HP Service Pack for ProLiant

HP Service Pack for ProLiant (SPP) using HP Smart Update Manager are breakthrough system maintenance tools that systematically update servers and blade infrastructures with one-click simplicity, at the scale of your data center. They simplify and consolidate system software update processes enabling you to update your ProLiant servers 3 times faster, and due to the online updates process, requires 93% less downtime.

The HP Smart Update process starts with the industry's most comprehensive update package, the SPP, that includes firmware, drivers, and tools across servers, infrastructure and options. To reduce churn, these update packages are pre-tested for interdependencies and supported for 1 full year with fewer, more predictable updates. You decide whether you want to maintain the HP recommended SPP baseline configurations or have the flexibility to customize them to your standards.

The bottom line is less time spent on maintenance and more confidence in the stability of the updates.

HP Service Pack for ProLiant is systems software and firmware offered as a solution on all HP ProLiant SL/ML/DL 300, 500, 700, and 900 series servers and HP BladeSystems series servers. Support for HP ProLiant ML/DL/SL 100 series servers includes all Gen8 servers. Using the SPP with HP SUM 5, servers, BladeSystems, and BladeSystem enclosures can be updated much faster because it preloads only what is needed so that updates are more efficient.

The Service Pack for ProLiant is delivered as a family of deliverables with a full ISO and six subset ISOs broken out by operating systems and ProLiant server types. Each subset version of the full ISO includes needed software and firmware smart components required for its specific audience and allows for a customized solution and faster download. The ISOs available are:

1. HP Service Pack for ProLiant
2. BladeSystem Red Hat Enterprise Linux Pack
3. BladeSystem SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Pack
4. BladeSystem Microsoft Windows Server Pack
5. ProLiant ML/DL/SL Red Hat Enterprise Linux Pack
6. ProLiant ML/DL/SL SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Pack
7. ProLiant ML/DL/SL Microsoft Windows Server Pack

Extended Support Duration

HP supports each SPP version for 12 months.¹ Your update experience is simple with the SPP; you may update from your current SPP release to a later SPP release once per year. Hot fixes are supported as part of the SPP and compatible as each is tested individually against all SPPs in the prior 12 months.² For Operating System support, please see the SPP Release Notes.

NOTES:

1. You can tell when your support period ends by the version number of the release. For example, if you have installed the content of SPP 2011.09.0, your support period should end the last day of September, 2012 based on version 2011=year, 09= month, 0=release ID number. In some cases, HP may extend the support period beyond a year, so always consult the SPP Release Notes to find the official end of support date.
2. Hot fixes are not considered a full SPP and have no bearing on the number of SPP releases in a year.

Contains these new features:

• Support for new ProLiant Gen 8 servers
• See the HP Service Pack for ProLiant Release Notes for more information on the SPP content and features
• See the HP Service Pack for ProLiant Server Support Guide for information on supported servers

Ideal for...

Small, Medium and Enterprise IT Environments where:

• HP ProLiant and BladeSystem servers have been deployed locally or remotely
• New HP servers need to be deployed and configured quickly
• Existing servers need to be updated with the latest software support files, management agents, and firmware
• Limiting disruptions due to firmware and software updates is important

Key Applications:

• Data centers and IT organizations that want to reduce complexity by creating more consistent configurations for each server.
• IT Administrators that need to deploy or update specific HP components on multiple remote and local servers, such as the HP System Management Homepage, Insight Diagnostics or other HP hardware drivers.
• Scripted deployment and configuration of ProLiant support software in a server farm.
• Deployment and configuration of ProLiant support software in a server farm.

Leverages the Power of HP Smart Update Manager (HP SUM).

Broad portfolio support for HP ProLiant servers, BladeSystem enclosures, and HP CloudSystem

Radically simplified updates with a single step installation process containing both firmware and systems software with drivers packaged together

• Consolidation -- single solution for all supported ProLiant servers
• Interdependency testing of drivers and firmware
• Offered from the web to provide convenient access
• PXE bootable ISO images to reduce customer:
• Qualification cycles
• Resource usage
• Maintenance windows
• Downtime

Integral Part of the HP Server Experience

• Essential management tool designed to simplify IT management in a dynamic and demanding 7x24x365 environment
• Increases Ease of Server Management
  • More efficient enclosure updates because of enhancements to HP SUM
  • Consolidated sets of tested firmware and HP System Software (drivers, agents, utilities)
  • Enhances IT staff productivity while reducing downtime
  • Provides Reliable Configuration by:
  • Assisting with server deployment, integrating server support software and firmware, and minimizing configuration and update issues
  • Ensuring consistency and reliability and maximizing system uptime
  • Simplified delivery of ProLiant software and firmware.