This section provides information about how to install and setup your DRAC 5 hardware and software.
Before You Begin
Gather the following items that were included with your system prior to installing and configuring the DRAC 5 software:
DRAC 5 hardware (currently installed or in the optional kit)
DRAC 5 installation procedures (located in this chapter)
Dell Systems Console and Agent CD
Dell Systems Documentation CD
Dell Systems Service and Diagnostic Tools CD
Installing the DRAC 5 Hardware
NOTE: The DRAC 5 connection emulates a USB keyboard connection. As a result,
when you restart the system, the system will not notify you if your keyboard is not
attached.
The DRAC 5 may be preinstalled on your system, or available separately in a kit. To get started with the DRAC 5 that is installed on your system, see "Software Installation and Configuration Overview".
If a DRAC 5 is not installed on your system, see the Installing a Remote Access Card document that is included with your DRAC 5 kit, or see your platform Installation and Troubleshooting Guide for hardware installation instructions.
NOTE: See the Installation and Troubleshooting Guide included with your system
for information about removing the DRAC 5. Also, review all Microsoft® Active
Directory® RAC properties associated with the removed DRAC 5 to ensure proper
security if you are using extended schema.
Configuring Your System to Use a DRAC 5
To configure your system to use a DRAC 5, use the Dell™ Remote Access Configuration Utility (formerly known as the BMC Setup Module).
To run the Dell Remote Access Configuration Utility, perform the following steps:
Turn on or restart your system.
Press <Ctrl><E> when prompted during POST.
If your operating system begins to load before you press <Ctrl><E>, allow the system to finish booting, and then restart your system and try again.
Configure the NIC.
Using the down-arrow key, highlight NIC Selection.
Using the left-arrow and right-arrow keys, select one of the following
NIC selections:
Dedicated — Select this option to enable the remote access device to utilize the dedicated network interface available on the Remote Access Controller (RAC). This interface is not shared with the host operating system and routes the management traffic to a separate physical network, enabling it to be separated from the application traffic. This option is available only if a DRAC card is installed in the system.
Shared — Select this option to share the network interface with the host operating system. The remote access device network interface is fully functional when the host operating system is configured for NIC teaming. The remote access device receives data through NIC 1 and NIC 2, but transmits data only through NIC 1. If NIC 1 fails, the remote access device will not be accessible.
Failover — Select this option to share the network interface with the host operating system. The remote access device network interface is fully functional when the host operating system is configured for NIC teaming. The remote access device receives data through NIC 1 and NIC 2, but transmits data only through NIC 1. If NIC 1 fails, the remote access device fails over to NIC 2 for all data transmission. The remote access device continues to use NIC 2 for data transmission. If NIC 2 fails, the remote access device fails over all data transmission back to NIC 1.
Configure the network controller LAN parameters to use DHCP or a
Static IP address source.
Using the down-arrow key, select LAN Parameters, and press
<Enter>.
Using the up-arrow and down-arrow keys, select IP Address Source.
Using the right-arrow and left-arrow keys, select DHCP or Static.
If you selected Static, configure the Ethernet IP Address, Subnet
Mask, and Default Gateway settings.
Press <Esc>.
Press <Esc>.
Select Save Changes and Exit.
The system automatically reboots.
NOTE: When viewing the Web user interface on a Dell PowerEdge™ 1900 system
that is configured with one NIC, the NIC Configuration page displays two NICs (NIC1
and NIC2). This behavior is normal. The PowerEdge 1900 system (and other Dell
systems that are configured with a single LAN On Motherboard) can be configured
with NIC teaming. Shared and Teamed modes work independently on these
systems.
See the Dell OpenManage Baseboard Management Controller Utilities User's Guide for more information about the Dell Remote Access Configuration Utility.
Software Installation and Configuration Overview
This section provides a high-level overview of the DRAC 5 software installation and configuration process. Configure your DRAC 5 using the Web-based interface, RACADM CLI, or Serial/Telnet/SSH console.
Installing software on the managed system is optional. Without managed system software, you lose the ability to use the RACADM locally, and for the RAC to capture the last crash screen.
To install the managed system software, install the software on the managed system using the Dell Systems Console and Agent CD. For instructions about how to install this software, see your Quick Installation Guide.
Managed system software installs your choices from the appropriate version of Server Administrator on the managed system.
NOTE: Do not install the DRAC 5 management station software and the DRAC 5
managed system software on the same system.
