User guide

The MergePoint SP manager provides a PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) based solution
for provisioning the BMC and can be configured to automatically provision the IPMI BMC of a
target device. The network interface card (NIC) on the BMC must support PXE to the NIC
interface. If you have a dedicated IPMI NIC, your system may not support PXE to that device
or port.
There are two modes of provisioning available: dynamic and static. For static provisioning,
when the SP manager receives a PXE request from an SP, it can obtain its MAC address from
the request and use it for comparison with the MAC address and IP address pairs in the static
provisioning table. If a MAC address in the table meets this request, the MergePoint SP
manager will assign the corresponding IP address to the SP.
Dynamic provisioning occurs when no match is found and the MergePoint SP manager selects
an IP address from a specified range for the SP.
Once you have provisioned the BMC successfully, the SP is automatically initialized with the
specified provisioning parameters and added to the Managed SP list and side navigation bar
where it can then be accessed with the MergePoint SP manager. The number of in use and free
license is re-calculated.
NOTE: Automatic provisioning is an optional feature that is only available for target devices that have IPMI BMCs.
Starting or stopping the BMC provisioning service (Admin users only)
You may start or stop the BMC provisioning service through the Provisioning window. If the
Stop button is clicked, the BMC provisioning service stops and the MergePoint SP manager
will no longer accept PXE boot requests from SPs on the LAN. However, previously
provisioned SPs that have IPMI BMCs can still be discovered.
To stop or start the BMC provisioning service:
1. Click SP - Provisioning.
2. In the Provisioning window, click Stop or Start as appropriate.
Configuring PXE parameters for IPMI BMC provisioning (Admin users only)
You must configure provisioning parameters for a BMC that will be initialized and managed by
the MergePoint SP manager.
To set basic provisioning parameters in the MergePoint SP5x00 manager:
1. Click SP - Provisioning.
2. Enter the username and gateway address in the fields provided.
3. In both the Password and Confirm Password fields, enter the password.
Chapter 2: Installation and Setup 27