OME 2.01 vLab Guide - Amazon S3 · 3.4.2 Review the Inventory and launch the iDRAC Console from OME...

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OME 2.01 vLab Guide

Open Manage Essentials 2.0.1

Dell confidential

Dell

Document version 1.0

Date: August 2015



1 Table of Contents

1 Table of Contents ................................................................................................................. 2

2 Demonstration Labs ............................................................................................................. 4

2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 4

2.1.1 Overview of Solution ............................................................................................................................. 4

2.1.2 Overview of Demo ............................................................................................................................. 5

2.1.3 Preparing the Demo Environment .............................................................................................. 6

2.1.4 Preparing your agenda for the demonstration ..................................................................... 7

2.1.5 Pre-Demo - Introducing the customer to the demo ........................................................ 8

2.1.6 Set the Scene ....................................................................................................................................... 9

3 OME LAB ............................................................................................................................... 10

3.1 Before you start… ...................................................................................................................................... 10

3.1.1 Introduction/Customer Challenge ............................................................................................... 10

3.1.2 Business Talking Points: ............................................................................................................... 10

3.1.3 Technical Selling Points: ............................................................................................................... 11

3.2 OME Lab 1 – First steps and Home Portal ...................................................................................... 12

3.2.1 Review the Home Portal and the Map View ......................................................................... 14

3.2.2 Review the Tutorials Tab ............................................................................................................... 17

3.3 LAB 2 – Discover and Inventory the configured 13G Server................................................. 22

3.4 LAB 3 – Working with Devices ........................................................................................................... 32

3.4.1 Create a new static group under devices and add a 13G Server................................ 32

3.4.2 Review the Inventory and launch the iDRAC Console from OME ............................ 34

3.5 LAB 4 - Review the Preferences ........................................................................................................ 36

3.5.1 Console Settings .............................................................................................................................. 36

3.5.2 Email Settings ..................................................................................................................................... 37

3.5.3 Alert Settings ....................................................................................................................................... 37

3.5.4 Warranty Notification .................................................................................................................... 38

3.5.5 Mobile Settings ................................................................................................................................. 38

3.5.6 Discovery Settings ........................................................................................................................... 39

3.6 LAB 5 – Managing Alerts ....................................................................................................................... 40



3.6.1 Alerts Overview ................................................................................................................................ 40

3.6.2 General Alert Log Settings ............................................................................................................ 41

3.6.3 Alert Actions ........................................................................................................................................ 41

3.7 LAB 6 - Remote Task .............................................................................................................................. 46

3.7.1 Common Tasks ................................................................................................................................ 46

3.7.2 RACADM Command Line Tasks ................................................................................................ 48

3.8 LAB 7 - System Updates ........................................................................................................................ 50

3.8.1 Review System Update Homepage ......................................................................................... 50

3.8.2 System Update – Catalog Selection ........................................................................................51

3.8.3 System Update – Advanced Settings ..................................................................................... 52

3.8.4 System Update – Distribute Updates ..................................................................................... 53

3.8.5 System Update – Issues and resolutions for Updates .................................................... 59

3.9 LAB 8 – Reports ........................................................................................................................................ 60

3.9.1 Reports Portal – Agent and Alert Summary ........................................................................ 60

3.9.2 Predefined Reports .......................................................................................................................... 61

3.9.3 “Warranty Information” Customization ................................................................................. 62



2 Demonstration Labs

2.1 Introduction

2.1.1 Overview of Solution

Dell OpenManageTM Essentials (OME) is a Dell HW element management solution that is

optimized on managing customer’s entire Dell infrastructure for IT generalist. It is integrated

and can be integrated to other point solutions to provide end to end IT Management.

Dell OpenManageTM Essentials is the best option for managing Dell Enterprise Systems as it

provides the easiest and simplest way for system administrators to maximize Dell systems

uptime and health. Major features include:

Monitoring health status and events for Dell PowerEdge servers, Dell Storage systems and Dell Networking systems as well as Dell Workstations and Business Clients.

Providing hardware level control and management for Dell PowerEdge server and blade systems.

Allowing HW control of Windows, Linux, Citrix, VMWare and Hyper-V environments. Enabling deeper management and control of Dell Enterprise systems through context

sensitive link and launch of their respective element management tools. Integrating with the following Dell solutions :

o Dell Repository Manager - allow precise control of Dell PowerEdge servers updates

o OpenManageTM Power Center – optimize power consumption of your servers o Dell KACE Appliances – extend to full value of the Dell KACE Appliances in

deploying and managing server operating systems and applications



2.1.2 Overview of Demo

The guide is based on the Virtual OpenManage Essentials Lab demo on demos.dell.com. Since the instances on demos.dell.com do not have real hardware to manage with OME, some LABS in this document are for reference only and some screenshots are taken from an actual system with real hardware in the back.

This document provides details on how to deliver an effective live demonstration of the

OpenManageTM Essentials solution to customers. It also highlights the talking points during each chapter of the demo /LAB – both from a technical point of view as well as from a business point of view.