If Server Administrator is not installed on the managed system, you cannot view the system's last crash screen or use the Auto Recovery feature.
Configuring the Managed System to Capture the Last Crash Screen
Before the DRAC 5 can capture the last crash screen, you must configure the managed system with the following prerequisites.
Install the managed system software. For more information about
installing the managed system software, see the Server Administrator User's
Guide.
Run a supported Microsoft® Windows® operating system with the
Windows "automatically reboot" feature deselected in the Windows
Startup and Recovery Settings.
Enable the Last Crash Screen (disabled by default).
To enable using local RACADM, open a command prompt and type the following commands:
Enable the Auto Recovery timer and set the Auto Recovery action to
Reset, Power Off, or Power Cycle. To configure the Auto Recovery timer,
you must use Server Administrator or IT Assistant.
For information about how to configure the Auto Recovery timer, see the Server Administrator User's Guide. To ensure that the last crash screen can be captured, the Auto Recovery timer must be set to 60 seconds or greater. The default setting is 480 seconds.
The last crash screen is not available when the Auto Recovery action is set to Shutdown or Power Cycle if the managed system is powered off.
Disabling the Windows Automatic Reboot Option
To ensure that the DRAC 5 Web-based interface last crash screen feature works properly, disable the Automatic Reboot option on managed systems running the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Windows 2000 Server operating systems.
Disabling the Automatic Reboot Option in Windows Server 2003
Open the Windows Control Panel and double-click the System icon.
Click the Advanced tab.
Under Startup and Recovery, click Settings.
Deselect the Automatically Reboot check box.
Click OK twice.
Disabling the Automatic Reboot Option in Windows 2000 Server
Open the Windows Control Panel and double-click the System icon.
Click the Advanced tab.
Click the Startup and Recovery... button.
Deselect the Automatically Reboot check box.
Installing the Software on the Management Station
Your system includes the Dell OpenManage System Management Software Kit. This kit includes, but is not limited to, the following components:
Dell Systems Build and Update Utility CD — A bootable CD that provides the tools you need to install your operating system, configure and update your system. The CD enables you to streamline Dell system deployment and redeployment.
Dell Systems Console and Agent CD — Contains all the latest Dell systems management software products such as Dell OpenManage Server Administrator and console products including Dell OpenManage IT Assistant.
Dell Systems Service and Diagnostics Tools CD — Provides the tools you need to configure your system and delivers the latest BIOS, firmware, diagnostics, and Dell-optimized drivers for your system.
Dell Systems Documentation CD — Helps you stay current with documentation for systems, systems management software products, peripherals, and RAID controllers.
NOTE: Starting with Dell OpenManage version 5.3, you can also obtain all the
above components from the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation
DVD and the Dell Server Updates DVD.
For information about installing Server Administrator software, see your Server Administrator User's Guide.
Configuring Your Red Hat Enterprise Linux (Version 4) Management
Station
The Dell Digital KVM Viewer requires additional configuration to run on a Red Hat Enterprise Linux (version 4) management station. When you install the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (version 4) operating system on your management station, perform the following procedures:
When prompted to add or remove packages, install the optional Legacy Software Development software. This software package includes the necessary software components to run the Dell Digital KVM viewer on your management station.
To ensure that the Dell Digital KVM Viewer functions properly, open the following ports on your firewall:
Keyboard and mouse port (default is port 5900)
Video port (default is port 5901)
Installing and Removing RACADM on a Linux Management Station
To use the remote RACADM functions, install RACADM on a management station running Linux.
NOTE: When you run Setup on the Dell Systems Console and Agent CD, the
RACADM utility for all supported operating systems are installed on your
management station.
Installing RACADM
Log on as root to the system where you want to install the management
station components.
If necessary, mount the Dell Systems Console and Agent CD using the
following command or a similar command:
mount /media/cdrom
Navigate to the /linux/rac directory and execute the following command:
rpm -ivh *.rpm
For help with the RACADM command, type racadm help after issuing the previous commands. For more information about RACADM, see "Using the RACADM Command Line Interface".
Uninstalling RACADM
To uninstall RACADM, open a command prompt and type:
rpm -e <racadm_package_name>
where <racadm_package_name> is the rpm package that was used to install the RAC software.
For example, if the rpm package name is srvadmin-racadm5, then type:
rpm -e srvadmin-racadm5
Configuring a Supported Web Browser
The following sections provide instructions for configuring the supported Web browsers. For a list of supported Web browsers, see "Supported Web Browsers".
