###################################################################### DELL(TM) REMOTE ACCESS CONTROLLERS (RACs) (FIRMWARE VERSION 2.5; SOFTWARE VERSION 2.5) ###################################################################### This document contains updated information about the Dell RACs (Dell Remote Access Card III [DRAC III], DRAC III/XT, Embedded Remote Access [ERA], and Embedded Remote Access Option [ERA/O]). For more information about Dell RACs, including installation and configuration information, see the "Dell Remote Access Controller Installation and Setup Guide" and the "Dell OpenManage (TM) Server Administrator User's Guide." These documents are located on your documentation CD. ====================================================================== SUPPORTED SYSTEMS ====================================================================== DRAC III is supported on the following Dell PowerEdge(TM) systems: * PowerEdge 1650 * PowerEdge 4600 * PowerEdge 6600 * PowerEdge 6650 * PowerEdge 7150 DRAC III/XT is supported on PowerEdge 1600SC and PowerEdge 650 systems. ERA is supported on PowerEdge 2650 and PowerVault(R) 775N systems. ERA/O is supported on PowerEdge 1650, PowerEdge 1750, PowerEdge 2600, and PowerVault 770N systems. ====================================================================== SUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEMS ====================================================================== The RACs (DRAC III, DRAC III/XT, ERA, and ERA/O) are supported by the following operating systems: * Microsoft(R) Windows(R) Server 2003 family The Windows Server 2003 family includes Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition, Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition, and Windows Server 2003 Web Edition. * Microsoft Windows 2000 Server family The Windows 2000 Server family includes Windows 2000 Server and Advanced Server, and on PowerEdge 7150 systems, Windows Advanced Server Limited Edition. * Red Hat(R) Linux version 9 and Red Hat Linux Advanced Server version 2.1 * Novell(R) NetWare(R) version 5.1 (Service Pack 3 or later) and version 6.0 (Service Pack 1 or later) NOTE: MS-DOS(R) version 6.22 supports the RAC Remote Floppy Boot feature (32-bit systems only). ====================================================================== SUPPORTED WEB BROWSERS ====================================================================== * Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 (SP2) or later on Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Windows 2000, and Windows XP Professional NOTE: Windows XP Professional is supported only on client (management station) systems. * Mozilla 1.2.1 and 1.3 on Red Hat Linux 9 * Netscape Navigator 6.2.3 and 7.02 on Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Windows 2000, and Windows XP Professional and Red Hat Linux 9 and Linux Advanced Server version 2.1 Your Web browser requires the installation of one of the following supported Java Virtual Machines (JVMs): * Internet Explorer: Any version of Microsoft Virtual Machine or Sun Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 1.4.1 * Netscape Navigator and Mozilla: Sun JRE 1.4.1 NOTE: When using Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator on systems running Microsoft Windows, to view localized versions of the RAC's Web-based remote access interface, open the Windows "Control Panel", double-click the "Regional Options" icon, and select the desired locale from the "Your locale (location)" drop-down menu. ###################################################################### CORRECTED ISSUES IN THIS RELEASE (FIRMWARE VERSION 2.5 AND SOFTWARE VERSION 2.5) ###################################################################### ====================================================================== RAC FIRMWARE VERSION 2.5 ====================================================================== * Corrected an issue of no “Back” button on the remote access Web-based interface “Remote Floppy Boot” page. A “Back” button was added. * Corrected an issue in which an incorrect error message was output by the “racadm getsysinfo” command. * Corrected false failures in the lower noncritical threshold range on 12-V sensors on PowerEdge 1650 systems. * Added Java Virtual Machine (JVM) version checking. * Changed CPU temperature thresholds on PowerEdge 650 systems. * Corrected “no POST/no Video” issue by adding support for new temperature sensors on PowerEdge 2650 systems. * Corrected a firmware timing issue that caused system administrator services to fail to start. * Corrected an issue in which Console Redirection did not work when using Netscape Navigator 7.0.2 on the Windows 2000 operating system. * Corrected an issue so that the appropriate message is displayed when an incorrect version of Sun JVM is installed. The following correct message is now displayed to the user in the out-of-band GUI: NOTE: The RAC remote access interface requires the Sun JVM version 1.4.1 or later. No JVM is installed in your browser. Please consult the RAC user documentation for more information regarding the installation of a supported JVM. * Corrected an issue in which JavaScript errors are seen frequently on the RAC remote access interface “Properties” page. * Corrected an issue that caused a JavaScript error to occur when the "Apply" button was clicked when configuring the Remote Floppy Boot settings in the RAC remote access interface. ====================================================================== RAC SOFTWARE VERSION 2.5 ====================================================================== * Corrected issue in which the Server Administrator CLI did not allow you to set the country code for a RAC modem. The “Country Code” field has been added. * Corrected an issue in which the RAC remote access interface did not accept the "#" character in the remote floppy boot folder name. The folder name now accepts the "#" character. * Corrected an issue in the RAC remote access interface in which the “&” character displayed as “&” when used to set the firmware update path for the TFTP server. * Corrected an issue in which you were unable to use the input field or "Browse" button to upload a security certificate in Mozilla 1.2.1. * Corrected an issue in which the Server Administrator CLI output an incorrect error message when creating a “dialinuser” with a username longer than 15 characters. * Corrected an issue in which the RAC graceful server actions (shutdown and restart) did not function in Red Hat Linux 9 with Dell OpenManage(TM) version 3.4. * Corrected an issue in which the “Upload Certificate” feature on the “Security” tab in the ERA/O controller may result in the following error when running NetWare 6.0: "Error! File does not exist in the path specified.” If the signed certificate file exists in the path specified, it can now be uploaded. If the file does not exist in the path, an error message displays. * Corrected an issue found when viewing the details of the RAC SSL server certificate in Server Administrator or the CLI, in which a RAC SSL server certificate is falsely identified as a Certificate Authority (CA) certificate. This correction fixed the following two issues: “View Server Certificate” links you to the wrong type of certificate; and in the OMSA CLI, the “omreport rac viewcertificate type” command output the wrong value for "type". * Corrected an issue in the Server Administrator UI in which setting "Severity Configuration" on SNMP traps caused JavaScript errors. * Corrected an issue that caused an error stating that the page could not be displayed when uploading a RAC SSL certificate in Server Administrator using Internet Explorer on systems running Windows Server 2003. * Corrected an issue in which the Server Administrator “RAC Users” page allowed only 8-character passwords in the text field. The maximum number of characters allowed in the user password was increased from 8 to 63 characters when adding or configuring RAC users in Server Administrator. * Corrected an issue in which you were unable to retain a custom message in the “Alpha-Numeric Paging” settings. The custom message for alphanumeric pages was limited to 31 characters when adding or configuring RAC users in Server Administrator. * Corrected an issue in which the RAC “Generate a New CSR” function of the Server Administrator Web-based interface did not work when Red Hat Linux 9 runs on the managed system. * Corrected an issue in which the “racadm serveraction gracepowercycle” command had the same effect as the “racadm serveraction graceshutdown” command. The “racadm serveraction gracepowercycle” function has been removed. * Corrected an issue in which adding a RAC user from the Server Administrator interface overwrote an existing user if the new user had same user name or index as the existing user. ====================================================================== NEW FEATURES IN THIS RELEASE ====================================================================== None ###################################################################### KNOWN ISSUES FOR RACs ###################################################################### The following subsections list the known issues regarding the implementation and operation of the remote access service and RACs. * The RAC remote access interface takes several minutes to load. This occurs when using the RAC remote access interface with Sun Java Virtual Machine (JVM) 1.4.1. * The “Save As” button normally present on the "Log" tabs of the RAC UI was not present when Sun JVM (WinXP/IE6) was installed. * Only one remote access user session may request server sensor information at a time. If more than one session requests server sensor information simultaneously, the sensor information may be inaccurate. * When using the RAC remote access interface with the Java 2 Runtime Environment (J2RE), the "Save As" button that previously appeared in the POST Log, Hardware Log, RAC Log, Boot Path Analysis, and Debug pages does not appear. * The “racadm getconfig -f ” and “racadm config –f ” commands fail if the firmware version of the RAC controller is 1.x. Use either the “config -g ” or “getconfig -g ” command to avoid this issue. * When logged in to the RAC Web-based interface, pressing to open a new RAC Web-based interface may cause the browser to become unresponsive. To avoid this situation, always create a new browser instance before attempting to connect to the RAC Web-based interface. * The RAC may not send traps when your system is locked up. To enable traps to be sent when the system is locked up, you must configure the watchdog timer using the Server Administrator GUI. In the Server Administrator GUI, click the "Properties" tab and ensure that "Auto Recovery" is selected. The default value of the "Action On Hung Operating System Detection" setting is "None". "None" indicates that detection will not be performed. * RAC does not support local RAC user IDs with special characters. When adding a local RAC user, use only alphanumeric characters for the user name. * RAC firmware versions 2.0–2.5 do not support passwords with special characters (non-alphanumeric) only for RAC user IDs logging in using the Web-based interface (with Local RAC Authentication). If you created RAC user IDs using previous versions of the firmware or if you created user IDs using Server Administrator that is running version 2.0 firmware on the managed system, you cannot log into the RAC. Use one of the following four methods to correct this issue: - Change your passwords before updating the firmware. OR - Use the following CLI command to change the password: omconfig rac users username=xx userpassword=yy where "xx" is the original userid and "yy" is the new password OR - Change the password through Server Administrator using the "User" tab. Ensure that the check box to change the password is checked. Enter a new password, and then enter it again to validate the change. OR - Use the racadm utility to change the password: racadm config -g cfgUserAdmin -o cfgUserAdminPassword -i where is the index of the user database entry to be modified and is the new password This issue will be corrected in a later release of the firmware. * Informational SNMP traps are not displayed when sensor readings return to normal values; however, you can use the RAC Web-based interface to view this information in the Hardware Log under the "Logs" tab. * Applications that use InstallShield 3.x to install software may take longer to install if RAC Services are running. To reduce the software installation time, stop RAC Services before performing the installation. You must restart RAC Services after the installation is complete. * Depending on your network and proxy configurations, and if you are using Netscape Navigator or a Mozilla browser, you may need to enter the exact IP address of the RAC controller you are trying to access in the "No Proxy for" field of your browser. Perform the following steps: 1. Open your Netscape Navigator or Mozilla browser. 2. Click "Edit". 3. Click "Preferences ...". 4. Click "Advanced" in the left sidebar. 5. Click "Proxies" in the left sidebar. 6. Enter the RAC IP address in the "No Proxy for:" field. 7. Click "OK" and then close the browser. * RAC console redirection text mode does not support the key combination. Instead, use . * When using the RAC Remote Floppy Boot feature to start DOS network interfaces, add the following commands to the "autoexec.bat" file: NET INITIALIZE /dynamic NET START basic * The last crash screen is not available when the watchdog recovery action is set to "Shutdown" or "Power Cycle" if the managed system is powered off. * The last crash screen time stamp might be normalized to GMT. * Due to functional details that are specific to Windows Dynamic DNS servers, the RAC internal PPP IP address is broadcast to the Dynamic DNS service on servers running Windows 2000. The Dynamic DNS service stores that particular IP address in its DNS lookup table and associates it with the name of the system that hosts the RAC. This action causes problems with Active Directory under Windows. The default value for a RAC's internal PPP IP address is 192.168.234.235, but the address can be changed by the user. This issue is a known problem, and there is an article and a hot fix available from Microsoft. The Knowledge Base article number is Q292822. Downloading the hot fix and implementing the steps in the article solves the problem. * MS-DOS version 6.22 is required for the DOS racadm CLI feature. To limit DOS racadm CLI output to a single screen, use the MS-DOS "more.com" utility. Type the following command at the prompt: a: racadm help | more * Using the RAC default certificate for SSL generates a Host Mismatch warning in Netscape. A CA-generated SSL certificate must be downloaded to the RAC for proper security. * During the first 40 seconds after a RAC reset, the RAC is synchronizing with the system ESM and managed system service. If an alert is generated during this time, some of the values may be reported as "unknown". The time field contains the number of seconds since RAC startup. After synchronization has completed, all values are reported correctly. ====================================================================== Server Sensor Issues ====================================================================== * When viewing the Hardware Log with the system turned Off, the log may contain entries that identify sensors in the following way: "BMCxx,..sensor #..." It is recommended that you wait at least 2 minutes after initially rebooting your system to allow the server sensors to be gathered so that the ESM log can be formatted. - On PowerEdge 1750 systems only, the Hardware Log may contain entries that identify sensors in the following way: "BMCxx,watchdogsensor#" even when the system is powered on. This problem will be corrected in a later release of the firmware. * When viewing server sensors, a difference might occur between the number of sensors displayed when the system is turned on and the number of sensors displayed when the system is turned off. Also, if the system is turned off, then the data that is last displayed are the values just before you shut off the system. The system does not reset itself; therefore, the data is not lost. When the system is restarted, the data will be altered because the ESM firmware is obtaining new sensors. * To avoid problems receiving server sensor information, access server sensor information through one user session at a time. ###################################################################### KNOWN RAC-SPECIFIC ISSUES ###################################################################### * The following