Dell OpenManage™ Baseboard Management Controller Utilities User’s Guide w w w. d e l l . c o m | s u p p o r t . d e l l .
Notes and Notices NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer. NOTICE: A NOTICE indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem. ___________________ Information in this document is subject to change without notice. © 2006 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden.
Contents 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . What’s New in BMC Management Utility 2.0 . Supported Systems . 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 9 11 11 12 13 14 BMC Configuration and Management Tasks Configuring the BMC . . . . . . . Managing the System Using BMC BMC Action on Event . . . . . . . Basic BMC Alerting Over a LAN .
Creating a CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Installation and Setup for Linux Operating Systems Basic configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 29 30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Configuring Your BMC Using Server Administrator . Using Dell Remote Access Controller 5 3 Using the BMC Management Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4 Known Issues and Frequently Asked Questions Known Issues . . . . . . . . 71 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 General Issues . . SOL Proxy Issues . IPMI Shell Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A BMC Management Utility Error Codes .
Glossary Index . 6 Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Introduction The Dell™ PowerEdge™ systems’ baseboard management controller (BMC) monitors the system for critical events by communicating with various sensors on the system board and sends alerts and logs events when certain parameters exceed their preset thresholds. The BMC supports the industry-standard Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) specification, enabling you to configure, monitor, and recover systems remotely.
What’s New in BMC Management Utility 2.0 The BMC Management Utility (BMU) 2.0 has the following new features: • Interactive mode for the IPMI Shell. • New commands for IPMI Shell and SOL Proxy to connect to remote BMC and display sensor status. • Choice of menu and command mode in SOL Proxy. • Support for the following maximum baud rates for BMC serial communication and SOL: – 19200 for PowerEdge 1425SC and other PowerEdge x8xx systems.
BMC Configuration and Management Tasks The following sections document the basic tasks needed to set up and configure the BMC on a managed system in preparation for using the BMC Management Utility.
Figure 1-1.
BMC Action on Event If you plan to use your system’s BMC to peform actions when events occur, you must follow the BMC Action on Event configuration guidelines listed in Table 1-1. Table 1-1.
IPMI Shell Over a LAN Table 1-3 lists the actions you can perform, if you plan to use the BMC Management Utility’s IPMI Shell or other IPMI tools to access your system’s BMC over a LAN. Table 1-3.
IPMI Shell Over the Serial Cable If you plan to use the BMC Management Utility’s IPMI Shell to access your system’s BMC over a serial cable, you must follow the BMC configuration guidelines listed in Table 1-4. NOTE: Console redirection does not apply to BMC when using the serial interface. Table 1-4.
SOL Proxy Over a LAN If you plan to use the BMC Management Utility’s SOL Proxy to access your system’s console over a LAN, you must follow the BMC configuration guidelines listed in Table 1-5. Table 1-5.
BMC Configuration and Management Tools Using the Remote Access Configuration Utility The Remote Access Configuration Utility provides basic BMC setup and configuration functions that can be accessed during system boot. Use the Remote Access Configuration Utility for initial BMC setup and configuration only. For advanced configuration tasks, you must use the Deployment Toolkit Version 2.1 SYSCFG.EXE utility or Server Administrator Version 2.0 or later.
Platform Event Filter (PEF) parameters and alert destinations. Additionally, Server Administrator can be used as a command line interface. Server Administrator requires that the system has an operating system installed and functioning. As a result, Server Administrator is best suited for everyday BMC management tasks, and is not an option for performing pre-boot setup or accessing the BMC as an emergency management console.
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 Installation and Troubleshooting Guide or the Hardware Owner’s Manual. Additionally, Dell Enterprise Training and Certification is available; see www.dell.com/training for more information.
Introduction
Configuring Your Managed System Before using the BMC Management Utility, configure certain items, such as the necessary system BIOS, network, Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) encryption key, and serial connection settings, depending on the functionality to be performed, to enable access to the BMC. NOTE: The IPMI encryption key is a public key that is used to generate an encryption key for use between the firmware and the application.
4 Use the up- and down-arrow keys to navigate to the Serial Port 1 field and press . 5 Use the space bar to select the serial port option. The options are COM1, COM3, BMC Serial, BMC NIC, Off, and RAC (if an optional RAC is installed in the system). To use BMC, serial port 1 uses the COM1 address and communication can be through the serial port or the integrated shared NIC. RAC control uses only the COM1 address.
5 Select the appropriate option for Console Redirection. The following options are available: On without Console Redirection: COM1 and COM2 are enabled and available for use by the operating system or applications. Console redirection is disabled. This is the default option. On with Console Redirection via COM1: When BIOS console redirection is enabled through COM1, the COM1 port is not available to applications through the operating system.
