The Server Administrator Remote Access Service provides a complete
remote system management solution for SNMP- and CIM-instrumented systems
equipped with a Dell Remote Access Card (DRAC) III, a DRAC
III/XT, a Dell Embedded Remote
Access (ERA) controller, or an ERA Option (ERA/O) card. These hardware and software solutions are collectively known as
remote access controllers (RACs).
The Remote Access
Service provides remote access to an inoperable system, allowing you to get the
system up and running as quickly as possible. The Remote Access Service also
provides alert notification when a system is down and allows you to remotely
restart a system. Additionally, the Remote Access Service logs the probable
cause of system crashes and saves the most recent crash screen.
You can log into the Remote Access Service through the Server Administrator
home page or by directly accessing the controller's IP address using a supported
browser.
See the Server Administrator Command Line Interface User's Guide for
information about running the Remote Access Service from the command line.
When using the Remote Access Service, you can click Help on the global
navigation bar for more detailed information about the specific window you are
viewing. Remote Access Service help is available for all windows accessible
to the user based on user privilege level and the specific hardware and software
groups that Server Administrator discovers on the managed system.
NOTE: See the Dell
Remote Access Controller Installation and Setup Guide for complete information
about installing and configuring a DRAC III, a DRAC
III/XT, or an ERA/O controller,
configuring an ERA controller, and using a RAC to remotely access an inoperable
system.
The managed system must have a RAC installed in order to use the
Remote Access Service.
For a list of specific hardware requirements for your RAC, seethe readme
file for your remote access controller on the Systems Management CD and the
Dell
Remote Access Controller Installation and Setup Guide on the
documentation CD.
NOTE: The RAC software is installed as
part of the Express Setup and Custom Setup installation
options when installing managed system software from the Systems
Management CD, provided that the managed system meets all of your
RAC's installation prerequisites. See the Dell
Remote Access Controller Installation and Setup Guide for complete software and
hardware requirements.
The managed system must have the RAC software installed. See the Dell
Remote Access Controller Installation and Setup Guide for a complete list of
software
installation prerequisites.
NOTE: The RAC software is installed as
part of the Express Setup and Custom Setup installation
options when installing managed system software from the Systems
Management CD, provided that the managed
system meets all of your
RAC's installation prerequisites. See the Dell
Remote Access Controller Installation and Setup Guide for complete software and
hardware requirements.
NOTE: For systems running supported Red Hat Linux operating systems,
the Remote Access Service does not support Netscape Navigator.
NOTE: You must have
Admin privileges in Server Administrator to use the Remote Access Service.
The RAC can store information for up to 16 users. The Remote Access Service
provides security by requiring a user to provide a user name and password prior to establishing a remote connection. The Remote Access Service
can also provide paging services to notify users if the system crashes, loses power, or experiences a
defined list of other events. Paging services are only available for DRAC IIIs.
To create a
RAC user, perform the following steps:
Click the Main System Chassis
object on the Server Administrator home page, and then click the Remote Access Controller object.
Click the Users tab.
The Configure Remote Access Controller Users window appears.
Click Add.
The Add
Remote Access Controller User window appears.
Type a user name in the User Name field.
Type a new password in the Password field.
Type the new password again in the Confirm Password field.
Configure numeric paging (for DRAC III users only):
Click the check box next to Enable Numeric Paging and enter a
pager number in the Pager Number field.
Enter the numeric message in the Numeric Message field that you want the RAC to send when it receives certain
events.
Configure e-mail paging:
Click the check box next to Enable Email
Paging and enter
an e-mail address in the Email Address field.
Enter the message in the Message field that you want the RAC to send when it receives certain
events.
Configure alphanumeric paging (for DRAC III users only):
Click the check box next to Enable Alpha-Numeric Paging and enter
a pager number in the Pager Number field.
Select the alphanumeric protocol used by the pager's service provider,
7E0 or 8N1.
Select the pager's baud rate, 300 or 1200.
Enter the message in the Custom Message field that you want the
RAC to send
when it receives certain events.
Enter the pager's PIN in the Pager ID field, and then, if required, enter
a pager password in the
Pager Password field.
Click Apply Changes at the bottom of the window.
Under Severity Configuration, specify the
trap and the severity that the trap must have to trigger a paging action from the
RAC.
Traps enable you to configure the RAC to respond to alert
conditions from the system's ESM hardware or to other conditions such as
operating system crashes or power failures.
The first (left-most) column of check boxes corresponds to
the severity level Informational, the second column corresponds to the severity
level Warning, and the third column corresponds to the severity level Critical. The last seven events can
only report the severity level Informational.
Click Apply Changes and then click OK to save the alert,
paging, and user configuration to the Server Administrator data repository.
Server Administrator returns to the Users tab. The user you just
created and configured is displayed
in the User Name list.
NOTE: You must have
Admin privileges in Server Administrator to use the Remote Access Service.
To configure a RAC user, perform the following steps:
Click the Main System Chassis
object on the Server Administrator home page, and then click the Remote Access Controller object.
Click the Users tab.
The Configure
Remote Access Controller Users
window appears.
Click the user name for the user you want to configure.
Change the password:
Click the check box next to Change Password
and type a new password in the Password
field.
Type the new password again in the Confirm Password field.
Configure numeric paging (for DRAC III users only):
Click the check box next to Enable Numeric Paging and enter a
pager number in the Pager Number field.
Enter the numeric message in the Numeric Message field that you want the RAC to send when it receives certain
events.
Configure e-mail paging:
Click the check box next to Enable Email
Paging and enter
an e-mail address in the Email Address field.
Enter the message in the Message field that you want the RAC to send when it receives certain
events.
