Dell Server Poweredge | What is the difference between Drivers and Firmware?

What is the difference between Drivers and Firmware?

On a server, you can update drivers and firmware.

  • A device driver is a particular form of a software application that is designed to enable interaction with hardware devices.

    Without the required device driver, the corresponding hardware device fails to work. Device drivers are operating system-specific and hardware-dependent. It acts as a translator between the hardware device and the programs or operating systems that use it.

Note: Drivers are Operating System specifics.

  • Firmware is a software program permanently etched into a hardware device such as keyboards, hard drive, BIOS, or video cards. It is programmed to give permanent instructions to communicate with other devices and perform functions like basic input/output tasks. Firmware is typically stored in the flash ROM (read only memory) of a hardware device.

    It can be erased and rewritten. Keep a server up to date is important to have the best interoperability between OS and server, and avoid issues.

    To better understand the changes of a firmware, it is advised to read the Release Note associated.


What are the differents methods to update a PowerEdge?

Dell PowerEdge components can be updated locally and remotely.

Locally: Your presence is required in front of the server (except if you are using a KVM - Keyboard, Video, Mouse switch).
Remotely: The server can be updated from a distant site using the network.

Note: Learn how to subscribe to Dell Support Firmware and Drivers email notifications in this article.



Local updates
1. Update drivers and firmware using the Operating System
How to perform a one time update of a driver or a firmware directly from the operating system (OS)

2. Update all firmware outside the Operating System
How to entirely update a server from an ISO image?
Dell Support has created an ISO file that contains a collection of the latest firmware for a specific model. The updates are done automatically after booting the server from the corresponding image without user interaction.
You may also be interested in these articles:




Remote updates
1. Update a firmware outside Operating System
How to update a server firmware using the iDRAC interface?
2. Update all firmware outside the Operating System
How to entirely update a server from an ISO image?
An iDRAC with Enterprise license is required to use the Virtual Media of the iDRAC and mount the ISO image:




Additional information: How to update multiple servers?

This white paper describes the process of maintaining and enforcing a hardware revision baseline within the Dell PowerEdge server environment using OpenManage Essentials.
It explains the process to update servers without forcing an unplanned shutdown. IT administrator can keep the servers up to date without affecting the production environment.
To get more information on OpenManage Essentials, refer to the Management tab, and then OpenManage Essentials.
This document includes:
  • Deploying System Updates along with OMSA agent
  • Obtaining the latest versions of drivers, firmware, and BIOS
  • Determining the servers that should be updated and their respective Packages (DUPs)
  • Updating the hardware at the convenience of IT Administrator

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