Using BIOS Console Redirection With SOL Proxy Console redirection allows maintenance of a system from a remote location by redirecting keyboard input and output through the serial port. Any console-based feature or operating system can then be used to access the server. DR-DOS, Linux (init 3) and Windows® Special Administrative Console (SAC) are examples of operating systems and consoles that can be used to access the server.
Baseboard Management Controller Configuration You can perform basic BMC configuration using the Remote Access Configuration Utility during system startup. See Figure 2-1. For more advanced configuration options, see the instructions for the SYSCFG.EXE utility in the Deployment Toolkit 2.1 User’s Guide. Figure 2-1. Remote Access Configuration Utility Entering the Remote Access Configuration Utility 1 Turn on or restart your system. 2 Press when prompted after POST.
Table 2-1. Remote Access Configuration Utility Option Description IPMI Over LAN Enables or disables the out-of-band LAN channel access to the shared network controller. NIC Selection Displays the configuration option. NOTE: This option is available only • Shared on Dell PowerEdge x9xx systems. Select this option to share the network interface with the host operating system. The remote access device network interface is fully functional when the host operating system is configured for NIC teaming.
Table 2-1. Remote Access Configuration Utility (continued) Option Description IP Address Source Displays whether the network controller will be assigned a Static IP address or a DHCP address. Ethernet IP Address The static IP address of the BMC. This field is limited to a maximum value of 255.255.255.255. The following IPv4 rules apply: • IP addresses cannot be 127.xxx.xxx.xxx, where xxx is between 0-255. • The first octet must be between 1-223 (i.e. 143.xxx.xxx.xxx) NOTE: IP address 169.254.0.
Table 2-1. Remote Access Configuration Utility (continued) Option Description Host Name String Specifies the managed system hostname used to correlate Platform Event Traps to the system on which they originate. Use alpha-numerics, but no symbols (except ’-’) or spaces. Advanced LAN Parameters NOTE: This option is available only on systems with a DRAC installed. Dedicated NIC Configuration Options NIC Enables or disables the NIC Auto-Negotiate Enables or disables Auto-Negotiation of the LAN Speed.
Table 2-1. Remote Access Configuration Utility (continued) Option Description Domain Name from DHCP Turns the domain name on or off. Domain Name This field is read-only when DNS Servers from DHCP is set to on. Enter the Domain Name using 1-64 alpha-numerics, spaces, and symbols. Press to save the value. Press to exit the field without saving. Virtual Media Configuration NOTE: This option is available only on systems with a DRAC installed.
Configuring Your BMC Using the Deployment Toolkit Utility The Dell OpenManage Deployment Toolkit Version 2.1 SYSCFG.EXE Utility includes a set of Microsoft® Windows PE and Linux-based utilities for configuring and deploying PowerEdge systems. The Deployment ToolKit (DTK) SYSCFG.EXE utility is specifically designed to address all necessary BMC configuration tasks using a powerful and comprehensive command-line interface.
Creating a CD Use the following steps to create bootable media that can be used to configure the BMC on a managed system: 1 Create a directory, WinPE_OPKTools, on your hard drive. 2 Insert the Windows OEM Preinstallation Kit (OPK) CD into your CD drive. 3 Copy all CD files from the Windows PE directory to the WinPE_OPKTools directory. 4 Copy factory.exe and netcfg.exe from the CD drive \tools\x86 directory to the WinPE_OPKTools directory. 5 Remove the CD from the CD drive.
5 Copy your custom scripts into the folder you created in step 4. NOTE: Your scripts should also take care of copying miscellaneous items to unlock the CD, so that the CD can be mounted and ejected as required by the operating system’s installation process. 6 In /mnt/cdrom/isolinux.cfg, the cd install section points to your customized start-up script. NOTE: The scripts that you copy into the CD will be copied to and run from the RAM disk. This task is done to ensure the CD is not locked.
4 To set the password for a BMC user, at the command prompt, type: syscfg passwordaction --action=setpassword --userid=X --password=password where password is an ASCII string of 16 or fewer characters for PowerEdge x8xx systems and 20 characters for PowerEdge x9xx systems. NOTICE: A password must be set for each BMC user. The BMC firmware does not allow access to users with null user names or passwords. Press to execute the command-line options.
