Dell Chassis Management Controller Version 1 30 For Poweredge Vrtx Users Manual 1.30 User's Guide

2014-11-13

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Chassis Management Controller Version 1.30
for Dell PowerEdge VRTX
User's Guide

Notes, Cautions, and Warnings
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you
how to avoid the problem.
WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death.

Copyright © 2014 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. This product is protected by U.S. and international copyright and
intellectual property laws. Dell™ and the Dell logo are trademarks of Dell Inc. in the United States and/or other
jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.
2014 - 03
Rev. A00

Contents
1 Overview....................................................................................................................13
What Is New In This Release............................................................................................................... 14
Key Features.........................................................................................................................................14
Management Features...................................................................................................................14
Security Features............................................................................................................................15
Chassis Overview.................................................................................................................................15
Supported Remote Access Connections........................................................................................... 18
Supported Platforms........................................................................................................................... 19
Supported Management Station Operating Systems and Web Browsers.........................................19
Managing Licenses ............................................................................................................................. 19
Types of Licenses...........................................................................................................................19
Acquiring Licenses.........................................................................................................................19
License Operations....................................................................................................................... 20
License Component State or Condition and Available Operations............................................ 20
Managing Licenses Using CMC Web Interface............................................................................20
Managing Licenses Using RACADM.............................................................................................. 21
Licensable Features in CMC.......................................................................................................... 21
Viewing Localized Versions of the CMC Web Interface.................................................................... 22
Supported Management Console Applications................................................................................. 22
How to Use this User's Guide............................................................................................................. 22
Other Documents You May Need...................................................................................................... 23
Accessing Documents From Dell Support Site..................................................................................24

2 Installing and Setting Up CMC............................................................................ 25
Before You Begin................................................................................................................................ 25
Installing CMC Hardware.................................................................................................................... 25
Checklist To Set up Chassis.......................................................................................................... 25
Basic CMC Network Connection................................................................................................. 26
Installing Remote Access Software on a Management Station........................................................ 26
Installing RACADM on a Linux Management Station...................................................................26
Uninstalling RACADM From a Linux Management Station.......................................................... 27
Configuring a Web Browser................................................................................................................27
Proxy Server................................................................................................................................... 27
Microsoft Phishing Filter............................................................................................................... 28
Certificate Revocation List (CRL) Fetching...................................................................................28
Downloading Files From CMC With Internet Explorer................................................................ 28
Enabling Animations In Internet Explorer.....................................................................................29
Setting Up Initial Access to CMC........................................................................................................29

Configuring Initial CMC Network................................................................................................. 29
Interfaces and Protocols to Access CMC...........................................................................................33
Launching CMC Using Other Systems Management Tools........................................................ 34
Downloading and Updating CMC Firmware......................................................................................35
Setting Chassis Physical Location and Chassis Name....................................................................... 35
Setting Chassis Physical Location and Chassis Name Using Web Interface...............................35
Setting Chassis Physical Location and Chassis Name Using RACADM.......................................35
Setting Date and Time on CMC..........................................................................................................35
Setting Date and Time on CMC Using CMC Web Interface........................................................ 35
Setting Date and Time on CMC Using RACADM......................................................................... 35
Configuring LEDs to Identify Components on the Chassis.............................................................. 36
Configuring LED Blinking Using CMC Web Interface..................................................................36
Configuring LED Blinking Using RACADM................................................................................... 36
Configuring CMC Properties.............................................................................................................. 36
Configuring iDRAC Launch Method Using CMC Web Interface....................................................... 37
Configuring iDRAC Launch Method Using RACADM........................................................................ 37
Configuring Login Lockout Policy Attributes Using CMC Web Interface ........................................ 37
Configuring Login Lockout Policy Attributes Using RACADM.......................................................... 37
Understanding Redundant CMC Environment.................................................................................. 38
About Standby CMC......................................................................................................................38
CMC Failsafe Mode....................................................................................................................... 39
Active CMC Election Process........................................................................................................39
Obtaining Health Status of Redundant CMC............................................................................... 39
Configuring Front Panel......................................................................................................................39
Configuring Power Button........................................................................................................... 40
Configuring LCD........................................................................................................................... 40
Accessing a Server Using KVM......................................................................................................40

3 Logging in to CMC................................................................................................. 43
Accessing CMC Web Interface........................................................................................................... 43
Logging in to CMC as a Local User, Active Directory User, or LDAP User....................................... 43
Logging in to CMC Using a Smart Card.............................................................................................44
Logging in to CMC Using Single Sign-on.......................................................................................... 45
Logging In To CMC Using Serial, Telnet, Or SSH Console................................................................45
Accessing CMC Using RACADM.........................................................................................................45
Logging in to CMC Using Public Key Authentication........................................................................46
Multiple CMC Sessions....................................................................................................................... 46
Changing Default Login Password..................................................................................................... 47
Changing Default Login Password Using Web Interface.............................................................47
Changing Default Login Password Using RACADM.....................................................................47
Enabling or Disabling Default Password Warning Message ............................................................. 48
Enabling or Disabling Default Password Warning Message Using Web Interface..................... 48

Enabling or Disabling Warning Message to Change Default Login Password Using
RACADM........................................................................................................................................ 48

4 Updating Firmware................................................................................................ 49
Downloading CMC Firmware............................................................................................................. 49
Viewing Currently Installed Firmware Versions................................................................................. 49
Viewing Currently Installed Firmware Versions Using CMC Web Interface............................... 49
Viewing Currently Installed Firmware Versions Using RACADM.................................................50
Updating the CMC Firmware..............................................................................................................50
Updating CMC Firmware Using RACADM....................................................................................50
Updating CMC Firmware Using Web Interface............................................................................ 51
Updating Chassis Infrastructure Firmware......................................................................................... 51
Updating Chassis Infrastructure Firmware Using CMC Web Interface....................................... 52
Updating Chassis Infrastructure Firmware Using RACADM.........................................................52
Updating Server iDRAC Firmware.......................................................................................................52
Updating Server iDRAC Firmware Using Web Interface.............................................................. 53
Updating Server iDRAC Firmware Using RACADM...................................................................... 53
Updating Server Component Firmware............................................................................................. 53
Enabling Lifecycle Controller........................................................................................................54
Filtering Components for Firmware Updates...............................................................................55
Viewing Firmware Inventory............................................................................................................... 56
Viewing Firmware Inventory Using CMC Web Interface............................................................. 57
Viewing Firmware Inventory Using RACADM...............................................................................58
Lifecycle Controller Job Operations.................................................................................................. 58
Reinstalling Server Component Firmware....................................................................................59
Rolling Back Server Component Firmware........................................................................................59
Rolling Back Server Component Firmware Using the CMC Web Interface................................59
Upgrading Server Component Firmware........................................................................................... 59
Upgrading Server Component Firmware Using CMC Web Interface.........................................60
Deleting Scheduled Server Component Firmware Jobs................................................................... 61
Deleting Scheduled Server Component Firmware Jobs Using the Web Interface.................... 61
Updating Storage Component Using CMC Web Interface................................................................61
Recovering iDRAC Firmware Using CMC...........................................................................................62

5 Viewing Chassis Information and Monitoring Chassis and
Component Health....................................................................................................63
Viewing Chassis and Component Summaries................................................................................... 63
Chassis Graphics........................................................................................................................... 64
Selected Component Information............................................................................................... 64
Viewing Server Model Name and Service Tag............................................................................. 65
Viewing Chassis Summary.................................................................................................................. 65
Viewing Chassis Controller Information and Status.......................................................................... 65

Viewing Information and Health Status of All Servers....................................................................... 65
Viewing Health Status and Information for Individual Server........................................................... 66
Viewing Information and Health Status of the IOM.......................................................................... 66
Viewing Information and Health Status For Individual I/O Module.................................................. 67
Viewing Information and Health Status of Fans.................................................................................67
Configuring Fans........................................................................................................................... 68
Viewing Front Panel Properties.......................................................................................................... 69
Viewing KVM Information and Health Status.....................................................................................69
Viewing LCD Information and Health................................................................................................ 69
Viewing Information and Health Status of Temperature Sensors.....................................................70
Viewing Storage Capacity and Status of the Storage Components................................................. 70

6 Configuring CMC.................................................................................................... 71
Viewing and Modifying CMC Network LAN Settings..........................................................................71
Viewing and Modifying CMC Network LAN Settings Using CMC Web Interface....................... 72
Viewing and Modifying CMC Network LAN Settings Using RACADM.........................................72
Enabling the CMC Network Interface...........................................................................................72
Enabling or Disabling DHCP for the CMC Network Interface Address.......................................73
Enabling or Disabling DHCP for DNS IP Addresses......................................................................73
Setting Static DNS IP addresses.................................................................................................... 73
Configuring DNS Settings (IPv4 and IPv6)....................................................................................74
Configuring Auto Negotiation, Duplex Mode, and Network Speed (IPv4 and IPv6).................. 74
Setting the Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) (IPv4 and IPv6)................................................. 74
Configuring CMC Network and Login Security Settings................................................................... 75
Configuring IP Range Attributes Using CMC Web Interface ...................................................... 75
Configuring IP Range Attributes Using RACADM.........................................................................75
Configuring Virtual LAN Tag Properties for CMC.............................................................................. 76
Configuring Virtual LAN Tag Properties for CMC Using RACADM..............................................76
Configuring Virtual LAN Tag Properties for CMC Using Web Interface...................................... 77
Configuring Services........................................................................................................................... 77
Configuring Services Using CMC Web Interface......................................................................... 78
Configuring Services Using RACADM...........................................................................................78
Configuring CMC Extended Storage Card......................................................................................... 79
Setting Up Chassis Group................................................................................................................... 79
Adding Members To Chassis Group.............................................................................................80
Removing a Member from the Leader......................................................................................... 80
Disbanding a Chassis Group.........................................................................................................80
Disabling an Individual Member at the Member Chassis............................................................. 81
Launching the Web page of a Member Chassis or Server........................................................... 81
Propagating Leader Chassis Properties to Member Chassis....................................................... 81
Server Inventory for MCM group..................................................................................................82
Saving Server Inventory Report.................................................................................................... 82

Chassis Group Inventory and Firmware Version..........................................................................83
Viewing Chassis Group Inventory ............................................................................................... 84
Viewing Selected Chassis Inventory Using Web Interface.......................................................... 84
Viewing Selected Server Component Firmware Versions Using Web Interface........................ 84
Configuring Multiple CMCs Using RACADM..................................................................................... 84
Creating a CMC Configuration File.............................................................................................. 85
Parsing Rules................................................................................................................................. 86
Modifying the CMC IP Address..................................................................................................... 87
Viewing and Ending CMC Sessions....................................................................................................88
Viewing and Ending CMC Sessions Using Web Interface........................................................... 88
Viewing and Ending CMC Sessions Using RACADM................................................................... 88

7 Configuring Servers............................................................................................... 89
Configuring Slot Names..................................................................................................................... 89
Configuring iDRAC Network Settings................................................................................................ 90
Configuring iDRAC QuickDeploy Network Settings....................................................................90
Modifying iDRAC Network Settings for Individual Server iDRAC................................................ 93
Modifying iDRAC Network Settings Using RACADM................................................................... 93
Configuring iDRAC Virtual LAN Tag Settings..................................................................................... 94
Configuring iDRAC Virtual LAN Tag Settings Using RACADM.....................................................94
Configuring iDRAC Virtual LAN Tag Settings Using Web Interface.............................................94
Setting First Boot Device.................................................................................................................... 94
Setting First Boot Device For Multiple Servers Using CMC Web Interface................................. 95
Setting First Boot Device For Individual Server Using CMC Web Interface................................ 96
Setting First Boot Device Using RACADM.................................................................................... 96
Configuring Server FlexAddress......................................................................................................... 96
Configuring Remote File Share.......................................................................................................... 96
Configuring Profile Settings Using Server Configuration Replication...............................................97
Accessing Server Profiles Page.....................................................................................................98
Adding or Saving Profile................................................................................................................98
Applying Profile............................................................................................................................. 98
Importing Profile........................................................................................................................... 99
Exporting Profile............................................................................................................................99
Editing Profile................................................................................................................................ 99
Viewing Profile Settings.............................................................................................................. 100
Viewing Stored Profile Settings.................................................................................................. 100
Viewing Profile Log..................................................................................................................... 100
Completion Status And Troubleshooting.................................................................................. 100
Quick Deploy of Profiles.............................................................................................................100
Assigning Server Profiles to Slots ............................................................................................... 101
Launching iDRAC using Single Sign-On.....................................................................................101
Launching Remote Console....................................................................................................... 102

8 Configuring CMC To Send Alerts..................................................................... 103
Enabling Or Disabling Alerts............................................................................................................. 103
Enabling Or Disabling Alerts Using CMC Web Interface........................................................... 103
Enabling Or Disabling Alerts Using RACADM.............................................................................103
Filtering Alerts..............................................................................................................................103
Configuring Alert Destinations......................................................................................................... 104
Configuring SNMP Trap Alert Destinations................................................................................104
Configuring E-Mail Alert Settings............................................................................................... 106

9 Configuring User Accounts and Privileges.................................................... 109
Types of Users...................................................................................................................................109
Modifying Root User Administrator Account Settings..................................................................... 113
Configuring Local Users.................................................................................................................... 113
Configuring Local Users Using CMC Web Interface.................................................................. 113
Configure Local Users Using RACADM.......................................................................................113
Configuring Active Directory Users.................................................................................................. 115
Supported Active Directory Authentication Mechanisms.......................................................... 115
Standard Schema Active Directory Overview.............................................................................116
Configuring Standard Schema Active Directory......................................................................... 117
Extended Schema Active Directory Overview........................................................................... 120
Configuring Extended Schema Active Directory........................................................................121
Configuring Generic LDAP Users..................................................................................................... 129
Configuring the Generic LDAP Directory to Access CMC........................................................ 130
Configuring Generic LDAP Directory Service Using CMC Web Interface................................ 130
Configuring Generic LDAP Directory Service Using RACADM.................................................. 131

10 Configuring CMC For Single Sign-On Or Smart Card Login................... 133
System Requirements....................................................................................................................... 133
Client Systems............................................................................................................................. 133
CMC............................................................................................................................................. 134
Prerequisites For Single Sign-On Or Smart Card Login...................................................................134
Generating Kerberos Keytab File...................................................................................................... 134
Configuring CMC For Active Directory Schema.............................................................................. 134
Configuring Browser For SSO Login.................................................................................................135
Internet Explorer..........................................................................................................................135
Mozilla Firefox .............................................................................................................................135
Configuring Browser For Smart Card Login.....................................................................................135
Configuring CMC SSO Or Smart Card Login For Active Directory Users....................................... 135
Configuring CMC SSO Or Smart Card Login For Active Directory Users Using Web
Interface....................................................................................................................................... 135
Uploading Keytab File..................................................................................................................136

Configuring CMC SSO Or Smart Card Login For Active Directory Users Using RACADM.......136

11 Configuring CMC to Use Command Line Consoles................................... 137
CMC Command Line Console Features...........................................................................................137
CMC Command Line Interface Commands...............................................................................137
Using Telnet Console With CMC......................................................................................................138
Using SSH With CMC...................................................................................................................138
Supported SSH Cryptography Schemes.....................................................................................138
Configure Public Key Authentication Over SSH.........................................................................139
Configuring Terminal Emulation Software.......................................................................................141
Configuring Linux Minicom.........................................................................................................141
Connecting to Servers or I/O Module Using Connect Command................................................. 142
Configuring the Managed Server BIOS for Serial Console Redirection.................................... 143
Configuring Windows for Serial Console Redirection...............................................................144
Configuring Linux for Server Serial Console Redirection During Boot.....................................144
Configuring Linux for Server Serial Console Redirection After Boot........................................ 145

12 Using FlexAddress and FlexAdress Plus Cards............................................ 149
About FlexAddress.............................................................................................................................149
About FlexAddress Plus............................................................................................................... 150
Activating FlexAddress................................................................................................................ 150
Activating FlexAddress Plus......................................................................................................... 151
Verifying FlexAddress Activation................................................................................................. 151
Deactivating FlexAddress............................................................................................................ 152
Viewing FlexAddress Information............................................................................................... 153
Viewing FlexAddress Information For Chassis............................................................................153
Viewing FlexAddress Information For All Servers....................................................................... 153
Viewing FlexAddress Information for Individual Servers............................................................154
Configuring FlexAddress................................................................................................................... 154
Wake-On-LAN with FlexAddress................................................................................................ 155
Configuring FlexAddress for Chassis-Level Fabric and Slots.....................................................155
Viewing World Wide Name/Media Access Control (WWN/MAC) IDs....................................... 156
Command Messages.........................................................................................................................156
FlexAddress DELL SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT.....................................................................157

13 Managing Fabrics................................................................................................ 161
Invalid Configurations....................................................................................................................... 161
Fresh Power-up Scenario..................................................................................................................161
Monitoring IOM Health..................................................................................................................... 161
Configuring Network Settings for IOM............................................................................................ 162
Configuring Network Settings for IOM Using CMC Web Interface...........................................162
Configuring Network Settings for IOM Using RACADM............................................................ 162

Managing Power Control Operation for I/O Modules.....................................................................162
Enabling or Disabling LED Blinking for I/O Modules....................................................................... 163

14 Managing and Monitoring Power...................................................................165
Redundancy Policies......................................................................................................................... 165
Grid Redundancy Policy..............................................................................................................166
Power Supply Redundancy Policy.............................................................................................. 166
Dynamic Power Supply Engagement...............................................................................................166
Default Redundancy Configuration..................................................................................................167
Grid Redundancy.........................................................................................................................168
Power Supply Redundancy.........................................................................................................168
Power Budgeting For Hardware Modules........................................................................................168
Server Slot Power Priority Settings................................................................................................... 169
Assigning Priority Levels To Servers................................................................................................. 170
Assigning Priority Levels To Servers Using CMC Web Interface..................................................... 170
Assigning Priority Levels To Servers Using RACADM.......................................................................170
Viewing Power Consumption Status................................................................................................170
Viewing Power Consumption Status Using CMC Web Interface.............................................. 170
Viewing Power Consumption Status Using RACADM................................................................ 171
Viewing Power Budget Status Using CMC Web Interface............................................................... 171
Viewing Power Budget Status Using RACADM........................................................................... 171
Redundancy Status and Overall Power Health.................................................................................171
Power Management After PSU Failure........................................................................................ 171
Power Management After Removing PSU.................................................................................. 171
New Server Engagement Policy..................................................................................................172
Power Supply and Redundancy Policy Changes in System Event Log..................................... 173
Configuring Power Budget and Redundancy.................................................................................. 173
Power Conservation and Power Budget.................................................................................... 174
Maximum Power Conservation Mode........................................................................................ 174
Server Power Reduction to Maintain Power Budget..................................................................174
110V PSUs AC Operation.............................................................................................................175
Remote Logging.......................................................................................................................... 175
External Power Management...................................................................................................... 175
Configuring Power Budget and Redundancy Using CMC Web Interface................................ 176
Configuring Power Budget and Redundancy Using RACADM..................................................176
Executing Power Control Operations.............................................................................................. 178
Executing Power Control Operations on the Chassis............................................................... 178
Executing Power Control Operations on the Chassis Using Web Interface.............................178
Executing Power Control Operations on the Chassis Using RACADM.....................................178
Executing Power Control Operations on a Server...........................................................................179
Executing Power Control Operations for Multiple Servers Using CMC Web Interface................. 179
Executing Power Control Operations on the IOM.......................................................................... 179

Executing Power Control Operations on IOM Using CMC Web Interface............................... 179
Executing Power Control Operations on the IOM Using RACADM..........................................180

15 Managing Chassis Storage................................................................................181
Viewing Status of the Storage Components.................................................................................... 181
Viewing the Storage Topology..........................................................................................................181
Viewing Fault-tolerant Troubleshooting Information of SPERC Using CMC Web Interface.........182
Assigning Virtual Adapters To Slots Using CMC Web Interface...................................................... 182
Fault-Tolerance in Storage Controllers............................................................................................183
Viewing Controller Properties Using CMC Web Interface.............................................................. 184
Viewing Controller Properties Using RACADM................................................................................184
Importing or Clearing Foreign Configuration............................................................................ 184
Configuring Storage Controller Settings..........................................................................................185
Configuring Storage Controller Settings Using CMC Web Interface........................................185
Configuring Storage Controller Settings Using RACADM......................................................... 185
Viewing Physical Disk Properties Using the CMC Web Interface................................................... 186
Viewing Physical Disk Drives Properties Using RACADM................................................................ 186
Identifying Physical Disks and Virtual Disks..................................................................................... 186
Assigning Global Hot Spares Using CMC Web Interface.................................................................186
Assigning Global Hot Spares Using RACADM.................................................................................. 186
Recovering Physical Disks.................................................................................................................187
Viewing Virtual Disk Properties Using CMC Web Interface............................................................. 187
Viewing Virtual Disk Properties Using RACADM.............................................................................. 187
Creating Virtual Disk Using CMC Web Interface..............................................................................187
Applying Virtual Adapter Access Policy To Virtual Disks..................................................................187
Modifying Virtual Disk Properties Using CMC Web Interface......................................................... 188
Viewing Enclosure Properties Using CMC Web Interface...............................................................188

16 Managing PCIe Slots..........................................................................................189
Viewing PCIe Slot Properties Using CMC Web Interface................................................................ 189
Assigning PCIe Slots To Servers Using CMC Web Interface........................................................... 189
Managing PCIe Slots Using RACADM.............................................................................................. 190
PCIe Power Ride-Through............................................................................................................... 190
Viewing PCIe Ride-through Properties Using CMC Web Interface...........................................191
Viewing PCIe Ridethrough Properties Status Using RACADM...................................................191
Configuring PCIe Ride-through Properties Using CMC Web Interface.................................... 191
Configuring PCIe Ride-through Properties Status Using RACADM.......................................... 192

17 Troubleshooting and Recovery.......................................................................193
Gathering Configuration Information, Chassis Status, and Logs Using RACDUMP....................... 193
Supported Interfaces...................................................................................................................193
Downloading SNMP Management Information Base (MIB) File................................................194

First Steps to Troubleshoot a Remote System.................................................................................194
Power Troubleshooting.............................................................................................................. 194
Troubleshooting Alerts..................................................................................................................... 196
Viewing Event Logs........................................................................................................................... 196
Viewing Hardware Log................................................................................................................196
Viewing Chassis Log.................................................................................................................... 197
Using Diagnostic Console.................................................................................................................197
Resetting Components..................................................................................................................... 198
Saving or Restoring Chassis Configuration......................................................................................198
Troubleshooting Network Time Protocol (NTP) Errors...................................................................198
Interpreting LED Colors and Blinking Patterns................................................................................200
Troubleshooting Non-responsive CMC...........................................................................................201
Observing LEDs to Isolate the Problem..................................................................................... 201
Obtain Recovery Information from DB-9 Serial Port................................................................ 202
Recovering Firmware Image...................................................................................................... 202
Troubleshooting Network Problems............................................................................................... 203
Troubleshooting Controller............................................................................................................. 203

18 Using LCD Panel Interface............................................................................... 205
LCD Navigation................................................................................................................................. 205
Main Menu.................................................................................................................................. 206
KVM Mapping Menu....................................................................................................................206
DVD Mapping.............................................................................................................................. 207
Enclosure Menu.......................................................................................................................... 207
IP Summary Menu.......................................................................................................................207
Settings........................................................................................................................................ 207
Diagnostics....................................................................................................................................... 208
Front Panel LCD Messages...............................................................................................................208
LCD Module and Server Status Information....................................................................................209

19 Frequently Asked Questions............................................................................ 215
RACADM............................................................................................................................................ 215
Managing and Recovering a Remote System.................................................................................. 215

......................................................................................................................................................217
Active Directory................................................................................................................................. 217
FlexAddress and FlexAddressPlus..................................................................................................... 217
IOM.................................................................................................................................................... 219

Overview

The Dell Chassis Management Controller (CMC) for Dell PowerEdge VRTX is a Systems Management
hardware and software solution for managing the PowerEdge VRTX chassis. The CMC has its own
microprocessor and memory and is powered by the modular chassis into which it is plugged.
CMC enables an IT administrator to:
•

View inventory

•

Perform configuration and monitoring tasks

•

Remotely turn on and turn off chassis and servers

•

Enable alerts for events on servers and components in the server module

•

View and manage storage controller and hard disk drives in the VRTX chassis

•

Manage the PCIe subsystem in the VRTX chassis

•

Provide a one–many management interface to the iDRACs and I/O modules in the chassis

You can configure the PowerEdge VRTX chassis either with a single CMC, or with redundant CMCs. In
redundant CMC configurations, if the primary CMC loses communication with the chassis or the
management network, a standby CMC takes over the chassis management.
CMC provides multiple System Management functions for servers. Power and thermal management are
the primary functions of CMC, which are listed as follows:
•

Enclosure-level real-time automatic power and thermal management.
– CMC monitors system power requirements and supports the optional Dynamic Power Supply
Engagement (DPSE) mode. This mode enables CMC to improve power efficiency by setting the
power supplies while the server in standby mode and dynamically managing the load and
redundancy requirements.
– CMC reports real-time power consumption, which includes logging high and low points with a
time stamp.
– CMC supports setting an optional enclosure maximum power limit (System Input Power Cap),
which alerts and takes actions such as limiting the power consumption of servers, and/or
preventing the turning on of new servers to keep the enclosure under the defined maximum
power limit.
– CMC monitors and automatically controls the functions of cooling fans and blowers on the basis
of actual ambient and internal temperature measurements.
– CMC provides comprehensive enclosure inventory and status or error reporting.

•

CMC provides a mechanism for centralized configuration of the:
– Network and security setting of the Dell PowerEdge VRTX enclosure.
– Power redundancy and power ceiling settings.
– I/O switch and iDRAC network settings.
– First boot device on the server module.
– I/O fabric consistency checks between the I/O module and servers. CMC also disables
components, if necessary, to protect the system hardware.

– User access security.
– Storage components, including the fault-tolerant mode for the storage controllers.
– PCIe slots.
You can configure CMC to send email alerts or SNMP trap alerts for warnings or errors such as
temperature, hardware misconfiguration, power outage, fan speed, and blowers.

What Is New In This Release
This release of CMC for Dell PowerEdge VRTX supports:
•

Fault-tolerant (Active/Passive) mode for shared storage “Shared PERC 8”.

•

M820 Server Platform support.

•

PCIe power ride-through implementation.

Key Features
The CMC features are grouped into management and security features.

Management Features
CMC provides the following management features:
•

Redundant CMC environment.

•

Dynamic Domain Name System (DDNS) registration for IPv4 and IPv6.

•

Advanced cooling options such and ECM (Enhanced Cooling Mode) and Fan Offset can be enabled to
provide additional cooling for improved performance.

•

Remote system management and monitoring using SNMP, a web interface, KVM, Telnet, or SSH
connection.

•

Monitoring — Provides access to system information and status of components.

•

Access to system event logs — Provides access to the hardware log and chassis log.

•

Firmware updates for various chassis components — Enables you to update the firmware for CMC,
iDRAC on servers, chassis infrastructure, and chassis storage.

•

Firmware update of server components such as BIOS, network controllers, storage controllers, and so
on across multiple servers in the chassis using Lifecycle Controller.

•

Fault-tolerant mode for shared storage SPERC 8.

•

Dell OpenManage software integration — Enables you to launch the CMC web interface from Dell
OpenManage Server Administrator or OpenManage Essentials (OME) 1.2.

•

CMC alert — Alerts you about potential managed node issues through Remote syslog email message
or SNMP trap.

•

Remote power management — Provides remote power management functions, such as turn off and
reset of any chassis component, from a management console.

•

Power usage reporting.

•

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption — Provides secure remote system management through the
web interface.

•

Launch point for the Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) web interface.

•

Support for WS-Management.

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

FlexAddress feature — Replaces the factory-assigned World Wide Name/Media Access Control (WWN/
MAC) IDs with chassis-assigned WWN/MAC IDs for a particular slot, an optional upgrade.
Graphical display of chassis component status and health.
Support for single and multi-slot servers.
LCD iDRAC configuration wizard supports for iDRAC network configuration.
iDRAC single sign-on.
Network time protocol (NTP) support.
Enhanced server summary, power reporting, and power control pages.
Forced CMC failover and virtual reseat of servers.
Multi-chassis management, allows up to eight other chassis to be visible from the lead chassis.
Configure storage components on the chassis.
Map PCIe slots to the servers and their identification.

Security Features
The CMC provides the following security features:
•
•

•
•

Password-level security management — Prevents unauthorized access to a remote system.
Centralized user authentication through:
– Active Directory using Standard Schema or an Extended Schema (optional).
– Hardware-stored user IDs and passwords.
Role-based authority — Enables an administrator to configure specific privileges for each user.
User ID and password configuration through the web interface. Web interface supports 128-bit SSL
3.0 encryption and 40-bit SSL 3.0 encryption (for countries where 128-bit is not acceptable).
NOTE: Telnet does not support SSL encryption.

•
•
•
•
•
•

Configurable IP ports (if applicable).
Login failure limits per IP address, with login blocking from the IP address when the limit is exceeded.
Configurable session auto time out, and more than one simultaneous sessions.
Limited IP address range for clients connecting to CMC.
Secure Shell (SSH), which uses an encrypted layer for higher security.
Single Sign-on, Two-Factor Authentication, and Public Key Authentication.

Chassis Overview
The figure here shows a view of the CMC connectors.

Item

Indicator, Button, or Connector

Status/identification indicator (CMC 1)

Power indicator (CMC 1)

CMC connector ports (2)

Power indicator (CMC 2)

Status/identification indicator (CMC 2)

A Back Panel view of the chassis is given here with a table that lists the parts and devices available in the
CMC.

Item

Indicator, Button, or Connector

PCIe expansion card slots low-profile (5)

PCIe expansion card slots full height (3)

CMC GB Ethernet port (CMC-2)

CMC GB Ethernet port (CMC-1)

Serial Connector

Blower modules (4)

Item

Indicator, Button, or Connector

I/O module ports

PSU 4

PSU 3

PSU 1

PSU 2

A Front Panel view of the chassis is given here with a table that lists the parts and devices available in the
CMC.

Figure 1. Front-Panel Features And Indicators—3.5 Inch Hard Disk Drive Chassis

Ite
m

Indicator, Button, or
Connector

Description

USB connectors (2)

Allows a keyboard and mouse to be connected to the system.

LCD panel

Provides system information and status, and error messages to
indicate when the system is operating correctly or when the
system needs attention.

LCD menu scroll buttons (4)

Moves the cursor in one-step increments.

Ite
m

Indicator, Button, or
Connector

Description

Selection ("check") button

Selects and saves an item on the LCD screen and moves to the
next screen.

Enclosure power-on
indicator, power button

The power-on indicator glows when the enclosure power is on.
The power button controls the PSU output to the system.

Hard disk drives (HDD)

2.5 inch hard
drive enclosure

Up to twenty five 2.5 inch hot-swappable
hard disk drives.

3.5 inch hard
drive enclosure

Up to twelve 3.5 inch hot-swappable hard
disk drives.

Information tag

A slide-out label panel which allows you to record system
information such as Service Tag, NIC, MAC address, the system's
electrical rating, and Worldwide Regulatory Agency marks.

Optical drive (optional)

One optional SATA DVD-ROM drive or DVD+/-RW drive.

Vents

Vents for the temperature sensor.
NOTE: To make sure about proper cooling, verify that the
vents are not blocked.

Video connector

Allows a monitor to be connected to the system.

Server modules

Up to four PowerEdge M520 or M620 server modules or 2 M820
server modules specifically configured for the enclosure.

Supported Remote Access Connections
The following table lists the supported Remote Access Controllers.
Table 1. Supported Remote Access Connections

Connection

Features

CMC Network Interface ports

•
•
•
•
•

GB port: Dedicated network interface for the CMC web interface.
DHCP support.
SNMP traps and e-mail event notification.
Network interface for the iDRAC and I/O Modules (IOMs).
Support for Telnet/SSH command console and RACADM CLI
commands including system boot, reset, power-on, and shutdown
commands.

Serial port

•

Support for serial console and RACADM CLI commands including
system boot, reset, power-on, and shutdown commands.
Support for binary interchange for applications specifically designed
to communicate with a binary protocol to a particular type of I/O
Module.
Serial port can be connected internally to the serial console of a
server, or I/O module, using the connect (or racadm connect)
command.
Provides access only to the active CMC.

•
•
•

Supported Platforms
CMC supports modular servers designed for the PowerEdge VRTX platform. For information about
compatibility with CMC, see the documentation for your device.
For the latest supported platforms, see the Dell Chassis Management Controller (CMC) Version 1.00 for
Dell PowerEdge VRTX Release Notes available at dell.com/support/manuals.

Supported Management Station Operating Systems and
Web Browsers
The following operating systems and web browsers are supported for Dell PowerEdge VRTX:
•

Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 on Windows 7 32-bit, Windows 7 64-bit, Windows Server 2008,
Windows Server 2008 64-bit, and Windows Server 2008 R2 64-bit.

•

Microsoft Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 7 32-bit, Windows 7 64-bit, Windows 8 32-bit, Windows 8
64-bit, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 64-bit, Windows Server 2008 R2 64-bit, and
Windows 8 Server.

•

Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 on Windows 2003 SP2

•

Mozilla Firefox 22/23 on Windows 7 SP2 32-bit, Windows 7 SP2 64-bit, Windows 8.1 32-bit, Windows
8.1 64-bit, Macintosh OSX 10.7, Macintosh OSX 10.8, Windows 2003 SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2
32-bit, Windows Server 2008 SP2 64-bit, and Windows Server 2012

•

Google Chrome 27/28 on Windows 8.1 32-bit and Windows 8.1 64-bit

•

Safari 5.2/6 on Macintosh OSX 10.7 and Macintosh OSX 10.8

Managing Licenses
The CMC features are available based on the license (CMC Express or CMC Enterprise) purchased. Only
licensed features are available in the interfaces that allow you to configure or use CMC. For example,
CMC Web interface, RACADM, WS-MAN, and so on. CMC license management and firmware update
functionality is always available through CMC Web interface and RACADM.

Types of Licenses
The types of licenses offered are:
•

30 day evaluation and extension — The license expires after 30 days that can be extended for 30 days.
Evaluation licenses are duration-based, and the timer runs when power is applied to the system.

•

Perpetual — The license is bound to the service tag and is permanent.

Acquiring Licenses
Use any of the following methods to acquire the licenses:
•

E-mail — License is attached to an e-mail that is sent after requesting it from the technical support
center.

•

Self-service portal — A link to the Self-Service Portal is available from CMC. Click this link to open the
licensing Self-Service Portal on the internet from where you can purchase licenses. For more
information, see the online help for the self-service portal page.

•

Point-of-sale — License is acquired while placing the order for a system.

License Operations
Before you perform the license management tasks, make sure to acquire the licenses. For more
information, see the Overview and Feature Guide available at support.dell.com.
NOTE: If you have purchased a system with all the licenses pre-installed, then license management
is not required.
You can perform the following licensing operations using CMC, RACADM, and WS-MAN for one-toone license management, and Dell License Manager for one-to-many license management:
•

View — View the current license information.

•

Import — After acquiring the license, store the license in a local storage and import it into CMC using
one of the supported interfaces. The license is imported if it passes the validation checks.
NOTE: For a few features, a CMC restart may be required to enable the features.

•

Export — Export the installed license into an external storage device back up or to reinstall it after a
service part is replaced. The file name and format of the exported license is .xml

•

Delete — Delete the license that is assigned to a component if the component is missing. After the
license is deleted, it is not stored in CMC and the base product functions are enabled.

•

Replace — Replace the license to extend an evaluation license, change a license type such as an
evaluation license with a purchased license, or extend an expired license.

•

An evaluation license may be replaced with an upgraded evaluation license or with a purchased
license.

•

A purchased license may be replaced with an updated license or with an upgraded license.

•

Learn More — Learn more about an installed license, or the licenses available for a component
installed in the server.
NOTE: For the Learn More option to display the correct page, make sure that *.dell.com is added
to the list of Trusted Sites in the Security Settings. For more information, see the Internet
Explorer help documentation.

License Component State or Condition and Available Operations
The following table provides the list of license operations available based on the license state or
condition.
Table 1. License Operations Based on State and Condition
License/
Component state
or condition

Import

Export

Delete

Replace

Learn More

Non-administrator
login

Yes

Active license

Yes

Expired license

Yes

License installed
but component
missing

Yes

Managing Licenses Using CMC Web Interface
To manage the licenses using the CMC Web interface, go to Chassis Overview → Setup → Licenses.

Before importing a license, make sure to store a valid license file on the local system or on a network
share that is accessible from the CMC. The license is either embedded, or sent through an email from the
Self-Service Web Portal, or from the License Key Management tool.
The Licensing page displays the licenses that are associated to devices, or the licenses that are installed,
but the device is not present in the system. For more information about importing, exporting, deleting, or
replacing a license, see the Online Help.

Managing Licenses Using RACADM
To manage licenses using the RACADM commands, use the following license subcommand.
racadm license
For more information about the RACADM commands, see the Chassis Management Controller for
PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide available at dell.com/support/Manuals.

Licensable Features in CMC
A list of CMC features that are enabled on the basis of your license is given here in the table.
Feature

Express

Enterprise

CMC Network

Yes

CMC Serial Port

Yes

RACADM (SSH, Local,
and Remote)

Yes

CMC Setup Backup

Yes

CMC Setup Restore

Yes

WS-MAN

Yes

SNMP

Yes

Telnet

Yes

SSH

Yes

Web-based Interface

Yes

Email Alerts

Yes

LCD Deployment

Yes

Extended iDRAC
Management

Yes

Remote Syslog

Yes

Directory Services

No*

Yes

iDRAC Single Sign-On

Yes

Two-Factor
Authentication

Yes

PK Authentication

Yes

Remote File Share

Yes

Notes

*For non-default directory service setting, only Reset
Directory Services is allowed with an Express license.
Reset Directory Services will set the Directory services
to factory default.

Slot Resource
Management

Yes

Enclosure-level power
capping

No*

Yes

*For non-default power cap setting, only Restore
Power Cap is allowed with an Express license. Restore
Power Cap will reset the Power Cap settings to
factory default.

Dynamic Power Supply
Engagement

No*

Yes

*For non-default DPSE settings, only Restore DPSE is
allowed with an Express license. Restore DPSE will
reset the DPSE to factory default.

Multi-chassis
management

Yes

Advanced Configuration No

Yes

Enclosure-level backup

Yes

FlexAddress Enablement No*

Yes

*For non-default FlexAddress settings, only Restore
Default is allowed with Express license. Restore
Default will reset the FlexAddress settings to the
factory default.

PCIe Adapter Mapping

Yes*

Yes

*A maximum of two PCIe Adapters can be assigned
per Server with Express License.

Virtual Adapter to Slot
Mapping

No*

Yes

*For non-default mapping of Virtual Adapters, only
Default mapping is allowed with an Express license.
Restore Default will change virtual adapter mapping
to factory default.

Virtual Adapter to Slot
UnMapping

Yes

Server cloning

Yes

One-to-many Server
Firware Update

Yes

One-to-many
No
configuration for iDRAC

Yes

Viewing Localized Versions of the CMC Web Interface
To view localized versions of the CMC web interface, read through your web browser's documentations.

Supported Management Console Applications
CMC supports integration with Dell OpenManage Console. For more information, see the OpenManage
Console documentation available at dell.com/support/manuals.

How to Use this User's Guide
The contents of this User's Guide enable you to perform the tasks by using:
•

The Web interface: Only the task-related information is given here. For information about the fields
and options, see the CMC for Dell PowerEdge VRTX Online Help that you can open from the Web
interface.

•

The RACADM commands: The RACADM command or the object that you must use is provided here.
For more information about a RACADM command, see the Chassis Management Controller for
PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide available at dell.com/support/manuals.

Other Documents You May Need
To access the documents from the Dell Support site. Along with this Reference Guide, you can access
the following guides available at dell.com/support/manuals.
•

The VRTX CMC Online Help provides information about using the Web interface. To access the
Online Help, click Help on the CMC web interface.

•

The Chassis Management Controller Version 1.0 for Dell PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line
Reference Guide provides information about using the VRTX–related RACADM features.

•

The Dell Chassis Management Controller (CMC) for Dell PowerEdge VRTX Version 1.00 Release Notes
provides last-minute updates to the system or documentation or advanced technical reference
material intended for experienced users or technicians.

•

The Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller 7 (iDRAC7) User’s Guide provides information about
installation, configuration, and maintenance of the iDRAC on managed systems.

•

The Dell OpenManage Server Administrator’s User’s Guide provides information about installing and
using Server Administrator.

•

The Dell Update Packages User's Guide provides information about obtaining and using Dell Update
Packages as part of your system update strategy.

•

The Dell Shared PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) 8 User's Guide provides information about
deploying the Shared PERC 8 card and managing the storage subsystem. This document is available
online at dell.com/storagecontrollermanuals.

•

Dell systems management application documentation provides information about installing and using
the systems management software.

The following system documents provide more information about the system in which VRTX CMC is
installed:
•

The safety instructions that came with your system provide important safety and regulatory
information. For additional regulatory information, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at
www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Warranty information may be included within this document
or as a separate document.

•

The Dell PowerEdge VRTX Getting Started Guide shipped with your system provides an overview of
system features, setting up your system, and technical specifications.

•

The setup placemat shipped with your system provides information about the initial system setup and
configuration.

•

The server module's Owner's Manual provides information about the server module's features and
describes how to troubleshoot the server module and install or replace the server module's
components. This document is available online at dell.com/poweredgemanuals.

•

The rack documentation included with your rack solution describes how to install your system into a
rack, if required.

•

For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this document, see the Glossary at dell.com/
support/manuals.

•

Systems management software documentation describes the features, requirements, installation, and
basic operation of the software.

•

Documentation for any components you purchased separately provides information to configure and
install these options.

•

Any media that ships with your system that provides documentation and tools for configuring and
managing your system, including those pertaining to the operating system, system management
software, system updates, and system components that you purchased with your system. For more
information on the system, scan the Quick Resource Locator (QRL) available on your system and the

system setup placemat that shipped with your system. Download the QRL application from your
mobile platform to enable the application on your mobile device.
Updates are sometimes included with the system to describe changes to the system, software, and/or
documentation. Always read the updates first, because they often supersede information in other
documents.

Accessing Documents From Dell Support Site
You can access the required documents in one of the following ways:
•

From the following links:
– For all Systems Management documents — dell.com/softwaresecuritymanuals
– For Enterprise Systems Management documents — dell.com/openmanagemanuals
– For Remote Enterprise Systems Management documents — dell.com/esmmanuals
– For Serviceability Tools documents — dell.com/serviceabilitytools
– For Client Systems Management documents — dell.com/OMConnectionsClient
– For OpenManage Connections Enterprise Systems Management documents — dell.com/
OMConnectionsEnterpriseSystemsManagement
– For OpenManage Connections Client Systems Management documents — dell.com/
OMConnectionsClient

•

From Dell Support site as follows:
– Go to dell.com/support/manuals.
– In the Tell us about your Dell system section, under No, select Choose from a list of all Dell
products and click Continue.
– In the Select your product type section, click Software and Security.
– In the Choose your Dell Software section, click the required link from the following:
*

Client System Management

Enterprise System Management

Remote Enterprise System Management

Serviceability Tools

– To view the document, click the required product version.
•

Using search engines as follows:
– Type the name and version of the document in the Search box.

Installing and Setting Up CMC

This section provides information about how to install your CMC hardware, establish access to CMC,
configure your management environment to use CMC, and guides you through the tasks for configuring
a CMC:
•

Set up initial access to CMC.

•

Access CMC through a network.

•

Add and configure CMC users.

•

Update CMC firmware.

For more information about installing and setting up redundant CMC environments, see Understanding
Redundant CMC Environment.

Before You Begin
Before setting up your CMC environment, download the latest version of CMC firmware for PowerEdge
VRTX from dell.com/support/.
Also, make sure that you have the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD that was
included with your system.

Installing CMC Hardware
CMC is pre-installed on your chassis and hence no installation is required. You can install a second CMC
to run as a standby to the active CMC.

Checklist To Set up Chassis
The following tasks enable you to accurately set up the chassis:
1.

CMC and the management station, where you use your browser, must be on the same network,
which is called the management network. Connect an Ethernet network cable from the CMC active
port to the management network.

Install the I/O module in the chassis and connect the network cable to the chassis.

Insert the servers in the chassis.

Connect the chassis to the power source.

Press the power button, or turn on the chassis from the CMC web interface after completing the
task in step 7.
NOTE: Do not turn on the servers.

Using the LCD panel, navigate to the IP Summary and click on the Check button to select. Use the IP
address for the CMC in the management system browser (IE, Chrome, or Mozilla). To set up DHCP
for CMC, use LCD panel to, click Main Menu → Settings → Network Settings.

Connect to the CMC IP address by using a web browser by typing the default username (root) and
password (calvin).

Provide each iDRAC with an IP address in the CMC web interface, and enable the LAN and IPMI
interface.
NOTE: iDRAC LAN interface on some servers are disabled by default. This information can be
found on the CMC web interface under Server Overview → Setup. This might be an advanced
license option; in which case you must use the SetUp feature for each server).

Provide the IO module with an IP address in the CMC web interface. You can get the IP address by
clicking I/O Module Overview, and then clicking Setup.

10. Connect to each iDRAC through the Web browser and provide final configuration of iDRAC. The
default user name is root and password is calvin.
11.

Connect to the I/O module by using the web browser and provide final configuration of the IO
module.

12. Turn on the servers and install the operating system.

Basic CMC Network Connection
For the highest degree of redundancy, connect each available CMC to your management network.

Installing Remote Access Software on a Management
Station
You can access CMC from a management station using remote access software, such as Telnet, Secure
Shell (SSH), or serial console utilities provided on your operating system or using the web interface.
To use remote RACADM from your management station, install remote RACADM using the Dell Systems
Management Tools and Documentation DVD that is available with your system. This DVD includes the
following Dell OpenManage components:
•

DVD root — Contains the Dell Systems Build and Update Utility.

•

SYSMGMT — Contains the systems management software products including Dell OpenManage
Server Administrator.

•

Docs — Contains documentation for systems, systems management software products, peripherals,
and RAID controllers.

•

SERVICE — Contains the tools required to configure your system, and delivers the latest diagnostics
and Dell-optimized drivers for your system.

For information about installing Dell OpenManage software components, see the Dell OpenManage
Installation and Security User's Guide available on the DVD or at dell.com/support/manuals. You can also
download the latest version of the Dell DRAC Tools from support.dell.com.

Installing RACADM on a Linux Management Station
1.

Log in as root to the system running a supported Red Hat Enterprise Linux or SUSE Linux Enterprise
Server operating system where you want to install the managed system components.

Insert the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD into the DVD drive.

To mount the DVD to a required location, use the mount command or a similar command.
NOTE: On the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 operating system, DVDs are auto-mounted with the noexec mount option. This option does not allow you to run any executable from the DVD.
You need to mount the DVD-ROM manually, and then run the commands.

Navigate to the SYSMGMT/ManagementStation/linux/rac directory. To install the RAC software,
type the following command:
rpm -ivh *.rpm

For help about the RACADM command, type racadm help after you run the previous commands.
For more information about RACADM, see the Chassis Management Controller for Dell PowerEdge
VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide.
NOTE: When using the RACADM remote capability, you must have the 'write' permission on the
folders where you are using the RACADM subcommands, involving the file operations. For
example, racadm getconfig -f .

Uninstalling RACADM From a Linux Management Station
1.

Run the following rpm query command to determine which version of the DRAC tools is installed:
rpm -qa | grep mgmtst-racadm

Verify the package version to be uninstalled and uninstall the feature by using the rpm -e rpm -qa
| grep mgmtst-racadm command.

