Dell iDRAC7 with Lifecycle Controller Version 2.30.30.30 Manual
iDRAC 8/7 v2.30.30.30 User’s Guide
Notes, cautions, and warnings
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you
how to avoid the problem.
WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death.
© 2016 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. This product is protected by U.S. and international copyright and intellectual
property laws. Dell and the Dell logo are trademarks of Dell Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other
marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.
2016 - 03
Rev. A00
Contents
1 Overview...............................................................................................................16
Benefits of using iDRAC with Lifecycle Controller.............................................................................16
Key features..........................................................................................................................................17
New in this release..............................................................................................................................20
How to use this user's guide...............................................................................................................20
Supported web browsers.................................................................................................................... 21
Managing licenses .............................................................................................................................. 21
Types of licenses............................................................................................................................21
Methods for acquiring licenses..................................................................................................... 21
License operations.........................................................................................................................21
Licensed features in iDRAC7 and iDRAC8..........................................................................................23
Interfaces and protocols to access iDRAC........................................................................................ 30
iDRAC port information...................................................................................................................... 32
Other documents you may need....................................................................................................... 33
Social media reference....................................................................................................................... 34
Contacting Dell................................................................................................................................... 34
Accessing documents from Dell support site....................................................................................35
2 Logging in to iDRAC...........................................................................................36
Logging in to iDRAC as local user, Active Directory user, or LDAP user.......................................... 36
Logging in to iDRAC using a smart card............................................................................................ 37
Logging in to iDRAC as a local user using a smart card.............................................................. 37
Logging in to iDRAC as an Active Directory user using a smart card......................................... 38
Logging in to iDRAC using Single Sign-On .......................................................................................38
Logging in to iDRAC SSO using iDRAC web interface.................................................................38
Logging in to iDRAC SSO using CMC web interface...................................................................39
Accessing iDRAC using remote RACADM..........................................................................................39
Validating CA certificate to use remote RACADM on Linux........................................................39
Accessing iDRAC using local RACADM..............................................................................................40
Accessing iDRAC using firmware RACADM.......................................................................................40
Accessing iDRAC using SMCLP.......................................................................................................... 40
Logging in to iDRAC using public key authentication.......................................................................40
Multiple iDRAC sessions......................................................................................................................41
Changing default login password.......................................................................................................41
Changing default login password using web interface................................................................41
Changing default login password using RACADM.......................................................................42
Changing default login password using iDRAC settings utility................................................... 42
Enabling or disabling default password warning message .............................................................. 42
3
Enabling or disabling default password warning message using web interface........................ 42
Enabling or disabling warning message to change default login password using RACADM.... 42
Invalid password credentials...............................................................................................................43
3 Setting up managed system and management station...............................44
Setting up iDRAC IP address...............................................................................................................44
Setting up iDRAC IP using iDRAC settings utility......................................................................... 45
Setting up iDRAC IP using CMC web interface............................................................................48
Enabling provisioning server.........................................................................................................49
Configuring servers and server components using Auto Config................................................50
Using hash passwords for improved security.............................................................................. 56
Setting up management station......................................................................................................... 57
Accessing iDRAC remotely............................................................................................................57
Setting up managed system............................................................................................................... 58
Modifying local administrator account settings...........................................................................58
Setting up managed system location...........................................................................................58
Optimizing system performance and power consumption........................................................59
Configuring supported web browsers............................................................................................... 65
Adding iDRAC to the list of trusted domains................................................................................67
Disabling whitelist feature in Firefox.............................................................................................67
Viewing localized versions of web interface................................................................................68
Updating device firmware.................................................................................................................. 68
Downloading device firmware...................................................................................................... 71
Updating firmware using iDRAC web interface............................................................................71
Updating device firmware using RACADM...................................................................................75
Scheduling automatic firmware updates......................................................................................75
Updating firmware using CMC web interface.............................................................................. 77
Updating firmware using DUP.......................................................................................................77
Updating firmware using remote RACADM................................................................................. 78
Updating firmware using Lifecycle Controller Remote Services.................................................78
Updating CMC firmware from iDRAC...........................................................................................78
Viewing and managing staged updates............................................................................................. 79
Viewing and managing staged updates using iDRAC web interface.......................................... 79
Viewing and managing staged updates using RACADM..............................................................79
Rolling back device firmware..............................................................................................................79
Rollback firmware using iDRAC web interface............................................................................80
Rollback firmware using CMC web interface...............................................................................81
Rollback firmware using RACADM................................................................................................81
Rollback firmware using Lifecycle Controller.............................................................................. 81
Rollback firmware using Lifecycle Controller-Remote Services.................................................81
Recovering iDRAC.........................................................................................................................82
Using TFTP server..........................................................................................................................82
4
Backing up server profile.................................................................................................................... 82
Backing up server profile using iDRAC web interface................................................................. 83
Backing up server profile using RACADM.................................................................................... 83
Scheduling automatic backup server profile............................................................................... 83
Importing server profile...................................................................................................................... 85
Importing server profile using iDRAC web interface................................................................... 85
Importing server profile using RACADM...................................................................................... 86
Restore operation sequence........................................................................................................ 86
Monitoring iDRAC using other Systems Management tools.............................................................86
4 Configuring iDRAC.............................................................................................87
Viewing iDRAC information................................................................................................................88
Viewing iDRAC information using web interface........................................................................ 88
Viewing iDRAC information using RACADM................................................................................88
Modifying network settings................................................................................................................ 88
Modifying network settings using web interface.........................................................................89
Modifying network settings using local RACADM....................................................................... 89
Configuring IP filtering..................................................................................................................90
Configuring services............................................................................................................................91
Configuring services using web interface....................................................................................92
Configuring services using RACADM........................................................................................... 92
Enabling or disabling HTTPs redirection...................................................................................... 93
Using VNC client to manage remote server...................................................................................... 93
Configuring VNC server using iDRAC web interface...................................................................94
Configuring VNC server using RACADM......................................................................................94
Setting up VNC viewer with SSL encryption................................................................................ 94
Setting up VNC viewer without SSL encryption...........................................................................94