Configuring Your Web Browser to Connect to the Web-Based Interface
If you are connecting to the DRAC 5 Web-based interface from a management station that connects to the Internet through a proxy server, you must configure the Web browser to access the Internet from this server.
To configure your Internet Explorer Web browser to access a proxy server, perform the following steps:
Open a Web browser window.
Click Tools, and click Internet Options.
From the Internet Options window, click the Connections tab.
Under Local Area Network (LAN) settings, click LAN Settings.
If the Use a proxy server box is selected, select the Bypass proxy server for
local addresses box.
Click OK twice.
List of Trusted Domains
When you access the DRAC 5 Web-based interface through the Web browser, you are prompted to add the DRAC 5 IP address to the list of trusted domains if the IP address is missing from the list. When completed, click Refresh or relaunch the Web browser to reestablish a connection to the DRAC 5 Web-based interface.
32-bit and 64-bit Web Browsers
The DRAC 5 Web-based interface is not supported on 64-bit Web browsers. If you open a 64-bit Browser, access the Console Redirection page, and attempt to install the plug-in, the installation procedure fails. If this error was not acknowledged and you repeat this procedure, the Console Redirect Page loads even though the plug-in installation fails during your first attempt. This issue occurs because the Web browser stores the plug-in information in the profile directory even though the plug-in installation procedure failed. To fix this issue, install and run a supported 32-bit Web browser and log in to the DRAC 5.
Viewing Localized Versions of the Web-Based Interface
Windows
The DRAC 5 Web-based interface is supported on the following Windows operating system languages:
English
French
German
Spanish
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
To view a localized version of the DRAC 5 Web-based interface in Internet Explorer, perform the following steps:
Click the Tools menu and select Internet Options.
In the Internet Options window, click Languages.
In the Language Preference window, click Add.
In the Add Language window, select a supported language.
To select more than one language, press <Ctrl>.
Select your preferred language and click Move Up to move the language to
the top of the list.
Click OK.
In the Language Preference window, click OK.
Linux
If you are running Console Redirection on a Red Hat Enterprise Linux (version 4) client with a Simplified Chinese GUI, the viewer menu and title may appear in random characters. This issue is caused by an incorrect encoding in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (version 4) Simplified Chinese operating system. To fix this issue, access and modify the current encoding settings by performing the following steps:
Open a command terminal.
Type "locale" and press <Enter>. The following output appears.
Dell Update Packages — See the Dell Update Packages User's Guide for information about obtaining and using Dell Update Packages as part of your system update strategy
Before You Begin
Before you update your DRAC 5 firmware using local RACADM or the Dell Update Packages, perform the following procedures. Otherwise, the firmware update operation may encounter a failure.
Install and enable the appropriate IPMI and managed node drivers.
If your system is running the Windows operating system, enable and start
the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) services.
If your system is running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (Version 10) for
Intel EM64T, start the Raw service.
Ensure that the RAC virtual flash is unmounted or not in use by the
operating system or another application or user.
Disconnect and unmount Virtual Media.
Ensure that USB is enabled.
Downloading the DRAC 5 Firmware
To update your DRAC 5 firmware, download the latest firmware from the Dell Support website located at support.dell.com and save the file to your local system.
The following software components are included with your DRAC 5 firmware package:
Compiled DRAC 5 firmware code and data
Expansion ROM image
Web-based interface, JPEG, and other user interface data files
Default configuration files
Use the Firmware Update page to update the DRAC 5 firmware to the latest revision. When you run the firmware update, the update retains the current DRAC 5 settings.
Updating the DRAC 5 Firmware Using the Web-Based Interface
Open the Web-based interface and login to the remote system.
In the System tree, click Remote Access and click the Update tab.
In the Firmware Update page in the Firmware Image field, type the path
to the firmware image that you downloaded from support.dell.com or click
Browse to navigate to the image.
NOTE: If you are running Firefox, the text cursor does not appear in the Firmware
Image field.
For example:
C:\Updates\V1.0\<image_name>.
The default firmware image name is firmimg.d5.
Click Update.
The update may take several minutes to complete. When completed, a dialog box appears.
Click OK to close the session and automatically log out.
After the DRAC 5 resets, click Log In to log in to the DRAC 5.