2 To configure the serial port for BMC, at the command prompt, type: syscfg scp --connectionmode=basic --msgcommbitrate=XXXXX where XXXXX is the baud rate in bps. Press to execute the command line options. 3 To configure the terminal mode for BMC, at the command prompt, type: syscfg scp --connectionmode=terminal --msgcommbitrate=XXXXX where XXXXX is the baud rate in bps. Press to execute the command line options.
5 The BMC Information window is displayed. 6 Click the Configuration tab. Under the Configuration tab, you can configure LAN, Serial Port, and Serial Over LAN. 7 Click the Users tab. Under the Users tab, you can modify the BMC user configuration. NOTICE: A password must be set for each BMC user. The BMC firmware does not allow access to users with null user names or passwords.
5 Click Apply Changes when completed. 6 Click the appropriate Network Configuration page button to continue. Adding and Configuring DRAC 5 Users Create unique users with specific administrative permissions (or role-based authority) to manage your system with the DRAC 5 and maintain system security. For additional security, you can also configure alerts that are e-mailed to specific users when a specific system event occurs. NOTE: You must have Configure DRAC 5 permission to do the following steps.
Using the BMC Management Utility The BMC Management Utility is a collection of software applications that enable remote management and configuration of systems equipped with a BMC. The BMC Management Utility includes the following components: • Command Line Interface (IPMI Shell) The IPMI Shell is a scriptable console application program used for the control and management of remote systems using the IPMI 1.5 protocol or later. The IPMI Shell supports both serial access and LAN access to the BMC .
NOTE: HyperTerminal and telnet settings must be consistent with the settings on the managed system. For example, the baud rates and terminal modes should match. NOTE: The Windows "telnet" command that is run from a MS-DOS® prompt supports ANSI terminal emulation, and the BIOS needs to be set for ANSI emulation to display all the screens correctly. Installing the BMC Management Utility The BMC Management Utility is installed on a management station to remotely connect to the managed system’s BMC.
Installation Procedures The following installation procedures provide step-by-step instructions for installing and uninstalling the BMC Management Utility for each supported operating system: • Installing/uninstalling on systems running supported Windows operating systems • Installing/uninstalling on systems running supported Linux operating systems Installing on Systems Running Supported Windows Operating Systems To install the BMC Management Utility on a management station running the Windows operatin
See the Dell OpenManage Version 5.0 User's Guide for additional information about installing the BMC Management Utility on a management station. By default, the installation program copies the files to the following directory: C:\Program Files\Dell\SysMgt\bmc. The SOL Proxy service does not auto-start after installation. To start the SOL Proxy service after installation, you can reboot the system (SOL Proxy automatically starts on a reboot).
Uninstalling on Systems Running Supported Linux Enterprise Operating Systems To uninstall the BMC Management Utility, perform the following steps: 1 Log in as root. 2 Enter either of the following command to remove all the installed packages from SUSE Linux Enterprise Server or Red Hat Enterprise Linux. rpm -e osabmcutil9g-SUSE* rpm -e osabmcutil9g-RHEL* If the BMC Management Utility has been uninstalled, you will receive a success message. IPMI Shell IPMI Shell is a CLI console application and has no GUI.
To facilitate command scripting, upon successful execution, IPMI Shell terminates with an exit code of zero, and will output the execution results in a parsable format. If an error is encountered, the program exits with a non-zero error code and outputs the error in a parsable format. See "BMC Management Utility Error Codes" for a complete list of possible BMC Management Utility error codes. Figure 3-2.
On systems running a supported Linux operating system: 1 Start an operating system (OS) shell. 2 Enter IPMI Shell commands (see "IPMI Shell Command Syntax") to manage the remote system. See "IPMI Shell Commands" for a complete list of valid options, commands, subcommands, and arguments. NOTE: The IPMI Shell will be located in /usr/sbin.
Description This option is used to establish a connection to a remote managed system using the LAN channel. The IP port specified in installation (default value is 623) is used unless another port has been configured. NOTE: This global option cannot be used independently to connect to the BMC. One or more IPMISH commands must follow the option. Options -ip bmc_ip_address | bmc_hostname Specifies the IP address or hostname of the remote managed system. -u username Specifies the BMC username.
The Serial communication connection mode for the BMC must be set to "Direct Connect Basic Mode" for all systems. This can be configured using Server Administrator. Log on to Server Administrator and navigate to Serial Port. Description This option establishes a connection to a remote managed system using the serial channel. NOTE: This global option cannot be used independently to connect to the BMC. One or more IPMISH commands must follow the option.
