 |
» |
|
|
|
|
Overview
ProLiant Support Packs (PSP) represent operating system (OS) specific bundles of optimized drivers, utilities, and management agents. These bundles are tested together
to ensure proper installation and functionality. PSPs are released concurrently with HP's SmartStart, and can also be released outside of the SmartStart cycle and made available on
the
HP ProLiant Support Pack download selection pages or at
HP Insight Foundation website.
Each PSP consists of a deployment utility (HP Smart Update Manager), setup and software
maintenance tools designed to provide an efficient way to manage
routine software maintenance tasks. IT administrators can select
PSP updates from a central software repository for deployment on
local or remote servers, Windows or Linux. These
deployment utilities remotely deploy driver and management agent
updates to network attached servers and can be operated from an
IT administrator's workstation.
For more information on PSPs, review the HP ProLiant Support Pack User Guide.
Notes
- Insight Foundation is baselined at v 8.70 which means that it will continue to be shipped with HP ProLiant Generation 7 and earlier servers but will no longer be updated. "Baselining" a product means that current formats of these products are not required moving forward. The Media Kit will be available on supported servers through the end of life of those servers and 5 years beyond.
- HP Service Pack for ProLiant (SPP) is the the replacement product for Insight Foundation (PSPs, Smart Update Firmware DVD, and other systems software) will be available at the following link:
HP Service Pack for ProLiant (SPP) product page
|
|
|
|
|
- Use ProLiant Support Packs to deploy servers using consistent collections of support software components
- Reduce the complexity and frequency of server maintenance updates, and limit the potential for driver incompatibility by using well-qualified software baselines
- Monitor baseline compliance for groups of servers through HP Smart Update Manager (HPSUM) or the Version Control Repository within HP Systems Insight Manager
- ProLiant Support Packs are developed and tested concurrently with HP SmartStart releases to ensure trouble-free installation and operations
|
|
|
|
|
|
- Deploy HP ProLiant Support Packs efficiently using HP Smart Update Manager (HP SUM)
- HP SUM and Linux Deployment Utility (LDU) (used prior to version 8.40 for Linux PSPs) are smart tools that simplify software maintenance tasks, reduce complexity and costs, save time and use resources more efficiently over the server lifecycle
- Establish consistent server configurations deployed from a centralized software repository
- Graphical and scripted command line options for deploying complete PSP bundles or individual HP software components
- Software component updates contain details of critical fixes, new features and software revision history
- Log files provide a convenient way to access the software installation history of the server, including deployment successes and failures
|
| |
|
 |
|
| Common Questions |
| Q1. |
What servers and operating systems are supported by the PSPs? |
| A1. |
For the current list of supported servers and operating systems, please click here: SmartStart 8.70 Server Support Guide.
|
|
| Q2. |
Where can I get the PSPs and how can I install them? |
| A2. |
The PSPs are available from the following places:
The PSPs are automatically installed with every SmartStart Windows assisted installation. Installing the PSPs can be done through HP Smart Update Manager (HP SUM). Each individual component is a self-extracting executable that can also be installed independent of HP SUM.
For more information about the usage of the PSP, review the HP ProLiant Support Pack User Guide.
|
|
| Q3. |
What is the Linux Deployment Utility (LDU)? |
| A3. |
The Linux Deployment Utility (LDU) is the deployment engine for the ProLiant Support Packs for Linux version 8.30 and earlier. It is an application that deploys driver and management agent updates out to servers on a network. The deployment utility can be operated from an IT administrator's workstation, running Windows or Linux, to target remote servers for software updates. The utility provides installation logic and version control that automatically check for dependencies, installing only the correct updates for optimal configuration.
With version 8.40, Linux is deployed by HP Smart Update Manager (HP SUM) rather than Linux Deployment Utility (LDU).
|
|
| Q4. |
What is the HP Smart Update Manager (HP SUM)? |
| A4. |
HP Smart Update Manager (HP SUM) is the deployment engine for the HP ProLiant Support Pack for Windows and Linux, as well as other products. HP SUM is designed for maximum flexibility. It provides a Graphical User Interface (GUI) and a command-line, scriptable interface. HP SUM has an integrated hardware and software discovery engine that discovers the installed hardware (excluding RPMs) and current versions of firmware and software in use on target servers. This prevents extraneous network traffic by only sending the components that are needed to a target host. HP SUM also has logic to install updates in the correct order and ensure all dependencies are met before deployment of an update. It also contains logic to prevent version-based dependencies from derailing an installation and ensures updates are handled in a manner that reduces downtime.
HP SUM does not require an agent for remote installations as it copies a small, secure SOAP server to the target server for the duration of the installation. After the installation is complete, the SOAP server and all remote files associated with the installation except installation log files are removed. HP SUM copies the log files from the remote targets back to the system where HP SUM is executed.
|
|
| Q5. |
What level of security is used with HP SUM? |
| A5. |
For Windows, HP SUM requires a true Administrator login and not an elevated RUN AS Administrator. If you are unable to perform the net use * \\server\ADMIN$ for Microsoft Windows® target servers, you do not have sufficient privileges to run HP SUM.
For Linux, to perform Linux deployments, a root equivalent user account must be used. SSH support must be enabled and the firewall opened to enable SSH communications on remote Linux servers or HP Smart Update Manager cannot deploy updates. By default, SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 10 and 11 block SSH support through the firewall. To enable SSH support that is disabled in the firewall, use the yast2 command to open the necessary ports in the Linux firewall.
|
|
| Q6. |
Can I script the installation of PSPs? |
| A6. |
Yes. HPSUM and LDU can be scripted for silent installation by using the documented command line parameters.
For more information please click here: HP ProLiant Support Pack User Guide
|
|
| Q7. |
How do I know if a PSP installation was successful? |
| A7. |
In the HP SUM GUI, once the installation is complete, the "Installation Results" screen appears. The "Installation Results" screen includes the following information:
- Product—specifies the name of the installed component. To see the component version history, click the version number.
- Status—displays the installation status of the component.
- Additional—enables you to view the installation log for each component and indicates if a reboot is needed.
HP SUM also has two types of log files (execution log file and hpsum*.txt) that document the installation status. These files can be found in the following locations:
- For Windows® operating systems,
- The execution log file contains detailed information on the execution of HP SUM and is placed in C:\cpqsystem\hp\log named as hpsum_execution_log_<date>_<time>.log.
- The hpsum*.txt files are located in subdirectories named according to the IP address of each host in the \CPQSYSTEM\hp\log subdirectory on the boot partition of the local host. The directory containing the local host information is named localhost instead of being named after the IP address.
- For Linux operating systems,
- The execution log file contains detailed information on the execution of HP SUM and is placed in /var/hp/log named as hpsum_execution_log_<date>_<time>.log.
- The hpsum*.txt files are located in subdirectories named according to the IP address of each host in the /var/hp/log subdirectory of the local host. The directory containing the local host information is named localhost instead of being named after the IP address.
|
|
| Q8. |
Where can I get PSPs for other OSs? |
| A8. |
To find PSPs for other OSs, please go to www.hp.comand click the "Support and Drivers" tab. Select "Download drivers and software (and firmware)" and then type in the product you are looking for or click start detection. For example, you could type "HP ProLiant DL 380 G5". If you type in your product, it will take you to a search results page. Click on your product and you will then be taken to a "Select operating system" page. Finally click on the OS that is being used and look through the results to see if a PSP is available.
|
|
|
Printable version