Configuring a Web Browser
You can configure and manage CMC, servers, and modules installed in the chassis through a web
browser. See the “Supported Browsers" section in the Dell Systems Software Support Matrix at dell.com/
support/manuals.
The CMC and the management station where you use your browser must be on the same network,
which is called the management network. On the basis of your security requirements, the management
network can be an isolated and highly secure network.
NOTE: Make sure that the security measures on the management network such as firewalls and
proxy servers, do not prevent your web browser from accessing the CMC.
Some browser features can interfere with connectivity or performance, especially if the management
network does not have a route to the Internet. If your management station is running on a Windows
operating system, some Internet Explorer settings can interfere with connectivity, even though you use a
command line interface to access the management network.
NOTE: To address security issues, Microsoft Internet Explorer strictly monitors the time on its cookie
management. To support this, the time on your computer that runs Internet Explorer must be
synchronized with the time on the CMC.

Proxy Server
To browse through a proxy server that does not have access to the management network, you can add
the management network addresses to the exception list of the browser. This instructs the browser to
bypass the proxy server while accessing the management network.

Internet Explorer
To edit the exception list in Internet Explorer:
1.

Start Internet Explorer.

Click Tools → Internet Options → Connections.

In the Local Area Network (LAN) settings section, click LAN Settings.

In the Proxy server section, select the Use a proxy server for your LAN (These settings will not apply
to dial-up or VPN connections) option, and then click Advanced.

In the Exceptions section, add the addresses for CMCs and iDRACs on the management network to
the semicolon-separated list. You can use DNS names and wildcards in your entries.

Mozilla FireFox
To edit the exception list in Mozilla Firefox version 19.0:
1.

Start Mozilla Firefox.

Click Tools → Options (for systems running on Windows), or click Edit → Preferences (for systems
running on Linux).

Click Advanced, and then click the Network tab.

Click Settings.

Select Manual Proxy Configuration.

In the No Proxy for field, type the addresses for CMCs and iDRACs on the management network to
the comma-separated list. You can use DNS names and wildcards in your entries.

Microsoft Phishing Filter
If the Microsoft Phishing Filter is enabled in Internet Explorer on your management system, and your
CMC does not have Internet access, accessing CMC may be delayed by a few seconds. This delay can
happen if you are using the browser or another interface such as remote RACADM. To disable the
phishing filter:
1.

Start Internet Explorer.

Click Tools → Phishing Filter, and then click Phishing Filter Settings.

Select the Disable Phishing Filter option and click OK.

Certificate Revocation List (CRL) Fetching
If your CMC has no access to the Internet, disable the certificate revocation list (CRL) fetching feature in
Internet Explorer. This feature tests whether a server such as the CMC web server uses a certificate that is
on a list of revoked certificates retrieved from the Internet. If the Internet is inaccessible, this feature can
cause delays of several seconds when you access the CMC using the browser or with a command line
interface such as remote RACADM.
To disable CRL fetching:
1.

Start Internet Explorer.

Click Tools → Internet Options, and then click Advanced.

Go to the Security section, clear the Check for publisher’s certificate revocation option, and then
click OK.

Downloading Files From CMC With Internet Explorer
When you use Internet Explorer to download files from the CMC, you may experience problems when
the Do not save encrypted pages to disk option is not enabled.
To enable the Do not save encrypted pages to disk option:
1.

Start Internet Explorer.

Click Tools → Internet Options → Advanced.

In the Security section, select the Do not save encrypted pages to disk option.

Enabling Animations In Internet Explorer
When transferring files to and from the web interface, a file transfer icon spins to show transfer activity.
While using Internet explorer, you have to configure the browser to play animations.
To configure Internet Explorer to play animations:
1.

Start Internet Explorer.

Click Tools → Internet Options → Advanced.

Go to the Multimedia section, and then select the Play animations in web pages option.

Setting Up Initial Access to CMC
To remotely manage the CMC, connect the CMC to your management network, and then configure the
CMC network settings.
NOTE: To manage the PowerEdge VRTX solution, it must be connected to your management
network.
For information about configuring CMC network settings, see Configuring Initial CMC Network. This
initial configuration assigns the TCP/IP networking parameters that enable access to CMC.
CMC and iDRAC on each server and the network management ports for the switch I/O module are
connected to a common internal network in the PowerEdge VRTX chassis. This allows the management
network to be isolated from the server data network. It is important to separate this traffic for
uninterrupted access to chassis management.
CMC is connected to the management network. All external access to CMC and iDRACs is achieved
through CMC. Access to the managed servers, conversely, is accomplished through network connections
to the I/O module (IOM). This allows the application network to be isolated from the management
network.
It is recommended to isolate chassis management from the data network. Due to the potential of traffic
on the data network, the management interfaces on the internal management network can be saturated
by traffic intended for servers. This results in CMC and iDRAC communication delays. These delays may
cause unpredictable chassis behavior, such as CMC displaying iDRAC as offline even when it is up and
running, which in turn causes other unwanted behavior. If physically isolating the management network
is impractical, the other option is to separate CMC and iDRAC traffic to a separate VLAN. CMC and
individual iDRAC network interfaces can be configured to use a VLAN.

Configuring Initial CMC Network
NOTE: Changing your CMC Network settings may disconnect your current network connection.
You can perform the initial network configuration of CMC before or after CMC has an IP address. If you
configure CMC’s initial network settings before you have an IP address, you can use either of the
following interfaces:
•

The LCD panel on the front of the chassis

•

Dell CMC serial console

If you configure initial network settings after the CMC has an IP address, you can use any of the following
interfaces:
•

Command line interfaces (CLIs) such as a serial console, Telnet, SSH, or the Dell CMC console.

•

Remote RACADM

•

CMC web interface

•

LCD Panel interface

CMC supports both IPv4 and IPv6 addressing modes. The configuration settings for IPv4 and IPv6 are
independent of each other.

Configuring CMC Network Using LCD Panel Interface
You can use the LCD panel interface to set up the CMC network.
NOTE: You can customize the orientation of an LCD display (for rack or tower mode) by keeping
the up-down buttons pressed for two seconds. Alternately, you can also use the right-left buttons.
For more information about the buttons available on a CMC LCD panel, see LCD Navigation.
:
1.

To start the CMC configuration:
– For a chassis that has not been configured earlier, the LCD Language panel is displayed. On the
LCD Language panel, navigate to the required language using the arrow buttons. When the
desired language is highlighted, select the language by pressing the Center button. The Network
Settings panel is displayed.
– For a chassis that has been configured earlier, the Main Menu panel is displayed. From the Main
Menu, select Settings and then Network Settings.

On the Network Settings panel, select the required mode of setup :
– Quick Setup (DHCP) — Select this mode to set up CMC quickly using DHCP addresses. For
information on configuring CMC using this mode see Configuring CMC Using Quick Setup
(DHCP).
– Advanced Setup — Select this mode to set up CMC for advanced configurations. For information
on configuring CMC using this mode see Configuring CMC Using Advanced Setup.

Configuring CMC Using Quick Setup (DHCP)
To set up a network using the LCD panel interface:
1.

From the Network Settings panel, select Quick Setup (DHCP). The panel displays the following
message.
About to get DHCP addresses. Ensure CMC network cable is connected.

Press the center button to highlight the accept button. Press the center button again to accept the
settings or navigate to the back arrow and the press the center button to go back and modify the
settings.

Configuring CMC Using Advanced Setup
1.

On the Network Settings panel, if you select Advanced Setup, the following message is displayed to
confirm if want to configure CMC:
Configure CMC?

To configure CMC by using advanced setup properties, click the center button selecting the check
icon.
NOTE: To skip the CMC configuration navigate to the ‘X’ icon and then press the center button.

If you are asked to select an appropriate network speed, select a network speed (Auto (1Gb), 10Mb,
or 100Mb) using appropriate buttons.

For effective network throughput, the network speed setting must match your network
configuration. Setting the network speed lower than the speed of your network configuration
increases bandwidth consumption and slows down the network communication. Determine
whether or not your network supports the above network speeds and set it accordingly. If the
network configuration does not match any of these values, it is recommended to select the Auto (1
Gb) option, or refer to your network equipment manufacturer's user documentation.
4.

Perform one of the following tasks:
– Select Auto (1Gb), by pressing the center button, and then pressing the center button again. The
Protocol panel is displayed. Go to step 6.
– Select 10Mb, or 100Mb. The Duplex panel
is displayed. Go to step 5.
Else, if you

On the Duplex panel, to select the duplex mode (Full or Half) that matches the network
environment, press the center button, and then press the center button. The Protocol panel is
displayed.
NOTE: The network speed and duplex mode settings are not available if Auto Negotiation is
set to On, or if 1000MB (1Gbps) is selected. If auto negotiation is turned on for one device but
not the other, the device that is using auto negotiation can determine the network speed of the
other device, but not the duplex mode. In this case, half duplex is selected as the duplex mode
during auto negotiation. Such a duplex mismatch results in a slow network connection.

On the Protocol panel, select an Internet Protocol (IPv4 Only, IPv6 Only, or Both) that you want to
use for CMC, press the center button, and then press the center button.

– If you select IPv4 or Both, select DHCP or Static mode. Go to step 8.
– Else, if you select IPv6, the Configure iDRAC panel is displayed. Go to step 11 later in this
procedure.

On the Mode panel, select the mode in which the CMC must obtain the NIC IP addresses. If you
select DHCP, CMC retrieves IP configuration (IP address, mask, and gateway) automatically from a
DHCP server on your network. CMC is assigned a unique IP address that is allotted on your network.
If you select DHCP, press the center button, and then press the center again. The Configure iDRAC
panel is displayed. Go to step 11 later in this procedure.

If you select Static, enter the IP address, gateway, and subnet mask by following the instructions on
the LCD panel.
The IP information that you entered is displayed. Press the center button, and then press the center
button again. The CMC Configuration screen lists the Static IP Address, Subnet Mask, and Gateway
settings you entered. Check the settings for accuracy. To correct a setting, press appropriate
buttons. Press the center button, and then press the center button. The Register DNS? panel is
displayed.

10. To register select the check icon and press the center button. Set the DNS IP address, select the
check icon, and then press the center button. If DNS registration is not required, then select the ‘X’
icon and press the center button.
11.

Indicate whether or not you want to configure iDRAC:
– No: Select the ‘X’ icon then press the center button. Go to step 17 later in this procedure.
– Yes: Select the check icon then press the center button.
You can also configure iDRAC from the CMC web interface.

12. On the Protocol panel, select the IP type that you want to use for the servers:
– IPv4 — The options DHCP or Static are displayed.

– Both
— The options DHCP or Static are displayed.
– IPv6
— The iDRAC Configuration panel is displayed. Go to step 15.
13. Select DHCP or Static.
Dynamic Host
Configuration Protocol
(DHCP)

iDRAC retrieves IP configuration (IP address, mask, and gateway)
automatically from a DHCP server on your network. The iDRAC is
assigned a unique IP address allotted over your network. Press the
center button. The IPMI Over LAN panel is displayed.

Static

If you select Static, manually enter the IP address, gateway, and
subnet mask by following the instructions on the LCD screen.
If you have selected the Static option, press the center button, and
then do the following:
a.

The following message asks you whether or not you want to
automatically increment by using the IP of Slot–1.
IPs will auto-increment by slot number.
Click the center button. The following message asks you to
enter the slot–1 IP number.
Enter slot 1 (starting) IP

b.
c.
d.

Enter the slot–1 IP number, and then press the center button.
Set the Subnet mask, and then press the center button.
Set the gateway, and then press the center button.
The Network Summary screen lists the Static IP Address,
Subnet Mask, and Gateway settings you entered. Check the
settings for accuracy. To correct a setting, press appropriate
buttons, and then press the center button.
When you have confirmed the accuracy of the settings you
entered, go to step 10.

The IPMI Over LAN panel is displayed.
14. From the The IPMI Over LAN panel ,select Enable or Disable to enable or disable IPMI over LAN.
Press the center button to continue.
15. On the iDRAC Configuration panel, the following message is displayed.
Apply settings to installed servers?
To apply all iDRAC network settings to the installed servers, select the check icon , and then press
the center button. Else, select the ‘X’ icon and press the center button.
16. On the next iDRAC Configuration panel, the following message is displayed.
Auto-Apply settings to newly-inserted servers?
To apply all iDRAC network settings to the newly installed servers, select the check icon and press
the center button. When a new server is inserted in the chassis, the LCD prompts you whether or not
to automatically deploy the server using the previously-configured network settings policies. If you
do not want to apply the iDRAC network settings to newly-installed servers, select the ‘X’ icon and
press the center button. When a new server is inserted in the chassis, the iDRAC network settings do
not get configured.
17. On the iDRAC Configuration panel, the following message is displayed.
Apply All Enclosure Settings?
To apply all enclosure settings, select the check icon and press the center button. Else, select the ‘X’
icon and press the center button.

18. On the IP Summary panel, after the 30 second wait panel, review the IP addresses you provided to
make sure the addresses are correct. To correct a setting, press the left arrow icon, and then press
the center key to return to the screen for that setting. After correcting an IP address, press the center
button.
When you have confirmed that the settings you entered are accurate, press the center button, and
then press the center button. The Main Menu panel id displayed.
CMC and iDRACs are now available on the network. You can access the CMC on the assigned IP
address using the Web interface or CLIs such as a serial console, Telnet, and SSH.

Interfaces and Protocols to Access CMC
After you have configured the CMC network settings, you can remotely access CMC using various
interfaces. The following table lists the interfaces that you can use to remotely access CMC.
NOTE: Because Telnet is not as secure as the other interfaces, it is disabled by default. Enable Telnet
by using web, SSH, or remote RACADM.
NOTE: Using more than one interface at the same time may generate unexpected results.
Table 2. CMC Interfaces

Interface

Description

Web interface

Provides remote access to CMC using a graphical user interface. The
Web interface is built into the CMC firmware and is accessed through
the NIC interface from a supported web browser on the management
station.
For a list of supported Web browsers, see the “Supported Browsers”
section in the Dell System Software Support Matrix at dell.com/support/
manuals.

Remote RACADM command
line interface

Use this command line utility to manage CMC and its components. You
can use remote or firmware RACADM:
•

•

Chassis LCD Panel

Use the LCD on the front panel to:
•
•
•

Telnet

Remote RACADM is a client utility that runs on a management
station. It uses the out-of-band network interface to run RACADM
commands on the managed system and uses the HTTPs channel.
The –r option runs the RACADM command over a network.
Firmware RACADM is accessible by logging in to CMC using SSH or
Telnet. You can run the firmware RACADM commands without
specifying the CMC IP, user name, or password. After you enter the
RACADM prompt, you can directly run the commands without the
racadm prefix.

View alerts and CMC IP.
Set DHCP.
Configure CMC static IP settings.

Provides command line access to CMC through the network. The
RACADM command line interface and the connect command, which is
used to connect to the serial console of a server or IO module, are
available from the CMC command line.

Interface

Description
NOTE: Telnet is not a secure protocol and is disabled by default.
Telnet transmits all data, including passwords in plain text. When
transmitting sensitive information, use the SSH interface.

SSH

Use SSH to run RACADM commands. It provides the same capabilities as
the Telnet console using an encrypted transport layer for higher
security. The SSH service is enabled by default on CMC and can be
disabled.

WS-MAN

The WSMAN Services is based on the Web Services for Management
(WSMAN) protocol to perform one-to-many systems management
tasks. You must use WS-MAN client such as WinRM client (Windows) or
the OpenWSMAN client (Linux) to use the LC-Remote Services
functionality. You can also use Power Shell and Python script the WSMAN interface.
WSMAN is a Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)–based protocol
used for systems management. CMC uses WS–Management to convey
Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF) Common Information
Model (CIM)–based management information. The CIM information
defines the semantics and information types that can be modified in a
managed system.
The CMC WS-MAN implementation uses SSL on port 443 for transport
security, and supports basic authentication. The data available through
WS-Management is provided by CMC instrumentation interface mapped
to the DMTF profiles and extension profiles.
For more information, see:
•
•
•
•
•

MOFs and Profiles — delltechcenter.com/page/DCIM.Library
DTMF Web site — dmtf.org/standards/profiles/
WS-MAN Release notes file.
www.wbemsolutions.com/ws_management.html
DMTF WS-Management Specifications: www.dmtf.org/standards/
wbem/wsman

Web services interfaces can be utilized by leveraging client
infrastructure, such as Windows WinRM and Powershell CLI, open
source utilities like WSMANCLI, and application programming
environments like Microsoft .NET.
For client connection using Microsoft WinRM, the minimum required
version is 2.0. For more information, refer to the Microsoft article,
.
NOTE: The default values of CMC user name and password are root and calvin respectively.

Launching CMC Using Other Systems Management Tools
You can also launch CMC from the Dell Server Administrator or Dell OpenManage Essentials.
To access CMC interface using Dell Server Administrator, launch Server Administrator on your
management station. In the left pane of the Server Administrator home page, click System → Main
System Chassis → Remote Access Controller. For more information, see the Dell Server Administrator
User’s Guide at dell.com/support/manuals.

Downloading and Updating CMC Firmware
To download the CMC firmware, see Downloading CMC Firmware.
To update the CMC firmware, see Updating CMC Firmware.

Setting Chassis Physical Location and Chassis Name
You can set the chassis location in a data center and the chassis name to identify the chassis on the
network (default name is Dell Rack System). For example, an SNMP query on the chassis name returns
the name you configure.

Setting Chassis Physical Location and Chassis Name Using Web Interface
To set the chassis location and chassis name using the CMC web interface:
1.

In the left pane, go to Chassis Overview, and then click Setup .

On the General Chassis Settings page, type the location properties and the chassis name. For more
information about setting chassis properties, see the CMC Online Help.
NOTE: The Chassis Location field is optional. It is recommended to use the Data Center, Aisle,
Rack, and Rack Slot fields to indicate the physical location of the chassis.

Click Apply. The settings are saved.

Setting Chassis Physical Location and Chassis Name Using RACADM
To set the chassis name, location, date, and time by using the command line interface, see the setsysinfo
and setchassisname commands. For more information, see the Chassis Management Controller for
PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide.

Setting Date and Time on CMC
You can manually set the date and time, or you can synchronize the date and time with a Network Time
Protocol (NTP) server.

Setting Date and Time on CMC Using CMC Web Interface
To set the date and time on CMC:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Setup → Date/Time.

To synchronize the date and time with a Network Time Protocol (NTP) server, on the Date/Time
page, select Enable NTP and specify up to three NTP servers. To manually set the date and time,
clear the Enable NTP option, and then edit the Date and Time fields.

Select the Time Zone from the drop-down menu, and then click Apply.

Setting Date and Time on CMC Using RACADM
To set the date and time using the command line interface, see the config command and
cfgRemoteHosts database property group sections in the Chassis Management Controller for
PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide available at dell.com/support/manuals.

Configuring LEDs to Identify Components on the Chassis
You can enable the LEDs of components (chassis, servers, physical disk drives, virtual disks, and I/O
Modules) to blink so that you can identify the component on the chassis.
NOTE: To modify these settings, you must have the Chassis Configuration Administrator privilege.

Configuring LED Blinking Using CMC Web Interface
To enable blinking for one, multiple, or all component LEDs:
•

In the left pane, go to any of the following pages:
– Chassis Overview → Troubleshooting.
– Chassis Overview → Troubleshooting.
– Chassis Overview → Chassis Controller → Troubleshooting.
– Chassis Overview → Server Overview → Troubleshooting.
NOTE: Only servers can be selected on this page.
– Chassis Overview → I/O Module Overview → Troubleshooting.
– Storage → Troubleshooting.
NOTE: Only physical disk drives and virtual disks can be selected on this page.

To enable blinking of a component LED, select the Select/Deselect All option corresponding to the
physical disk drive or virtual disk, and then click Blink. To disable blinking of a component LED, clear the
Select/Deselect All option corresponding to the LED, and then click Unblink.

Configuring LED Blinking Using RACADM
Open a serial/Telnet/SSH text console to CMC, log in, and type:
racadm setled -m [-l ], where specifies the module whose LED
you want to configure. Configuration options:
•

server-n where n = 1-4

•

switch-1

•

cmc-active

and specifies whether or not the LED should blink. Configuration options:
•

0 — not blinking (default)

•

1 — blinking

racadm raid , where the operation value is blink or unblink,
and the FQDD is for the component's physical disk drive and virtual disk.

Configuring CMC Properties
You can configure CMC properties such as power budgeting, network settings, users, and SNMP and
email alerts using the web interface or RACADM commands.

Configuring iDRAC Launch Method Using CMC Web
Interface
To configure the iDRAC launch method from the General Chassis Settings page:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Setup.
The General Chassis Settings page is displayed.

In the drop-down menu for the iDRAC Launch Method property, select IP Address or DNS.

Click Apply.
NOTE: A DNS-based launch is used for any particular iDRAC only if:
– The chassis setting is DNS.
– CMC has detected that the specific iDRAC is configured with a DNS name.

Configuring iDRAC Launch Method Using RACADM
To update CMC firmware using RACADM, use the cfgRacTuneIdracDNSLaunchEnable subcommand.
For more information, see the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command
Line Reference Guide available at dell.com/support/manuals.

Configuring Login Lockout Policy Attributes Using CMC
Web Interface
NOTE: To perform the following tasks, you must have Chassis Configuration Administrator
privilege.
The Log in Security enables you to configure the IP range attributes for CMC login using the CMC web
interface. To configure the IP range attributes using CMC web interface:
1.

In the left pane, go to Chassis Overview and click Network → Network.
The Network Configuration page is displayed.

In the IPv4 Settings section, click Advanced Settings. Alternatively, to access the Log in Security
page, in the left pane, go to Chassis Overview, click Security → Log in.
The Log in Security page is displayed.

To enable the user blocking or IP blocking feature, in the Login Lockout Policy section, select
Lockout by User Name or Lockout by IP Address (IPV4) .
The options to set the other login lockout policy attributes are activated.

Enter the required values for login lockout policy attributes in the activated fields — Lockout Fail
Count, Lockout Fail Window , and Lockout Penalty Time. For more information, see the CMC
Online Help.

To save these settings, click Apply.

Configuring Login Lockout Policy Attributes Using
RACADM
You can use RACADM to configure the Login lockout policy attributes for the following features:
•

User blocking

•

IP address blocking

•

Number of login attempts allowed

•

Timespan for the lockout failure counts to occur

•

Lockout penalty time

•

To enable user blocking feature, use:
racadm config -g cfgRacTuning -o

•

To enable IP blocking feature, use:
racadm config –g cfgRacTuning –o cfgRacTuneIPBlkEnable <0|1>

•

To specify the number of login attempts, use:
racadm config –g cfgRacTuning –o cfgRacTuneIpBlkFailCount

•

To specify the time span within which, lockout fail count failures must occur, use:
racadm config –g cfgRacTuning –o cfgRacTuneIpBlkFailWindow

•

To specify value for lockout penalty time, use:
racadm config –g cfgRacTuning –o cfgRacTuneIpBlkPenaltyTime

cfgRacTuneUserBlkEnable <0|1>

For more information about these objects, see the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX
RACADM Command Line Reference Guide available at dell.com/support/manuals.

Understanding Redundant CMC Environment
You can install a standby CMC that takes over if your active CMC stops functioning. The redundant CMC
may be pre-installed or can be installed later. To make sure full redundancy or best performance, it is
important that the CMC network is properly cabled.
Failovers can occur when you:
•

Run the RACADM cmcchangeover command. See the cmcchangeover command section in the
Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide
available at dell.com/support/manuals.

•

Run the RACADM racreset command on the active CMC. See the racreset command section in
the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide
available at dell.com/support/manuals..

•

Reset the active CMC from web interface. See the Reset CMC option for Power Control Operations
that is described in Executing Power Control Operations.

•

Remove the network cable from the active CMC.

•

Remove the active CMC from the chassis.

•

Initiate a CMC firmware flash on the active CMC.

•

Have an active CMC that is no longer functional.
NOTE: In the event of a CMC failover, all iDRAC connections and all active CMC sessions are
logged off. Users with logged-off sessions must reconnect to the new active CMC.

About Standby CMC
The standby CMC is identical to and is maintained as a mirror of the active CMC. The active and standby
CMCs must both be installed with the same firmware revision. If the firmware revisions differ, the system
reports as “redundancy degraded”.
The standby CMC assumes the same settings and properties of the active CMC. You must maintain the
same firmware version on both the CMCs, but you do not have to duplicate configuration settings on the
standby CMC.

NOTE: For information about installing a CMC, see the VRTX Owner’s Manual. For instructions about
installing CMC firmware on your standby CMC, see Updating Firmware.

CMC Failsafe Mode
Similar to the failover protection offered by the redundant CMC, the PowerEdge VRTX enclosure enables
the fail-safe mode to protect the servers and I/O module from not functioning. The fail-safe mode is
enabled when a CMC is not in control of the chassis. During the CMC failover period, or during a single
CMC management loss:
•

You cannot turn on the newly installed servers.

•

You cannot remotely access existing servers.

•

Server performance reduces to limit power consumption until management of the CMC is restored.

The following are some of the conditions that can result in CMC management loss:
•

CMC removal — Chassis management resumes after replacing CMC, or after failover to standby CMC.

•

CMC network cable removal or network connection loss — Chassis management resumes after the
chassis fails over to the standby CMC. Network failover is only enabled in redundant CMC mode.

•

CMC reset — Chassis management resumes after CMC reboots or chassis fails over to the standby
CMC.

•

CMC failover command issued — Chassis management resumes after the chassis fails over to the
standby CMC.

•

CMC firmware update — Chassis management resumes after CMC reboots or chassis fails over to the
standby CMC. It is recommended that you update the standby CMC first so that there is only one
failover event.

•

CMC error detection and correction — Chassis management resumes after CMC resets or chassis fails
over to the standby CMC.
NOTE: You can configure the enclosure either with a single CMC or with redundant CMCs. In
redundant CMC configurations, if the primary CMC loses communication with the enclosure or
the management network, the standby CMC takes over the chassis management.

Active CMC Election Process
There is no difference between the two CMC slots; that is, slot does not indictate precedence. Instead,
CMC that is installed or started first, assumes the role of an active CMC. If AC power is applied with two
CMCs installed, CMC installed in CMC chassis slot 1 normally assumes the active role. The active CMC is
indicated by a blue LED.
If two CMCs are inserted into a chassis that is already turned on, automatic active- or standby negotiation
can take upto two minutes. Normal chassis operation resumes when the negotiation is complete.

Obtaining Health Status of Redundant CMC
You can view the health status of the standby CMC in the web interface. For more information about
accessing CMC health status in the web interface, see Viewing Chassis Information and Monitoring
Chassis and Component Health.

Configuring Front Panel
You can configure the following:

•

Power button

•

LCD

•

DVD drive

Configuring Power Button
To configure the chassis power button:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Front Panel → Setup.

On the Front Panel Configuration page, under the Power Button Configuration section, select the
Disable Chassis Power Button option, and then click Apply.
The chassis power button is disabled.

Configuring LCD
1.

In the left pane, clickChassis Overview → Front Panel → Setup .

On the Configuration page, under the LCD Configuration section:
– Select the Lock Control Panel LCD option to disable any configuration that you can perform
using the LCD interface.
– From the LCD Language drop-down menu, select the required language.
– From the LCD Orientation drop-down menu, select the required mode — Tower Mode or Rack
Mode.
NOTE: When you configure the chassis by using the LCD wizard, if you select the Auto-Apply
settings to newly inserted servers option, you cannot disable the Auto-Apply settings to newly
inserted servers function by using a basic license. If you do not want the function to take
effect, either ignore the message displayed on the LCD, which will automatically disappear; or,
press the Do not accept button on the LCD, and then push the center button.

Click Apply.

Accessing a Server Using KVM
To map the server to the KVM and enable accessing the server remote console through the KVM
interface, you can use the CMC web interface, RACADM, or the LCD interface.

Mapping a Server to KVM Using CMC Web Interface
Make sure the KVM console is connected to the chassis.
To map a server to a KVM:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Front Panel → Setup .

On the Front Panel Configuration page, under the KVM Configuration section, from the KVM
Mapped list, select the slot that must be mapped to a KVM, and then click Apply.
NOTE: The KVM allows mapping to all the server slots. Inserting a full–height or replacing a half–
height server with full–height server does not change the mapping behavior. However, if the KVM is
mapped to a lower slot and the slot has a full–height server, then the KVM is available only through
the upper slot. You must remap the KVM to the upper slots.

Mapping the Server to KVM Using LCD
Make sure the KVM console is connected to the chassis.

To map the server to the KVM using the LCD — From the Main Menu screen on the LCD, go to KVM
Mapping, select the server that must be mapped, and then press OK.

Mapping a Server to a DVD Drive
To map the server to the chassis DVD drive:
1.
2.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Front Panel → Setup .
On the Front Panel Configuration page, under the DVD Drive Configuration section:
From the DVD Mapped drop-down menu, select one of the servers. Select the servers for which
chassis DVD drive access is required.

Click Apply.

The DVD allows mapping to all the server slots. Inserting a full–height or replacing a half–height server
with full–height server does not change the mapping behavior. However, if the DVD is mapped to a lower
slot and the slot has a full–height server, then the DVD is available only through the upper slot. You must
remap the DVD to the upper slots.

Logging in to CMC

You can log in to CMC as a CMC local user, as a Microsoft Active Directory user, or as an LDAP user. The
default user name and password is root and calvin respectively. You can also log in using Single SignOn or a Smart Card.

Accessing CMC Web Interface
Before you log in to CMC using the web interface, make sure that you have configured a supported web
browser (Internet Explorer or Firefox) and the user account is created with the required privileges.
NOTE: If you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer, connect using a proxy, and if you see the error
The XML page cannot be displayed, you must disable the proxy to continue.
To access the CMC web interface:
1.

Open a web browser supported on your system.
For the latest information on supported web browsers, see the Dell Systems Software Support Matrix
located at dell.com/support/manuals.

In the Address field, type the following URL, and then press :
– To access CMC using IPv4 address: https://
If the default HTTPS port number (port 443) was changed, type: https://:
– To access CMC using IPv6 address: https://[]
If the default HTTPS port number (port 443) was changed, type: https://[]:, where is the IP address for CMC and is the HTTPS port number.
The CMC Login page appears.
NOTE: While using IPv6, you must enclose the CMC IP address in parenthesis ([ ]).

Logging in to CMC as a Local User, Active Directory User,
or LDAP User
To log in to CMC, you must have a CMC account with the Log In to CMC privilege. The default CMC user
name is root, and the password is calvin. The root account is the default administrative account that ships
with CMC.
NOTE: For added security, it is strongly recommended that you change the default password of the
root account during initial set up.
CMC does not support extended ASCII characters, such as ß, å, é, ü, or other characters used primarily in
non-English languages.

To log in as a local user, Active Directory user, or LDAP user.
1.

In the Username field, type your user name:
– CMC user name:
– Active Directory user name: \, / or
@.
– LDAP user name:
NOTE: This field is case-sensitive.

In the Password field, type the user password.
NOTE: For Active Directory user, the Username field is case-sensitive.

Optionally, select a session timeout. This is the duration for which you can stay logged in with no
activity before you are automatically logged out. The default value is the Web Service Idle Timeout.

Click OK.
You are logged into CMC with the required user privileges.
You cannot log in to the Web interface with different user names in multiple browser windows on a
single workstation.

Logging in to CMC Using a Smart Card
To use this feature, you must have an Enterprise License. You can log in to CMC using a smart card.
Smart cards provide Two Factor Authentication (TFA) that provide two-layers of security:
•

Physical smart card device.

•

Secret code such as a password or PIN.

Users must verify their credentials using the smart card and the PIN.
NOTE: You cannot use the IP address to log in to CMC using the Smart Card login. Kerberos
validates your credentials based on the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN).
Before you log in as an Active Directory user using a Smart Card, make sure to:
•

Upload a Trusted Certificate Authority (CA) certificate (CA-signed Active Directory certificate) to CMC

•

Configure the DNS server.

•

Enable Active Directory login.

•

Enable Smart Card login.

To log in to CMC as an Active Directory user using a smart card:
1.

Log in to CMC using the link https://.
The CMC Login page is displayed asking you to insert a smart card.
NOTE: If you changed the default HTTPS port number (port 80), access the CMC web page
using :, where cmcname is the CMC host name
for CMC, domain-nameis the domain name, and port number is the HTTPS port number.

Insert the smart card and click Login.
The PIN dialog box is displayed.

Type the PIN and click Submit.
NOTE: If the smart card user is present in Active Directory, an Active Directory password is not
required. Else, you have to log in by using an appropriate username and password.
You are logged in to CMC with your Active Directory credentials.

Logging in to CMC Using Single Sign-on
When Single Sign-On (SSO) is enabled, you can log in to CMC without providing your domain user
authentication credentials, such as user name and password. To use this feature, you must have an
Enterprise License.
NOTE: You cannot use the IP address to log in to the SSO. Kerberos validates your credentials
against the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN).
Before logging in to CMC using SSO, make sure that:
•

You have logged in to your system using a valid Active Directory user account.

•

Single Sign-On option is enabled during the Active Directory configuration.

To log in to CMC using SSO:
1.

Access the CMC web interface by using: https://
For example, cmc-6G2WXF1.cmcad.lab,, where cmc-6G2WXF1 is the cmc-name and cmcad.lab is
the domain name.
NOTE: If you have changed the default HTTPS port number (port 80), access the CMC web
interface using :, where the cmcname is the CMC
host name for CMC, domain-name is the domain name, and port number is the HTTPS port
number.
CMC logs you in, using the Kerberos credentials that were cached by your browser when you logged
in using your valid Active Directory account. If the login is unsuccessful, the browser is redirected to
the normal CMC login page.
NOTE: If you are not logged in to the Active Directory domain and are using a browser other
than Internet Explorer, the login is unsuccessful and the browser displays a only blank page.

Logging In To CMC Using Serial, Telnet, Or SSH Console
You can log in to CMC through a serial, Telnet, or SSH connection.
After you configure your management station terminal emulator software and managed node BIOS,
perform the following tasks to log in to CMC:
1.

Connect to CMC using your management station terminal emulation software.

Type your CMC user name and password, and then press .
You are logged in to CMC.

Accessing CMC Using RACADM
RACADM provides a set of commands that allow you to configure and manage CMC through a textbased interface. RACADM can be accessed using a Telnet/SSH or serial connection, using the Dell CMC

console on the KVM, or remotely using the RACADM command line interface installed on a management
station.
The RACADM interface is classified as:
•

Remote RACADM — Allows you to run RACADM commands on a management station with the -r
option and the DNS name or IP address of the CMC.
NOTE: Remote RACADM is included on the Dell Systems Management Tools and
Documentation DVD and is installed on a management station.

•

Firmware RACADM — Allows you to log in to the CMC using Telnet, SSH, or a serial connection. With
firmware RACADM, you can the RACADM implementation that is part of the CMC firmware.

You can use remote RACADM commands in scripts to configure multiple CMCs. You cannot run the
scripts directly on the CMC web interface, because CMC does not support it.
For more information about RACADM, see the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX
RACADM Command Line Reference Guide.
For more information about configuring multiple CMCs, see Configuring Multiple CMCs Using RACADM.

Logging in to CMC Using Public Key Authentication
You can log in to the CMC over SSH without typing a password. You can also send a single RACADM
command as a command line argument to the SSH application. The command line options behave
similar to the remote RACADM, because the session ends after the command is completed.
Before logging in to CMC over SSH, make sure that the public keys are uploaded. To use this feature, you
must have an Enterprise License.
For example:
•

Logging in: ssh service@ or ssh service@, where IP_address is the
CMC IP address.

•

Sending RACADM commands: ssh service@ racadm getversion and ssh
service@ racadm getsel

When you log in using the service account, if a passphrase was set up when creating the public or private
key pair, you may be prompted to enter that passphrase again. If the passphrase is used with the keys,
client systems running Windows and Linux provide methods to automates the method. On client systems
running Windows, you can use the Pageant application. It runs in the background and makes entering the
passphrase transparent. For client systems running Linux, you can use the ssh agent. For setting up and
using either of these applications, see their product documentation.

Multiple CMC Sessions
A list of multiple CMC sessions that are possible by using the various interfaces is given here.
Table 3. Multiple CMC Sessions

Interface

Number of Sessions

CMC web interface

RACADM

Telnet

SSH

Changing Default Login Password
The warning message that prompts you to change the default password is displayed if:
•

You log in to CMC with Configure Users privilege.

•

Default password warning feature is enabled.

•

Default user name and password for any currently enabled account are root and calvin
respectively.

The same warning message is displayed if you log in using Active Directory or LDAP. Active Directory and
LDAP accounts are not considered when determining if any (local) account has root and calvin as the
credentials. A warning message is also displayed when you log in to CMC using SSH, Telnet, remote
RACADM, or the Web interface. For Web interface, SSH, and Telnet, a single warning message is displayed
for each session. For remote RACADM, the warning message is displayed for each command.
To change the credentials, you must have Configure Users privilege.
NOTE: A CMC log message is generated if the Do not show this warning again option is selected
on the CMC Login page.

Changing Default Login Password Using Web Interface
When you log in to the CMC web interface, if the Default Password Warning page is displayed, you can
change the password. To do this:
1.

Select the Change Default Password option.

In the New Password field, type the new password.
The maximum characters for the password are 20. The characters are masked. The following
characters are supported:
– 0-9
– A-Z
– a-z

– Special characters: +, &, ?, >, -, }, |, ., !, (, ', ,, _,[, ", @, #, ), *, ;, $, ], /, §, %, =, <, :, {, I, \
In the Confirm Password field, type the password again.

Click Continue. The new password is configured and you are logged in to CMC.
NOTE: Continue is enabled only if the passwords provided in the New Password and Confirm
Password fields match.
For information about the other fields, see the Online Help.

Changing Default Login Password Using RACADM
To change the password, run the following RACADM command:
racadm config –g cfgUserAdmin –o cfgUserAdminPassword –i
where, is a value from 1 to 16 (indicates the user account) and is the new
user–defined password.
For more information, see the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command
Line Reference Guide available at dell.com/support/manuals.

Enabling or Disabling Default Password Warning Message
You can enable or disable the display of the default password warning message. To do this, you must
have Configure Users privilege.

Enabling or Disabling Default Password Warning Message Using Web
Interface
To enable or disable the display of the default password warning message after logging in to iDRAC:
1.

Go to Chassis Controller → User Authentication → Local Users .
The Users page is displayed.

In the Default Password Warning section, select Enable, and then click Apply to enable the display
of the Default Password Warning page when you log in to CMC. Else, select Disable.
Alternatively, if this feature is enabled and you do not want to display the warning message for
subsequent login operations, on the Default Password Warning page, select the Do not show this
warning again option, and then click Apply.

Enabling or Disabling Warning Message to Change Default Login Password
Using RACADM
To enable the display of the warning message to change the default login password using RACADM, use
racadm config -g cfgRacTuning -o cfgRacTuneDefCredentialWarningEnable<0> or <1>
object. For more information, see the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM
Command Line Reference Guide available at dell.com/support/manuals.

Updating Firmware

You can update firmware for:
•

CMC — active and standby

•

Chassis infrastructure

•

I/O Module

•

iDRAC7

You can update firmware for the following server components:
•

iDRAC

•

BIOS

•

Lifecycle Controller

•

32–bit diagnostics

•

Operating System Drivers Pack

•

Network Interface Controllers

•

RAID controllers

Downloading CMC Firmware
Before beginning the firmware update, download the latest firmware version from support.dell.com, and
save it to your local system.

Viewing Currently Installed Firmware Versions
You can view the currently installed firmware versions using the CMC web interface or RACADM.

Viewing Currently Installed Firmware Versions Using CMC Web Interface
In the CMC web interface, go to any of the following pages to view the current firmware versions:
•

Chassis Overview → Update

•

Chassis Overview → Chassis Controller → Update

•

Chassis Overview → Server Overview → Server Component Update

•

Chassis Overview → I/O Module Overview → Update

•

Chassis Overview → Storage → Storage Component Update

The Firmware Update page displays the current version of the firmware for each listed component and
allows you to update the firmware to the latest version.
If the chassis contains an earlier generation server, whose iDRAC is in recovery mode or if CMC detects
that iDRAC has corrupted firmware, then the earlier generation iDRAC is also listed on the Firmware
Update page.

Viewing Currently Installed Firmware Versions Using RACADM
To view the IP information for iDRAC and CMC, and the CMC service- or asset tag using RACADM, run
the racadm getsysinfo sub-command. For more information about other RACADM commands, see
the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide.

Updating the CMC Firmware
You can update the CMC firmware using web interface or RACADM. The firmware update, by default,
retains the current CMC settings. During the update process, you can reset CMC configuration settings
back to the factory-default settings.
NOTE: To update firmware on CMC, you must have the Chassis Configuration Administrator
privilege.
If a Web user interface session is used to update system component firmware, the Idle Timeout (0, 60–
10800) setting must be set to a higher value to accommodate the file transfer time. In some cases, the
firmware file transfer time may be as high as 30 minutes. To set the idle timeout value, see Configuring
Services.
During CMC firmware updates, it is normal for some or all of the fan units in the chassis to rotate at 100%
speed.
If you have redundant CMCs installed in the chassis, it is recommended to update both the CMCs to the
same firmware version, at the same time, with a single operation. If CMCs have different firmware and a
failover occurs, unexpected results may occur.
The Active CMC resets and becomes temporarily unavailable after the firmware has been uploaded
successfully. If a standby CMC is present, the standby and active roles swap. The standby CMC becomes
the active CMC. If an update is applied only to the active CMC, after the reset is complete, the active
CMC does not run the updated image, only the standby CMC has that image. In general, it is highly
recommended to maintain identical firmware versions for the active and standby CMCs.
When the standby CMC has been updated, swap the CMCs’ roles so that the newly updated CMC
becomes the active CMC and the CMC with the earlier firmware becomes the standby. For information
about swapping roles, see the cmcchangeover command section in the Chassis Management Controller
for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide. Running this command helps you to
verify that the update has succeeded and that the new firmware is working properly, before you update
the firmware in the second CMC. When both CMCs are updated, you can use the cmcchangeover
command to restore the CMCs to their previous roles. CMC firmware revision 2.x updates both the
primary CMC and the redundant CMC without running the cmcchangeover command.
To avoid disconnecting other users during a reset, notify authorized users who may log in to CMC and
check for active sessions on the Sessions page. To open the Sessions page, click Chassis Overview in the
left pane, click Network, and then click the Sessions.
When transferring files to and from CMC, the file transfer icon spins during the transfer. If your icon is not
animated, make sure that your browser is configured to allow animations. For more information about
allowing animations in the browser, see Allow Animations in Internet Explorer.

Updating CMC Firmware Using RACADM
To update CMC firmware using RACADM, use the fwupdate subcommand. For more information about
RACADM commands, see Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line
Reference Guide.

Updating CMC Firmware Using Web Interface
NOTE: Before you update the CMC firmware, make sure that you turn on the chassis, but turn off all
the servers in the chassis.
To update the CMC firmware using the CMC web interface:
1.

In the left pane, go to any of the following pages:
– Chassis Overview → Update

– Chassis Overview → Chassis Controller → Update
On the Firmware Update page, in the CMC Firmware section, select the required components under
the Update Targets column for the CMC or CMCs (if standby CMC is present) you want to update,
and then click Apply CMC Update.

In the Firmware Image field, click Browse (Internet Explorer or Firefox) or Choose File (Google
Chrome) to browse through to the file location. The default name of the CMC firmware image file is
vrtx_cmc.bin.

Click Begin Firmware Update. The Firmware Update Progress section provides firmware update
status information. A status indicator displays on the page while the image file is uploaded. File
transfer time varies based on the connection speed. When the internal update process begins, the
page automatically refreshes and the Firmware update timer is displayed.

For a standby CMC, when the update is complete, the Update State field displays Done. For an active
CMC, during the final phases of the firmware update process, the browser session and connection
with CMC is lost temporarily because the active CMC is not connected to the network. You must log
in after a few minutes, when the active CMC has restarted. After CMC resets, the new firmware is
displayed on the Firmware Update page.
NOTE: After the firmware update, delete the files from the web browser cache. For instructions
about clearing the browser cache, see the web browser’s online help.

Additional instructions:
•

During a file transfer, do not click the Refresh icon or navigate to another page.

•

To cancel the process, select the Cancel File Transfer and Update option. This option is available only
during file transfer.

•

The Update State field displays the firmware update status.
NOTE: The update process may take several minutes for CMC.

Updating Chassis Infrastructure Firmware
The chassis infrastructure update operation updates components such as the Main Board and PCIe
subsystem management firmware.
NOTE: To update the chassis infrastructure firmware, make sure the chassis is turned on and the
servers are turned off.

Updating Chassis Infrastructure Firmware Using CMC Web Interface
1.

Go to any of the following pages:
– Chassis Overview → Update.

– Chassis Overview → Chassis Controller → Update.
On the Firmware Update page, in the Chassis Infrastructure Firmware section, in the Update
Targets column, select the option, and then click Apply Chassis Infrastructure Firmware.

On the Firmware Update page, click Browse, and then select the appropriate chassis infrastructure
firmware.

Click Begin Firmware Update, and then click Yes.
The Firmware Update Progress section provides firmware update status information. While the
image file uploads, a status indicator displays on the page. File transfer time varies on the basis of
connection speed. When the internal update process begins, the page automatically refreshes and
the firmware update timer is displayed.

Additional instructions to follow:
•

Do not click the Refresh icon, or navigate to another page during the file transfer.

•

The Update State field displays the firmware update status.

When the update is complete, there is a brief loss of connectivity to the main board, because it resets and
the new firmware is displayed on the Firmware Update page.

Updating Chassis Infrastructure Firmware Using RACADM
To update chassis infrastructure firmware using RACADM, use the fwupdate sub-command. For more
information about using the RACADM commands, see the Chassis Management Controller for
PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide.

Updating Server iDRAC Firmware
You can update firmware for iDRAC7 or later. To use this feature, you must have an Enterprise License.
The iDRAC firmware version must be 1.40.40 or later for servers with iDRAC.
The iDRAC (on a server) resets and is temporarily unavailable after a firmware update.
NOTE: To update an iDRAC firmware using the Chassis Management Controller, an SD card must be
available in the chassis. However, to update the iDRAC firmware through the iDRAC Web interface,
an SD card is not required in CMC. For more information on launching iDRAC Web interface from
CMC, see Launching iDRAC from Server Status Page.

Updating Server iDRAC Firmware Using Web Interface
To update the iDRAC firmware in the server:
1.

Go to any of the following pages:
– Chassis Overview → Update.
– Chassis Overview → Chassis Controller → Update.
– Chassis Overview → I/O Module Overview → Update.
The Firmware Update page is displayed.
NOTE:
You can also update server iDRAC firmware using Chassis Overview → Server Overview →
Update. For more information, see Updating Server Component Firmware.

To update the iDRAC7 firmware, in the iDRAC7 Firmware section, click the Update link of the server
for which you want to update the firmware.
The Server Component Update page is displayed. To continue, see Updating Server Component
Firmware.

In the Firmware Image field, enter the path to the firmware image file on the management station or
shared network, or click Browse to navigate to the file location. The default iDRAC firmware image
name is firming.imc.

Click Begin Firmware Update, and then click Yes.
The Firmware Update Progress section provides firmware update status information. A progress bar
indicates the status of the upload process. File transfer time varies on the basis of connection speed.
When the internal update process begins, the page automatically refreshes and the firmware update
timer is displayed.
NOTE: Additional instructions to follow:
– Do not click the Refresh icon or navigate to another page during the file transfer.
– To cancel the process, click Cancel File Transfer and Update. This option is available only
during file transfer.
– The Update State field displays the firmware update status.
It may take up to 10 minutes to update the iDRAC firmware.