Description This option displays the following information: • A summary page for all commands • A summary of all subcommands for a single command • A detailed description of a command-subcommand combination Options -help subcommand A command list and a capsule description of options are printed if no argument is given. When there is an argument specifying a valid command, the help option displays a detailed description of the command. See Figure 3-3 and Figure 3-4. Figure 3-3.
Figure 3-4. IPMISH Help option Example 2 IPMI Session Option -interactive Synopsis ipmish -interactive [-cfg ] Description This option invokes the interactive CLI mode. An IPMISH prompt appears when entering interactive CLI mode. Type quit to exit the IPMISH prompt and return to the CLI prompt. NOTE: The command prompt responds with an error message in the interactive mode, if a command is used before establishing an IPMI session with connect.
See "Configuring the SOL Proxy Configuration File" for more information on configuration files. Figure 3-5. IPMISH interactive option The following line edit functions are supported during the interactive session: 1 Up and Down arrow keys to browse command history. 2 Left and Right arrow keys to move the input cursor. 3 Home and End keys to move the input cursor to the beginning or end of the line. 4 Backspace key to move the input cursor back by one space.
Table 3-1. IPMI Shell Commands (continued) Command Description sel Displays or deletes information from the SEL. sol Enables Serial-over-LAN for the remote managed system. sensor Displays current status of platform sensors. connect Connects to the BMC of the remote managed system. help displays a command list with descriptions and syntax of options. quit exits the command prompt.
Figure 3-6. identify Option Example sysinfo Synopsis sysinfo [fru | id] Description This command retrieves and displays the system information, including field replaceable unit (FRU) and BMC information for the managed system. See Figure 3-7 and Figure 3-8. Subcommands fru — Returns FRU related information id — Returns BMC related information Default Subcommand If a subcommand is not specified, this command acts the same as sysinfo id. See Figure 3-7. Figure 3-7.
Figure 3-8. sysinfo FRU Example power Synopsis power status power off [-force] | on | cycle | reset Description This command displays the current power status of the managed system, turns the system on or off, or resets the system. See Figure 3-9. Subcommands status — Displays the current power status of the system, the returned value is on or off. on — Turns on the managed system. off — Issues a “graceful shutdown” IPMI command.
Options -force This option simulates pressing and holding the power button for four or more seconds. Default Subcommand If a subcommand is not specified, this command functions the same as power status. Figure 3-9.
Subcommands status — Displays the total number of system event log records. get — Prints all or part of the event log. clear — Deletes all the records in the event log. Options -begin index1 Specifies the first record to display. -end index2 Specifies the last record to display. -max count Specifies the maximum number of records to display. If the value of the argument count is bigger than the total number of the records, the last record displayed will be the last one in the event log.
Figure 3-10. sel Option Example SOL Synopsis sol[enable |disable] sol config [-baud baud rate][-priv privilege level] [-retry count retry_count] [retry interval retry_interval] Description This command allows you to configure sol session parameters of a remote BMC. NOTE: The command prompt responds with an error message if a command is used before establishing an IPMI session with connect. Subcommands enable Allows you to enable SOL of connected server.
Options -baud baud_rate Specifies the communication baud rate over the serial channel, such as 9600 or 19200. It should be in conformity with the SOL baud rate of the managed server. -priv privilege_level Specifies minimum privilege levels required to establish an SOL session. Possible values are User, Operator, and Administrator. -retry count retry_count Specifies number of times the BMC will retry sending SOL packages if no acknowledgement is received.
Specifies the sensor group (temp, volt, fan, discrete, or numeric) for which information is displayed. If you do not specify a sensor group, all sensors for which there is information will be displayed. -format Use different formats to output the sensor data. Default format is oemlist.
Options -ip bmc-ip-address|bmc_hostname Specifies the out-of-band IP address or hostname of the remote managed system. -u username Specifies the username to connect to the remote system. -p password Specifies the password to be used to connect to the remote managed system. -k IPMI encryption key value Specifies the KG value in Hex format. The IPMI encryption key is a public key used to generate an encryption key for use between firmware and application.
Argument command Specifies the command for which detailed description is required. Figure 3-14. IPMISH help option SOL Proxy SOL Proxy is a simple telnet server. It allows a telnet client to interact with the hardware-designated serial port of a remote managed system using the LAN communication channel. See Figure 3-15. With SOL Proxy, administrators can view and change the BIOS settings over a shared LAN.
The SOL Proxy communication scheme enables you to view and configure the BIOS settings of a managed system, as well as to reset the managed system remotely using a telnet client. SOL Proxy is installed as a daemon service and automatically starts each time the system boots. SOL Proxy can accommodate only one telnet session at a time. You can use a variety of telnet clients to access SOL Proxy features. For example: • In a Windows environment, you can use a Command Prompt window as your console.
