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Using Server Administrator

Dell™ OpenManage™ Server Administrator Version 5.2 User's Guide

Starting Your Server Administrator Session

To start a Server Administrator session in a local system, click the Dell OpenManage Server Administrator icon on your desktop.

To start a Server Administrator session on a remote system, open your Web browser and type one of the following in the address field and press <Enter>:

https://hostname:1311

where hostname is the assigned name for the managed node system and 1311 is the default port number

or

https://IP address:1311

where IP address is the IP address for the managed system and 1311 is the default port number

The Server Administrator Log in window appears.

NOTE: Type https:// (and not http://) in the address field to receive a valid response in your browser.

NOTE: The default port for Dell™ OpenManage™ Server Administrator is 1311. You can change the port, if necessary. See "Dell Systems Management Server Administration Connection Service and Security Setup" for instructions on setting up your system preferences.

NOTE: When you launch Server Administrator using Internet Explorer version 7.0, an intermediate warning page may appear displaying the problem with security certificate. To ensure system security, it is strongly recommended that you generate a new X.509 certificate, reuse an existing X.509 certificate, or import a root certificate or certificate chain from a Certification Authority (CA). To avoid encountering such warning messages about the certificate, the certificate used must be from a trusted CA. For more information on X.509 Certificate Management, see "X.509 Certificate Management."

Logging In and Out

To log in to Server Administrator, type your preassigned Username and Password in the appropriate fields on the Systems Management Log in window. See "Single Sign-On" for information on how you can bypass the login page and access the Server Administrator Web application by clicking on the Dell OpenManage Server Administrator icon on your desktop.

NOTE: You must have preassigned user rights to log in to Server Administrator. See "Setup and Administration" for instructions on setting up new users.

If you are accessing Server Administrator from a defined domain, you will also need to specify the correct Domain name.

NOTE: The Application drop-down menu will appear as a non-selectable field for systems that can only access one Dell OpenManage Server Administrator component. The drop-down menu is only functional when two or more Dell OpenManage Server Administrator components are available on the managed system.

Select the Active Directory Login check box to log in using Microsoft® Active Directory®.

To end your Server Administrator session, click Log Out on the "Global Navigation Bar." The Log Out button is located in the upper-right corner of each Server Administrator home page.

Single Sign-On

The Single Sign-On option in Microsoft Windows® enables all logged-in users to bypass the login page and access the Server Administrator Web application by clicking the Dell OpenManage Server Administrator icon on your desktop.

NOTE: See the Knowledge Base article at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q258063 for more information on Single Sign-On.

For local machine access, you must have an account on the machine with the appropriate privileges (User, Power User, or Administrator). Other users are authenticated against the Microsoft Active Directory.

To launch Server Administrator using Single Sign-On authentication against Microsoft Active Directory, the following parameters must also be passed in:

authType=ntlm&application=[plugin name]

Where plugin name = omsa, ita, etc.

For example:

https://localhost:1311/?authType=ntlm&application=omsa

To launch Server Administrator using Single Sign-On authentication against the local machine user accounts, the following parameters must also be passed in:

authType=ntlm&application=[plugin name]&locallogin=true

Where plugin name = omsa, ita, etc.

For example:

https://localhost:1311/?authType=ntlm&application=omsa&locallogin=true

Server Administrator has also been extended to allow other products (such as Dell OpenManage IT Assistant) to directly access Server Administrator Web pages without going through the login page (if you are currently logged in and have the appropriate privileges).

Systems Running a Supported Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Operating System

You must configure the security settings for your browser to log in to Server Administrator from a remote management system that is running a supported Microsoft Windows Server® 2003 operating system.

The security settings for your browser might prevent the execution of client-side scripts that are used by Server Administrator. To enable the use of client-side scripting, perform the following steps on the remote management system.

NOTE: If you have not configured your browser to enable the use of client-side scripting, you might receive a blank screen when logging in to Server Administrator. In this case, an error message will appear instructing you to configure your browser settings.