Updating Server iDRAC Firmware Using RACADM
You can update the firmware of iDRAC7 by running the fwupdate command. For this, you must have an
Enterprise license. The iDRAC7 version must be 1.40.40 or later. For more information about the
commands, see the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line
Reference Guide.

Updating Server Component Firmware
The Lifecycle Controller service is available on each server and is facilitated by iDRAC. You can manage
the firmware of the components and devices on the servers using the Lifecycle Controller service. The
Lifecycle Controller uses an optimization algorithm to update the firmware that efficiently reduces the
number of restarts.

Dell Update Packages (DUPs) are used to perform the firmware updates using Lifecycle Controller. The
Operating System Driver Pack component DUP exceeds this limit and must be updated separately using
the Extended Storage feature.
The Lifecycle Controller provides module update support for iDRAC7 and later servers. The iDRAC
firmware must be at version 2.3 or later to update firmware using Lifecycle Controller.
NOTE: Before using the Lifecycle Controller–based update feature, server firmware versions must
be updated. You must also update the CMC firmware before updating the server component
firmware modules.
Always update the server component firmware modules in the following order:
•

BIOS

•

Lifecycle Controller

•

iDRAC

To update the server component firmware, using the CMC Web interface, click Chassis Overview →
Server Overview → Update → Server Component Update.
If the server does not support the Lifecycle Controller service, the Component/Device Firmware
Inventory section displays Not Supported. For the latest generation servers, install the Lifecycle
Controller firmware and update the iDRAC firmware to enable the Lifecycle Controller service on the
server. For earlier generation servers, this upgrade is not possible.
Normally, the Lifecycle Controller firmware is installed using an appropriate installation package that is
executed on the server operating system. For supported servers, a special repair or installation package
with an .usc file extension is available. This file enables you to install the Lifecycle Controller firmware
through the firmware update facility available on the native iDRAC Web browser interface.
You can also install Lifecycle Controller firmware through an appropriate installation package executed
on the server OS. For more information, see the Dell Lifecycle Controller User’s Guide.
If Lifecycle Controller service is disabled on the server, the Component/Device Firmware Inventory
section displays
Lifecycle Controller may not be enabled.

Enabling Lifecycle Controller
You can enable the Lifecycle Controller service when turning on a server:
•

For iDRAC6 servers, on the boot console, press , when the following message is displayed.
Press for Remote Access Setup within 5 sec.
. Then, on the setup screen, click System Services. Go to the System Setup Main Menu page and click
Finish to save the settings.

•

For iDRAC7 servers, on the boot console, to access System Setup, press the key.

•

On the System Setup Main Menu page, go to iDRAC Settings → Lifecycle Controller, click Enabled.
Go to the System Setup Main Menu page and click Finish to save the settings.

Cancelling System Services enables you to cancel all scheduled jobs that are pending and remove them
from the queue.
For more information about the Lifecycle Controller and supported server components, and device
firmware management, see:
•

Lifecycle Controller-Remote Services Quick Start Guide.

•

delltechcenter.com/page/Lifecycle+Controller.

The Server Component Update page enables you to update various firmware components on the server.
To use the features and functions on this page, you must have:
•

For CMC: The Server Administrator privilege.

•

For iDRAC: The Configure iDRAC privilege and Log in to iDRAC privilege.

In case of insufficient privileges, you can only view the firmware inventory of components and devices on
the server. You cannot select any components or devices for any type of Lifecycle Controller operation
on the server.

Filtering Components for Firmware Updates
Information about all the components and devices across all servers is retrieved at one time. To manage
this large amount of information, Lifecycle Controller provides various filtering mechanisms.
NOTE: To use this feature, you must have an Enterprise License.
These filters enable you to:
•

Select one or more categories of components or devices for easy viewing.

•

Compare firmware versions of components and devices across the server.

•

To narrow the category of a particular component or device based on types or models, automatically
filter the selected components and devices.
NOTE: Automatic filtering feature is important while using the Dell Update Package (DUP). The
update programming of a DUP can be based on the type or model of a component or device.
The automatic filtering behavior is designed to minimize the subsequent selection decisions
after an initial selection is made.

Following are some examples where the filtering mechanisms are applied:
•

If the BIOS filter is selected, only the BIOS inventory of all the servers is displayed. If the set of servers
consists of a number of server models, and a server is selected for BIOS update, the automatic
filtering logic automatically removes all the other servers that do not match with the model of the
selected server. This makes sure that the selection of the BIOS firmware update image (DUP) is
compatible with the correct model of the server.
Sometimes, a BIOS firmware update image may be compatible across a number of server models.
Such optimizations are ignored in case this compatibility is no longer true in the future.

•

Automatic filtering is important for firmware updates of Network Interface Controllers (NIC) and RAID
Controllers. These device categories have different types and models. Similarly, the firmware update
images (DUP) may be available in optimized forms, where a single DUP may be programmed to
update multiple types or models of devices of a given category.

Filtering Components for Firmware Updates Using CMC Web Interface
To filter the devices:
1.

In the left pane, go to Server Overview, and then click Update .

On the Server Component Update page, in the Component/Device Update Filter section, select
one or more of the following:
– BIOS
– iDRAC
– Lifecycle Controller
– 32-Bit Diagnostics
– OS Driver Pack
– Network I/F Controller
– RAID Controller
The Firmware Inventory section displays only the associated components or devices across all
servers present in the chassis. After you select an item from the drop-down menu, only the
components or devices associated with the ones in the are list displayed.
After the filtered set of components and devices is displayed in the inventory section, further filtering
may occur when a component or device is selected for update. For example, if the BIOS filter is
selected, then the inventory section displays all the servers with only their BIOS component. If a BIOS
component on one of the servers is selected, the inventory is further filtered to display the servers
that match the model name of the selected server.
If a filter is not selected and a selection for update of a component or device is made on the
inventory section, then the filter associated with that selection is automatically enabled. Further
filtering may occur where the inventory section displays all the servers that have a match for the
selected component in terms of model, type, or some form of identity. For example, if a BIOS
component on one of the servers is selected for update, the filter is automatically set to the BIOS and
the inventory section displays the servers that match the model name of the selected server.

Filtering Components for Firmware Updates Using RACADM
To filter components for Firmware Updates using RACADM, run the getversion command:
racadm getversion -l [-m ] [-f ]
For more information, see the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command
Line Reference Guide available at dell.com/support/manuals.

Viewing Firmware Inventory
You can view the summary of the firmware versions for all components and devices for all servers
currently present in the chassis along with their status.
NOTE: To use this feature, you must have an Enterprise License.

Viewing Firmware Inventory Using CMC Web Interface
To view the firmware inventory:
1.

In the left pane, click Server Overview, and then click Update.

On the Server Component Update page, view the firmware inventory details in the Component/
Device Firmware Inventory section. On this page, you can view the following information:
– Servers that currently do not support the Lifecycle Controller service are listed as Not Supported.
A hyperlink is provided to an alternative page, where you can directly update only the iDRAC
firmware. This page supports only iDRAC firmware update and not any other component and
device on the server. iDRAC firmware update is not dependent on the Lifecycle Controller service.
– If the server is listed as Not Ready, it indicates that when the firmware inventory was retrieved, the
iDRAC on the server was still initializing. Wait for the iDRAC to be fully operational, and then
refresh the page for the firmware inventory to be retrieved again.
– If the inventory of components and devices do not reflect what is physically installed on the
server, you must invoke the Lifecycle Controller when the server is in the boot process. This helps
to refresh the internal components and devices information and allows you to verify the
currently-installed components and devices. This occurs when:
*

The server iDRAC firmware is updated to newly introduce the Lifecycle Controller
functionality to the server management.

The new devices are inserted into the server.

To automate this action or the iDRAC Settings Utility (for iDRAC7) provides an option that can be
accessed through the boot console:
1.

For iDRAC7 servers, on the boot console, to access System Setup, press .

On the System Setup Main Menu page, click iDRAC Settings → Collect System Inventory on
Restart, select Enabled, go back to the System Setup Main Menu page, and then click Finish
to save the settings.

– Options to perform the various Lifecycle Controller operations such as Update, Rollback,
Reinstall, and Job Deletion are available. Only one type of operation can be performed at a time.
Components and devices that are not supported may be listed as part of the inventory, but do not
permit Lifecycle Controller operations.
The following table displays the component and devices information on the server:
Table 4. Component and Devices Information

Field

Description

Slot

Displays the slot occupied by the server in the chassis. Slot numbers are sequential
IDs, from 1 to 4 (for the four available slots in the chassis), that help to identify the
location of the server in the chassis. When there are less than four servers
occupying slots, only those slots populated by servers are displayed.

Name

Displays the name of the server in each slot.

Model

Displays the model of the server.

Component/
Device

Displays a description of the component or device on the server. If the column
width is too narrow, the mouse-over tool provides a view of the description.

Current
Version

Displays the current version of component or device on the server.

Field

Description

Rollback
Version

Displays the rollback version of component or device on the server.

Job Status

Displays the job status of any operations that are scheduled on the server. The job
status is continuously updated dynamically. If a job completion with state
completed is detected, then the firmware versions for the components and
devices on that server are automatically refreshed in case there has been a change
of firmware version on any of the components or devices. An information icon is
also presented adjacent to the current state, which provides additional information
about the current job status. This information can be viewed by clicking or pausing
the mouse over the icon.

Update

Click to select the component or device for firmware update on the server.

Viewing Firmware Inventory Using RACADM
To view firmware inventory using RACADM, use the getversion command:
racadm getversion -l [-m ] [-f ]
For more information, see the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command
Line Reference Guide available at dell.com/support/manuals.

Lifecycle Controller Job Operations
NOTE: To use this feature, you must have an Enterprise License.
You can perform Lifecycle Controller operations such as:
•

Re-install

•

Rollback

•

Update

•

Delete Jobs

Only one type of operation can be performed at a time. Components and devices that are not supported
may be listed as part of the inventory, but do not permit Lifecycle Controller operations.
To perform the Lifecycle Controller operations, you must have:
•

For CMC: Server Administrator privilege.

•

For iDRAC: Configure iDRAC privilege and Log in to iDRAC privilege.

A Lifecycle Controller operation scheduled on a server may take 10 to 15 minutes to complete. The
process involves several server reboots during which the firmware installation is performed, which also
includes a firmware verification stage. You can view the progress of this process using the server console.
If there are several components or devices that need to be updated on a server, you can consolidate all
the updates into one scheduled operation thus minimizing the number of reboots required.
Sometimes, when an operation is in the process of being submitted for scheduling through another
session or context, another operation is attempted. In this case, a confirmation message is displayed
indicating the situation and the operation must not be submitted. Wait for the operation in process to
complete and then submit the operation again.
Do not navigate away from the page after an operation is submitted for scheduling. If an attempt is made,
a confirmation message is displayed allowing the intended navigation to be cancelled. Otherwise, the

operation is interrupted. An interruption, especially during an update operation may cause the firmware
image file upload to be terminated before proper completion. After an operation has been submitted for
scheduling, ensure that the confirmation message indicating that the operation has been successfully
scheduled is acknowledged.

Reinstalling Server Component Firmware
You can reinstall the firmware image of the currently installed firmware for selected components or
devices across one or more servers. The firmware image is available within the Lifecycle Controller.

Re-installing Server Component Firmware Using Web Interface
To reinstall a server component firmware:
1.

In the left pane, click Server Overview → Update.

On the Server Component Update page, filter the component or device (optional).

In the Current Version column, select the option for the component or device for which you want to
reinstall the firmware.

Select one of the following options:

– Reboot Now — Restart the server immediately.
– On Next Reboot — Manually restart the server at a later time.
Click Reinstall. The firmware version is reinstalled for the selected component or device.

Rolling Back Server Component Firmware
You can install the firmware image of the previously installed firmware for selected components or
devices across one or more servers. The firmware image is available within the Lifecycle Controller for a
rollback operation. The availability is subject to the version compatibility logic of the Lifecycle Controller.
It also assumes the previous update was facilitated by the Lifecycle Controller.
NOTE: To use this feature, you must have an Enterprise License.

Rolling Back Server Component Firmware Using the CMC Web Interface
To roll back the server component firmware version to an earlier version:
1.

In the left pane, click Server Overview→ Update.

On the Server Component Update page, filter the component or device (optional).

In the Rollback Version column, select the option for the component or device for which you want
to roll back the firmware.

Select one of the following options:

– Reboot Now — Restart the server immediately.
– On Next Reboot - Manually restart the server at a later time.
Click Rollback. The previously installed firmware version is reinstalled for the selected component or
device.

Upgrading Server Component Firmware
You can install the next version of the firmware image for selected components or devices across one or
more servers. The firmware image is available within the Lifecycle Controller for a rollback operation. To
use this feature, you must have an Enterprise License.

NOTE: For iDRAC and Operating System Driver packs firmware update, make sure the Extended
Storage feature is enabled.
It is recommended to clear the job queue before initializing a server component firmware update. A list of
all jobs on the servers is available on the Lifecycle Controller Jobs page. This page enables deletion of
single or multiple jobs or purging of all jobs on the server.
BIOS updates are specific to the model of the server. Sometimes, even though a single Network Interface
Controller (NIC) device is selected for firmware update on a server, the update may get applied to all the
NIC devices on the server. This behavior is inherent in the Lifecycle Controller functionality and
particularly the programming contained with the Dell Update Package (DUP). Currently, Dell Update
Packages (DUP) that are less than 48 MB in size are supported.
If the update file image size is greater, the job status indicates that the download has failed. If multiple
server component updates are attempted on a server, the combined size of all the firmware update files
may also exceed 48 MB. In such a case, one of the component updates fails as its update file is truncated.
To update multiple components on a server, it is recommended to update the Lifecycle Controller and
32-Bit Diagnostics components together first. These do not require a server reboot and are relatively
quick to complete. The other components can then be updated together.
All Lifecycle Controller updates are scheduled for immediate execution. However, the system services
can delay this execution sometimes. In such situations, the update fails as a result of the remote share
that is hosted by the CMC being no longer available.

Upgrading Server Component Firmware Using CMC Web Interface
To upgrade the firmware version to the next version:
1.

In the left pane, click Server Overview, and then click Update.

On the Server Component Update page, filter the component or device (optional).

In the Update column, select the options of the component or device for which you want to update
the firmware to the next version.
NOTE: Use the key to select a type of component or device for update across all the
applicable servers. Pressing and holding the key highlights all the components in yellow.
While the key is pressed down, select the required component or device by selecting the
associated options in the Update column.
Another table is displayed that lists the selected type of component or device and a selector for the
firmware image file. For each type of component, one selector for the firmware image file is
displayed.
Few devices such as Network Interface Controllers (NICs) and RAID controllers contain many types
and models. The update selection logic automatically filters the relevant device type or model on the
basis of initially selected devices. The primary reason for this automatic filtering behavior is that only
one firmware image file for the category can be specified.
NOTE: The update size limitation of either a single DUP or combined DUPs can be ignored, if
the Extended Storage feature is installed and enabled. For information about enabling extended
storage, see Configuring CMC Extended Storage Card.

Specify the firmware image file for the selected components or devices. This is a Dell Update
Package (DUP) file for Microsoft Windows.

Select one of the following options:
– Reboot Now - Restart the server immediately.
– On Next Reboot - Manually restart the server at a later time.
NOTE: This task is not valid for Lifecycle Controller and 32–bit Diagnostics firmware update. A
server restart operation is performed immediately for these devices.

Click Update. The firmware version is updated for the selected component or device.

Deleting Scheduled Server Component Firmware Jobs
NOTE: To use this feature, you must have an Enterprise License.
You can delete jobs scheduled for the selected components and/or devices across one or more servers.

Deleting Scheduled Server Component Firmware Jobs Using the Web
Interface
To delete scheduled server component firmware jobs:
1.

In the left pane, click Server Overview, and then click Update.

On the Server Component Update page, filter the component or device (optional).

In the Job Status column, if a check box is displayed next to the job status, it implies that a Lifecycle
Controller job is in progress and currently in the indicated state. It can be selected for a job-deletion
operation.

Click Delete Job. The jobs are deleted for the selected components or devices.

Updating Storage Component Using CMC Web Interface
Make sure the DUPs for the required storage components are downloaded.
To update the storage components:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Storage → Update.

On the Storage Component Update page, click Browse.
The Choose to Upload File dialog box is displayed

Browse to location where the required DUP file was downloaded and saved from the Dell support
Site and select the DUP file, and click Open.
The DUP file name and path are displayed in the Browse field.

Click Upload.
The DUP is uploaded to CMC. The Storage Component Update section displays only the
components that are supported by the downloaded DUP file. The current version, latest available
version and the Update check box are displayed for the components.

Select the appropriate Update check boxes for the required components.

Click Update.
The firmware update action is initiated for the selected components. The progress is displayed in the
Update column
After the action is complete, an appropriate message is displayed to indicate the completion or
failure of the firmware update.

Recovering iDRAC Firmware Using CMC
iDRAC firmware is typically updated using iDRAC interfaces such as the iDRAC web interface, the SM-CLP
command line interface, or operating system specific update packages downloaded from
support.dell.com. For more information, see the iDRAC7User’s Guide.
Early generations of servers can have corrupted firmware recovered using the new update iDRAC
firmware process. When CMC detects corrupted iDRAC firmware, it lists the server on the Firmware
Update page. Complete the tasks mentioned in the Updating Server iDRAC Firmware.

Viewing Chassis Information and
Monitoring Chassis and Component
Health

You can view information and monitor the health of the following:
•

Active and standby CMCs

•

All severs and individual servers

•

IO Module

•

Fans

•

Power Supply Units (PSUs)

•

Temperature sensors

•

Hard disk drives

•

LCD assembly

•

Storage controllers

•

PCIe devices

Viewing Chassis and Component Summaries
When you log in to the CMC web interface, the Chassis Health page displays the health of the chassis
and its components. It displays a graphical view of the chassis and its components. It is dynamically
updated, and the component sub-graphic overlays and text hints are automatically changed to reflect the

current state.
To view the chassis health, click Chassis Overview. The system displays the overall health status of the
chassis, active and standby CMCs, server modules, IO Module (IOM), fans, blowers, power supply units
(PSUs), LCD assembly, storage controller, and PCIe devices. Detailed information about each component
is displayed when you click that component. In addition, the latest events in the CMC Hardware Log are
also displayed. For more information, see the Online Help.

If your chassis is configured as a Group Lead, the Group Health page is displayed after login. It displays
the chassis level information and alerts. All active, critical, and non-critical alerts are displayed.

Chassis Graphics
The chassis is represented by the front and back views (the upper and lower images respectively). Servers,
DVDs, HDDs, KVMs, and LCD are shown in the front view and the remaining components are shown in
the back view. Component selection is indicated by a blue cast and is controlled by clicking the image of
the required component. When a component is present in the chassis, an icon of the component type is
displayed in the graphics in the position (slot), where the component has been installed. Empty positions
are shown with a charcoal gray background. The component icon visually indicates the state of the
component. Other components display icons that visually represent the physical component. Pausing the
cursor over a component displays a tool tip with additional information about that component.
Table 5. Server Icon States

Icon

Description
A server is present, turned on, and is operating
normally.

A server is present, but turned off.

A server is present, but reporting a noncritical error.

A server is present, but reporting a critical error.

A server is not present.

Selected Component Information
Information for the selected component is displayed in three independent sections:

•

Health and Performance, and Properties — Displays the active, critical, and non-critical events as
displayed by the hardware logs and the performance data that vary with time.

•

Properties — Displays the component properties that do not vary with time, or that change only
infrequently.

•

Quick Links — Provides links to navigate to the most frequently accessed pages, and also the most
frequently performed actions. Only links applicable to the selected component are displayed in this
section.

Viewing Server Model Name and Service Tag
You can view the model name and service tag of each server instantly using the following steps:
1.

In the left pane, click Server Overview. All the servers (SLOT-01 to SLOT-04) appear in the servers
list. If a server is not present in a slot, the corresponding image in the graphic is grayed out. When
full height servers are present in slot 1 and slot 3, slot 3 will show the slot name as Extension of 1.

Pause the cursor over the slot name or slot number of a server. A tool tip is displayed with the
server’s model name and service tag (if available).

Viewing Chassis Summary
To view the chassis summary information, in the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Properties →
Summary.
The Chassis Summary page is displayed. For more information about this page, see the Online Help.

Viewing Chassis Controller Information and Status
To view the chassis controller information and status, in the CMC Web interface, click Chassis
Overview → Chassis Controller.
The Chassis Controller Status page is displayed. For more information, see the Online Help.

Viewing Information and Health Status of All Servers
To view the health status of all the servers, do one of the following:
•

Click Chassis Overview. The Chassis Health page displays a graphical overview of all the servers
installed in the chassis. Server health status is indicated by the overlay of the server subgraphic. For
more information about the chassis health, see the Online Help.

•

Click Chassis Overview → Server Overview. The Servers Status page provides an overview of the
servers in the chassis. For more information, see the Online Help.

Viewing Health Status and Information for Individual
Server
To view health status for individual servers, do any of the following:
1.

Go to Chassis Overview → Properties → Health.
The Chassis Health page displays a graphical overview of all the servers installed in the chassis.
Server health status is indicated by the overlay of the server subgraphic. Move the cursor to hover
over an individual server subgraphic. A corresponding text hint or screen tip provides additional
information for that server. Click the server subgraphic to view the I/O Module information on the
right. For more information, see the Online Help.

Go to Chassis Overview and expand Server Overview in the left pane. All the servers (1–4) appear in
the expanded list. Click the server (slot) you want to view.
The Server Status page (separate from the Servers Status page) provides the health status of the
server in the chassis and a launch point to the iDRAC web interface, which is the firmware used to
manage the server. For more information, see the Online Help.
NOTE: To use the iDRAC web interface, you must have an iDRAC user name and password. For
more information about iDRAC and the using the iDRAC web interface, see the Integrated Dell
Remote Access Controller User’s Guide.

Viewing Information and Health Status of the IOM
To view health status of the IOMs, in the CMC Web interface, do any of the following:
1.

Click Chassis Overview .
The Chassis Health page is displayed. The graphics in the left pane displays the rear, front, and side
view of the chassis and contains the health status for the IOM. IOM health status is indicated by the
overlay of the IOM sub-graphic. Move the cursor over the individual IOM sub-graphic. The text hint
provides additional information about that IOM. Click the IOM sub-graphic to view the IOM
information in the right pane.

Go to Chassis Overview → I/O Module Overview .
The I/O Module Status page provides an overview of IOM associated with the chassis. For more
information, see the Online Help.

Viewing Information and Health Status For Individual I/O
Module
To view health status of the individual I/O Modules, in the CMC web interface, do any of the following:
1.

Go to Chassis Overview → Properties → Health.
The Chassis Health page is displayed. The lower section of Chassis Graphics depicts the rear view of
the chassis and contains the health status for the I/O Modules. I/O Module health status is indicated
by the overlay of the I/O Module subgraphic. Move the cursor to hover over the individual I/O
Module subgraphic. The text hint provides additional information on that I/O Module. Click the I/O
Module subgraphic to view the I/O Module information on the right.

Go to Chassis Overview and expand I/O Module Overview in the system tree. All the I/O Modules
(1–6) are displayed in the expanded list. Click the I/O Module (slot) you want to view.
The I/O Module Status page (separate from the overall I/O Module Status page) specific to the I/O
Module slot is displayed. For more information, see the Online Help.

Viewing Information and Health Status of Fans
CMC controls the speed of the chassis fan by increasing or decreasing the fan speed on the basis of
system events. You can run the fan in three modes such as Low, Medium, and High. For more
information about configuring a fan, see the Online Help.
To set up the properties of fans by using RACADM commands, type the following command at the CLI
interface.
racadm fanoffset [-s ]
NOTE: The CMC monitors the temperature sensors in the chassis and automatically adjust the fan
speed as needed. However, you can override to maintain a minimum fan speed by the racadm
fanoffset command. When overriden using this command, the CMC will always run the fan to the
selected speed even though the chassis does not require the fans to run at that speed.
For more information about the RACADM commands, see the Chassis Management Controller for
PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide available at dell.com/support/manuals.
CMC generates an alert and increases the fan speeds when the following events occur:
•

CMC ambient temperature threshold is exceeded.

•

A fan stops functioning.

•

A fan is removed from the chassis.
NOTE: During updates of CMC or iDRAC firmware on a server, some or all of the fan units in the
chassis rotates at 100%. This is normal.

To view the health status of fans, in the CMC Web interface, do any of the following:
1.

Go to Chassis Overview.
The Chassis Health page is displayed. The lower section of chassis graphics provides the left view of
the chassis and contains the health status of the fans. Fan health status is indicated by the overlay of
the fan sub-graphic. Move the cursor over the fan sub-graphic. The text hint provides additional
information about a fan. Click the fan subgraphic to view the fan information in the right pane.

Go to Chassis Overview → Fans.
The Fans Status page provides the status, speed measurements in revolutions per minute (RPMs),
and threshold values of the fans in the chassis. There can be one or more fans.
NOTE: In the event of a communication failure between CMC and the fan unit, CMC cannot
obtain or display the health status for the fan unit.
NOTE: The following message is displayed when both the fans are not present in the slots or if
a fan is rotating at a low speed:
Fan is less than the lower critical threshold.
For more information, see the Online Help.

Configuring Fans
Fan Offset — A feature to provide increased cooling to the storage and PCIe regions of the chassis. This
feature allows you to increase the airflow delivery to the HDDs, Shared PERC controllers, and PCIe card
slots. An example usage of the Fan Offset is when you use high-power or custom PCIe cards that require
more cooling than normal. The Fan Offset feature has options of Off, Low, Medium, and High. These
settings correspond to a fan speed offset (increase) of 20%, 50%, and 100% of the maximum speed
respectively. There are also minimum speeds setup for each option, which are 35% for Low, 65% for
Medium, and 100% for High.
Using the Medium Fan Offset setting for example, increases the speed of fans 1–6 by 50% of its maximum
speed. The increase is above the speed already set by the system for cooling on the basis of installed
hardware configuration.
With any of the Fan Offset options enabled, the power consumption will be increased. The system will be
louder with the Low offset, noticeably louder with the Medium offset, and significantly louder with the
High offset. When the Fan Offset option is not enabled, the fan speeds will be reduced to the default
speeds required for system cooling for the installed hardware configuration.
To set the offset feature, go to Chassis Overview → Fans → Setup. On the Advanced Fan Configurations
page, in the Fan Configuration table, from the Value drop-down menu corresponding to Fan Offset,
select an option appropriately.
For more information about the Fan Offset feature, see the Online Help.
For setting up these features by using RACADM commands, user the following command:
racadm fanoffset [-s ]
For more information about the fan offset-related RACADM commands, see the Chassis Management
Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide available at dell.com/support/
Manuals.
Enhanced Cooling Mode (ECM) — Is a feature in the CMC that allows increased cooling capacity for the
servers installed within the PowerEdge VRTX chassis. Example uses for ECM are operation in a high
ambient environment or using servers with high power (≥120W) CPUs installed. The increased cooling
capacity is achieved by allowing the four chassis blower modules to run at a higher speed. As a result, the
system power consumption and noise level may be increased when ECM is enabled.

When enabled, ECM will only increase the cooling capacity to the server slots within the chassis. It is also
important to note that ECM is not designed to provide increased cooling to the servers at all times. Even
with ECM enabled, the higher blower speeds will only be seen when the increased cooling is needed.
Examples of this situation include high levels of server utilization or stress, and high ambient
temperatures.
By default, ECM is off. When ECM is enabled, the blowers have the capability to deliver approximately
20% more airflow per blade.
To set the ECM mode, go to Chassis Overview → Fans → Setup. On the Advanced Fan Configurations
page, in the Blower Configurationtable, from the Value drop-down menu corresponding to Enhanced
Cooling Mode, select an option appropriately.
For more information about the ECM feature, see the Online Help.

Viewing Front Panel Properties
To view the front panel properties:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Front Panel.

On the Properties page, you can view the following:
– Power Button Properties
– LCD Properties
– KVM Properties
– DVD Drive Properties

Viewing KVM Information and Health Status
To view the health status of the KVMs associated with the chassis, do any of the following:
1.

Click Chassis Overview.
The Chassis Health page is displayed. The left pane displays the front view of the chassis and
contains the health status of a KVM. KVM health status is indicated by the overlay of the KVM subgraphic. Move the pointer over an KVM sub-graphic and a corresponding text hint or screen tip is
displayed. The text hint provides additional information about the KVM. Click the KVM sub-graphic to
view the KVM information in the right pane.

Alternatively, click Chassis Overview → Front Panel.
On the Status page, under the KVM Properties section, you can view the status and properties of a
KVM associated with the chassis. For more information, see the Online Help.

Viewing LCD Information and Health
To view the health status of an LCD:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview.
The Chassis Health page is displayed. The left pane displays the front view of the chassis. LCD health
status is indicated by the overlay of the LCD sub-graphic.

Move the cursor over the LCD subgraphic. The corresponding text hint or screen tip provides
additional information on the LCD.

Click the LCD sub-graphic to view the LCD information in the right pane. For more information, see
the Online Help.
Alternatively, go to Chassis Overview → Front Panel → Properties → Status. On the Status page,
under the LCD Properties, you can view the status of the LCD available on the chassis. For more
information, see Online Help.

Viewing Information and Health Status of Temperature
Sensors
To view the health status of the temperature sensors:
In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Temperature Sensors.
The Temperature Sensors Status page displays the status and readings of the temperature probes on
the entire chassis (chassis and servers). For more information, see Online Help.
NOTE: The temperature probes value cannot be edited. Any change beyond the threshold
generates an alert that causes the fan speed to vary. For example, if the CMC ambient
temperature probe exceeds the threshold, the speed of the fans on the chassis increases.

Viewing Storage Capacity and Status of the Storage
Components
To view the capacity and fault-tolerant status of the storage components, do one of the following:
1.

Go to Chassis Overview.
The Chassis Health page is displayed. The Storage capacity details, the Fault Tolerant Mode (Active/
Passive), and Fault Tolerant Status (Enabled) information is displayed on the right pane. This faulttolerance information is displayed only if the fault tolerant feature is enabled for the storage
components.
The lower section of chassis graphics provides the left view of the chassis. Move the cursor over the
storage component sub-graphic. The text hint provides additional information about the storage
component. Click the storage component subgraphic to view the related information in the right
pane.

Alternatively, in the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Storage → Properties → Storage Overview.
The Storage Overview page is displayed with the following information:
– View the graphic summary of the physical disk drives installed in the chassis and their status.
– View the summary of all the storage components with links to their respective pages.
– View the used capacity and total capacity of the storage.
– View controller information.
NOTE: In case of a fault-tolerant controller, the name format is: Shared
(Integrated ). For example, the active controller is Shared PERC8 (Integrated 1)
and the peer controller is Shared PERC8 (Integrated 2).
– View recently-logged storage events.
NOTE: For more information, see the Online Help.

Configuring CMC

Chassis Management Controller enables you to configure properties, set up users, and alerts to perform
remote management tasks.
Before you begin configuring the CMC, you must first configure the CMC network settings to allow CMC
to be managed remotely. This initial configuration assigns the TCP/IP networking parameters that enable
access to the CMC. For more information, see Setting Up Initial Access to CMC.
You can configure CMC using Web interface or RACADM.
NOTE: When you configure CMC for the first time, you must be logged in as root user to execute
RACADM commands on a remote system. Another user can be created with privileges to configure
CMC.
After setting up the CMC and performing the basic configurations, you can do the following:
•

Modify the network settings, if required.

•

Configure interfaces to access CMC.

•

Configure LCD display.

•

Set up chassis groups, if required.

•

Configure servers, I/O module, or front panel.

•

Configure VLAN settings.

•

Obtain the required certificates.

•

Add and configure CMC users with privileges.

•

Configure and enable e-mail alerts and SNMP traps.

•

Set the power cap policy, if required.
NOTE: The following characters cannot be used in the property strings of both the CMC interfaces
(GUI and CLI):
•

•

< and > together

•

; (semicolon)

Viewing and Modifying CMC Network LAN Settings
The LAN settings, such as community string and SMTP server IP address, affect both the CMC and the
external settings of the chassis.
If you have two CMCs (active and standby) on the chassis that are connected to the network, the standby
CMC automatically assumes the network settings of the active CMC in the event of failover.
When IPv6 is enabled at boot time, three router solicitations are sent after every four seconds. If external
network switches are running the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), the external switch ports may be blocked
for more than 12 seconds in which the IPv6 router solicitations are sent. In such cases, there may be a
period when IPv6 connectivity is limited, until router advertisements are gratuitously sent by the IPv6
routers.

NOTE: Changing the CMC network settings may disconnect your current network connection.
NOTE: You must have Chassis Configuration Administrator privilege to set up CMC network
settings.

Viewing and Modifying CMC Network LAN Settings Using CMC Web
Interface
To view and modify the CMC LAN network settings using CMC Web interface:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview, and then click Network. The Network Configuration page
displays the current network settings.

Modify the general, IPv4, or IPv6 settings as required. For more information, see the Online Help.

Click Apply Changes for each section to apply the settings.

Viewing and Modifying CMC Network LAN Settings Using RACADM
To view IPv4 settings, use the objects from the cfgCurrentLanNetworking group with the following
getniccfg and getconfig subcommands.
To view IPv6 settings, use the objects from the cfgIpv6LanNetworking group with the getconfig
subcommand.
To view IPv4 and IPv6 addressing information for the chassis, use the getsysinfo subcommand.
For more information about the subcommands and objects, see the Chassis Management Controller for
PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide.

Enabling the CMC Network Interface
To enable or disable the CMC network interface for both IPv4 and IPv6, type:
racadm config -g cfgLanNetworking -o cfgNicEnable 1
racadm config -g cfgLanNetworking -o cfgNicEnable 0
NOTE: The CMC NIC is enabled by default.
To enable or disable the CMC IPv4 addressing, type:
racadm config -g cfgLanNetworking -o cfgNicIPv4Enable
1
racadm config -g cfgLanNetworking -o cfgNicIPv4Enable
0
NOTE: The CMC IPv4 addressing is enabled by default.
To enable or disable the CMC IPv6 addressing, type:
racadm config -g cfgIpv6LanNetworking -o cfgIPv6Enable
1
racadm config -g cfgIpv6LanNetworking -o cfgIPv6Enable
0
NOTE: Note the following:

•

There is a 30 seconds delay between changing a network setting and actually applying it.

•

The CMC IPv6 addressing is disabled by default.

By default, for IPv4, the CMC requests and automatically obtains a CMC IP address from the Dynamic
Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server. You can disable the DHCP feature and specify static CMC IP
address, gateway, and subnet mask.
For an IPv4 network, to disable DHCP and specify static CMC IP address, gateway, and subnet mask, type:
racadm
racadm
racadm
racadm

config
config
config
config

-g
-g
-g
-g

cfgLanNetworking
cfgLanNetworking
cfgLanNetworking
cfgLanNetworking

-o
-o
-o
-o

cfgNicUseDHCP 0
cfgNicIpAddress
cfgNicGateway
cfgNicNetmask

By default, for IPv6, the CMC requests and automatically obtains a CMC IP address from the IPv6
autoconfiguration mechanism.
For an IPv6 network, to disable the Autoconfiguration feature and specify a static CMC IPv6 address,
gateway, and prefix length, type:
racadm config -g cfgIPv6LanNetworking
cfgIPv6AutoConfig 0
racadm config -g cfgIPv6LanNetworking
cfgIPv6Address
racadm config -g cfgIPv6LanNetworking
cfgIPv6PrefixLength 64
racadm config -g cfgIPv6LanNetworking
cfgIPv6Gateway

-o
-o
-o
-o

Enabling or Disabling DHCP for the CMC Network Interface Address
When enabled, the CMC’s DHCP for NIC address feature requests and obtains an IP address from the
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server automatically. This feature is enabled by default.
You can disable the DHCP for NIC address feature and specify a static IP address, subnet mask, and
gateway. For more information, see Setting Up Initial Access to CMC.

Enabling or Disabling DHCP for DNS IP Addresses
By default, the CMC’s DHCP for DNS address feature is disabled. When enabled, this feature obtains the
primary and secondary DNS server addresses from the DHCP server. While using this feature, you do not
have to configure static DNS server IP addresses.
To disable the DHCP for DNS address feature and specify the static preferred and alternate DNS server
addresses, type:
racadm config -g cfgLanNetworking -o
cfgDNSServersFromDHCP 0
To disable the DHCP for DNS address feature for IPv6 and specify the static preferred and alternate DNS
server addresses, type:
racadm config -g cfgIPv6LanNetworking -o
cfgIPv6DNSServersFromDHCP6 0

Setting Static DNS IP addresses
NOTE: The static DNS IP addresses settings are not valid unless the DCHP for DNS address feature is
disabled.
For IPv4, to set the preferred primary and secondary DNS IP server addresses, type:
racadm config -g cfgLanNetworking -o cfgDNSServer1
racadm config -g cfgLanNetworking -o cfgDNSServer2

For IPv6, to set the preferred and secondary DNS IP Server addresses, type:
racadm config -g cfgIPv6LanNetworking -o
cfgIPv6DNSServer1
racadm config -g cfgIPv6LanNetworking -o
cfgIPv6DNSServer2

Configuring DNS Settings (IPv4 and IPv6)
•

CMC Registration — To register the CMC on the DNS server, type:
racadm config -g cfgLanNetworking -o
cfgDNSRegisterRac 1
NOTE: Some DNS servers only register names of 31 characters or fewer. Make sure the
designated name is within the DNS required limit.

•

NOTE: The following settings are valid only if you have registered the CMC on the DNS server by
setting cfgDNSRegisterRac to 1.
CMC Name — By default, the CMC name on the DNS server is cmc-. To change the
CMC name on the DNS server, type:
racadm config -g cfgLanNetworking -o cfgDNSRacName
where is a string of up to 63 alphanumeric characters and hyphens. For example: cmc-1,
d-345.

•

DNS Domain Name — The default DNS domain name is a single blank character. To set a DNS
domain name, type:
racadm config -g cfgLanNetworking -o
cfgDNSDomainName
where is a string of up to 254 alphanumeric characters and hyphens. For example: p45, atz-1, r-id-001.

Configuring Auto Negotiation, Duplex Mode, and Network Speed (IPv4 and
IPv6)
When enabled, the auto negotiation feature determines whether the CMC automatically sets the duplex
mode and network speed by communicating with the nearest router or switch. By default, auto
negotiation feature is enabled.
You can disable auto negotiation and specify the duplex mode and network speed by typing:
racadm config -g cfgNetTuning -o cfgNetTuningNicAutoneg 0
racadm config -g cfgNetTuning -o cfgNetTuningNicFullDuplex
where:
is 0 (half duplex) or 1 (full duplex, default)
racadm config -g cfgNetTuning -o cfgNetTuningNicSpeed
where:
is 10 or 100 (default).

Setting the Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) (IPv4 and IPv6)
The MTU property allows you to set a limit for the largest packet that can be passed through the
interface. To set the MTU, type:
racadm config -g cfgNetTuning -o cfgNetTuningMtu
where is a value between 576–1500 (inclusive; default is 1500).

NOTE: IPv6 requires a minimum MTU of 1280. If IPv6 is enabled, and cfgNetTuningMtu is set to a
lower value, the CMC uses an MTU of 1280.

Configuring CMC Network and Login Security Settings
The IP address blocking and User blocking features in CMC allow you to prevent security issues due to
password guessing attempts. This feature enables you to block a range of IP addresses and users who
can access CMC. By deafult, the IP address blocking feature is enabled in CMC.
NOTE: Blocking by IP address is applicable only for IPV4 addresses.
You can set the IP range attributes using CMC web interface or RACADM. To use the IP address blocking
and user blocking features, enable the options using CMC web interface or RACADM. Configure the login
lockout policy settings to enable you to set the number of unsuccessful login attempts for a specific user
or for an IP address. After exceeding this limit, the blocked user can log in only after the penalty time
expires.

Configuring IP Range Attributes Using CMC Web Interface
NOTE: To perform the following task, you must have Chassis Configuration Administrator
privilege.
To configure the IP range attributes using CMC web interface:
1.

In the left pane, go to Chassis Overview and click Network → Network. The Network Configuration
page is displayed.

In the IPv4 Settings section, click Advanced Settings.
The Log in Security page is displayed.
Alternatively, to access the Log in Security page, in the left pane, go to Chassis Overview, click
Security → Log in.

To enable the IP range checking feature, in the IP Range section, select the IP Range Enabled
option.
The IP Range Address and IP Range Mask fields are activated.

In the IP Range Address and IP Range Mask fields, type the range of IP addresses and IP range masks
that you want to block from accessing CMC.
For more information, see the Online Help.

Click Apply to save your settings.

Configuring IP Range Attributes Using RACADM
You can configure the following IP Range attributes for CMC using RACADM:
•

IP range checking feature

•

Range of IP addresses that you want to block from accessing CMC

•

IP Range Mask that you want to block from accessing CMC

IP filtering compares the IP address of an incoming login to the IP address range that is specified. A login
from the incoming IP address is allowed only if both the following are identical:
•

cfgRacTuneIpRangeMask bit-wise and with incoming IP address

•

cfgRacTuneIpRangeMask bit-wise and with cfgRacTuneIpRangeAddr

NOTE:
•

To enable the IP range checking feature, use the following property under cfgRacTuning group:
cfgRacTuneIpRangeEnable <0/1>

•

To specify the range of IP addresses that you want to block from accessing CMC, use the following
property under cfgRacTuning group:
cfgRacTuneIpRangeAddr

•

To specify the IP Range Mask that you want to block from accessing CMC, use the following property
under cfgRacTuning group:
cfgRacTuneIpRangeMask

Configuring Virtual LAN Tag Properties for CMC
Virtual LANfunctionality enables multiple VLANs to coexist on the same physical network cable and to
segregate the network traffic for security or load management purposes. When you enable the VLAN
functionality, each network packet is assigned a VLAN tag.

Configuring Virtual LAN Tag Properties for CMC Using RACADM
1.

Enable the Virtual LAN (VLAN) capabilities of the external chassis management network:
racadm config -g cfgLanNetworking -o
cfgNicVLanEnable 1

Specify the VLAN ID for the external chassis management network:
racadm config -g cfgLanNetworking -o cfgNicVlanID
The valid values for are 1– 4000 and 4021– 4094. Default value is 1.
For example:
racadm config -g cfgLanNetworking -o cfgNicVlanID
1

Then, specify the VLAN priority for the external chassis management network:
racadm config -g cfgLanNetworking -o
cfgNicVLanPriority
The valid values for are 0–7. Default value is 0.
For example:
racadm config -g cfgLanNetworking -o
cfgNicVLanPriority 7
You can also specify both the VLAN ID and the VLAN priority with a single command:
racadm setniccfg -v
For example:
racadm setniccfg -v 1 7

To remove the CMC VLAN, disable the VLAN capabilities of the external chassis management
network:
racadm config -g cfgLanNetworking -o
cfgNicVLanEnable 0
You can also remove the CMC VLAN using the following command:
racadm setniccfg -v

Configuring Virtual LAN Tag Properties for CMC Using Web Interface
To configure Virtual LAN(VLAN) for CMC using the CMC Web interface:
1.

Go to any of the following pages:
– In the left pane, click Chassis Overview and click Network → VLAN.
– In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Server Overview and click Network → VLAN.
The VLAN Tag Settings page is displayed. VLAN tags are chassis properties. They remain with the
chassis even when a component is removed.

In the CMC section, enable VLAN for CMC, set the priority and assign the ID. For more information
about the fields, see the Online Help.

Click Apply. The VLAN tag settings are saved.
You can also access this page from the Chassis Overview → Servers → Setup → VLAN.

Configuring Services
You can configure and enable the following services on CMC:
•

CMC serial console — Enable access to CMC using the serial console.

•

Web Server — Enable access to CMC web interface. Disabling the web server also disables Remote
RACADM.

•

SSH — Enable access to CMC through firmware RACADM.

•

Telnet — Enable access to CMC through firmware RACADM

•

RACADM — Enable access to CMC using RACADM.

•

SNMP — Enable CMC to send SNMP traps for events.

•

Remote Syslog — Enable CMC to log events to a remote server. To use this feature, you must have an
Enterprise license.

CMC includes a web server that is configured to use the industry-standard SSL security protocol to
accept and transfer encrypted data from and to clients over the Internet. The web server includes a Dell
self-signed SSL Digital Certificate (Server ID), and is responsible for accepting and responding to secure
HTTP requests from clients. This service is required by the web interface and remote RACADM CLI tool
for communicating with CMC.
If the web server resets, wait at least one minute for the services to become available again. A web server
reset usually happens as a result of any of the following events:
•

Network configuration or network security properties are changed through the CMC web user
interface or RACADM.

•

Web server port configuration is changed through the web user interface or RACADM.

•

CMC is reset.

•

A new SSL server certificate is uploaded.
NOTE: To modify service settings, you must have the Chassis Configuration Administrator privilege.

Remote syslog is an additional log target for CMC. After you configure the remote syslog, each new log
entry generated by CMC is forwarded to the respective destinations.

NOTE: Because the network transport for the forwarded log entries is UDP, there is no guaranteed
delivery of log entries, nor is there any feedback to CMC about whether the log entries were
received successfully.

Configuring Services Using CMC Web Interface
To configure CMC services using CMC web interface:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview, and then click Network → Services. The Services
Management page is displayed.

Configure the following services as required:
– CMC Serial
– Web Server
– SSH
– Telnet
– Remote RACADM
– SNMP
– Remote Syslog
For information about the fields, see the Online Help.

Click Apply, and then update all default time-out and maximum time-out limits.

Configuring Services Using RACADM
To enable and configure the various services, use the following RACADM objects:
•

cfgRacTuning

•

cfgRacTuneRemoteRacadmEnable

For more information about these objects, see the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX
RACADM Command Line Reference Guide available at dell.com/support/manuals.
If the firmware on the server does not support a feature, configuring a property related to that feature
displays an error. For example, using RACADM to enable remote syslog on an unsupported iDRAC
displays an error message.
Similarly, when displaying the iDRAC properties using the RACADM getconfig command, the property
values are displayed as N/A for an unsupported feature on the server.
For example:
$
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#

racadm getconfig -g cfgSessionManagement -m server-1
cfgSsnMgtWebServerMaxSessions=N/A
cfgSsnMgtWebServerActiveSessions=N/A
cfgSsnMgtWebServerTimeout=N/A
cfgSsnMgtSSHMaxSessions=N/A
cfgSsnMgtSSHActiveSessions=N/A
cfgSsnMgtSSHTimeout=N/A
cfgSsnMgtTelnetMaxSessions=N/A
cfgSsnMgtTelnetActiveSessions=N/A
cfgSsnMgtTelnetTimeout=N/A

Configuring CMC Extended Storage Card
You can enable or repair the optional Removable Flash Media for use as an extended non-volatile
storage. Some CMC features depend on extended nonvolatile storage for their operation.
To enable or repair the Removable Flash Media using the CMC web interface:
1.

In the left pane, go to Chassis Overview, and then click Chassis Controller → Flash Media.

On the Removable Flash Media page, from the drop-down menu, select one of the following as
appropriate:
– Repair active controller media
– Stop using flash media for storing chassis data
For more information about these options, see the Online Help.

Click Apply to apply the selected option.
If two CMCs are present in the chassis, both CMCs (active and standby) must contain flash media;
else, the Extended Storage functionality will be degraded unless both the active and standby CMCs
contain flash media.

Setting Up Chassis Group
CMC enables you to monitor multiple chassis from a single lead chassis. When a chassis group is enabled,
CMC in the lead chassis generates a graphical display of the status of the lead chassis and all member
chassis within the chassis group. To use this feature, you must have an Enterprise License.
The Chassis group features are:
•

Displays images portraying the front and back of each chassis, a set for the leader and a set for each
member.