Clearing the Browser Cache
After the firmware upgrade, clear the Web browser cache.
See your Web browser's online help for more information.
Accessing the DRAC 5 Through a Network
After you configure the DRAC 5, you can remotely access the managed system using one of the following interfaces:
Provides remote access to the DRAC 5 using a graphical user interface. The Web-based interface is built into the DRAC 5 firmware and is accessed through the NIC interface from a supported Web browser on the management station.
Provides remote access to the DRAC 5 using a command line interface. RACADM uses the managed system's IP address to execute RACADM commands (racadm remote capability option [-r]).
NOTE: The racadm remote capability is supported only on
management stations. For more information, see
"Supported Web Browsers".
NOTE: When using the racadm remote capability, you
must have write permission on the folders where you are
using the racadm subcommands involving file operations,
for example:
Provides access through the DRAC 5 to the server RAC port and hardware management interfaces through the DRAC 5 NIC and provides support for serial and RACADM commands including powerdown, powerup, powercycle, and hardreset commands.
NOTE: Telnet is an unsecure protocol that transmits all
data—including passwords—in plain text. When
transmitting sensitive information, use the SSH interface.
SSH Interface
Provides the same capabilities as the telnet console using an encrypted transport layer for higher security.
IPMI Interface
Provides access through the DRAC 5 to the remote system's basic management features. The interface includes IPMI over LAN, IPMI over Serial, and Serial over LAN. See the Dell OpenManage Baseboard Management Controller User's Guide for more information.
NOTE: The DRAC 5 default user name is root and the default password is
calvin.
You can access the DRAC 5 Web-based interface through the DRAC 5 NIC by using a supported Web browser, or through Server Administrator or IT Assistant.
To access the DRAC 5 remote access interface using Server Administrator, launch Server Administrator. From the system tree on the left pane of the Server Administrator home page, click System→ Main System Chassis→ Remote Access Controller. For more information, see your Server Administrator User's Guide.
This section provides information about configuring and using the DRAC 5 IPMI interface. The interface includes the following:
IPMI over LAN
IPMI over Serial
Serial over LAN
The DRAC5 is fully IPMI 2.0 compliant. You can configure the DRAC IPMI using your browser; using an open source utility, such as ipmitool; using the Dell OpenManage IPMI shell, ipmish; or using RACADM.
For more information about using the IPMI Shell, ipmish, see the Dell OpenManage™ BMC User's Guide located on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.
For more information about using RACADM, see "Using RACADM".
In the Network Configuration page under IPMI LAN Settings, select
Enable IPMI Over LAN and click Apply Changes.
Update the IPMI LAN channel privileges, if required.
NOTE: This setting determines the IPMI commands that can be executed
from the IPMI over LAN interface. For more information, see the IPMI 2.0
specifications.
Under IPMI LAN Settings, click the Channel Privilege Level Limit drop-down menu, select Administrator, Operator, or User and click Apply Changes.
Set the IPMI LAN channel encryption key, if required.
NOTE: The DRAC 5 IPMI supports the RMCP+ protocol.
Under IPMI LAN Settings in the Encryption Key field, type the encryption key and click Apply Changes.
NOTE: The encryption key must consist of an even number of hexadecimal
characters with a maximum of 40 characters.
Configure IPMI Serial over LAN (SOL).
In the System tree, click Remote Access.
In the Configuration tab, click Serial Over LAN.
In the Serial Over LAN Configuration page, select Enable Serial
Over LAN.
Update the IPMI SOL baud rate.
NOTE: To redirect the serial console over LAN, ensure that the SOL baud rate
is identical to your managed system's baud rate.
Click the Baud Rate drop-down menu, select the appropriate baud
rate, and click Apply Changes.
Update the Minimum Required Privilege. This property defines the
minimum user privilege that is required to use the Serial Over LAN
feature.
Click the Channel Privilege Level Limit drop-down menu, select User, Operator, or Administrator.
Click Apply Changes.
Configure IPMI Serial.
In the Configuration tab, click Serial.
In the Serial Configuration menu, change the IPMI serial connection
mode to the appropriate setting.
Under IPMI Serial, click the Connection Mode Setting drop-down menu, select the appropriate mode.
Set the IPMI Serial baud rate.
Click the Baud Rate drop-down menu, select the appropriate baud rate, and click Apply Changes.
Set the Channel Privilege Level Limit.
Click the Channel Privilege Level Limit drop-down menu, select Administrator, Operator, or User.