Configure alphanumeric paging (for DRAC III users only):
Click the check box next to Enable Alpha-Numeric Paging and enter
a pager number in the Pager Number field.
Select the alphanumeric protocol used by the pager's service provider,
7E0 or 8N1.
Select the pager's baud rate, 300 or 1200.
Enter the message in the Custom Message field that you want the
RAC to send
when it receives certain events.
Enter the pager's PIN in the Pager ID field, and then, if required, enter
a pager password in the
Pager Password field.
Click Apply Changes at the bottom of the window.
Under Severity Configuration, specify the
trap and the severity that the trap must have to trigger a paging action from the
RAC.
Traps enable you to configure the RAC to respond to alert
conditions from the system's ESM hardware or to other conditions such as
operating system crashes or power failures.
The first (left-most) column of check boxes corresponds to
the severity level Informational, the second column corresponds to the severity
level Warning, and the third column corresponds to the severity level Critical. The last seven events can
only report the severity level Informational.
Click Apply Changes and then click OK to save the alert,
paging, and user configuration to the Server Administrator data repository.
Server Administrator returns you to the Users tab.
NOTE: You must have
Admin privileges in Server Administrator to use the Remote Access Service.
Your RAC contains an integrated 10BASE-T/100BASE-T Ethernet NIC and supports TCP/IP. The NIC has a default address of 192.168.20.1 and a default gateway of 192.168.20.1.
NOTE: If your RAC is configured to the same IP address as another NIC on the same
network, an IP address conflict occurs. The RAC stops responding to network commands
until the IP address is changed on the RAC. The RAC must be reset even if the IP
address conflict is resolved by changing the IP address of the other NIC.
NOTE: Changing the IP address of the
RAC causes the RAC to reset. If SNMP polls
the RAC before it initializes, a temperature warning is logged because the correct
temperature is not transmitted until the RAC is initialized.
To configure the network properties of your RAC, perform the following steps:
Click the Main System Chassis
object on the Server Administrator home page, and then click the Remote Access Controller object.
Click the Configuration tab.
The Configure
Network Properties window appears.
Click the check box next to Enable NIC (this option is selected by default).
To have the DHCP system assign the NIC information, click the check box
next to Use DHCP
(For
NIC IP Address). If you do not, clear (deselect) this check box and enter the
RAC's NIC information in the Static IP Address, Static Subnet Mask, and
Static Gateway Address fields.
Enable dial-in networking (for DRAC III users only):
Click the check box next to Enable Dial-In (this option is selected
by default).
To have the DHCP system assign the dial-in
information, click the check box next to
Use DHCP (For Dial-In IP Address). If you do not, clear (deselect) this check box and enter
the DRAC III modem's base IP Address in the Base IP Address field.
Specify the Dial-In Authentication settings that dial-in connections
require:
Any Allows the connection to use any type of encryption, including no
encryption
Encrypted Requires the connection to use some type of
encryption
CHAP Requires the connection to use the CHAP
To enable SMTP server address control, click the check box next to Enable SMTP, and type
the SMTP server address in the SMTP (Email)
Server Address field.
Click Apply Changes and click OK to save your
changes.
NOTE: You must have
Admin privileges in Server Administrator to use the Remote Access Service.
To configure the Remote Access Service alert properties, perform the following steps:
Click the Main System Chassis
object on the Server Administrator home page, and then click the Remote Access Controller object.
Click the Configuration tab.
Click SNMP.
Click Add or click the Destination IP
Address to edit existing SNMP alert properties.
Click the check box next to Enable SNMP Trap,
if a check isn't already in the check box.
Enter the SNMP community name to which the destination management station
belongs in the Community field.
Enter a destination IP Address of the management station
to which you want the RAC to send SNMP traps when an event occurs in the IP Address
field.
Use the check boxes under Severity Configuration to specify the events
and the severity level that those events must have to trigger an alert action from the
RAC.
The first (left-most) column of check boxes corresponds to
the severity level Informational, the second column corresponds to the severity
level Warning, and the third column corresponds to the severity level Critical. The last seven events can
only report the severity level Informational.
Click Apply Changes and then click OK to save your
changes.
NOTE: You must have
Admin privileges in Server Administrator to use the Remote Access Service.
When preset, dial-in (PPP) users call a
DRAC III, the demand dial-out entry causes the
Remote Access Service to disconnect and call the management station back at a preset number. Upon callback, users
must provide their RAC user authentication to access the
Remote Access Service.
NOTE: The Server
Administrator managed-system PPP client uses the 192.168.234.235 network to talk with the
installed DRAC III. It is possible that this network IP address could
already be in use by other systems or applications. If this situation occurs, the PPP connection
fails to operate. If this address is already in use, the user is required to change the
managed-system PPP client IP address to a different number. To change the
managed-system PPP
server IP
address to use another network so that conflicts do not occur, you must use the racadm utility.
See the Dell
Remote Access Controller Installation and Setup Guide for information
about using the racadm utility.
To add a demand dial-out entry, perform the following steps:
On the Server Administrator home page, click the Main System Chassis
object, and then click the Remote Access Controller object.
Click the Configuration tab.
Select Demand Dial-Out.
Click Add.
Enter the management station IP
address that the
Remote Access Service calls back when called by this user.
Enter the phone number used by the system's modem in the Phone Number
field.
Enter the user name for the demand dial-out user in the User Name field.
Enter the password for the demand dial-out user in the Password field.
Select a setting from the Authentication drop-down menu:
Any Allows the connection using any type of encryption, including no
encryption
Encrypted Requires the connection to use some type of
encryption
CHAP Requires the connection to use the CHAP
Click Apply Changes and click OK to save your
changes.
NOTE: You must have
Admin privileges in Server Administrator to use the Remote Access Service.