•

Health concerns for the leader and members of a group are recognized by red or yellow overlays and
an X or an ! on the component with the symptoms. Details are visible below the chassis image when
you click the chassis image or Details.

•

Quick launch links are available for opening member chassis’s or server’s web pages.

•

A server and Input/Output inventory is available for a group.

•

A selectable option is available to synchronize a new member’s properties to the leader’s properties
when the new member is added to the group.

A chassis group may contain a maximum of eight members. Also, a leader or member can only
participate in one group. You cannot join a chassis, either as a leader or member, that is part of a group to
another group. You can delete the chassis from a group and add it later to a different group.
To set up the Chassis Group using the CMC web interface:
1.

Click Setup → Group Administration.

On the Chassis Group page, under Role, select Leader. A field to add the group name is displayed.

Type the group name in the Group Name field, and then click Apply.
NOTE: The same rules that apply for a domain name apply to the group name.
When the chassis group is created, the GUI automatically switches to the Chassis Group page. The
left pane indicates the group by the group name and the lead chassis, and the unpopulated member
chassis appear in the left pane.

Adding Members To Chassis Group
After the Chassis Group is set up, to add members to the group:
1.

Select the lead chassis in the tree.

Click Setup → Group Administration.

Under Group Management, enter the member’s IP address or DNS name in the Hostname/IP
Address field.

In the User Name field, enter a user name with chassis administrator privileges for the member
chassis.

Type the corresponding password in the Password field.

Optionally, select Sync New Member with Leader Properties to push leader properties to the
member.

Click Apply.

To add a maximum of eight members, complete the tasks in step 4 through step 8. The chassis
names of the new members appear in the Members dialog box.
NOTE: The credentials entered for a member are passed securely to the member chassis to
establish a trust relationship between the member and lead chassis. The credentials are not
persisted on either chassis, and are never exchanged again after the initial trust relationship is
established.

Removing a Member from the Leader
You can remove a member from the group from the lead chassis. To remove a member:
1.

In the left pane, select the lead chassis.

Click Setup → Group Administration.

From the Remove Members list, select the member’s name to be deleted, and then click Apply.
The lead chassis then communicates to the member or members, if more than one is selected, that it
has been removed from the group. The member name is removed. The member chassis may not
receive the message, if a network issue prevents contact between the leader and the member. In this
case, disable the member from the member chassis to complete the removal.

Disbanding a Chassis Group
To disband a chassis group from the lead chassis:
1.

Select the lead chassis in the left pane.

Click Setup → Group Administration.

In the Chassis Group page, under Role, select None, and then click Apply.
The lead chassis then communicates to all the members that they have been removed from the
group. The lead chassis can be assigned as a leader or member of a new group.
If a network issue prevents contact between the leader and the member, the member chassis may
not receive the message. In this case, disable the member from the member chassis to complete the
removal process.

Disabling an Individual Member at the Member Chassis
Sometimes a member cannot be removed from a group by the lead chassis. This can happen if network
connectivity to the member is lost. To remove a member from a group at the member chassis:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Setup → Group Administration.

Select None, and then click Apply.

Launching the Web page of a Member Chassis or Server
You can access the web page of the member chassis, remote console of the server, or the web page of
the iDRAC server from the lead chassis group page. If the member device has the same login credentials
as the lead chassis, you can use the same credentials to access the member device.
To navigate to member devices:
1.

Select Group: name in the tree.

If a member CMC is the required destination, select Launch CMC for the required chassis.
If a server in a chassis is the required destination:
a) Select the image of the destination chassis.
b) In the chassis image that appears in the Health section, select the server.
c) In the box labeled Quick Links, select the destination device. A new window is displayed with the
destination page or login screen.

Propagating Leader Chassis Properties to Member Chassis
You can apply the properties from the leader to the member chassis of a group. To synchronize a
member with the leader properties:
1.

Select the Lead chassis in the tree.

Click Setup → Group Administration.

In the Chassis Properties Propagation section, select one of the propagation types:
– On-Change Propagation — Select this option for automatic propagation of the selected chassis
property settings. The property changes are propagated to all current group members, whenever
lead properties are changed.
– Manual Propagation — Select this option for manual propagation of the chassis group leader
properties with its members. The lead chassis property settings are propagated to group
members only when a lead chassis administrator clicks Propagate.

In the Propagation Properties section, select the categories of lead configuration properties to be
propagated to member chassis.
Select only those setting categories that you want identically configured, across all members of the
chassis group. For example, select Logging and Alerting Properties category, to enable all chassis in
the group to share the logging and alerting configuration settings of the lead chassis.

Click Save.
If On-Change Propagation is selected, the member chassis take on the properties of the leader. If
Manual Propagation is selected, click Propagate whenever you want to propagate the chosen
settings to member chassis. For more information on propagation of leader chassis properties to
member chassis, see the Online Help.

Server Inventory for MCM group
A group is a lead chassis that has 0 to 8 chassis group members. The Chassis Group Health page displays
all the member chassis and allows you to save the server inventory report to a file, using standard
browser download capability. The report contains data for:
•

All servers currently in all the group chassis (including the leader).

•

Empty slots and extension slots (including full height and double width server modules).

Saving Server Inventory Report
To save the server inventory report using the CMC web interface:
1.

In the left pane, select the Group.

On the Chassis Group Health page, click Save Inventory Report. The File Download dialog box is
displayed asking you to open or save the file.

Click Save and specify the path and file name for the server module inventory report.
NOTE: The chassis group leader and chassis group member chassis, and the server module in
the associated chassis, must be turned on to get the most accurate server module inventory
report.

Exported Data
The server inventory report contains data that was most recently returned by each Chassis Group
member during the Chassis Group leader’s normal polling (after every 30 seconds).
To get the most accurate server inventory report:
•

The Chassis Group leader chassis and all Chassis Group member chassis must be in Chassis Power
State On.

•

All servers in the associated chassis must be turned on.

The inventory data for the associated chassis and servers may be missing in inventory report, if a subset of
the Chassis Group member chassis are:
•

In Chassis Power State Off state

•

Turned off
NOTE: If a server is inserted while the chassis is turned off, the model number is not displayed
anywhere in the web interface until the chassis is turned on again.

The following table lists the specific data fields and specific requirements for fields to be reported for
each server:

Table 6. Server Module Inventory Field Descriptions

Data Field

Example

Chassis Name

Data Center Chassis Leader

Chassis IP Address

192.168.0.1

Slot Location

Slot Name

SLOT-01

Host Name

Corporate Webserver
NOTE: Requires a Server Administrator agent
running on the Server; otherwise shown as
blank.

Operating System

Windows Server 2008
NOTE: Requires a Server Administrator agent
running on the Server; otherwise shown as
blank.

Model

PowerEdgeM610

Service Tag

1PB8VF1

Total System Memory

4.0 GB
NOTE: Requires VRTX CMC 1.0 (or later) on
member; otherwise shown as blank.

# of CPUs

2
NOTE: Requires VRTX CMC 1.0 (or later) on
member; otherwise shown as blank.

CPU Info

Intel (R) Xeon (R) CPU E5502 @1.87GHzn
NOTE: Requires VRTX CMC 1.0 (or later) on
member; otherwise shown as blank.

Data Format
The inventory report is generated in a .CSV file format such that it can be imported to various tools, such
as Microsoft Excel. The inventory report .CSV file can be imported into the template by selecting the Data
→ From Text in MS Excel. After the inventory report is imported into MS Excel, and if a message is
displayed asking you for additional information, select comma-delimited to import the file into MS Excel.

Chassis Group Inventory and Firmware Version
The Chassis Group Firmware Version page displays the group inventory and firmware versions of the
servers and the server components in the chassis. This page also enables you to organize the inventory
information and filter the firmware versions view. The displayed view is based on the servers or any of the
following chassis server components:
•

BIOS

•

iDRAC

•

CPLD

•

USC

•

Diagnostics

•

OS Drivers

•

RAID

•

NIC
NOTE: The inventory information displayed for the chassis group, member chassis, servers, and
server components is updated every time a chassis is added or removed from the group.

Viewing Chassis Group Inventory
To view the chassis group using CMC web interface, in the left pane, select Group. Click Properties →
Firmware Version. The Chassis Group Firmware Version page displays all the chassis in the group.

Viewing Selected Chassis Inventory Using Web Interface
To view the selected chassis inventory using CMC Web interface:
1.

In the system tree, select Group. click Properties → Firmware Version.
The Chassis Group Firmware Version page displays all the chassis in the group.

In the Select a Chassis section, select the member chassis for which you want to view the inventory.
The Firmware View Filter section displays the server inventory for the selected chassis and the
firmware versions of all the server components.

Viewing Selected Server Component Firmware Versions Using Web Interface
To view the firmware versions of selected server components using CMC web interface:
1.

In the left pane, select Group. Click Properties → Firmware Version.
The Chassis Group Firmware Version page displays all the chassis in the group.

In the Select a Chassis section, select the member chassis for which you want to view the inventory.

In the Firmware View Filter section, select Components.

In the Components list, select the required component- BIOS, iDRAC, CPLD, USC, Diagnostics, OS
Drive, RAID devices (up to 2), and NIC devices (up to 6), for which you want to view the firmware
version.
The firmware versions of the selected component for all the servers in the selected member chassis
are displayed.

Configuring Multiple CMCs Using RACADM
Using RACADM, you can configure one or more CMCs with identical properties.
When you query a specific CMC card using its group ID and object ID, RACADM creates the racadm.cfg
configuration file from the retrieved information. By exporting the file to one or more CMCs, you can
configure your controllers with identical properties in a minimal amount of time.

NOTE: Some configuration files contain unique CMC information (such as the static IP address) that
must be modified before you export the file to other CMCs.
1.

Use RACADM to query the target CMC that contains the desired configuration.
NOTE: The generated configuration file is myfile.cfg. You can rename the file. The .cfg file does
not contain user passwords. When the .cfg file is uploaded to the new CMC, you must re-add
all passwords.

Open a Telnet/SSH text console to the CMC, log in, and type:
racadm getconfig -f myfile.cfg
NOTE: Redirecting the CMC configuration to a file using getconfig -f is only supported with
the remote RACADM interface.

Modify the configuration file using a plain-text editor (optional). Any special formatting characters in
the configuration file may corrupt the RACADM database.

Use the newly created configuration file to modify a target CMC. At the command prompt, type:
racadm config -f myfile.cfg

Reset the target CMC that was configured. At the command prompt, type:
racadm reset
The getconfig -f myfile.cfg subcommand requests the CMC configuration for the active CMC
and generates the myfile.cfg file. If required, you can rename the file or save it to a different location.
You can run the getconfig command to perform the following actions:
– Display all configuration properties in a group (specified by group name and index).
– Display all configuration properties for a user by user name.
The config subcommand loads the information into other CMCs. The Server Administrator uses the
config command to synchronize the user and password database.

Creating a CMC Configuration File
The CMC configuration file, .cfg, is used with the racadm config -f .cfg
command to create a simple text file. The command allows you to build a configuration file (similar to
a .ini file) and configure the CMC from this file.
You may use any file name, and the file does not require a .cfg extension (although it is referred to by that
designation in this subsection).
NOTE: For more information about the getconfig subcommand, see the Chassis Management
Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide.
RACADM parses the .cfg file when it is first loaded on to the CMC to verify that a valid group and object
names are present, and that simple syntax rules are being followed. Errors are flagged with the line
number that detected the error, and a message explains the problem. The entire file is parsed for
correctness, and all errors display. If an error is found in the .cfg file, write commands are not transmitted
to the CMC. You must correct all errors before any configuration can take place.
To check for errors before you create the configuration file, use the -c option with the config
subcommand. With the -c option, config only verifies syntax and does not write to the CMC.
Follow these guidelines when you create a .cfg file:
•

If the parser encounters an indexed group, it is the value of the anchored object that differentiates the
various indexes.

The parser reads in all of the indexes from the CMC for that group. Any objects within that group are
modifications when the CMC is configured. If a modified object represents a new index, the index is
created on the CMC during configuration.
•

You cannot specify a desired index in a .cfg file.
Indexes may be created and deleted. Over time, the group may become fragmented with used and
unused indexes. If an index is present, it is modified. If an index is not present, the first available index
is used.
This method allows flexibility when adding indexed entries where you do not need to make exact
index matches between all the CMCs being managed. New users are added to the first available index.
A .cfg file that parses and runs correctly on one CMC may not run correctly on another, if all indexes
are full and you must add a new user.

•

Use the racresetcfg subcommand to configure both the CMCs with identical properties.
Use the racresetcfg subcommand to reset the CMC to original defaults, and then run the racadm
config -f .cfg command. Make sure that the .cfg file includes all desired objects,
users, indexes, and other parameters. For a complete list of objects and groups, see the Chassis
Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide.
CAUTION: Use the racresetcfg subcommand to reset the database and the CMC Network
Interface settings to the original default settings and remove all users and user configurations.
While the root user is available, other users’ settings are also reset to the default settings.

•

If you type racadm getconfig -f .cfg, the command builds a .cfg file for the
current CMC configuration. This configuration file can be used as an example and as a starting point
for your unique .cfg file.

Parsing Rules
•

Lines that start with a hash character (#) are treated as comments.
A comment line must start in column one. A "#" character in any other column is treated as a #
character.
Some modem parameters may include # characters in their strings. An escape character is not
required. You may want to generate a .cfg from a racadm getconfig -f .cfg
command, and then perform a racadm config -f .cfg command to a different
CMC, without adding escape characters.
For example:

•

#
# This is a comment
[cfgUserAdmin]
cfgUserAdminPageModemInitString=
All group entries must be surrounded by open- and close-brackets ([ and ]).
The starting [ character that denotes a group name must be in column one. This group name must be
specified before any of the objects in that group. Objects that do not include an associated group
name generate an error. The configuration data is organized into groups as defined in the database
property chapter of the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command
Line Reference Guide. The following example displays a group name, object, and the object’s property
value:

•

[cfgLanNetworking] -{group name}
cfgNicIpAddress=143.154.133.121 {object name}
{object value}
All parameters are specified as "object=value" pairs with no white space between the object, =, or
value. White spaces that are included after the value are ignored. A white space inside a value string

remains unmodified. Any character to the right of the = (for example, a second =, a #, [, ], and so on)
is taken as-is. These characters are valid modem chat script characters.
[cfgLanNetworking] -{group name}
cfgNicIpAddress=143.154.133.121 {object value}
•

The .cfg parser ignores an index object entry.
You cannot specify which index is used. If the index already exists, it is either used or the new entry is
created in the first available index for that group.
The racadm getconfig -f .cfg command places a comment in front of index
objects, allowing you to see the included comments.
NOTE: You may create an indexed group manually using the following command:
racadm config -g

•

-o -i

The line for an indexed group cannot be deleted from a .cfg file. If you do delete the line with a text
editor, RACADM stops when it parses the configuration file and alert you of the error.
You must remove an indexed object manually using the following command:
racadm config -g

-o -i ""

NOTE: A NULL string (identified by two " characters) directs the CMC to delete the index for the
specified group.
To view the contents of an indexed group, run the following command:
racadm getconfig -g -i
•

For indexed groups the object anchor must be the first object after the [ ] pair. The following are
examples of the current indexed groups:
[cfgUserAdmin]
cfgUserAdminUserName=

•

When using remote RACADM to capture the configuration groups into a file, if a key property within a
group is not set, the configuration group is not saved as part of the configuration file. If these
configuration groups are needed to be cloned onto other CMCs, the key property must be set before
executing the getconfig -f command. Alternatively, you can manually enter the missing properties
into the configuration file after running the getconfig -f command. This is true for all the
RACADM–indexed groups.
This is the list of the indexed groups that exhibit this behavior and their corresponding key properties:
– cfgUserAdmin — cfgUserAdminUserName
– cfgEmailAlert — cfgEmailAlertAddress
– cfgTraps — cfgTrapsAlertDestIPAddr
– cfgStandardSchema — cfgSSADRoleGroupName
– cfgServerInfo — cfgServerBmcMacAddress

Modifying the CMC IP Address
When you modify the CMC IP address in the configuration file, remove all unnecessary =
entries. Only the actual variable group’s label with [ and ] remains, including the two
= entries pertaining to the IP address change.
Example:
#
# Object Group "cfgLanNetworking"
#
[cfgLanNetworking]
cfgNicIpAddress=10.35.10.110
cfgNicGateway=10.35.10.1

This file is updated as follows:
#
# Object Group "cfgLanNetworking"
#
[cfgLanNetworking]
cfgNicIpAddress=10.35.9.143
# comment, the rest of this line is ignored
cfgNicGateway=10.35.9.1
The command racadm config -f .cfg parses the file and identifies any errors by line
number. A correct file updates the proper entries. Additionally, you can use the same getconfig
command from the previous example to confirm the update.
Use this file to download company-wide changes or to configure new systems over the network with the
command, racadm getconfig -f .cfg.
NOTE: Anchor is a reserved word and should not be used in the .cfg file.

Viewing and Ending CMC Sessions
You can view the number of users currently logged in to iDRAC7 and end the user sessions.
NOTE: To end a session, you must have Chassis Configuration Administrator privilege.

Viewing and Ending CMC Sessions Using Web Interface
To view or end a session using the web interface:
1.

In the left pane, go to Chassis Overview and click Network → Sessions.
The Sessions page displays the session ID, username, IP address, and session type. For more
information about these properties, see the Online Help.

To end the session, click Terminate for a session.

Viewing and Ending CMC Sessions Using RACADM
You must have administrator privileges to end CMC sessions using RACADM.
To view the current user sessions, use the getssninfo command.
To end a user session, use the closessn command.
For more information about these commands, see the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge
VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide available at dell.com/support/manuals.

Configuring Servers

You can configure the following settings of a server:
•

Slot Names

•

iDRAC Network Settings

•

DRAC Virtual LAN Tag Settings

•

First Boot Device

•

Server FlexAddress

•

Remote File Share

•

BIOS Settings Using Server Clone

Configuring Slot Names
Slot names are used to identify individual servers. When choosing slot names, the following rules apply:
•

Names may contain a maximum of 15 non-extended ASCII characters (ASCII codes 32 through 126).

•

Slot names must be unique within the chassis. Slots should not have the same name.

•

Strings are not case-sensitive. Server-1, server-1, and SERVER-1 are equivalent names.

•

Slot names must not begin with the following strings:
– Switch– Fan– PS– DRAC– MC– Chassis
– Housing-Left
– Housing-Right
– Housing-Center

•

The strings Server-1 through Server-4 may be used, but only for the corresponding slot. For
example, Server-3 is a valid name for slot 3, but not for slot 4. However, Server-03 is a valid name
for any slot.
NOTE: To change a slot name, you must have the Chassis Configuration Administrator
privilege.

The slot name setting in the web interface resides on CMC only. If a server is removed from the chassis,
the slot name setting does not remain with the server.
The slot name setting in the CMC web interface always overrides any change you make to the display
name in the iDRAC interface.

To edit a slot name using the CMC Web interface:
1.

In the left pane, go to Chassis Overview → Server Overview → Setup → Slot Names.

On the Slot Names page, edit the slot name, in the Slot Name field.

To use a server’s host name as slot name, select the Use Host Name for the Slot name option. This
overrides the static slot names with the server’s Host Name (or system name), if available. This
requires the OMSA agent to be installed on the server. For more information about the OMSA agent,
see the Dell OpenManage Server Administrator User's Guide available at dell.com/support/manuals.

To save the settings, click Apply.

To restore the default slot name (SLOT-01 through SLOT-04) on the basis of a server's slot position) to a
server, click Restore Default Value.

Configuring iDRAC Network Settings
To use this feature, you must have an Enterprise License. You can configure the iDRAC network
configuration setting of a server. You can use the QuickDeploy settings to configure the default iDRAC
network configuration settings and root password for severs that are installed later. These default settings
are the iDRAC QuickDeploy settings.
For more information about iDRAC, see the iDRAC7 User’s Guide at dell.com/support/manuals.

Configuring iDRAC QuickDeploy Network Settings
Use the QuickDeploy Settings to configure the network settings for newly inserted servers.

To enable and set the iDRAC QuickDeploy settings:
1.

In the left pane, click Server Overview → Setup → iDRAC.

On the Deploy iDRAC page, in the QuickDeploy Settings section, specify the settings mentioned in
the following table. For more information about the fields, see the Online Help.
Table 7. QuickDeploy Settings

Setting

Description

QuickDeploy Enabled

Select the option to enable the QuickDeploy
feature that automatically applies the iDRAC
settings configured on this page to the newly
inserted servers. The auto configuration must be
confirmed locally on the LCD panel.

Enable Server Profile Deployment

Select this option to enable the deployment of
profiles to newly inserted servers after
confirmation on the LCD panel, if profiles are
assigned to the slot on the Profiles page.

Set iDRAC Root Password on Server Insertion

Select the option to change iDRAC root
password to match the value provided in the
iDRAC Root Password field, when a server is
inserted.

iDRAC Root Password

When the Set iDRAC Root Password on Server
Insertion and QuickDeploy Enabled options are
selected, this password value is assigned to a
server's iDRAC root user password when the
server is inserted into a chassis. The password
can have 1 to 20 printable (including white
spaces) characters.

Confirm iDRAC Root Password

Allows you to retype the password provided in
the Password field.

Enable iDRAC LAN

Enables or disables the iDRAC LAN channel. By
default, this option is cleared.

Enable iDRAC IPv4

Enables or disables IPv4 on iDRAC. By default,
this option is selected.

Enable iDRAC IPMI over LAN

Enables or disables the IPMI over LAN channel
for each iDRAC present in the chassis. By default,
this option is selected.

Enable iDRAC IPv4 DHCP

Enables or disables DHCP for each iDRAC
present in the chassis. If this option is enabled,
the fields QuickDeploy IP, QuickDeploy Subnet
Mask, and QuickDeploy Gateway are disabled,
and cannot be modified since DHCP is used to
automatically assign these settings for each
iDRAC. To select this option, you must select the
Enable iDRAC IPv4 option.

Setting

Description

Starting iDRAC IPv4 Address (Slot 1)

Specifies the static IP address of iDRAC in the
server, in slot 1 of the enclosure. The IP address
of each subsequent iDRAC is incremented by 1
for each slot from slot 1's static IP address. In the
case where the IP address plus the slot number
is greater than the subnet mask, an error
message is displayed.
NOTE: The subnet mask and the gateway
are not incremented such as the IP address.
For example, if the starting IP address is
192.168.0.250 and the subnet mask is
255.255.0.0 then the QuickDeploy IP address
for slot 15 is 192.168.0.265. If the subnet mask
is 255.255.255.0, the QuickDeploy IP
address range is not fully within
QuickDeploy Subnet error message is
displayed when you click Save QuickDeploy
Settings or Auto-Populate Using QuickDeploy
Settings.

iDRAC IPv4 Netmask

Specifies the QuickDeploy subnet mask that is
assigned to all newly inserted servers.

iDRAC IPv4 Gateway

Specifies the QuickDeploy default gateway that
is assigned to all the DRAC present in the
chassis.

Enable iDRAC IPv6

Enables IPv6 addressing for each iDRAC present
in the chassis that is IPv6 capable.

Enable iDRAC IPv6 Autoconfiguration

Enables the iDRAC to obtain IPv6 settings
(address and prefix length) from a DHCPv6
server and also enables stateless address auto
configuration. By default, this option is enabled.

iDRAC IPv6 Gateway

Specifies the default IPv6 gateway to be assigned
to the iDRACs. The default value is "::".

iDRAC IPv6 Prefix Length

Specifies the prefix length to be assigned for the
IPv6 addresses on the iDRAC. The default value
is 64.

Click Save QuickDeploy Settings to save the settings. If you have made changes to the iDRAC
network setting, click Apply iDRAC Network Settings to deploy the settings to the iDRAC.
The QuickDeploy feature only executes when it is enabled, and a server is inserted in the chassis. If
Set iDRAC Root Password on Server Insertion and QuickDeploy Enabled are enabled, the user is
prompted using the LCD interface to allow or not allow the password change. If there are network
configuration settings that differ from the current iDRAC settings, the user is prompted to either
accept or reject the changes.
NOTE: If there is a LAN or IPMI over LAN difference, the user is prompted to accept the
QuickDeploy IP address setting. If the difference is the DHCP setting, the user is prompted to
accept the DHCP QuickDeploy setting.
To copy the QuickDeploy settings into the iDRAC Network Settings section, click Auto-Populate
Using QuickDeploy Settings. The QuickDeploy network configurations settings are copied into the
corresponding fields in the iDRAC Network Configuration Settings table.
NOTE: Changes made to QuickDeploy fields are immediate, but changes made to one or more
iDRAC server network configuration settings may require a couple of minutes to propagate
from CMC to iDRAC. Clicking Refresh early may display only partially correct data for one or
more iDRAC servers.

Modifying iDRAC Network Settings for Individual Server iDRAC
Using this feature, you can configure the iDRAC network configurations settings for each installed server.
The initial values displayed for each of the fields are the current values read from the iDRAC. To use this
feature, you must have an Enterprise License.
To modify the iDRAC Network Settings:
1.

In the left pane, click Server Overview, and then click Setup. On the Deploy iDRAC page the iDRAC
Network Settings section lists the iDRAC IPv4 and IPv6 network configuration settings of all the
installed servers.

Modify the iDRAC network settings as required for the server(s).
NOTE: You must select the Enable LAN option to specify the IPv4 or IPv6 settings. For
information about the fields, see the Online Help.

To deploy the setting to iDRAC, click Apply iDRAC Network Settings. Any changes made to the
QuickDeploy Settings are also saved.
The iDRAC Network Settings table reflects future network configuration settings; the values shown
for installed servers may or may not be the same as the currently installed iDRAC network
configuration settings. Click Refresh to update the iDRAC Deploy page with each installed iDRAC
network configuration settings after changes are made.
NOTE: Changes made to QuickDeploy fields are immediate, but changes made to one or more
iDRAC server network configuration settings may require a couple of minutes to propagate
from CMC to iDRAC. Clicking Refresh too soon may display only partially correct data for a one
or more iDRAC servers.

Modifying iDRAC Network Settings Using RACADM
RACADM config or getconfig commands support the -m option for the following
configuration groups:
•

cfgLanNetworking

•
•
•
•
•

cfgIPv6LanNetworking
cfgRacTuning
cfgRemoteHosts
cfgSerial
cfgSessionManagement

For more information about the property default values and ranges, see the RACADM Command Line
Reference Guide for iDRAC7 and CMC available at dell.com/support/manuals.

Configuring iDRAC Virtual LAN Tag Settings
Virtual LAN (VLAN) tags enable multiple VLANs to coexist on the same physical network cable and to
segregate the network traffic for security or load management purposes. When you enable the VLAN
functionality, each network packet is assigned a VLAN tag. VLAN tags are chassis properties. They remain
with the chassis even when a component is removed.

Configuring iDRAC Virtual LAN Tag Settings Using RACADM
•

Specify the Virtual LAN ID and priority of a particular server with the following command:
racadm setniccfg -m server- -v
The valid values for are 1–4.
The valid values for are 1–4000 and 4021–4094. Default is 1.
The valid values for are 0–7. Default is 0.
For example:
racadm setniccfg -m server-1 -v 1 7
For example:

•

To remove a server VLAN, disable the VLAN capabilities of the specified server's network:
racadm setniccfg -m server- -v
The valid values for are 1–4.
For example:
racadm setniccfg -m server-1 -v

Configuring iDRAC Virtual LAN Tag Settings Using Web Interface
To configure Vitual LAN(VLAN) for server:
1.

2.
3.

Go to any of the following pages:
– In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Network → VLAN.
– In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Server Overview and click Setup → VLAN.
On the VLAN Tag Settings page, in the iDRAC section, enable VLAN for the server(s), set the priority
and enter the ID. For more information about the fields, see the Online Help.
Click Apply to save the settings.

Setting First Boot Device
You can specify the CMC first boot device for each server. This may not be the actual first boot device for
the server, or may not even represent a device present in that server. It represents a device sent by CMC

to the server and used as its first boot device of that server. This device can be set as the default first-boot
device or an one-time device so that you can boot an image to perform tasks such as running
diagnostics or reinstalling an operating system.
You can set the first boot device for the next boot only or for all subsequent reboots. You can also set the
first boot device for the server. The system boots from the selected device on the next and subsequent
reboots and remains as the first boot device in the BIOS boot order, until it is changed again either from
the CMC web interface (Chassis Overview → Server Overview → Setup → First Boot Device) or from the
BIOS boot sequence.
NOTE: The first boot device setting in CMC web Interface overrides the system BIOS boot settings.
The boot device that you specify must exist and contain a bootable media.
You can set the following devices for first boot.
Table 8. Boot Devices

Boot Device

Description

PXE

Boot from a Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) protocol on the Network Interface
Card.

Hard Drive

Boot from the hard disk drive on the server.

Local
CD/DVD

Boot from a CD or DVD drive on the server.

Virtual Floppy Boot from the virtual floppy drive. The floppy drive (or a floppy disk image) is on another
computer on the management network, and is attached using the iDRAC GUI console
viewer.
Virtual
CD/DVD

Boot from a virtual CD or DVD drive or CD or DVD ISO image. The optical drive or ISO
image file is located on another computer or boot disk available on the management
network and is attached using the iDRAC GUI console viewer.

Local SD
Card

Boot from the local SD (Secure Digital) card—for servers that support iDRAC 6 and
iDRAC 7 systems only.

Local Floppy

Boot from a floppy disk in the local floppy disk drive.

Remote File
Share

Boot from a Remote File Share (RFS) image. The image file is attached using the iDRAC
GUI console viewer.

Setting First Boot Device For Multiple Servers Using CMC Web Interface
NOTE: To set the first boot device for servers, you must have the Server Administrator privileges or
Chassis Configuration Administrator privileges, and the iDRAC login privileges.
To set the first boot device for multiple servers:
1.

In the left pane, click Server Overview → Setup → First Boot Device. A list of servers is displayed.

In the First Boot Device column, from the drop-down menu corresponding to a server, select the
boot device you want to use for a server.

If you want the server to boot from the selected device every time it boots, clear the Boot Once
option for the server. If you want the server to boot from the selected device only on the next boot
cycle, select the Boot Once option for the server.

Click Apply to save the settings.

Setting First Boot Device For Individual Server Using CMC Web Interface
NOTE: To set the first boot device for servers, you must have Server Administrator privileges or
Chassis Configuration Administrator privileges and iDRAC login privileges.
To set the first boot device for individual servers:
1.

In the left pane, click Server Overview, and then click the server for which you want to set the first
boot device.

Go to Setup → First Boot Device. The First Boot Device page is displayed.

From the First Boot Device drop-down menu, select the boot device you want to use for each
server.

Click Apply to save the settings.

Setting First Boot Device Using RACADM
To set the first boot device, use the cfgServerFirstBootDevice object.
To enable boot once for a device, use the cfgServerBootOnce object.
For more information about these objects, see the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX
RACADM Command Line Reference Guide available at dell.com/support/manuals.

Configuring Server FlexAddress
For information about configuring FlexAddress for servers, see Configuring FlexAddress for Chassis-Level
Fabric and Slots Using CMC Web Interface. To use this feature, you must have an Enterprise License.

Configuring Remote File Share
The Remote Virtual Media File Share feature maps a file from a share drive on the network to one or more
servers through CMC to deploy or update an operating system. When connected, the remote file is
accessible similar to a file that you can access on a local server. Two types of media are supported: floppy
drives and CD/DVD drives.
To perform a remote file share operation (connect, disconnect, or deploy), you must have the Chassis
Configuration Administrator or Server Administrator privileges. To use this feature, you must have an
Enterprise license.
To configure the remote file share:
1.

In the left pane, click Server Overview → Setup → Remote File Share.

On the Deploy Remote File Share page, type appropriate data in the fields. For more information
about the field descriptions, see the Online Help.

To connect to a remote file share, click Connect. To connect a remote file share, you must provide
the path, user name, and password. A successful operation allows access to the media.
Click Disconnect to disconnect a previously-connected remote file share.
Click Deploy to deploy the media device.
NOTE: Before you click the Deploy button, make sure that you save all the working files,
because this action restarts the server.
When you click Deploy, the following tasks are executed:
– The remote file share is connected.
– The file is selected as the first boot device for the servers.
– The server is restarted.
– Power is supplied to the server if the server is turned off.

Configuring Profile Settings Using Server Configuration
Replication
The server configurations replicating feature allows you to apply all profile settings from a specified server
to one or more servers. Profile settings that can be replicated are those profile settings which can be
modified and are intended to be replicated across servers. The following three profile groups for servers
are displayed and can be replicated:
•

BIOS — This group includes only the BIOS settings of a server. These profiles are generated from CMC
for PowerEdge VRTX version 1.00 and later.

•

BIOS and Boot — This group includes the BIOS and the Boot settings of a server. These profiles are
generated from CMC for PowerEdge VRTX version 1.00 and later.

•

All Settings — This version includes all the settings of the server and components on that server. These
profiles are generated from CMC for PowerEdge VRTX version 1.00 and later and 12G servers with
iDRAC7 and Lifecycle Controller 2 version 1.1 or greater.

The server configurations replication feature supports iDRAC7 servers. Earlier generation RAC servers are
listed but are grayed out on the main page, and are not enabled to use this feature.
To use the server configurations replication feature:
•

iDRAC must have the minimum version that is required. iDRAC7 servers require version 1.00.00.

•

Server must be powered on.

Server versions and profile compatibilities:
•

iDRAC7 with Lifecycle Controller 2 version 1.1 can accept any profile version.

•

iDRAC7 with Lifecycle Controller 2 version 1.0 only accept BIOS or BIOS and Boot profiles.

•

Saving a profile from a server iDRAC7 with Lifecycle Controller 2 version 1.1 results in a All Settings
profile.

You can:
•

View profile settings on a server or from a saved profile.

•

Save a profile from a server.

•

Apply a profile to other servers.

•

Import stored profiles from a remote file share.

•

Edit the profile name and description.

•

Export stored profiles to a remote file share.

•

Delete stored profiles.

•

Deploy selected profiles to the target devices using Quick Deploy option.

•

Display the log activity for recent server profile tasks.

Accessing Server Profiles Page
You can add, manage, and apply server profiles to one or more servers using the Server Profiles page.
To access the Server Profiles page using the CMC web interface, in the left pane, go to Chassis Overview
→ Server Overview. Click Setup → Profiles. The Server Profiles page is displayed.

Adding or Saving Profile
Before cloning the properties of a server, first capture the properties to a stored profile. Create a stored
profile and provide a name and optional description for each profile. You can save a maximum of 16
stored profiles on the CMC nonvolatile extended storage media.
Removing or disabling the nonvolatile extended storage media prevents access to stored profile and
disables the Server Cloning feature.
To add or save a profile:
1.

Go to the Server Profiles page. In the Server Profiles section, select the server from whose settings
you want to generate the profile, and then click Save Profile.
The Save server Profile section is displayed.

In the Profile Name and Description fields, enter the profile name and description (optional), and
click Save Profile.
CMC communicates with the LC to get the available server profile settings and store them as a
named profile.
A progress indicator indicates that the Save operation is in progress. After the action is complete, a
message, "Operation Successful" is displayed.
NOTE: The process to gather the settings runs in the background. Hence, it may take some
time before the new profile is displayed. If the new profile is not displayed, check the profile log
for errors

Applying Profile
Server cloning is possible only when server profiles are available as stored profiles in the nonvolatile
media on the CMC. To initiate a server cloning operation, you can apply a stored profile to one or more
servers.
NOTE: If a server does not support Lifecycle Controller or the chassis is powered off, you cannot
apply a profile to the server.
To apply a profile to one or more server(s):
1.

Go to the Server Profiles page. In the Save and Apply Profiles section, select the server or servers for
which you want to apply the selected profile.
The Select Profile drop-down menu gets enabled.

From the Select Profile drop-down menu, select the profile that you want to apply.
The Apply Profile option gets enabled.

Click Apply Profile.
A warning message is displayed that applying a new server profile overwrites the current settings and
also reboots the selected servers. You are prompted to confirm if you want to continue the
operation.
NOTE: To perform server cloning operations on servers, the CSIOR option must be enabled for
the servers. If CSIOR option is disabled, a warning message is displayed that CSIOR is not
enabled for the servers. To complete the blade cloning operation, make sure to enable CSIOR
option on the servers .

Click OK to apply the profile to the selected server.
The selected profile is applied to the server(s) and the server(s) may be rebooted immediately, if
necessary. For more information, see the CMC Online Help.

Importing Profile
You can import a server profile that is stored on a remote file share to CMC.
To import a stored profile on a remote file share to CMC:
1.

In the Server Profiles page, in the Profiles on SD Card section, click Import Profile.
The Import Server Profile section is displayed.

Click Browse to access the profile from the required location and then click Import Profile.
For more information, see the Online Help.

Exporting Profile
You can export a stored server profile saved on the CMC nonvolatile media (SD Card) to a specified path
on a remote file share.
To export a stored profile:
1.

Go to the Server Profiles page. In the Profiles on SD Card section, select the required profile, and
then click Export Profile.
A File Download message is displayed prompting you to open or save the file.

Click Save or Open to export the profile to the required location.
For more information, see the Online Help.

Editing Profile
You can edit the name and description of a server profile that is stored on the CMC nonvolatile media (SD
Card).
To edit a stored profile:
1.

Go to the Server Profiles page. In the Profiles on SD Card section, select the required profile and
then click Edit Profile.
The Edit BIOS Profile — section is displayed.

Edit the profile name and description of the server profile as required and then click Edit Profile.
For more information, see the Online Help.

Viewing Profile Settings
To view Profile settings for a selected server, go to the Server Profiles page. In the Server Profiles
section, click View in the Server Profile column for the required server. The View Settings page is
displayed.
For more information on the displayed settings, see the Online Help.
NOTE: The CMC Server Configuration Replication feature retrieves and displays the settings for a
specific server, only if the Collect System Inventory on Restart (CSIOR) option is enabled.
To enable CSIOR, after rebooting the server, from the F2 setup, select iDRAC Settings → Lifecycle
Controller, enable CSIOR and save the changes.

Viewing Stored Profile Settings
To view profile settings of server profiles stored on the CMC nonvolatile media (SD Card), go to the
Server Profiles page. In the Profiles on SD Card section, click View in the View Profile column for the
required server. The View Settings page is displayed. For more information on the displayed settings, see
the Online Help.

Viewing Profile Log
To view the profile log, in the Server Profiles page, see the Recent Profile Log section. This section lists
the 10 latest profile log entries directly from server cloning operations. Each log entry displays the
severity, the time and date of submission of the server configuration replication operation, and the
replication log message description. The log entries are also available in the RAC log. To view the other
available entries, click Go to Profile Log. The Profile Log page is displayed. For more information, see the
Online Help.

Completion Status And Troubleshooting
To check the completion status of an applied BIOS profile:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Server Overview → Setup → Profiles.

On the BIOS Profiles page, note down the Job ID (JID) of the submitted job from the Recent Profile
Log section.

In the left pane, click Server Overview → Troubleshooting → Lifecycle Controller Jobs. Search for
the same JID in the Jobs table. For more information about performing Lifecycle Controller jobs
using CMC, see Lifecycle Controller Job Operations.

Quick Deploy of Profiles
The Quick Deploy feature enables you to assign a stored profile to a server slot. Any server supporting
server configuration replication that is inserted into a slot is configured using the profile assigned to that
slot. You can perform the Quick Deploy action only if the Enable Server Profile Deployment option is
enabled in the Deploy iDRAC page. To go to the Deploy iDRAC page, select Server Overview → Setup →
iDRAC. Profiles that can be deployed are contained in the SD card.
NOTE:
To set up the profiles for quick deploy, you must have Chassis Administrator privileges.

100

Assigning Server Profiles to Slots
The Server Profiles page enables you to assign server profiles to slots. To assign a profile to the chassis
slots:
1.

In the Server Profiles page, go to the Profiles for Quick Deploy section.
The current profile assignments are displayed for the slots in the select boxes contained in the Server
Profile column.

From the drop-down menu, select the profile to assign to the required slot. You can select profiles to
apply to multiple slots. .

Click Assign.
The profiles gets applied to the selected slots.
NOTE: A slot that does not have any profile assigned to it is indicated by the term “No Profile
Selected” that appears in the select box.
NOTE: To remove all profile assignments from a slot, in the drop-down menu, select No Profile
Selected.
NOTE: When a profile is deployed to a server using the Quick Deploy Profile feature, the progress
and results of the application are retained in the Profile Log.

Launching iDRAC using Single Sign-On
CMC provides limited management of individual chassis components, such as servers. For complete
management of these individual components, CMC provides a launch point for the server’s management
controller (iDRAC) web-based interface.
A user may be able to launch iDRAC web interface without having to login a second time, as this feature
utilizes single sign-on. Single sign-on policies are:
•

A CMC user who has server administrative privilege, is automatically logged into iDRAC using single
sign-on. Once on the iDRAC site, this user is automatically granted Administrator privileges. This is
true even if the same user does not have an account on iDRAC, or if the account does not have the
Administrator’s privileges.

•

A CMC user who does NOT have the server administrative privilege, but has the same account on
iDRAC is automatically logged into iDRAC using single sign-on. Once on the iDRAC site, this user is
granted the privileges that were created for the iDRAC account.

•

A CMC user who does not have the server administrative privilege, or the same account on the iDRAC,
does NOT automatically logged into iDRAC using single sign-on. This user is directed to the iDRAC
login page when the Launch iDRAC GUI is clicked.
NOTE: The term "the same account" in this context means that the user has the same login
name with a matching password for CMC and for iDRAC. The user who has the same login
name without a matching password, is considered to have the same account.
NOTE: Users may be prompted to log in to iDRAC (see the third Single Sign-on policy bullet
above).
NOTE: If the iDRAC network LAN is disabled (LAN Enabled = No), single sign-on is not available.

If the server is removed from the chassis, the iDRAC IP address is changed, or the iDRAC network
connection experiences a problem, then clicking Launch iDRAC GUI may display an error page.

101

Launching iDRAC from Server Status Page
To launch the iDRAC management console for an individual server:
1.

In the left pane, expand Server Overview. All four servers appear in the expanded Servers Overview
list.

Click the server for which you want to launch the iDRAC Web interface.

On the Server Status page, click Launch iDRAC GUI.
The iDRAC Web interface is displayed. For information about the field descriptions, see the Online
Help.

Launching iDRAC from Servers Status Page
To launch the iDRAC management console from the Servers Status page:
1.

In the left pane, click Server Overview.

On the Servers Status page, click Launch iDRAC for the server you want to launch the iDRAC Web
interface.

Launching Remote Console
You can launch a Keyboard-Video-Mouse (KVM) session directly on the server. The remote console
feature is supported only when all of the following conditions are met:
•

The chassis power is on.

•

Servers that support iDRAC 7.

•

The LAN interface on the server is enabled.

•

The host system is installed with JRE (Java Runtime Environment) 6 Update 16 or later.

•

The browser on host system allows pop-up windows (pop-up blocking is disabled).

Remote Console can also be launched from the iDRAC Web interface. For more details, see the iDRAC
User’s Guide available at dell.com/support/manuals.

Launching Remote Console from Chassis Health Page
To launch a remote console from the CMC Web interface:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview, and then click Properties.

On the Chassis Health page, click the specified server in the chassis graphic.

In the Quicklinks section, click the Remote Console link to launch the remote console.

Launching Remote Console from Server Status Page
To launch a remote console for an individual server:
1.

In the left pane, expand Server Overview. All the four servers appear in the expanded servers' list.

Click the server for which you want to launch the remote console.

On the Server Status page, click Launch Remote Console.

Launching Remote Console from Servers Status Page
To launch a remote console from the Servers Status page:
1.

In the left pane, go to Server Overview, and then click Properties → Status. The Servers Status page
is displayed.

Click Launch Remote Console for the required server.

102

Configuring CMC To Send Alerts

You can set alerts and actions for certain events that occur on the chassis. An event is generated when a
device or service’s status has changed or an error condition is detected. If an event matches an event
filter and you have configured this filter to generate an alert message (email alert or SNMP trap), then an
alert is sent to one or more configured destinations such as email address, IP address, or an external
server.
To configure CMC to send alerts:
1.

Enable the Chassis Event Alerts option.

Optionally, filter the alerts based on category or severity.

Configure the email alert or SNMP trap settings.

Enable chassis event alerts to send an e-mail alert, or SNMP traps to configured destinations.

Enabling Or Disabling Alerts
To send alerts to configured destinations, you must enable the global alerting option. This property
overrides the individual alert setting.
Make sure that the SNMP or email alert destinations are configured to receive the alerts.

Enabling Or Disabling Alerts Using CMC Web Interface
To enable or disable generating alerts:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Alerts.

On the Chassis Events page, under the Chassis Alert Enablement section, select the Enable Chassis
Event Alerts option to enable, or clear the option to disable the alert.

To save the settings, click Apply.

Enabling Or Disabling Alerts Using RACADM
To enable or disable generating alerts, use the cfgIpmiLanAlertEnable RACADM object. For more
information, see the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line
Reference Guide.

Filtering Alerts
You can filter alerts on the basis of category and severity.

Filtering Alerts Using CMC Web Interface
To filter the alerts on the basis of category and severity:

103

NOTE: To apply chassis events configuration changes, you must have the Alert Configuration
privilege.
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Alerts.

On the Chassis Events page, under the Alerts Filter section, select one or more of the following
categories:
– System Health
– Storage
– Configuration
– Audit

– Updates
Select one or more of the following severity levels:
– Critical
– Warning
– Informational
The Monitored Alerts section displays the results based on the selected category and severity. For
information about the field descriptions on the this page, see the Online Help.

Click Apply.

Setting Event Alerts Using RACADM
To set an event alert, run the eventfilters command. For more information, see the Chassis
Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide available at
dell.com/support//manuals.

Configuring Alert Destinations
The management station uses Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) to receive data from CMC.
You can configure the IPv4 and IPv6 alert destinations, email settings, and SMTP server settings, and test
these settings.
Before configuring the email alert or SNMP trap settings, make sure that you have the Chassis
Configuration Administrator privilege.

Configuring SNMP Trap Alert Destinations
You can configure the IPv6 or IPv4 addresses to receive the SNMP traps.

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Configuring SNMP Trap Alert Destinations Using CMC Web Interface
To configure IPv4 or IPv6 alert destination settings using CMC Web interface:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Alerts → Trap Settings.

On the Chassis Event Alert Destinations page, type the following:
– In the Destination field, type a valid IP address. Use the quad-dotted IPv4 format, standard IPv6
address notation, or FQDN. For example: 123.123.123.123 or 2001:db8:85a3::8a2e:370:7334 or
dell.com.
Choose a format that is consistent with the networking technology or infrastructure. The Test
Trap functionality cannot detect incorrect choices based on the current network configuration
(example, use of an IPv6 destination in an IPv4-only environment).
– In the Community String field, enter a valid community name to which the destination
management station belongs.
This community string differs from the community string on the Chassis Overview → Network →
Services page. The SNMP traps community string is the community that CMC uses for outbound
traps destined to management stations. The community string on the Chassis Overview →
Network → Services page is the community string that management stations use to query the
SNMP daemon on CMC.

3.
4.

– Under Enabled , select the option corresponding to the destination IP to enable the IP address to
receive the traps. You can specify up to four IP addresses.
Click Apply to save the settings.
To test whether the IP address is receiving the SNMP traps, click Send in the Test SNMP Trap
column.
The IP alert destinations are configured.

Configuring SNMP Trap Alert Destinations Using RACADM
To configure IP alert destination using RACADM:
1.