In this demo you will perform the following tasks:

Review the Home Portal and the Map View

Review the preferences settings

o Console settings

o Email settings

o Alert settings

o Warranty notification settings

o Mobile settings

o Discovery Settings

Review the tutorial for

o First time setup

o Discover 12G and later servers without OpenManageTM Server Administrator

(OMSA)

o Linux configuration for SNMP and OMSA

o Configuring ESXi for discovery and inventory

Discover and inventory the configured 13G server

Create a new static group under devices and add the newly discovered 13G server

Review the Inventory of the 13G Server and launch the iDRAC Console from OME

Manage / Alerts

o Review the Alert Logs in OME

o Review the alert actions and create a clone of the Application Launch Sample /

SNMP Forwarding

o Change the temperature warning threshold to generate an alert in OME

o Find the temperature alert in OME and the triggered app launch /SNMP

Forward

Manage / Remote Task

o use a RACADM Command Line task to change a setting in iDRAC

Manage / System Update

o Review the Catalog Source and point it to Recovery Manager repository

o Review the Advanced Settings and change preferred installation method to

Out-of-band (iDRAC)



o Review the “Non-Compliant Systems” tab

o Review the “Issues and resolutions for Updates” tab

Reports

o Review the following reports

Server Overview

Warranty Information

2.1.3 Preparing the Demo Environment

It is in your best interests to ensure the demo environment you will be demonstrating is clean

& tidy before you begin. For this reason we would recommend, where possible, you log in to

your demo at least 15 mins prior to delivery and check the following;

Familiarise yourself with the environment during this time and check any specific

features you are expecting to demo.

Most importantly, be crystal clear with yourself on what it is you plan to show. A full

demo of every feature described below (with questions) can take several hours!

If you only have a short time slot be sure to focus on the key points that address the

customer’s pain points and will drive value home to them.

Ensure that you have booked the demo for sufficient time so as not to have the demo

end before you are finished with the customer.

Also check the reports – in particular the warranty report – that you want to show to

the customer.



2.1.4 Preparing your agenda for the demonstration

You should have an understanding of the customer’s anticipated business need and their

growth expectations prior to scheduling a demo. You should also tailor each demo to

illustrate the deployment, configuration and/or reconfiguration of the type of systems the

customer intends to use.

Before scheduling a demo, you must decide how you will articulate the product features,

workloads and business and technical value. Work with your customer through question and

answer sessions to decide which features and capabilities you will focus on to be most

effective.

The idea is not to present a “How-To” session, but to focus on the value of the product

and/or solution. Even if the customer representative is not overly technical, you can

demonstrate what the product does and how that can benefit the customer.

You should have a good understanding of the customer’s current infrastructure:

Datacenter/remote office needs

Operating systems & key applications (Database types etc.)

Server, storage and network platforms

Reporting/management Tools

Virtualization platform (VMware, Hyper-V or even KVM)

Any existing systems management tools (NAGIOS, MS SCOM, HP SIM, etc.)

Understand the customer’s desired infrastructure ‘Wins’ Examples:

Ease of management of remote offices

Application requirements

Storage requirements

Data growth projections

ROI

… Add relevant areas of interest to the customer or based on the demo solution



2.1.5 Pre-Demo - Introducing the customer to the demo

Your introduction will be based on what you know of the customer, their infrastructure,

needs, and plans for development. The following is a suggested set of items to cover before

you demonstrate the features and benefits of the OpenManageTM Essentials 2.0.1.

Understand Customer’s Desired infrastructure ‘Wins’ o Simplified remote management o Flexible and quite operations o Reduce cost of management - standardization o …add relevant areas of interest to the customer or based on the demo solution

Review Assessment data

o Discuss customer’s requirements o Application and storage requirements o Demonstrate understanding of customer’s business as it relates to their data

requirements o …add relevant areas of interest to the customer or based on the demo solution

OpenManageTM Essentials 2.0.1 Overview

o Explain the key features and benefits of the OpenManageTM Essentials 2.0.1 Solution o Give an overview of deployment options o Discuss Dell’s point of view o Positioning - Explain what OpenManageTM Essentials 2.0.1 is NOT!

Services – Consulting, Delivery & Technical Support

o Explain the roles of Consulting, Service Delivery/Deployment & Technical Support in successful deployments of the OpenManageTM Essentials 2.0.1.

Pre-Demo points to cover o Ensure that you understand who you are presenting to and how the benefits of the

system will enable them to ‘WIN’ in their roles. It does make a difference if you present to the head of IT or to their stuff members!