Configuring front panel display..........................................................................................................95
Configuring LCD setting............................................................................................................... 95
Configuring system ID LED setting.............................................................................................. 96
Configuring time zone and NTP.........................................................................................................97
Configuring time zone and NTP using iDRAC web interface......................................................97
Configuring time zone and NTP using RACADM.........................................................................97
Setting first boot device...................................................................................................................... 97
Setting first boot device using web interface.............................................................................. 98
Setting first boot device using RACADM......................................................................................98
Setting first boot device using virtual console.............................................................................98
Enabling last crash screen............................................................................................................ 98
Enabling or disabling OS to iDRAC Pass-through............................................................................. 99
Supported cards for OS to iDRAC Pass-through ......................................................................100
Supported operating systems for USB NIC................................................................................ 101
Enabling or disabling OS to iDRAC Pass-through using web interface....................................103
5
Enabling or disabling OS to iDRAC Pass-through using RACADM........................................... 103
Enabling or disabling OS to iDRAC Pass-through using iDRAC settings utility........................103
Obtaining certificates........................................................................................................................104
SSL server certificates..................................................................................................................105
Generating a new certificate signing request............................................................................ 106
Uploading server certificate........................................................................................................106
Viewing server certificate............................................................................................................107
Uploading custom signing certificate........................................................................................ 108
Downloading custom SSL certificate signing certificate ..........................................................108
Deleting custom SSL certificate signing certificate................................................................... 109
Configuring multiple iDRACs using RACADM................................................................................. 109
Creating an iDRAC configuration file..........................................................................................110
Parsing rules................................................................................................................................. 111
Modifying the iDRAC IP address..................................................................................................112
Disabling access to modify iDRAC configuration settings on host system.................................... 113
5 Viewing iDRAC and managed system information.....................................114
Viewing managed system health and properties............................................................................. 114
Viewing system inventory................................................................................................................. 114
Viewing sensor information.............................................................................................................. 116
Monitoring performance index of CPU, memory, and I/O modules...............................................117
Monitoring performance index for of CPU, memory, and I/O modules using web
interface....................................................................................................................................... 119
Monitoring performance index for of CPU, memory, and I/O modules using RACADM.........119
Checking the system for fresh air compliance.................................................................................119
Viewing historical temperature data.................................................................................................119
Viewing historical temperature data using iDRAC web interface............................................. 120
Viewing historical temperature data using RACADM................................................................ 120
Configuring warning threshold for inlet temperature................................................................121
Viewing network interfaces available on host OS............................................................................121
Viewing network interfaces available on host OS using web interface.....................................121
Viewing network interfaces available on host OS using RACADM............................................122
Viewing FlexAddress mezzanine card fabric connections.............................................................. 122
Viewing or terminating iDRAC sessions........................................................................................... 123
Terminating iDRAC sessions using web interface......................................................................123
Terminating iDRAC sessions using RACADM............................................................................. 123
6 Setting up iDRAC communication................................................................ 124
Communicating with iDRAC through serial connection using DB99 cable...................................125
Configuring BIOS for serial connection..................................................................................... 126
Enabling RAC serial connection................................................................................................. 126
Enabling IPMI serial connection basic and terminal modes......................................................126
6
Switching between RAC serial and serial console while using DB9 cable..................................... 129
Switching from serial console to RAC serial.............................................................................. 129
Switching from RAC serial to serial console.............................................................................. 129
Communicating with iDRAC using IPMI SOL...................................................................................129
Configuring BIOS for serial connection..................................................................................... 130
Configuring iDRAC to use SOL...................................................................................................130
Enabling supported protocol...................................................................................................... 131
Communicating with iDRAC using IPMI over LAN.......................................................................... 135
Configuring IPMI over LAN using web interface........................................................................135
Configuring IPMI over LAN using iDRAC settings utility............................................................136
Configuring IPMI over LAN using RACADM............................................................................... 136
Enabling or disabling remote RACADM............................................................................................136
Enabling or disabling remote RACADM using web interface.................................................... 136
Enabling or disabling remote RACADM using RACADM............................................................137
Disabling local RACADM................................................................................................................... 137
Enabling IPMI on managed system...................................................................................................137
Configuring Linux for serial console during boot............................................................................ 137
Enabling login to the virtual console after boot........................................................................ 138
Supported SSH cryptography schemes........................................................................................... 140
Using public key authentication for SSH....................................................................................140
7 Configuring user accounts and privileges...................................................144
Configuring local users.....................................................................................................................144
Configuring local users using iDRAC web interface..................................................................144
Configuring local users using RACADM..................................................................................... 145
Configuring Active Directory users...................................................................................................147
Prerequisites for using Active Directory authentication for iDRAC...........................................148
Supported Active Directory authentication mechanisms..........................................................150
Standard schema Active Directory overview............................................................................. 150
Configuring Standard schema Active Directory.........................................................................152
Extended schema Active Directory overview.............................................................................155
Configuring Extended schema Active Directory........................................................................157
Testing Active Directory settings................................................................................................ 167
Configuring generic LDAP users.......................................................................................................167
Configuring generic LDAP directory service using iDRAC web-based interface.....................168
Configuring generic LDAP directory service using RACADM....................................................169
Testing LDAP directory service settings..................................................................................... 169
8 Configuring iDRAC for Single Sign-On or smart card login.....................170
Prerequisites for Active Directory Single Sign-On or smart card login.......................................... 170
Registering iDRAC as a computer in Active Directory root domain.......................................... 171
Generating Kerberos keytab file.................................................................................................. 171
7
Creating Active Directory objects and providing privileges.......................................................172
Configuring the browser to enable Active Directory SSO......................................................... 172
Configuring iDRAC SSO login for Active Directory users................................................................ 173
Configuring iDRAC SSO login for Active Directory users using web interface.........................173
Configuring iDRAC SSO login for Active Directory users using RACADM................................ 173
Configuring iDRAC smart card login for local users........................................................................173
Uploading smart card user certificate........................................................................................ 174
Uploading trusted CA certificate for smart card........................................................................ 174
Configuring iDRAC smart card login for Active Directory users..................................................... 175
Enabling or disabling smart card login............................................................................................. 175
Enabling or disabling smart card login using web interface......................................................175
Enabling or disabling smart card login using RACADM............................................................. 176
Enabling or disabling smart card login using iDRAC settings utility..........................................176
9 Configuring iDRAC to send alerts..................................................................177
Enabling or disabling alerts............................................................................................................... 177
Enabling or disabling alerts using web interface........................................................................178
Enabling or disabling alerts using RACADM............................................................................... 178
Enabling or disabling alerts using iDRAC settings utility............................................................178
Filtering alerts ................................................................................................................................... 178