Click Apply Changes.
Ensure that the serial MUX is set correctly in the managed system's
BIOS Setup program.
Restart your system.
During POST, press <F2> to enter the BIOS Setup program.
Navigate to Serial Communication.
In the Serial Connection menu, ensure that External Serial Connector is set to Remote Access Device.
Save and exit the BIOS Setup program.
Restart your system.
If IPMI serial is in terminal mode, you can configure the following additional settings:
Delete control
Echo control
Line edit
New line sequences
Input new line sequences
For more information about these properties, see the IPMI 2.0 specification.
Configuring IPMI Using the RACADM CLI
Login to the remote system using any of the RACADM interfaces. See
"Using RACADM".
Configure IPMI over LAN.
Open a command prompt, type the following command, and press <Enter>:
racadm config -g cfgIpmiLan -o cfgIpmiLanEnable 1
NOTE: This setting determines the IPMI commands that can be executed from the
IPMI over LAN interface. For more information, see the IPMI 2.0 specifications.
Update the IPMI channel privileges.
At the command prompt, type the following command and press <Enter>:
where <key> is a 20-character encryption key in a valid hexadecimal format.
Configure IPMI Serial over LAN (SOL).
At the command prompt, type the following command and press <Enter>:
racadm config -g cfgIpmiSol -o cfgIpmiSolEnable 1
Update the IPMI SOL minimum privilege level.
The IPMI SOL minimum privilege level determines the minimum privilege required to activate IPMI SOL. For more information, see the IPMI 2.0 specification.
At the command prompt, type the following command and press <Enter>:
Ensure that the serial MUX is set correctly in the BIOS Setup
program.
Restart your system.
During POST, press <F2> to enter the BIOS Setup program.
Navigate to Serial Communication.
In the Serial Connection menu, ensure that External Serial Connector is set to Remote Access Device.
Save and exit the BIOS Setup program.
Restart your system.
The IPMI configuration is complete.
If IPMI serial is in terminal mode, you can configure the following additional settings using racadm config cfgIpmiSerial commands:
Delete control
Echo control
Line edit
New line sequences
Input new line sequences
For more information about these properties, see the IPMI 2.0 specification.
Configuring Platform Events
Platform event configuration provides a mechanism for configuring the remote access device to perform selected actions on certain event messages. These actions include reboot, power cycle, power off, and triggering an alert (Platform Events Trap [PET] and/or e-mail).
The filterable Platform Events include the following:
Fan Probe Failure
Battery Probe Warning
Battery Probe Failure
Discrete Voltage Probe Failure
Temperature Probe Warning
Temperature Probe Failure
Chassis Intrusion Detected
Redundancy Degraded
Redundancy Lost
Processor Warning
Processor Failure
Processor Absent
PS/VRM/D2D Warning
PS/VRM/D2D Failure
Power Supply Absent
Hardware Log Failure
Automatic System Recovery
When a platform event occurs (for example, a fan probe failure), a system event is generated and recorded in the System Event Log (SEL). If this event matches a platform event filter (PEF) in the Platform Event Filters list in the Web-based interface and you have configured this filter to generate an alert (PET or e-mail), then a PET or e-mail alert is sent to a set of one or more configured destinations.
If the same platform event filter is also configured to perform an action (such as rebooting the system), the action is performed.
Configuring Platform Event Filters (PEF)
Configure your platform event filters before you configure the platform event traps or e-mail alert settings.
In the Alert Management tab, click Email Alert Settings.
Under SMTP (Email) Server Address settings, configure the SMTP
(Email) Server IP address field with the appropriate information and
then click Apply Changes.
Configure your e-mail alert destination.
In the Email Alert Number column, click an e-mail alert number.
Ensure that the Enable Email Alert checkbox is selected.
In the Destination Email Address field, type a valid e-mail address.
In the Email Description field, enter a description (if required).
Click Apply Changes.
Click Send Test Email to test the configured e-mail alert (if desired).
NOTE: Your user account must have Test Alerts permission to perform this
procedure. See Table 4-9.
Repeat step a through step e for any remaining e-mail alert settings.
Enable global alerts.
Click Alert Management and select Platform Events.
Select the Enable Platform Event Filter Alert checkbox.
Configuring E-Mail Alerts Using RACADM CLI
Enable your global alerts.
Open a command prompt, type the following command, and press <Enter>:
