Best method for deploying HP agents to servers with agents already installed?

[Johan Haques]

Hello,

Would like to know best method to upgrade HP agents on servers.

Is it:
"Deploy", "Deploy driver,firmware and agents", "Install ProLiant Support Pack Install"

Choose my target/targets. After the windows credentials choose Software bundles for windows2000 which is 7.40A and the hit next.

Running: Systems Insight Manager 5.0 with SP2 -Windows

Is this the way i should go, or I am thinking wrong here.

Regards
Johan

[Paul Kratz]

If Agents are installed there should be a Version Control Agent (VCA) on each Proliant. With the installation of HP SIM you should have installed a Version Control Repository Manager (VCRM).

Download the PSP to your VCRM. Configure the VCAs so they know there VCRM.

After that you can use the "Deploy - Deploy driver,firmware and agents - Install Software and Firmware ..."

The advantage of this is that you can also see the Software Status of your ProLiants in SIM.

See this document for detailed informations:
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c00378256/c00378256.pdf

Regards
Paul

[kc2kth]

Interesting. I was about to post a similar question. After reviewing the doc linked in the original reply, I'm still not clear on one item. Is there actaully a way to push firmware to a host, or is the idea of having the firmware loaded in the VCR simply to provide a central place where it can be downloaded to hosts from?

[Rob Buxton]

Firmware for Array Controllers, System Boards and Lights Out Controllers can be pushed directly from the VCA.

It's not possible to push firmware for NICs and Fibre Channel Adapters yet, but there are additional utilities that make that a simple task as well.

[doubleH]

If we cannot puch out firmware updates to NICs/HBAs using HPSIM will it at least report the current NIC/HBA firmware level and tell us if there is a firmware update available?

thanks

[rcseattle]

The newer VC Agents send Critical software Update Notifications.

There may be newer agents but you will only get these traps if HP deems them as critical.

[Rob Buxton]

There's no standard report that picks up this information for the NIC's & HBAs.
I've not delved into the database itself to look.

I did a quick report on all Installed Controllers but that doesn't pick up the F/W level of either NICs or HBA's. So at this point the only way I know is the manual approach.

The Firmware level is reported in the Managment Homepage for the HBA's, but not for the NIC's so that info. might be in the database.

[Brett Burmeister]

With this same question in mind, can i ask for clarification on a couple points?

Current environment - all servers have reporting agents versions 6.x - 7.x going to Insight Mgr 7.2.

We want to upgrade.

Can the agents talk to v. 5.0 without upgrading them?

Can one upgrade the agents without upgrading firmware etc?

thank you.