NOTE: Baseboard
Management Controller (BMC)is supported on Dell™ PowerEdge™ x8xx and
x9xx systems and the Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) is
supported on Dell xx0xand
xx1xsystems.
Overview
This chapter provides information on accessing and using the remote access
features of BMC/iDRAC and DRAC.
The Dell systems baseboard management controller (BMC)/Integrated Dell Remote
Access Controller (iDRAC) monitors the system for critical events by
communicating with various sensors on the system board and sends alerts and log
events when certain parameters exceed their preset thresholds. The BMC/iDRAC
supports the industry-standard Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI)
specification, enabling you to configure, monitor, and recover systems remotely.
The DRAC is a systems management hardware and software solution designed to
provide remote management capabilities, crashed system recovery, and power
control functions for Dell systems.
By communicating with the system’s baseboard management controller (BMC)/
Integrated Dell Remote Access Card (iDRAC), the DRAC can be configured to send
you e-mail alerts for warnings or errors related to voltages, temperatures, and
fan speeds. The DRAC also logs event data and the most recent crash screen
(available only on systems running Microsoft® Windows® operating system) to help you diagnose the probable cause of a system
crash.
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.
You can log in to the Remote Access Controller through the Server
Administrator home page or by directly accessing the controller's IP address
using a supported browser.
When using the Remote Access Controller, you can click Help on the
global navigation bar for more detailed information about the specific window
you are viewing. Remote Access Controller 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 4 User’s Guide for more information on using DRAC 4 or
Dell Remote Access Controller 5 User’s Guide for more information on using DRAC
5.
NOTE: See the Dell
OpenManage™ Baseboard Management Controller Utilities User's Guide for more
information about the BMC.
NOTE: See the
Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller User’s Guide for detailed information on
configuring and using the iDRAC.
Table 6-1 lists the GUI field names and the
applicable system, when Server Administrator is installed on the system.
Table 6-1. System Availability for the Following GUI Field Names
GUI Field Name
Applicable System
Modular Enclosure
Modular System
Server module
Modular System
Main System
Modular System
System
Non-Modular System
Main system Chassis
Non-Modular System
See the Dell™ OpenManage™ Server Administrator Installation Guide
for VMware® ESXi 3.5 for more information on the systems support for remote access
devices.
Server Administrator allows remote, in-band access to event logs, power
control, and sensor status information and provides the ability to configure the
BMC/iDRAC. You can manage BMC/iDRAC and DRAC through the Server Administrator
graphical user interface by clicking the Remote Access object, which is a
subcomponent of the Main System Chassis/Main System group. You can
perform the following tasks:
View basic information
Configure the remote access device on a LAN connection
Configure the remote access device on a serial over LAN connection
Configure the remote access device on a serial port connection
You can view BMC/iDRAC or DRAC information based on which hardware is
providing the remote access capabilities for the system.
In addition, the Server Administrator Instrumentation Service allows you to
manage the Platform Event Filters (PEF) parameters and alert destinations.
NOTE: You can view BMC
data on Dell PowerEdge x8xx and x9xx systems only.
Viewing Basic Information
You can view basic information about the BMC/iDRAC, IPv4 Address, and DRAC.
You can also reset the BMC settings to their default values. To do this:
NOTE: You must be
logged in with Administrator privileges to reset the BMC settings.
Click the Modular Enclosure�System/Server Module�Main System Chassis/Main System�Remote Access object.
The Remote Access page displays the following base
information of the system’s BMC:
Remote Access Device
Device type
IPMI Version
System GUID
Number of Possible Active Sessions
Number of Current Active Sessions
LAN Enabled
SOL Enabled
MAC Address
IPv4 Address
IP Address Source
IP Address
IP Subnet
IP Gateway
IPv6 Address
IP Address Source
IPv6 Address 1
Default
Gateway
IPv6 Address 2
Link Local Address
DNS
Address Source
Preferred
DNS Server
Alternate DNS
Server
NOTE: You will be able
to view IPv4 and IPv6 address details only if you enable the IPv4 and IPv6
address properties under Additional Configuration in the Remote Access
tab.
Configuring the Remote Access
Device to use a LAN Connection
NOTE: The LAN
configuration fields are displayed as read-only if they are configured as
disabled for inband users.