2.1.6 Set the Scene

It can be easy to forget that the customer has no idea what it is they are looking at, so take some time emphasizing the following;

o Explain that the purpose is to demonstrate the benefits and key features, not to

provide a “How To” session

o Explain that the demo will be either a simulation or a connection to a remote lab,

where a combination of virtual machines and physical hardware will be used to

provide a live demonstration of the features and capabilities that will be covered

o Setup and current configuration information:

o Explain that OME is running in a VM and that it uses a database that is

prepopulated with systems that are no longer reporting to it

o Connectivity methods that you will be using (HTTP)

o Introduce the management interfaces you plan to use:

o OME WebConsole via HTTPS

o MSTSC / RDP to OME Server



3 OME LAB

3.1 Before you start…

3.1.1 Introduction/Customer Challenge

This demonstration is primarily aimed at the CIO/CFO level and IT management staff, it also provides a useful quick introduction for staff who are not familiar with OpenManageTM

Essentials 2.0.1. Duration: Estimated Duration in minutes 15-30 minutes.

3.1.2 Business Talking Points:

Dell has recognized the need for an easy to install and easy to use Enterprise Systems

Management Tool. In the past IT-Assistant has served customers quite well, but with the new

features introduced with Dells 11th Server Generation some fundamental changes in Systems

Management became possible. Namely the introduction of iDRAC 6 with Lifecycle Controller

v1 has extended the management ability of the servers to a point that IT Assistant could not

handle. OpenManageTM Essentials 2.0.1 is a new development and it is Dells own IP. It makes

use of the new and extended management capabilities while keeping Systems Management

as easy as possible for small and medium sized companies as well as being enterprise ready

for large environments.

Beside the monitoring capabilities that OME offers for all Enterprise Systems like Servers,

Storage, Networking, UPS and even business Client Systems it comes with a broad range of

management capabilities for Servers. OME helps customers to keep the firmware and server

configuration in compliance with the company’s standards. It also makes use of the Lifecycle

Controllers deployment features. The later cannot be demonstrated in this LAB as there is no

exclusive hardware available to deploy an operating system to.

The build-in reports help customers to get a better insight into their existing environment.

The Reports can be exported to be used in i.e. Asset Management Systems. The warranty

report shows the remaining warranty of all systems known to OME. It is also possible to send

an email alert if systems warranty is about to expire.

With OpenManage Mobile administrators can get alerts and take action while they are away

from their desks, making it possible to resolve issues faster.



3.1.3 Technical Selling Points:

OME is designed to make the server administrators live easier. With OME keeping servers

firmware in compliance is a simple task using the systems update functionality. The same

applies to the server configurations when the OME remote task feature is used. And of

course you will see with one sight if a system in your environment is in a warning or critical

state and you will be able to directly access the built in element management tools like

iDRAC Console or OMSA Console to further investigate the root cause.

The reporting engine is not only helpful for senior management, but technical staff can also

benefit from the predefined reports to see via one single pane of glass how servers are

equipped (RAM, NIC, and CPU etc.). The warranty alerting feature tells you i.e. 90 days

upfront when a systems warranty is about to expire. And with OpenManage Mobile an

administrator can even get alerts and take action while on the go.



3.2 OME Lab 1 – First steps and Home Portal

Once you have successfully started your scheduled demonstration within the environment

please conduct the following:

On the desktop double click on the Internet Explorer Icon and open the OpenManageTM

Essentials WebConsole using the IP Address 172.20.0.50. Login with the following credentials

if you are prompted to do so:

Username: demouser

Password: password

Gotchas:

The default port, 2607 and protocol, https used for OpenManageTM Essentials web-console.

You May receive a certificate error. If this is the case select the option to continue to the

website and the OpenManage Essentials login screen will appear.



You should then see the OME Console loading…

…and then end up on the Dashboard / Home Portal:



3.2.1 Review the Home Portal and the Map View

Explain the Elements of the Home Portal and the ability to customize it to your needs. Show the abilities to filter all elements on the Home Portal or just the alerts or discovered vs. inventoried devices.

Show the ability to sort and filter in the Alerts table. Also show the ability to group by Device / Category / Source by drag and drop the column header up. Explain that this is always possible throughout the OME Console.



Change to Schedule View and explain what scheduled tasks are listed and that this view can be used to align the OME schedules to other scheduled tasks in the customer’s environment – i.e. Backup tasks!



Change to Map View and explain what devices (VRTX) can be placed on the map and how

they are placed on the map. Explain how the map view helps the customer i.e. to engage the

nearest support centre in case of a failure / alarm occurring on one of the systems.



3.2.2 Review the Tutorials Tab

Go to the Tutorial Tab:



3.2.2.1 First Time Setup Explain that the OME Console will open up with a Setup Wizard when it is opened the first

time after the OME installation. The Tutorials are provided as an additional source of

information to our customers.

Click through the First Time Setup and explain each page shortly. In particular explain why it

is still important to install the OMSA agent on all supported OS and that the tutorials provide

information on how to do it for the various platforms. Even though more and more

management functions are provided directly through the iDRAC and the Lifecycle Controller

– i.e. iDRAC 8 has introduced direct storage manageability – not all management functions

are yet exposed. OMSA i.e. allows to manage the complete set of BIOS settings whereas

those settings are not even exposed on the iDRAC.