Filtering alerts using iDRAC web interface................................................................................. 178
Filtering alerts using RACADM.................................................................................................... 179
Setting event alerts............................................................................................................................179
Setting event alerts using web interface.....................................................................................179
Setting event alerts using RACADM............................................................................................180
Setting alert recurrence event..........................................................................................................180
Setting alert recurrence events using iDRAC web interface..................................................... 180
Setting alert recurrence events using RACADM........................................................................ 180
Setting event actions........................................................................................................................ 180
Setting event actions using web interface................................................................................. 180
Setting event actions using RACADM......................................................................................... 181
Configuring email alert, SNMP trap, or IPMI trap settings............................................................... 181
Configuring IP alert destinations.................................................................................................181
Configuring email alert settings..................................................................................................183
Configuring WS Eventing..................................................................................................................185
Configuring Redfish Eventing...........................................................................................................185
Monitoring chassis events.................................................................................................................185
Monitoring chassis events using the iDRAC web interface.......................................................186
Monitoring chassis events using RACADM.................................................................................186
Alerts message IDs............................................................................................................................ 186
10 Managing logs.................................................................................................190
8
Viewing System Event Log................................................................................................................190
Viewing System Event Log using web interface........................................................................ 190
Viewing System Event Log using RACADM................................................................................190
Viewing System Event Log using iDRAC settings utility.............................................................191
Viewing Lifecycle log ........................................................................................................................191
Viewing Lifecycle log using web interface.................................................................................192
Viewing Lifecycle log using RACADM........................................................................................ 192
Exporting Lifecycle Controller logs..................................................................................................192
Exporting Lifecycle Controller logs using web interface...........................................................193
Exporting Lifecycle Controller logs using RACADM.................................................................. 193
Adding work notes............................................................................................................................ 193
Configuring remote system logging................................................................................................ 193
Configuring remote system logging using web interface.........................................................193
Configuring remote system logging using RACADM................................................................ 194
11 Monitoring and managing power................................................................195
Monitoring power............................................................................................................................. 195
Monitoring power using web interface......................................................................................196
Monitoring power using RACADM............................................................................................. 196
Setting warning threshold for power consumption........................................................................ 196
Setting warning threshold for power consumption using web interface.................................196
Executing power control operations............................................................................................... 196
Executing power control operations using web interface........................................................ 197
Executing power control operations using RACADM................................................................197
Power capping...................................................................................................................................197
Power capping in Blade servers..................................................................................................197
Viewing and configuring power cap policy................................................................................197
Configuring power supply options...................................................................................................199
Configuring power supply options using web interface........................................................... 199
Configuring power supply options using RACADM..................................................................200
Configuring power supply options using iDRAC settings utility...............................................200
Enabling or disabling power button................................................................................................ 200
12 Inventorying, monitoring, and configuring network devices................201
Inventorying and monitoring network devices................................................................................201
Monitoring network devices using web interface......................................................................201
Monitoring network devices using RACADM.............................................................................202
Inventorying and monitoring FC HBA devices................................................................................ 202
Monitoring FC HBA devices using web interface...................................................................... 202
Monitoring FC HBA devices using RACADM..............................................................................202
Dynamic configuration of virtual addresses, initiator, and storage target settings....................... 202
Supported cards for I/O Identity Optimization..........................................................................203
9
Supported NIC firmware versions for I/O Identity Optimization..............................................205
Virtual/Flex Address and Persistence Policy behavior when iDRAC is set to Flex Address
mode or Console mode............................................................................................................. 205
System behavior for FlexAddress and I/O Identity.................................................................... 206
Enabling or disabling I/O Identity Optimization........................................................................ 207
Configuring persistence policy settings.................................................................................... 208
13 Managing storage devices............................................................................ 212
Understanding RAID concepts......................................................................................................... 213
What is RAID?.............................................................................................................................. 214
Organizing data storage for availability and performance........................................................ 215
Choosing RAID levels ................................................................................................................. 215
Comparing RAID level performance.......................................................................................... 222
Supported controllers.......................................................................................................................224
Supported RAID controllers........................................................................................................224
Supported non-RAID controllers............................................................................................... 224
Supported enclosures.......................................................................................................................224
Summary of supported features for storage devices......................................................................224
Inventorying and monitoring storage devices.................................................................................227
Monitoring storage devices using web interface.......................................................................228
Monitoring storage devices using RACADM..............................................................................228
Monitoring backplane using iDRAC settings utility....................................................................228
Viewing storage device topology.....................................................................................................228
Managing physical disks................................................................................................................... 228
Assigning or unassigning physical disk as global hot spare...................................................... 229
Converting a physical disk to RAID or non-RAID mode........................................................... 230
Managing virtual disks....................................................................................................................... 231
Creating virtual disks................................................................................................................... 231
Editing virtual disk cache policies...............................................................................................233
Deleting virtual disks................................................................................................................... 234
Checking virtual disk consistency.............................................................................................. 234
Initializing virtual disks.................................................................................................................235
Encrypting virtual disks............................................................................................................... 236
Assigning or unassigning dedicated hot spares.........................................................................236
Managing virtual disks using web interface............................................................................... 236
Managing virtual disks using RACADM.......................................................................................237
Managing controllers........................................................................................................................238
Configuring controller properties.............................................................................................. 238
Importing or auto importing foreign configuration...................................................................241
Clearing foreign configuration...................................................................................................243
Resetting controller configuration.............................................................................................244
Switching the controller mode.................................................................................................. 244
10
12 Gbps SAS HBA adapter operations........................................................................................246
Monitoring predictive failure analysis on drives........................................................................ 246
Controller operations in non-RAID (HBA) mode.......................................................................246
Running RAID configuration jobs on multiple storage controllers...........................................247
Managing PCIe SSDs.........................................................................................................................247
Inventorying and monitoring PCIe SSDs................................................................................... 248
Preparing to remove PCIe SSD...................................................................................................249
Erasing PCIe SSD device data.....................................................................................................250