This subsection describes how to add and configure a dial-in
(PPP) user. After dial-in users are authenticated, they must enter the
RAC user authentication at the remote access controller login screen to access the DRAC III.
NOTE: The Server
Administrator managed-system PPP client uses the 192.168.234.235 network to talk with the
installed DRAC III. It is possible that this network IP address could
already be in use by other systems or applications. If this situation occurs, the PPP connection
fails to operate. If this address is already in use, the user is required to change the
managed-system PPP client IP address to a different number. To change the
managed-system PPP
server IP
address to use another network so that conflicts do not occur, you must use the racadm utility.
See the Dell
Remote Access Controller Installation and Setup Guide for
information
about using the racadm utility.
To add and configure dial-in users, perform the following steps:
On the Server Administrator home page, click the Main System Chassis
object, and then click the Remote Access Controller object.
Click the Configuration tab.
Click Dial-In Users.
Click Add.
Type a user name in the User Name field.
Type a new password in the Password field.
Type a callback number in the Callback Number field.
This number is the one the
Remote Access Service calls if Callback Type is set to Preset.
Select a setting from the Callback Type drop-down menu:
None When called, the
Remote Access Service does not disconnect and call back; the connection remains active.
Preset When called, the
Remote Access Service disconnects and calls the number specified in the Callback Number
field; this setting activates the callback number control.
User Specified When called, the
Remote Access Service asks the user for the callback number. Then the
Remote Access Service disconnects and calls the number the user specified.
Click Apply Changes and then click OK to save your
changes.
NOTE: You must have
Admin privileges in Server Administrator to use the Remote Access Service.
If the local boot image on the managed system has been corrupted, a RAC
has the ability to boot its host server using a diskette boot image that it
downloads from a Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) server. This feature is
called remote floppy boot. A RAC can also update its firmware using a firmware
image located on a TFTP server. This feature is called remote firmware update,
and the process is similar to flashing a system BIOS.
To configure the remote floppy boot feature and the remote firmware update
feature of your RAC, perform the following steps:
Click the Main System Chassis
object on the Server Administrator home page, and then click the Remote Access Controller object.
Click the Configuration tab.
The Configure
Network Properties window appears.
Click Remote Features.
The Configure Remote Properties window appears.
Click the check box next to Enable Remote Floppy Boot
to configure the remote boot
parameters,
Configure the RAC's remote boot
parameters:
Click the check box next to Enable Remote Floppy Boot.
Type the TFTP server's IP address in the Remote Floppy TFTP Address
field.
Type the boot image filename in the Remote Floppy TFTP Path field.
Configure the RAC's firmware update
parameters:
Click the check box next to Enable Remote Firmware Update.
Type the TFTP server's IP address in the Remote Firmware TFTP Address field.
Type the firmware image filename in the Remote Firmware Update Path
field.
Click Apply Changes and click OK to save your
changes.
This section provides basic information about using a RAC to monitor
and manage your system, including connecting to the RAC to access system and session
information, managing the RAC configurations, and performing remote access
functions on the managed system. This section includes the following
topics:
To link to the Remote Access Service RAC Log in window from the Server Administrator
home page, click the Main System Chassis
object, click the Remote Access Controller object, click the Remote
Connect tab, and then click Remote Connect. The RAC Log in
window appears.
You can also link to the Remote Access Service RAC Log in window by accessing the RAC's IP address
from a supported Web browser. Open your Web browser and type http://IP address in the address field and press <Enter>
(where IP address is the IP address for the RAC). The RAC Log in
window appears.
Logging In and Out
To log into the Remote Access Service RAC home page, perform the following
steps:
In the User Name field, enter your
RAC user name.
This field is case sensitive. The default login name is root.
In the Password field, enter your RAC password.
This field is case sensitive. The default password is calvin.
You can also press <Tab> to navigate to this field.
Choose an appropriate entry from the Domain drop-down box.
Local RAC is the default entry.
Click OK or press <Enter>.
To end your Remote Access Service session, click Log Out on the global
navigation bar.
The Remote Access Service RAC home page defaults to the Summary
window under the Properties tab.
Like the Server Administrator home page, the Remote Access Service RAC home page
has three main
areas:
The global navigation bar provides links to
general services.
The system tree displays the type of RAC
installed in the managed system.
The action window displays the available
management actions for the system's RAC.
Additionally, when you are logged into the Remote Access Service RAC home page, the
RAC type, system
model, and current user's user name are displayed in the top-right corner of the window.
Figure 1 shows a sample Remote Access Service RAC home page layout for a user
logged in to an ERA. For more information about the Remote Access Service RAC
home page layout, see "The Server Administrator Home Page."
Figure 1. Sample Remote Access Service RAC Home Page
From the Remote Access Service RAC home page, you can access system and
sessions information. To access system and session information for your RAC, click the Properties tab. The following options are available:
Date/Time Displays current time in one of two ways. In
the interval of time between when the RAC starts and when the managed system
event server initializes, the time displayed is the time elapsed since
the RAC start-up. Start-up time appears in the following format:
DSU+HH:MM:SS
After the managed system event system is initialized and
exchanges local time information with the RAC, the time displayed is the
local date and time. Local date and time appears in the following format:
YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS GMT<+ | - >HH:MM
NOTE: The time zone
is represented as hours and minutes east or west of GMT. West is negative,
east is positive.
Example:
2001-01-01 23:00:59 GMT - 14:30
Firmware Version Displays the current firmware version level.
Firmware Updated Displays the date and time that the firmware
was last updated.
NOTE: The Firmware
Updated field remains blank until a firmware update is performed.
Hardware Version Displays the RAC hardware version level.
Current IP Address Displays the IP address assigned to the RAC NIC.
Current IP Gateway Displays the IP address of the switch or
router currently servicing the RAC NIC.