You can configure the remote access device for communication over a LAN
connection. To do this:
Click the Modular Enclosure�
System/Server Module�
Main System Chassis/Main System�
Remote Access object.
Click the Configuration tab.
Click LAN.
The LAN Configuration window appears.
NOTE: BMC/iDRAC
management traffic will not function properly if the LAN on motherboard (LOM) is
teamed with any network adapter add-in-cards.
Configure the following NIC configuration details:
Enable NIC (This option is available
on Dell PowerEdge x9xx
systems and when DRAC is installed. Select this option for NIC teaming. In
Dell PowerEdge x9xx
systems, you can team NICs for added redundancy.)
NOTE: Your DRAC
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 DRAC is
configured to the same IP address as another NIC on the same network, an IP
address conflict occurs. The DRAC stops responding to network commands until the
IP address is changed on the DRAC. The DRAC 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 DRAC causes the DRAC to reset. If SNMP polls the DRAC before it
initializes, a temperature warning is logged because the correct temperature is
not transmitted until the DRAC is initialized.
NIC Selection
NOTE: NIC Selection
cannot be configured on modular systems.
Enable IPMI Over LAN
IP Address Source
IP
Address
Subnet Mask
Gateway Address
Channel
Privilege Level Limit
New
Encryption Key (This option is available on Dell PowerEdge
x9xx systems.)
Configure the following optional VLAN configuration details:
NOTE: VLAN
configuration is not applicable for systems with iDRAC.
Enable VLAN ID
VLAN ID
Priority
Configure the following IPv4 Properties:
IP Address Source
IP Address
Subnet Mask
Gateway Address
Configure the following IPv6 Properties:
IP Address Source
IP Address
Prefix Length
Default Gateway
DNS
Address Source
Preferred
DNS Server
Alternate DNS
Server
NOTE: You will be able
to configure the IPv4 and IPv6 address details only if you enable the IPv4 and
IPv6 properties under Additional Configuration.
Click Apply Changes.
Configuring the Remote Access
Device to use a Serial Port Connection
You can configure the BMC for communication over a serial port connection. To
do this:
Click the Modular Enclosure�
System/Server Module�
Main System Chassis/Main System�
Remote Access object.
Click the Configuration tab.
Click Serial Port.
The Serial Port Configuration window appears.
Configure the following details:
Connection Mode Setting
Baud Rate
Flow Control
Channel Privilege Level Limit
Click Apply Changes.
Click Terminal Mode Settings.
In the Terminal Mode Settings window, you can configure
terminal mode settings for the serial port.
Terminal mode is used for Intelligent Platform Interface
Management (IPMI) messaging over the serial port using printable ASCII
characters. Terminal mode also supports a limited number of text commands to
support legacy, text-based environments. This environment is designed so that a
simple terminal or terminal emulator can be used.
Specify the following customizations to increase compatibility
with existing terminals:
Line Editing
Delete Control
Echo
Control
Handshaking
Control
New Line Sequence
Input New Line Sequence
Click Apply Changes.
Click Back To Serial Port Configuration Window to go to
back to the
Serial Port Configuration window.
Configuring the Remote Access
Device to use a Serial Over LAN Connection
You can configure the BMC/iDRAC for communication over a serial over LAN
(SOL) connection. To do this:
Click the Modular Enclosure�
System/Server Module�
Main System Chassis/Main System�
Remote Access object.
Click the Configuration tab.
Click Serial Over LAN.
The Serial Over LAN Configuration window appears.
Configure the following details:
Enable Serial Over LAN
Baud Rate
Minimum
Privilege Required
Click Apply Changes.
Click Advanced Settings to further configure BMC.
In the Serial Over LAN Configuration Advanced Settings
window, you may configure the following information:
Character Accumulate Interval
Character Send Threshold
Click Apply Changes.
Click Go Back to Serial Over LAN Configuration to return to
the Serial Over LAN Configuration window.
Additional Configuration for
iDRAC
You can configure the IPv4 and IPv6 properties using the Additional
Configuration tab. To do this:
Click the Modular Enclosure�
System/Server Module�
Main System Chassis/Main System�
Remote Access object.
Click the Configuration tab.
Click Addtional Configuration.
Configure the IPv4 and IPv6 properties as Enabled or
Disabled.
Click Apply Changes.
