Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Version 8.5 User's Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

This section lists the frequently asked questions about Server Administrator.

1. Why does ESXi 5.x host rebooting functionality fail from Server Administrator?

   This issue is due to VMware stand-alone license (SAL) key. For more information, see the knowledge base article at kb.vmware.com/kb/kb1026060.

2. What is the minimum permission level required to install Server Administrator?

   To install Server Administrator, you must have Administrator level privileges. Power Users and Users do not have permission to install Server Administrator.

3. Is there an upgrade path required to install Server Administrator?

   For systems that are running Server Administrator version 4.3, upgrade to a 6.x version and then to version 7.x. For systems running a version prior to 4.3, upgrade to version 4.3, then to a 6.x version, and then to version 7.x (x indicates the version of Server Administrator you want to upgrade to).

4. How do I determine what is the latest version of Server Administrator available for my system?

   Log on to: support.dell.com  → Software & Security → Enterprise System Management → OpenManage Server Administrator.

   All the available versions of Server Administrator is displayed on the page.

5. How do I know what version of Server Administrator is running on my system?

   After logging in to Server Administrator, navigate to Properties → Summary. You can find the version of Server Administrator installed on your system in the Systems Management column.

6. Are there other ports users can use apart from 1311?

   Yes, you can set your preferred https port. Navigate to Preferences → General Settings → Web Server →HTTPS Port

   Instead of Use default, select the Use radio button to set your preferred port.

   NOTE: Changing the port number to an invalid or in-use port number may prevent other applications or browsers from accessing Server Administrator on the managed system. For the list of default ports, see the Server Administrator Installation Guide available at dell.com/openmanagemanuals.
7. Can I install Server Administrator on Fedora, College Linux, Mint, Ubuntu, Sabayon or PClinux?

   No, Server Administrator does not support any of these operating systems.

8. Can Server Administrator send emails when there is a problem?

   No, Server Administrator is not designed to send emails when there is a problem.

9. Is SNMP required for ITA discovery, inventory, and software updates on PowerEdge systems? Can CIM be used by itself for discovery, inventory, and updates or is SNMP required?

   ITA communicating with Linux systems:

   SNMP is required on the Linux system for discovery, status polling, and inventory.

   Software updates are done through an SSH session and secure FTP and root level permissions/credentials are required for this discrete action and asked for when the action is set up or requested. Credentials from the discovery range are not assumed.

   ITA communicating with Windows systems:

   For servers (systems running Windows Server operating systems), the system may be configured with either or both of SNMP and CIM for discovery by ITA. Inventory requires CIM.

   Software updates, as in Linux, are not related to discovery and polling and the protocols used.

   Using Administrator level credentials asked for at the time the update is scheduled or performed, an administrative (drive) share is established to a drive on the target system, and files copying from somewhere (possibly another network share) is done to the target system. WMI functions are then invoked to execute the software update.

   As Server Administrator is not installed on Clients/Workstations, so CIM discovery is used when the target is running the OpenManage Client Instrumentation.

   For many other devices such as network printers, SNMP is the standard to communicate with (primarily discover) the device.

   Devices such as EMC storage have proprietary protocols. Some information about this environment can be gathered from looking at the ports used.

10. Are there any plans for SNMP v3 support?

    No, there are no plans for SNMP v3 support.

11. Does an Underscore character in the domain name cause Server Admin login issues?

    Yes, an underscore character in the domain name is invalid. All other special characters (except the hyphen) are invalid too. Use case-sensitive alphabets and numerals only.

12. How does selecting/deselecting 'Active Directory' on the login page of Server Administrator impact privilege levels?

    If you do not select the Active Directory check box, you will only have access that is configured in the Microsoft Active Directory. You cannot log in using the Extended Schema Solution in Microsoft Active Directory.

    This solution enables you to provide access to Server Administrator; allowing you to add/control Server Administrator users and privileges to existing users in your Active Directory software. For more information, see "Using Microsoft Active Directory" in the Server Administrator Installation Guide available at dell.com/openmanagemanuals.

13. What actions do I follow while performing Kerberos authentication and trying to login from Web server?

    For authentication, the contents of the files /etc/pam.d/openwsman and /etc/pam.d/sfcb, on the managed node, must be replaced with:

    For 32-bit:

    auth required pam_stack.so service=system-auth auth required /lib/security/pam_nologin.so account required pam_stack.so service=system-auth

    For 64-bit:

    auth required pam_stack.so service=system-auth auth required /lib64/security/pam_nologin.so account required pam_stack.so service=system-auth

14. Why is the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.9 (32-bit) operating system not able to detect the Emulex card after installing the Emulex drivers?

    On systems running Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.9 (32-bit) operating system, the Emulex driver is dependent on the following RPMs:

    • kernel-headers-2.6.18-346.el5.i386.rpm
    • glibc-headers-2.5-107.i386.rpm
    • glibc-devel-2.5-107.i386.rpm
    • gcc-4.1.2-54.el5.i386.rpm

    If any of the RPMs are missing, the system has issues in detecting the Emulex network adapters.

15. Server Administrator alerts are not displayed on SNMP trap, how to configure for enabling the SNMP traps?

    Follow the steps for setting up the SNMP configuration to enable the Server Administrator alerts:

    •  esxcli system snmp set --communities public
    • esxcli network firewall ruleset set --ruleset-id snmp --allowed-all true
    • esxcli network firewall ruleset set --ruleset-id snmp --enabled true
    • esxcli system snmp set -t <target_ip>@162/public
    • esxcli system snmp set --enable true