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84833
September 26th, 2008 17:00
DRAC vs Basic BMC
Hi guys,
I'm looking to buy a low-end dell rack server and was hoping I could have some impartial views on if it is worth investing in DRAC over the basic included BMC. What are the advantages?
Things I'm interested in:
- At what point can I use a GUI in DRAC compared to BMC?
- Can BMC be accessed via ethernet in ALL states to perform a system reboot (including power-down/os freeze)?
- Would BMC provide enough tools for a completely remote os install?
Many thanks for any help/advice you guys can give.
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thomas_smaistrla
195 Posts
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September 29th, 2008 14:00
The BMC only provides basic remote management features such as power, view system info, and view sel. You can also view the serial console redirection over IP, but it is limited to text only console redirection. For instance, you would be able to see the Linux or Windows command line only. It would not allow you to perform a Windows OS install.
Other than physical access, the DRAC allows you to completely manage a server remotely.
Dell™ OpenManage™ Baseboard Management Controller Version 3.0 (Dell OpenManage 5.3)
<ADMIN NOTE: Broken link has been removed from this post by Dell>
Dell™ Remote Access Controller 5 (DRAC 5) Version 1.30
<ADMIN NOTE: Broken link has been removed from this post by Dell>
DELL-Jeff M
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793 Posts
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September 29th, 2008 21:00
Thanks for posting!
The BMC does not have a GUI at all, you will even need to use a terminal emulator to access it.
The BMC can't power down a system if the OS is completely locked up.
You cannot install an OS remotely with the BMC unless you have the OS disk already in the system and the installer is completely text only.
thomas_smaistrla
195 Posts
0
September 30th, 2008 11:00
"ipmish -ip -u root -p calvin power off -force": This command will force the system off even if the OS is not responsive