Configuring Remote Access
Device Users
Remote access device users can be configured using the Remote Access
page. To access this page:
Click the Modular Enclosure�
System/Server Module�
Main System Chassis/Main System�
Remote Access object.
Click the Users tab.
The Remote Access Users window displays information
about users that can be configured as BMC/iDRAC users.
Click User ID to configure a new or existing BMC/iDRAC
user.
The Remote Access User Configuration window allows you
to configure a specific BMC/iDRAC user.
Specify the following general information:
Select Enable User to enable
the user.
Enter the name
for the user in the User Name field.
Select the Change Password check box.
Enter a new password in the New Password field.
Re-enter the new password in the Confirm New Password field.
Specify the following user privileges:
Select the maximum LAN user privilege
level limit.
Select the
maximum serial port user privilege granted.
On Dell PowerEdge x9xx
systems, select Enable Serial Over LAN to enable Serial Over LAN.
Specify the following iDRAC user privileges.
Click Apply Changes to save changes.
Click Back to Remote Access User Window to go back to the
Remote Access Users window.
NOTE: Six additional
user entries are configurable when DRAC is installed. This results in a total of
16 users. The same username and password rules apply to BMC/iDRAC and RAC users.
When DRAC/iDRAC6 is installed, all the 16 users entries are allocated to DRAC.
Setting Platform Event Filter
Alerts
You can use the Server Administrator Instrumentation Service to configure the
most relevant BMC features, such as Platform Event Filter (PEF) parameters and
alert destinations. To do this:
Click the System object.
Click the Alert Management tab.
Click Platform Events.
The Platform Events window allows you to take
individual action on specific platform events. You can select those events for
which you want to take shutdown actions and generate alerts for selected
actions. You can also send alerts to specific IP address destinations of your
choice.
NOTE: You must be
logged in with Administrator privileges to configure the BMC Platform Event
Filter Alerts.
NOTE: The
Enable Platform Event Filters Alerts setting disables or enables platform
event filter alert generation. It is independent of the individual platform
event alert settings.
NOTE: System Power
Probe Warning and System Power Probe Failure are not supported on
Dell systems without PMBus support although Server Administrator allows you to
configure them.
NOTE: On Dell PowerEdge
1900 systems, the PS/VRM/D2D Warning, PS/VRM/D2D Failure,
andPower Supply
Absent Platform Event Filters are not supported even though Server
Administrator allows you to configure these Event Filters.
Choose the platform event for which you want to take shutdown
actions or generate alerts for selected actions and click Set Platform Events.
The Set Platform Events window allows you to specify
the actions to be taken if the system is to be shut down in response to a
platform event.
Select one of the following actions:
None Takes no action when
the operating system is hung or has crashed.
Reboot System Shuts down the operating system and initiates system
startup, performing BIOS checks and reloading the operating system.
Power Cycle System 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 drives.
Power Off System Turns off the electrical power to the system.
Power Reduction Throttles the CPU.
CAUTION: If you select a Platform Event shutdown action other
than None or Power Reduction, your system will shut down forcefully
when the specified event occurs. This shutdown is initiated by firmware and
is done without first shutting down the operating system or any running
applications.
Select the Generate Alert check box for the alerts to be
sent.
NOTE: To generate an
alert, you must select both
Generate Alert and the
Enable Platform Events Alerts settings.
Click Apply
Changes.
Click Go Back
to Platform Events Page to go back to the Platform Event Filters
window.
Setting Platform Event Alert Destinations
You can also use the Platform Event Filters window to select a
destination where an alert for a platform event is to be sent. Depending on the
number of destinations that are displayed, you can configure a separate IP
address for each destination address. A platform event alert will be sent to
each destination IP address that you configure.
Click
Configure Destinations in the Platform Event Filters window.
The Configure Destinations window displays a number of
destinations.
Click the number of the destination you want to configure.
NOTE: The number of
destinations that you can configure on a given system may vary.
Select the Enable Destination check-box.
Click
Destination Number to enter an individual IP address for that
destination. This IP address is the IP address to which the platform event alert
will be sent.
Enter a value in the
Community String field to act as a password to authenticate messages sent
between a management station and a managed system. The community string (also
called the community name) is sent in every packet between the management
station and a managed system.
Click Apply
Changes.
Click Go Back
to Platform Events Page to go back to the Platform Event Filters
window.
