Server Administrator provides a comprehensive, one-to-one systems management solution in two ways: from an integrated, Web browser-based graphical user interface (GUI) and from a command line interface (CLI) through the operating system. Server Administrator is designed for system administrators to manage systems locally and remotely on a network. Server Administrator allows system administrators to focus on managing their entire network by providing comprehensive one-to-one systems management.
NOTE: For the purposes of Server Administrator, a system can be a stand-alone system, a system with attached network storage units in separate chassis, or a modular system consisting of one or more server modules in a chassis.
Server Administrator provides information about:
Systems that are operating properly and systems that have problems
Systems that require remote recovery operations
NOTE: For remote recovery, a Dell™ Remote Access Controller must be installed.
Integrated Features
Server Administrator provides easy-to-use management and administration of local and remote systems through a comprehensive set of integrated management services. Server Administrator is the sole installation on the system being managed and is accessible both locally and remotely from the Server Administrator home page. Remotely monitored systems may be accessed by dial-in, LAN, or wireless connections. Server Administrator ensures the security of its management connections through role-based access control (RBAC), authentication, and industry-standard secure socket layer (SSL) encryption.
Installation
You can install Server Administrator by using several methods. The Dell PowerEdge™ Installation and Server ManagementCD provides a setup program to install, upgrade, and uninstall Server Administrator and other managed system software components on your managed system. The Dell Systems Management Consoles CD provides a setup program to install, upgrade, and uninstall management station software components on your management station. Additionally, you can install Server Administrator on multiple systems through an unattended installation across a network.
NOTE: If you have a modular system, you must install Server Administrator on each server module that is installed in the chassis.
NOTE: For more information on unattended Server Administrator installation/uninstallation see the Dell OpenManage™ Installation and Security User's Guide.
To update individual system components, use component-specific Dell Update Packages. Use the Dell OpenManage Server Update Utility application CD to view the complete version report and to update an entire system. The Server Update Utility is a CD-ROM–based application for identifying and applying updates to your server. The Server Update Utility can be downloaded from support.dell.com.
See the Server Update Utility User's Guide for more information about obtaining and using the Server Update Utility (SUU) to update your Dell PowerEdge server or to view the updates available for any server listed in the Repository.
Server Administrator Home Page
The Server Administrator home page provides easy-to-set up and easy-to-use Web browser-based system management tasks from the managed system or from a remote host through a LAN, dial-up service, or wireless network. When the Dell Systems Management Server Administrator Connection Service (DSM SA Connection Service) is installed and configured on the managed system, you can perform remote management functions from any system that has a supported Web browser and connection. Additionally, the Server Administrator home page provides extensive, context-sensitive online help.
Instrumentation Service
The Instrumentation Service provides rapid access to detailed fault and performance information gathered by industry-standard systems management agents and allows remote administration of monitored systems, including shutdown, startup, and security.
Remote Access Controller
NOTE: The Remote Access Controller is not available on modular systems. You must directly connect to the Dell Embedded Remote Access/Modular Chassis Controller (ERA/MC) on a modular system. See the Dell Embedded Remote Access/MC User's Guide for more information.
The Remote Access Controller provides a complete, remote system management solution for systems equipped with a Dell Remote Access Controller (DRAC) solution. The Remote Access Controller provides remote access to an inoperable system, allowing you to get the system up and running as quickly as possible. The Remote Access Controller also provides alert notification when a system is down and allows you to remotely restart a system. Additionally, the Remote Access Controller logs the probable cause of system crashes and saves the most recent crash screen.
Storage Management Service
The Storage Management Service provides storage management information in an integrated graphical view.
The Storage Management Service of Server Administrator:
Enables you to view the status of local and remote storage attached to a monitored system
Supports SCSI, SATA, ATA, and SAS. Does not support Fibre Channel
Allows you to perform controller and enclosure functions for all supported RAID and non-RAID controllers and enclosures from a single graphical or command line interface without the use of the controller BIOS utilities
Protects your data by configuring data redundancy, assigning hot spares, or rebuilding failed drives
Provides features for configuring storage
On supported MIcrosoft® Windows® operating systems, Storage Management is installed using the Typical Setup.
On systems running supported Red Hat® Enterprise Linux® and SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server operating systems, you can either install the Storage Management Service through the Red Hat Package Manager (RPM) or use the srvadmin-install.sh script—a menu driven script that installs the appropriate RPMs based on the options you choose.
For more information on the Storage Management Service, see the Storage Management online help and the Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Storage Management User's Guide. For information on how to launch the online help, see "Displaying Online Help".
NOTICE: Dell OpenManage Array Manager is no longer supported. If you are upgrading a system (installed with Dell OpenManage version 4.3 or later) with Array Manager installed, Array Manager will be removed during the upgrade process. You can use Storage Management instead.
NOTE: Installing Storage Management replaces any previous installation of the Array Manager managed system (server software) and console (client software) on the system. If only the Array Manager console is installed on the system, then installing the Storage Management does not replace the Array Manager console.
