iDRAC 8/7 v2.30.30.30 User’s Guide

Configuring servers and server components using Auto Config

The Auto Config feature configures and provisions all the components in a server (example, BIOS, iDRAC, and PERC) in a single operation by automatically importing a Server Configuration Profile (SCP) XML file containing all configurable parameters. The DHCP server that assigns the IP address also provides the details for accessing the SCP file.

SCP files are created by configuring a “gold configuration” server and exporting the server configuration to a shared location (CIFS or NFS) that is accessible by the DHCP server and the iDRAC of the server being configured. The SCP file name can be based on the service tag or model number of the target server or can be given a generic name. The DHCP server uses a DHCP server option to specify the SCP file name (optionally), SCP file location, and the user credentials to access the file location.

When the iDRAC obtains an IP address from the DHCP server that is configured for Auto Config, iDRAC uses the SCP to configure the server’s devices. Auto Config is invoked only after the iDRAC gets its IP address from the DHCP server. If it does not get a response or an IP address from the DHCP server, then Auto Config is not invoked.

NOTE:
- You can enable Auto Config only if DHCPv4 and the Enable IPv4 options are enabled.
- Auto Config and auto discovery features are mutually exclusive. You must disable auto discovery for the Auto Config feature to work.
- The Auto Config feature is disabled after a server has carried out an Auto Config operation. For more information on enabling Auto Config, see Enabling Auto Config using RACADM .

If all the Dell PowerEdge servers in the DHCP server pool are of the same model type and number, then a single SCP file (config.xml) is required. config.xml is the default SCP file name.

You can configure individual servers requiring different configuration files mapped using individual server Service Tags or server models. In an environment that has different servers with specific requirements, you can use different SCP file names to distinguish each server or server type. For example, if there are two server models to configure — PowerEdge R730s and PowerEdge R530s, use two SCP files, R730-config.xml and R530-config.xml.

NOTE: On systems with iDRAC version 2.20.20.20 and later if the file name parameter is not present in DHCP option 60, the iDRAC server configuration agent automatically generates the configuration filename using the server Service Tag, model number, or the default filename — config.xml.

The iDRAC server configuration agent uses the rules in the following sequence to determine which SCP file on the file share to apply for each iDRAC or PowerEdge server:

The filename specified in DHCP option 60.
<ServiceTag>-config.xml — If a filename is not specified in DHCP option 60, use the system Service Tag to uniquely identify the SCP file for the system. For example, CDVH7R1-config.xml
<Model number>-config.xml — If the option 60 filename is not specified and the <Service Tag>-config.xml file is not found, then use the system model number as the basis for the SCP file name to use. For example, R520-config.xml.
config.xml — If the option 60 filename, service tag-based, and model number — based files are not available, use the default config.xml file.