Lenovo System X Firmware Update Support Page

Description

Lenovo provides a series of tools to help you update firmware for System x servers. These tools allow you to update firmware versions through a graphical user interface (GUI) or command-line interface (CLI) in different scenarios both with and without an Internet connection. This landing page introduces the different System x firmware update tools and lists the relevant “How to” articles, so you have the resources you need to update firmware on your server.

Applicable Systems

Lenovo System x (click here to see the full list of compatible servers)

Lenovo Converged HX Series
Lenovo Flex System x240 M4 Compute Node
Lenovo Flex System x240 M5 Compute Node
Lenovo Flex System x280 X6/x480 X6/x880 X6 Compute Node
Lenovo Flex System x440 Compute Node
Lenovo NeXtScale nx360 M5
Lenovo System x3250 M6
Lenovo System x3500 M5
Lenovo System x3550 M5
Lenovo System x3650 M5
Lenovo System x3750 M4
Lenovo System x3850 X6/x3950 X6

IBM System x (click here to see the full list of compatible servers)

IBM BladeCenter HS22 7870/1936/7809/1911
IBM BladeCenter HS22V 7871/1949
IBM BladeCenter HS23 7875/1929
IBM BladeCenter HS23E 8038/8039
IBM BladeCenter HX5 7873/1910
IBM BladeCenter HX5 7872/1909
IBM Flex System x220 Compute Node 7906/2585
IBM Flex System x222 Compute Node 7916
IBM Flex System x240 Compute Node 8737/8738/7863/8956
IBM Flex System x280 X6/x480 X6/x880 X6 Compute Node 4259/7903
IBM Flex System x440 Compute Node 7917
IBM NeXtScale nx360 M4 5455/5456
IBM Smart Analytics System 7949
IBM System x iDataPlex dx360 M2 7321/6380/7323
IBM System x iDataPlex dx360 M3 6391
IBM System x iDataPlex dx360 M4 server 7912/7913
IBM System x iDataPlex dx360 M4 Water Cooled server 7918/7919
IBM System x3100 M4 2582
IBM System x3100 M5 5457
IBM System x3200 M3 7327/7328
IBM System x3250 M3 4251/4252/4261
IBM System x3250 M4 2583
IBM System x3250 M5 5458
IBM system x3300 M4 7382
IBM System x3400/x3500 M2 7839
IBM System x3400/x3500 M3 7380
IBM System x3400/x3500 M3 7836/7837
IBM System x3400/x3500 M3 7378/7379
IBM System x3500 M4 7383
IBM System x3530 M4 7160
IBM System x3550 M2 7946/4198
IBM System x3550 M3 7944/4254
IBM System x3550 M4 7914
IBM System x3620 M3 7376
IBM System x3630 M3 7377
IBM System x3630 M4 7158
IBM System x3650 M2 7947/4199
IBM System x3650 M3 7945/4255/5454
IBM System x3650 M4 7915
IBM System x3650 M4 BD 5466
IBM System x3650 M4 HD 5460
IBM System x3690 X5 7148/7149
IBM System x3690 X5 7147/7192
IBM System x3750 M4 8722/8733
IBM System x3750 M4 8752/8718
IBM System x3755 M3 7164
IBM System x3850 X5 7145/7146
IBM System x3850 X5/x3950 X5 7143/7191
IBM System x3850 X6/x3950 X6 3837/3839

Acquiring Firmware and Drivers

Visit the Lenovo Data Center Support site.
Click the Server tile for Lenovo server products or run a search by specifying a server model with machine type:
Using Server tile
- For example, to find System x 3650 M5, Type 8871:
  Click the Server button -> for Series, select System x -> for Subseries, select System x 3650 M5 -> for Machine Type, select Type 8871.
Using Search box
- Enter keywords in the Search box: for example, System x 3650 M5 or simply Type 8871. Search keywords are case-insensitive.
- Select System x 3650 M5, Type 8871 from the drop-down menu.
This will take you to the product home page of this server.
On the server's Product Home page:
- Click Drivers & Software on the left navigation menu.
- For system firmware, select UEFI/BIOS or IMM/IMM2 tiles for the latest UEFI/BIOS or IMM packages for your server.
- You can also search using keywords such as drivers, GPU, RAID, IMM, etc. to locate the software you need.
Download software packages for your server.
- For example: RAID Controller
For a step-by-step guide of how to locate and download all available firmware/drivers for your Lenovo DCG products, click this Acquiring Firmware/Drivers link or on the tab by the same name at the top of this page.

Scenarios and Videos

There are multiple methods that can be used to update the firmware of your product. Select a scenario that best suits your current platform.