Managing enclosures or backplanes................................................................................................252
Configuring backplane mode.....................................................................................................252
Viewing universal slots................................................................................................................255
Setting SGPIO mode................................................................................................................... 255
Choosing operation mode to apply settings...................................................................................256
Choosing operation mode using web interface........................................................................256
Choosing operation mode using RACADM............................................................................... 257
Viewing and applying pending operations.......................................................................................257
Viewing, applying, or deleting pending operations using web interface..................................257
Viewing and applying pending operations using RACADM...................................................... 258
Storage devices — apply operation scenarios.................................................................................258
..................................................................................................................................................... 258
Blinking or unblinking component LEDs.........................................................................................260
Blinking or unblinking component LEDs using web interface..................................................260
Blinking or unblinking component LEDs using RACADM..........................................................261
14 Configuring and using virtual console.......................................................262
Supported screen resolutions and refresh rates............................................................................. 262
Configuring web browsers to use virtual console...........................................................................263
Configuring the web browser to use HTML5-based plug-in....................................................263
Configuring the web browser to use Java plug-in....................................................................264
Configuring IE to use ActiveX plug-in........................................................................................264
Importing CA certificates to management station....................................................................266
Configuring virtual console.............................................................................................................. 267
Configuring virtual console using web interface.......................................................................267
Configuring virtual console using RACADM.............................................................................. 267
Previewing virtual console................................................................................................................267
Launching virtual console................................................................................................................ 268
Launching virtual console using web interface.........................................................................268
Launching virtual console using a URL......................................................................................269
Disabling warning messages while launching virtual console or virtual media using Java
or ActiveX plug-in....................................................................................................................... 269
Using virtual console viewer.............................................................................................................270
HTML5 based virtual console session running on Windows and Linux operating system......270
11
Synchronizing mouse pointers...................................................................................................272
Passing all keystrokes through virtual console for Java or ActiveX plug-in............................. 273
15 Managing virtual media.................................................................................277
Supported drives and devices...........................................................................................................278
Configuring virtual media................................................................................................................. 278
Configuring virtual media using iDRAC web interface..............................................................278
Configuring virtual media using RACADM................................................................................. 279
Configuring virtual media using iDRAC settings utility..............................................................279
Attached media state and system response.............................................................................. 279
Accessing virtual media.................................................................................................................... 279
Launching virtual media using virtual console.......................................................................... 280
Launching virtual media without using virtual console............................................................ 280
Adding virtual media images.......................................................................................................281
Viewing virtual device details......................................................................................................282
Resetting USB..............................................................................................................................282
Mapping virtual drive...................................................................................................................282
Unmapping virtual drive..............................................................................................................283
Setting boot order through BIOS.....................................................................................................284
Enabling boot once for virtual media.............................................................................................. 284
16 Installing and using VMCLI utility............................................................... 286
Installing VMCLI................................................................................................................................ 286
Running VMCLI utility....................................................................................................................... 286
VMCLI syntax.....................................................................................................................................287
VMCLI commands to access virtual media ...............................................................................287
VMCLI operating system shell options ..................................................................................... 288
17 Managing vFlash SD card..............................................................................289
Configuring vFlash SD card..............................................................................................................289
Viewing vFlash SD card properties.............................................................................................290
Enabling or disabling vFlash functionality..................................................................................290
Initializing vFlash SD card............................................................................................................291
Getting the last status using RACADM.......................................................................................292
Managing vFlash partitions...............................................................................................................292
Creating an empty partition........................................................................................................293
Creating a partition using an image file..................................................................................... 294
Formatting a partition................................................................................................................. 295
Viewing available partitions........................................................................................................ 295
Modifying a partition...................................................................................................................296
Attaching or detaching partitions...............................................................................................297
Deleting existing partitions.........................................................................................................298
12
Downloading partition contents................................................................................................ 298
Booting to a partition..................................................................................................................299
18 Using SMCLP...................................................................................................300
System management capabilities using SMCLP..............................................................................300
Running SMCLP commands.............................................................................................................301
iDRAC SMCLP syntax........................................................................................................................ 301
Navigating the map address space..................................................................................................304
Using show verb............................................................................................................................... 304
Using the -display option........................................................................................................... 304
Using the -level option...............................................................................................................305
Using the -output option............................................................................................................305
Usage examples................................................................................................................................305
Server power management........................................................................................................305
SEL management........................................................................................................................306
Map target navigation.................................................................................................................308
19 Using iDRAC Service Module v2.3.0........................................................... 309
Installing iDRAC Service Module......................................................................................................309
Supported operating systems for iDRAC Service Module.............................................................. 309
iDRAC Service Module monitoring features....................................................................................309
Redfish profile support for network attributes...........................................................................310
Operating system information....................................................................................................310
Replicate Lifecycle logs to OS log..............................................................................................310
Automatic system recovery options........................................................................................... 311
Windows Management Instrumentation providers....................................................................311
Remote iDRAC Hard Reset..........................................................................................................312
In-band Support for iDRAC SNMP Alerts................................................................................... 314
iDRAC access via Host OS (Experimental Feature).................................................................... 315
Coexistence of OpenManage Server Administrator and iDRAC Service Module..................... 317
Using iDRAC Service Module from iDRAC web interface................................................................317
Using iDRAC Service Module from RACADM...................................................................................317
20 Using USB port for server management.................................................... 318
Accessing iDRAC interface over direct USB connection.................................................................318
Configuring iDRAC using server configuration profile on USB device...........................................319
Configuring USB management port settings............................................................................. 319
Importing server configuration profile from USB device ..........................................................321
21 Using iDRAC Quick Sync...............................................................................324
Configuring iDRAC Quick Sync........................................................................................................325