Open a serial/Telnet/SSH text console to CMC and log in.
NOTE: Only one filter mask may be set for both SNMP and email alerting. If you have already
selected the filter mask, do not perform task 2, and go to step 3.

Enable alert generation:
racadm config -g cfgAlerting -o cfgAlertingEnable 1

Specify the events filters by running the racadm eventfilters set command.
a) To clear all the available alert settings, run the following command: racadm eventfilters
set -c cmc.alert.all -n none
b) Configure using severity as a parameter. For example, all informational events in storage category
are assigned poweroff as action, and email and SNMP as notifications: racadm eventfilters
set -c cmc.alert.storage.info -n email,snmp
c) Configure using subcategory as a parameter. For example, all configurations under the licensing
subcategory in the audit category are assigned poweroff as action and all notifications are
enabled: racadm eventfilters set -c cmc.alert.audit.lic -n all
d) Configure using subcategory and severity as parameters. For example, all Information events
under the licensing subcategory in the audit category are assigned poweroff as action and all
notifications are disabled: racadm eventfilters set -c cmc.alert.audit.lic.info -n
none

105

Enable traps alerts:
racadm config -g cfgTraps -o cfgTrapsEnable 1 -i
where is a value between 1–4. CMC uses the index number to distinguish up to four
configurable destinations for traps alerts. Destinations may be specified as appropriately formatted
numeric addresses (IPv6 or IPv4), or Fully-Qualified Domain Names (FQDNs).

Specify a destination IP address to receive the traps alert:
racadm config -g cfgTraps -o cfgTrapsAlertDestIPAddr -i
where is a valid destination, and is the index value specified in step 4.

Specify the community name:
racadm config -g cfgTraps -o cfgTrapsCommunityName -i

where is the SNMP community to which the chassis belongs, and is
the index value specified in steps 4 and 5.
You can configure up to four destinations to receive traps alerts. To add more destinations, do the
tasks in steps 2–6.
NOTE: The commands in steps 2–6 overwrites any existing settings configured for the index
specified (1–4). To determine whether an index has previously-configured values, type: racadm
getconfig -g cfgTraps -i . If the index is configured, values appear for the
cfgTrapsAlertDestIPAddr and cfgTrapsCommunityName objects.

To test an event trap for an alert destination, type:
racadm testtrap -i
where is a value between 1–4 representing the alert destination you want to test.
If you are not sure about the index number, run the following command:
racadm getconfig -g cfgTraps -i

Configuring E-Mail Alert Settings
When CMC detects a chassis event, such as an environmental warning or a component failure, it can be
configured to send an e-mail alert to one or more e-mail addresses.
You must configure the SMTP email server to accept relayed emails from the CMC IP address, a feature
which is normally turned off in most mail servers due to security concerns. For instructions to do this in a
secure manner, see the documentation that was provided with the SMTP server.
NOTE: If your mail server is Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, make sure that iDRAC7 domain name
is configured for the mail server to receive the email alerts from iDRAC7.
NOTE: Email alerts support both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. The DRAC DNS Domain Name must be
specified when using IPv6.
If your network has an SMTP server that releases and renews IP address leases periodically, and the
addresses are different, then there is a duration when this property setting does not work due to change
in the specified SMTP server IP address. In such cases, use the DNS name.

Configuring Email Alert Settings Using CMC Web Interface
To configure the email alert settings using Web interface:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Alerts → E-mail Alert Settings.

Specify the SMTP email server settings and the email addresses to receive the alerts. For information
about the field descriptions, see the Online Help.

106

Click Apply to save the settings.

Click Send under Test E-mail to send a test email to the specified email alert destination.

Configuring EMail Alert Settings Using RACADM
To send a test email to an email alert destination using RACADM:
1.

Open a serial/Telnet/SSH text console to CMC and log in.

Enable alert generation:
racadm config -g cfgAlerting -o cfgAlertingEnable 1
NOTE: Only one filter mask may be set by both SNMP and email alerting. If you have already set
a filter mask, do not perform the task in step 3.

Specify the events for which alerts must be generated:
racadm config -g cfgAlerting -o cfgAlertingFilterMask
where is a hexadecimal value between 0x0 and 0xffffffff and must be expressed with
the leading 0x characters. The Event Traps Filter Masks table provides filter masks for each event
type. For instructions about calculating the hex value for the filter mask you want to enable, see step
3 in the Configuring SNMP Trap Alert Destinations Using RACADM.

Enable email alert generation:
racadm config -g cfgEmailAlert -o cfgEmailAlertEnable 1 -i
where is a value between 1–4. CMC uses the index number to distinguish up to four
destination email addresses that can be configured.

Specify a destination email address to receive the email alerts:
racadm config -g cfgEmailAlert -o cfgEmailAlertAddress -i

where is a valid email address, and is the index value you specified in
step 4.

Specify the name of the person receiving the email alert:
racadm config -g cfgEmailAlert -o cfgEmailAlertEmailName -i

where is the name of the person or group receiving the email alert, and is
the index value specified in step 4 and step 5. The email name can contain up to 32 alphanumeric
characters, dashes, underscores, and periods. Spaces are not valid.

Set up the SMTP host:
racadm config -g cfgRemoteHosts -o cfgRhostsSmtpServerIpAddr host.domain
where host.domain is the FQDN.
You can configure up to four destination email addresses to receive email alerts. To add more email
addresses, perform tasks in step 2 through 6.
NOTE: The commands in steps 2–6 overwrite any existing settings configured for the index that
you specify (1–4). To determine whether an index has previously configured values, type
racadm getconfig -g cfgEmailAlert — I . If the index is configured, values
appear for the cfgEmailAlertAddress and cfgEmailAlertEmailName objects.
For more information, see the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM
Command Line Reference Guide available at dell.com/support/manuals.

107

108

Configuring User Accounts and Privileges

You can set up user accounts with specific privileges (role-based authority) to manage your system with
CMC and maintain system security. By default, CMC is configured with a local administrator account. The
default user name is rootand the password is calvin. As an administrator, you can set up user accounts
to allow other users to access the CMC.
You can set up a maximum of 16 local users, or use directory services such as Microsoft Active Directory
or LDAP to set up additional user accounts. Using a directory service provides a central location for
managing authorized user accounts.
CMC supports role-based access to users with a set of associated privileges. The roles are administrator,
operator, read-only, or none. The role defines the maximum privileges available.

Types of Users
There are two types of users:
•
•

CMC users or chassis users
iDRAC users or server users (since the iDRAC resides on a server)

CMC and iDRAC users can be local or directory service users.
Except where a CMC user has Server Administrator privilege, privileges granted to a CMC user are not
automatically transferred to the same user on a server, because server users are created independently
from CMC users. In other words, CMC Active Directory users and iDRAC Active Directory users reside on
two different branches in the Active Directory tree. To create a local server user, the Configure Users
must log in to the server directly. The Configure Users cannot create a server user from CMC or vice
versa. This rule protects the security and integrity of the servers.
Table 9. User Types

Privilege

Description

CMC Login User

User can log in to CMC and view all the CMC data, but cannot add
or modify data or execute commands.
It is possible for a user to have other privileges without the CMC
Login User privilege. This feature is useful when a user is
temporarily not allowed to login. When that user’s CMC Login User
privilege is restored, the user retains all the other privileges
previously granted.

Chassis Configuration
Administrator

User can add or change data that:
•
•
•
•

Identifies the chassis, such as chassis name and chassis
location.
Is assigned specifically to the chassis, such as IP mode (static or
DHCP), static IP address, static gateway, and static subnet mask.
Provides services to the chassis, such as date and time, firmware
update, and CMC reset.
Is associated with the chassis, such as slot name and slot
priority. Although these properties apply to the servers, they are

109

Privilege

Description
strictly chassis properties relating to the slots rather than the
servers themselves. For this reason, slot names and slot
priorities can be added or changed whether or not servers are
present in the slots.
When a server is moved to a different chassis, it inherits the slot
name and priority assigned to the slot it occupies in the new
chassis. The previous slot name and priority remain with the
previous chassis.
NOTE: CMC users with the Chassis Configuration
Administrator privilege can configure power settings.
However, the Chassis Control Administrator privilege is
required to perform chassis power operations, including
power on, power off, and power cycle.

User Configuration Administrator User can:
•
•
•
•

Add a new user.
Change the password of a user.
Change the privileges of a user.
Enable or disable the login privilege of a user but retain the
name and other privileges of the user in the database.

Clear Logs Administrator

User can clear the hardware log and CMC log.

Chassis Control Administrator
(Power Commands)

CMC users with the Chassis Power Administrator privilege can
perform all power-related operations. They can control chassis
power operations, including power on, power off, and power cycle.
NOTE: To configure power settings, the Chassis
Configuration Administrator privilege is needed.

Server Administrator

This is a blanket privilege, granting a CMC user all rights to perform
any operation on any servers present in the chassis.
When a user with Server Administrator privilege issues an action to
be performed on a server, the CMC firmware sends the command
to the targeted server without checking the privileges of a user on
the server. In other words, the Server Administrator privilege
overrides any lack of administrator privileges on the server.
Without the Server Administrator privilege, a user created on the
chassis can only execute a command on a server when all of the
following conditions are true:
•
•
•

The same user name exists on the server.
The same user name must have the same password on the
server.
The user must have the privilege to execute the command.

When a CMC user who does not have Server Administrator
privilege issues an action to be performed on a server, CMC sends a
command to the targeted server with the user’s login name and
password. If the user does not exist on the server, or if the
password does not match, the user is denied the ability to perform
the action.
If the user exists on the target server and the password matches,
the server responds with the privileges of which the user was

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Privilege

Description
granted on the server. Based on the privileges responding from the
server, CMC firmware decides if the user has the right to perform
the action.
Listed below are the privileges and the actions on the server to
which the Server Administrator is entitled. These rights are applied
only when the chassis user does not have the Server Administrative
privilege on the chassis.
Server Configuration Administrator:
•
•
•
•

Set IP address
Set gateway
Set subnet mask
Set first boot device

Configure Users:
•
•

Set iDRAC root password
iDRAC reset

Server Control Administrator:
•
•
•
•
•

Power on
Power off
Power cycle
Graceful shutdown
Server Reboot

Test Alert User

User can send test alert messages.

Debug Command Administrator

User can execute system diagnostic commands.

Fabric A Administrator

User can set and configure the Fabric A IOM.

Fabric B Administrator

User can set and configure the Fabric B, which corresponds to the
first mezzanine card in the servers and is connected to the fabric B
circuitry in the shared PCIe subsystem in the main board.

Fabric C Administrator

User can set and configure the Fabric C, which corresponds to the
second mezzanine card in the servers and is connected to the
fabric C circuitry in the shared PCIe subsystem in the main board.

The CMC user groups provide a series of user groups that have preassigned user privileges.
NOTE: If you select Administrator, Power User, or Guest User, and then add or remove a privilege
from the pre-defined set, the CMC Group automatically changes to Custom.
Table 10. CMC Group Privileges

User Group
Administrator

Privileges Granted
•
•
•
•

CMC Login User
Chassis Configuration Administrator
User Configuration Administrator
Clear Logs Administrator

111

User Group

Privileges Granted

Power User

•
•
•
•

Server Administrator
Test Alert User
Debug Command Administrator
Fabric A Administrator

•
•
•

Login
Clear Logs Administrator
Chassis Control Administrator (Power
commands)
Server Administrator
Test Alert User
Fabric A Administrator

•
•
•
Guest User

Custom

Select any combination of the following
permissions:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

None

CMC Login User
Chassis Configuration Administrator
User Configuration Administrator
Clear Logs Administrator
Chassis Control Administrator (Power
commands)
Server Administrator
Test Alert User
Debug Command Administrator
Fabric A Administrator

No assigned permissions

Table 11. Comparison of Privileges Between CMC Administrators, Power Users, and Guest Users

Privilege Set

Administrator
Permissions

Power User Permissions Guest User Permissions

CMC Login User

Yes

Chassis Configuration
Administrator

Yes

User Configuration
Administrator

Yes

Clear Logs Administrator Yes

Yes

Chassis Control
Administrator (Power
commands)

Yes

Server Administrator

Yes

Test Alert User

Yes

112

Privilege Set

Administrator
Permissions

Power User Permissions Guest User Permissions

Debug Command
Administrator

Yes

Fabric A Administrator

Yes

Modifying Root User Administrator Account Settings
For added security, it is strongly recommended that you change the default password of the root (User 1)
account. The root account is the default administrative account that is shipped with CMC.
To change the default password for the root account:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview, and then click User Authentication.

On the Users page, in the User ID column, click 1.
NOTE: The user ID 1 is the root user account that is shipped by default with CMC. This cannot
be changed.

On the User Configuration page, select the Change Password option.

Type the new password in the Password field, and then type the same password in Confirm
Password.

Click Apply. The password is changed for the 1 user ID.

Configuring Local Users
You can configure up to 16 local users in CMC with specific access privileges. Before you create a CMC
local user, verify if any current users exist. You can set user names, passwords, and roles with the
privileges for these users. The user names and passwords can be changed using any of the CMC–secured
interfaces such as, web interface, RACADM, and WS-MAN.

Configuring Local Users Using CMC Web Interface
NOTE: You must have Configure Users permission to create a CMC user.
To add and configure local CMC users:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview, and then click User Authentication.

On the Local Users page, in the User ID column, click a user ID number. The User Configuration
page is displayed.
NOTE: User ID 1 is the root user account that is shipped by default with a CMC. This cannot be
changed.

Enable the user ID and specify the user name, password, and access privileges for the user. For more
information about the options, see the Online Help.

Click Apply. The user is created with appropriate privileges.

Configure Local Users Using RACADM
NOTE: You must be logged in as a root user to execute RACADM commands on a remote Linux
system.

113

You can configure up to 16 users in the CMC property database. Before you manually enable a CMC user,
verify if any current users exist.
If you are configuring a new CMC or if you have used the racadm racresetcfg command, the only
current user is root with the password calvin. The racresetcfg subcommand resets all configuration
parameters to the default values. Any earlier changes are lost.
NOTE: Users can be enabled and disabled over time, and disabling a user does not delete the user
from the database.
To verify if a user exists, open a Telnet/SSH text console to the CMC, log in, and then type the following
command once for each index of 1–16:
racadm getconfig -g cfgUserAdmin -i
NOTE: You can also type racadm getconfig -f and view or edit the myfile.cfg
file, which includes all the CMC configuration parameters.
Several parameters and object IDs are displayed with their current values. Two objects of importance are:
# cfgUserAdminIndex=XX
cfgUserAdminUserName=
If the cfgUserAdminUserName object has no value, that index number, which is indicated by the
cfgUserAdminIndex object, is available for use. If a name is displayed after the "=", that index is taken
by that user name.
When you manually enable or disable a user with the racadm config subcommand, you must specify
the index with the -i option.
The "#" character in the command objects indicates that it is a read-only object. Also, if you use the
racadm config -f racadm.cfg command to specify any number of groups/objects to write, the
index cannot be specified. A new user is added to the first available index. This behavior allows more
flexibility in configuring a second CMC with the same settings as the main CMC.

Adding CMC User Using RACADM
To add a new user to the CMC configuration:
1.

Set the user name.

Set the password.

Set the user privileges. For information about user privileges, see Types of Users.

Enable the user.

Example:
The following example describes how to add a new user named "John" with a "123456" password and
login privileges to the CMC.
NOTE: For a list of valid bit mask values for specific user privileges, see the Chassis Management
Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide. The default privilege
value is 0, which indicates that the privileges of a user are not enabled.
racadm config -g cfgUserAdmin -o cfgUserAdminUserName
-i 2
john
racadm config -g cfgUserAdmin -o cfgUserAdminPassword
-i 2
123456
racadm config -g cfgUserAdmin -i 2 -o
cfgUserAdminPrivilege
0x00000001

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racadm config -g cfgUserAdmin -i 2 -o
cfgUserAdminEnable 1
To verify that the user was successfully added with the correct privileges, run the following command:
racadm getconfig –g cfgUserAdmin –i 2
For more information about the RACADM commands, see the Chassis Management Controller for
PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide available at dell.com/support/manuals.

Disabling CMC User
When using RACADM, users must be disabled manually on an individual-basis. Users cannot be deleted
using a configuration file.
To delete a CMC user, the command syntax is:
racadm config -g cfgUserAdmin -o cfgUserAdminUserName
-i ""
racadm config -g cfgUserAdmin -i 2 -o
cfgUserAdminPrivilege 0x0
A null string of double quotation marks ("") instructs CMC to remove the user configuration at the
specified index, and then reset the user configuration to the factory default values.

Enabling CMC User With Permissions
To enable a user with specific administrative permissions (role-based authority):
1.

Locate an available user index using the command syntax:
racadm getconfig -g cfgUserAdmin -i

Type the following commands with the new user name and password.
racadm config -g cfgUserAdmin -o
cfgUserAdminPrivilege -i
NOTE: For a list of valid bit mask values for specific user privileges, see the Chassis
Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide
available at dell.com/support/manuals. The default privilege value is 0, which indicates the user
does not has any privileges enabled.

Configuring Active Directory Users
If your company uses the Microsoft Active Directory software, you can configure the software to provide
access to CMC, allowing you to add and control CMC user privileges to your existing users in your
directory service. This is a licensed feature.
NOTE: On the following Operating Systems, you can recognize the users of CMC users by using
Active Directory.
•
•
•

Microsoft Windows 2000
Microsoft Windows Server 2003
Microsoft Windows Server 2008

You can configure user authentication through Active Directory to log in to the CMC. You can also
provide role-based authority, which enables an administrator to configure specific privileges for each
user.

Supported Active Directory Authentication Mechanisms
You can use Active Directory to define CMC user access using two methods:

115

•
•

Standard schema solution that uses Microsoft’s default Active Directory group objects only.
Extended schema solution that has customized Active Directory objects provided by Dell. All the
access control objects are maintained in Active Directory. It provides maximum flexibility to configure
user access on different CMCs with varying privilege levels.

Standard Schema Active Directory Overview
As shown in the following figure, using standard schema for Active Directory integration requires
configuration on both Active Directory and CMC.
In Active Directory, a standard group object is used as a role group. A user who has CMC access is a
member of the role group. To give this user access to a specific CMC card, the role group name and its
domain name need to be configured on the specific CMC card. The role and the privilege level is defined
on each CMC card and not in the Active Directory. You can configure up to five role groups in each CMC.
The following table shows the default role group privileges.
Table 12. : Default Role Group Privileges

Role Group

Default Privilege Level

Permissions Granted

None

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

None

•
•
•
•
•
•

Bit Mask

0x00000fff
CMC Login User
Chassis
Configuration
Administrator
User Configuration
Administrator
Clear Logs
Administrator
Chassis Control
Administrator (Power
Commands)
Server Administrator
Test Alert User
Debug Command
Administrator
Fabric A
Administrator
0x00000ed9
CMC Login User
Clear Logs
Administrator
Chassis Control
Administrator (Power
Commands)
Server Administrator
Test Alert User
Fabric A
Administrator

None

CMC Login User

0x00000001

None

No assigned permissions 0x00000000

None

No assigned permissions 0x00000000

NOTE: The Bit Mask values are used only when setting Standard Schema with the RACADM.

116

NOTE: For more information about user privileges, see Types of Users.

Configuring Standard Schema Active Directory
To configure CMC for an Active Directory login access:
1.

On an Active Directory server (domain controller), open Active Directory Users and Computers
Snap-in.

Using the CMC Web interface or RACADM:
a) Create a group or select an existing group.
b) Configure the role privileges.

Add the Active Directory user as a member of the Active Directory group to access CMC.

Configuring Active Directory With Standard Schema Using CMC Web Interface
NOTE: For information about the various fields, see the CMC Online Help.
1.

In the left pane, go to Chassis Overview, and then click User Authentication → Directory Services.
The Directory Services page is displayed.

Select Microsoft Active Directory (Standard Schema). The settings to be configured for standard
schema is displayed on the same page.

In the Common Settings section, specify the following:
– Select Enable Active Directory and enter the timeout value for Active Directory in the AD
Timeout field.
– To obtain the Active Directory Domain Controllers from a DNS lookup select Look Up Domain
Controllers with DNS, and then select one of the following:
*

User Domain from Login — to perform the DNS lookup with the domain name of the login
user.

Specify a Domain — enter the domain name to use for the DNS lookup

– To enable CMC to use the specified Active Directory Domain Controller server addresses, select
Specify Domain Controller Addresses . These server addresses are the addresses of the domain
controllers where the user accounts and the role groups are located.
4.

Click Apply to save the settings.
NOTE: You must apply the settings before continuing. If you do not apply the settings, the
settings are lost when you navigate to the next page.

In the Standard Schema Role Groups section, click a Role Group. The Configure Role Group page is
displayed.

Specify the group name, domain, and privileges for a role group.

Click Apply to save the role group settings and then click Go Back To Configuration page.

If you have enabled certificate validation, you must upload the domain forest root certificate
authority-signed certificate to CMC. In the Manage Certificates section, type the file path of the
certificate or browse to the certificate file. Click Upload to upload the file to CMC.
NOTE: The File Path value displays the relative file path of the certificate you are uploading. You
must type the absolute file path, which includes the full path and the complete file name and
file extension.
The SSL certificates for the domain controllers must be signed by the root certificate authoritysigned certificate. The root certificate authority-signed certificate must be available on the
management station accessing CMC.

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If you have enabled Single Sign-On (SSO), in the Kerberos Keytab section, click Browse, specify the
keytab file and click Upload. When the upload is complete, a message is displayed indicating a
successful or failed upload.

10. Click Apply. The CMC Web server automatically restarts after you click Apply.
11. Log out and then log in to CMC to complete the CMC Active Directory configuration.
12. Select Chassis in the system tree, and navigate to the Network tab. The Network Configuration
page is displayed.
13. Under Network Settings, if Use DHCP (for CMC Network Interface IP Address) is selected, select
Use DHCP to obtain DNS server address.
To manually enter a DNS server IP address, clear Use DHCP to obtain DNS server addresses and type
the primary and alternate DNS server IP addresses.
14. Click Apply Changes.
The CMC Standard Schema Active Directory feature configuration is complete.

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Configuring Active Directory With Standard Schema Using RACADM
At the RACADM command prompt, run the following commands:
– Using config command:
racadm config -g cfgActiveDirectory -o cfgADEnable 1
racadm config -g cfgActiveDirectory -o cfgADType 2
racadm config -g cfgStandardSchema -i -o cfgSSADRoleGroupName

racadm config -g cfgStandardSchema -i -o cfgSSADRoleGroupDomain

racadm config -g cfgStandardSchema -i -o
cfgSSADRoleGroupPrivilege
racadm config -g
qualified domain
racadm config -g
qualified domain
racadm config -g
qualified domain

cfgActiveDirectory
name or IP address
cfgActiveDirectory
name or IP address
cfgActiveDirectory
name or IP address

-o
of
-o
of
-o
of

cfgADDomainController1
cfgADDomainController2
cfgADDomainController3

NOTE: Enter the FQDN of the domain controller, not the FQDN of the domain. For example,
enter servername.dell.com instead of dell.com.
NOTE:
At least one of the three addresses is required to be configured. CMC attempts to connect
to each of the configured addresses one-by-one until it makes a successful connection.
With Standard Schema, these are the addresses of the domain controllers where the user
accounts and the role groups are located.
racadm config -g
qualified domain
racadm config -g
qualified domain
racadm config -g
qualified domain

cfgActiveDirectory
name or IP address
cfgActiveDirectory
name or IP address
cfgActiveDirectory
name or IP address

-o
of
-o
of
-o
of

cfgADGlobalCatalog1
cfgADGlobalCatalog2
cfgADGlobalCatalog3

NOTE:
The Global Catalog server is only required for standard schema when the user accounts and
role groups are in different domains. In multiple domain case, only the Universal Group can
be used.
NOTE:
The FQDN or IP address that you specify in this field should match the Subject or Subject
Alternative Name field of your domain controller certificate if you have certificate validation
enabled.
If you want to disable the certificate validation during the SSL handshake, run the following RACADM
command:
– Using the config command: racadm config -g cfgActiveDirectory -o
cfgADCertValidationEnable 0
In this case, you do not have to upload the Certificate Authority (CA) certificate.
To enforce the certificate validation during SSL handshake (optional):
– Using the config command: racadm config -g cfgActiveDirectory -o
cfgADCertValidationEnable 1

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In this case, you must upload the CA certificate using the following RACADM command:
racadm sslcertupload -t 0x2 -f
NOTE: If certificate validation is enabled, specify the Domain Controller Server addresses and
the Global Catalog FQDN. Make sure that DNS is correctly configured.

Extended Schema Active Directory Overview
Using the extended schema solution requires the Active Directory schema extension.

Active Directory Schema Extensions
The Active Directory data is a distributed database of attributes and classes. The Active Directory schema
includes the rules that determine the type of data that can be added or included in the database. One
example of a class that is stored in the database is the user class. Some example user class attributes are
user’s first name, last name, phone number, and so on.
You can extend the Active Directory database by adding your own unique attributes and classes for
specific requirements. Dell has extended the schema to include the necessary changes to support
remote management authentication and authorization using Active Directory.
Each attribute or class that is added to an existing Active Directory Schema must be defined with a unique
ID. To maintain unique IDs across the industry, Microsoft maintains a database of Active Directory Object
Identifiers (OIDs), so that when companies add extensions to the schema, they can be guaranteed to be
unique and not to conflict with each other. To extend the schema in Microsoft's Active Directory, Dell
received unique OIDs, unique name extensions, and uniquely linked attribute IDs for the attributes and
classes that are added into the directory service.
•

Dell extension: dell

•

Dell base OID: 1.2.840.113556.1.8000.1280

•

RAC LinkID range: 12070 to 12079

Overview of Schema Extensions
Dell has extended the schema to include an Association, Device, and Privilege property. The Association
property is used to link together the users or groups with a specific set of privileges to one or more RAC
devices. This model provides an administrator maximum flexibility over the different combinations of
users, RAC privileges, and RAC devices on the network without much complexity.
When there are two CMCs on the network that you want to integrate with Active Directory for
authentication and authorization, create at least one association object and one RAC device object for
each CMC. You can create multiple association objects, and each association object can be linked to as
many users, groups of users, or RAC device objects as required. The users and RAC device objects can be
members of any domain in the enterprise.
However, each association object can be linked (or, may link users, groups of users, or RAC device
objects) to only one privilege object. This example allows an administrator to control each user’s
privileges on specific CMCs.
The RAC device object is the link to RAC firmware for querying Active Directory for authentication and
authorization. When a RAC is added to the network, the administrator must configure the RAC and its
device object with its Active Directory name so that users can perform authentication and authorization
with Active Directory. Additionally, the administrator must add the RAC to at least one association object
for users to authenticate.
NOTE: The RAC privilege object applies to CMC.

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You can create as many or as few association objects as required. However, you must create at least one
Association Object, and you must have one RAC device object for each RAC (CMC) on the network that
you want to integrate with Active Directory.
The Association Object allows as many or as few users and/or groups as well as RAC Device Objects.
However, the Association Object only includes one Privilege Object per Association Object. The
Association Object connects the Users who have Privileges on RACs (CMCs).
Additionally, you can configure Active Directory objects in a single domain or in multiple domains. For
example, you have two CMCs (RAC1 and RAC2) and three existing Active Directory users (user1, user2,
and user3). You want to give user1 and user2 an administrator privilege to both CMCs and give user3 a
login privilege to the RAC2 card.
When adding Universal Groups from separate domains, create an Association Object with Universal
Scope. The Default Association objects created by the Dell Schema Extender Utility are Domain Local
Groups and does not work with Universal Groups from other domains.
To configure the objects for the single domain scenario:
1.

Create two Association Objects.

Create two RAC Device Objects, RAC1 and RAC2, to represent the two CMCs.

Create two Privilege Objects, Priv1 and Priv2, in which Priv1 has all privileges (administrator) and Priv2
has login privilege.

Group user1 and user2 into Group1.

Add Group1 as Members in Association Object 1 (A01), Priv1 as Privilege Objects in A01, and RAC1,
RAC2 as RAC Devices in A01.

Add User3 as Members in Association Object 2 (A02), Priv2 as Privilege Objects in A02, and RAC2 as
RAC Devices in A02.

To configure the objects for the multiple domain scenario:
1.

Make that the domain forest function is in Native or Windows 2003 mode.

Create two Association Objects, A01 (of Universal scope) and A02, in any domain. The figure Setting
Up Active Directory Objects in Multiple Domains shows the objects in Domain2.

Create two RAC Device Objects, RAC1 and RAC2, to represent the two CMCs.

Create two Privilege Objects, Priv1 and Priv2, in which Priv1 has all privileges (administrator) and Priv2
has login privilege.

Group user1 and user2 into Group1. The group scope of Group1 must be Universal.

Add Group1 as Members in Association Object 1 (A01), Priv1 as Privilege Objects in A01, and RAC1,
RAC2 as RAC Devices in A01.

Add User3 as Members in Association Object 2 (A02), Priv2 as Privilege Objects in A02, and RAC2 as
RAC Devices in A02.

Configuring Extended Schema Active Directory
To configure Active Directory to access CMC:
1.

Extend the Active Directory schema.

Extend the Active Directory Users and Computers Snap-in.

Add CMC users and their privileges to Active Directory.

Enable SSL on each of your domain controllers.

Configure CMC Active Directory properties using CMC web interface or RACADM.

Extending Active Directory Schema
Extending your Active Directory schema adds a Dell organizational unit, schema classes and attributes,
and example privileges and association objects to the Active Directory schema. Before you extend the

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schema, make sure that you have Schema Admin privileges on the Schema Master Flexible Single Master
Operation (FSMO) Role Owner of the domain forest.
You can extend your schema using one of the following methods:
•

Dell Schema Extender utility

•

LDIF script file

If you use the LDIF script file, the Dell organizational unit is not added to the schema.
The LDIF files and Dell Schema Extender are located on your Dell Systems Management Tools and
Documentation DVD in the following respective directories:
•

DVDdrive:\SYSMGMT\ManagementStation\support\OMActiveDirectory_Tools
\Remote_Management_Advanced\LDIF_Files

•

:\SYSMGMT\ManagementStation\support\OMActiveDirector y_Tools
\Remote_Management_Advanced\Schema Extender

To use the LDIF files, see the instructions in the Release Notes included in the LDIF_Files directory.
You can copy and run the Schema Extender or LDIF files from any location.

Using Dell Schema Extender
CAUTION: The Dell Schema Extender uses the SchemaExtenderOem.ini file. To make sure that
the Dell Schema Extender utility functions properly, do not modify the name of this file.
1.

In the Welcome screen, click Next.

Read and understand the warning and click Next.

Select Use Current Log In Credentials or enter a user name and password with schema
administrator rights.

Click Next to run the Dell Schema Extender.

Click Finish.
The schema is extended. To verify the schema extension, use the MMC and the Active Directory
Schema Snap-in to verify that the classes and attributes exist. For more information on classes and
attributes, see Classes and Attributes. See the Microsoft documentation for details about using the
MMC and the Active Directory Schema Snap-in.
Classes And Attributes

Table 13. Class Definitions for Classes Added to the Active Directory Schema

Class Name

Assigned Object Identification Number (OID)

delliDRACDevice

1.2.840.113556.1.8000.1280.1.7.1.1

delliDRACAssociation

1.2.840.113556.1.8000.1280.1.7.1.2

dellRAC4Privileges

1.2.840.113556.1.8000.1280.1.1.1.3

dellPrivileges

1.2.840.113556.1.8000.1280.1.1.1.4

dellProduct

1.2.840.113556.1.8000.1280.1.1.1.5

Table 14. dellRacDevice Class

OID

1.2.840.113556.1.8000.1280.1.7.1.1

Description

Represents the Dell RAC device. The RAC must be
configured as delliDRACDevice in Active Directory.

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OID

1.2.840.113556.1.8000.1280.1.7.1.1
This configuration enables CMC to send
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)
queries to Active Directory.

Class Type

Structural Class

SuperClasses

dellProduct

Attributes

dellSchemaVersion
dellRacType

Table 15. delliDRACAssociationObject Class

OID

1.2.840.113556.1.8000.1280.1.7.1.2

Description

Represents the Dell Association Object. The
Association Object provides the connection
between the users and the devices.

Class Type

Structural Class

SuperClasses

Group

Attributes

dellProductMembers
dellPrivilegeMember

Table 16. dellRAC4Privileges Class

OID

1.2.840.113556.1.8000.1280.1.1.1.3

Description

Defines the privileges (Authorization Rights) for
CMC device.

Class Type

Auxiliary Class

SuperClasses

None

Attributes

dellIsLoginUser
dellIsCardConfigAdmin
dellIsUserConfigAdmin
dellIsLogClearAdmin
dellIsServerResetUser
dellIsTestAlertUser
dellIsDebugCommandAdmin
dellPermissionMask1
dellPermissionMask2

Table 17. dellPrivileges Class

OID

1.2.840.113556.1.8000.1280.1.1.1.4

Description

Used as a container Class for the Dell Privileges
(Authorization Rights).

Class Type

Structural Class

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OID

1.2.840.113556.1.8000.1280.1.1.1.4

SuperClasses

User

Attributes

dellRAC4Privileges

Table 18. dellProduct Class

OID

1.2.840.113556.1.8000.1280.1.1.1.5

Description

The main class from which all Dell products are
derived.

Class Type

Structural Class

SuperClasses

Computer

Attributes

dellAssociationMembers

Table 19. List of Attributes Added to the Active Directory Schema

Assigned OID/Syntax Object Identifier

Single Valued

Attribute: dellPrivilegeMember

FALSE

Description: List of dellPrivilege objects that
belong to this attribute.
OID: 1.2.840.113556.1.8000.1280.1.1.2.1
Distinguished Name: (LDAPTYPE_DN
1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.12)
Attribute: dellProductMembers

FALSE

Description: List of dellRacDevices objects that
belong to this role. This attribute is the forward link
to the dellAssociationMembers backward link.
Link ID: 12070
OID: 1.2.840.113556.1.8000.1280.1.1.2.2
Distinguished Name: (LDAPTYPE_DN
1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.12)
Attribute: dellIsCardConfigAdmin

TRUE

Description: TRUE if the user has Card
Configuration rights on the device.
OID: 1.2.840.113556.1.8000.1280.1.1.2.4
Boolean (LDAPTYPE_BOOLEAN
1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.7)
Attribute: dellIsLoginUser

TRUE

Description: TRUE if the user has Login rights on
the device.
OID: 1.2.840.113556.1.8000.1280.1.1.2.3
Boolean (LDAPTYPE_BOOLEAN
1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.7)
Attribute: dellIsUserConfigAdmin
Description: TRUE if the user has User
Configuration Administrator rights on the device.
OID: 1.2.840.113556.1.8000.1280.1.1.2.5

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TRUE

Assigned OID/Syntax Object Identifier

Single Valued

Boolean (LDAPTYPE_BOOLEAN
1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.7)
Attribute: delIsLogClearAdmin

TRUE

Description: TRUE if the user has Clear Logs
Administrator rights on the device.
OID: 1.2.840.113556.1.8000.1280.1.1.2.6
Boolean (LDAPTYPE_BOOLEAN
1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.7)
Attribute: dellIsServerResetUser

TRUE

Description: TRUE if the user has Server Reset
rights on the device.
OID: 1.2.840.113556.1.8000.1280.1.1.2.7
Boolean (LDAPTYPE_BOOLEAN
1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.7)
Attribute: dellIsTestAlertUser

TRUE

Description: TRUE if the user has Test Alert User
rights on the device.
OID: 1.2.840.113556.1.8000.1280.1.1.2.10
Boolean (LDAPTYPE_BOOLEAN
1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.7)
Attribute: dellIsDebugCommandAdmin

TRUE

Description: TRUE if the user has Debug
Command Admin rights on the device.
OID: 1.2.840.113556.1.8000.1280.1.1.2.11
Boolean (LDAPTYPE_BOOLEAN
1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.7)
Attribute: dellSchemaVersion

TRUE

Description: The Current Schema Version is used
to update the schema.
OID: 1.2.840.113556.1.8000.1280.1.1.2.12
Case Ignore
String(LDAPTYPE_CASEIGNORESTRING
1.2.840.113556.1.4.905)
Attribute: dellRacType

TRUE

Description: This attribute is the Current Rac Type
for the dellRacDevice object and the backward link
to the dellAssociationObjectMembers forward link.
OID: 1.2.840.113556.1.8000.1280.1.1.2.13
Case Ignore
String(LDAPTYPE_CASEIGNORESTRING
1.2.840.113556.1.4.905)
Attribute: dellAssociationMembers

FALSE

Description: List of dellAssociationObjectMembers
that belong to this Product. This attribute is the
backward link to the dellProductMembers Linked
attribute.
Link ID: 12071

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Assigned OID/Syntax Object Identifier

Single Valued

OID: 1.2.840.113556.1.8000.1280.1.1.2.14
Distinguished Name (LDAPTYPE_DN
1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.12)
Attribute: dellPermissionsMask1
OID: 1.2.840.113556.1.8000.1280.1.6.2.1 Integer (LDAPTYPE_INTEGER)
Attribute: dellPermissionsMask2
OID: 1.2.840.113556.1.8000.1280.1.6.2.2 Integer (LDAPTYPE_INTEGER)

Installing Dell Extension to the Active Directory Users and Computers Snap-In
When you extend the schema in Active Directory, you must also extend the Active Directory Users and
Computers Snap-in so the administrator can manage RAC (CMC) devices, users and user groups, RAC
associations, and RAC privileges.
When you install your systems management software using the Dell Systems Management Tools and
Documentation DVD, you can extend the Snap-in by selecting the Active Directory Users and
Computers Snap-in option during the installation procedure. See the Dell OpenManage Software Quick
Installation Guide for additional instructions about installing systems management software. For 64-bit
Windows Operating Systems, the Snap-in installer is located at :\SYSMGMT
\ManagementStation\support\OMActiveDirect ory_SnapIn64
For more information about the Active Directory Users and Computers Snap-in, see Microsoft
documentation.

Adding CMC Users And Privileges To Active Directory
Using the Dell-extended Active Directory Users and Computers Snap-in, you can add CMC users and
privileges by creating RAC device, association, and privilege objects. To add each object, perform the
following:
•

Create a RAC device Object

•

Create a Privilege Object

•

Create an Association Object

•

Add objects to an Association Object

Creating RAC Device Object
To create RAC device object:
1.

In the MMC Console Root window, right-click a container.

Select New → Dell Remote Management Object Advanced.

On the New Object page, type a name for the new object. The name must be identical to the CMC
name that you type in the Configuring Active Directory With Standard Schema Using Web Interface.

Select RAC Device Object and click OK.

Creating Privilege Object
To create a privilege object:
NOTE: You must create a privilege object in the same domain as the related association object.
1.

In the MMC Console Root window, right-click a container.

Select New → Dell Remote Management Object Advanced.

On the New Object page, type a name for the new object.

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Select Privilege Object and click OK.

Right-click the privilege object that you created, and then select Properties.

Click the RAC Privileges tab and assign the privileges for the user or group. For more information
about CMC user privileges, see Types of Users.

Creating Association Object
The Association Object is derived from a Group and must contain a Group Type. The Association Scope
specifies the Security Group Type for the Association Object. When you create an Association Object,
choose the Association Scope that applies to the type of objects you intend to add. For example, if you
select Universal, the association objects are only available when the Active Directory Domain is
functioning in Native Mode or above.
To create association object:
1.

In the Console Root (MMC) window, right-click a container.

Select New → Dell Remote Management Object Advanced.

On the New Object page, type a name for the new object and select Association Object.

Select the scope for the Association Object and click OK.

Adding Objects To Association Object
Using the Association Object Properties window, you can associate users or user groups, privilege
objects, and RAC devices or RAC device groups. If your system is running on Microsoft Windows 2000
operating system or later version, use Universal Groups to span domains with your user or RAC objects.
You can add groups of Users and RAC devices.

Adding Users Or User Groups
To add users or user groups:
1.

Right-click the Association Object and select Properties.

Select the Users tab and click Add.

Enter the user or user group name and click OK.

Adding Privileges
To add privileges:
1.

Select the Privileges Object tab and click Add.

Enter the privilege object name and click OK.
Click the Privilege Object tab to add the privilege object to the association that defines the user’s or
user group’s privileges when authenticating to an RAC device. Only one privilege object can be
added to an Association Object.

Adding RAC Devices Or RAC Device Groups
To add RAC devices or RAC device groups:
1.

Select the Products tab and click Add.

Enter RAC devices or RAC device group name and click OK.

In the Properties window, click Apply and click OK.
Click the Products tab to add one or more RAC devices to the association. The associated devices
specify the RAC devices connected to the network that are available for the defined users or user
groups. Multiple RAC devices can be added to an Association Object.

Configuring Active Directory With Extended Schema Using CMC Web Interface
To configure Active Directory with extended schema using CMC web interface:

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NOTE: For information about the various fields, see the Online Help.
1.

In the left pane, click, Chassis Overview → User Authentication → Chassis Overview → Directory
Services.

Select Microsoft Active Directory (Extended Schema).
The settings to be configured for extended schema is displayed on the same page.

User Domain from Login — to perform the DNS lookup with the domain name of the login
user.

Specify a Domain — enter the domain name to use for the DNS lookup

– To enable CMC to use the specified Active Directory Domain Controller server addresses, select
Specify Domain Controller Addresses . These are the addresses of the domain controllers where
the CMC device object and the associated objects are located.
4.

Click Apply to save the settings.
NOTE: You must apply the settings before continuing. If you do not apply the settings, the
settings are lost when you navigate to the next page.

In the Extended Schema Settings section, type the CMC device name and the domain name.

If you have enabled certificate validation, you must upload the domain forest root certificate
authority-signed certificate to CMC. In the Manage Certificates section, type the file path of the
certificate or browse to the certificate file. Click Upload to upload the file to CMC.
NOTE: The File Path value displays the relative file path of the certificate you are uploading.
You must type the absolute file path, which includes the full path and the complete file name
and file extension.
The SSL certificates for the domain controllers must be signed by the root certificate authoritysigned certificate. The root certificate authority-signed certificate must be available on the
management station accessing CMC.
CAUTION: SSL certificate validation is required by default. Disabling this certificate is not
recommended.

Click Apply.
The CMC web server automatically restarts after you click Apply.

10. Select Chassis in the system tree, click the Network tab, then click the Network subtab. The
Network Configuration page is displayed.

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11. If Use DHCP for CMC Network Interface IP Address, is enabled, do one of the following:
– Select Use DHCP to Obtain DNS Server Addressesto enable the DNS server addresses to be
obtained automatically by the DHCP server.
– Manually configure a DNS server IP address by leaving the Use DHCP to Obtain DNS Server
Addresses check box unchecked and then typing your primary and alternate DNS server IP
addresses in the fields provided.
12. Click Apply Changes.
The Active Directory settings for extended schema is configured.

Configuring Active Directory With Extended Schema Using RACADM
To configure a CMC Active Directory with Extended Schema by using the RACADM commands, oen a
command prompt and enter the following commands at the command prompt:
racadm config -g cfgActiveDirectory -o cfgADEnable 1
racadm config -g cfgActiveDirectory -o cfgADType 1
racadm config -g cfgActiveDirectory -o cfgADRacName
racadm config -g cfgActiveDirectory -o cfgADRacDomain < fully qualified rac
domain name >
racadm config -g cfgActiveDirectory -o cfgADDomainController1 < fully qualified
domain name or IP Address of the domain controller >
racadm config -g cfgActiveDirectory -o cfgADDomainController2 < fully qualified
domain name or IP Address of the domain controller >
racadm config -g cfgActiveDirectory -o cfgADDomainController3 < fully qualified
domain name or IP Address of the domain controller >
NOTE: You must configure at least one of the three addresses. CMC attempts to connect to each of
the configured addresses one-by-one until it makes a successful connection. With Extended
Schema, these are the FQDN or IP addresses of the domain controllers where this CMC device is
located.
To disable the certificate validation during an handshake (optional):
racadm config -g cfgActiveDirectory -o cfgADCertValidationEnable 0
NOTE: In this case, you do not have to upload a CA certificate.
To enforce the certificate validation during SSL handshake (optional):
racadm config -g cfgActiveDirectory -o cfgADCertValidationEnable 1
In this case, you must upload a CA certificate:
racadm sslcertupload -t 0x2 -f < ADS root CA certificate >
NOTE: If certificate validation is enabled, specify the Domain Controller Server addresses and the
FQDN. Make sure that DNS is configured correctly under.
Using the following RACADM command may be optional:
racadm sslcertdownload -t 0x1 -f < RAC SSL certificate >

Configuring Generic LDAP Users
CMC provides a generic solution to support Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)-based
authentication. This feature does not require any schema extension on your directory services.
A CMC administrator can now integrate the LDAP server user logins with CMC. This integration requires
configuration on both LDAP server and CMC. On the LDAP server, a standard group object is used as a
role group. A user who has CMC access becomes a member of the role group. Privileges are still stored
on CMC for authorization similar to the working of the Standard Schema setup with Active Directory
support.

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To enable the LDAP user to access a specific CMC card, the role group name and its domain name must
be configured on the specific CMC card. You can configure a maximum of five role groups in each CMC.
A user has the option to be added to multiple groups within the directory service. If a user is a member of
multiple groups, then the user obtains the privileges of all their groups.
For information about the privileges level of the role groups and the default role group settings, see Types
of Users.

Configuring the Generic LDAP Directory to Access CMC
The CMC's Generic LDAP implementation uses two phases in granting access to a user—user
authentication, and then the user authorization.

Authentication of LDAP Users
Some directory servers require a bind before a specific LDAP server can be searched for.
To authenticate a user:
1.

Optionally bind to the Directory Service. The default is an anonymous bind.

Search for the user on the basis of the user login. The default attribute is uid. If more than one
object is found, then the process returns an error.

Unbind and perform a bind with the user's DN and password. If the system is unable to bind, then the
login will not be successful.

If these steps succeed, the user is authenticated.

Authorization Of LDAP Users
To authorize a user:
1.

Search each configured group for the user's domain name within the member or uniqueMember
attributes. An administrator can configure a user domain.

For every user group that the user belongs to, give the user appropriate user access rights and
privileges.

Configuring Generic LDAP Directory Service Using CMC Web Interface
To configure the generic LDAP directory service:
NOTE: You must have the Chassis Configuration Administrator privilege.
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → User Authentication → Directory Services.

Select Generic LDAP.
The settings to be configured for standard schema is displayed on the same page.

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Specify the following:
NOTE: For information about the various fields, see the Online Help.
– Common Settings
– Server to use with LDAP:
*

Static server — Specify the FQDN or IP address and the LDAP port number.

DNS server — Specify the DNS server to retrieve a list of LDAP servers by searching for their
SRV record within the DNS.
The following DNS query is performed for SRV records:
_[Service Name]._tcp.[Search Domain]
where is the root level domain to use within the query and is the service name to use within the query.
For example:
_ldap._tcp.dell.com
where ldap is the service name and dell.com is the search domain.

Click Apply to save the settings.
NOTE: You must apply the settings before continuing. If you do not apply the settings, the
settings are lost when you navigate to the next page.

In the Group Settings section, click a Role Group.

On the Configure LDAP Role Group page, specify the group domain name and privileges for the role
group.

Click Apply to save the role group settings, click Go Back To Configuration page, and then select
Generic LDAP.

If you have selected Certificate Validation Enabled option, then in the Manage Certificates section,
specify the CA certificate to validate the LDAP server certificate during SSL handshake and click
Upload. The certificate is uploaded to CMC and the details are displayed.

Click Apply.
The generic LDAP directory service is configured.