Current IP Netmask Displays the IP address of the subnet to
which the RAC is connected.
PCMCIA Card Info Displays specifications for the PCMCIA modem,
if installed (DRAC III only).
From the Remote Access Service RAC home page, you can access sensor data. To access sensor
information, click the Sensors tab. The following options are available:
RAC Sensors (DRAC IIIs only)
Displays a summary of temperature and voltage values and status. Click the
probe name for more information about that sensor.
RAC Temperature Sensors Displays a temperature gauge that
graphically represents the current temperature and normal operating
threshold. The thresholds are also displayed as numerical values in the
top-right corner of the sensor details box. For definitions of the RAC status
indicator icons, see "Status Indicator Icons." For definitions of
the sensor
thresholds, see "Sensor Thresholds."
RAC Voltage Sensors Displays a voltage gauge that
graphically represents the current voltage and normal operating threshold. The thresholds are also displayed as numerical values in the
top-right corner of the sensor details box. For definitions of the RAC status
indicator icons, see "Status Indicator Icons." For definitions of
the sensor
thresholds, see "Sensor Thresholds."
Server Sensors
Displays a summary of managed system sensors. For more information on a
particular sensor, perform the following steps:
From the Server Sensors window, place
a check mark in the Add box to the right of the sensor.
The selected sensor appears in the Sensors to Poll box
on the right side of the screen. To remove the sensor from the Sensors to
Poll list, click X.
NOTE: You can
monitor up to eight sensors at a time.
Click Monitor Selected Sensors, after you have selected all the sensors you
want to monitor.
A summary of the eight sensors is displayed.
Click the probe name for more information on a specific sensor.
After clicking the probe name, a graphical temperature gauge
is displayed that identifies the current reading and normal operating threshold
for the probe. The thresholds are also displayed as numerical values in the
top-right corner of the sensor details box. For definitions of the RAC status
indicator icons, see "Status Indicator Icons." For definitions of the sensor
thresholds, see "Sensor Thresholds."
From the Remote Access Service RAC home page, you can access RAC logs and
system logs. To access log information, click the Logs tab. A RAC provides access to logs that are generated by both the RAC and the managed
system:
The POST log is generated by the managed system and lists POST events
recorded during the most recent system boot. To access the POST log from the Logs
window, click POST.
The contents of the POST log are written by the BIOS of the managed system
and are overwritten during each system boot. The POST log displays the following
information:
POST Code A numerical identifier associated with a particular
event that occurs during system boot.
Description A brief description of the event identified by the
POST code.
The RAC log is a persistent log maintained in the RAC firmware. To
access the RAC log from the Logs window, click RAC.
The log contains a list of user actions (such as log in and log out) and alerts issued by the RAC. The oldest entries are overwritten
when the log becomes full. If the RAC loses communication with the managed
system, all entries that the RAC would have added to the Hardware log (such
as power failure or RAC sensor alert) are added to the RAC log until
communication is re-established.
The RAC log displays the following information:
Severity Displays a RAC status indicator icon. For definitions of
the RAC status indicator icons, see "Status Indicator Icons." For definitions of
the sensor
thresholds, see "Sensor Thresholds."
Date & Time Displays the full date and time (for example, Thu
Mar 14 14:41:47 2002). When the RAC is unable to communicate
with the managed system, the letters "DSU" appear before the time, followed by the elapsed time
since the RAC was started.
User Displays the name of the user logging into the RAC.
ID Displays the identifying number of the message displayed.
Description Displays a brief description of the event.
To clear the RAC log of all entries, click Clear Log in the top-right
corner of the screen.
The hardware log displays system-critical events that occur on the managed
system. To access the hardware log from the Logs window, click Hardware.
The hardware log is generated by ESM instrumentation on the managed system
and by the RAC if you have configured it to monitor any managed system
events. It includes date, time, and a description of each event generated by the
ESM and other instrumentation on the managed system.
The hardware log displays the following information:
Date & Time Displays the date and time that the event
occurred.
Description Displays a brief description of the event.
Theboot path analysis log displays operations performed and
problems encountered during system boot. To access theboot path analysis
log from the Logs window, click Boot Path Analysis.
The boot path analysis log displays the following information:
Severity Displays a RAC status indicator icon. For definitions of
the RAC status indicator icons, see "Status Indicator Icons." For definitions of
the sensor
thresholds, see "Sensor Thresholds."
POST Code A numerical identifier associated with a particular
event that occurs during system boot.
Description A brief description of the event identified by the
POST code.
The Last Crash Screen option displays the most recent crash screen,
allowing you to obtain information on events leading up to the system crash.
This information is saved in RAC memory and made available for remote
display. To access Last Crash Screen from the Remote Access
window, click Last Crash Screen.
The Last Crash Screen option works in conjunction with the managed
system's auto recovery (watchdog timer) functions. In order to capture a last
crash screen, the system's Auto Recovery option must be set to either Reboot
System or PowerCycle System.
To set the Auto Recovery option, perform the following steps:
On the Server Administrator home page, click the System object.
Under the Properties tab click Auto Recovery.
Specify the Action on Hung Operating System Detection setting:
None Take no action when the operating system is hung or has
crashed.
Reboot System Shutdown the operating system and initiate
system startup, performing BIOS checks and reloading the operating system.
PowerOff System Turn the electrical power to the system off.
PowerCycle System Power cycle turns the electrical power to
the system off, pauses, turns the power on, and reboots the system. Power
cycling is useful when you want to reinitialize system components such as hard
disk drives.
Type a value (in seconds) in the System Reset Timer field.
Click Apply Changes and then click OK to save your
changes.
NOTE: If no crash
screen is available, the message No previously
captured last crash screen is available is displayed.
