Knowledge Base

Out of The Box Setup information for the Dell PowerEdge 9G and 10G Servers


Article Summary: This article provides information on the "Out of The Box Setup" information for the Dell™ PowerEdge 9G and 10G Servers.


Table of Contents:

  1. Setup and Manage Your DRAC 5
  2. Understanding the Baseboard Management Controller on a 10G Server
  3. Operating System Installation
  4. Installing and Configuring OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA)
  5. A Simple Way to Centrally Manage Multiple "Dell Devices"
  6. Rack and Power
  7. Firmware and Driver Updates
  8. Troubleshooting a 10G Server



Issue 1.


Setup and Manage Your DRAC 5

DRAC Default:
Username = root
Password = calvin

DRAC 5 Overview:

  • Basic Installation of the DRAC 5:
  • Keep my DRAC 5 updated:
  • Troubleshooting DRAC 5 Issues:
    Basic Installation of the DRAC 5

Dell Remote Access Controller 5 Firmware Version 1.45 User's Guide

Using the DRAC 5 virtual media feature for the remote installation of Microsoft Windows Server 2008

Using the Dell Remote Access Controller 5 (DRAC 5) virtual media combined with the Dell Systems Management Utility allows users to remotely install operating systems with the latest out-of-box drivers. This installation method is a very good alternative for users who need to install an OS remotely without having to implement a complicated software deployment infrastructure. This method is also very useful for deploying OS-to-target systems that do not have a DVD or CD-ROM device. For more information, see this article: DRAC 5 VirtualMedia Remote Windows 2008 Server Install

RACADM Command Line Interface for DRAC:

The command functionality of RACADM provides almost the functionality that you can get through the iDRAC Graphical User Interface (GUI). The Dell RACADM (Remote Access Controller Admin) utility is a command line tool that allows for remote management of Dell Servers via the iDRAC / DRAC (Dell Remote Access Controller). For more information see this article RACADM Command Line Interface for DRAC

Keep your DRAC 5 up to date.

The current version of the Dell Remote Access Controller is 1.45:

Troubleshooting general DRAC Issues

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Issue 2.


Understanding the Baseboard Management Controller on a 10G Server

The latest generation of Dell PowerEdge servers including the recently released PowerEdge 1950 and PowerEdge 2950 is equipped with an on-board microcontroller called the baseboard management controller (BMC), which is compliant with the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) 1.5 specification.1 The IPMI specification defines standardized, abstracted interfaces to the platform management subsystem. The BMC is the heart of the IPMI architecture and provides the intelligence behind intelligent platform management the autonomous monitoring and recovery features implemented directly in platform management hardware and firmware. IPMI defines a set of common interfaces to the hardware and firmware that is used to monitor system health and manage the system. Because operating, administering,and maintaining servers can represent a significant portion of total cost of ownership (TCO), any reduction in these processes through automation can help reduce TCO. The BMC provides management capabilities that are designed to reduce TCO through asset tracking; automatic alerting,shutdown, and restart; and manual remote restart and power control. Because the BMC is IPMI 1.5 compliant,IPMI reference documents present a thorough supplement to this article. (Remote Management with the Baseboard Management Controller)

Decoding The Baseboard Management Controller SEL Log

Did you ever notice a bunch of entries in the Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) System Event Log (SEL) that seem to be coming from Windows? Not the Windows system event log, but the SEL that is accessible from the Baseboard Management Controller (BMC). It may seem that this log is only intended for hardware events and errors, but there is an OS driver that also logs events to it. Starting with Windows Server 2003 R2, Microsoft began shipping the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) driver. One of its functions is to log certain OS events to the SEL. The IPMI driver writes multiple records to the SEL for these three types of events: boot up, shutdown and bugcheck events.

The BMC SEL log is accessible via the sideband BMC interface using tools like ipmitool or impish. It is also accessible from OpenManage Server Assistant (OMSA), the Dell Remote Access Controller (DRAC) console, and <CTRL-E> during boot. Many different types of events, which can be useful in troubleshooting, are logged in the SEL. Each SEL record packs a lot of information in only 16 bytes, and given their limited size, they can be hard to decode. For more information on reading SEL logs, see this article: (BMC SEL Log) Dell Repository Manager? Dell Repository Manager (DRM) is an application that allows IT Admins to more easily manage system updates. Repository Manager provides a searchable interface used to create custom collections known as bundles and repositories of Dell Update Packages (DUPs). These bundles and repositories allow for the deployment of multiple firmware updates at once.

