Update System Firmware Using Manual Mode

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System firmware is generally a bundled package that includes firmware for the Oracle ILOM service processor and either BIOS for x86 systems, or OBP, Hypervisor, NYX, POST etc. for SPARC systems. This method can be used if your firmware download package does not include a metadata file. Only one component and its supported firmware file can be specified per execution of this command when using manual mode.

Before You Begin

To update system firmware using the fastest possible local option, ensure the Host-to-ILOM Interconnect is correctly configured to communicate with the target Oracle ILOM service processor (Configuring the Host-to-ILOM Interconnect). For systems that do not support updates over the Host-to-ILOM interconnect, the remote option utilizing a network connection to the service processor can be used.
Download the firmware update from https://support.oracle.com.
Make sure that the firmware is compatible with the target system, read all documentation and release notes included with the firmware before proceeding. For some systems, special update processes might be described in the release notes that supersede instructions listed here.

To display information about system firmware, choose the local or remote option:
- Local – To list information about the local system firmware, enter one of the following commands:
  For x86 systems: fwupdate list sp_bios
  
  For SPARC systems: fwupdate list sysfw
- Remote – To list information about system firmware using a network connection, enter one of the following commands:
  For x86 systems: fwupdate list sp_bios -H sp_ip -U username
  
  For SPARC systems: fwupdate list sysfw -H sp_ip -U username
  
  where sp_ip is the IP address of the service processor and username is the user name with Admin (a) role account privileges for logging in to the Oracle ILOM service processor.
  
  Enter the Oracle ILOM password when prompted.
Output related to the target is displayed. For example the output from this command is similar to:
```
================================================
SP + BIOS
==================================================
ID      Product Name           ILOM Version     BIOS/OBP Version  XML Support
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
sp      ORACLE SERVER X6-2     v3.2.4.0 r64525  07060223          N/A
```
To update the system firmware, choose the local or remote option:
- Local – To update the local system firmware, enter one of the following commands:
  - For x86 systems: fwupdate update sys-bios-firmware -n devicename -f fimware-package-file.pkg
  - For SPARC systems: fwupdate update sysfw-firmware -n devicename -f fimware-package-file.pkg
  Where devicename is the device ID for the service processor (derived in step 1) and fimware-package-file is the name of the firmware file. For scripting purposes, you can add the -q option to perform the update without user interaction.
  
  This updates the platform system firmware, including Oracle ILOM. A host reboot (x86) or powercycle (SPARC) will need to be performed manually.
  
  Note - For SPARC systems without the Live Firmware Update feature, the host power cycle (or power off) will be handled by Oracle ILOM.
- Remote – To update system firmware using a network connection, enter one of the following commands:
  - For x86 systems: fwupdate update sys-bios-firmware -n devicename -f fimware-package-file.pkg -H sp_ip -U username
  - For SPARC systems: fwupdate update sysfw-firmware -n devicename -f fimware-package-file.pkg -H sp_ip -U username
  Where devicename is the device ID for the service processor (derived in step 1) and fimware-package-file is the name of the firmware file. This updates the platform system firmware, including Oracle ILOM. A host reboot (x86) or powercycle (SPARC) will need to be performed manually.
  
  Note - For SPARC systems without the Live Firmware Update feature, the host power cycle (or power off) will be handled by Oracle ILOM.
  
  Note - If you are using a version Oracle Hardware Management Pack earlier than 2.3.3, you must manually restart the remote system after the update.
Follow any prompts, as required, to complete the update process.
Unless Oracle ILOM has performed a host power cycle (or power off) during the update process, restart the server to utilize the new system firmware after the update.
Note - Unless otherwise specified in the firmware release notes, a reboot is required for an x86 system; a power cycle is required for a SPARC system with the Live Firmware Update feature.
To confirm the new system firmware after the server has restarted, enter one of the following commands:
For x86 systems: fwupdate list sp_bios

For SPARC systems: fwupdate list sysfw