NOTE: Dell OpenManage Array Manager Console (for Management Station) is available under Windows, only if previous Dell OpenManage Management Station software (with Array Manager Console installed) is detected. It is only available for upgrade.
Diagnostic Service
NOTE: The Diagnostic Service is no longer available through Server Administrator.
To run diagnostics on your system, install Dell PowerEdge Diagnostics from your Dell PowerEdge Service and Diagnostic Utilities CD or download and install Dell PowerEdge Diagnostics from the Dell Support website at support.dell.com. Dell PowerEdge Diagnostics is a stand-alone application that can be run without installing Server Administrator. See the Dell PowerEdge Diagnostics User's Guide for more information.
Logs
Server Administrator displays logs of commands issued to or by the system, monitored hardware events, and system alerts. You can view logs on the home page, print or save them as reports, and send them by e-mail to a designated service contact.
Other Documents You Might Need
Besides this User's Guide, you can find the following guides either on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com or on the Documentation CD:
The Dell OpenManage Installation and Security User's Guide provides complete information on installation procedures and step-by-step instructions for installing, upgrading, and uninstalling Server Administrator for each supported operating system.
The Dell OpenManage Software Quick Installation Guide provides an overview of applications that you can install on your management station (console) and on your managed systems and procedures for installing your console and managed system applications on systems running supported operating systems.
The Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Compatibility Guide provides compatibility information about Server Administrator installation and operation on various hardware platforms (or systems) running supported Microsoft Windows, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating systems.
The Dell OpenManage Server Administrator SNMP Reference Guide documents the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) management information base (MIB). The SNMP MIB defines variables that extend the standard MIB to cover the capabilities of systems management agents.
The Dell OpenManage Server Administrator CIM Reference Guidedocuments the Common Information Model (CIM) provider, an extension of the standard management object format (MOF) file. The CIM provider MOF documents supported classes of management objects.
The Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Messages Reference Guide lists the messages that are displayed in your Server Administrator home page Alert log or on your operating system's event viewer. This guide explains the text, severity, and cause of each Instrumentation Service Alert message that Server Administrator issues.
The Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Command Line Interface User's Guide documents the complete command line interface for Server Administrator, including an explanation of CLI commands to view system status, access logs, create reports, configure various component parameters, and set critical thresholds.
The Dell PowerEdge Diagnostics User's Guide provides complete information on installing and using PowerEdge Diagnostics on your system.
The Dell OpenManage Baseboard Management Controller Utilities User Guide provides additional information about using Server Administrator to configure and manage your system's BMC.
The Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Storage Management User's Guide is a comprehensive reference guide for configuring and managing local and remote storage attached to a system.
The Dell Remote Access Controller Installation and Setup Guide provides complete information about installing and configuring a DRAC III, DRAC III/XT, and an ERA/O controller, configuring an ERA controller, and using a RAC to remotely access an inoperable system.
The Dell Remote Access Controller Racadm User's Guide provides information about using the racadm command-line utility.
The Dell Remote Access Controller 4 User's Guide provides complete information about installing and configuring a DRAC 4 controller and using DRAC 4 to remotely access an inoperable system.
The Dell Remote Access Controller 5 User's Guide provides complete information about installing and configuring a DRAC 5 controller and using DRAC 5 to remotely access an inoperable system.
The Dell Embedded Remote Access/MC Controller User's Guide provides complete information about configuring and using an ERA/MC controller to remotely manage and monitor your modular system and its shared resources through a network.
The Dell PowerEdge 1950 Systems — Configuration Guide provides an overview of setting up a PowerEdge 1950 system.
The Dell PowerEdge 1955 Systems — Configuration Guide provides an overview of setting up a PowerEdge 1955 system.
The Dell PowerEdge 2900 Systems — Configuration Guide provides an overview of setting up a PowerEdge 2900 system.
The Dell PowerEdge 2950 Systems — Configuration Guide provides an overview of setting up a PowerEdge 2950 system.
The Dell OpenManage Remote Install User's Guide provides information about unattended, simultaneous provisioning and configuration solutions over the network by leveraging image-based technology.
The Dell Update Packages User's Guide provides information about obtaining and using Dell Update Packages as part of your system update strategy.
The Dell OpenManageServer Update Utility User's Guide provides information about obtaining and using the Server Update Utility (SUU) to update your Dell PowerEdge server or to view the updates available for any server listed in the Repository.
The Dell PowerEdge Installation and Server Management CD contains a readme file for Server Administrator and additional readme files for most applications found on the CD.
NOTE: For information on how to monitor and set alerts for Server Administrator processes, see the white paper titled Monitoring the OpenManage Server Administrator Services at www.dell.com/openmanage.
Obtaining Technical Assistance
If at any time you do not understand a procedure described in this guide or if your product does not perform as expected, help tools are available to assist you. For more information about these help tools, see "Getting Help" in your system's Hardware Owner's Manual.
Additionally, Dell Enterprise Training and Certification is available; see www.dell.com/training for more information. This service may not be offered in all locations.