You can also send the terminal break function while in console redirection. The use of this functionality requires that the specific terminal program in use has the ability to send the break function. For example, you can send the break signal through the Linux telnet modules by typing: Ctrl+]send brk The Linux SysRq function is one example of an advanced debugging feature that is enabled by use of the break function. See the "BIOS Configuration" section on how to use this feature.
The following line edit functions are supported during the SOLProxy session: 1 Up- and Down- arrow keys to browse command history. 2 Left- and Right- arrow keys to move the input cursor. Using a Linux Shell To connect and use SOL Proxy: 1 Open a Linux shell on your management station. 2 Enter the telnet command and provide the IP address of the SOL Proxy Server and the port number you specified in SOL Proxy installation. For example: telnet 192.168.1.
SOL Proxy Main Menu After the telnet connection with SOL Proxy is successfully established, you are presented with the following choices. See Figure 3-15. Figure 3-15. SOL Proxy Main Menu Example The SOL Proxy main menu allows you to change the SOL settings of a remote managed system’s BMC, reboot the remote BMC, or activate console redirection. When you select menu option 1, Connect to the Remote Server’s BMC, you are prompted for the BMC IP address and BMC login.
Menu options 3 and 4 allow you to establish a SOL remote console session through the SOL Proxy main menu. Menu option 3 establishes a SOL session without changing the remote system’s state. This option is ideal for connecting to the Microsoft SAC/EMS or the Linux console. Menu option 4 reboots the remote managed system and establishes a SOL session. This option is best suited for performing BIOS setup and system configuration tasks. To exit an active SOL session, use the <~><.> character sequence.
Configuring the SOL for the Remote Managed System Select option 2 in the main menu. NOTE: You must be connected to the managed system’s BMC before you can configure the SOL features. If SOL Proxy is not yet connected to the managed system’s BMC, you are prompted for an IP address, a username/password combination, and an IPMI encryption key. The IPMI encryption key value will be ignored if no key was set at the BMC on the target server.
Figure 3-18. • Configuring the Serial-Over-LAN for the Remote System, Example 2 If SOL is enabled, two BMC settings are displayed: – The communication baud-rate between the system serial port and the BMC – The minimum BMC user privilege level required for activating console redirection SOL Proxy displays a list of valid values for each feature, as well as the current value of the feature enclosed in a pair of brackets.
Figure 3-19. SOL Settings, Example 3 Activating Console Redirection Select option 3 in the main menu. NOTE: You must be connected to the managed system’s BMC before you can configure the SOL features. If SOL Proxy is not yet connected to the managed system’s BMC, you are prompted for an IP address and a username/password combination. See "Connecting to the Remote Managed System’s BMC" for more information. The remote managed system’s text console is redirected to your management station. See Figure 3-20.
Figure 3-20. Console Redirection Example Rebooting the Managed System and Activating Console Redirection Select option 4 in the main menu. NOTE: You must be connected to the managed system’s BMC before you can configure the SOL features. If SOL Proxy is not yet connected to the managed system’s BMC, you are prompted for an IP address, a username/password combination, and an IPMI encryption key. The IPMI encryption key value will be ignored if no key was set at the BMC on the target server.
Figure 3-21. Reboot Example Getting Help Select option 5 in the main menu to display detailed descriptions for each option. See Figure 3-22. Figure 3-22. Sample Help Screen Exit Select option 6 to end your telnet session and disconnect from SOL Proxy.
Using SOL proxy in command mode By default, SOL Proxy is installed for use in the menu mode by the system. See "Configuring the SOL Proxy Configuration File" section for instructions on how to change the default settings to command mode. Commands in SOL Proxy SOL Proxy command mode is similar to the IPMI Shell interactive mode. In addition to supporting all commands of the IPMI Shell interactive mode, the SOL Proxy supports the following additional commands.
Configuring the SOL Proxy Configuration File Certain parameters, for IPMI Shell and SOL Proxy, must be correctly configured in the SOL Proxy Configuration file, - SOLProxy.cfg, which is located in the default installation BMC directory. The parameters and their descriptions are as follows: Comments Any line starting with a “#” is treated as a comment. For example: #The file is an example. IP Address Specifies the specific IP address used to connect to SOL Proxy.
NOTE: When Reboot and Activate Console Redirection is selected and power for the remote managed system is on, a power off IPMI command is issued. The power status is then continually monitored until the power status reports “off.” If power status remains “on” longer than this timeout period, Reboot and Activate Console Redirection reports an error and returns to the top-level menu. This timeout value is specified in seconds and can be changed during SOL Proxy installation.