Internet Explorer

1. Start your browser.
   
   
2. Click Tools® Internet Options® Security.
   
   
3. Click the Trusted Sites icon.
   
   
4. Click Sites.
   
   
5. Copy the Web address used to access the remote managed system from the browser's address bar and paste it onto the Add this Web Site to the Zone field.
   
   
6. Click Custom Level.
   
   

   For Windows 2000:

   • Under Miscellaneous, select the Allow Meta Refresh radio button.
     
     
   • Under Active Scripting, select the Enable radio button.
     
     

   For Windows 2003:

   • Under Miscellaneous, select the Allow Meta Refresh radio button.
     
     
   • Under Active Scripting, select the Enable radio button.
     
     
   • Under Active Scripting, select the Allow scripting of Internet Explorer web browser controls radio button.
     
     
7. Click OK to save the new settings.
   
   
8. Close the browser.
   
   
9. Log in to Server Administrator.
   
   

To allow Single Sign-On for Server Administrator without prompts for user credentials, perform the following steps:

1. Start your browser.
   
   
2. Click Tools® Internet Options® Security.
   
   
3. Click the Trusted Sites icon.
   
   
4. Click Sites.
   
   
5. Copy the Web address used to access the remote managed system from the browser's address bar and paste it onto the Add this Web Site to the Zone field.
   
   
6. Click Custom Level.
   
   
7. Under User Authentication, select the Automatic Logon with current username and password radio button.
   
   
8. Click OK to save the new settings.
   
   
9. Close the browser.
   
   
10. Log in to Server Administrator.
    
    

Mozilla

1. Start your browser.
   
   
2. Click Edit® Preferences.
   
   
3. Click Advanced® Scripts and Plugins.
   
   
4. Ensure that the Navigator check box is selected under Enable JavaScript for.
   
   
5. Click OK to save the new settings.
   
   
6. Close the browser.
   
   
7. Log in to Server Administrator.
   
   

The Server Administrator Home Page

NOTE: Do not use your Web browser toolbar buttons (such as Back and Refresh) while using Server Administrator. Use only the Server Administrator navigation tools.

With only a few exceptions, the Server Administrator home page has three main areas:

• The Global Navigation Bar provides links to general services.
  
  
• The System Tree displays all visible system objects based on the user's access privileges.
  
  
• The Action Window displays the available management actions for the selected system tree object based on the user's access privileges. The action window contains three functional areas:
  
  
• The action tabs display the primary actions or categories of actions that are available for the selected object based on the user's access privileges.
  
  
• The action tabs are divided into subcategories of all available secondary options for the action tabs based on the user's access privileges.
  
  
• The Data Area displays information for the selected system tree object, action tab, and subcategory based on the user's access privileges.
  
  

Additionally, when logged in to the Server Administrator home page, the system model, the assigned name of the system, and the current user's user name and User Privileges are displayed in the top-right corner of the window.

Figure 5-1 shows a sample Server Administrator home page layout for a user logged in with administrator privileges.

Figure 5-1. Sample Server Administrator Home Page

Clicking an object in the system tree opens a corresponding action window for that object. You can navigate in the action window by clicking action tabs to select major categories and clicking the action tab subcategories to access more detailed information or more focused actions. The information displayed in the data area of the action window can range from system logs to status indicators to system probe gauges. Underlined items in the data area of the action window indicate a further level of functionality. Clicking an underlined item creates a new data area in the action window that contains a greater level of detail. For example, clicking Main System Chassis under the Health subcategory of the Properties action tab lists the health status of all the components contained in the Main System Chassis object that are monitored for health status.

NOTE: Many of the system tree objects, system components, action tabs, or data area features are not available to users logged in with only User privileges. Administrator or Power User privileges are required to view many of the system tree objects, system components, action tabs, and data area features that are configurable. Additionally, only users logged in with Administrator privileges have access to the shutdown functionality included under the Shutdown tab.