Explain the Protocol Support Matrix and why it is important to discover the devices with the

highlighted method:



3.2.2.2 Discover and Monitor 12G (and later) Servers without OMSA Select the Tutorial from the dropdown list:

Explain the pros and cons in discovering 12G and later servers only using the iDRAC and the

necessary steps to do so. Also explain the benefits of using the OMSA for management.



3.2.2.3 Linux Configuration for SNMP and OMSA If the customer is not using a supported Linux OS installed on a Dell Server you can skip this.

Click through the Tutorial and explain each page shortly.



3.2.2.4 Configuring ESXi for Discovery and Inventory Select the ESXi Tutorial from the drop-down list

Click through the Tutorial and each step shortly. Explain that there is an alternate method

installing the OMSA Agent on an ESXi Server using the Update Manager and the VMware

depot provided by Dell: http://vmwaredepot.dell.com/

Also explain that the customer would need to install the OMSA Web-Console on one Admin

PC to access the OMSA on an ESXi Server since ESXi has no ability to run a http server.



3.3 LAB 2 – Discover and Inventory the configured 13G Server

Lab Duration: (5-10 minutes)

Following the installation of OpenManage Essentials (OME), one of the first things we need to

do is ask it to go out and search the network for infrastructure in order to manage it. This is

done by performing a discovery and inventory search across your network. Note that this

causes some network traffic which can last anywhere between 10-45 minutes depending on

how big the selected network range is and the amount of devices found in that range. It will

report back on not just Dell devices but anything with an IP address that is on your discovery

range (i.e. HP, Cisco and IBM equipment). Most equipment other than Dell hardware will be

shown in OME as “Unknown Devices”, some exceptions are i.e. Brocade FC switches.

Consequently it is important to note that it is recommended to run a discovery of a wider

network range out of hours in order to minimize user and business operations impact – see

also 3.3.1.2 below for discovery and inventory schedule setting.

Open the OME Console and navigate to the Manage tab, then Discovery and Inventory tab:



Explain the elements of the Discovery Portal.

Last Discovery an Inventory

Discovered vs. Inventoried Devices

Task Status

3.3.1.1 Add a Discovery Range: Within this demo, note that a discovery has already taken place so no new discovered

devices will be found but we can still run the exercise and monitor its progress for a

customer.

In the left hand pane, click on Add Discovery Range.

Explain the Group Check Box allows the customer to create a group of ranges that use the

same credentials for a group of discovery ranges. For example a customer may wish to group

all there servers per role, exchange or virtualization or by department/function like HR or

Marketing to allow for easier manageability.

Type in OME vLab Demo in the Group Name field.

Enter the IP Address range 192.168.1.* to run the discovery across your network. Explain that

for a discovery range a “*” can be used or a range can be defined like “12-115”.

Click on Add.



Click on Next.

Leave ICMP Configuration setting as default and click on Next.



Leave SNMP setting for discovery as default and click Next.

Note: a customer is probably using his own community string for security measures and

hence needs to change the string in his environment.

Note: a customer may wish to amend these settings if they want to discover Windows

systems using WMI discovery. Can be left unchecked in the demo - click Next.



Note: a customer may wish to amend these settings if they have any legacy Dell EMC

hardware on their network or have any PowerVault MD arrays.

Leave Storage Configuration as default and click Next.

Within the WS-Man Configuration Select the box Enable WS-Man Discovery and enter the

iDRAC credentials or user name root and password calvin and click Next.

Note: WS-MAN protocol is also used to discovery VMware ESXi systems. Thus a separate

discovery range / group for iDRAC and ESXi discovery is needed.



Technical Talking Points:

Explain that WS-MAN (Web Service for Management) also is the API language that is used to

programmatically talk to the iDRAC i.e. for remote Firmware Updates etc. On

delltechcenter.com the customer can find lots of examples on how to use the APIs in

different programming languages like PowerShell for Windows or using a Phyton framework

under Linux (or even Windows). WS-MAN APIs are also known as CIM-Providers and that

might be more familiar to the customer since Microsoft is using this term as well.

Click next and explain that the OME discovery process first sends a ping to the IP address it

tries to discover. If it gets a reply it will continue with the inventory process using the selected

methods and credentials. If it does not get a reply it will continue with the next IP address in

the discovery range. If OME gets a reply, but fails to inventory the device using the selected

methods and credentials an unknown device will be added to the OME inventory.

Note: SSH discovery is used only on Linux based systems, a root user account is needed for

the discovery to succeed! Leave SSH Configuration as default and click Next.



Note: IPMI discovery is used to get information from devices that are only IPMI capable like

the older C-Series PowerEdge servers. Systems From other hardware vendors can also be

discovered and inventoried using the IPMI method. Leave IPMI Configuration as default and

click Next.

Ensure the radio button is selected for Perform both discovery and inventory and click Next.