Sdr Cache Specifies whether the system probe information is saved. This information enhances speed of providing sensor and System Event Log (SEL) data. The possible values are on and off. Default value is on. For example, sdr_cache=on Sdrcache Path Specifies path where the system probe information is saved. Default location is the installed BMC directory on your hard drive. For example, sdrcache_path= Max Session Specifies the maximum number of concurrent SOL sessions possible.
Known Issues and Frequently Asked Questions This section discusses known issues with using the BMC Management Utility, along with frequently asked questions. Known Issues General Issues • You must assign a valid BMC user name and password before you can connect to your system's BMC using the BMC Management Utility.
Frequently Asked Questions Q: Do IPMI Shell commands correspond one-to-one to IPMI commands? A: IPMI Shell provides only the most useful IPMI commands. It includes a definitive set of commands that can accomplish the most common management tasks. Therefore, IPMI Shell commands may not correspond one-to-one to IPMI commands.
Q: I performed a Reboot and Activate Console Redirection command using SOL Proxy, but the option to press to enter the BIOS setup never appeared. A: When the network switch has spanning-tree enabled, it takes as much as 30 to 40 seconds for the spanning-tree check to make sure there are no loops in the network. During this time, packet forwarding by the switch is blocked. Therefore, the software cannot communicate with the BMC until the spanning tree check is complete.
Known Issues and Frequently Asked Questions
BMC Management Utility Error Codes The following is a list of error messages for the BMC Management Utility. In case of a functional failure, an error message will be printed to stderr. The text of the error message is listed in the Message column in Table A-1. Errors will always be printed in a parsable format such as: Error ():! The following is an example: Error(0xC1):Invalid Command! Table A-1.
Table A-1. BMC Management Utility Error Codes (continued) Code Classification Message Description A5h Initialization errors. Authentication failure. Request for a session from the local or remote proxy was rejected. Access denied. Trying to access the proxy from a forbidden IP address. Unknown language. Unknown language code. Invalid IP address. IP resolving error. Session buffer limit exceeded. Length exceeds the limit of telnet input. Command syntax error. Unable to parse command.
Table A-1. BMC Management Utility Error Codes (continued) Code Classification Message Description IPMI Error A8h H/W or F/W errors. Unsupported command. Unsupported operation. 0xC1 Sensor not present. Request sensor, data, or record not present. 0xCB Sensor command error. Command illegal for 0xCD specified sensor or record type. Firmware error. Command response could not be provided. Destination error. Cannot deliver request to 0xD3 destination. Device error.
Table A-1. Code AEh AFh 78 BMC Management Utility Error Codes (continued) Classification Message Description IPMI Error BMC out of sessions. No session slots are available for connection request. 0x81, 0x82, 0x83 Invalid Logical Unit Number (LUN) in request. 0xC2 Unspecified error. Unspecified error. 0xFF Unknown error. Unknown error. Unexpected IPMI Invalid LUN. errors.
Terminal Mode Commands This appendix provides information about terminal mode commands. Terminal mode allows you to directly connect to the system's Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) using a serial port connection and execute text-based commands.
Using Terminal Mode Use the Terminal Mode feature to perform the following tasks: • Power the server on or off. • Reset the server. • Retrieve the server's health status. • Configure and retrieve the server management subsystems boot options. • Configure and retrieve the BMC's terminal mode configuration. • Execute any platform supported binary command specified in the IPMI specification using the hex-ASCII format.
Character Support Terminal mode messages are composed of standard printable ASCII characters. All other characters are treated as illegal characters. Special Character Handling — character The character deletes an entire message prior to submission to the BMC for processing. If line editing is enabled, and the key is followed by an input newline sequence, the BMC responds by outputting an output newline sequence. Otherwise, the BMC looks for the next start character.
Table B-2. Terminal Mode Response from BMC Byte Explanation 1 [7:2] – Net Function (odd) [1:0] – Responder’s LUN 2 [7:2] – Requester’s Sequence Number [1:0] – Bridge field 3 Command Number 4 Completion Code 5:N Data Text Command Format Text commands do not support the bridging and sequence number fields present in the hex-ASCII commands. In addition, text commands are preceded by a prefix consisting of the string SYS.
Table B-3. Terminal Mode Text Commands Command Switches Description SYS PWD -U USERNAME -U activates a terminal mode session. USERNAME corresponds to the ASCII text for the username. represents a printable password (up to 16 characters). If is not provided, then a Null password (all binary 0’s) is submitted. Passwords are case sensitive.