Global Navigation Bar

The global navigation bar and its links are available to all user levels regardless of where you are in the program.

• Clicking Preferences opens the Preferences home page. See "Using the Preferences Home Page."
  
  
• Clicking Support connects you to the Dell Support website.
  
  
• Clicking Help opens the context-sensitive online help window. See "Using the Online Help."
  
  
• Clicking About displays Server Administrator version and copyright information.
  
  
• Clicking Log Out ends your current Server Administrator program session.
  
  

System Tree

The system tree appears on the left side of the Server Administrator home page and lists the components of your system that are viewable. The system components are categorized by component type. When you expand the main object known as System, the major categories of system components that may appear are Main System Chassis, Software, and Storage.

To expand a branch of the tree, click the plus sign ( ) to the left of an object, or double-click the object. A minus sign ( ) indicates an expanded entry that cannot be expanded further.

Action Window

When you click an item on the system tree, details about the component or object appear in the data area of the action window. Clicking an action tab displays all available user options as a list of subcategories.

Clicking an object on the system tree opens that component's action window, displaying the available action tabs. The data area defaults to a preselected subcategory of the first action tab for the selected object. The preselected subcategory is usually the first option. For example, clicking the Main System Chassis object opens an action window in which the Properties action tab and Health subcategory is displayed in the window's data area.

Data Area

The data area is located below the action tabs on the right side of the home page. The data area is where you perform tasks or view details about system components. The content of the window depends on the system tree object and action tab that are currently selected. For example, when you select BIOS from the system tree, the Properties tab is selected by default and the version information for the system BIOS appears in the data area. The data area of the action window contains many common features, including status indicators, task buttons, underlined items, and gauge indicators.

System Component Status Indicators

The icons that appear next to component names show the status of that component (as of the latest page refresh).

Table 5-1. System Component Status Indicators

Task Buttons

Most windows opened from the Server Administrator home page contain at least four task buttons: Print, Export, Email, and Refresh. Other task buttons are included on specific Server Administrator windows. Log windows, for example, also contain Save As and Clear Log task buttons. For specific information about individual task buttons, click Help on any Server Administrator home page window to view detailed information about the specific window you are viewing.

• Clicking Print prints a copy of the open window to your default printer.
  
  
• Clicking Export generates a text file that lists the values for each data field on the open window. The export file is saved to a location you specify. See "Setting User and System Preferences" for instructions on customizing the delimiter separating the data field values.
  
  
• Clicking Email creates an e-mail message addressed to your designated e-mail recipient. See "Setting User and System Preferences" for instructions on setting up your e-mail server and default e-mail recipient.
  
  
• Clicking Refresh reloads the system component status information in the action window data area.
  
  
• Clicking Save As saves an HTML file of the action window in a .zip file.
  
  
• Clicking Clear Log erases all events from the log displayed in the action window data area.
  
  

NOTE: The Export, Email, Save As, and Clear Log buttons are only visible for users logged in with Power User or Administrator privileges.

Underlined Items

Clicking an underlined item in the action window data area displays additional details about that item.

Gauge Indicators

Temperature probes, fan probes, and voltage probes are each represented by a gauge indicator. For example, Figure 5-2 shows readings from a system's CPU fan probe.

Figure 5-2. Gauge Indicator

Using the Online Help

Context-sensitive online help is available for every window of the Server Administrator home page. Clicking Help on the global navigation bar opens an independent help window that contains detailed information about the specific window you are viewing. The online help is designed to help guide you through the specific actions required to perform all aspects of the Server Administrator services. Online help is available for all windows you can view, based on the software and hardware groups that Server Administrator discovers on your system and your user privilege level.

Using the Preferences Home Page

The Preferences home page defaults to the Access Configuration window under the Preferences tab.

From the Preferences home page you can restrict access to users with User and Power User privileges, set the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) password, and configure user settings and secure port system settings.

Like the Server Administrator home page, the Preferences home page has three main areas:

• The global navigation bar provides links to general services.
  