Configuring Generic LDAP Directory Service Using RACADM
To configure the LDAP directory service, use the objects in cfgLdap and cfgLdapRoleGroup RACADM
groups.
There are many options to configure LDAP logins. In most of the cases, some options can be used with
their default settings.
NOTE: It is highly recommended to use the racadm testfeature -f LDAP command to test the
LDAP settings for first time setups. This feature supports both IPv4 and IPv6.
The required property changes include enabling LDAP logins, setting the server FQDN or IP, and
configuring the base DN of the LDAP server.
•

$ racadm config -g cfgLDAP -o cfgLDAPEnable 1

•

$ racadm config -g cfgLDAP -o cfgLDAPServer 192.168.0.1

•

$ racadm config -g cfgLDAP -o cfgLDAPBaseDN dc=
company,dc=com

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CMC can be configured to optionally query a DNS server for SRV records. If the
cfgLDAPSRVLookupEnable property is enabled, the cfgLDAPServer property is ignored. The following
query is used to search the DNS for SRV records:
_ldap._tcp.domainname.com
ldap in the above query is the cfgLDAPSRVLookupServiceName property.
cfgLDAPSRVLookupDomainName is configured to be domainname.com.
For more information about the RACADM commands, see the Chassis Management Controller for
PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide available at dell.com/support/manuals.

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Configuring CMC For Single Sign-On Or
Smart Card Login

This section provides information to configure CMC for Smart Card login and Single Sign-On (SSO) login
for Active Directory users.
SSO uses Kerberos as an authentication method allowing users, who have signed in as an automatic- or
single sign-on to subsequent applications such as Exchange. For single sign-on login, CMC uses the
client system’s credentials, which are cached by the operating system after you log in using a valid Active
Directory account.
Two-factor-authentication, provides a higher-level of security by requiring users to have a password or
PIN, and a physical card containing a private key or digital certificate. Kerberos uses this two-factor
authentication mechanism allowing systems to prove their authenticity.
NOTE: Selecting a login method does not set policy attributes with respect to other login interfaces,
for example, SSH. You must set other policy attributes for other login interfaces also. If you want to
disable all other login interfaces, navigate to the Services page and disable all (or some) the login
interfaces.
Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows
Server 2008 can use Kerberos as the authentication mechanism for SSO and smart card login.
For information about Kerberos, see the Microsoft Website.

System Requirements
To use the Kerberos authentication, the network must include:
•

DNS server

•

Microsoft Active Directory Server
NOTE: If you are using Active Directory on Microsoft Windows 2003, make sure that you have
the latest service packs and patched installed on the client system. If you are using Active
Directory on Microsoft Windows 2008, make sure that you have installed SP1 along with the
following hot fixes:
Windows6.0-KB951191-x86.msu for the KTPASS utility. Without this patch the utility generates
bad keytab files.
Windows6.0-KB957072-x86.msu for using GSS_API and SSL transactions during an LDAP bind.

•

Kerberos Key Distribution Center (packaged with the Active Directory Server software).

•

DHCP server (recommended).

•

The DNS server reverse zone must have an entry for the Active Directory server and CMC.

Client Systems
•

For only Smart Card login, the client system must have the Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 redistributable.
For more information see www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=
32BC1BEEA3F9-4C13-9C99-220B62A191EE&displaylang=en

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•

For Single Sign-On or smart card login, the client system must be a part of the Active Directory
domain and Kerberos Realm.

CMC
•

Each CMC must have an Active Directory account.

•

CMC must be a part of the Active Directory domain and Kerberos Realm.

Prerequisites For Single Sign-On Or Smart Card Login
The pre-requisites to configure SSO or Smart Card logins are:
•

Set up the kerberos realm and Key Distribution Center (KDC) for Active Directory (ksetup).

•

A robust NTP and DNS infrastructure to avoid issues with clock drift and reverse lookup.

•

Configure CMC with Active Directory standard schema role group with authorized members.

•

For smart card, create Active Directory users for each CMC, configured to use Kerberos DES
encryption but not pre-authentication.

•

Configure the browser for SSO or smart card login.

•

Generating Kerberos Keytab File
To support the SSO and smart card login authentication, CMC supports Windows Kerberos network. The
ktpass tool (available from Microsoft as part of the server installation CD/DVD) is used to create the
Service Principal Name (SPN) bindings to a user account and export the trust information into a MIT-style
Kerberos keytab file. For more information about the ktpass utility, see the Microsoft Website.
Before generating a keytab file, you must create an Active Directory user account for use with the mapuser option of the ktpass command. You must use the same name as the CMC DNS name to which
you upload the generated keytab file.
To generate a keytab file using the ktpass tool:
1.

Run the ktpass utility on the domain controller (Active Directory server), where you want to map
CMC to a user account in Active Directory.

Use the following ktpass command to create the Kerberos keytab file:
C:\>ktpass -princ HTTP/cmcname.domain_name.com@REALM_NAME.COM - mapuser
dracname -crypto DES-CBC-MD5 -ptype KRB5_NT_PRINCIPAL -pass * -out c:
\krbkeytab
NOTE: The cmcname.domainname.com must be in lower case as required by RFC and the
@REALM_NAME must be in uppercase. In addition, CMC supports the DES-CBC-MD5 type of
cryptography for Kerberos authentication.
A keytab file is generated that must be uploaded to CMC.
NOTE: The keytab contains an encryption key and must be kept secure. For more information
about the ktpass utility, see the Microsoft Website.

Configuring CMC For Active Directory Schema
For information about configuring CMC for Active Directory standard schema, see Configuring Standard
Schema Active Directory.

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For information about configuring CMC for Extended Schema Active Directory, see Extended Schema
Active Directory Overview.

Configuring Browser For SSO Login
Single Sign-On (SSO) is supported on Internet Explorer versions 6.0 and later, and Firefox versions 3.0 and
later.
NOTE: The following instructions are applicable only if CMC uses Single Sign-On with Kerberos
authentication.

Internet Explorer
To configure Internet Explorer for Single Sign-On:
1.

In the Internet Explorer, select Tools → Internet Options.

On the Security tab, under Select a zone to view or change security settings, select Local Intranet.

Click Sites.
The Local Intranet dialog box is displayed.

Click Advanced .
The Local Intranet Advance Settings dialog box is displayed.

In the Add this site to the zone, type the name of CMC and the domain it belongs to and click Add.
NOTE: You can use a wildcard (*) to specify all devices or users in that domain.

Mozilla Firefox
1.

In Firefox, type about:config in the Address bar.
NOTE: If the browser displays the This might void your warranty warning, click I'll be careful. I
promise.

In the Filter text box, type negotiate.
The browser displays a list of preference names limited to those containing the word negotiate.

From the list, double-click network.negotiate-auth.trusted-uris.

In the Enter string value dialog box, type the CMC's domain name and click OK.

Configuring Browser For Smart Card Login
Internet Explorer — Make sure that the Internet Browser is configured to download Active-X plug-ins.

Configuring CMC SSO Or Smart Card Login For Active
Directory Users
You can use CMC web interface or RACADM to configure CMC SSO or smart card login.

Configuring CMC SSO Or Smart Card Login For Active Directory Users Using
Web Interface
To configure Active Directory SSO or smart card login for CMC:

135

NOTE: For information about the options, see the Online Help.
1.

While configuring Active Directory to set up user account, perform the following additional steps:
– Upload the keytab file.
– To enable SSO, select the Enable Single Sign-On option.
– To enable smart card login, select the Enable Smart-Card Login option.
NOTE: If these two options are selected, all command line out-of-band interfaces, including
secure shell (SSH), Telnet, Serial, and remote RACADM remain unchanged .
Click Apply.

The settings are saved.
You can test the Active Directory using Kerberos authentication using the RACADM command:
testfeature -f adkrb -u @
where is a valid Active Directory user account.
A command success indicates that CMC is able to acquire Kerberos credentials and access the user's
Active Directory account. If the command is not successful, resolve the error and run the command
again. For more information, see the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM
Command Line Reference Guide on dell.com/support/manuals.

Uploading Keytab File
The Kerberos keytab file serves as the CMC's user name and password credentials to the Kerberos Data
Center (KDC), which in turns allows access to the Active Directory. Each CMC in the Kerberos realm must
be registered with the Active Directory and must have a unique keytab file.
You can upload a Kerberos Keytab generated on the associated Active Directory Server. You can generate
the Kerberos Keytab from the Active Directory Server by executing the ktpass.exe utility. This keytab
establishes a trust relationship between the Active Directory Server and CMC.
To upload the keytab file:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → User Authentication → Directory Services.

Select Microsoft Active Directory (Standard Schema).

In the Kerberos Keytab section, click Browse, select a keytab file, and click Upload.
When the upload is complete, a message is displayed indicating whether the keytab file is
successfully uploaded or not.

Configuring CMC SSO Or Smart Card Login For Active Directory Users Using
RACADM
In addition to the steps performed while configuring Active Directory, run the following command to
enable SSO:
racadm -g cfgActiveDirectory -o cfgADSSOEnable 1
In addition to the steps performed while configuring Active Directory, use the following objects to enable
smart card login:
•

cfgSmartCardLogonEnable

•

cfgSmartCardCRLEnable

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Configuring CMC to Use Command Line
Consoles

This section provides information about the CMC command line console (or serial/Telnet/Secure Shell
console) features, and explains how to set up the system so that you can perform systems management
actions through the console. For information about using the RACADM commands in CMC through the
command line console, see Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command
Line Reference Guide.

CMC Command Line Console Features
The CMC supports the following serial, Telnet, and SSH console features:
•

One serial client connection and up to four simultaneous Telnet client connections.

•

Up to four simultaneous Secure Shell (SSH) client connections.

•

RACADM command support.

•

Built-in connect command connecting to the serial console of servers and I/O module; also available
as racadm connect.

•

Command line editing and history.

•

Session timeout control on all console interfaces.

CMC Command Line Interface Commands
When you connect to the CMC command line, you can enter these commands:
Table 20. CMC Command Line Commands

Command

Description

racadm

RACADM commands begin with the keyword
racadm, and then followed by a subcommand. For
more information, see Chassis Management
Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM
Command Line Reference Guide.

connect

Connects to the serial console of a server or I/O
module. For more information, see Connecting to
Servers or I/O Module Using Connect Command.
NOTE: You can also use the connect
RACADM command.

exit, logout, and quit

All the commands perform the same action. They
end the current session and return to a login
commond line interface.

137

Using Telnet Console With CMC
You can have up to four Telnet sessions with CMC at a time.
If your management station is running Microsoft Windows XP or Microsoft Windows Server 2003, you
may experience an issue with the characters in a CMC Telnet session. This issue may occur as a frozen
login where the return key does not respond and the password prompt does not appear.
To fix this issue, download hotfix 824810 from support.microsoft.com. For more information, you can
also see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 824810.

Using SSH With CMC
SSH is a command line session that includes the same capabilities as a Telnet session, but with session
negotiation and encryption to improve security. CMC supports SSH version 2 with password
authentication. SSH is enabled on the CMC by default.
NOTE: CMC does not support SSH version 1.
When an error occurs during the CMC login, the SSH client issues an error message. The message text is
dependent on the client and is not controlled by CMC. Review the RACLog messages to determine the
cause of the failure.
NOTE: OpenSSH must be run from a VT100 or ANSI terminal emulator on Windows. You can also
run OpenSSH using Putty.exe. Running OpenSSH at the Windows command prompt does not
provide full functionality (that is, some keys do not respond and no graphics are displayed). On
servers that run Linux, run SSH client services to connect to CMC with any shell.
Four simultaneous SSH sessions are supported at a time. The session timeout is controlled by the
cfgSsnMgtSshIdleTimeout property. For more information about the RACADM commands, see the
Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide
available at dell.com/support/Manuals.
CMC also supports Public Key Authentication (PKA) over SSH. This authentication method improves SSH
scripting automation by removing the need to embed or prompt for user ID/password. For more
information, see Configuring Public Key Authentication over SSH.
SSH is enabled by default. If SSH is disabled, then you can enable it using any other supported interface.
To configure SSH, see Configuring Services.

Supported SSH Cryptography Schemes
To communicate with CMC using SSH protocol, it supports multiple cryptography schemes listed in the
following table.
Table 21. Cryptography Schemes

Scheme Type

Scheme

Asymmetric Cryptography

Diffie-Hellman DSA/DSS 512–1024 (random) bits per NIST
specification

Symmetric Cryptography

•
•
•

138

AES256-CBC
RIJNDAEL256-CBC
AES192-CBC

Scheme Type

Scheme
•
•
•
•
•
•

RIJNDAEL192-CBC
AES128-CBC
RIJNDAEL128-CBC
BLOWFISH-128-CBC
3DES-192-CBC
ARCFOUR-128

Message Integrity

•
•
•
•

HMAC-SHA1-160
HMAC-SHA1-96
HMAC-MD5-128
HMAC-MD5-96

Authentication

Password

Configure Public Key Authentication Over SSH
You can configure up to six public keys that can be used with the service username over an SSH
interface. Before adding or deleting public keys, make sure to use the view command to see what keys
are already set up, so that a key is not accidentally overwritten or deleted. The service username is a
special user account that can be used when accessing the CMC through SSH. When the PKA over SSH is
set up and used correctly, you need not enter username or passwords to log in to the CMC. This can be
very useful to set up automated scripts to perform various functions.
NOTE: There is no GUI support for managing this feature, you can use only the RACADM.
When adding new public keys, make sure that the existing keys are not already at the index, where the
new key is added. CMC does not perform checks to ensure previous keys are deleted before a new one is
added. As soon as a new key is added, it is automatically in effect as long as the SSH interface is enabled.
When using the public key comment section of the public key, remember that only the first 16 characters
are utilized by the CMC. The public key comment is used by the CMC to distinguish SSH users when
using the RACADM getssninfo command, because all the PKA users use the service username to log in.
For example, if two public keys are set up one with comment PC1 and one with comment PC2:
racadm getssninfo
Type
User IP Address
Date/Time
SSH
PC1
x.x.x.x
09:00:00
SSH
PC2
x.x.x.x
09:00:00

For more information about the sshpkauth, see the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge
VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide.

Generating Public Keys for Systems Running Windows
Before adding an account, a public key is required from the system that accesses the CMC over SSH.
There are two ways to generate the public/private key pair: using PuTTY Key Generator application for
clients running Windows or ssh-keygen CLI for clients running Linux.
This section describes simple instructions to generate a public/private key pair for both applications. For
additional or advanced usage of these tools, see the application Help.

139

To use the PuTTY Key Generator to create a basic key for clients running Windows:
1.

Start the application and select SSH-2 RSA or SSH-2 DSA for the type of key to generate (SSH-1 is not
supported).

Enter the number of bits for the key. The number should be between 768 and 4096.
NOTE: CMC may not display a message if you add keys less than 768 or greater than 4096, but
when you try to log in, these keys it fails.

Click Generate and move the mouse in the window as directed.
After the key is created, you can modify the key comment field.
You can also enter a passphrase to make the key secure. Ensure that you save the private key.

You have two options for using the public key:
– Save the public key to a file to upload later.
– Copy and paste the text from the Public key for pasting window when adding the account using
the text option.

Generating Public Keys for Systems Running Linux
The ssh-keygen application for Linux clients is a command line tool with no graphical user interface.
Open a terminal window and at the shell prompt type:
ssh-keygen –t rsa –b 1024 –C testing
where,
–t must be dsa or rsa.
–b specifies the bit encryption size between 768 and 4096.
–c allows modifying the public key comment and is optional.
The is optional. After the command completes, use the public file to pass to the RACADM
for uploading the file.

RACADM Syntax Notes for CMC
When using the racadm sshpkauth command, ensure the following:
•

For the –i option, the parameter must be svcacct. All other parameters for -i fail in CMC. The
svcacct is a special account for public key authentication over SSH in CMC.

•

To log in to the CMC, the user must be service. Users of the other categories do have access to the
public keys entered using the sshpkauth command.

Viewing Public Keys
To view the public keys that you have added to the CMC, type:
racadm sshpkauth –i svcacct –k all –v
To view one key at a time, replace all with a number from 1 – 6. For example, to view key 2, type:
racadm sshpkauth –i svcacct –k 2 –v

Adding Public Keys
To add a public key to the CMC using the file upload -f option, at the commond line interface console,
enter:
racadm sshpkauth –i svcacct –k 1 –p 0xfff –f
NOTE: You can use only the file upload option with remote RACADM. For more information, see
Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide.

140

To add a public key using the text upload option, enter:
racadm sshpkauth –i svcacct –k 1 –p 0xfff –t “”

Deleting Public Keys
To delete a public key, run the following command:
racadm sshpkauth –i svcacct –k 1 –d
To delete all public keys, run the following command:
racadm sshpkauth –i svcacct –k all –d

Configuring Terminal Emulation Software
CMC supports a serial text console from a management station running one of the following types of
terminal emulation software:
•

Linux Minicom.

•

Hilgraeve’s HyperTerminal Private Edition (version 6.3).

Complete the tasks in the following subsections to configure the required type of terminal software.

Configuring Linux Minicom
Minicom is a serial port access utility for Linux. The following steps are valid for configuring Minicom
version 2.0. Other Minicom versions may differ slightly, but require the same basic settings. To configure
other versions of Minicom, see the information in the section Required Minicom Settings of this User's
Guide.

Configuring Minicom Version 2.0
NOTE: For best results, set the cfgSerialConsoleColumns property to match the number of
columns. Be aware that the prompt consumes two characters. For example, for an 80-column
terminal window:
racadm config –g cfgSerial –o
cfgSerialConsoleColumns 80.
1.

If you do not have a Minicom configuration file, go to the next step. If you have a Minicom
configuration file, type minicom, and then go to step 12.

At the Linux command prompt, type minicom -s.

Select Serial Port Setup and press .

Press , and then select the appropriate serial device (for example, /dev/ttyS0).

Press , and then set the Bps/Par/Bits option to 115200 8N1.

Press , and then set Hardware Flow Control to Yes and set Software Flow Control to No. To exit
the Serial Port Setup menu, press .

Select Modem and Dialing and press .

In the Modem Dialing and Parameter Setup menu, press to clear the init, reset,
connect, and hangup settings so that they are blank, and then press to save each blank
value.

When all specified fields are clear, press to exit the Modem Dialing and Parameter Setup
menu.

10. Select Exit From Minicom and press .
11. At the command shell prompt, type minicom .

141

12. To exit Minicom, press , , .
Make sure that the Minicom window displays a login prompt. When the login prompt appears, your
connection is successful. You are now ready to login and access the CMC command line interface.

Required Minicom Settings
See the following table to configure any version of Minicom.
Table 22. Minicom Settings

Setting Description

Required Setting

Bps/Par/Bits

115200 8N1

Hardware flow control

Yes

Software flow control

Terminal emulation

ANSI

Modem dialing and parameter
settings

Clear the init, reset, connect, and hangup settings so that they are
blank

Connecting to Servers or I/O Module Using Connect
Command
CMC can establish a connection to redirect the serial console of a server or I/O module.
For servers, serial console redirection can be accomplished using:
•

CMC command line interface (CLI) or the RACADM connect command. For more information about
running the RACADM commands, see the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX
RACADM Command Line Reference Guide.

•

iDRAC Web interface serial console redirection feature.

•

iDRAC Serial Over LAN (SOL) functionality.

In a serial, Telnet, SSH console, CMC supports the connect command to establish a serial connection to
a server or I/O module. The server serial console contains both the BIOS boot and setup screens, and the
operating system serial console. For the I/O module, the switch serial console is available. There is a
single IOM on the chassis.
CAUTION: When run 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) will not result in you exiting the application.
NOTE: If the 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 <\>.
To connect to an IOM:
connect switch-n
where n is an IOM label A1.

142

When you reference the IOM in the connect command, the IOM is mapped to switch as shown in the
following table.
Table 23. Mapping IO Module to Switches

IO Module Label

Switch

switch-a1 or switch- 1
NOTE: At a time, there can be only one IOM connection per chassis.
NOTE: You cannot connect to pass-throughs from the serial console.

To connect to a managed-server serial console, run the command connect server-n, where n is 1–4.
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, the No route to host error message is displayed.
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 80×25. Otherwise, the characters on the
page are not properly displayed.
NOTE: All keys do not work on the BIOS setup pages. Therefore, provide appropriate keyboard
shortcuts for and others. The initial redirection screen displays the necessary
keyboard shortcuts.

Configuring the Managed Server BIOS for Serial Console Redirection
You can use a Remote Console session to connect to the managed system using the iDRAC7 web
interface (see the iDRAC7 User’s Guide on dell.com/support/manuals).
By default, the Serial communication in the BIOS is turned off. To redirect host text console data to Serial
over LAN, you must enable console redirection through COM1. To change the BIOS setting:
1.

Turn on the managed server.

Press the key to enter the BIOS setup utility during POST.

Go to Serial Communication , and then press . In the dialog box, the serial communication
list displays the following options:
– off
– on without console redirection
– on with console redirection via COM1
To navigate between these options, press the appropriate arrow keys.
NOTE: Make sure that the On with console redirection via COM1 option is selected.

Enable Redirection After Boot (default value is disabled). This option enables BIOS console
redirection across subsequent reboots.

Save the changes and exit.
The managed system restarts.

143

Configuring Windows for Serial Console Redirection
There is no configuration necessary for servers running the Microsoft Windows Server versions, starting
with Windows Server 2003. Windows receives information from the BIOS, and enable the Special
Administration Console (SAC) console one COM1.

Configuring Linux for Server Serial Console Redirection During Boot
The following steps are specific to the Linux GRand Unified Bootloader (GRUB). Similar changes are
necessary for using a different boot loader.
NOTE: When you configure the client VT100 emulation window, set the window or application that
is displaying the redirected console to 25 rows×80 columns to make sure proper text is displayed.
Else, some text screens will appear distorted.
Edit the /etc/grub.conf file as follows:
1.

Locate the general setting sections in the file and type the following two new lines:
serial --unit=1 --speed=57600
terminal --timeout=10 serial

Append two options to the kernel line:
kernel console=ttyS1,57600

144

If the /etc/grub.conf contains a splashimage directive, comment it out.
The following example shows the changes described in this procedure.
# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making
changes
# to this file
# NOTICE: You do not have a /boot partition. This
means that
# all kernel and initrd paths are relative to
/, e.g.
# root (hd0,0)
# kernel /boot/vmlinuz-version ro root=
/dev/sdal
# initrd /boot/initrd-version.img
#
#boot=/dev/sda
default=0
timeout=10
#splashimage=(hd0,2)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
serial --unit=1 --speed=57600
terminal --timeout=10 serial
title Red Hat Linux Advanced Server (2.4.9-e.3smp)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.9-e.3smp ro root=
/dev/sda1 hda=ide-scsi console=ttyS0 console=
ttyS1,57600
initrd /boot/initrd-2.4.9-e.3smp.img
title Red Hat Linux Advanced Server-up (2.4.9-e.3)
root (hd0,00)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.9-e.3 ro root=/dev/sda1
initrd /boot/initrd-2.4.9-e.3.img
When you edit the /etc/grub.conf file, follow these guidelines:
– Disable GRUB's graphical interface and use the text-based interface. Else, the GRUB screen is not
displayed in console redirection. To disable the graphical interface, comment out the line starting
with splashimage.
– To start multiple GRUB options to start console sessions through the serial connection, add the
following line to all options:
console=ttyS1,57600
The example shows console=ttyS1,57600 added to only the first option.

Configuring Linux for Server Serial Console Redirection After Boot
Edit the /etc/inittab file as follows:
Add a new line to configure agetty on the COM2 serial port:
co:2345:respawn:/sbin/agetty -h -L 57600 ttyS1
ansi
The following example shows the file with the new line.
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#

inittab This file describes how the INIT process
should set up the system in a certain
run-level.
Author: Miquel van Smoorenburg
Modified for RHS Linux by Marc Ewing and
Donnie Barnes

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#
# Default runlevel. The runlevels used by RHS are:
# 0 - halt (Do NOT set initdefault to this)
# 1 - Single user mode
# 2 - Multiuser, without NFS (The same as 3, if you
# do not have networking)
# 3 - Full multiuser mode
# 4 - unused
# 5 - X11
# 6 - reboot (Do NOT set initdefault to this)
#
id:3:initdefault:
# System initialization.
si::sysinit:/etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit
l0:0:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 0
l1:1:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 1
l2:2:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 2
l3:3:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 3
l4:4:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 4
l5:5:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 5
l6:6:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 6
# Things to run in every runlevel.
ud::once:/sbin/update
# Trap CTRL-ALT-DELETE
ca::ctrlaltdel:/sbin/shutdown -t3 -r now
# When our UPS tells us power has failed, assume we
have a few
# minutes of power left. Schedule a shutdown for 2
minutes from now.
# This does, of course, assume you have power
installed and your
# UPS is connected and working correctly.
pf::powerfail:/sbin/shutdown -f -h +2 "Power Failure;
System Shutting Down"
# If power was restored before the shutdown kicked in,
cancel it.
pr:12345:powerokwait:/sbin/shutdown -c "Power
Restored; Shutdown Cancelled"
# Run gettys in standard runlevels
co:2345:respawn:/sbin/agetty -h -L 57600 ttyS1 ansi
1:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty1
2:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty2
3:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty3
4:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty4
5:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty5
6:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty6
# Run xdm in runlevel 5
# xdm is now a separate service
x:5:respawn:/etc/X11/prefdm -nodaemon
Edit the /etc/securettyfile as follows:
Add a new line, with the name of the serial tty for COM2:
ttyS1
The following example shows a sample file with the new line.
vc/1
vc/2
vc/3
vc/4
vc/5
vc/6

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vc/7
vc/8
vc/9
vc/10
vc/11
tty1
tty2
tty3
tty4
tty5
tty6
tty7
tty8
tty9
tty10
tty11
ttyS1

147

148

Using FlexAddress and FlexAdress Plus
Cards

This section provides information about FlexAddress, FlexAddress Plus Cards, and configuring and using
these the cards.
NOTE: An Enterprise License must be installed on the CMC to use the Flexaddress feature.

About FlexAddress
The FlexAddress feature is an optional upgrade that allows server modules to replace the factoryassigned World Wide Name and Media Access Control (WWN/MAC) network IDs with WWN/MAC IDs
provided by the chassis.
Every server module is assigned unique WWN and/or MAC IDs as part of the manufacturing process.
Before FlexAddress, if you had to replace one server module with another, the WWN/MAC IDs changes
and Ethernet network management tools and SAN resources had to be reconfigured to identify the new
server module.
FlexAddress allows CMC to assign WWN/MAC IDs to a particular slot and override the factory IDs. Hence,
if the server module is replaced, the slotbased WWN/MAC IDs remain the same. This feature eliminates
the need to reconfigure Ethernet network management tools and SAN resources for a new server
module.
Additionally, the override action only occurs when a server module is inserted in a FlexAddress enabled
chassis; no permanent changes are made to the server module. If a server module is moved to a chassis
that does not support FlexAddress, the factory-assigned WWN/MAC IDs is used.
The FlexAddress feature card contains a range of MAC addresses. Before installing FlexAddress, you can
determine the range of MAC addresses contained on a FlexAddress feature card by inserting the SD card
into an USB Memory Card Reader and viewing the pwwn_mac.xml file. This clear text XML file on the SD
card contains an XML tag mac_start that is the first starting hex MAC address that is used for this unique
MAC address range. The mac_count tag is the total number of MAC addresses that the SD card allocates.
The total MAC range allocated can be determined by:
+ 0xCF (208 - 1) = mac_end
where 208 is the mac_count and the formula is:
+

- 1 =

For example:
(starting_mac)00188BFFDCFA + 0xCF = (ending_mac)00188BFFDDC9
.
NOTE: Lock the SD card prior to inserting in the USB Memory Card Reader to prevent accidently
modifying any of the contents. You must unlock the SD card before inserting into CMC.

149

About FlexAddress Plus
The FlexAddress Plus is a new feature added to the feature card version 2.0. It is an upgrade from
FlexAddress feature card version 1.0. FlexAddress Plus contains more MAC addresses than the
FlexAddress feature. Both features allow the chassis to assign World Wide Name/Media Access Control
(WWN/MAC) addresses to Fibre Channel and Ethernet devices. Chassis assigned WWN/MAC addresses
are globally unique and specific to a server slot.

Activating FlexAddress
FlexAddress is delivered on a Secure Digital (SD) card that must be inserted into CMC to activate the
feature. To activate a FlexAddress feature, software updates may be required. If you are not activating
FlexAddress, these updates are not required. The updates (listed in the following table) include server
module BIOS and CMC firmware. You must apply these updates before you enable FlexAddress. If these
updates are not applied, the FlexAddress feature may not function as expected.
NOTE: FlexAddress cannot be activated on the DELL monolithic servers.
Table 24. Prerequisites for Activating FlexAddress

Component
Server Module BIOS

Minimum Required Version
•
•
•

M820
M620
M520
NOTE: The BIOS version for M520, M620, and M820 must be
1.7.6 or later.
NOTE: In case of a full–height server, Flex address is not
supported for the extension slots.

iDRAC7

Version 1.40.40 and later

LC–USC

Version 1.1.5 and later

CMC

Version 1.0 or later

To make sure proper deployment of the FlexAddress feature, update the BIOS and the firmware in the
following order:
1.

Update the server module BIOS.

Update iDRAC firmware on the server module.

Update all CMC firmware in the chassis; if redundant CMCs are present, make sure both are updated.

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Insert the SD card into the passive module for a redundant CMC module system or into the single
CMC module for a non-redundant system.
For instructions about the SD card installation, see the Chassis Management Controller (CMC) Secure
Digital (SD) Card Technical Specification document.
NOTE: The SD card contains a FlexAddress feature. Data contained on the SD card is encrypted
and may not be duplicated or altered in any manner, because it may inhibit system function and
cause the system to not function properly.
NOTE: The use of a SD card is limited to one chassis only. If you have multiple chassis, you
must purchase additional SD cards.
Activation of the FlexAddress feature is automatic on restart of CMC with the SD feature card
installed. This activation causes the feature to bind to the current chassis. If you have the SD card
installed on the redundant CMC, activation of the FlexAddress feature does not occur until the
redundant CMC is made active. For information about making a redundant CMC active, see the
Chassis Management Controller (CMC) Secure Digital (SD) Card Technical Specification document.
When CMC restarts, verify the activation process. For more information about activating FlexAddress,
see Verifying Flexddress Activation.

Activating FlexAddress Plus
FlexAddress Plus is delivered on the FlexAddress Plus Secure Digital (SD) card along with the FlexAddress
feature.
NOTE: The SD card labeled FlexAddress contains only the FlexAddressess and the card labeled
FlexAddress Plus contains FlexAddress and FlexAddress Plus. The card must be inserted into CMC to
activate the feature.
Some servers may require more MAC addresses than FA can provide to CMC, on the basis of how they
are configured. For these servers, upgrading to FlexAddress Plus enables full optimization of the WWN/
MACs configuration. Contact Dell to obtain support for the FlexAddress Plus feature.
To activate the FlexAddress Plus feature, the following software updates are required: server BIOS, server
iDRAC, and CMC firmware. If these updates are not applied, only the FlexAddress feature is available. For
information about the minimum required versions of these components, see the Dell Chassis
Management Controller (CMC) for Dell PowerEdge VRTX Version 1.00 Release Notes at dell.com/
support/manuals.

Verifying FlexAddress Activation
A Feature Card contains one or more of the following features: FlexAddress, FlexAddress Plus, and/or
Extended Storage.
To view the chassis FlexAddress status using the CMC web interface, click Chassis Overview → Setup.
The General Chassis Settings page is displayed.
The FlexAddress has a value Active or Not Active. The value Active indicates that the feature is installed
on the chassis and Not Active indicates that the feature is not installed and not in use on the chassis.
Run the following RACADM command to verify the SD feature card and its status:
racadm featurecard -s

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Table 25. Status Messages Returned by the featurecard -s Command

Status Message

Actions

No feature card inserted.

Check CMC to verify that the SD card was properly
inserted. In a redundant CMC configuration, ensure
that the CMC with the SD feature card installed is
the active CMC and not the standby CMC.

The feature card inserted is valid and
contains the following feature(s)
FlexAddress: bound.

No action required.

The feature card inserted is valid and
contains the following feature(s)
FlexAddress: bound to another chassis,
svctag=ABC1234, SD card SN =
1122334455.

Remove the SD card; locate and install the SD card
for the current chassis.

The feature card inserted is valid and
contains the following feature(s)
FlexAddress: not bound.

The feature card can be moved to another chassis
or can be reactivated on the current chassis. To
reactivate on the current chassis, enter racadm
racreset until the CMC module with the feature
card installed becomes active.

Use the following RACADM command to display all activated features on the chassis:
racadm feature -s
The command returns the following status message:
Feature = FlexAddress
Date Activated = 8 April 2008 - 10:39:40
Feature installed from SD-card SN = 01122334455
If there are no active features on the chassis, the command returns a message:
racadm feature -s
No features active on the chassis
Dell Feature Cards may contain more than one feature. Once any feature included on a Dell Feature Card
has been activated on a chassis, any other features that may be included on that Dell Feature Card
cannot be activated on a different chassis. In this case, the racadm feature -s command displays the
following message for the affected features:
ERROR: One or more features on the SD card are active on another chassis
For more information on the feature and featurecard commands, see the Chassis Management
Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide.

Deactivating FlexAddress
The FlexAddress feature can be deactivated and the SD card returned to a pre-installation state by using a
RACADM command. There is no deactivation function within the Web interface. Deactivation returns the
SD card to its original state where it can be installed and activated in another chassis. The term
FlexAddress, in this context, implies both FlexAddress and FlexAddressPlus.
NOTE: The SD card must be physically installed in CMC, and the chassis must be turned off before
running the deactivation command.

152

If you run the deactivation command without installing an SD card, or with a card from a different chassis
installed, the feature is deactivated and change is not made to the card.
To deactivate the FlexAddress feature and restore the SD card:
racadm feature -d -c flexaddress
The command returns the following status message if it is successfully deactivated:
feature FlexAddress is deactivated on the chassis successfully.
If the chassis is not turned off before running the command, the command throws the following error:
ERROR: Unable to deactivate the feature because the chassis is powered ON
For further information about the command, see the feature command section of the Chassis
Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide.

Viewing FlexAddress Information
You can view status information for the entire chassis or for an individual server. The information
displayed includes:
•

Fabric configuration.

•

FlexAddress is active or not active.

•

Slot number and name.

•

Chassis-assigned and server-assigned addresses.

•

Addresses in use.

Viewing FlexAddress Information For Chassis
FlexAddress status information can be displayed for the entire chassis. The status information includes
whether the feature is active and an overview of the FlexAddress status for each server.
Run the following RACADM command to display FlexAddress status for the entire chassis:
racadm getflexaddr
To display FlexAddress status for a particular slot:
racadm getflexaddr [-i ]
where is a value from 1–4.
For additional information about the getflexaddr command, see the Chassis Management Controller for
PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide.

Viewing FlexAddress Information For All Servers
To view FlexAddress status for all the servers, click Server Overview → Properties → WWN/MAC.
The WWN/MAC Summary page displays information about the following :
•

WWN configuration

•

MAC addresses for all the slots in the chassis

Fabric
Configuration

Fabric A displays the type of the Input/Output fabric installed.
iDRAC displays the server management MAC address.

153

NOTE: If Fabric A is enabled, unpopulated slots display chassis-assigned MAC
addresses for Fabric A.
WWN/MAC
Addresses

Displays FlexAddress configuration for each slot in the chassis. Information displayed
includes:
•
•
•
•

Slot number and location.
FlexAddress is active or not active.
Fabric type.
Server-assigned and chassis-assigned WWN/MAC addresses in use.

A green check mark indicates the active address type, either server-assigned or
chassis-assigned.
NOTE: iDRAC management controller is not a fabric, but its FlexAddress is
considered as a fabric.
For information about the fields, see the Online Help.

Viewing FlexAddress Information for Individual Servers
To view FlexAddress information for a particular server using the CMC Web interface:
1.

In the left pane, expand Server Overview.
All the servers inserted in the chassis are listed.

Click the server you want to view.

Click the Setup tab, and then click FlexAddress.

The Server Status page is displayed.
The FlexAddress page is displayed that provides the WWN configuration and MAC addresses for the
selected server. For more information, see the Online Help.

Configuring FlexAddress
FlexAddress is an optional upgrade that allows server modules to replace the factory-assigned
WWN/MAC ID with a WWN/MAC ID provided by the chassis.
NOTE: In this section, the term FlexAddress also indicates FlexAddress Plus.
NOTE: By using the racresetcfg subcommand, you can reset the Flex Address of a CMC to its
factory-default setting, which is “disabled”. The RACADM syntax is:
racadm racresetcfg -c flex
For more information about the FlexAddress-related RACADM commands and data about the other
factory-default properties, see the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM
Command Line Reference Guide available at dell.com/support/manuals.
You must purchase and install the FlexAddress upgrade to configure the FlexAddress. If the upgrade is not
purchased and installed, the following text is displayed on the Web interface:
Optional feature not installed. See the Dell Chassis Management Controller
Users Guide for information on the chassis-based WWN and MAC address
administration feature. To purchase this feature, please contact Dell at
www.dell.com.
If you purchase FlexAddress with your chassis, it is installed and active when you turn on your system. If
you purchase FlexAddress separately, you must install the SD feature card using the instructions in the

154

Chassis Management Controller (CMC) Secure Digital (SD) Card Technical Specification document
available at dell.com/support/manuals.
The server must be turned off before you begin configuration. You can enable or disable FlexAddress on
a per-fabric–basis. Additionally, you can enable or disable the feature on a per-slot–basis. After you
enable the feature on a per-fabric–basis, you can select slots to be enabled. For example, if Fabric-A is
enabled, any slots that are enabled have FlexAddress enabled only on Fabric-A. All other fabrics use the
factory-assigned WWN/MAC on the server.

Wake-On-LAN with FlexAddress
When the FlexAddress feature is deployed for the first time on a given server module, it requires a powerdown and power-up sequence for FlexAddress to take effect. FlexAddress on Ethernet devices is
programmed by the server module BIOS. For the server module BIOS to program the address, it needs to
be operational which requires the server module to be powered up. When the power-down and powerup sequences complete, the chassis-assigned MAC IDs are available for Wake-On-LAN (WOL) function.

Configuring FlexAddress for Chassis-Level Fabric and Slots
At the chassis level, you can enable or disable the FlexAddress feature for fabrics and slots. FlexAddress is
enabled on a per-fabric–basis and then slots are selected for participation in the feature. Both fabrics and
slots must be enabled to successfully configure FlexAddress.

Configuring FlexAddress for Chassis-Level Fabric and Slots Using CMC Web Interface
If a server is present in the slot, turn it off before enabling the FlexAddress feature on that slot.
To enable or disable fabric and slots to use the FlexAddress feature using the CMC Web interface:
1.

In the left pane, click Server Overview → Setup → FlexAddress..

On the Deploy FlexAddress page, in the Select Fabrics for Chassis-Assigned WWN/MACs section,
select the fabric type (Fabric-A or iDRAC) to which you want to enable FlexAddress. To disable, clear
the option.

On the Select Slots for Chassis-Assigned WWN/MACs page, select the Enabled option for the slot to
which you want to enable FlexAddress. To disable, clear the option.
NOTE: Note the following:
– If a slot is not selected, FlexAddress is not enabled for the selected fabric.
– When none of the fabrics are selected and a server slot is selected and applied, the
following message is displayed No fabrics selected! FlexAddress will not be
used on this chassis. Select both the fabric and the slot to successfully configure
FlexAddress.
– Configuring Flexaddress for slave slot is not allowed. The option is greyed out in the CMC
Web interface. The Ethernet devices associated with the slave slot of the server, inherits the
master slot configuration.

To save the settings, click Apply.

Configuring FlexAddress for Chassis-Level Fabric and Slots Using RACADM
To enable or disable fabrics, use the following RACADM command:
racadm setflexaddr [-f ]
where, = A or iDRAC and = 0 or 1
0 is disable and 1 is enable.

155

To enable or disable slots, use the following RACADM command:
racadm setflexaddr [-i
where, = 1 or 4 and = 0 or 1
0 is disable and 1 is enable.
For more information about the setflexaddr command, see the Chassis Management Controller for
PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide.
NOTE: If you purchase the FlexAddress or FlexAddressPlus feature with your Dell PowerEdge VRTX,
it is pre-installed and enabled for all slots and fabrics. To purchase this feature, contact Dell at
dell.com.
NOTE: By using the racresetcfg subcommand, you can reset the Flex Address of a CMC to its
factory-default setting, which is “disabled”. The RACADM syntax is:
racadm racresetcfg -c flex
For more information about the FlexAddress-related RACADM commands and data about the other
factory-default properties, see the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM
Command Line Reference Guide available at dell.com/support/manuals.

Viewing World Wide Name/Media Access Control (WWN/MAC) IDs
The WWN/MAC Summary page allows you to view the WWN configuration and MAC address of a slot in
the chassis.

Fabric Configuration
The Fabric Configuration section displays the type of Input/Output fabric that is installed for Fabric A. A
green check mark indicates that the fabric is enabled for FlexAddress. The FlexAddress feature is used to
deploy chassis assigned and slot persistent WWN/MAC addresses to various fabrics and slots within the
chassis. This feature is enabled on a per-fabric and per-slot–basis.
NOTE: For more information about the FlexAddress feature, see About FlexAddress.

Command Messages
The following table lists the RACADM commands and output for common FlexAddress situations.
Table 26. FlexAddress Commands and Output

Situation

Command

Output

SD card in the active CMC
module is bound to another
service tag.

$racadm featurecard -s

The feature card inserted
is valid and contains the
following feature(s)
FlexAddress: bound to
another chassis, svctag =
SD
card SN =

SD card in the active CMC
module that is bound to the
same service tag.

$racadm featurecard -s

The feature card inserted
is valid and contains the
following feature(s)
FlexAddress: bound

156

Situation

Command

Output

SD card in the active CMC
module that is not bound to any
service tag.

$racadm featurecard -s

The feature card inserted
is valid and contains the
following feature(s)
FlexAddress:not bound

FlexAddress feature not active on
the chassis for any reason (No SD
card inserted/ corrupt SD card/
after feature deactivated /SD card
bound to a different chassis).

$racadm setflexaddr [-f
]
$racadm setflexaddr [-i
]

ERROR: Flexaddress
feature is not active on
the chassis

Guest user attempts to set
FlexAddress on slots/fabrics.

$racadm setflexaddr [-f
]
$racadm setflexaddr [-i
]

ERROR: Insufficient user
privileges to perform
operation

Deactivating FlexAddress feature
with chassis powered ON.

$racadm feature -d -c
flexaddress

ERROR: Unable to
deactivate the feature
because the chassis is
powered ON

Guest user tries to deactivate the
feature on the chassis.

$racadm feature -d -c
flexaddress

ERROR: Insufficient user
privileges to perform
operation

$racadm setflexaddr -i 1
Changing the slot/fabric
1
FlexAddress settings while the
server modules are powered ON.

ERROR: Unable to perform
the set operation because
it affects a powered ON
server

Changing the Flexaddress
settings of slot or fabric, when
the CMC Enterprise License is
not installed.

ERROR: SWC0242 : A
required license is
missing or expired.
Obtain an appropriate
license and try again, or
contact your service
provider for additional
details.

$racadm setflexaddr i
$racadm setflexaddr f

NOTE: To resolve this issue,
you must have a
FlexAddress Enablement
license.

FlexAddress DELL SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT
This is a legal agreement between you, the user, and Dell Products L.P. or Dell Global B.V. ("Dell"). This
agreement covers all software that is distributed with the Dell product, for which there is no separate
license agreement between you and the manufacturer or owner of the software (collectively the
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intellectual property rights in and to Software is owned by the manufacturer or owner of the Software. All
rights not expressly granted under this agreement are reserved by the manufacturer or owner of the
Software. By opening or breaking the seal on the Software packet(s), installing or downloading the
Software, or using the Software that has been preloaded or is embedded in your product, you agree to be

157

bound by the terms of this agreement. If you do not agree to these terms, promptly return all Software
items (disks, written materials, and packaging) and delete any preloaded or embedded Software.
You may use one copy of the Software on only one computer at a time. If you have multiple licenses for
the Software, you may use as many copies at any time as you have licenses. "Use" means loading the
Software in temporary memory or permanent storage on the computer. Installation on a network server
solely for distribution to other computers is not "use" if (but only if) you have a separate license for each
computer to which the Software is distributed. You must ensure that the number of persons using the
Software installed on a network server does not exceed the number of licenses that you have. If the
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hereby grant Dell, or an agent selected by Dell, the right to perform an audit of your use of the Software
during normal business hours, you agree to cooperate with Dell in such audit, and you agree to provide
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Using FlexAddress and FlexAdress Plus Cards or copy the written materials accompanying the Software,
but you may transfer the Software and all accompanying materials on a permanent basis as part of a sale
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Dell warrants that the Software disks is free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use
for ninety (90) days from the date you receive them. This warranty is limited to you and is not
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return of the price paid for the Software or (b) replacement of any disk not meeting this warranty that is
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disk damage has resulted from accident, abuse, misapplication, or service or modification by someone
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Dell does NOT warrant that the functions of the Software meets your requirements or that operation of
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DELL, ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND ITS SUPPLIERS, DISCLAIMS ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR
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The software and documentation are "commercial items" as that term is defined at 48 C.F.R. 2.101,
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agreement. Because this waiver may not be effective in some jurisdictions, this waiver may not apply to
you. You acknowledge that you have read this agreement, that you understand it, that you agree to be
bound by its terms, and that this is the complete and exclusive statement of the agreement between you
and Dell regarding the Software.

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Managing Fabrics

The chassis supports a fabric type, which is Fabric A. Fabric A is used by the single I/O Module, and is
always connected to the on-board Ethernet adapters of the servers.
The chassis has only one I/O module (IOM), where the IOM is a pass-through or switch module. The I/O
Module is classified as group A.
Chassis IOM uses a discrete data path called Fabric, and it is named A. The Fabric A supports only
Ethernet. Each server IO adapter (Mezzanine Card or LOM) can have either two or four ports depending
on the capability. The mezzanine card slots are occupied by PCIe extension cards that are connected to
PCIe cards (and not to IO modules). When you deploy the Ethernet, iSCSI, or FibreChannel networks,
span their redundant links across banks one and two for maximum availability. The discrete IOM is
identified with a fabric identifier.
NOTE: In the CMC CLI, the IOM is referred to by the convention, switch.

Invalid Configurations
There are three types of invalid configurations:
•

Invalid MC or LOM configuration, where a newly installed fabric type of the server is different from the
existing IOM fabric, that is, a single server’s LOM or MC is not supported by its corresponding IOM. In
this case, all the other servers in the chassis are running, but the server with the mismatched MC card
cannot be turned on. The power button on the server flashes Amber to alert a fabric mismatch.

•

Invalid IOM-MC configuration, where a newly installed fabric type of the I/O Module, and the resident
MC’s fabric types do not match or are incompatible. The mismatched IOM is held in the power-off
state. CMC adds an entry to CMC and hardware logs noting the invalid configuration and specifying
the IOM name. CMC causes the error LED on the offending IOM to blink. If CMC is configured to send
alerts, it sends email and/or SNMP alerts for this event.

•

Invalid IOM-IOM configuration, where a newly installed IOM has a different or incompatible fabric
type from an IOM already installed in its group. CMC holds the newly installed IOM in powered-off
state, causes the IOM’s error LED to blink, and logs entries in CMC and hardware logs about the
mismatch.

Fresh Power-up Scenario
When the chassis is plugged in and turned on, the I/O module has priority over the servers. The IOM is
allowed to turn on before the others. At this time, verification of their fabric types is not performed.
After the IOMs turn on, the servers turn on, and then CMC verifies the servers for fabric consistency.
A pass-through module and switch are allowed in the same group if their fabric is identical. Switches and
pass-through modules can exist in the same group even if they are manufactured by different vendors.