Table B-3. Terminal Mode Text Commands (continued) Command Switches SYS SET BOOTOPT XX YY…NN Description This is a text version of the IPMI Set System Boot Options command. It allows any of the boot option parameters to be set, not just the boot flags. XX YY…NN represent the hex-ASCII encoding for the data bytes that are passed in the Set System Boot Options request. XX — Parameter valid. [7] — 1b = Mark parameter invalid/locked. 0b = Mark parameter valid/unlocked.
Table B-3. Terminal Mode Text Commands (continued) Command Switches SYS SET TCFG Description Returns the Terminal Mode Configuration bytes where XX and YY represent hex-ASCII encoding for the volatile version of data bytes 1 and 2 as specified in Table B-4, and AA BB represent hex-ASCII encoding of the non-volatile version. V:XX
Table B-3. Terminal Mode Text Commands (continued) Command Switches SYS HEALTH QUERY Description Causes the BMC to return a high level version of the system health status in terse format. The BMC returns a string with the following format if the command is accepted. PWR:zzz H:xx T:xx V:xx PS:xx C:xx D:xx S:xx O:xx Where: PWR is system POWER state. H is overall Health. T is Temperature. V is Voltage. PS is Power Supply subsystem. C is cooling subsystem (Fans). D is Hard Drive/RAID Subsystem.
Table B-3. Terminal Mode Text Commands (continued) Command Switches Description SYS HEALTH QUERY -V Causes the BMC to return a high level version of the system health status in multi-line verbose format. The BMC returns a string of the following format: SYS Health:xx
Table B-4. Terminal Mode Configuration Byte Explanation 1 [7:6]—Reserved. [5]—Line Editing. 0b = Disable. 1b = Enable (Factory default). [4]—Reserved. [3:2]—Delete control (only applies when line editing is enabled). 00b = BMC outputs a character when or is received. 01b = BMC outputs a < SP > sequence when or is received (Factory default).
Escape Key Sequences Console redirection uses ANSI or VT100/220 terminal emulation, which are limited to basic ASCII characters. There are no function keys, arrow keys, or control keys in this character set. However, most BIOS software requires the use of function keys and control keys for ordinary actions. Specific function keys and escape keys can be emulated by using a special key sequence, called an escape sequence, to represent a specific key.
Escape Key Sequences
Serial Port Console Redirection Serial Communication For PowerEdge x9xx servers, serial console redirection can be accomplished using COM1 or COM2.
NOTE: For this combined functionality, Serial Communication baud rate and the SOL baud rate must be set to the same value. When in terminal mode, to switch the connection to the system COM2 port use: + When connected to the system COM2 port, to go back to the terminal mode use: + <9> SPCR Table The Serial Port Console Redirection (SPCR) table provides information about how the system firmware and service processor use the out-of-band (OOB) management port.
NOTE: In configuring the client VT100 emulation window, you must set the window or application that is displaying the redirected console to 25 rows x 80 columns to ensure proper text display; otherwise, some text screens may be garbled. Edit the file /etc/grub.conf, as follows. See the sample file that follows, which shows the changes described in this procedure.
Table D-1. Sample File: /etc/grub.con # grub.conf generated by anaconda # Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file # NOTICE: You do not have a /boot partition. This means that # all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /, e.g. # root (hd0,0) # kernel /boot/vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/sdal # initrd /boot/initrd-version.img #boot=/dev/sda default=0 timeout=10 #splashimage=(hd0,2)/grub/splash.xpm.
Enabling Login to the Console After Boot Edit the file /etc/inittab, as follows: Add a new line to configure a getty on the COM1 serial port: co:2345:respawn:/sbin/agetty -h -L 19200 ttyS0 vt100 See the sample file, which shows the addition of the new line. Table D-2. Sample File: /etc/innitab # # inittab # This file describes how the INIT process should set up the system in a certain run-level. # # Author: # # Miquel van Smoorenburg,
Table D-2. Sample File: /etc/innitab (continued) # Things to run in every runlevel. ud::once:/sbin/update # Trap CTRL-ALT-DELETE ca::ctrlaltdel:/sbin/shutdown -t3 -r now # When our UPS tells us power has failed, assume we have a few # minutes of power left. Schedule a shutdown for 2 minutes from now. # This does, of course, assume you have power installed and your # UPS is connected and working correctly.
Edit the file /etc/securetty, as follows: Add a new line, with the name of the serial tty for COM1: ttyS0 See the sample file, which shows the addition of the new line. Table D-3.
