###################################################################### DELL(TM) REMOTE ACCESS CONTROLLERS (RACs) (FIRMWARE VERSION 2.2 AND EARLIER) ###################################################################### This document contains updated information about the Dell(TM) 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 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 systems. ERA/O is supported on PowerEdge 1650, PowerEdge 1750, and PowerEdge 2600 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 Server 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, Windows 2000 Advanced Server, and for PowerEdge 7150 systems, Windows Advanced Server Limited Edition. * Red Hat Linux, versions 8.0 and 9 * 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 or later on Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Windows 2000, and Windows XP PRO * Mozilla 1.0.1 and 1.2.1 running with Red Hat Linux 8.x and 9 * Netscape Navigator 6.2.3 and 7.02 on Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Windows 2000, and Windows XP and Red Hat Linux 8.x, 9, and Advanced Server, version 2.1 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 2.2) ====================================================================== * Corrected RAC Temp and RAC-12 sensors to display the correct severity levels. * Corrected External FTP so that it is disabled. * Corrected issue so that you do not have to wait two minutes to log in after two invalid log in attempts. * The SSL certificate can reside on the management station. The RAC SSL certificate no longer needs to reside on the RAC host system in order to be transferred successfully to the RAC. * For firmware versions 2.1 and later, corrected an issue so that you can now use special characters when entering a RAC password through the Web-based interface (with Local RAC Authentication). ====================================================================== NEW FEATURES IN THIS RELEASE ====================================================================== * Added Windows Server 2003 and Red Hat Linux 9 operating system support. ###################################################################### KNOWN ISSUES FOR RACs ###################################################################### The following subsections list the known issues regarding the implementation and operation of the remote access service and RACs. * The “racadm getconfig -f ” and “racadm config –f ” commands will fail if the firmware version of the RAC controller is 1.x. Use either the “config -g ” or “getconfig -g ” commands to avoid this issue. * Initiating a graceful restart or shutdown of the Red Hat Linux 9.0 operating system is not possible by using the RAC graphical user interface or remote racadm command-line interface. To perform these actions, begin a remote terminal session using a utility such as rsh (remote shell) or ssh (secure shell) and enter the “shutdown -r” or “shutdown –h” command. This issue will be addressed in a future release. * RAC allows CA Enterprise Root Server type certificates to be uploaded into the RAC Web server, which causes Client Web Browser SSL authentication failure. To avoid this error, only upload an X509 Web Server type certificates into the RAC. * 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. * When using the racadm CLI command "-l " option without the "-L " option, a default logfile named "drscadm.log" is created in the current working directory. * The “racadm serveraction gracepowercycle” command has the same effect as “racadm serveraction graceshutdown”. * Local Update does not work on a DRAC III with firmware version 1.3 or earlier. The DRAC III 1.3 or earlier firmware must be updated by using one of the following methods: - RAC Web-based interface: Use the TFTP. - Floppy-based update: Browse to "support.dell.com", download the appropriate RAC firmware image file, and follow the instructions to create two diskettes. Insert the first diskette into the system to be updated and follow the instructions on the screen. - Racadm CLI utility: Use the “racadm fwupdate –p –u –f ". NOTE: The –f option performs file extension checking, and allows updating to any DRAC III firmware version. * Your RAC may not send traps when your system is locked up. To enable traps to be sent while 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. * The "racadm -r -u -p " command only accepts the user root for authentication. Any other valid user that is entered receives an authentication error. For security, the remote racadm utility only authenticates the command transaction if the user name is "root" or "racadmuser." When using the remote racadm utility, if the "-u" option is not specified, the default user name "racadmuser" is used. * After uploading the certificate you must reset the RAC. Use one of the following three methods to reset the RAC: - Use the "omconfig rac reset" command. OR - Use the "racadm racreset" command. OR - Use the RAC Web-based interface. Go to the "Debug" tab, click "Status Check", and then click "Reset RAC". * 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. * The RAC firmware version 2.0 does not support passwords with special characters (nonalphanumeric) 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 in to the RAC. Use one of the following four methods to correct this issue: - Change your passwords prior to updating the firmware. OR - Use the CLI command to change the password. Enter: 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. Enter: 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 software 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. * All RAC console