Configuring iDRAC Quick Sync settings using web interface...................................................325
13
Configuring iDRAC Quick Sync settings using RACADM.......................................................... 325
Configuring iDRAC Quick Sync settings using iDRAC settings utility.......................................326
Using mobile device to view iDRAC information............................................................................ 326
22 Deploying operating systems...................................................................... 327
Deploying operating system using VMCLI.......................................................................................327
Deploying operating system using remote file share......................................................................328
Managing remote file share........................................................................................................329
Configuring remote file share using web interface...................................................................330
Configuring remote file share using RACADM...........................................................................331
Deploying operating system using virtual media.............................................................................331
Installing operating system from multiple disks........................................................................ 332
Deploying embedded operating system on SD card...................................................................... 332
Enabling SD module and redundancy in BIOS.......................................................................... 332
23 Troubleshooting managed system using iDRAC..................................... 334
Using diagnostic console................................................................................................................. 334
Scheduling remote automated diagnostics...............................................................................335
Scheduling remote automated diagnostics using RACADM.....................................................336
Viewing post codes...........................................................................................................................336
Viewing boot and crash capture videos...........................................................................................336
Configuring video capture settings............................................................................................336
Viewing logs...................................................................................................................................... 337
Viewing last system crash screen.....................................................................................................337
Viewing front panel status................................................................................................................ 337
Viewing system front panel LCD status......................................................................................337
Viewing system front panel LED status......................................................................................338
Hardware trouble indicators.............................................................................................................338
Viewing system health......................................................................................................................339
Generating SupportAssist Collection...............................................................................................339
Generating SupportAssist Collection automatically..................................................................340
Generating SupportAssist Collection manually..........................................................................341
Checking server status screen for error messages......................................................................... 343
Restarting iDRAC...............................................................................................................................343
Resetting iDRAC using iDRAC web interface.............................................................................343
Resetting iDRAC using RACADM................................................................................................343
Erasing system and user data...........................................................................................................343
Resetting iDRAC to factory default settings.................................................................................... 344
Resetting iDRAC to factory default settings using iDRAC web interface................................. 344
Resetting iDRAC to factory default settings using iDRAC settings utility................................. 344
24 Frequently asked questions......................................................................... 346
14
System Event Log............................................................................................................................. 346
Network security...............................................................................................................................347
Active Directory.................................................................................................................................347
Single Sign-On..................................................................................................................................350
Smart card login................................................................................................................................ 351
Virtual console...................................................................................................................................351
Virtual media..................................................................................................................................... 355
vFlash SD card...................................................................................................................................358
SNMP authentication........................................................................................................................358
Storage devices.................................................................................................................................358
iDRAC Service Module......................................................................................................................358
RACADM............................................................................................................................................ 361
Miscellaneous....................................................................................................................................362
25 Use case scenarios......................................................................................... 365
Troubleshooting an inaccessible managed system........................................................................ 365
Obtaining system information and assess system health...............................................................366
Setting up alerts and configuring email alerts.................................................................................366
Viewing and exporting Lifecycle log and System Event Log.......................................................... 366
Interfaces to update iDRAC firmware..............................................................................................366
Performing graceful shutdown........................................................................................................ 367
Creating new administrator user account....................................................................................... 367
Launching server's remote console and mounting a USB drive.....................................................367
Installing bare metal OS using attached virtual media and remote file share................................367
Managing rack density......................................................................................................................368
Installing new electronic license......................................................................................................368
Applying I/O Identity configuration settings for multiple network cards in single host system
reboot ...............................................................................................................................................368
15
1
Overview
The Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) is designed to make server administrators more
productive and improve the overall availability of Dell servers. iDRAC alerts administrators to server issues,
helps them perform remote server management, and reduces the need for physical access to the server.
iDRAC with Lifecycle Controller technology is part of a larger data center solution that helps keep
business critical applications and workloads available always. The technology allows administrators to
deploy, monitor, manage, configure, update, troubleshoot and remediate Dell servers from any location,
and without the use of agents. It accomplishes this regardless of operating system or hypervisor presence
or state.
Several products work with the iDRAC and Lifecycle Controller to simplify and streamline IT operations,
such as:
• Dell Management plug-in for VMware vCenter
• Dell Repository Manager
• Dell Management Packs for Microsoft System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) and Microsoft
System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM)
• BMC Bladelogic
• Dell OpenManage Essentials
• Dell OpenManage Power Center
The iDRAC is available in the following variants:
• Basic Management with IPMI (available by default for 200-500 series servers)
• iDRAC Express (available by default on all 600 and higher series of rack or tower servers, and all blade
servers)
• iDRAC Enterprise (available on all server models)
For more information, see the iDRAC Overview and Feature Guide available at dell.com/support/
manuals.
Benefits of using iDRAC with Lifecycle Controller
The benefits include:
• Increased Availability — Early notification of potential or actual failures that help prevent a server
failure or reduce recovery time after failure.
• Improved Productivity and Lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) — Extending the reach of
administrators to larger numbers of distant servers can make IT staff more productive while driving
down operational costs such as travel.
16
• Secure Environment — By providing secure access to remote servers, administrators can perform
critical management functions while maintaining server and network security.
• Enhanced Embedded Management through Lifecycle Controller – Lifecycle Controller provides
deployment and simplified serviceability through Lifecycle Controller GUI for local deployment and
Remote Services (WS-Management) interfaces for remote deployment integrated with Dell
OpenManage Essentials and partner consoles.
For more information on Lifecycle Controller GUI, see Lifecycle Controller User’s Guide and for remote
services, see Lifecycle Controller Remote Services User’s Guide available at dell.com/idracmanuals.
Key features
The key features in iDRAC include:
NOTE: Some of the features are available only with iDRAC Enterprise license. For information on the
features available for a license, see Managing licenses.
Inventory and Monitoring
• View managed server health.
• Inventory and monitor network adapters and storage subsystem (PERC and direct attached storage)
without any operating system agents.
• View and export system inventory.
• View sensor information such as temperature, voltage, and intrusion.
• Monitor CPU state, processor automatic throttling, and predictive failure.
• View memory information.
• Monitor and control power usage.
• Support for SNMPv3 gets and alerts.
• For blade servers: launch Chassis Management Controller (CMC) web interface, view CMC
information, and WWN/MAC addresses.
NOTE: CMC provides access to iDRAC through the M1000E Chassis LCD panel and local
console connections. For more information, see Chassis Management Controller User’s Guide
available at dell.com/support/manuals.
• View network interfaces available on host operating systems.
• View inventory and monitor information and configure basic iDRAC settings using iDRAC Quick Sync
feature and a mobile device.
Deployment
• Manage vFlash SD card partitions.
• Configure front panel display settings.
• Manage iDRAC network settings.
• Configure and use virtual console and virtual media.
• Deploy operating systems using remote file share, virtual media, and VMCLI.
• Enable auto-discovery.
• Perform server configuration using the export or import XML profile feature through RACADM and
WS-MAN. For more information, see the Lifecycle Controller Remote Services Quick Start Guide.
• Configure persistence policy for virtual addresses, initiator, and storage targets.
• Remotely configure storage devices attached to the system at run-time.
17
• Perform the following operations for storage devices:
– Physical disks: Assign or unassign physical disk as a global hot spare.
– Virtual disks:
* Create virtual disks.
* Edit virtual disks cache policies.
* Check virtual disk consistency.
* Initialize virtual disks.
* Encrypt virtual disks.
* Assign or unassign dedicated hot spare.
* Delete virtual disks.
– Controllers:
* Configure controller properties.
* Import or auto-import foreign configuration.
* Clear foreign configuration.
* Reset controller configuration.
* Create or change security keys.
– PCIe SSD devices:
* Inventory and remotely monitor the health of PCIe SSD devices in the server.
* Prepare the PCIe SSD to be removed.
