How to upgrade Lenovo ThinkSystem XClarity Controller from Standard to Advanced

Lenovo ThinkSystem XClarity Controller from Standard to Advanced

Upgrading Lenovo ThinkSystem XClarity Controller from Standard to Advanced can provide additional features and capabilities to help optimize and manage your data center infrastructure. To upgrade, might sound like a tedious task, but in reality it is quite easy.

All you need is to have have the necessary licenses and software updates and then, follow the upgrade instructions provided by Lenovo. 

After upgrading, you will have access to advanced features such as remote console and virtual media, firmware updates, and integration with third-party management tools. Be sure to carefully review the documentation and follow best practices to ensure a smooth upgrade process.

Using the GUI

1. Click here to order an activation key for the Advanced version of the XClarity Controller.
2. Make sure that you have received the authorization code for the activation key via email or mail.
3. Obtain the activation key file and transfer it to the system where you will be logging in to the XClarity Controller.
4. Log in to the XClarity Controller web interface or use the XClarity Controller CLI
5. Go to the “BMC Configuration” tab and click on the “License” subtab.
6. In the Add a new license window, click Browse; then, select the activation key file to add in the File Upload window and click Open to add the file or click Cancel to stop the installation. To finish adding the key, click OK, in the Add Activation Key window, or click Cancel to stop the installation. The Success window indicates that the activation key is installed.
   
   Note: If the activation key is not valid, an error window will appear. Click OK to close the Success window.

Using the CLI

The keycfg command is used to manage activation keys in Lenovo’s ThinkSystem XClarity Controller. Activation keys enable access to optional IMM (Integrated Management Module) functionality.

When run without any options, keycfg will display a list of installed activation keys, including their index number, type, expiration date, number of remaining uses, status, and description. New activation keys can be added through file transfer, and old keys can be deleted by specifying their index number or type. Only the first key of a given type will be deleted when deleting by type. 

The keycfg command has several options for managing activation keys, as shown in the following table:
The following table is a multi-row three column table consisting of the options, option descriptions, and associated values for the options.  

Syntax:

keycfg [options]
option:
  -add
     -ip tftp/sftp server ip address     
     -pn pn port number of tftp/sftp server (default 69/22)
     -u  username for sftp server
     -pw password for sftp server
     -f  filename
     -del   n ( where n is a valid ID number from listing)
     -deltype x ( where x is a Type value)

Example:

system> keycfg
ID  Type  Valid           Uses           Status    Description
1   4     10/10/2010      5              "valid"   "IMM remote presence"
2   3     10/20/2010      2              "valid"   "IMM feature
3   32796 NO CONSTRAINTS  NO CONSTRAINTS "valid"   "IBM Security Key Lifecycle Manager for SEDs FoD"
system>

Note: The Description field for ID number 3 is displayed on separate lines due to space limitations.

Note: You cannot directly upgrade from Standard to Enterprise level functionality. You will need to first upgrade to Advanced level before the Enterprise level functionality can be activated.

For more information on managing activation keys using the XClarity Controller web interface or CLI, refer to the “Installing an activation key,” “Removing an activation key,” and “Exporting an activation key” sections in the XClarity Controller documentation. You can also use the keycfg command in the CLI to display, add, or delete activation keys.

Server support

The following table shows what level of XCC is included with each ThinkSystem server.