From the Remote Access Service RAC home page, you can configure sensor poll rates. To access the RAC
configuration features, click the Configuration
tab.
Poll Rates
The Poll Rates option allows you to configure the time interval for
the RAC to update specific information. To access the poll rates features from
the Configuration window, click Poll Rates.
Poll Rate configuration allows you to set the rate at which the RAC samples status information from its
integrated sensors (for DRAC IIIs only) or from the ESM sensors
on the managed system. It also determines how often the RAC retrieves system information
from the managed system. Use the Poll Rates option to change the
frequency with which the following fields are updated:
System Info Poll Rate
RAC Sensor Poll Rate (DRAC IIIs only)
Server Sensor Poll Rate
Configuring Poll Rates
From the Poll Rates window, select an
interval of seconds from the drop-down menu (15, 30, 45,
or 60).
Click Apply Changes to save the
configuration.
NOTE: Poll rate
settings are retained only for the current session and do not apply to
any other user sessions.
To access the RAC Remote Access functions, click the Remote Access
tab on the Remote Access Service RAC home page. From the Remote Access window, the following
options are available:
A RAC allows you to remotely perform a variety of power management
actions on the managed system, such as graceful shutdown through the operating
system or a hard reset (equivalent to pressing the reset button). To access the
server reset options from the Remote Access window, click Server Reset
Options.
From the Server Reset Options window, you can configure the following
resets for the managed system by selecting from the following reset options and
clicking Apply Reset Option:
NOTE: If the Graceful
Server Shutdown or the Graceful Server Restart commands are
issued to systems running Novell® NetWare® 5.1 or NetWare 6.x,
an MS-DOS® prompt is displayed. This prompt indicates that the operating
system has been shut down, but the system must be manually turned off and
on using the power button. If either of these commands are issued to
systems running Red Hat Linux 7.2 or later, the operating system shuts
down and then displays a message indicating it is okay to manually turn the system
off or on using the power button.
Graceful Server Shutdown Shuts down the managed system through
the operating system.
NOTE: If the Graceful
Server Shutdown command is issued to systems running the Microsoft® Windows
NT® operating system, the
operating system shuts down and then displays a message indicating it is
okay to manually turn off the system using the power button.
Graceful Server Restart Shuts down and restarts the managed
system through the operating system.
NOTE: When using Graceful
Server Restart, Reset, and Server Power Cycle options
with console redirection, you must allow approximately 2 minutes for the
managed system to restart before attempting to log back into the system
remotely. This time allows the managed system time to reestablish a
connection with the console redirection service.
Reset Resets the system (equivalent to pressing the reset
button); the power is not turned off by this function.
Server Power Cycle Turns off the system power and turns it on
again (equivalent to pressing the power button twice).
Server Power On Turns on the system power (equivalent to
pressing the power button).
Server Power Off Turns off the system power (equivalent to
pressing the power button).
The Remote Floppy Boot option, available for supported Windows and Red
Hat Linux operating systems, allows you to boot a
managed system from a diskette image stored on a TFTP server or on the RAC.
To access the Remote Floppy Boot option from the Remote Access window, click
Remote Floppy Boot.
Using the Remote Floppy Boot option, you can boot a managed system
into a temporary command-prompt environment to run diagnostic programs or
utilities. After the managed system boots, you can use console redirection to
interact with the command-prompt environment.
Before using the Remote Floppy Boot option, you must first do one of
the following:
Create the diskette boot image file and then copy it to a logical drive.
For systems using a supported Microsoft Windows operating system, Server
Administrator offers two
utilities to create the image file: RemoteFloppyUtility.exe (a GUI
utility), and remotefloppy.exe (a command-line utility). For more
information, see "Creating and Copying Image Files for Remote Floppy Boot."
Load the diskette boot image from a file that resides on a TFTP server or
your local file system. The RAC can load the diskette boot image into
its firmware using TFTP. After the image is loaded, the RAC can boot
the managed system from the image.
NOTE: You must have
a TFTP server running to download boot image files to the RAC. Many
TFTP servers are available both commercially or free on the Internet. If
you do not already have a TFTP server running, it is recommended that you
use one of the TFTP servers on the Microsoft website at www.microsoft.com.
NOTE: The maximum
size of the image used for remote floppy boot is 1.44 MB.
Remote Floppy Boot on Systems Running a Supported Windows Operating System
The following subsections provide procedures for using the
RemoteFloppyUtility.exe and remotefloppy.exe utilities to create an image file
for remote floppy boot.
Creating an Image File Using RemoteFloppyUtility.exe
To create or copy the boot image file using the GUI utility, perform the
following steps:
Start Windows Explorer or Windows NT
Explorer (depending on your operating system) and navigate to the directory
that contains the RemoteFloppyUtility.exe utility.
Double-click RemoteFloppyUtility.exe.
The GUI utility starts.
Under Choose Action, select the action you
want to perform.
Copy Image From Drive Letter To Filename Copies a
boot image from a logical drive (can be a RAM drive or physical drive)
to the path and file name specified.
Copy Image From Filename To Drive Letter Copies a
boot image from a path and file name specified to a logical drive.
Perform one of the following actions:
In the Filename field, specify the path and
filename of the boot image file.
or
Click Browse to open a standard Windows file
browser and select the location and name of the boot image file.
The default boot image filename is bootimg.bin.
From the Drive Letter drop-down menu, select
the drive letter designation for the source or target diskette drive.
The default diskette drive letter is A.
Click Begin Copy to start the image
transfer.
The Progress Indicator shows the percent complete of the
transfer, and the Status window shows status and error messages that may occur
during the transfer.
Click Clear to clear the Status window.
Click Clear All to reset all options to
their defaults.