* Securely erase the data.
– Set the backplane mode (unified or split mode).
– Blink or unblink component LEDs.
– Apply the device settings immediately, at next system reboot, at a scheduled time, or as a pending
operation to be applied as a batch as part of the single job.
Update
• Manage iDRAC licenses.
• Update BIOS and device firmware for devices supported by Lifecycle Controller.
• Update or rollback iDRAC firmware and Lifecycle Controller firmware using a single firmware image.
• Manage staged updates.
• Back up and restore server profile.
• Access iDRAC interface over direct USB connection.
• Configure iDRAC using Server Configuration Profiles on USB device.
Maintenance and Troubleshooting
• Perform power-related operations and monitor power consumption.
• Optimize system performance and power consumption by modifying the thermal settings.
• No dependency on OpenManage Server Administrator for generation of alerts.
• Log event data: Lifecycle and RAC logs.
• Set email alerts, IPMI alerts, remote system logs, WS Eventing logs, Redfish event, and SNMP traps (v1,
v2c, and v3) for events and improved email alert notification.
• Capture last system crash image.
18
• View boot and crash capture videos.
• Out-of-band monitor and alert the performance index of CPU, memory, and I/O modules.
• Configure warning threshold for inlet temperature and power consumption.
• Use iDRAC Service Module to:
– View operating system information.
– Replicate Lifecycle Controller logs to operating system logs.
– Automatic system recovery options.
– Populate Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) information.
– Integrate with SupportAssist collection. This is applicable only if iDRAC Service Module Version 2.0
or later is installed. For more information, see Generating SupportAssist Collection.
– Prepare to remove NVMe PCIe SSD. For more information, see Preparing to remove PCIe SSD.
• Generate SupportAssist collection in the following ways:
– Automatic — Using iDRAC Service Module that automatically invokes the OS Collector tool.
– Manual — Using OS Collector tool.
Dell Best Practices regarding iDRAC
• iDRACs are intended to be on a separate management network; they are not designed nor intended
to be placed on or connected to the internet. Doing so could expose the connected system to
security and other risks for which Dell is not responsible.
• Along with locating iDRACs on a separate management subnet, users should isolate the management
subnet/vLAN with technologies such as firewalls, and limit access to the subnet/vLAN to authorized
server administrators.
Secure Connectivity
Securing access to critical network resources is a priority. iDRAC implements a range of security features
that includes:
• Custom signing certificate for Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate.
• Signed firmware updates.
• User authentication through Microsoft Active Directory, generic Lightweight Directory Access
Protocol (LDAP) Directory Service, or locally administered user IDs and passwords.
• Two-factor authentication using the Smart–Card logon feature. The two-factor authentication is
based on the physical smart card and the smart card PIN.
• Single Sign-On and Public Key Authentication.
• Role-based authorization, to configure specific privileges for each user.
• SNMPv3 authentication for user accounts stored locally in the iDRAC. It is recommended to use this,
but it is disabled by default.
• User ID and password configuration.
• Default login password modification.
• Set user passwords and BIOS passwords using one-way hash format for improved security.
• SMCLP and web interfaces that support 128 bit and 40-bit encryption (for countries where 128 bit is
not acceptable), using the TLS 1.2 standard.
• Session time-out configuration (in seconds).
• Configurable IP ports (for HTTP, HTTPS, SSH, Telnet, Virtual Console, and Virtual Media).
19
NOTE: Telnet does not support SSL encryption and is disabled by default.
• Secure Shell (SSH) that uses an encrypted transport layer for higher security.
• Login failure limits per IP address, with login blocking from that IP address when the limit is exceeded.
• Limited IP address range for clients connecting to iDRAC.
• Dedicated Gigabit Ethernet adapter available on rack and tower servers (additional hardware may be
required).
New in this release
• Added support for Redfish 1.0, a RESTful Application Programming Interface (API), which is
standardized by the Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF). It provides a scalable and secured
systems management interface. To get the IPv6 and VLAN information, install iDRAC Service Module
(iSM).
• Added support for HTML5 virtual console and virtual media.
• Added support for enhanced and flexible back plane zoning or split modes for Dell PowerEdge
R730xd servers.
• Added Remote iDRAC Hard Reset feature, which allows you to reset an unresponsive iDRAC through
the operating system. To use this feature, install iSM.
• Added support for PERC 9.3 version of firmware.
• Added support to manage and monitor 192 virtual disks if auto-configuration is enabled through
PERC controller BIOS, Human Interface Infrastructure (HII), and Dell OpenManage Server
Administrator (OMSA).
• Added support to update firmware of SATA HDD devices.
• Renamed the Technical Support Report feature to SupportAssist Collection.
• Added a feature on iDRAC that detects unresponsive Dell PowerEdge FX2 chassis and records System
Event Logs (SEL).
• Added support for IPMI 2.0 version 1.1 and IPMI 5/6 Errata.
• Enhanced the hard-disk event logging feature to create SEL log for physical drives on power supply
unit (PSU) bay that are connected to PERC controllers.
• Added support for GPU thermal sensor and status report in iDRAC user interface for Dell PowerEdge
C4130 server.
• Added an option to enable or disable VLAN port.
• Added support for the Intel E5-26xx v4 family of processors.
How to use this user's guide
The contents of this User's Guide enable you to perform the tasks by using:
• iDRAC web interface — Only the task-related information is provided here. For information about the
fields and options, see the iDRAC Online Help that you can access from the web interface.
• RACADM — The RACADM command or the object that you must use is provided here. For more
information, see the iDRAC RACADM Command Line Reference Guide available at dell.com/
idracmanuals.
• iDRAC Settings Utility — Only the task-related information is provided here. For information about the
fields and options, see the iDRAC Settings Utility Online Help that you can access when you click Help
20
in the iDRAC Settings GUI (press <F2> during boot, and then click iDRAC Settings on the System
Setup Main Menu page).
Supported web browsers
iDRAC is supported on the following browsers:
• Internet Explorer
• Mozilla Firefox
• Google Chrome
• Safari
For the list of versions, see the iDRAC8 Release Notes available at dell.com/idracmanuals.
Managing licenses
iDRAC features are available based on the purchased license (Basic Management, iDRAC Express, or
iDRAC Enterprise). Only licensed features are available in the interfaces that allow you to configure or use
iDRAC. For example, iDRAC Web interface, RACADM, WS-MAN, OpenManage Server Administrator, and
so on. Some features, such as dedicated NIC or vFlash requires iDRAC ports card. This is optional on
200-500 series servers.
iDRAC license management and firmware update functionality is available through iDRAC Web interface
and RACADM.