redirection sessions lose their connection to the RAC if a user performs an update of the firmware. To reconnect, log out, allow the RAC update to finish, and then log in again. * Adding a RAC user from the Server Administrator interface overwrites an existing user if the new user has same user name or index as the existing user. * RAC console redirection text mode does not support the key combination. Instead, use . * The hardware log, accessible from the RAC Web-based interface, displays text-only log entries (date, time, and description). The log does not display color-coded icons to indicate severity levels. If you prefer to view the log with color-coded icons, use Server Administrator to access it. * The reading precision for server sensors is 0.25 percent. * 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 not be the actual time but 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 article is Q292822. Downloading the fix and implementing the steps in the article solves the problem. * The RAC may be inaccessible to remote users when the controller is bombarded with 65 K "ping" packets every second or less. The processor is busy processing the "ping" and cannot accept other connections. After the pings stop, the controller becomes accessible again. Pings received with a longer duration between the packets are not an issue. * 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. * Assigning a predefined IP address to the RAC using a DHCP server: Most DHCP servers require a client identifier token to be stored in the server's reservations table. The client (RAC, for example) has to provide that token during the DHCP negotiation phase. In the case of RACs, the RAC supplies the client identifier option as follows: a one-byte interface number (0, 1, or 2) followed by a six-byte MAC address. The interface number for the NIC may be 0, 1, or 2, depending on whether DHCP for PPP is currently enabled, PPP DHCP has been enabled in the past, or PPP DHCP has never been enabled. If PPP DHCP has never been enabled and is not currently enabled, the NIC interface number should be 0. * Using the "racadm setrac" command remotely from the management station sets information such as time and system name for the management station, not the managed system. * If you are using a version of HyperTerminal earlier than version 6.3 as the RAC VT-100 terminal, you cannot resize the bottom of your screen to view up to 26 lines of text. For HyperTerminal 6.3 or later, change the screen size to view 26 lines from the "Properties" box. * If you are using Minicom as the RAC VT-100 terminal, resize the window to 80 x 26. Resizing allows for 26 lines of text and one line of Minicom status. The Minicom command key is . If you need to use to enter the SCSI BIOS setup screen, redefine the Minicom control key from the screen and Keyboard settings menu. * 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 will contain the number of seconds since RAC startup. After synchronization has completed, all values will report correctly. * Clicking the browser's "Refresh" button logs out the RAC. To refresh the GUI screens, use the "Refresh" buttons on the page. ==================== 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 two minutes after initially rebooting your system to allow the server sensors to be gathered so that the ESM log can be formatted. - On the 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. ###################################################################### 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 24 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, will not be available until the system is rebooted. * When the RAC is reset, the watchdog timer is set to default, 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, will not be available until the system is rebooted. * If the ERA configuration is reset to factory defaults by using the 'racadm racresetcfg' command, some of the information fields displayed by using the 'racadm getsysinfo' command, and on the Properties pane of the ERA Graphical User Interface, will 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 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 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. * To take full advantage of the RAC interface on servers running NetWare 6.0 or later, it is highly recommended that you install the latest service pack available from Novell. ======================================= 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 space bar 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 =============================================================== After installing Internet Explorer 5.0 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 5.0 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 entitled, "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 5.0, 5.01 or 5.5 (SP1), update your browser to Internet Explorer 5.5 (SP2). To run 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: The default location for the file is: "C:\Program Files\Dell\OpenManage\RAC\MN\Lanpatch.reg". g. Click "Next". h. Click "Properties" created Shortcut. 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" NOTE: " " are needed around the absolute path. 3. If you used the "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 "Server Management" CD. The installation instructions for updating the driver are included 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 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", 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. 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. April 2003