Monitoring IOM Health
For information about monitoring IOM health, see Viewing Information and Health Status of the IOM.

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Configuring Network Settings for IOM
You can specify the network settings for the interface used to manage the IOM. For Ethernet switches,
the out-of-band management port (IP address) is configured. The in-band management port (that is,
VLAN1) is not configured using this interface.
Before configuring the network settings for the IOM, make sure the IOM is turned on.
To configure the network setting of IOM in Group A, you must have the Fabric A Administrator privileges.
NOTE: For Ethernet switches, the in-band (VLAN1) and out-of-band management IP addresses
cannot be the same, or cannot be on the same network. This results in the out-of-band IP address
in being not set. See the IOM documentation for the default in-band management IP address.
NOTE: Do not configure I/O module network settings for Ethernet pass-through and Infiniband
switches.

Configuring Network Settings for IOM Using CMC Web Interface
To configure the network settings for I/O Module:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview, click I/O Module Overview, and then click Setup.
Alternatively, to configure the network settings of the only available I/O module that is A, click A
Gigabit Ethernet, and then click Setup.
On the Configure I/O Module Network Settings page, type appropriate data, and then click Apply.

If allowed, type the root password, SNMP RO Community string, and Syslog Server IP Address for the
IOM. For more information about the field descriptions, see the Online Help.
NOTE: The IP address set on the IOM from CMC is not saved to the permanent startup
configuration of the switch. To permanently save the IP address configuration, you must run
the connect switch command, or racadm connect switch RACADM command, or use a
direct interface to the IOM GUI to save this address to the startup configuration file.

Click Apply.
The network settings are configured for the IOM.
NOTE: If allowed, you can reset the VLANs, network properties, and IO ports to its default
configuration values.

Configuring Network Settings for IOM Using RACADM
To configure the network settings for an IOM by using RACADM, set the date and time. See the deploy
command section in the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line
Reference Guide.
You can set the user name, password, and SNMP string for the IOM using the RACADM deploy command:
racadm deploy -m switch -u -p
racadm deploy -m switch -u -p -v SNMPv2 ro
racadm deploy -a [server|switch] -u -p

Managing Power Control Operation for I/O Modules
For information to set the power control operation for I/O Module(s), see Executing Power Control
Operations on the IOM.

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Enabling or Disabling LED Blinking for I/O Modules
For information to enable LED blinking for I/O Module(s), see Configuring LEDs to Identify Components
on the Chassis.

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Managing and Monitoring Power

The Dell PowerEdge VRTX chassis is the most power-efficient modular server enclosure. It is designed to
include highly-efficient power supplies and fans, has an optimized layout for the air to flow more easily
through the system, and contains power-optimized components throughout the enclosure. The
optimized hardware design is coupled with sophisticated power management capabilities that are built
into the Chassis Management Controller (CMC), power supplies, and iDRAC to allow you to further
enhance power-efficient server environment.
The Power Management features of the PowerEdge VRTX help administrators configure the enclosure to
reduce power consumption and to adjust the power as required specific to the environment.
The PowerEdge VRTX modular enclosure consumes AC power and distributes the load across all active
internal power supply units (PSUs). The system can deliver upto 5000 Watts of AC power that is allocated
to server modules and the associated enclosure infrastructure. However, this capacity varies on the basis
of power redundancy policy you select.
The PowerEdge VRTX enclosure can be configured for any of the two redundancy policies that affect
PSU behavior and determine how chassis Redundancy state is reported to administrators.
You can also control Power management through OpenManage Power Center (OMPC). When OMPC
controls power externally, CMC continues to maintain:
•

Redundancy policy

•

Remote power logging

•

Dynamic power supply engagement (DPSE)

OMPC then manages:
•

Server power

•

Server priority

•

System Input Power Capacity

•

Maximum Power Conservation Mode
NOTE: Actual power delivery is on the basis of configuration and workload.

You can use the CMC web interface or RACADM to manage and configure power controls on CMC:
•

View power allocations, consumption, and status for the chassis, servers, and PSUs.

•

Configure power budget and redundancy policy for the chassis.

•

Execute power control operations (turn on, turn off, system reset, power-cycle) for the chassis.

Redundancy Policies
Redundancy policy is a configurable set of properties that determine how CMC manages power to the
chassis. The following redundancy policies are configurable with or without dynamic PSU engagement:
•

Grid redundancy

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•

Power supply redundancy

Grid Redundancy Policy
The purpose of the Grid redundancy policy is to enable a modular enclosure system to operate in a mode
in which it can tolerate AC power failures. These failures may originate in the AC power grid, the cabling
and delivery, or a PSU itself.
When you configure a system for Grid redundancy, the PSUs are divided into grids: PSUs in slots 1 and 2
are in the first grid while PSUs in slots 3 and 4 are in the second grid. CMC manages power so that if there
is a failure of either grid, the system continues to operate without any degradation. Grid redundancy also
tolerates failures of individual PSUs.
NOTE: One role of Grid redundancy is to provide seamless server operation despite failure of a
whole power grid, but the most power is available to maintain Grid redundancy when the capacities
of the two grids are approximately equal.
NOTE: Grid redundancy is only met when the load requirements do not exceed the capacity of the
weakest power grid.

Grid Redundancy Levels
One PSU in each grid is the minimum configuration necessary for use as grid redundant. Additional
configurations are possible with every combination that has at least one PSU in each grid. However, to
make the maximum power available for use, the total power of the PSUs in each leg should be as close to
equal as practical. The upper limit of power while maintaining Grid redundancy is the power available on
the weakest of the two grids.
If a CMC is unable to maintain Grid redundancy, an e-mail and/or SNMP alert is sent to administrators, if
the Redundancy Lost event is configured for alerting.
In the event of a single PSU not functioning in this configuration, the remaining PSUs in the problematic
grid are marked as online. In this state, any remaining PSUs can stop functioning without interrupting
operation of the system. If a PSU stops functioning, the chassis health is marked non-critical. If the
smaller grid cannot support the total chassis power allocations, then Grid redundancy status is reported
as No, and the health of chassis is displayed as Critical.

Power Supply Redundancy Policy
The power supply redundancy policy is useful when redundant power grids are not available, but you
may want to be protected against a single PSU failure bringing down your servers in a modular enclosure.
The highest capacity PSU is kept in online reserve for this purpose. This forms a Power Supply
redundancy pool.
PSUs beyond those required for power and redundancy are still available and is added to the pool in the
event of a failure.
Unlike Grid redundancy, when power supply redundancy is selected, CMC does not require the PSU units
to be present in any specific PSU slot positions.
NOTE: Dynamic Power Supply Engagement (DPSE) allows PSUs to be placed in standby. The
standby state indicates a physical state of PSUs that are not supplying power. When you enable
DPSE, the extra PSUs may be placed in Standby mode to increase efficiency and save power.

Dynamic Power Supply Engagement
By default, Dynamic Power Supply Engagement (DPSE) mode is disabled. DPSE saves power by
optimizing the power efficiency of the PSUs that supply power to the chassis. This also results in

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increased PSU life, and reduced heat generation. To use this feature, you must have an Enterprise
License.
CMC monitors total enclosure power allocation, and moves the PSUs into Standby state, causing the total
power allocation of the chassis to be delivered through fewer PSUs. As the online PSUs are more efficient
when running at higher utilization, it improves their efficiency and longevity of the standby PSUs.
To operate remaining PSUs at their maximum efficiency, use the following power redundancy modes:
•

PSU Redundancy mode with DPSE provides power efficiency. At least two supplies are online, with
one PSU required to power the configuration, and one to provide redundancy in case of a PSU failure.
PSU Redundancy mode offers protection against the failure of any one PSU, but offers no protection
in the event of an AC grid loss.

•

Grid Redundancy mode with DPSE, where at least two PSUs are active, one on each power grid. Grid
redundancy also balances the efficiency and maximum availability for a partially-loaded modular
enclosure configuration.

•

Disabling DPSE provides the lowest efficiency as all four supplies are active and share the load,
resulting in lower utilization of each power supply.

DPSE can be enabled for all two power supply redundancy configurations explained above — Power
Supply Redundancy, and Grid Redundancy.
NOTE: In a two PSU configuration modes, server load may prevent any PSU from changing to the
Standby mode.
•

In a Power Supply Redundancy configuration, in addition to the PSUs required to power the
enclosure, the enclosure always keeps an additional PSU powered on and marked Online. Power
utilization is monitored and one PSU can be moved to Standby state on the basis of overall system
load. In a four PSU configuration, a minimum of two PSUs are always turned on.
Because an enclosure in the Power Supply Redundancy configuration always has an extra PSU
engaged, the enclosure can accommodate the loss of one online PSU and still have enough power
for the installed server modules. The loss of the online PSU causes a standby PSU to come online.
Simultaneous failure of multiple PSUs may result in the loss of power to some server modules while
the standby PSUs are turning on.

•

In Grid Redundancy configuration, all PSUs are engaged when the chassis is turned on. Power
utilization is monitored, and if system configuration and power utilization allows, PSUs are moved to
the Standby state. Because the Online status of PSUs in a grid mirrors that of the other grid, the
enclosure can sustain the loss of power to an entire grid with no interruption of power to the
enclosure.
An increase in power demand in the Grid Redundancy configuration cause the engagement of PSUs
from the Standby state. This maintains the mirrored configuration needed for dual-grid redundancy.
NOTE: With DPSE in enabled state, if power demand increases in both the two Power
Redundancy policy modes, the standby PSUs are brought Online to reclaim power.

Default Redundancy Configuration
As shown in the table here, the default redundancy configuration for a chassis depends on the number of
PSUs that it contains.
Table 27. Default Redundancy Configuration

PSU Configuration

Default Redundancy Policy

Default Dynamic PSU Engagement Setting

Two PSUs

DC Redundancy

Disabled

Four PSUs

DC Redundancy

Disabled

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Grid Redundancy
In Grid redundancy mode with four PSUs, all four PSUs are active. The two PSUs must connect to one AC
power grid, while the other two PSUs are connect to the other AC power grid.
CAUTION: To avoid a system failure, and for Grid redundancy to work effectively, there must be a
balanced set of PSUs properly cabled to separate AC grids.
If one AC grid fails, the PSUs on the functioning AC grid take over, without interrupting the servers or
infrastructure.
CAUTION: In Grid redundancy mode, you must have balanced sets of PSUs (at least one PSU in
each grid). If this condition is not met, Grid redundancy is not possible.

Power Supply Redundancy
When power supply redundancy is enabled, a PSU in the chassis is kept as a spare, ensuring that the
failure of any one PSU does not cause the servers or chassis to turn off. Power supply redundancy mode
requires minimum two PSUs. Additional PSUs, if present, are utilized to improve power efficiency of the
system if DPSE is enabled. Subsequent failures after loss of redundancy may cause the servers in the
chassis to turn off.

Power Budgeting For Hardware Modules
CMC offers a power budgeting service that allows you to configure power budget, redundancy, and
dynamic power for the chassis.
The power management service enables optimization of power consumption and reallocation of power
to different modules on the basis of demand.
CMC maintains a power budget for the enclosure that reserves the necessary wattage for all installed
servers and components.
CMC allocates power to the CMC infrastructure and the servers in the chassis. CMC infrastructure
consists of components in the chassis, such as fans, I/O module, and storage adapters, PCIe cards,
physical disk, main board. The chassis may have up to four servers that communicate to the chassis
through an iDRAC. For more information, see the iDRAC7 User’s Guide at dell.com/support/manuals.
iDRAC provides CMC with its power envelope requirements before powering up the server. The power
envelope consists of the maximum and minimum power requirements necessary to keep the server
operating. iDRAC’s initial estimate is based on its initial understanding of components in the server. After
operation commences and further components are discovered, iDRAC may increase or decrease its initial
power requirements.
When a server is turned on in an enclosure, the iDRAC software reestimates the power requirements and
requests a subsequent change in the power envelope.
CMC supplies the requested power to the server, and the allocated wattage is subtracted from the
available budget. After the server is granted a power request, the server's iDRAC software continuously
monitors the actual power consumption. On the basis of actual power requirements, the iDRAC power
envelope may change over a period of time. iDRAC requests a power step up if the servers are fully using
the allocated power.
Under heavy load, the performance of the processors on the server may be degraded to ensure power
consumption stays lower than the user-configured System Input Power Cap.
The PowerEdge VRTX enclosure can supply enough power for peak performance of most server
configurations, but many available server configurations do not consume the maximum power that the

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enclosure can supply. To help datacenters allocate power for their enclosures, the PowerEdge VRTX
allows you to specify a System Input Power Cap to make sure that the overall chassis AC power draw
stays within a given threshold point. CMC first makes sure that enough power is available to run the fans,
I/O module, storage adapters, physical disk drive, main board, and CMC itself. This power allocation is
called the Input Power Allocated to Chassis Infrastructure. After Chassis infrastructure, the servers in an
enclosure are turned on. Any attempt to set a System Input Power Cap less than the “Power Burden” will
not be successful. Power Burden is the sum of power allocated to the infrastructure and the minimum
power allocated for the powered servers.
NOTE: To use the Power Cap feature, you must have an Enterprise License.
If necessary for the total power budget to stay below the value of the System Input Power Cap, CMC
allocates servers a value less than their maximum requested power. Servers are allocated power based on
their Server Priority setting, with higher priority servers getting maximum power, priority 2 servers getting
power after priority 1 servers, and so on. Lower priority servers may get less power than priority-one
servers based on System Input Max Power Capacity, and the user-configured setting of System Input
Power Cap.
Configuration changes, such as an additional server, shared HDDs, or PCIe cards in the chassis, may
require the System Input Power Cap to be increased. Power needs in a modular enclosure also increase
when thermal conditions change and the fans are required to run at higher speed, which causes them to
consume additional power. Insertion of I/O module and storage adapters, PCIe cards, physical disk, main
board; number, type, and configuration of PSUs also increase the power needs of the modular enclosure.
A fairly small amount of power is consumed by servers even when they are powered down to keep the
management controller powered up.
Additional servers can be powered up in the modular enclosure only if sufficient power is available. The
System Input Power Cap can be increased any time up to a maximum value of 5000 Watt to allow the
power up of additional servers.
Changes in the modular enclosure that reduce the power allocation are:
•
•
•
•

Server turned off
I/O module turned off
Storage adapters, PCIe cards, physical disk drive, and main board turned off
Transition of the chassis to a turned-off state

You can reconfigure the System Input Power Cap when the chassis is either turned on or turned off.

Server Slot Power Priority Settings
CMC allows you to set a power priority for each of the four server slots in an enclosure. The priority
settings are 1 (highest) through 9 (lowest). These settings are assigned to slots in the chassis, and the
priority of the slots is inherited by any server inserted in that slot. CMC uses slot priority to preferentially
budget power to the highest priority servers in the enclosure.
According to the default server slot priority setting, power is equally apportioned to all slots. Changing
the slot priorities allows administrators to prioritize the servers that are given preference for power
allocations. If the more critical server modules are left at their default slot priority of 1, and the less critical
server modules are changed to lower priority value of 2 or higher, the priority 1 server modules is
powered on first. These higher priority servers get their maximum power allocation, while lower priority
servers may be not be allocated enough power to run at their maximum performance or they may not
even power on at all, depending on how low the system input power cap is set and the server power
requirements.
If an administrator manually powers on the low priority server modules before the higher priority ones,
then the low priority server modules are the first modules to have their power allocation lowered down

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to the minimum value, in order to accommodate the higher priority servers. Therefore, after the available
power for allocation is exhausted, CMC reclaims power from lower or equal priority servers until they are
at their minimum power level.
NOTE: I/O module, fans, and mainboard, physical disk drives, storage adapters are given the highest
priority. CMC reclaims power only from the lower-priority devices to meet the power needs of a
higher-priority device or server.

Assigning Priority Levels To Servers
When additional power is required, server priority levels determine which servers the CMC draws power
from.
NOTE: The priority you assign to a server is linked to a server's slot and not to the server itself. If you
move the server to a new slot, you must re-configure the priority for the new slot location.
NOTE: To perform power management actions, you must have the Chassis Configuration
Administrator privilege.

Assigning Priority Levels To Servers Using CMC Web
Interface
To assign priority levels:
1.

In the left pane, click Server Overview → Power → Priority.
The Server Priority page lists all the servers in the chassis.

From the Priority drop-down menu, select a priority level (1–9, where 1 is the highest priority) for
one, multiple, or all servers. The default value is 1. You can assign the same priority level to multiple
servers.

Click Apply to save your changes.

Assigning Priority Levels To Servers Using RACADM
Open a serial/Telnet/SSH text console to CMC, log in, and type:
racadm config -g cfgServerInfo -o cfgServerPriority -i
where (1–4) refers to the location of the server, and is a value between 1–
9.
For example, to set the priority level to 1 for the server in slot 4, type the following command:
racadm config -g cfgServerInfo -o cfgServerPriority -i 4 1

Viewing Power Consumption Status
CMC provides the actual input power consumption for the entire system.

Viewing Power Consumption Status Using CMC Web Interface
In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Power → Power Monitoring. The Power Monitoring page
displays the power health, system power status, real-time power statistics, and real-time energy statistics.
For more information, see the Online Help.

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NOTE: You can also view the power redundancy status under Power Supplies.

Viewing Power Consumption Status Using RACADM
To view power consumption status using RACADM:
Open a serial/Telnet/SSH text console to CMC, log in, and type:
racadm getpminfo

Viewing Power Budget Status Using CMC Web Interface
To view power budget status using CMC Web interface, in the left pane go to Chassis Overview and click
Power → Budget Status. The Power Budget Status page displays the system power policy configuration,
power budget details, budget allocated for server modules, and chassis power supply details. For more
information, see the Online Help.

Viewing Power Budget Status Using RACADM
Open a serial/Telnet/SSH text console to CMC, log in, and type:
racadm getpbinfo
For more information about getpbinfo, including output details, see the getpbinfo command section in
the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide.

Redundancy Status and Overall Power Health
The redundancy status is a factor in determining the overall power health. When the power redundancy
policy is set, for example, to Grid Redundancy and the redundancy status indicates that the system is
operating with redundancy, the overall power health is typically OK. However, if the conditions for
operating with Grid redundancy cannot be met, the redundancy status is No, and the overall power
health is Critical. This is because the system is not able to operate in accordance with the configured
redundancy policy.
NOTE: CMC does not perform a pre-check of these conditions when you change the redundancy
policy to or from Grid redundancy. So, configuring the redundancy policy may immediately result in
redundancy lost or a regained condition.

Power Management After PSU Failure
When an insufficient-power event occurs, such as a PSU failure, CMC reduces power supply to the
servers . After reducing the power, CMC reevaluates the power needs of the chassis. If power
requirements are still not met, CMC turns off the lower priority servers. However, this is done on the basis
of power redundancy policy that you set on your CMC. A redundant server can tolerate the loss of power
without impacting the performance of the servers.
Power for higher priority servers is restored incrementally, while power needs remain within the power
budget. To set the redundancy policy, see Configuring Power Budget and Redundancy.

Power Management After Removing PSU
CMC may begin conserving power when you remove a PSU or a PSU AC cord. CMC decreases power to
the lower priority servers until power allocation is supported by the remaining PSUs in the chassis. If you

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remove more than one PSU, CMC again evaluates the power requirements when the second PSU is
removed to determine the firmware response. If power requirements are still not met, CMC may turn off
the low-priority servers.
Limits
•

CMC does not support automated power-down of a low-priority server to allow turning-on of a
higher priority server; however, you can perform user-initiated turn-offs.

•

Changes to the PSU redundancy policy are limited by the number of PSUs in the chassis. You can
select any of the two PSU redundancy configuration settings listed in Default Redundancy
Configuration.

New Server Engagement Policy
If a new server that is turned on exceeds the power available for the chassis, CMC may decrease the
power to the low-priority servers. This could happen if the administrator has configured a power limit for
the chassis that is below what would be required for full power allocation to the servers, or if insufficient
power is available in case higher power requirements by all servers in the chassis. If enough power
cannot be freed by reducing the allocated power of the low-priority servers, the new server is not
allowed to turn on.
This occurs if the administrator had configured power limit for the chassis lower than the full power
allocation to the servers or if insufficient power is available to servers requiring high power.
The following table provides the actions taken by CMC, when a new server is powered on in the scenario
described earlier.
Table 28. CMC Response When a Server Power-On is Attempted

Worst Case Power is
Available

CMC Response

Server Power On

Yes

No power conservation is required

Allowed

Perform power conservation:
•
•

Power required for new server is available
Power required for new server is not
available

Allowed
Not Allowed

If a PSU stops functioning, it results in a non-critical health state and a PSU failure event is generated. The
removal of a PSU results in a PSU removal event.
If either event results in a loss of redundancy, on the basis of power allocations, a loss of redundancy
event is generated.
If the subsequent power capacity or the user power capacity is greater than the server allocations, servers
have degraded performance or, in an extrement case, servers may be turned off. Both conditions are in
reverse-priority order; that is, the low-priority servers are turned off first.
The following table provides the firmware response to a PSU turnoff, or removal as it applies to various
PSU redundancy configurations.

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Table 29. Chassis Impact from PSU Failure or Removal

PSU Configuration

Dynamic PSU
Engagement

Firmware Response

Grid Redundancy

Disabled

CMC alerts you about loss of Grid redundancy.

Power Supply
Redundancy

Disabled

CMC alerts you about loss of power supply redundancy.

Grid Redundancy

Enabled

CMC alerts you about loss of Grid Redundancy. PSUs in
standby mode (if any) are turned on to compensate for
power budget lost from the PSU failure or removal.

Power Supply
Redundancy

Enabled

CMC alerts you of loss of Power Supply Redundancy.
PSUs in standby mode (if any) are turned on to
compensate for power budget lost from PSU failure or
removal.

Power Supply and Redundancy Policy Changes in System Event Log
Changes in the power supply state and power redundancy policy are recorded as events. Events related
to the power supply that record entries in the system event log (SEL) are power supply insertion and
removal, power supply input insertion and removal, and power supply output assertion and de-assertion.
The following table lists the SEL entries that are related to power supply changes:
Table 30. SEL Events for Power Supply Changes

Power Supply Event

System Event Log (SEL) Entry

Insertion

Power supply is present.

Removal

Power supply is absent.

AC input received

The power input for power supply is lost.

AC input lost

The power input for power supply has been restored.

DC output produced

Power supply is operating normally.

DC output lost

Power supply failed.

Events related to changes in the power redundancy status that record entries in the SEL are redundancy
loss and redundancy regain for the modular enclosure that is configured for either an Grid Redundancy
power policy or Power Supply Redundancy power policy. The following table lists the SEL entries that
are related to power redundancy policy changes.
Power Policy Event

System Event Log (SEL) Entry

Redundancy lost

Power supply redundancy is lost.

Redundancy regained

The power supplies are redundant.

Configuring Power Budget and Redundancy
You can configure the power budget, redundancy, and dynamic power of the entire chassis (chassis,
servers, I/O module, KVM, CMC, and power supplies), which uses four power supply units (PSUs). The
power management service optimizes power consumption and reallocates power to different modules
on the basis of requirement.

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You can configure the following:
•

System Input Power Cap

•

Redundancy Policy

•

Enable Dynamic Power Supply Engagement

•

Disable Chassis Power Button

•

Max Power Conservation Mode

•

Remote Power Logging

•

Remote Power Logging Interval

•

Server Based Power Management

Power Conservation and Power Budget
CMC conserves power when the user-configured maximum power limit is reached. When the demand
for power exceeds the user configured System Input Power Cap, CMC reduces power to servers in
reverse-priority order to free power for higher priority servers and other modules in the chassis.
If all or multiple slots in the chassis are configured with the same priority level, CMC decreases power to
servers in the order of increasing slot number. For example, if the servers in slots 1 and 2 have the same
priority level, the power for the server in slot 1 is decreased before that of the server in slot 2.
NOTE: You can assign a priority level to each server in the chassis assigning a number from 1
through 9 for each server. The default priority level for all servers is 1. The lower the number, the
higher the priority level.
The power budget is limited to a maximum of whichever set of two PSUs that is the weakest. If you
attempt to set an AC power budget value that exceeds the System Input Power Cap value, CMC displays
a message. The power budget is limited to 5000W.

Maximum Power Conservation Mode
This is enabled for Grid Redundancy or PSU Redundancy modes. CMC performs maximum power
conservation when:
•

Maximum conservation mode is enabled.

•

An automated command line script, issued by a UPS device, enables maximum conservation mode.

In maximum power conservation mode, all servers start functioning at their minimum power levels, and
all subsequent server power allocation requests are denied. In this mode, the performance of powered
on servers may be degraded. Additional servers cannot be powered on, regardless of server priority.
The system is restored to full performance when the maximum conservation mode is cleared.

Server Power Reduction to Maintain Power Budget
CMC reduces power allocations of low-priority servers, when additional power is required to maintain the
system power consumption within the user-configured System Input Power Cap. For example, when a
new server is engaged, CMC may decrease power to low-priority servers to allow more power for the
new server. If the amount of power is still insufficient after reducing power allocations of the lower
priority servers, CMC lowers the performance of servers until sufficient power is freed to power the new
server.
CMC reduces server power allocation in two cases:

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•

Overall power consumption exceeds the configurable System Input Power Cap.

•

A power failure occurs in a non-redundant configuration.

110V PSUs AC Operation
By default, the 110V PSU AC Operation feature is available. However, a combination of 110V and 220V
operation is not supported. If CMC detects that both voltages are input, one voltage value is selected and
those power supplies connected to the other voltage level are turned off and indicated as not
functioning.

Remote Logging
Power consumption can be reported to a remote syslog server. Total chassis power consumption,
minimum, maximum, and average power consumption over a collection period can be logged. For more
information about enabling this feature and configuring the collection or logging interval, see Managing
and Monitoring Power.

External Power Management
CMC power management is optionally controlled by the OpenManage Power Center (OMPC). For more
information, see the OMPC User’s Guide.
When external power management is enabled, OMPC manages:
•

Server power of 12th generation servers

•

Server priority of 12th generation servers

•

System input power capacity

•

Maximum power conservation mode

The CMC continues to maintain or manage:
•

Redundancy policy

•

Remote power logging

•

Server performance over power redundancy

•

Dynamic power supply engagement

OPMC then manages prioritization and power of 12th generation server nodes in the chassis from the
budget available after allocation of power to chassis infrastructure and prior generation server nodes.
Remote power logging is unaffected by external power management.
After the Server Based Power Management Mode is enabled, the chassis is prepared for PM3
management. All 12th generation server priorities are set to 1 (High). PM3 manages the server power and
priorities directly. Since PM3 controls compatible server power allocations, CMC no longer controls the
Maximum Power Conservation Mode. Hence, this selection is disabled.
When the Maximum Power Conservation Mode is enabled, the CMC sets the System Input Power
Capacity to the maximum that the chassis can handle. CMC does not allow power to exceed the highest
capacity. However, PM3 handles all other power capacity limitations.
When PM3 management of power is disabled, the CMC reverts to the server priority settings before the
external management was enabled.
NOTE: When PM3 management is disabled, CMC does not revert to the earlier setting of the
maximum chassis power. See the CMC log for the earlier setting to manually restore the value.

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Configuring Power Budget and Redundancy Using CMC Web Interface
NOTE: To perform power management actions, you must have the Chassis Configuration
Administrator privilege.
To configure power budget:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Power → Configuration.

On the Budget/Redundancy Configuration page, select any or all of the following properties as
appropriate. For information about the field descriptions, see the Online Help.
– Enable Server-Based Power Management
– System Input Power Cap
– Redundancy Policy
– Enable Dynamic Power Supply Engagement
– Disable Chassis Power Button
– Max Power Conservation Mode
– Enable Remote Power Logging

– Remote Power Logging Interval
Click Apply to save the changes.

Configuring Power Budget and Redundancy Using RACADM
NOTE: To perform power management actions, you must have the Chassis Configuration
Administrator privilege.

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To enable and set the redundancy policy:
1.

Open a serial/Telnet/SSH text console to CMC and log in.

Set properties as needed:
– To select a redundancy policy, type:
racadm config -g cfgChassisPower -o
cfgChassisRedundancyPolicy
where is 1 (Grid Redundancy), and 2 (Power Supply Redundancy). The default value is 2.
For example, the following command sets the redundancy policy to 1:
racadm config -g cfgChassisPower -o
cfgChassisRedundancyPolicy 1
– To set the power budget value, type:
racadm config -g cfgChassisPower -o
cfgChassisPowerCap
where is a number between the Current runtime Chassis Burden and 5000, representing
the maximum power limit in Watt. The default is 5000.
For example, the following command sets the maximum power budget to 5000 Watt:
racadm config -g cfgChassisPower -o
cfgChassisPowerCap 5000
– To enable or disable dynamic PSU engagement, type:
racadm config -g cfgChassisPower -o
cfgChassisDynamicPSUEngagementEnable
where is 0 (disable), 1 (enable). The default is 0.
For example, the following command disables dynamic PSU engagement:

–

racadm config -g cfgChassisPower -o
cfgChassisDynamicPSUEngagementEnable 0
To enable the maximum power consumption mode, type:
racadm config -g cfgChassisPower -o
cfgChassisMaxPowerConservationMode 1
To restore normal operation, type:
racadm config -g cfgChassisPower -o
cfgChassisMaxPowerConservationMode 0
To enable the power remote logging feature, enter the following command:
racadm config -g cfgRemoteHosts -o
cfgRhostsSyslogPowerLoggingEnabled 1
To specify the desired logging interval, enter the following command:
racadm config -g cfgRemoteHosts -o
cfgRhostsSyslogPowerLoggingInterval n

where n is 1-1440 minutes.
– To determine if the power remote logging feature is enabled, enter the following command:
racadm getconfig -g cfgRemoteHosts -o
cfgRhostsSyslogPowerLoggingEnabled
– To determine the power remote logging interval, enter the following command:
racadm getconfig -g cfgRemoteHosts -o
cfgRhostsSyslogPowerLoggingInterval
The power remote logging feature is dependent on previously configured remote syslog hosts
having been . Logging to one or more remote syslog hosts must be enabled, otherwise power
consumption is logged. This can be done either through the web GUI or the RACADM CLI. For
more information, see the remote syslog configuration instructions.

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– To enable remote power management by Open Manage Power Center (OPMC), type:
racadm config -g cfgChassisPower -o
cfgChassisServerBasedPowerMgmtMode 1
– To restore CMC power management, type:
racadm config -g cfgChassisPower -o
cfgChassisServerBasedPowerMgmtMode 0
For information about RACADM commands for chassis power, see the config, getconfig, getpbinfo,
and cfgChassisPower sections in the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM
Command Line Reference Guide.

Executing Power Control Operations
You can execute the following power control operation for the chassis, servers, and IOM.
NOTE: Power control operations affect the entire chassis.

Executing Power Control Operations on the Chassis
CMC enables you to remotely perform several power management actions, such as an orderly shutdown
on the entire chassis (chassis, servers, IOM, and PSUs).
NOTE: To perform power management actions, you must have the Chassis Configuration
Administrator privilege.

Executing Power Control Operations on the Chassis Using Web Interface
To execute power control operations on the chassis using the CMC web interface:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Power → Control.

Select one of the following power control operations.

The Chassis Power Control page is displayed.
For information about each option, see the Online Help.
– Power On System
– Power Off System
– Power Cycle System (cold boot)
– Reset CMC (warm boot)
3.

– Non-Graceful Shutdown
Click Apply.
A dialog box appears asking you for a confirmation.

Click OK to perform the power management action (for example, cause the system to reset).

Executing Power Control Operations on the Chassis Using RACADM
Open a serial/Telnet/SSH text console to CMC, log in, and type:
racadm chassisaction -m chassis
where is powerup, powerdown, powercycle, nongraceshutdown, or reset.

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Executing Power Control Operations on a Server
You can remotely perform power management actions for multiple servers at a time or an individual
server in the chassis.
NOTE: To perform power management actions, you must have the Chassis Configuration
Administrator privilege.

Executing Power Control Operations for Multiple Servers
Using CMC Web Interface
To execute power control operation for multiple servers using the Web interface:
1.

In the left pane, click Server Overview → Power.
The Power Control page is displayed.

In the Operations column, from the drop-down menu, select one of the following power control
operations for the required servers:
– No Operation
– Power On Server
– Power Off Server
– Graceful Shutdown
– Reset Server (warm boot)
– Power Cycle Server (cold boot)
For information about the options, see the Online Help.

Click Apply.
A dialog box appears requesting for confirmation.

Click OK to perform the power management action (for example, reset the server).

Executing Power Control Operations on the IOM
You can remotely reset or turn on an IOM.
NOTE: To perform power management actions, you must have the Chassis Configuration
Administrator privilege.

Executing Power Control Operations on IOM Using CMC Web Interface
To execute power control operations on the I/O Module:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → I/O Module Overview → Power.

On the Power Control page, for the IOM, from the drop-down menu, select the operation you want
to execute (power cycle).

Click Apply.

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Executing Power Control Operations on the IOM Using RACADM
To execute power control operations on the IOM using RACADM, open a serial/Telnet/SSH text console
to CMC, log in, and type:
racadm chassisaction -m switch
where indicates the operation you want to execute: power cycle.

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Managing Chassis Storage

On the Dell PowerEdge VRTX, you can perform the following operations:
•

View the status of physical disks drives and storage controllers.

•

View the properties of controllers, physical disk drives, virtual disks, and enclosures.

•

Set up controllers, physical disk drives, and virtual disks.

•

Assign virtual adapters.

•

Troubleshoot controller, physical disk drives, and virtual disks.

•

Update storage components.

•

Use the shared storage controllers in fault-tolerant mode

Viewing Status of the Storage Components
To view the status of the storage components:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Storage → Properties → Storage Overview.

On the Storage Overview page, you can:
– View the graphic summary of the physical disk drives installed in the chassis and their status.
– View the summary of all the storage components with links to their respective pages.
– View the used capacity and total capacity of the storage.
– View controller information.
NOTE: In case of a fault-tolerant controller, the name format is: Shared
(Integrated ). For example, the active controller is Shared PERC8 (Integrated 1)
and the peer controller is Shared PERC8 (Integrated 2).
– View recently-logged storage events.
NOTE: For more information, see the Online Help.

Viewing the Storage Topology
To view the Storage topology:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Storage → Properties → Topology.

On the Topology page, click the to view the respective pages.
NOTE: You can view the name of the controller that is active in controlling the storage devices
associated with this CMC and also the passive controller acting as a stand-by.

Under each installed controllers, click the links View Virtual Disks, , and View
Physical Disks to open the respective pages.

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Viewing Fault-tolerant Troubleshooting Information of
SPERC Using CMC Web Interface
To view the attributes that indicate the correct functioning of fault-tolerant features of a SPERC:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Storage → Troubleshooting → Setup Troubleshooting.
The Storage Setup Troubleshooting page is displayed.

On the Storage Setup Troubleshooting page, you can:
– View the following attributes when the controller is in fault-tolerant mode:
*

Two Shared PERCs detected.

Two expanders detected

Shared PERCs and expanders correctly cabled

Correct Firmware on Shared PERCs

Correct Firmware on Expanders

Correct Firmware on Chassis Infrastructure

Shared PERCs have the same settings: Indicates whether or not SPERCs have the same
settings.

– View the following attributes when the controller is not in fault-tolerant mode:
*

One Shared PERC detected.

One expanders detected

Shared PERC and expanders correctly cabled

– View the status of each attribute that indicates if the fault-tolerant criteria is fulfilled.
NOTE: If the attribute in a fault-tolerant environment is not matching the criterion, then an
Update Now option is displayed for that attribute.
NOTE:
A Learn How option is displayed against some of the attributes. For more information about the
attribute, click Learn How.
3.

To fulfill a criterion for an attribute, click Update Now.
The Storage Component Update page is displayed, which allows you to update the required storage
component to fulfill the criterion for the attribute.

Assigning Virtual Adapters To Slots Using CMC Web
Interface
Using the Virtual Adapter feature, you can share the installed storage with the four servers. You can map a
virtual disk to a server slot by first mapping a virtual disk to a virtual adapter (VA), and then mapping a
Virtual Adapter (VA) to a server slot.
•

Before assigning a VA to a server slot, make sure that:
– The server slot is empty or the server in the slot is turned off.
– The VA is unmapped from a server or a slot.
– All affected servers are powered off.

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•

Virtual disks are created and they are assigned as Virtual Adapter 1, Virtual Adapter 2, Virtual Adapter
3, or Virtual Adapter 4. For more information, see Applying Virtual Adapter Access Policy to Virtual
Disks.
NOTE:
•

You can map only one virtual adapter to one server at a time.

•

Without an appropriate license, you can unmap a VA–server assignment, or map the VA to the
default serve, only.

•

The default mapping is VA1–Server Slot 1, VA2–Server Slot 2, VA3–Server Slot 3, and VA4–Server
Slot 4.

•

If full height server is inserted then the upper slot has the VA mapped to it while the bottom slot
is still unmapped. For example a full height in slot 1 has VA1 assigned to slot 1 and VA3 is still
unmapped.

•

If the system has an enterprise license then the you can assign any one of the four VAs to a
server slot. However, you can still map one virtual adapter to one server at a time.

To map or unmap a virtual adapter from a server slot:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Storage → Setup → Virtualization.
The Storage Virtualization page is displayed.

To select the required type of assignment, from the Assignment Mode: Virtual Disks to Virtual
Adapters table, select:
– Single Assignment — Select to assign one virtual disk to one virtual adapter.
– Multiple Assignment — Select to assign a virtual disk to multiple virtual adapters. Read the onscreen instructions before selecting this option.
NOTE: Select the Multiple Assignment mode only when the servers have Cluster Services
installed on them. Use of this mode without Cluster Services may lead to corrupted or lost data.

In the Virtual Adapters Mapped table, from the Action drop-down menu, select one of the following
options, and then click Apply.
– — Select the slot to which the VA must be assigned.
– Unmap — Select to remove the VA assignment to a slot.
The VA is mapped or unmapped from the selected server slot, based on the selected action..
NOTE: Consider a VA assigned to server in the lower slot ( 3 or 4) . When a half height server
(slot 3 or 4) is replaced with a full height server, the full height server does not access the VA
assigned to lower slots. Inserting a half height server again, provides access to the VA.

Fault-Tolerance in Storage Controllers
High Availability (HA) in storage enables availability of multiple internal components and multiple access
points to storage resources. In case a storage component stops functioning, the server is supported by a
second critical component or path to the available data. High Availability only minimizes downtime by
restoring services behind the scenes, in most cases before the non-functionality is visible, but does not
eliminate downtime. Fault Tolerance (FT) makes use of redundant components within a storage system,
which are configured to behave as backup components and are kept in standby mode. Storage
Controllers in fault-tolerant mode prevent disruption of storage services and automatically take over the
services of a component that has stopped functioning. Performance remains consistent throughout this

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failover process since the redundant components(controllers) are not used during normal operating
conditions.
High Availability with fault-tolerance provides the following benefits:
•

Provides uptime for all storage applications even when a controller stops functioning.

•

Provides access to critical functions of the chassis at all times.

•

Enables server to handle situations when controller stops functioning are becomes faulty.

•

Makes use of component redundancy

Using the fault-tolerant feature of controllers, you can manage the tasks associated with shared storage
that are achieved by having an active and passive (peer) controller. Active controller is the controller that
is active and monitors all the storage-related processes. Working status of both controllers are
communicated between controllers so that when an active controller stops functioning, the passive
controller acting as a peer hot-spare, takes over in a seamless manner.
NOTE: CMC displays fault-tolerant data for Shared PERC 8’s with SR-IOV enabled firmware. If a
non-SR-IOV card is attached to the shared storage slots the card does not power on and an alert is
generated.

Viewing Controller Properties Using CMC Web Interface
To view the controller properties:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Controller .

On the Controllers page, under the Controllers section, you can see the basic properties of the
controller. However, to view the advanced properties, click the

NOTE: If the Controllers are in fault-tolerant mode, then the following information regarding
the fault-tolerant status and mode is also displayed:
– Fault Tolerant Mode – Shared, Active/Passive
– Fault Tolerant Status – Healthy/Normal, or Lost/Degraded
– Peer Controller - Indicates the name of controller that acts as the peer (stand-by) in case of
a fault-tolerant mode supported by two controllers.
For more information about Controllers, see the Online Help.

Viewing Controller Properties Using RACADM
To view controller properties using RACADM, run the command racadm raid get controllers -o
For more information, see the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command
Line Reference Guide.

Importing or Clearing Foreign Configuration
A foreign disk must be inserted into the chassis.

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To import or clear the foreign configuration:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Storage → Controllers → Setup.

On the Controller Setup page, in the Foreign Configuration section, for the respective controller,
click:
– Clear Foreign Configuration to clear the existing configuration of the disk.
– Import/Recover to import the disk with the foreign configuration.

Configuring Storage Controller Settings
You can modify existing properties of a storage controller or configure the properties of a newly-installed
storage controller.

Configuring Storage Controller Settings Using CMC Web Interface
Make sure at least one storage controller is installed in the chassis.
Toconfigure the storage controller settings:
1.

In the CMC Web interface, go to Chassis Overview → Storage → Controllers → Setup.

On the Controller Setup page, from the Controller drop-down menu, select the controller.
NOTE: Note the following:
– If the storage controllers are in fault-tolerant mode, and if both have the same firmware
version, then both the controllers are displayed as a single device in the drop-down menu.
For example, Shared PERC8 (Integrated 1)/ Shared PERC8 (Integrated 2). If the settings of
two controllers are different, the Settings Incompatible message is displayed. You can set
the properties of fault-tolerant controllers so that the properties are same on both the
controllers. Controllers in this mode cannot have separate properties.
– If a second storage controller with a different firmware version is installed, then the
controllers are displayed as two different components in the drop-down menu. For
example, Shared PERC8 (Integrated 1) and Shared PERC8 (Integrated 2).
The attribute values for the selected controller are updated in the table.

Type or select appropriate data, and then click Apply.
NOTE: For information about the attributes and other field descriptions, see Online Help.
The newly set properties are applied to the selected controllers and the Current Value field displays
the updated values for the attributes.

Configuring Storage Controller Settings Using RACADM
To set up the storage controller by running a RACADM command, use the following syntax.
racadm raid ctrlprop:RAID.ChassisIntegrated.1-1 [-rebuild ] [-bgi
] [-reconstruct ] [-checkconsistency ] [-ccmode
{abortonerror | normal}] [-copybackmode {off | on | onwithsmart}] [-lb {auto |
disabled}] [-prunconfigured {yes | no}]
For more information, see the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command
Line Reference Guide.

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Viewing Physical Disk Properties Using the CMC Web
Interface
Make sure that physical disks are installed on the chassis.
To view the properties of physical disk drives:
1.

In the left pane, go to Chassis Overview → Storage → Physical Disks.
The Properties page is displayed.

To view properties of all the physical disk drives, under the Physical Disks section, click the

NOTE: For fault-tolerant mode, the following attributes are also displayed:
– Active controller — Shared PERC8 (Integrated 1)
– Redundant/Failover controller — Shared PERC8 (Integrated 2)
You can also use the following filters to view specific physical disk drive's properties:
– Under the Basic Physical Disks Filter option , from the Group By drop-down menu, select Virtual
Disk, Controller, or Enclosure, and then click Apply.
– Click Advanced Filter, select the values for various attributes, and then click Apply.

Viewing Physical Disk Drives Properties Using RACADM
To view the properties of physical disk drives using RACADM, run the command racadm raid get
pdisks —o
For more information, see the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command
Line Reference Guide.

Identifying Physical Disks and Virtual Disks
For more information about enabling or disabling the LED-blink feature, see:
•

Configuring LED Blinking Using CMC Web Interface

•

Configuring LED Blinking Using RACADM

Assigning Global Hot Spares Using CMC Web Interface
To assign or unassign a global hot spare:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Storage → Physical Disk → Setup.
The Setup Physical Disks page is displayed.

Under the Global Hotspares Assignment section, from the Hotspare Action drop-down menu,
select Unassigned or Global Hotspare for each of the physical disk drives, and then click Apply.
Alternatively, from the Hotspare Action - Assign to all drop-down menu, select Unassigned or
Global Hotspare, and then click Apply.

Assigning Global Hot Spares Using RACADM
To assign global hot spare using RACADM, run the command racadm raid hotspare: -assign yes
-type ghs.

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For more information about using RACADM commands, see the Chassis Management Controller for
PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide.

Recovering Physical Disks
To recover a physical disks:
1.

In the CMC Web Interface, go to Chassis Overview → Storage → Physical Disks → Setup.

On the Setup page, under Recover Physical Disks section, select the physical disk that must be
recovered and from the drop-down menu, appropriately select Rebuild Drive, Cancel Rebuild, or
Force Online, and then click Apply.

Viewing Virtual Disk Properties Using CMC Web Interface
Make sure that the virtual disks are created.
To view the virtual disk properties:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Storage → Virtual Disks → Properties.

On the Properties page, under the Virtual Disks section, click the
filters to view specific virtual disk properties:

. You can also use the following

– Under Basic Virtual Disks Filter section, from the Controller drop-down menut, select controller
name, and then click Apply.
– Click Advanced Filter, select the values for various attributes, and then click Apply.

Viewing Virtual Disk Properties Using RACADM
To view virtual disk properties using RACADM, run the command racadm raid get vdisks -o
For more information, see the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command
Line Reference Guide.

Creating Virtual Disk Using CMC Web Interface
Make sure that the physical disk is installed in the chassis.
NOTE: Deleting a virtual disk removes the virtual disk from the controller's configuration.
To create a virtual disk:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Storage → Virtual Disks → Create.

On the Create Virtual Disk page, under the Settings section, type appropriate data, and from the
Select Physical Disks section, select the number of physical disk drives on the basis of RAID level
selected earlier, and then click Create Virtual Disk.

Applying Virtual Adapter Access Policy To Virtual Disks
Make sure that physical disk drives are installed and the virtual disks are created.
To apply the virtual adapter access policy:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Storage → Virtual Disks → Assign.

On the Assign Virtual Disks page, under the Access Policy for Virtual Adapters section, from the
Virtual Adapter drop-down menu, select Full Access to each physical disk drive.

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Click Apply.

You can now assign virtual adapters to server slots. For more information, see the Assigning Virtual
Adapters to Slots section in this User's Guide.

Modifying Virtual Disk Properties Using CMC Web
Interface
To modify the virtual disk properties:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Storage → Virtual Disks → Manage.

On the Manage Virtual Disks page, from the Virtual Disk Actions drop-down menu, select one of
the following actions, and then click Apply.
– Rename
– Delete
NOTE: If you select Delete, the following message is shown indicating that deleting a virtual
disk will permanently delete data available in that virtual disk.
Deleting the virtual disk removes the virtual disk from the
controller's configuration. Initializing the virtual disk permanently
erases data from the virtual disk.
NOTE: If you select Delete, the following message is shown indicating that deleting a virtual
disk will permanently delete data available in that virtual disk.
Deleting the virtual disk removes the virtual disk from the
controller's configuration. Initializing the virtual disk permanently
erases data from the virtual disk.
– Edit Policy: Read Cache
– Edit Policy: Write Cache
– Edit Policy: Disk Cache
– Initialize: Fast
– Initialize: Full

Viewing Enclosure Properties Using CMC Web Interface
To view the enclosure properties:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Storage → Enclosures → Properties.

On the Properties page, under the Enclosure section, click the
to get a graphical view of the
physical disk drives and their states, summary of physical disk drive slots, and advanced properties.

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Managing PCIe Slots

By default, all slots are unmapped. You can do the following:
•

View the status of all PCIe Slots in the chassis.

•

Assign or remove an assigned PCIe slot from the servers.