Dell Repository Manager

Dell Repository Manager (DRM) is an application that allows IT Admins to more easily manage system updates. Repository Manager provides a searchable interface used to create custom collections known as bundles and repositories of Dell Update Packages (DUPs). These bundles and repositories allow for the deployment of multiple firmware updates at once. Get more installation information, white papers, videos and more Dell Repository Manager.

Repository Manager How To Videos

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Issue 3.


Operating System Installation

The easiest way to install a supported "Operating" System is to download the latest System Build and Update DVD.
Systems Build and Update Utility - SBUU (Click for Detailed information and Video examples)

Microsoft OS Matrix

Linux OS Matrix

VMWare

Dedicated VMware versions can be downloaded directly from Support.Dell.com, select your product, Under the Operating System Tab, select your desired VMWare Hypervisor Version (ESX and ESXi): Downloadable ISO's are available under the "Enterprise Solutions" category. If your system shipped with internal SD card support, and you want to install an embedded version of ESX(i), please read the following article for detailed instructions: Installing Your VMware ESXi Software on Flash Media.

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Issue 4.


Installing and Configuring OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA)

What is Dell OpenManage?

Dell OpenManage is a collection of software developed by Dell that helps you discover, monitor, manage, patch, and deploy to Dell server (OpenManage can also monitor networking and storage as well). OpenManage is useful to administrators that need to manage multiple servers because it allows them to easily view the status of all of their servers and manage them from a single workstation.

Other Server Administrator Resources

More OMSA Downloads

OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA) Videos Introducing OpenManage Essentials


Support for VMWare

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Issue 5. A Simple Way to Centrally Manage Multiple "Dell Devices"
OpenManage Essentials (OME) is a systems management console that provides simple, basic Dell hardware management and is available as a free download. The product officially launched on Feb 28th, 2012 and it will replace Dell IT Assistant (ITA). A complete overview of OpenManage Essentials is available by following this link OpenManage Essentials.

OpenManage Essentials is available as a free download from the Dell Support Site. The OME console's inventory function integrates with the Dell Repository Manager to automatically facilitate the creation of custom repositories of new updates for your systems. If you are new to the product, take the Quick Tour or watch the OME Overview Video below:

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Issue 6.


Rack and Power



Use the Dell Capacity Planner to get configuration based estimates for power, cooling, airflow, and weight as well as other useful information about Dell Enterprise products: Get it from here: Dell Capacity Planner.

Rack Installation Instructions for Sliding Rails : Manuals and Documents for PowerEdge 2950.

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Issue 7.


Firmware and Driver Updates

General Rules for updating drivers and Firmware:

  • Compare the Driver and Firmware revisions installed on your server against the latest version on "Support.Dell.Com" a large jump in revisions may not be possible without going through some intermediary updates (Check the README).

  • Some updates can take considerable time to complete.

  • The SBUU is a simple way to update a single server or get a snapshot of current revisions.

  • In most cases Firmware can be rolled back.

  • Updates rarely fail, there are a number of checks performed prior to writing a new firmware image to a component.

  • If you are unsure about the components that shipped with your system and you don't have "OpenManage Server Administrator" installed. An easy way to determine the original configuration is to go to Support.Dell.com, enter your service TAG in the Troubleshooting section.

  • Under the "System Configuration Tab" you will see a list of components that shipped with your server.

  • The drivers and downloads TAB contains a full list of Firmware and Drivers and their criticality. Click (Dell Driver Download Manager FAQ's) to see more.

  • Altiris Deployment Solution for Dell Servers centrally manage the provisioning of bare metal Dell servers, including configuration of the BIOS, baseboard management controller (BMC), Integrated Dell Remote Access Controllers (iDRACs) and RAID components.

  • Dell Systems Management Consoles work the way you want to work. Dell is committed to helping you apply your own approach to systems management. You can choose from our consoles, services and a variety of tools and utilities, many of which come free of charge.

Deployment Tools

Update Tools

Partner Deployment and Management Tools

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Issue 8.


Troubleshooting a 10G Server

Check out the Diagnostics Tool repository: A central tools location for PowerEdge Servers.

Before Calling Technical Support: Its always a good idea to collect system logs before calling tech support. Dell System E-Support Tool (DSET) provides the ability to collect hardware, storage and operating system information from a Dell PowerEdgeTM server. You can download a copy from here: Dell System E-Support Tool.

This information is consolidated into a single System Configuration Report that can be used for troubleshooting or inventory collection of a system. The browser user interface provides a convenient means to view specific data through hierarchal menu trees. Please note- As part of the troubleshooting process you may be asked to provide a DSET log when you contact Dell Technical Support.

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Article ID: SLN156450

Last Date Modified: 03/26/2018 10:21 AM

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