Technical Talking Points:

A customer may wish to perform a discovery only run if he wants to get a first impression of

the devices in his network environment and then run the full inventory scan off hours to

minimize network impact.

A customer may wish to not perform a discovery nor perform an inventory now, but let the

range prepared run through the schedules described in section 3.3.1.2 below.

Click “Finish” to start the discovery and inventory process.



A new Discovery Range has been created and discovery is already running / finished running.

Show the customer the more details on the discovery by selecting OME vLab Demo from the

left hand pane under the discovery ranges field.



3.3.1.2 Review the Discovery, Inventory and Status Schedule

In the left hand panel, underneath common tasks, draw your customer’s attention to

additional tasks of Discovery Schedule, Inventory Schedule and Status Schedule.

Click on Discovery Schedule, explain that this is used to re-run the discovery at the scheduled time and date automatically. The “Discovery Speed” slider is not only determine the speed but also the impact on the network – the faster the more network bandwidth is used.

Click on Inventory Schedule and explain that this is used to re-run the inventory at the scheduled time and date automatically. If the discovery schedule is enabled the inventory schedule should also be enabled and be run after the discovery. The “Inventory Polling Speed” slider is not only determine the speed but also the impact on the network – the faster the more network bandwidth is used.

Click on Status Schedule and explain that this is used to do a status poll at the specified times. A status poll can be used to get status information systems that would not send traps or that have had a failure that prevented the monitored system to send a trap to OME.



3.4 LAB 3 – Working with Devices

In this LAB you will take a closer look at the devices that are managed by OME.

3.4.1 Create a new static group under devices and add a 13G Server

Navigate to Manage tab and Devices and explain the folder structure.

The folder structure is pre-populated when OME is installed, but can be extended to the customer needs. Explain that the systems are sorted into the folders and that systems that are discovered in-band and out-of-band will be merged into one entry and then this one device will show up in multiple folders. Example: An ESXi Server is discovered using in-band and out-of-band discovery. It will hence show up in the “RAC” Folder and under “VMware ESX Servers”.

Create a new Group and add the R630. This folder will later be used in this demo!

Right click on All Devices and Select “New Group”

Select “New Group”… Enter a Name… Select “New“ to open the new

query window…



Open the Drop-down list and explain that the listed database field can be used to create

queries. Multiple database fields can be combined with “and” or “or” in one query. The

queries can be saved and reused in other areas of OME. Using queries the customer is able to

create device-groups based on their needs. I.e. groups based on the geographical location of

the devices using the “Data Center Name” field or the IP Address field, groups based on the

function of the devices – i.e. if the device function is encoded in the name – or even any

combination of the above.

Cancel the Create new Query and create a static group by selecting the R630 with the

service tag B3TJ132 from the RAC-Folder. Click next and review your selection, then click

Finish to create the Group.

…Next …Finish Review the Note



3.4.2 Review the Inventory and launch the iDRAC Console from OME

Navigate to Manage tab and Devices sub-tab and then to the newly created group with the

R630.

Explain the Inventory details and that the hardware element management tools can be

launched directly from here – in this case only the iDRAC Console can be launched, because

the system has only been discovered and inventoried using the iDRAC.

Note: The iDRAC hyperlink would fail due to this being a virtual environment rather than

based on physical hardware.

Next go to the Hardware Logs Tab. To get the actual hardware logs from a system, the page

needs to be refreshed by clicking on the Icon. The SEL will then be grabbed directly from the

system - this will not work in this demo as no real hardware is available to be queried.



For demonstration purposes, navigate to the Alerts Tab on All Devices and explain the

information that is displayed here:

Business talking Points

Call out the benefits of this from a customer perspective and managing his business. OME

provides a single pane of glass to the health and status of all systems managed by it.



3.5 LAB 4 - Review the Preferences

In this LAB you will learn about the basic setting in OME. These settings control the basic

behaviour of OME and can be used i.e. to secure the environment by setting the Console

Session Timeout to a low number, or to make the use of OME even more powerful by

allowing not only the launch of the management consoles like iDRAC and OMSA, but also to

launch a remote desktop session to a windows system or to launch any custom URL while

managing a system through OME.

3.5.1 Console Settings

Navigate to Preferences and start explaining the basic Console Settings:

Console Session Timeout – maximum is 6 hours

Database Maintenance should be set according to a backup schedule and other schedules in OME

Security Settings (ActiveX) enable / disable tools that can be launched through the OME console; Enable “Remote Desktop”, Apply and then “Refresh Status” -> ActiveX Applet will be installed…

Time Zone Settings should explain itself…

Proxy Settings should explain itself…

KACE Appliance Settings used to link OME to a KACE 1000 Appliance



3.5.2 Email Settings

Navigate to the Email Settings tab:

The SMTP server that can be configured here will be used i.e. for notification emails

3.5.3 Alert Settings

Navigate to the Alert Settings tab

On this tab the internal alerts and Alert Popup notifications can be configured.