Types of licenses
The types of licenses offered are:
• 30 day evaluation and extension — The license expires after 30 days and can be extended for 30 days.
Evaluation licenses are duration based, and the timer runs when power is applied to the system.
• Perpetual — The license is bound to the service tag and is permanent.
Methods for acquiring licenses
Use any of the following methods to acquire the licenses:
• Email — License is attached to an email that is sent after requesting it from the technical support
center.
• Self-service portal — A link to the Self-Service Portal is available from iDRAC. Click this link to open
the licensing Self-Service Portal on the Internet. Currently, you can use the License Self-Service Portal
to retrieve licenses that were purchased with the server. You must contact the sales representative or
technical support to buy a new or upgrade license. For more information, see the online help for the
self-service portal page.
• Point-of-sale — License is acquired while placing the order for a system.
License operations
Before you perform the license management tasks, make sure to acquire the licenses. For more
information, see the Overview and Feature Guide available at dell.com/support/manuals.
NOTE: If you have purchased a system with all the licenses pre-installed, then license management
is not required.
21
You can perform the following licensing operations using iDRAC, RACADM, WS-MAN, and Lifecycle
Controller-Remote Services for one-to-one license management, and Dell License Manager for one-tomany license management:
• View — View the current license information.
• Import — After acquiring the license, store the license in a local storage and import it into iDRAC using
one of the supported interfaces. The license is imported if it passes the validation checks.
NOTE: For a few features, a system restart is required to enable the features.
• Export — Export the installed license into an external storage device for backup or to reinstall it again
after a part or motherboard replacement. The file name and format of the exported license is
<EntitlementID>.xml.
• Delete — Delete the license that is assigned to a component if the component is missing. After the
license is deleted, it is not stored in iDRAC and the base product functions are enabled.
• Replace — Replace the license to extend an evaluation license, change a license type such as an
evaluation license with a purchased license, or extend an expired license.
– An evaluation license may be replaced with an upgraded evaluation license or with a purchased
license.
– A purchased license may be replaced with an updated license or with an upgraded license.
• Learn More — Learn more about an installed license, or the licenses available for a component
installed in the server.
NOTE: For the Learn More option to display the correct page, make sure that *.dell.com is
added to the list of Trusted Sites in the Security Settings. For more information, see the Internet
Explorer help documentation.
For one-to-many license deployment, you can use Dell License Manager. For more information, see the
Dell License Manager User’s Guide available at dell.com/support/manuals.
Importing license after replacing motherboard
You can use the Local iDRAC Enterprise License Installation Tool if you have recently replaced the
motherboard and need to reinstall the iDRAC Enterprise license locally (with no network connectivity)
and activate the dedicated NIC. This utility installs a 30-day trial iDRAC Enterprise license and allows you
to reset the iDRAC to change from shared NIC to dedicated NIC.
License component state or condition and available operations
The following table provides the list of license operations available based on the license state or
condition.
Table 1. License operations based on state and condition
License/
Component
state or
condition
Nonadministrator
login
Active license Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Expired license No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Import Export Delete Replace Learn More
No No No No Yes
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License/
Component
state or
condition
License
installed but
component
missing
NOTE: In the iDRAC Web interface, on the Licenses page, expand the device to view the Replace
option in the drop-down menu.
Import Export Delete Replace Learn More
No Yes Yes No Yes
Managing licenses using iDRAC web interface
To manage the licenses using the iDRAC web interface, go to Overview → Server → Licenses.
The Licensing page displays the licenses that are associated to devices, or the licenses that are installed
but the device is not present in the system. For more information on importing, exporting, deleting, or
replacing a license, see the iDRAC Online Help.
Managing licenses using RACADM
To manage licenses using RACADM, use the license subcommand. For more information, see the iDRAC
RACADM Command Line Interface Reference Guide available at dell.com/idracmanuals.
Licensed features in iDRAC7 and iDRAC8
The following table lists the iDRAC7 and iDRAC8 features that are enabled based on the license
purchased:
Feature Basic
Interfaces / Standards
IPMI 2.0 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
DCMI 1.5 No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
Web-based GUI No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Racadm
command line
(local/remote)
SMASH-CLP (SSHonly)
Telnet No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Mana
geme
nt
(iDRA
C7)
No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
iDRAC
8 Basic
iDRAC
7
Expres
s
iDRAC
8
Expres
s
iDRAC
7
Expre
ss for
Blades
iDRAC8
Express
for Blades
iDRAC7
Enterprise
iDRAC8
Enterprise
23
Feature Basic
Mana
geme
nt
(iDRA
iDRAC
8 Basic
iDRAC
7
Expres
s
iDRAC
8
Expres
s
iDRAC
7
Expre
ss for
Blades
iDRAC8
Express
for Blades
iDRAC7
Enterprise
iDRAC8
Enterprise
C7)
SSH No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
WS-MAN Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Network Time
No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Protocol
Connectivity
Shared NIC (LOM) Yes Yes Yes Yes N/A N/A Yes Yes
Dedicated NIC
2
No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
VLAN tagging Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
IPv4 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
IPv6 No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
DHCP No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
Dynamic DNS No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
OS pass-through No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
Front panel USB No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
Security
1
Role-based
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
authority
Local users Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
SSL encryption Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
IP blocking No No No Yes No Yes No Yes
Directory services
No No No No No No Yes Yes
(AD, LDAP)
Two-factor
No No No No No No Yes Yes
authentication
(smart card)
24
Feature Basic
Mana
geme
nt
(iDRA
C7)
Single sign-On
No No No Yes No Yes Yes Yes
(kerberos)
iDRAC
8 Basic
iDRAC
7
Expres
s
iDRAC
8
Expres
s
iDRAC
7
Expre
ss for
Blades
iDRAC8
Express
for Blades
iDRAC7
Enterprise
iDRAC8
Enterprise
PK authentication
No No No Yes No Yes No Yes
(for SSH)
Remote Presence
Power control Yes
4
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Boot control No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
Serial-over-LAN Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Virtual Media No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Virtual Folders No No No No No No Yes Yes
Remote File Share No No No No No No Yes Yes
Virtual Console No No No No Single
Single user Yes 6 users
user