Serial Port Console Redirection
Glossary The following list defines or identifies technical terms, abbreviations, and acronyms used in your system documents. asset tag code adapter card autoexec.bat file An expansion card that plugs into an expansion-card connector on the system's system board. An adapter card adds some specialized function to the system by providing an interface between the expansion bus and a peripheral device. Examples of adapter cards include network cards, sound cards, and SCSI adapters. The autoexec.
bit The smallest unit of information interpreted by your system. your system's disk drives; when a program makes a request to a disk drive for data that is in the cache, the disk-cache utility can retrieve the data from RAM faster than from the disk drive. BMC Abbreviation for baseboard management controller, which is a controller that provides the intelligence in the IPMI structure. boot routine When you start your system, it clears all memory, initializes devices, and loads the operating system.
config.sys file DHCP The config.sys file is executed when you boot your system (before running any commands in the autoexec.bat file). This start-up file contains commands that specify which devices to install and which drivers to use. This file also contains commands that determine how the operating system uses memory and controls files. Abbreviation for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, a protocol that provides a means to dynamically allocate IP addresses to computers on a LAN.
DRAC MC ESM Acronym for Dell Remote Access Card MC. Abbreviation for embedded systems management, which is a set of instruction coding in system software and firmware that notifies a user about potential hardware problems on a system. DRAM Acronym for dynamic random-access memory. A system's RAM is usually made up entirely of DRAM chips. Because DRAM chips cannot store an electrical charge indefinitely, your system continually refreshes each DRAM chip in the system.
flash memory HBA A type of EEPROM chip that can be reprogrammed from a utility on diskette while still installed in a system; most EEPROM chips can only be rewritten with special programming equipment. format Abbreviation for host bus adapter.
I/O local bus Abbreviation for input/output. The keyboard is an input device, and a printer is an output device. In general, I/O activity can be differentiated from computational activity. For example, when a program sends a document to the printer, it is engaging in output activity; when the program sorts a list of terms, it is engaging in computational activity.
microprocessor partition The primary computational chip inside the system that controls the interpretation and execution of arithmetic and logic functions. Software written for one microprocessor must usually be revised to run on another microprocessor. CPU is a synonym for microprocessor. You can divide a hard drive into multiple physical sections called partitions with the fdisk command. Each partition can contain multiple logical drives.
as Microsoft Windows or Red Hat® Enterprise Linux, is installed. program diskette set The set of diskettes from which you can perform a complete installation of an operating system or application program. When you reconfigure a program, you often need its program diskette set. updating the documentation for the software or hardware.
SMART support commands Acronym for Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology. A technology that allows hard drives to report errors and failures to the system BIOS, which then displays an error message on the screen. To take advantage of this technology, you must have a SMART-compliant hard drive and the proper support in the system BIOS. Commands that specify how an action should be performed. SMBIOS system configuration information Acronym for system management BIOS.
TCP/IP utility partition Abbreviation for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. A system for transferring information over a computer network containing dissimilar systems, such as systems running Windows and UNIX. A bootable partition on the hard drive that provides utilities and diagnostics for your hardware and software. When activated, the partition boots and provides an executable environment for the partition's utilities.
Web server A secure port server that makes Web pages available for viewing by Web browsers using the HTTP protocol. WH Abbreviation for watt-hour(s). win.ini file A start-up file for the Windows operating system. When you start Windows, it consults the win.ini file to determine a variety of options for the Windows operating environment. Among other things, the win.ini file records what printer(s) and fonts are installed for Windows. The win.
Glossary
Index A D ANSI, 35, 57, 72 deployment overview network-based, 16 B baseboard management controller, 23 Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) features, 7 management activities, 7 E error codes BMC Management Utility, 75 Escape key sequences, 89 IPMI Shell, 39 command syntax, 41 commands, 46 diagram, 40 getting help, 43 global options, 41 IPMI help option, 43 management tasks, 39 serial channel session option, 45 using, 40 IPMI Shell diagram, 40 BMC, 23 F BMC management tools BMC Management Utility,
Index R red hat linux, serial redirection, 22 supported operating systems BMC Management Utility, 36 supported terminal emulation software, 35, 57, 72 S sensor, 53 serial redirection, red hat linux, 22 SOL, 52 SOL Proxy, 56 activating console redirection, 64 configuring the SOL for the remote managed system, 62 connecting to the remote managed system’s BMC, 61 getting help, 66 Main Menu, 60 rebooting the managed system and activating console redirection, 65 using, 58 using a Linux shell, 67 using a