3.5.4 Warranty Notification

Navigate to the Warranty Notification Settings Tab

The settings on this page allow you to

configure various warranty notification

settings.

3.5.5 Mobile Settings

Navigate to the Mobile Settings Tab:

!!!The Demo System will not have any Mobile Subscribers!!!

If the OME Server is accessible from the Internet then a server administrator can use the

OpenManage Mobile App (OMM) available for iOS and Android to connect back to its OME

installation. The OMM App will then notify the administrator on the mobile phone if an alert is

raised in OME.



3.5.6 Discovery Settings

Navigate to the Discovery Settings Tab

Standard Wizard Let’s you select all methods for discovery / inventory Guided Wizard Only the recommended methods for discovery / inventory are available based on the selected system type

Standard Wizzard Guided Wizard

Can be used if different device types are to be discovered in one IP range

Recommended way to discover devices



3.6 LAB 5 – Managing Alerts

In this LAB you will learn how to manage alerts in OME.

Business Talking Points:

Most customers understand Dell’s systems management utilizing the Chassis Management

Controller, iDRAC or even Lifecycle controller. The first two of these can generate alerts, but

this is done on a 1:1 basis, as in 1 single pane of glass, reflecting one system. One of the

excellent features of OME, and a massive customer benefit is it brings this single pane of

glass concept from a 1:1 management perspective to a 1: M. Once configured correctly, the

Alerts feature within OME can help customers monitor and management there datacentre

environment remotely using one single IP address for all Dell configured devices across their

network. This offers simplified management along with massive time savings compared to

having to walk into a datacentre and monitor LED’s or remember individual IP Address of

each system you wish to manage

3.6.1 Alerts Overview

Navigate to Manage tab and Alerts sub-tab and review the different “Alert View Filters” by

clicking on the respective links in the box marked red:



3.6.2 General Alert Log Settings

Click on Alert Log Settings and review the possible Alert Log setting:

Maximum size of Alert Logs Lower this if you have limited space for you database

Log a warning… Purge XXX Alerts when Log reaches

the max. size

3.6.3 Alert Actions

There are three different types of Alert Actions that can be used to handle alerts being sent to OME:

Application Launch Launch script / Application on the OME Server

Email send an Email i.e. to a Service Desk

Ignore Set an ignore rule for alerts

Trap Forwarding Forward traps to another Monitoring Console

In this Lab you will create a SNMP forwarding trap rule that forwards all critical alerts to

another SNMP trap receiver – i.e. a central OME instance, NAGIOS or SCOM system.

Open Common Tasks on the left hand menu and click on “New Alert Trap Forward Action”



Enter a name for the newly created “Alert Trap Forwarding” rule and description, then click Next.

Enter the destination name R630 or IP address and the Community string that will be used as a kind of a password “public” for sending the traps to the receiver. If you select “Forward Trap in Original Format” the traps will be forwarded in the original format, otherwise it will be send in an OME trap format. You can send a test trap by clicking “Test Action” Click Next…

Select “Critical” to only forward critical events. Click Next…



On this dialog box you can select from the known Alert Categories only those categories that you want to have forwarded. (i.e.) select HyperV-Server if you want to forward only alerts that OME has received from HyperV systems. For this LAB we will select all Alert Categories. Click Next…

This dialog allows you to select devices / groups based on a query or from the list of devices / groups. Only alerts / events sent from the selected devices will be forwarded. For this LAB, ensure “Select the devices/groups from the tree below:” and ensure the R630 is selected. Click Next…



This dialog allows you to limit the date range / time range when the forwarding rule will be active. Note: all selections use AND logic! For this LAB you will not limit the date / time or days – just click Next…

Review the Alert Trap Forwarding settings displayed in this dialog box and click Finish to create the new forwarding rule.



Review the newly created Trap Forwarding Alert Action in the OME console, selecting Alert Actions from the left hand pane.

Technical Talking Points

The Alert Actions enable the customer to automatically react on alerts send to OME from the

managed systems. The Application Launch action, for example can be used to automatically

restart a windows service that has failed or to even automatically restart a server. The use of

the Email Alert Action is also another useful feature for customers. The Ignore Alert Actions is

very helpful since some systems might constantly send certain traps that are not relevant.

The Trap Forwarding Alert Action can be used by customers that have an umbrella

management that combines alerts from multiple vendor systems management systems into

one central alert management system (i.e. NAGIOS or derivatives, WhatsUp, etc.).

Business Talking Points

From a business perspective the Application Launch is very beneficial as it enables the

automatic resolution of problems. The eMail Alert Action enables an immediate notification

of administrators of a problem so they can start working on the resolution as early as

possible.