Creating an Image File Using remotefloppy.exe
To create or copy the boot image file using the command-line utility, perform
the following steps:
Click the Start button, click Run, and then
type the following command and press <Enter>:
cmd
A command-prompt window opens.
At the command prompt, change to the RAC installation directory using the CD
command.
At the command prompt, type the following
command and press <Enter>:
remotefloppy.exe -h
This command returns the following text in the command prompt
window:
-p Put existing file image onto a target disk floppy.
-d <drive> Drive letter
containing floppy disk.
The
drive letter must contain ':'.
The
default drive letter is "a:".
-f <filename> Filename of boot file. The default
filename is "BOOTIMG.BIN".
-v Version information will be displayed to the user.
-h Usage syntax will be displayed to the user.
The -c (create) and -p (put) parameters are required and
mutually exclusive; you must select one or the other. The -d, -f, -v, and -h
parameters are all optional. The -v and -h parameters are used alone to display
the version of the utility and the help screen.
Type the appropriate command to create or
put the boot image file.
For example, if you want to create an image file named "BOOTIMG.BIN" from a boot image residing on logical drive A, type the following
command:
remotefloppy.exe -c
Using another example, if you want to put an image file named "BOOT1.BIN" on logical drive
B, type the following command:
remotefloppy.exe -p boot1.bin
After you create or put the desired .bin
files, close the command prompt window.
Remote Floppy Boot on Systems Running a Supported Red Hat Linux Operating System
Creating and Loading an Image File for Remote Floppy Boot
The following commands are used to create and copy the boot image file from a
Linux command shell window.
To copy the diskette image to a file, type the following line at the shell
prompt and press <Enter>:
dd if=/dev/fd0 of=<filename> bs=1440k
where <filename> is the name of the output file.
To copy an image file to a diskette, type the following line at the shell
prompt and press <Enter>:
dd if=<filename> of=/dev/fd0 bs=1440k
Performing the Remote Floppy Boot
NOTE: Before using
this procedure, you must create a diskette boot image and make it
available locally or on a TFTP server. See the previous sections for more
information.
To boot a managed system from a remote diskette image, perform the following
steps:
From the Server Administrator RAC home page, click Remote Access, and then click Remote Floppy Boot.
Check the status of the remote floppy boot
in the Status Text box on the bottom-left corner of the screen.
The following is an example of status text:
Remote Floppy Enabled: No
Image Loaded: No
Boot From: Remote Floppy, One Time
Mode: Read Only
Before you can initiate a remote floppy boot, you must load
the image and then enable the remote floppy boot feature.
If Remote Floppy Enabled is No,
perform the following steps; otherwise, proceed to step 4.
From the Commands box, click Set
Remote Floppy State.
Select Enabled, and then click Apply
Remote Floppy Boot Changes.
A feedback (progress) message appears, followed by the
remote floppy boot status. Remote Floppy Enabled should now read Yes.
If Image Loaded is No,
perform the following steps; otherwise, proceed to step 5.
At the top of the Remote Floppy Boot window, select Insert
Remote Floppy.
In the Get Image From group, select
one of the following options:
TFTP Server Select this option to download a boot image file from a TFTP server system and
load that image into the RAC. You must specify the TFTP server's IP
address and the image file. The default image file name is bootimg.bin.
Local File Select this option to load a boot image from a file on the management station (the
system running the Web browser). Type the local file path
and file name in the text box.
Click Apply Remote Floppy Boot Changes.
A Command in progress message
appears in the Status Text box, followed by the remote floppy boot status. Image Loaded
should now read Yes.
NOTE: If at any
time you want to save the boot image loaded into the RAC to a local
file, select Copy Remote Floppy to Local System File, type a file
path into the text box, and then click Apply Remote Floppy Boot Changes.
In the Remote Floppy Persistence Options box, select one of the following options:
Always Boot From Remote Floppy Select this
option to always boot the managed system from the boot image
loaded into the RAC. This option is useful if you anticipate having
to reboot the system more than once during the current diagnostic and
recovery attempt.
Boot From Remote Floppy One Time Select this
option to boot the RAC managed system from the boot image exactly
once. If you select this option, you must reselect and reapply changes (by
clicking Apply Remote Floppy Boot Changes) to your remote floppy boot
parameters.
Boot From the Physical Boot Device Select this
option to boot the managed system from its usual boot device,
such as diskette drive A. This option is useful if, for example, you have
previously used one of the image file creation utilities to copy a boot
image to a diskette and have placed it in the diskette drive in the event
you need to perform a remote floppy boot.
The Command in progress message
appears, followed by the remote floppy boot status. Boot
from should now reflect
your selection, such as Physical Floppy Drive.
To make changes to the
remote diskette boot image loaded in firmware, such as modifying a batch
file, perform the following step; otherwise proceed to step 6.
In the Remote Floppy Boot window, select Set Remote
Floppy Mode, select Read/Write, then click Apply Remote Floppy
Boot Changes.
The Command in progress message appears, followed by
the remote floppy boot status. Remote Floppy Mode should now read Read/Write.
From the Remote Access window, click Server
Reset Options.
From the Server Reset Options window,
select a reset option and click OK. (For more information, see
"Server Reset Options.")
When prompted, confirm that you want to
perform the action.
From the Server Administrator RAC home page, click Remote Access, and then
click Console
Redirect.
In the Console Redirect window,
change to the A drive, which points to the diskette boot image loaded in the
RAC. Use the dir command to view the contents of the image.
You can now make modifications to the boot image, such as using the
edit command to edit a batch file.
The Console Redirect option allows you to use the display, mouse, and
keyboard on a local management station to control the corresponding devices on
the remote managed system. To access the Console Redirect window from
the Remote Access window, click Console Redirect.