I have access to the IMM Web management interface

Use the firmware update option in IMM to apply the firmware update

How to update firmware using Integrated Management Module.

I have local access to the server with a KVM (keyboard & video), but I haven’t installed an OS yet

Use BoMC to create a bootable media, and then update the firmware on any server regardless of the installed operating system.

How to use the Lenovo XClarity Essentials Bootable Media Creator (BOMC) to update firmware

I have access to the server GUI-based OS, and the server is connected to the Internet

Use Lenovo XClarity Essentials UpdateXpress or Lenovo UpdateXpress System Pack Installer to acquire and update the firmware packages.

How to use the Lenovo XClarity Essentials UpdateXpress to update your system - Updating a remote machine from the Lenovo support site

How to use Lenovo UpdateXpress System Pack Installer to update firmware for System X servers

I have access to the server GUI-based OS, but the server isn’t connected to the Internet

Use OneCLI, Lenovo XClarity Essentials UpdateXpress, or Lenovo UpdateXpress System Pack Installer to create a local repository on an Internet-connected workstation to acquire the package, and then copy to a USB drive to run the OneCLI or UpdateXpress on the target server.

OneCLI - How to use Lenovo XClarity Essentials OneCLI to locally update your system

LXCE UpdateXpress - How to use the Lenovo XClarity Essentials UpdateXpress to update your system - create a repository of updates and install the updates on the local machine

LXCE UpdateXpress System Pack Installer - How to use Lenovo UpdateXpress System Pack Installer to update firmware for System X servers

I have access to the IMM management IP address

Use UpdateXpress or OneCLI to remotely update the target server on an Internet-connected workstation.

How to use the Lenovo XClarity Essentials UpdateXpress to update your system - Updating a remote machine from the Lenovo support site

OneCLI - How to use Lenovo XClarity Essentials OneCLI to remotely update your system

I have access to the server OS to run command-line applications with administrator or root privileges

Use OneCLI to acquire and update the firmware packages, refer to How to use Lenovo XClarity Essentials OneCLI to locally update your system.

I have access to an LXCA server

Use the LXCA Web interface to import, install and manage firmware updates.

How to update firmware and drivers using the Lenovo XClarity Administrator

Step 1: Download and import the firmware repository into LXCA.

Individual firmware updates - This method updates the catalog, from there you chose the machine type to download the individual updates. This is recommended if you have a data center with only a few machine types installed.

UpdateXpress System Packs (UXSPs) - This method is recommended if you are updating through the OS and selecting Windows driver updates. This is a new option, please view the online documentation to gather more information on this step.

Firmware-update repository packs - This method is recommended if your data center has many machine types.

Step 2: Applying and activating firmware updates.

Lenovo Management Tools

The table below provides brief introduction of the System X firmware update tools with the links to the applicable Lenovo Management Tools for the solution.

Note:

The LXCA firmware update option allows users to efficiently update the firmware in a large-scaled managed environment.

Management Tool	Description
Lenovo XClarity Administrator (LXCA)	LXCA is a centralized, resource-management solution that simplifies infrastructure management, speeds responses, and enhances the availability of Lenovo® server systems and solutions. It runs as a virtual appliance that automates discovery, inventory, tracking, monitoring, and provisioning for server, network, and storage hardware in a secure environment.
Lenovo XClarity Essentials OneCLI (OneCLI)	OneCLI is a collection of several command-line applications, and it can be used to configure the server, collect service data for the server, update firmware and device drivers, and perform power-management functions on the server.
Lenovo XClarity Essentials Bootable Media Creator (BoMC)	BoMC is ideal for a pre-operating -system firmware update method to create a bootable media suitable for firmware updates, VPD updates, inventory and FFDC collection, advanced system configuration, FoD Keys management, secure erase, RAID configuration, and diagnostics on supported ThinkSystem, System x, BladeCenter systems, and storage platforms.
Lenovo XClarity Essentials UpdateXpress (UpdateXpress)	UpdateXpress is used to apply a firmware/driver update within the target server operating system, and to periodically refresh firmware and drivers.
Lenovo UpdateXpress System Pack Installer	LenovoUpdateXpress System Pack Installer is a software application that applies UpdateXpress System Packs and individual updates to your system.
Integrated Management Module (IMM)	The Integrated Management Module (IMM) consolidates the service processor functionality, Super I/O, video controller, and remote presence capabilities in a single chip on the server system board. The IMM consolidates service processor functionality previously provided in the BMC and the Remote Supervisor Adapter II in System x and BladeCenter products.

Additional Information

Document ID:HT511499

Original Publish Date:11/23/2020

Last Modified Date:01/06/2025