3.7 LAB 6 - Remote Task

In this LAB you will learn how to effectively manage multiple servers using the Remote Tasks

feature of OME. This is one of the features that really distinct OME from the hardware

element management tools like iDRAC or OMSA. They enable the IT administrator to change

configuration settings not only on one, but on multiple systems at once and hence help

standardize on a common system configuration. In environments with a standardized system

configuration troubleshooting is easier and failed systems can hence be restored faster to a

working condition. The remote tasks also provide automation tools for the day to day

administrative tasks allowing administrators to concentrate on the important things…

3.7.1 Common Tasks

Navigate to Mange tab, Remote Tasks sub tab and review the ability run remote tasks on

multiple systems.

There are four different task types that can be run on one or many Server systems: Create Power Task Create Deployment Task Create Command line Task Create F/W & Driver Inventory Taks The different task types are explained below.

The Power Task can be used to Reboot Power Cycle Power Off Power On

One or multiple servers. If you do a Power Cycle or Power Off you can select to first shutdown the OS by selecting the checkbox.



The deployment task can be used to remotely deploy the OpenManage Server Administrator and / or the iDRAC Service Module to Windows or Linux. If you want to use the tasks you have to use the OME Console on the OME server to properly select the Installer Path.

There are four different types of Command Line Tasks: Remote Server Administrator Command

Used to run an OMSA CLI command; more info in OMSA can be found here

Generic Command Used to run a generic script (.cmd or .ps1) on the OME server

IPMI Command Used to run an IPMI command – to get more info on IPMI look here

RACADM Command Line used to run a RACACM command – a new task using this will be created in this lab…

Create a Firmware & Driver Inventory Task: Select this option to collect firmware and driver inventory information from a server that does not have Dell OpenManage Server Administrator installed.

http://en.community.dell.com/techcenter/systems-management/w/wiki/1760.openmanage-server-administrator-omsa

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/servers/ipmi/ipmi-home.html



3.7.2 RACADM Command Line Tasks

In this LAB you will create a new RACADM command Line Task. To complete the lab you

should have a good understanding of RACADM – see

http://en.community.dell.com/techcenter/systems-management/w/wiki/3205.racadm-

command-line-interface-for-drac for more information. RACADM is a very powerful tool

that allows you to remotely change nearly all settings of a server configuration. Using a

RACADM command line tasks this can be used to change configuration settings on multiple

Servers and hence help standardize on a common server configuration.

In Common Task select “Create Command line task”, give it a name, select “RACADM Command Line” and select “Ping Device”;

In the “Command” textbox enter the following: set iDRAC.SNMP.Alert.2.DestAddr 172.20.0.5

http://en.community.dell.com/techcenter/systems-management/w/wiki/3205.racadm-command-line-interface-for-drac

http://en.community.dell.com/techcenter/systems-management/w/wiki/3205.racadm-command-line-interface-for-drac



Click Next and select the R630. Then click Next…

Select “Run now” and enter the Remote Access Controller credentials for the target(s) as follows: Username: root Password: calvin Click Finish to run the task.

A New Task has been created, but is not enabled to run on a schedule. Since there is no physical 13G server available in the demo environment the task can be run, but will fail!



3.8 LAB 7 - System Updates

OME checks if the installed versions on the discovered systems are in compliance to the

ones stored in the update Repository. If a system is not complaint, system updates for the

BIOS, the RAID controller Firmware, the NIC, Firmware, the iDRAC and LCC Firmware, the OS

Driver Pack stored in LCC, the Dell 32 Bit Diagnostics or the Dell 64 Bit UEFI Diagnostics etc.

can be distributed to the none compliant system(s) using OME. In this LAB you will see how

easy it is to keep your environment in compliance with the repository and hence up-to-date.

3.8.1 Review System Update Homepage

Navigate to Manage tab, System Updates sub tab.



The homepage is divided in three sections:

Compliance Report Lists the source that is used as the repository to compare systems to and if a newer source is available. It also displays compliant, Non-compliant Systems, Non-inventoried systems and Issues and resolutions in a pie-chart.

System Update Tasks A list of system update tasks defined in OME Task Execution History The task execution history with status

information

3.8.2 System Update – Catalog Selection

The catalog used for compliance check can be selected from different repository sources. Default Catalog Source is the Dell online catalog.

Click on “Select a Catalog Source” - you will be presented a Dialog Box where you can select the desired source. Options are: Use file system source (SUU)

Use this setting if you downloaded the SUU – SUU is updated every 3 Months and can be obtained from support.dell.com;

Use repository Manager file Use this setting if you created a repository using the Repository Manager, a free tool from DELL;

Use an online source This is the default setting;

For this demo we will leave the settings as configured. Click cancel to exit the dialog box. ! Attention ! If you want to change to a source local to the OME Server you have to use the OME Console on the OME server to change the setting.



3.8.3 System Update – Advanced Settings

OME allows Firmware upgrades and downgrades and it also lets you select the preferred

update mode. The Update mode can either be In-Band (Operating System) or Out-of-Band

(iDRAC). The In-Band (Operating System) update mode can only be used on Windows and

supported Linux Systems with OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA) installed. On

VMware ESXi or other Operating Systems without OMSA installed only the Out-of-Band

(iDRAC) method ca be used.