  
• Clicking Back to Server Administrator returns you to the Server Administrator home page.
  
  
• The left pane of the Preferences home page (where the system tree is displayed on the Server Administrator home page) displays the preference categories for the managed system.
  
  
• The action window displays the available settings and preferences for the managed system.
  
  

Figure 5-3 shows a sample Preferences home page layout.

Figure 5-3. Sample Preferences Home Page

Using the Server Administrator Command Line Interface

The Server Administrator command line interface (CLI) allows users to perform essential systems management tasks from the operating system command prompt of a monitored system.

In many cases, the CLI allows a user with a very well-defined task in mind to rapidly retrieve information about the system. Using CLI commands, for example, administrators can write batch programs or scripts to execute at specific times. When these programs execute, they can capture reports on components of interest, such as fan RPMs. With additional scripting, the CLI can be used to capture data during periods of high system usage to compare with the same measurements at times of low system usage. Command results can be routed to a file for later analysis. The reports can help administrators to gain information that can be used to adjust usage patterns, to justify purchasing new system resources, or to focus on the health of a problem component.

For complete instructions on the functionality and use of the CLI, see the Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Command Line Interface User's Guide.

Dell Systems Management Server Administration Connection Service and Security Setup

This section contains the following topics:

• Setting User and System Preferences
  
  
• X.509 Certificate Management
  
  

Setting User and System Preferences

You set user and secure port system preferences from the Preferences home page.

NOTE: You must be logged in with Administrator privileges to set or reset user or system preferences.

Perform the following steps to set up your user preferences:

1. Click Preferences on the global navigation bar.
   
   

The Preferences home page appears.

2. Click General Settings.
   
   
3. To add a preselected e-mail recipient, type the e-mail address of your designated service contact in the Mail To: field, and click Apply Changes.
   
   

NOTE: Clicking Email in any window sends an e-mail message with an attached HTML file of the window to the designated e-mail address.

4. To change the home page appearance, select an alternative value in the skin or scheme fields and click Apply Changes.
   
   

Perform the following steps to set up your secure port system preferences:

1. Click Preferences on the global navigation bar.
   
   

The Preferences home page appears.

2. Click General Settings, and the Web Server tab.
   
   
3. In the Server Preferences window, set options as necessary.
   
   
   • The Session Timeout feature can set a limit on the amount of time that a Server Administrator session can remain active. Select the Enable radio button to allow Server Administrator to time out if there is no user interaction for a specified number of minutes. Users whose session times out must log in again to continue. Select the Disable radio button to disable the Server Administrator session timeout feature.
     
     
   • The HTTPS Port field specifies the secure port for Server Administrator. The default secure port for Server Administrator is 1311.
     
     

NOTE: Changing the port number to an invalid or in-use port number might prevent other applications or browsers from accessing Server Administrator on the managed system. See the Dell OpenManage Installation and Security User's Guide for the list of default ports.

• The IP Address to Bind to field specifies the IP address(es) for the managed system that Server Administrator binds to when starting a session. Select the All radio button to bind to all IP addresses applicable for your system. Select the Specific radio button to bind to a specific IP address.
  
  

NOTE: Changing the IP Address to Bind to value to a value other than All may prevent other applications or browsers from accessing Server Administrator on the managed system.

• The SMTP Server name and DNS Suffix for SMTP Server fields specify your company or organization's Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) and domain name server (DNS) suffix. To enable Server Administrator to send e-mails, you must type the IP address and DNS suffix for the SMTP Server for your company or organization in the appropriate fields.
  
  

NOTE: For security reasons, your company or organization might not allow e-mails to be sent through the SMTP server to outside accounts.

• The Command Log Size field specifies the largest file size in MB for the command log file.
  
  
• The Support Link field specifies the URL for the business entity that provides support for your managed system.
  
  
• The Custom Delimiter field specifies the character used to separate the data fields in the files created using the Export button. The ; character is the default delimiter. Other options are !, @, #, $, %, ^, *, ~, ?, :,|, and ,.
  