sections provide specific issues, if any, for DRAC III, DRAC III/XT, ERA, and ERA/O controllers. ====================================================================== DRAC III-SPECIFIC ISSUES ====================================================================== * It is recommended that you configure the DRAC III VT-100 interface screen using HyperTerminal to a window size of 80 x 26 when displaying text console redirection. ====================================================================== DRAC III/XT—SPECIFIC ISSUES ====================================================================== * The DRAC III/XT Web-based interface does not display "Post Log" or "Boot Path Analysis" if the DRAC III/XT is reset. * If the DRAC III/XT configuration is reset to factory defaults via the "racadm racresetcfg" command, some of the information fields displayed via the "racadm getsysinfo" command and on the "Properties" pane of the DRAC III/XT Graphical User Interface are not available until the system is rebooted. * When the RAC is reset, the watchdog timer is set to the default configuration (no configuration). ====================================================================== ERA—SPECIFIC ISSUES ====================================================================== * The ERA Web-based remote access interface does not display "POST log" or "Boot Path Analysis" if the ERA is reset. * If the ERA configuration is reset to factory defaults via the "racadm racresetcfg" command, some of the information fields displayed via the "racadm getsysinfo" command and on the "Properties" pane of the ERA Graphical User Interface are not be available until the system is rebooted. * When starting a system with an ERA controller installed, the ERA POST log may not capture POST codes and errors. Reboot your system to correct this condition. ====================================================================== ERA/O-SPECIFIC ISSUES ====================================================================== None ###################################################################### KNOWN OPERATING SYSTEM ISSUES ###################################################################### The following sections provide additional information about known issues with operating systems. ====================================================================== Windows Operating System Issues ====================================================================== * To launch the RAC Web console from IT Assistant, you must run one of the patches located on the "Dell OpenManage Systems Management" CD in the "\support\Windows\RAC" directory. If you are running IT Assistant on any Windows operating system (Windows NT(R) is not supported), use the "Win2KPatch.reg" file. To apply the patch, browse to the CD directory previously mentioned and double-click the filename. Click "Yes" and "OK" in the next two message boxes. The patch enables the Java Console in Internet Explorer. * On systems running Windows, the RAC installation process requires a virtual modem connection named RACPORT to communicate between the operating system and the RAC controller. When any modem is added to the system, the operating system automatically creates a virtual fax device icon in the printers folder. The fax icon is not used by the RAC and can be deleted or ignored. * The mouse movement on a local system may appear jerky and erratic during console redirection. This behavior is evident especially when using menus or opening windows. * Resizing the Windows desktop to a resolution of 640 x 480 causes some information to not be visible in the browser window when using the RAC Web-based interface. This issue occurs in both Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer. To view a screen in its entirety when using a resolution of 640 x 480, you must enlarge the browser window. ====================================================================== NETWARE OPERATING SYSTEM ISSUES ====================================================================== * When a remote "Reset", "Power Off", or "Power Cycle" is issued through the RAC on NetWare, some NetWare applications may require user interaction to close application windows. If this is necessary, you should use the RAC console redirection to manually close the application windows to allow NetWare to shutdown. * During normal operation of the DRAC III managed system under NetWare 5.1 and NetWare 6.0, the operating system periodically displays the following messages: "LCP is down: **PPP did not receive a response from peer for several Echo-Requests sent**" "Call disconnection for protocol IP to destination RAC3. The event occurred due to a link failure." These messages do not indicate errors. They are generated when the RAC PPP connection is temporarily unavailable (the connection may be unavailable when the card is reconfigured or new users are added). The PPP connection is automatically reestablished, and no user action is required. Therefore, the user should not attempt to manually re-establish the connection. ====================================================================== RED HAT LINUX OPERATING SYSTEM ISSUES ====================================================================== * When using Console Redirection on a managed system running Red Hat Linux, the focus (cursor moved back over an object) follows the cursor. Occasionally, the text windows in Console Redirection loses focus. Before attempting to type in a text window in a Console Redirection window, click the mouse in the text window's spacebar or top menu