NOTE: For graphical
redirection, the managed system is performing the redirection process;
therefore, a percentage of available microprocessor time is consumed when
the process is active. It is recommended that you stop console redirection
when not needed so that the system is available to perform its normal
tasks. In addition, you should run the managed system in a
low-resolution graphics mode, such as 800 x 600, and at a maximum of 256
colors to minimize the redirection task.
NOTE: If a
supported Novell® NetWare® operating system is running on the managed system, console
redirection will be displayed as text-only.
Console redirection provides the following functions:
Preboot text, video, and keyboard redirection
Postboot graphics, video, keyboard, and mouse redirection
Seamless operation between preboot and postboot screens
NOTE: When
switching between preboot and postboot screens, it may take several
minutes for screen content to appear because the RAC must first
connect to the RAC services on the managed system.
Using the Console Redirect Buttons
The following buttons are available for use in the Console Redirect
window:
Close Use this button to exit the Console Redirect
window.
Refresh Use this button to completely update the entire remote
system-screen viewport.
CtrlAltDel Use this button to send the
<Ctrl><Alt><Delete> key combination to the remote system.
To apply the <Alt> key to the next keystroke sent to
the remote system, click the Alt check box.
To apply the <Ctrl> key to the next keystroke sent
to the remote system, click the Ctrl check box.
Help Use this button to open the online help for the Console
Redirect screen.
Enable Local Console Use this button to enable or disable the
managed system's console keyboard and mouse functions when the console is
redirected. This button operates only when the managed system is running a
supported Windows operating system, and does not operate during system boot.
Create Snapshot Use this button to capture the current remote
system screen to a .jpg file on the local system. A dialog box is
displayed to allow you to save the .jpg file to a specified location.
RAC Console Redirection on Systems Running a
Supported Red Hat Linux Operating System
For Red Hat Linux, the VNC service (RACVNC) does not display the actual
primary-system console of the managed system. Instead, RACVNC provides a virtual
desktop that the remote user can use to execute systems management applications.
This virtual desktop has all of the capabilities of any desktop that might be
displayed at the actual managed system's console. This model is the generally
accepted model for remote management for Red Hat Linux or UNIX®.
Only one shared systems management desktop is provided for console
redirection through the RAC. Therefore, all remote, user-created console-redirection sessions through the RAC share the same desktop. If multiple
management station users create console-redirection sessions at the same time,
they simultaneously share the same desktop.
The Debug option allows you to configure and perform
RAC
debugging and diagnostic tests for network and paging on the RAC or managed
system. To access RAC debug functions from the Remote Access Service RAC home page, click Debug. From the Debug window, the following options
are available:
The Network Debug option allows you to perform debugging tasks for
network and paging. To access the Network Debug window from the Debug
window, click Network Debug. From the Network Debug window, the
following information and options are available.
NOTE: After
clicking one of the following options and clicking Submit, results
of the debug tasks will be displayed in the Status Text box at the
bottom of the page.
ARP Displays the content of the ARP table. ARP entries may not
be added or deleted.
IPConfig Displays the contents of the network interface table.
NetStat Prints the contents of the routing table. If the
optional interface number is provided in the text field to the right of the NetStat
option, NetStat prints additional information regarding the traffic
across the interface, buffer usage, and other network interface information.
Ping (for DRAC IIIs only) Verifies that the destination IP address is reachable from
the DRAC III with the current routing-table contents. A destination IP
address must be entered in the field to the right of this option. An ICMP
echo packet is sent to the destination IP address based on the current
routing-table contents. If the destination matches one of the demand-dial
database destination IP addresses, and if the demand-dial connection is not
currently active, the packet is queued, and an attempt is made to bring up
the demand-dial connection.
NOTE: In the case
of nonactive demand-dial connections, the ping option might report a failure
because it usually takes more than 5 seconds to establish a demand-dial
connection. If ping is retried after the connection is established,
the packet is passed across the link. Even when the connection is
established, it is still possible that the destination system is not
reachable and able to respond to the ICMP echo. However, if the
destination system is reachable and able to respond within 5 seconds, ping
reports success on attempts after the connection is established.
The Command Debug option allows you to manually input debug commands.
To access the Command Debug window from the Debug window, click Command
Debug. From the Command Debug window, you may use any of the
following case-sensitive commands. To activate a command, click Submit.
Command responses are displayed in the Status Text box at the bottom of
the page.
NOTE: The debug selections in this group
should only be used under the
direction of qualified support personnel.
getsysinfo Displays general RAC information, system
information, or watchdog status information, depending upon which of the
following command options are entered:
getsysinfo -d Displays RAC information.
getsysinfo -s Displays system information.
getsysinfo -w Displays auto recovery
(watchdog) information.
getsysinfo -A Eliminates the printing of data
headers/labels.
getssninfo Displays a list of currently active or pending
users and optionally includes summary-session information. The summary-session information lists the total number of sessions in each of the
defined session states (Not Used, Preliminary, Unvalidated,
Valid, and Invalid).
getssninfo -A Eliminates the printing of data
headers.
getssninfo -u (user name) Limits the printed
output to only the detailed session records for the given user name; if an
asterisk (*) is entered as the user name, all users are listed; no
summary information prints when this option is specified.
coredump Displays the last RAC crash information,
including detailed information such as register values and a memory map
recorded when the most recent RAC crash occurred; displays the message No
CORE dump available if no previous card crash has occurred or if the
data has been cleared with the coredumpdelete command.
coredumpdelete Deletes the coredump stored in the RAC.
This command clears the area reserved for persistent storage of card crash
information regardless of whether any card crash information is
currently stored in the area reserved for this information.