VNC connection
No No No No No No Yes Yes
to OS
Quality/bandwidth
No No No No No Yes No Yes
control
Virtual Console
collaboration (up
to six
simultaneous
users)
Virtual Console
chat
Virtual Flash
partitions
Power and Thermal
Automatic power
on after loss
No No No No No No No Yes
No No No No No No Yes Yes
No No No No No No Yes Yes
No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
1,2
25
Feature Basic
Real-time power
meter
Mana
geme
nt
(iDRA
C7)
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
iDRAC
8 Basic
iDRAC
7
Expres
s
iDRAC
8
Expres
s
iDRAC
7
Expre
ss for
Blades
iDRAC8
Express
for Blades
iDRAC7
Enterprise
iDRAC8
Enterprise
Power thresholds
and alerts
(includes
headroom)
Real-time power
graphing
Historical power
counters
Power capping No No No No No No Yes Yes
Power Center
integration
Temperature
monitoring
Temperature
graphing
Health Monitoring
Full agent-free
monitoring
No No No Yes No Yes No Yes
No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
No No No No No No No Yes
No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
No No No Yes No Yes No Yes
No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
Predictive failure
monitoring
SNMPv1, v2, and
v3 (traps and gets)
Email Alerting No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Configurable
thresholds
Fan monitoring No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
Power Supply
monitoring
26
No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Feature Basic
Mana
geme
nt
(iDRA
iDRAC
8 Basic
iDRAC
7
Expres
s
iDRAC
8
Expres
s
iDRAC
7
Expre
ss for
Blades
iDRAC8
Express
for Blades
iDRAC7
Enterprise
iDRAC8
Enterprise
C7)
Memory
No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
monitoring
CPU monitoring No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
RAID monitoring No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
NIC monitoring No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
HD monitoring
No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
(enclosure)
Out of Band
No No No No No No No Yes
Performance
Monitoring
Update
Remote agent-
Yes
3
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
free update
Embedded update
No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
tools
Sync with
No No No No No No Yes Yes
repository
(scheduled
updates)
Auto-update No No No No No No No Yes
Deployment and Configuration
Embedded OS
No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
deployment tools
Embedded
configuration
tools (iDRAC
Settings Utility)
Embedded
configuration
wizards (Lifecycle
Controller
wizards)
No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
27
Feature Basic
Mana
geme
nt
(iDRA
C7)
Auto-Discovery No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
iDRAC
8 Basic
iDRAC
7
Expres
s
iDRAC
8
Expres
s
iDRAC
7
Expre
ss for
Blades
iDRAC8
Express
for Blades
iDRAC7
Enterprise
iDRAC8
Enterprise
Remote OS
deployment
Embedded driver
pack
Full configuration
inventory
Inventory export No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
Remote
configuration
Zero-touch
configuration
System Retire/
Repurpose
Diagnostics, Service, and Logging
Embedded
diagnostic tools
Part Replacement No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
No No No Yes No Yes No Yes
No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
No No No No No No No Yes
No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Server
Configuration
Backup
Server
Configuration
Restore
Easy Restore
(system
configuration)
Health LED / LCD No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
Quick Sync
(require NFC
bezel)
28
No No No No No No Yes Yes
No No No No No No Yes Yes
No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
No Yes No Yes No N/A No Yes
Feature Basic
Mana
geme
nt
(iDRA
C7)
iDRAC Direct
No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
(front USB
management
port)
iDRAC
8 Basic
iDRAC
7
Expres
s
iDRAC
8
Expres
s
iDRAC
7
Expre
ss for
Blades
iDRAC8
Express
for Blades
iDRAC7
Enterprise
iDRAC8
Enterprise
iDRAC Service
No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Module (iSM)
Embedded Tech
No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Support Report
Crash screen
capture
Crash video
capture
5
5
No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
No No No No No No Yes Yes
Boot capture No No No No No No Yes Yes
Manual reset for
No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
iDRAC
Virtual NMI No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
OS watchdog No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
Embedded Health
No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
Report
System Event Log No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Lifecycle Log No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
Work notes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
Remote Syslog No No No No No No Yes Yes
License
No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
management
[1] 500 series and lower rack and tower servers require a hardware card to enable this feature; this
hardware is offered at additional cost.
[2] Requires vFlash SD card media.
[3] Remote agent-free update feature is available only using IPMI.
29
[4] Available only using IPMI.
[5] Requires OMSA agent on target server.
Interfaces and protocols to access iDRAC
The following table lists the interfaces to access iDRAC.
NOTE: Using more than one interface at the same time may generate unexpected results.
Table 2. Interfaces and protocols to access iDRAC
Interface or
Protocol
iDRAC Settings
Utility
iDRAC web
Interface
RACADM Use this command-line utility to perform iDRAC and server management. You can
Description
Use the iDRAC Settings utility to perform pre-OS operations. It has a subset of the
features that are available in iDRAC web interface along with other features.
To access iDRAC Settings utility, press <F2> during boot and then click iDRAC
Settings on the System Setup Main Menu page.
Use the iDRAC web interface to manage iDRAC and monitor the managed system.
The browser connects to the web server through the HTTPS port. Data streams are
encrypted using 128-bit SSL to provide privacy and integrity. Any connection to the
HTTP port is redirected to HTTPS. Administrators can upload their own SSL
certificate through an SSL CSR generation process to secure the web server. The
default HTTP and HTTPS ports can be changed. The user access is based on user
privileges.
use RACADM locally and remotely.
• Local RACADM command-line interface runs on the managed systems that
have Server Administrator installed. Local RACADM communicates with iDRAC
through its in-band IPMI host interface. Since it is installed on the local
managed system, users are required to log in to the operating system to run
this utility. A user must have a full administrator privilege or be a root user to
use this utility.
• Remote RACADM is a client utility that runs on a management station. It uses
the out-of-band network interface to run RACADM commands on the
managed system and uses the HTTPs channel. The –r option runs the RACADM
command over a network.
• Firmware RACADM is accessible by logging in to iDRAC using SSH or telnet.
You can run the firmware RACADM commands without specifying the iDRAC
IP, user name, or password.
• You do not have to specify the iDRAC IP, user name, or password to run the
firmware RACADM commands. After you enter the RACADM prompt, you can
directly run the commands without the racadm prefix.
Server LCD Panel/
Chassis LCD Panel
30
Use the LCD on the server front panel to:
• View alerts, iDRAC IP or MAC address, user programmable strings.
• Set DHCP
• Configure iDRAC static IP settings.
For blade servers, the LCD is on the chassis front panel and is shared between all
the blades.
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