and when should I use HP SUM?
Use HP SUM to update between 1 and 100 targets concurrently. Use HP SIM to update 10 or
more targets concurrently. The HP SIM 7.0 release integrated HP SUM functionality into HP SIM
as the primary deployment tool.
HP SUM works with non-server-based targets, such as the OA and VC, which the VCA cannot
update. The SIM version control infrastructure has been redesigned to leverage HP SUM as the
deployment mechanism to remove the requirement of an agent on each target and allows SIM
to support firmware deployment to network-based devices such as the OA and VC. The first
release of this new architecture was the SIM 6.0 release.
3 What about administrators who have invested time to understand HP SIM and, specifically,
Version Control?
The HP SUM technology was incorporated into SIM starting in the SIM 6.0 release as a new
method of deploying software and firmware. This will still allow administrators who have invested
in the VCRM to leverage that investment but will allow users to update firmware on
non-server-based target devices. The VCRM catalog will continue to be updated for at least one
year after HP SUM provides equivalent functionality compared to what is available today.
Currently, the HP SUM equivalent functionality to all features of Version Control will not be
completed for several releases. Plenty of advance notice will be given to administrators to allow
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