Lifecycle Controller (LC) is the pre-boot tool built into iDRAC9 on PowerEdge 14G, 15G and 16G servers. You open it by pressing F10 during POST. Its OS Deployment wizard can create the boot virtual disk, check your install media and hand the installer the Dell drivers for your server's storage and network controllers. Without those drivers, a stock Windows or Linux installer may not see the RAID volume. This guide follows the Dell Lifecycle Controller User's Guide and Dell's OS deployment KB article.
Before you start
- Install media: an optical drive, iDRAC virtual media or Remote File Share, or a bootable USB drive. In UEFI mode a USB drive must be MBR-partitioned and FAT32 (no NTFS). FAT32 cannot hold a single file over 4 GB, so split a large Windows image as Microsoft documents.
- Storage: a PERC or software RAID controller on current firmware, with drives free for the boot virtual disk.
- Driver pack: the LC OS Driver Pack must be installed. The operating systems the wizard offers depend on the driver pack version, so update it first (see below).
- Unattended installs: the answer file (
autounattend.xmlfor Windows,ks.cfgfor RHEL 7) must be on a USB drive or network share. - LC must show Ready. Another running LC job blocks new ones.
racadm getremoteservicesstatusshows the status.
Step 1 — Update the OS Driver Pack
Dell recommends updating the OS Driver Pack before installing a new OS. On the Dell support site, open your server's Drivers & Downloads by Service Tag, search for "Dell OS Driver Pack" and download it. Then upload it in iDRAC under Maintenance > System Update, like any other update package (see iDRAC9 firmware updates). The iDRAC9 user's guide lists the Operating System Driver Pack among the components iDRAC can update.
Step 2 — Start Lifecycle Controller and open OS Deployment
- Restart the server and press F10 during POST. On first use, LC opens the Initial Setup Wizard for language, keyboard and network settings.
- In the left pane, click OS Deployment, then click Deploy OS.
- Choose Configure RAID First to build the boot virtual disk now, or Go Directly to OS Deployment if a virtual disk already exists.
If POST says "Lifecycle Controller disabled", press F2 and go to System Setup > iDRAC Settings > Lifecycle Controller. Set it to Enabled, then Finish and Yes. If it says "Lifecycle Controller not available", another process is using iDRAC. Dell suggests waiting up to 30 minutes and checking the job queue.
Step 3 — (Optional) Configure RAID first
Warning: Creating a virtual disk destroys any data on the member drives. Check that the drives are empty or backed up before you continue.
- Under Configure RAID First, select the storage controller. It must not be in non-RAID (HBA) mode.
- Follow the wizard to pick the RAID level, physical disks and virtual disk settings, then click Finish.
- The wizard continues to Select an Operating System.
Dell advises building a boot virtual disk only from drives in slots 0–3. Check your server's owner's manual for slot numbering. RAID can also be configured separately under Hardware Configuration > Configuration Wizards > RAID Configuration, or see creating a PERC virtual disk.
Step 4 — Select the OS, boot mode and install mode
- On Select an Operating System, set Boot Mode to UEFI or BIOS. It must match how you want the server to boot.
- In UEFI mode, decide on Secure Boot and Secure Boot Policy (Standard or Custom). Secure Boot is only offered when System BIOS Settings > Miscellaneous Settings > Load Legacy Video Option ROM is Disabled.
- Pick the OS from Available Operating Systems. If yours is not listed, choose Any Other Operating System. In that case you must prepare the drivers yourself.
- On Select Installation Mode, choose Manual Install or Unattended Install. Unattended is only available for Microsoft Windows and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 and 7 onwards. Point it to the answer file.
- On Select OS Media, insert or map the media and click Next. LC checks the media and reports wrong, damaged or unreadable media.
- On Reboot the System, review the summary and click Finish.
Step 5 — Reboot and install
When POST prompts you, press any key to boot from the install media. If you miss the prompt, the server boots from its hard disk instead. Then continue with the installer. LC extracts the drivers for the chosen OS to a temporary location called OEMDRV that the installer can read. For Windows and Linux specifics, see installing Windows Server on PowerEdge and installing Linux on PowerEdge.
| Situation | Effect |
|---|---|
| Install is interrupted and the server restarts | You are prompted again to boot from the install media |
| You press F10 during the install or a restart | The installation is cancelled and the exposed drivers are removed |
| Within 18 hours of extraction | OEMDRV stays available. A firmware DUP run from the OS reports that another session is active. |
| 18 hours pass, AC power is removed, or LC actions are cancelled | OEMDRV is deleted |
To clear the 18-hour driver exposure early, go to F2 > iDRAC Settings > Lifecycle Controller > Cancel Lifecycle Controller Actions. Dell cautions that this cancels every running LC task, so use it only when needed. After the install, you can also expose the embedded drivers from iDRAC at Configuration > Virtual Media > Mount Drivers (18 hours by default).
Frequently asked questions
Why is my OS version missing from the list?
The list comes from the installed OS Driver Pack. Update the driver pack, or use Any Other Operating System and provide the drivers yourself.
Can I install from a Windows ISO through iDRAC?
Yes. Map the ISO with iDRAC virtual media or Remote File Share before the Select OS Media step. See iDRAC9 Virtual Console and Virtual Media.
Checklist
- OS Driver Pack updated and the LC status Ready
- Boot virtual disk created (data backed up first) on a controller in RAID mode
- Boot mode (UEFI or BIOS) and Secure Boot chosen deliberately
- Install media mapped, and USB media formatted FAT32/MBR for UEFI
- Key pressed at the POST prompt to boot the installer
- Dell drivers and firmware brought up to date after the install
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