I've heard that IBM expects from their sellers/partners to update machines before shipping to customers to the most recent firmware (uEFI/AMM/IMM/RSA etc.) releases. Can anyone comment on that one?
If you're a reseller/partner, ask IBM yourself. If you're buying from someone, ask them. Or just check/update all that yourself when you do the build, which is what I have always done.
We don't purchase any integration or other services from our IBM reseller. Our blade servers come in pieces for us to assemble, test and bring on-line. They come with whatever firmware they had when the left IBM, which may have been months before due to the reseller's reseller stocking in their warehouse.
If you're a reseller/partner, ask IBM yourself. If you're buying from someone, ask them. Or just check/update all that yourself when you do the build, which is what I have always done.
Speaking as a reseller, no they don't expect us to update machines before shipping them out.
However, we know that doing so tends to make customers happier, so we either:
(we're putting the VA into VAR :) )
We don't purchase any integration or other services from our IBM reseller. Our blade servers come in pieces for us to assemble, test and bring on-line. They come with whatever firmware they had when the left IBM, which may have been months before due to the reseller's reseller stocking in their warehouse.