To enable / disabled Downgrade and to select the preferred update mode click on Advanced Settings. The Advanced Settings Dialog-Box opens. Please select “Disable Downgrades”, if it is not already selected. Also change the preferred update mode to “Out-of-Band (iDRAC)” if it is not already selected. Click “OK” to close the dialog box.



3.8.4 System Update – Distribute Updates

Note: Within the OME demo you can select to update the current catalog version to ensure

it is the latest, then look at the non-compliant systems and apply system update here as an

option.

Click on Manage tab, and then the System Update sub tab. In the Compliance report

window, click on Get the latest, which will check

ftp://downlaods.dell.com/catalog/catalog.cab for the latest version. This may take 2-3

minutes, but you can monitor the progress via the Task Execution History menu in the

bottom right hand window.

Once refreshed you will see the pie chart compliance report illustration has changed to

demark a number of Non-Compliant systems.

ftp://downlaods.dell.com/catalog/catalog.cab



Note: For demonstration purposes we continue through the steps to make a “Non-

Compliant System”, “Compliant”. However this will fail due to the demo being based on

virtual, rather than physical machines.

All Systems that are non-compliant to the selected source repository are listed under “Non-

Compliant Systems”. From here you can select the PowerEdge M620, and select Apply

Selected Updates”. Note all updates are automatically selected but you can select individual

updates if you wish. Once updates have been applied this will bring the systems back into

compliance.



Note: To update all systems you could select all under Non-Compliant Systems and then use

the Filter on Components to i.e. only select the “Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller”

under “Select Updates to Apply” / “Component” Header:

If you select other components that require a reboot please be warned that depending on

whether you allow it or not an immediate reboot will take place!

The “System Update Task” Dialog Box will be opened:



Select “Run now”, “After update, if required reboot the device” and “Skip Signature and

Hash Check”. Enter the Credentials for the iDRAC – root / calvin – and click “Finish”.



A new System Update Task is shown under “Task Execution History”:

While the task is running you can check the execution status by double-clicking on the line

in the report:



You can also see a read out of the status in the Result for Target window underneath. This

can be helpful to troubleshoot if required.



3.8.5 System Update – Issues and resolutions for Updates

If a system is listed under “Devices” but neither listed under “Compliant Systems” nor under

“Non-Compliant Systems” it probably has not been discovered properly and it can be found

under “Issues and resolutions for Updates”:

Before a system can be made compliant it has to be discovered the recommended method!

Technical Talking Points

The System Update feature allows administrators to conduct 1:M updates with just a few

mouse clicks and hence keep the managed systems a) in compliance and b) up to date with

the latest firmware.

Business Talking Points

Keeping Dell servers up-to-date to the latest firmware is no longer a time consuming task

hence freeing up resources for other more important tasks.



3.9 LAB 8 – Reports

OME has a built in reporting engine that allows users to run predefined reports on the

inventory data collected from the discovered devices.

3.9.1 Reports Portal – Agent and Alert Summary

Click on the Reports tab. The Agent and Alert Summary Reports Portal is customizable, the

default layout is shown below:



Like always in the OME Console, details on i.e. the Agent Summary / Server Administrator

7.2.0 can be obtained by double-clicking in the pie-chart on the respective piece or the line

in the Agent Summary report table:

3.9.2 Predefined Reports

The predefined reports in OME are listed below:

Agent and Alert Summary

Device Compliance

Server Overview

Server Components and Versions

Asset Acquisition Information

Asset Maintenance Information

Asset Support Information

Hard Drive Information

ESX Information HyperV Information

FRU Information

License Information

Device Location Information

Memory Information

Modular Enclosure Information

NIC Information

PCI Device Information

Storage Controller Information

Virtual Disk Information

Warranty Information

BIOS Configuration

iDRAC Network Configuration

Template Association



3.9.3 “Warranty Information” Customization

It is not possible to create your own reports, but you can customize the existing reports using

filters. It is also possible to create pivot tables and export the results in HTML, TXT, CSV and

XML format. To demonstrate how powerful the reporting engine is the “Warranty

Information” report will now be customized to only show Systems with a service level of next

business day (Service Level Code: NBD) grouped by Device Type.

Open the “Warranty Information” report, drag and drop the “Device Type” header to the

“Group by” field:

Then filter the results by clicking on the Filter Symbol in the “Service Level Code” Header and selecting “NBD”. Close the Filter Dialog box.



The resulting customized report can now be exported i.e. as HTML using the report export

function:

The “Save As” dialog will open, select Desktop as Location and enter a File name – i.e. “Warranty_Information” – then click “Save”. Remember where you have saved the file! Other export formats can be selected by changing it with the “Save as type” drop down.



The exported HTML looks like this:

Business Talking Points:

Reports are always important for the managers. Even though it is not possible to create own

reports Dell engineering has tried to include the most important reports from a business

perspective. The customization feature is really powerful and allows to create pivot tables

and / or filtered reports from the existing reports.

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