Dell Chassis Management Controller Version 6.0 for PowerEdge M1000e User’s Guide

Connecting to Servers or Input Output Modules Using Connect Command

CMC can establish a connection to redirect the serial console of server or I/O modules.

For servers, serial console redirection can be accomplished using:

racadm connect command. For more information, see Chassis Management Controller for Dell PowerEdge M1000e RACADM Command Line Reference Guide at dell.com/support/manuals.
iDRAC Web interface serial console redirection feature.
iDRAC Serial Over LAN (SOL) functionality.

In a serial, Telnet, SSH console, the CMC supports the connect command to establish a serial connection to server or IOM modules. The server serial console contains both the BIOS boot and setup screens, and the operating system serial console. For I/O modules, the switch serial console is available.

CAUTION When executed from the CMC serial console, the connect -b option stays connected until the CMC resets. This connection is a potential security risk.

NOTE The connect command provides the –b (binary) option. The –b option passes raw binary data, and cfgSerialConsoleQuitKey is not used. Additionally, when connecting to a server using the CMC serial console, transitions in the DTR signal (for example, if the serial cable is removed to connect a debugger) do not cause a logout.

NOTE If an IOM does not support console redirection, the connect command displays an empty console. In that case, to return to the CMC console, type the Escape sequence. The default console escape sequence is <CTRL><\>.

There are up to six IOMs on the managed system. To connect to an IOM:

connect switch-n

where n is an IOM label A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, and C2.

(See Figure 13-1 for an illustration of the placement of IOMs in the chassis.) When you reference the IOMs in the connect command, the IOMs are mapped to switches as shown in the following table.

Table 1. : Mapping I/O Modules to SwitchesThe following table contains information about the I/O Modules-Switches mapping.
I/O Module Label	Switch
A1	switch-a1 or switch- 1
A2	switch-a2 or switch-2
B1	switch-b1 or switch-3
B2	switch-b2 or switch-4
C1	switch-c1 or switch-5
C2	switch-c2 or switch-6

NOTE There can only be one IOM connection per chassis at a time.

NOTE You cannot connect to pass-throughs from the serial console.

To connect to a managed server serial console, use the command connect server-<n><x>, where n is 1-8 and x is a,b, c, or d. You can also use the racadm connect server-n command. When you connect to a server using the -b option, binary communication is assumed and the escape character is disabled. If the iDRAC is not available, you see a No route to host error message.

The connect server-n command enables the user to access the server's serial port. After this connection is established, the user can view the server's console redirection through CMC's serial port that includes both the BIOS serial console and the operating system serial console.

NOTE To view the BIOS boot screens, serial redirection has to be enabled in the servers’ BIOS Setup. Also, you must set the terminal emulator window to 80x25. Otherwise, the screen is garbled.

NOTE Not all keys work in the BIOS setup screens, so provide appropriate escape sequences for CTRL+ALT+DEL, and other escape sequences. The initial redirection screen displays the necessary escape sequences.

Welcome

Welcome to Dell

Dell Chassis Management Controller Version 6.0 for PowerEdge M1000e User’s Guide

Connecting to Servers or Input Output Modules Using Connect Command

Rate this content