  
• The SSL Encryption field specifies the encryption levels for the secured HTTPS sessions. The available encryption levels include Auto Negotiate and 128-bit or higher.
  
  
• Auto Negotiate: To allow connection from browser with any encryption strength. The browser auto negotiates with the Server Administrator web server and uses the highest available encryption level for the session. Legacy browsers with weaker encryption can connect to the Server Administrator.
  
  
• 128-bit or higher: To allow connections from browsers with 128-bit or higher encryption strength. One of the following cipher suites will be applicable based upon the browser for any established sessions:
  
  

SSL_RSA_WITH_RC4_128_SHA

SSL_RSA_WITH_RC4_128_MD5

SSL_DHE_RSA_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA

TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA

SSL_RSA_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA

TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA

TLS_DHE_DSS_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA

SSL_DHE_DSS_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA

NOTE: 128-bit or higher option does not allow connections from browsers with lower SSL encryption strength, such as 40 bit, 56 bit.

NOTE: Restart the Server Administrator web server for the changes to take effect.

NOTICE: If the encryption level is set to 128-bit or higher, you can access or modify the Server Administrator settings using a browser with the same or higher encryption levels.

4. When you finish setting options in the Server Preferences window, click Apply Changes.
   
   

X.509 Certificate Management

Web certificates are necessary to 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 system security, it is strongly recommended that you generate a new X.509 certificate, reuse an existing X.509 certificate, or import a root certificate or certificate chain from a Certification Authority (CA).

NOTE: You must be logged in with Administrator privileges to perform certificate management.

To manage X.509 certificates through the Preferences home page, click General Settings, click the Web Server tab, and click X.509 Certificate.

Use the X.509 certificate tool to either generate a new X.509 certificate, reuse an existing X.509 certificate, or import a root certificate or certificate chain from a CA. Authorized CAs include Verisign, Entrust, and Thawte.

Controlling Server Administrator

Server Administrator automatically starts each time you reboot the managed system. To manually start, stop, or restart Server Administrator, use the following instructions.

NOTE: To control Server Administrator, you must be logged in with administrator privileges (logged in as root for supported Red Hat® Enterprise Linux® or SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server operating systems).

Starting Server Administrator

Supported Microsoft Windows Operating Systems

To start Server Administrator on systems running a supported Microsoft Windows operating system, perform the following steps:

1. Click the Start button and point to Settings® Control Panel® Administrative Tools® Services.
   
   

The Services window appears.

2. Right-click the Dell Systems Management Server Administration (DSM SA) Connection Service icon.
   
   
3. Click Start.
   
   

Supported Red Hat Enterprise Linux and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Operating Systems

To start Server Administrator on systems running a supported Red Hat Enterprise Linux or SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating system, run the following command from the command line:

dsm_om_connsvc start

Stopping Server Administrator

Supported Microsoft Windows Operating Systems

To stop Server Administrator, perform the following steps:

1. Click the Start button and point to Settings® Control Panel® Administrative Tools® Services.
   
   

The Services window appears.

2. Right-click the DSM SA Connection Service icon.
   
   
3. Click Stop.
   
   

Supported Red Hat Enterprise Linux and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Operating Systems

To stop Server Administrator on systems running a supported Red Hat Enterprise Linux or SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating system, run the following command from the command line:

dsm_om_connsvc stop

Restarting Server Administrator

Supported Microsoft Windows Operating Systems

To restart Server Administrator, perform the following steps:

1. Click the Start button and point to Settings® Control Panel® Administrative Tools® Services.
   
   

The Services window appears.

2. Right-click the DSM SA Connection Service icon.
   
   
3. Click Restart.
   
   

Supported Red Hat Enterprise Linux and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Operating Systems

To restart Server Administrator on systems running a supported Red Hat Enterprise Linux or SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating system, run the following command from the command line:

dsm_om_connsvc restart

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