For DRAC IIIs only:
getd3sensors Displays information about the sensors that are
present on the RAC itself.
getd3sensors -s Allows you to specify a single
sensor to display; if no -s option is used, all sensors are
displayed, one per line.
getd3sensors -AEh Displays all RAC sensors
as hexadecimal values without leading hexadecimal numbers.
The Trace Log option allows you to display the dump trace log and to set debugger trace levels to
identify the types of messages being sent on the local network. To access the Trace
Log window from the Debug window, click Trace Log. From
the Trace Log window, select one of the following options:
Dump Trace Log Selecting this option displays a UNIX®-style system log. This log is a
volatile, memory-resident log that contains time-stamped entries.
Set Trace Level This option allows you to set debugger trace
levels to identify the types of messages being sent on the local network.
Select one or more of the following options and
click Submit.
CHAT Traces the CHAT, a protocol used by PPP and numeric
paging.
DHCP Traces the DHCP packets sent and received.
IP Traces IP packets sent and received on PPP links.
PPP Traces PPP connection negotiation packets sent and
received.
TAP For DRAC IIIs only, traces TAP information sent and received.
The Status Check option allows you to perform diagnostic tasks on the
RAC or managed system. To access the Status Check window from the Debug
window, click Status Check. From the Status Check window, select
one of the following options and click Submit.
Delete Core Dump Clears the area reserved for persistent
storage of card crash information regardless of whether any card crash
information is currently stored in the area reserved for this information.
Display Last Core Dump Displays the last RAC crash,
including detailed information such as register values and a memory map
recorded when the most recent RAC crash occurred; displays the message No
CORE dump available if no previous card crash has occurred or if the
data has been deleted.
Dump RAC Status Provides status and general RAC board information.
NOTE: You must have
Admin privileges in Server Administrator to use the Remote Access Service.
Use this window to generate a certificate signing request (CSR), upload a server certificate or certificate authority (CA)
certificate to the RAC firmware, or view an existing server certificate or CA certificate.
To configure your RAC security from the Remote Access Service RAC home page,
click System> Main System Chassis> Remote Access
Controller and then click the Security tab. From the
Certificate Management window, the following options are available:
Use the Certificate Management window to generate
a certificate signing request (CSR) to send to a certificate authority (CA). The
CSR information is also stored on the RAC firmware.
A CSR is a digital
request to a CA
for a secure server certificate. Secure server certificates ensure the identity of a remote system
and ensure that information exchanged with the remote system cannot be viewed or
changed by others. To ensure the security for your RAC, it is
strongly recommended that you generate a CSR, submit the CSR to a CA, and upload
the certificate returned from the CA.
A certificate authority is a business entity that
is recognized in the IT industry for meeting high standards of reliable screening, identification,
and other important security criteria. Examples of CAs include Thwate and
VeriSign. Once the CA
receives your CSR, they review and verify the information the CSR contains. If
the applicant meets the CAs security standards, the CA issues a certificate
to the applicant that uniquely identifies that applicant for transactions over networks and on
the internet.
After the
CA approves the CSR and sends you a certificate, you must upload the certificate
to the RAC firmware. The CSR information stored on the RAC firmware must match
the information contained in the certificate.
NOTICE: Each new CSR overwrites any pervious CSR
on the firmware. It is crucial that the CSR on the firmware matches the
certificate returned from a CA.
From the Certificate Management window, select the Generate
a
new CSR option and click Next.
The Certificate
Signing Request (CSR) Generationwindow appears.
Type a value or
choose a value from a drop-down menu for each listed attribute and click Generate.
A message appears stating that the CRS was
successfully generated and giving the path where it was saved.
To upload your server certificate or CA certificate to the RAC firmware, you
must designate the CSR type, designate the exact filename and file path, and
click Upload.
From the Certificate Management window, select the Upload
certificate option and click Next.
The Upload Certificatewindow appears.
Select the certificate type from the drop-down menu.
The choices are Server Certificate and CA Certificate.
Type the exact path and file name of the certificate to be uploaded.
NOTE: Whenever you have a fully
qualified path or file name that contains spaces, you must place double
quotation marks around the string. For example, if your file is contained
in c:\security files\certificates\sslcert.cer, you must place the fully
qualified path name and file name in double quotations because there is a
space between "security" and "files." An example would
be:
"c:\security files\certificates\sslcert.cer"
Click Upload.
A message appears stating that the certificate was
successfully uploaded to the RAC firmware.
NOTE: The RAC
firmware can also be updated using the Server Administrator Update
Service.
The Update option allows you to update the RAC firmware into the
RAC flash memory. To access the firmware update from the Remote Access Service RAC home page, click
the Update tab.
NOTE: The Firmware
Updated field in the System Information window is blank until a
firmware update is performed.
The data included in the RAC firmware package includes the following:
RAC firmware code and data produced by code compilation
Expansion ROM image
Java user interface, HTML, JPEG, and other user interface data files
(including VNC Java files, if applicable)
Default configuration files
NOTE: The firmware
update retains the current RAC settings.
NOTE: You must have
a TFTP system running to download firmware image files to the RAC.
Many TFTP systems are available both commercially and without cost on the
Internet. If you do not already have a TFTP system running, Dell
recommends that you use one of the TFTP systems that you can find on the
Microsoft website at www.microsoft.com.
Updating the RAC Firmware
NOTE: Before
beginning the firmware update, you must first download the latest firmware
version from Dell Support at support.dell.com and then upload it to
a TFTP server.
To update your RAC firmware, perform the following steps:
From the Remote Access Service RAC home
page, click the Update tab.
From the Firmware Update window, type the relative path on the
TFTP server where the firmware image files reside in
the Image Path field.
Type the IP address for the TFTP server
where the firmware image resides in the TFTP Server field.
Click Update Firmware.
The RAC will reset after the firmware update is complete.