bar to ensure that your target text window has the focus on the correct window or application that you are attempting to use. ###################################################################### ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ###################################################################### The following sections provide additional information about RACs. ====================================================================== CONNECTING TO THE INTERNET WHEN THE RAC PPP SERVICE IS RUNNING ====================================================================== In Internet Explorer 5.5 (SP2) or later, you may notice that the automatic configuration and proxy setting information for each connection is separate from the same information used for the LAN connection. If you have both a dial-up and a LAN connection running at the same time, Internet Explorer may block your access to the Internet. This blocking occurs because each connection in Internet Explorer 5.5 (SP2) uses its own automatic configuration and proxy settings. When this situation occurs and a user tries to establish any kind of PPP connection, Internet Explorer attempts to use the dial-up connection settings to access the Internet. You can find additional information about this issue in the Microsoft Knowledge Base located at "support.microsoft.com", article Q236920, "Connections No Longer Use LAN Automatic Configuration and Proxy (Q236920)". To correct this issue, perform the following steps: 1. If you are using Internet Explorer 5.5 (SP1), update your browser to Internet Explorer 5.5 (SP2). Before running the update, stop RAC Services. The update is available at "windowsupdate.com". 2. For Windows 2000 Terminal Services, perform the following steps to install "lanpatch.reg": a. Right-click the "Start" button. b. Click "Open All Users". c. In the "Start Menu" dialogue box, double-click "Programs". d. Double-click "Start-up". e. Right-click "New"--> "Shortcut". f. Browse to the "lanPatch.reg" file. NOTE: " " are needed around the absolute path. The default location for the file is: "C:\Program Files\Dell\OpenManage\RAC\MN\Lanpatch.reg" g. Click "Next". h. Right-click the shortcut that you created and click "Properties". i. Add the following to the beginning of the target field: regedit.exe /s The new field should be similar to the following: regedit.exe /s "C:\Program Files\Dell\OpenManage\RAC\MN\Lanpatch.reg" 3. If you used "Systems Management" CD version 3.4 to install your systems management software, the "lanpatch.reg" file does not always automatically install even though the interface states that the patch did automatically install. If this situation occurs, perform the following steps to manually install the patch: a. If you are using Internet Explorer version 5.5 (SP2) or later (this situation might also occur when using Internet Explorer version 6.0), double-click the "lanpatch.reg" file. The patch is copied to the managed system during the installation of the RAC managed system software in the default directory \RAC\MN. b. Apply the patch for each user account on the system running Internet Explorer. 4. Restart RAC Services. ====================================================================== POWEREDGE 7150 SYSTEM ISSUES ====================================================================== * On PowerEdge 7150 systems, the DRAC III may display text-only console redirection instead of graphical redirection. For graphical console redirection support, you must update the ATI video driver from the Dell Support website at "support.dell.com" or from the "Systems Management" CD. The installation instructions for updating the driver are in a "readme.txt" file included with the driver. The driver required to support DRAC III graphical console redirection is ATI Rage XL, version 5.0.2462.6000. * The "racadm" command-line utility is supported on PowerEdge 7150 managed systems. However, when using the utility on these systems, the primary command is "drscadm" instead of "racadm". For more information on using the "drscadm" utility on PowerEdge 7150 systems, see the "Dell OpenManage Remote Service Card User's Guide" on your documentation CD. * The DRAC III does not display the correct sensor values if the PowerEdge 7150 loses power while the DRAC III sensor window is open. If the PowerEdge 7150 loses power while the DRAC III sensors are being displayed, you must log out and log back in to the DRAC III to refresh the DRAC III sensor values. * The Internet Explorer application embedded in the Windows Advanced Server Limited Edition operating system does not support Java applets; therefore, it is not possible to use the Windows Advanced Server Limited Edition's Internet Explorer browser to connect to DRAC III over a local area network (LAN) or the Internet. ###################################################################### Information in this document is subject to change without notice. (C) 2003 Dell Computer Corporation. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Computer Corporation is strictly forbidden. Trademarks used in this text: "Dell", "PowerEdge", "PowerVault", and "Dell OpenManage" are trademarks of Dell Computer Corporation; "Microsoft", "Windows", "Windows NT", and "MS-DOS" are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; "Novell" and "NetWare" are registered trademarks of Novell, Inc.; "Red Hat" is a registered trademark of Red Hat, Inc. Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell Computer Corporation disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own. July 2003