Consider the following before assigning a PCIe slot to a server:
•

An empty PCIe slot cannot be assigned to a server that is turned on.

•

A PCIe slot with an adapter assigned to a server cannot be assigned to another server if the currentlyassigned server (source) is turned on.

•

A PCIe slot with an adapter assigned to a server cannot be assigned to another (target) server which is
turned on.

Consider the following before removing an assigned PCIe slot from a server:
•

If a PCIe slot is empty, a slot can be unassigned from a server, even if the server is turned on.

•

If a PCIe slot has adapter and it is not turned on, it can be unassigned from the server even if the
server is on. This can occur when a slot is empty and the assigned server is turned on, and then a user
inserts adapter in an empty slot.

For more information about assigning and remove an assigned PCIe slot from the servers, see the Online
Help.
NOTE: Without a license, you can assign a maximum of four PCIe slots to full-height server, two to
the upper slot and two to the extension slot, or two PCIe devices to a half-height server.

Viewing PCIe Slot Properties Using CMC Web Interface
•

To view the information about all the eight PCIe slots, in the left pane, click Chassis Overview → PCIe
Overview. Click the

•

to view all the properties for the required slot.

To view the information about one PCIe slot, click Chassis Overview → PCIe Slot →
Properties → Status.

Assigning PCIe Slots To Servers Using CMC Web Interface
To assign PCIe slots to the servers:
•

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → PCIe Overview → Setup → Mapping: PCIe Slots to Server
Slots. On the Mapping: PCIe Slots to Server Slots page, in the Action column, from the Action dropdown menu, select the appropriate server name, and then click Apply.

Note the following:
•

Without a license, the maximum number of PCIe slots that maybe mapped to a half-height server is
two. If a full-height server is installed you can map two PCIe slots to the upper server slot and two to
the lower (extended) server slot, for a total of four PCIe slots per full-height server.

189

•

You can map the server slots to any of the 8 PCIe slots.

•

A full-height server has both upper and lower mezzanines populated. Else, during POST will stop
when the or is displayed on the page for you to press any one of the keys.

•

For full-height servers you can map a maximum of two PCIE slots to upper and two to lower
mezzanines. By default, all PCIe mappings to slot 3 will go to the lower mezzanines.

•

Server slot number is displayed as Slot-01, Slot-02, and so on. For a full-height server, the slot name is
displayed as Ext. of Slot-01, Ext. of Slot-02, and so on.

•

If you select the host name, then the host name is displayed instead of the slot name.

For more information about assigning PCIe devices to a server, see the Online Help.

Managing PCIe Slots Using RACADM
You can assign or unassign a PCIe slot to a server by using the RACADM commands. Some of the
commands are given here. For more information about the RACADM commands, see the Chassis
Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command Line Reference Guide available at
dell.com/support/Manuals.
•

To view the current assignment of PCIe devices to servers, run the following command:
racadm getpiecfg -a

•

To view the properties of PCIe devices by using FQDD, run the following command:
racadm getpciecfg [-c ]
For example, to view the properties of PCIe device 1, run the following command.
racadm getpciecfg -c PCIE.ChassisSlot.1

•

To assign a PCIe adapter slot to server slot, run the following command:
racadm setpciecfg assign [-c ] [i ]

•

For example, to assign PCIe slot 5 to server slot 2, run the following command.
racadm setpciecfg assign -c PCIE.ChassisSlot.5 -i 2

•

To unassign a PCIe slot 3 from a server, run the following command:
racadm setpciecfg unassign -c pcie.chassisslot.3

PCIe Power Ride-Through
Newly assigned PCIe cards in CMC VRTX must be discovered and initialized before a server node is
powered on. The discovery and initialization process involves the following:
•

Inventory and discovery of installed cards

•

Preparing a PCIe card for exposure to a server module

•

Preparing multiple cards for configuration by server BIOS

•

Initializing all cards prior to blade node power-on

All these processes require few seconds to complete which causes a delay in initialization of the PCIe
cards. The PCIe Ride-through feature in CMC VRTX reduces this process cycle time. The PCIe Ridethrough feature enables the following:
•

The Server nodes are turned on quickly, thus turning on the PCIe cards quickly.

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•

The powered state of PCIe cards is extended for a pre-defined time period in the following scenarios:
– After the associated server is turned off.
– After a CMC stops functioning.
– After a CMC or server is restarted.
NOTE: At the end of the time period, the PCIe cards power-down. This power-down enables the
blade node to DC power cycle without causing a long power-up delay associated with PCIe
card power-on and initialization.

•

The power-on readiness state of the cards is extended for a predefined time after the discovery
process. This extension eliminates the delays for common types of power cycling scenarios. The
cards continue to be in ready state awaiting node assignment and power-up. The cards power-down
after the time period expires.

.
NOTE: If CMC has insufficient power, all the Ride-through power allocated to the PCIe cards is
reclaimed and supplied to the CMC. If the power supply is restored, the power is reallocated to the
CMC. This power restoration, enables the cards to be ready for server allocation without delay.

Viewing PCIe Ride-through Properties Using CMC Web Interface
To view the PCIe Ride-through properties, in the left pane, click Chassis Overview → PCIe Overview. The
PCIe Status page is displayed. The General Settings section displays the following PCIe Ride-through
properties status:
•

Ridethrough Status — Enabled or Disabled

•

Ridethrough Timeout — Indicates the time for which the Ride-through feature is enabled

Viewing PCIe Ridethrough Properties Status Using RACADM
To view the information about PCIe power ridethrough properties, enter the following command:
racadm getpciecfg –r
For more information, see the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command
Line Reference Guide.

Configuring PCIe Ride-through Properties Using CMC Web Interface
To configure the PCIe Ride-through properties for CMC VRTX:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Setup → Ridethrough.
The PCIe Ridethrough Settings page is displayed.

To enable or disable the PCIe Ride-through feature, select or clear the Enable PCIe Ridethrough
option.
NOTE: By default, the Ride-through feature is enabled.

In the Timeout field, enter the time for which the Ride-through feature to be enabled.
Type either zero (0) or a value from 60–1800 seconds. Zero indicates an infinite timeout.

Click Apply.

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Configuring PCIe Ride-through Properties Status Using RACADM
You can configure the PCIe power ride-through properties, by running the following commands:
•

To disable the Ride-through feature, run the command, racadm setpciecfg ridethru –d

•

To enable the Ride-through feature, run the command, racadm setpciecfg ridethru –e

•

To reset the Ride-through timeout property, run the command, racadm setpciecfg ridethru –
t

•

To set the acceptable timeout range, run the command, racadm setpciecfg help ridethru

For more information, see the Chassis Management Controller for PowerEdge VRTX RACADM Command
Line Reference Guide.

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Troubleshooting and Recovery

This section explains how to perform tasks related to recovering and troubleshooting problems on the
remote system using the CMC web interface.
•

Viewing chassis information.

•

Viewing the event logs.

•

Gathering configuration information, error status, and error logs.

•

Using the diagnostic console.

•

Managing power on a remote system.

•

Managing Lifecycle Controller jobs on a remote system.

•

Reset components.

•

Troubleshooting Network Time Protocol (NTP) problems.

•

Troubleshooting network problems.

•

Troubleshooting alerting problems.

•

Resetting forgotten administrator password.

•

Saving and restoring Chassis configuration settings and certificates.

•

Viewing error codes and logs.

Gathering Configuration Information, Chassis Status, and
Logs Using RACDUMP
The racdump subcommand provides a single command to get comprehensive chassis status,
configuration state information, and the historic event logs.
The racdump subcommand displays the following information:
•

General system/RAC information

•

CMC information

•

Chassis information

•

Session information

•

Sensor information

•

Firmware build information

Supported Interfaces
•

CLI RACADM

•

Remote RACADM

•

Telnet RACADM

racdump includes the following subsystems and aggregates the following RACADM commands. For
more information about racdump, see the RACADM Command Line Reference Guide for CMC in
PowerEdge VRTX.

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Subsystem

RACADM Command

General System/RAC information

getsysinfo

Session information

getssninfo

Sensor information

getsensorinfo

Switches information (IO Module)

getioinfo

Mezzanine card information (Daughter card) getdcinfo
All modules information

getmodinfo

Power budget information

getpbinfo

KVM information

getkvminfo

NIC information (CMC module)

getniccfg

Redundancy information

getredundancymode

Trace log information

gettracelog

RAC event log

getraclog

System event log

getsel

Downloading SNMP Management Information Base (MIB) File
The CMC SNMP MIB file defines the chassis types, events, and indicators. CMC enables you to download
the MIB file using the web interface.
To download the CMC's SNMP Management Information Base (MIB) file using the CMC web interface:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Network → Services → SNMP.

In the SNMP Configuration section, click Save to download the CMC MIB file to your local system.
For more information about the SNMP MIB file, see the Dell OpenManage Server Administrator SNMP
Reference Guide at dell.com/support/manuals.

First Steps to Troubleshoot a Remote System
The following questions are commonly used to troubleshoot high-level issues in the managed system:
•

Is the system turned on or turned off?

•

If turned on, is the operating system functioning, not responding, or stopped functioning?

•

If turned off, did the power turn off unexpectedly?

Power Troubleshooting
The following information helps you to troubleshoot power supply and power-related issues:
•

Problem: Configured the Power Redundancy Policy to Grid Redundancy, and a Power Supply
Redundancy Lost event was raised.
– Resolution A: This configuration requires at least one power supply in side 1 (the left two slots) and
one power supply in side 2 (the right two slots) to be present and functional in the modular
enclosure. Additionally the capacity of each side must be enough to support the total power

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allocations for the chassis to maintain Grid redundancy. (For full Grid Redundancy operation,
make sure that a full PSU configuration of four power supplies is available.)
– Resolution B: Check if all power supplies are properly connected to the two AC grids; power
supplies in side 1 must be connected to one AC grid, those in side 2 must be connected to the
other AC grid, and both AC grids must be working. Grid Redundancy is lost when one of the AC
grids is not functioning.
•

Problem: The PSU state is displayed as Failed (No AC), even when an AC cord is connected and the
power distribution unit is producing good AC output.
– Resolution A: Check and replace the AC cord. Check and confirm that the power distribution unit
providing power to the power supply is operating as expected. If the failure still persists, call Dell
customer service for replacement of the power supply.
– Resolution B: Check that the PSU is connected to the same voltage as the other PSUs. If CMC
detects a PSU operating at a different voltage, the PSU is turned off and marked Failed.

•

Problem: Dynamic Power Supply Engagement is enabled, but none of the power supplies display in
the Standby state.
– Resolution A: There is insufficient surplus power. One or more power supplies are moved into the
Standby state only when the surplus power available in the enclosure exceeds the capacity of at
least one power supply.
– Resolution B: Dynamic Power Supply Engagement cannot be fully supported with the power
supply units present in the enclosure. To check if this is the case, use the web interface to turn
Dynamic Power Supply Engagement off, and then on again. A message is displayed if Dynamic
Power Supply Engagement cannot be fully supported.

•

Problem: Inserted a new server into the enclosure with sufficient power supplies, but the server does
not power on.
– Resolution A: Check for the system input power cap setting—it might be configured too low to
allow any additional servers to be powered up.
– Resolution B: Check for the maximum power conservation setting. If this is set, then this issue
occurs. For more details, see the power configuration settings.
– Resolution C: Check for the server slot power priority of the slot associated with the newlyinserted server, and then ensure it is not lesser than any other server slot power priority.

•

Problem: Available power keeps changing, even when the modular enclosure configuration has not
changed.
– Resolution: CMC has dynamic fan power management that reduces server allocations briefly if the
enclosure is operating near the peak user configured power cap; it causes the fans to be allocated
power by reducing server performance to keep the input power draw below System Input Power
Cap. This is normal behavior.

•

Problem: W is reported as the Surplus for Peak Performance.
– Resolution: The enclosure has W of surplus power available in the current
configuration, and the System Input Power Cap can be safely reduced by this amount being
reported without impacting server performance.

•

Problem: A subset of servers lost power after an AC Grid failure, even when the chassis was operating
in the Grid Redundancy configuration with four power supplies.
– Resolution: This can occur if the power supplies are improperly connected to the redundant AC
grids at the time the AC grid failure occurs. The Grid Redundancy policy requires that the left two
power supplies be connected to one AC grid, and right two power supplies be connected to other
AC grid. If two PSUs are improperly connected, such as PSU 2 and PSU 3 are connected to the
wrong AC grids, an AC grid failure cause loss of power to the least priority servers.

•

Problem: The least priority servers lost power after a PSU failure.

195

– Resolution: To avoid a future power supply failure causing servers to power off, make sure that
the chassis has at least three power supplies and is configured for the Power Supply Redundancy
policy to prevent PSU failure from impacting server operation.
•

Problem: Overall server performance decreases when the ambient temperature increases in the data
center.
– Resolution: This can occur if the System Input Power Cap has been configured to a value that
results in an increased power need by fans having to be made up by reduction in the power
allocation to the servers. User can increase the System Input Power Cap to a higher value that
allow for additional power allocation to the fans without an impact on server performance.

Troubleshooting Alerts
Use the CMC log and the trace log to troubleshoot CMC alerts. The success or failure of each email
and/or SNMP trap delivery attempt is logged into the CMC log. Additional information describing the
particular error is logged in the trace log. However, since SNMP does not confirm delivery of traps, use a
network analyzer or a tool such as Microsoft’s snmputil to trace the packets on the managed system.

Viewing Event Logs
You can view hardware- and chassis logs for information on system-critical events that occur on the
managed system.

Viewing Hardware Log
CMC generates a hardware log of events that occur on the chassis. You can view the hardware log using
the web interface and remote RACADM.
NOTE: To clear the hardware log, you must have Clear Logs Administrator privilege.
NOTE: You can configure CMC to send email or SNMP traps when specific events occur. For
information on configuring CMC to send alerts, see Configuring CMC To Send Alerts.
Examples of hardware log entries
critical System Software event: redundancy lost
Wed May 09 15:26:28 2007 normal System Software
event: log cleared was asserted
Wed May 09 16:06:00 2007 warning System Software
event: predictive failure was asserted
Wed May 09 15:26:31 2007 critical System Software
event: log full was asserted
Wed May 09 15:47:23 2007 unknown System Software
event: unknown event

Viewing Hardware Logs Using CMC Web Interface
You can view, save, and clear the hardware log. You can sort the log entries based on Severity, Date/
Time, or Description by clicking the column heading. Subsequent clicks on the column headings reverse
the sort.
To view the hardware logs using CMC Web interface, in the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Logs.
The Hardware Log page is displayed. To save a copy of the hardware log to your managed station or
network, click Save Log, and then specify a location for a text file of the log.

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NOTE: Since the log is saved as a text file, the graphical images used to indicate severity in the user
interface do not appear. In the text file, severity is indicated with the words OK, Informational,
Unknown, Warning, and Severe. The date and time entries appear in ascending order. If appears in the Date/Time column, it means that the event occurred during the turn-on or
turn—off of any of the modules, when a date or time is not available.
To clear the hardware log, click Clear Log.
NOTE: CMC creates a new log entry indicating that the log was cleared.
NOTE: To clear the hardware log, you must have the Clear Logs Administrator privilege.

Viewing Hardware Logs Using RACADM
To view the hardware log using RACADM, open a serial/Telnet/SSH text console to CMC, log in, and type:
racadm getsel
To clear the hardware log, type:
racadm clrsel

Viewing Chassis Log
CMC generates a log of the chassis-related events.
NOTE: To clear the chassis log, you must have the Clear Logs Administrator privilege.

Viewing Chassis Logs Using RACADM
To view the chassis log information using RACADM, open a serial, Telnet, SSH text console to CMC, log
in, and enter the following:
racadm chassislog view
This command displays the latest 25 chassis log entries.
To display the options available to view chassislogs, run the following command:
racadm chassislog help view

Viewing Chassis Logs Using the Web Interface
You can view, save, and clear the chassis log. You can filter the logs based on the log type and filter.
Additionally, you can even perform a search based on a keyword or view the logs on specified days.
In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Logs → Chassis Log. The Chassis Log page is displayed.
To save a copy of the chassis log to your managed station or network, click Save Log and then specify a
location save the log file.

Using Diagnostic Console
You can diagnose issues related to the chassis hardware using CLI commands if you are an advanced
user or a user under the direction of technical support.
NOTE: To modify these settings, you must have the Debug Command Administrator privilege.

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To access the Diagnostic Console:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Troubleshooting → Diagnostics.
The Diagnostic Console page displays.

In the Command text box, type a command and click Submit.
For information about the commands, see the Online Help.
The diagnostic results page appears.

Resetting Components
You can reset the active CMC, or virtually reseat servers making them to behave as if they were removed
and reinserted. If the chassis has a standby CMC, resetting the active CMC causes a failover and the
standby CMC becomes active.
NOTE: To reset components, you must have Debug Command Administrator privilege.
To reset the components using the CMC Web interface,
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Troubleshooting → Reset Components.
The Reset Components page is displayed.

To reset the active CMC, in the CMC Status section, click Reset/Failover CMC. If a standby CMC is
present and a chassis is fully redundant, a failover occurs causing the standby CMC to become
active. However, if a standby CMC is not present, the CMC that is available is rebooted.

To virtually reseat the server, in the Virtual Reseat Server section, select servers to reseat, and then
click Apply Selections.
For more information, see the Online Help.
This operation causes the servers to behave as if they were removed and reinserted.

Saving or Restoring Chassis Configuration
This is a licensed feature. To save or restore a backup of the Chassis configuration using the CMC Web
interface:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Setup → Chassis Backup. The Chassis Backup page is
displayed. To save the chassis configuration, click Save. Override the default file path (optional) and
click OK to save the file. The default backup file name contains the service tag of the chassis. This
backup file can be used later to restore the settings and certificates for this chassis only.

To restore the chassis configuration, in the ”Restore" section, click Browse, specify the backup file,
and then click Restore.
NOTE: CMC does not reset upon restoring configuration, however CMC services may take
some time to effectively impose any changed or new configuration. After successful
completion, all current sessions are closed.

Troubleshooting Network Time Protocol (NTP) Errors
After configuring CMC to synchronize the clock with a remote time server over the network, it may take
2-3 minutes before a change in the date and time occurs. If after this time there is still no change, it may

198

be necessary to troubleshoot a problem. CMC may not be able to synchronize the clock for the following
reasons:
•

Problem with the NTP Server 1, NTP Server 2, and NTP Server 3 settings.

•

Invalid host name or IP address may have been accidentally entered.

•

Network connectivity problem that prevents CMC from communicating with any of the configured
NTP servers.

•

DNS problem, preventing any of the NTP server host names from being resolved.

To troubleshoot the NTP–related problems, check the information in the CMC trace log. This log
contains an error message for NTP related failures. If CMC is not able to synchronize with any of the
configured remote NTP servers, then CMC time is synchronized to the local system clock and the trace
log contains an entry similar to the following:
Jan 8 20:02:40 cmc ntpd[1423]: synchronized to LOCAL(0), stratum 10
You can also check the ntpd status by typing the following racadm command:
racadm getractime –n
The output of this command contains detailed NTP statistics that may be useful in debugging the
problem.
If you attempt to configure a Windows-based NTP server, it may help to increase the MaxDist parameter
for ntpd. Before changing this parameter, understand all the implications, since the default setting must
be large enough to work with most NTP servers.
To modify the parameter, type the following command:
racadm config –g cfgRemoteHosts –o cfgRhostsNtpMaxDist 32
After making the change, disable NTP, wait for 5-10 seconds, then enable NTP again:
NOTE: NTP may take an additional three minutes to synchronize again.
To disable NTP, type:
racadm config –g cfgRemoteHosts –o cfgRhostsNtpEnable 0
To enable NTP, type:
racadm config –g cfgRemoteHosts –o cfgRhostsNtpEnable 1
If the NTP servers are configured correctly and this entry is present in the trace log, then this confirms
that CMC is not able to synchronize with any of the configured NTP servers.
If the NTP server IP address is not configured, you may see a trace log entry similar to the following:
Jan 8 19:59:24 cmc ntpd[1423]: Cannot find existing interface for address
1.2.3.4 Jan 8 19:59:24 cmc ntpd[1423]: configuration of 1.2.3.4 failed
If an NTP server setting was configured with an invalid host name, you may see a trace log entry as
follows:
Aug 21 14:34:27 cmc ntpd_initres[1298]: host name not found: blabla Aug 21
14:34:27 cmc ntpd_initres[1298]: couldn't resolve `blabla', giving up on it
For information on how to enter the gettracelog command to review the trace log using the CMC
Web interface, see Using Diagnostic Console.

199

Interpreting LED Colors and Blinking Patterns
The LEDs on the chassis provide the following status of a component:
•

Steadily glowing green LEDs indicate that the component is turned on. If the green LED is blinking, it
indicates a critical but routine event, such as a firmware upload, during which the unit is not
operational. It does not indicate a fault.

•

A blinking amber LED on a module indicates a fault on that module.

•

Blue, blinking LEDs are configurable by the user and used for identification. For more information
about configuration, see Configuring LEDs to Identify Components on the Chassis.

Table 31. LED Color and Blinking Patterns

Component

LED Color, Blinking Pattern

Status

CMC

Green, glowing steadily

Turned on

Green, blinking

Firmware is being uploaded

Green, dark

Turned off

Blue, glowing steadily

Active

Blue, blinking

User-enabled module identifier

Amber, glowing steadily

Not used

Amber, blinking

Fault

Blue, dark

Standby

Green, glowing steadily

Turned on

Green, blinking

Firmware is being uploaded

Green, dark

Turned off

Blue, glowing steadily

Normal

Blue, blinking

User-enabled module identifier

Amber, glowing steadily

Not used

Amber, blinking

Fault

Blue, dark

No fault

Green, glowing steadily

Turned on

Green, blinking

Firmware is being uploaded

Green, dark

Turned off

Blue, glowing steadily

Normal/stack master

Blue, blinking

User-enabled module identifier

Amber, glowing steadily

Not used

Amber, blinking

Fault

Blue, dark

No fault/stack slave

Server

IOM (Common)

200

Component

LED Color, Blinking Pattern

Status

IOM (Pass through)

Green, glowing steadily

Turned on

Green, blinking

Not used

Green, dark

Powered off

Blue, glowing steadily

Normal

Blue, blinking

User-enabled module identifier

Amber, glowing steadily

Not used

Amber, blinking

Fault

Blue, dark

No fault

Green, glowing steadily

Fan working

Green, blinking

Not used

Green, dark

Turned off

Amber, glowing steadily

Fan type not recognized, update the CMC
firmware

Amber, blinking

Fan fault; tachometer out of range

Amber, dark

Not used

(Oval) Green, glowing steadily

AC OK

(Oval) Green, blinking

Not used

(Oval) Green, dark

AC Not OK

Amber, glowing steadily

Not used

Amber, blinking

Fault

Amber, dark

No fault

(Circle) Green, glowing steadily

DC OK

(Circle) Green, dark

DC Not OK

Blower

PSU

Troubleshooting Non-responsive CMC
If you cannot log in to CMC using any of the interfaces (the web interface, Telnet, SSH, remote RACADM,
or serial), you can verify the CMC functionality observing the LEDs on CMC, obtaining recovery
information using the DB-9 serial port, or recovering the CMC firmware image.
NOTE: It is not possible to log in to the standby CMC using a serial console.

Observing LEDs to Isolate the Problem
There are two LEDs on the left of the card:
•

Upper-left LED — Indicates power status. If it is not ON:
– Verify that you have AC present to at least one power supply.

201

– Verify that the CMC card is seated properly. You can release or pull the ejector handle, remove the
CMC, reinstall the CMC making sure that the board is inserted all the way and the latch closes
correctly.
•

Lower-left LED — This LED is multi-colored. When CMC is active and running, and there are no
problems, the bottom LED is blue. If it is amber, a fault is detected. The fault may be caused by any of
the following three events:
– A core failure. In this case, the CMC board must be replaced.
– A self-test failure. In this case, the CMC board must be replaced.
– An image corruption. In this case, upload the CMC firmware image to recover the CMC.
NOTE: A normal CMC boot or reset takes over a minute to fully boot into its operating system
and be available for login. The blue LED is enabled on the active CMC. In a redundant, two-CMC
configuration, only the upper-right green LED is enabled on the standby CMC.

Obtain Recovery Information from DB-9 Serial Port
If the bottom LED is amber, recovery information is available from the DB-9 serial port located on the
front of CMC.
To obtain recovery information:
1.

Install a NULL modem cable between a CMC system and a client system.

Open a terminal emulator of your choice (such as HyperTerminal or Minicom). Enter the following
specification when prompted: 8 bits, no parity, no flow control, baud rate 115200.

Press the key.
If a recovery prompt appears, additional information is available. The prompt indicates the CMC slot
number and failure type.
To display failure reason and syntax for a few commands, type recover, and then press .
Sample prompts:
recover1[self test] CMC 1 self test failure
recover2[Bad FW images] CMC2 has corrupted images
– If the prompt indicates a self test failure, there are no serviceable components on CMC. CMC is
bad and must be returned to Dell.
– If the prompt indicates Bad FW Images, complete tasks in Recovering Firmware Image.

Recovering Firmware Image
CMC enters recover mode when a normal CMC operating boot is not possible. In recover mode, a small
subset of commands are available that allow you to reprogram the flash devices by uploading the
firmware update file, firmimg.cmc. This is the same firmware image file used for normal firmware
updates. The recovery process displays its current activity and boots to the CMC OS upon completion.
When you type recover and then press at the recovery prompt, the recover reason and available
sub-commands display. An example recover sequence may be:
recover getniccfg
recover setniccfg 192.168.0.120 255.255.255.0
192.168.0.1
recover ping 192.168.0.100
recover fwupdate -g -a 192.168.0.100
NOTE: Connect the network cable to the left most RJ45.

202

NOTE: In recover mode, you cannot ping CMC normally because there is no active network stack.
The recover ping command allows you to ping to the TFTP server to verify
the LAN connection. You may need to use the recover reset command after setniccfg on
some systems.

Troubleshooting Network Problems
The internal CMC trace log allows you to debug CMC alerts and networking. You can access the trace
log using the CMC Web interface or RACADM. See the gettracelog command section in the RACADM
Command Line Reference Guide for iDRAC7 and CMC.
The trace log tracks the following information:
•

DHCP — Traces packets sent to and received from a DHCP server.

•

DDNS — Traces dynamic DNS update requests and responses.

•

Configuration changes to the network interfaces.

The trace log may also contain CMC firmware-specific error codes that are related to the internal CMC
firmware, not the managed system’s operating system.

Troubleshooting Controller
To troubleshoot a controller:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview → Storage → Controllers → Troubleshooting.

On the Controller Troubleshooting page, from the Actions drop-down list for the respective
controller, select any one of the following, and then click Apply.
– Reset Configuration — Deletes the virtual disks and hots spares. However, the data on the disks
are not erased.
– Export TTY Log — The TTY debug log from the storage controller is exported to your local
system.
NOTE: If there is pinned cache, the option to clear it will be present. If there is no pinned cache,
this option will not be displayed.

203

204

Using LCD Panel Interface

You can use the LCD panel on the chassis to perform configuration and diagnostics, and to obtain status
information about the chassis and its contents.
The following figure illustrates the LCD panel. The LCD screen displays menus, icons, pictures, and
messages.

Figure 2. LCD Display

1.
3.

LCD screen
Scroll buttons (4)

Selection ("check") button

LCD Navigation
The right side of the LCD panel contains five buttons: four arrow buttons (up, down, left, and right) and a
center button.
•

To move between screens, use the right (next) and left (previous) arrow buttons. At any time while
using the panel, you can return to a previous screen.

•

To scroll through options on a screen, use the down and up arrow buttons.

•

To select and save an item on a screen and move to the next screen, use the center button.

The up, down, left, and right arrow buttons change the selected menu items or icons on the screen. The
selected item is shown with a light blue background or border.
When messages displayed on the LCD screen are longer than what fits on the screen, use the left and
right arrow buttons to scroll the text left and right.
The icons described in the following table are used to navigate between LCD screens.

205

Table 32. LCD Panel Navigational Icons

Icon Normal

Icon Highlighted

Icon Name and Description
Back — Highlight and press the
center button to return to the
previous screen.
Accept/Yes — Highlight and
press the center button to accept
a change and return to the
previous screen.
Skip/Next — Highlight and press
the center button to skip any
changes and go to the next
screen.
No — Highlight and press the
center button to answer "No" to a
question and go to the next
screen.
Component Identify — Blinks the
blue LED on a component.
NOTE: There is a blinking
blue rectangle around this
icon when Component
Identify is enabled.

A status indicator LED on the LCD panel provides an indication of the overall health of the chassis and its
components.
•

Solid blue indicates good health.

•

Blinking amber indicates that at least one component has a fault condition.

•

Blinking blue is an ID signal, used to identify one chassis in a group of chassis.

Main Menu
From the Main Menu menu, you can navigate to one of the following screens:
•

KVM Mapping — Contains the options to map or unmap the KVM to the servers.

•

DVD Mapping — This option is displayed on the Main Menu screen only if you a DVD drive installed.

•

Enclosure — Displays status information for the chassis.

•

IP Summary — Displays information about CMC IPv4, CMC IPv6, iDRAC IPv4, and iDRAC 4 IPv6.

•

Settings — Contains the options such as LCD Language, Chassis Orientation, Default LCD Screen,
and the Network Settings.

KVM Mapping Menu
From this screen, you can view the KVM to server mapping information, map another server to the KVM,
or unmap the existing connection. To use the KVM for a server, select KVM mapping from the main
menu, navigate to the appropriate server, and then press the center Check button.

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DVD Mapping
By using this page, you can view the DVD to server mapping information, map another server to the DVD
drive on the chassis, or unmap the existing connection. To give a server access to the DVD, select DVD
mapping from the main menu, navigate to the required server, and then press the center Check button.
The DVD drive can be mapped to the server slot only if the DVD is enabled for that server slot. DVD drive
can also be unmapped to prevent the use by any of the server slots. The health of the DVD drive will be
critical if the SATA cable is not properly connected between the DVD drive and the mainboard. If the
health of the DVD drive is critical, the server cannot access the DVD drive.
NOTE: The DVD Mapping feature is displayed on the LCD Main Menu screen only if you have a DVD
drive installed.

Enclosure Menu
From this screen, you can navigate to the following screens:
•

Front Status

•

Rear Status

•

Side Status

•

Enclosure Status

Use the navigation buttons to highlight the desired item (highlight the Back icon to return to the Main
Menu), and then press the center button. The selected screen is displayed.

IP Summary Menu
The IP Summary screen displays the IP information about the CMC (IPv4 and IPv6), and each server that
is installed on the chassis.
Use the up and down arrow buttons to scroll through the list. Use the left and right arrow buttons to
scroll selected messages that are longer than the screen.
Use the up and down arrow buttons to select the Back icon and press the center button to return to the
Enclosure menu.

Settings
The Settings menu displays a menu of items that can be configured:
•

LCD Language — Select the language you want to use for LCD screen text and messages.

•

Chassis Orientation — Select either Tower Mode or Rack Mode on the basis of installation orientation
of the chassis.

•

Default LCD Screen — Select the screen (Main Menu, Front Status, Rear Status, Side Status, or
Custom) that is displayed when there is no activity on the LCD panel.

•

Network Settings — Select to configure the network settings of a CMC. For more information about
this feature, see Configuring CMC Network Using LCD Panel Interface.

Use the up and down arrow buttons to highlight an item in the menu, or highlight the Back icon if you
want to return to the Main Menu screen.
To activate your selection, press the center button.

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LCD Language
The LCD Language screen allows you to select the language used for LCD panel messages. The currently
active language is highlighted with a light blue background.
1.

Use the up, down, left, and right arrow buttons to highlight the desired language.

Press the center button. The Accept icon appears and is highlighted.

Press the center button to confirm the change. The LCD Setup menu is displayed.

Default Screen
The Default Screen allows you to change the screen that the LCD panel displays when there is no activity
at the panel. The factory default screen is the Main Menu. You can choose from the following screens to
display:
•

Main Menu

•

Front Status (front graphical view of the chassis)

•

Rear Status (rear graphical view of the chassis)

•

Side Status (left graphical view of the chassis)

•

Custom (Dell logo with chassis name)

The currently active default screen is highlighted in light blue color.
1.

Use the up and down arrow keys to highlight the screen you want to set to the default.

Press the center button. The Accept icon is highlighted.

Press the center button again to confirm the change. The Default Screen is displayed.

Diagnostics
The LCD panel helps you to diagnose issues in any server or module in the chassis. If there is an issue or
fault with the chassis or any server or other module in the chassis, the LCD panel status indicator blinks
amber. On the Main Menu, an icon with an amber background displays next to the menu item—
Enclosure—that leads to the Front, Rear, Side, or Enclosure status.
By following the amber icons through the LCD menu system, you can display the status screen and error
messages for the item that has the issue.
Error messages on the LCD panel can be removed by removing the module or server that is the cause of
the issue, or by clearing the hardware log for the module or server. For server errors, use the iDRAC web
interface or command line interface to clear the server’s System Event Log (SEL). For chassis errors, use
the CMC web interface or command line interface to clear the hardware log.

Front Panel LCD Messages
This section contains two subsections that list error and status information that is displayed on the front
panel LCD.
Error messages on the LCD have a format that is similar to the System Event Log (SEL) viewed from the
CLI or Web interface.
The tables in the error section list the error and warning messages that are displayed on the various LCD
screens and the possible cause of the message. Text enclosed in angled brackets (< >) indicates that the
text may vary.

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Status information on the LCD includes descriptive information about the modules in the chassis. The
tables in this section describe the information that is displayed for each component.

LCD Module and Server Status Information
The tables in this section describe status items that are displayed on the front panel LCD for each type of
component in the chassis.
Table 33. CMC Status

Item

Description

Name/Location

Example: CMC1, CMC2.

No Errors

If there are no errors, No Errors is displayed. Else, error
messages are listed where critical ones are first listed, and
then the warning-related.

Firmware Version

Only displays on an active CMC. Displays Standby for the
standby CMC.

IP4

Displays current IPv4 enabled state only on an active CMC.

IP4 Address:

Only displays if IPv4 is enabled only on an active CMC.

IP6

Displays current IPv6 enabled state only on an active CMC.

IP6 Local Address:

Only displays if IPv6 is enabled only on an active CMC.

IP6 Global Address:

Only displays if IPv6 is enabled only on an active CMC.

Table 34. Chassis or Enclosure Status

Item

Description

User Define Name

Example: “Dell Rack System”. This can be configured using the CMC
CLI or Web interface.

Error Messages

If there are no errors, No Errors is displayed. Else, error messages are
listed where critical ones are first listed, and then the warning-related.

Model Number

Example "PowerEdgeM1000".

Power Consumption

Current power consumption in watts.

Peak Power

Peak power consumed in watts.

Minimum Power

Minimum power consumed in watts.

Ambient Temperature

Current ambient temperature in degrees Celsius.

Service Tag

The factory-assigned service tag.

CMC redundancy mode

Non-Redundant or Redundant.

PSU redundancy mode

Non-Redundant, Grid Redundant, or DC Redundant.

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Table 35. Fan Status

Item

Description

Name/Location

Example: Fan1, Fan2, and so on.

Error Messages

If there are no errors, No Errors is displayed. Else, error messages are
listed where critical ones are first listed, and then the warning-related.

RPM

Current fan speed in RPM.

Table 36. PSU Status

Item

Description

Name/Location

Example: PSU1, PSU2, and so on.

Error Messages

If there are no errors, No Errors is displayed. Else, error messages are
listed where critical ones are first listed, and then the warningrelated.

Status

Offline, Online, or Standby — Indicates the power status of a PSU.

Maximum Wattage

Maximum Wattage that PSU can supply to the system.

Table 37. IOM Status

Item

Description

Name/Location

IOM A

Error Messages

If there are no errors, No Errors is displayed. Else, error messages are
listed where critical ones are first listed, and then the warningrelated.

Status

Off or On — Indicates whether the IOM is functioning.

Model

Model of the IOM.

Fabric Type

Networking type.

IP address

Only shows if IOM is turned on. This value is zero for a pass through
type IOM.

Service Tag

The factory-assigned service tag.

Table 38. KVM Mapping Status

Item

Description

Server

Displays a list of servers to which the KVM can be mapped.

Error Messages

If there are no errors, No Errors is displayed. Else, error messages are
listed where critical ones are first listed, and then the warning-related.

Mapped

Displays a list of servers mapped to a KVM, if any.

Slot

Indicates the server slot to which the KVM is mapped to. Possible
values are SLOT-<01 to 04>.

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Item

Description

Unmapped

Displayed if the KVM is not mapped to any of the servers.

Table 39. DVD Mapping Status

Item

Description

Server

Displays a list of servers to which the DVD can be mapped.

Error Messages

If there are no errors, No Errors is displayed. Else, error messages are
listed where critical ones are first listed, and then the warningrelated.

Mapped

Displays a list of servers mapped to a DVD, if any.

Slot

Indicates the server slot to which the DVD is mapped to. Possible
values are SLOT-<01 to 04>.

Unmapped

Displayed if the KVM is not mapped to any of the servers.

Table 40. Blower Status

Item

Description

Name/Location

Example: Blower1, Blower2, and so on.

Error Messages

If there are no errors, No Errors is displayed. Else, error messages are
listed where critical ones are first listed, and then the warningrelated.

RPM

Current blower speed in RPM.

Table 41. SPERC Status

Item

Description

SPERC:

Displays the SPERC name in the format SPERC n, where 'n' is the
SPERC number. Example: SPERC 1, SPERC 2, and so on.

Error Messages

If there are no errors, No Errors is displayed. Else, error messages are
listed where critical ones are first listed, and then the warningrelated.

Working Status

On or Off — Indicates whether the SPERC is functioning.

Name:

Name of the shared PERC. Example: SPERC8

Health Status

Firmware Version

SPERC version

Manufacturer

Manufacturer name

State

Offline, Online, or Standby — Indicates the power status of a SPERC.

211

Table 42. PCIe Card Status

Item

Description

PCIe Card

Displays the PCIe Card name in the format PCIe Card , where 'n' is
the PCIe Card number. Example: PCIe Card 1, PCIe Card 2, and so on.

Error Messages

If there are no errors, No Errors is displayed. Else, error messages are
listed where critical ones are first listed, and then the warning-related.

Working Status

On or Off — Indicates whether the PCIe Card is functioning.

Name:

Name of the PCIe Card.

Mapped to Server

Mapped or Unmapped.

Table 43. Hard Disk Drive Status

Item

Description

Hard Disk Drive:

Displays the Hard disk drive name in the format Hard Disk Drive ,
where 'n' is the hard drive number. Example: Hard Disk Drive 1, Hard
Disk Drive 2, and so on.

Error Messages

If there are no errors, No Errors is displayed. Else, error messages are
listed where critical ones are first listed, and then the warningrelated.

Power Status

Spun-Up, Transition, or Spun-Down — Indicates the power status of
a hard disk drive

Manufacturer

Manufacturer name

Capacity

Available Storage capacity of the Hard Disk Drive in gigabytes (GB)

Firmware version

Firmware version of the Hard Disk Drive

State

Offline, Online, or Standby — Indicates the power status of the hard
disk drive.

Table 44. Server Status

Item

Description

Name/Location

Example: Server 1, Server 2, and so on.

No Errors

If there are no errors, No Errors is displayed. Else, error messages are
listed where critical ones are first listed, and then the warningrelated. For more information, see "LCD Error Messages".

Slot Name

Chassis slot name. For example, SLOT-01.
NOTE: You can set this table through the CMC CLI or CMC
Web interface.

Name

Name of the server, which the user can set through Dell
OpenManage. The name is displayed only if iDRAC has finished
booting, and the server supports this feature, else iDRAC booting
messages are displayed.

Model Number

Displays if iDRAC finished booting.

Service Tag

Displays if iDRAC finished booting.

212

Item

Description

BIOS Version

Server BIOS firmware version.

Last POST Code

Displays the last server BIOS POST code messages string.

iDRAC Firmware Version

Displays if iDRAC finished booting.
NOTE: iDRAC version 1.01 is displayed as 1.1. There is no iDRAC
version 1.10.

IP4

Displays the current IPv4 enabled state.

IP4 Address: Only displays if IPv4 is enabled.
IP6

Only displays if iDRAC supports IPv6. Displays current IPv6-enabled
state.

IP6 Local Address:

Only displays if iDRAC supports IPv6 and IPv6 is enabled.

IP6 Global Address:

Only displays if iDRAC supports IPv6 and IPv6 is enabled.

FlexAddress enabled on Fabrics

Only displays if the feature is installed. Lists the fabrics enabled for
this server (that is, A, B, C).

The information in the table is dynamically updated. If the server does not support this feature, then the
following information does not appear, else Server Administrator options are as follows:
•

Option “None” = No strings must be displayed on the LCD.

•

Option “Default” = No Effect.

•

Option “Custom” = Allows you to enter a string name for the server.

The information is displayed only if iDRAC has completed booting. For more information on this feature,
see the RACADM Command Line Reference Guide for CMC in PowerEdge VRTX.

213

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Frequently Asked Questions

This section lists the frequently asked questions about the following:
•

RACADM

•

Managing and Recovering a Remote System

•

Active Directory

•

FlexAddress and FlexAddressPlus

•

IOM

RACADM
After performing a CMC reset (using the RACADM racreset subcommand), when a command is
entered, the following message is displayed:
racadm Transport: ERROR: (RC=-1)
What does this message mean?
Another command must be issued only after CMC completes the reset.
Using the RACADM subcommands sometimes displays one or more of the following errors:
•

Local error messages — Problems such as syntax, typographical errors, and incorrect names. For
example, ERROR:
Use the RACADM help subcommand to display correct syntax and usage information. For example, if
you have an error in clearing a chassis log, run the following sub-command.
racadm chassislog help clear

•

CMC–related error messages — Problems where the CMC is unable to perform an action. The
following error message is displayed:
racadm command failed.

To view information about a chassis, type the following command:
racadm gettracelog
While using firmware RACADM, the prompt changes to a ">" and the "$" prompt is not displayed again.
If a non-matched double quotation mark (") or a non-matched single quotation (’) is used in the
command, the CLI changes to the ">" prompt and queues all commands.
To return to the $ prompt, type –d:
An error message Not Found is displayed while using the $ logout and $ quit commands.

Managing and Recovering a Remote System
Why are the remote RACADM and Web-based services unavailable after a property change?
It may take a minute for the remote RACADM services and the web interface to become available after
the CMC Web server resets.

215

The CMC web server is reset after the following occurrences:
•

Changing the network configuration or network security properties using the CMC web user
interface.

•

The cfgRacTuneHttpsPort property is changed (including when a config -f changes it).

•

racresetcfg is used or a chassis configuration backup is restored.

•

CMC is reset.

•

A new SSL server certificate is uploaded.

My DNS server doesn’t register my CMC?
Some DNS servers only register names with a maximum of 31 characters.
When accessing the CMC Web interface, a security warning stating that the SSL certificate was issued
by a certificate authority that is not trusted is displayed.
CMC includes a default CMC server certificate to ensure network security for the web interface and
remote RACADM features. This certificate is not issued by a trusted certificate authority. To address this
security concern, upload a CMC server certificate issued by a trusted certificate authority (such as Thawte
or Verisign).
Why is the following message displayed for unknown reasons?
Remote Access: SNMP Authentication Failure
As part of discovery, IT Assistant attempts to verify the device’s get and set community names. In IT
Assistant, the get community name = public and the set community name = private. By default, the
community name for the CMC agent is public. When IT Assistant sends out a set request, the CMC agent
generates the SNMP authentication error because it only accepts requests from community = public.
Change the CMC community name using RACADM. To see the CMC community name, use the following
command:
racadm getconfig -g cfgOobSnmp
To set the CMC community name, use the following command:
racadm config -g cfgOobSnmp -o cfgOobSnmpAgentCommunity
To prevent SNMP authentication traps from being generated, enter input community names that are
accepted by the agent. Since CMC only allows one community name, enter the same get and set
community name for IT Assistant discovery setup.
When accessing the CMC Web interface, a security warning stating that the host name of the SSL
certificate does not match the host name of CMC is displayed.
CMC includes a default CMC server certificate to ensure network security for the web interface and
remote RACADM features. When this certificate is used, the web browser displays a security warning if the
default certificate does not match the host name of CMC (for example, the IP address).
To address this security concern, upload a CMC server certificate issued to the IP address of CMC. When
generating the certificate signing request (CSR) to be used for issuing the certificate, ensure that the
common name (CN) of the CSR matches the IP address of CMC (for example, 192.168.0.120) or the
registered DNS CMC name.
To ensure that the CSR matches the registered DNS CMC name:
1.

In the left pane, click Chassis Overview.

Click Network.
The Network Configuration page appears.

216

Select the Register CMC on DNS option.

Type a CMC name in the DNS CMC Name field.

Click Apply Changes.

Active Directory
Does Active Directory support CMC login across multiple trees?
Yes. The CMC’s Active Directory querying algorithm supports multiple trees in a single forest.
Does the login to CMC using Active Directory work in mixed mode (that is, the domain controllers in
the forest run different operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003)?
Yes. In mixed mode, all objects used by the CMC querying process (among user, RAC Device Object, and
Association Object) must be in the same domain.
The Dell-extended Active Directory Users and Computers Snap-In checks the mode and limits users in
order to create objects across domains, if in a mixed mode.
Does using CMC with Active Directory support multiple domain environments?
Yes. The domain forest function level must be in Native mode or Windows 2003 mode. In addition, the
groups among Association Object, RAC user objects, and RAC Device Objects (including Association
Object) must be universal groups.
Can these Dell-extended objects (Dell Association Object, Dell RAC Device, and Dell Privilege Object)
be in different domains?
The Association Object and the Privilege Object must be in the same domain. The Dell-extended Active
Directory Users and Computers Snap-In allows to create these two objects in the same domain only.
Other objects can be in different domains.
Are there any restrictions on Domain Controller SSL configuration?
Yes. All SSL certificates for Active Directory servers in the forest must be signed by the same root
certificate authority-signed certificate, because CMC only allows upload of one trusted certificate
authority-signed SSL certificate.
The Web interface does not launch after a new RAC certificate is created and uploaded.
If Microsoft Certificate Services is used to generate the RAC certificate, the User Certificate option may
have been used instead of Web Certificate, when creating the certificate.
To recover, generate a CSR, create a new Web certificate from Microsoft Certificate Services, and then
upload it by running the following RACADM commands:
racadm sslcsrgen [-g] [-f {filename}]
racadm sslcertupload -t 1 -f {web_sslcert}

FlexAddress and FlexAddressPlus
What happens if a feature card is removed?
There is no visible change if a feature card is removed. Feature cards can be removed and stored, or can
be left in place.
What happens if a feature card that was used in one chassis is removed and put into another chassis?
The Web interface displays the following error message:
This feature card was activated with a different chassis. It must be removed
before accessing the FlexAddress feature.
Current Chassis Service Tag = XXXXXXXX

217

Feature Card Chassis Service Tag = YYYYYYYY
An entry is added to the CMC log that states:
cmc : feature 'FlexAddress@YYYYYYYY' not activated; chassis
ID='XXXXXXXX'
What happens if the feature card is removed and a non-FlexAddress card is installed?
No activation or modifications to the card should occur. The card is ignored by CMC. In this situation, the
$racadm featurecard -s command returns the following message:
No feature card inserted
ERROR: can't open file
If the chassis service tag is reprogrammed, what happens if there is a feature card bound to that
chassis?
•

If the original feature card is present in the active CMC on that or any other chassis, the Web interface
displays the following error message:
This feature card was activated with a different chassis. It must be removed
before accessing the FlexAddress feature.
Current Chassis Service Tag = XXXXXXXX
Feature Card Chassis Service Tag = YYYYYYYY
The original feature card is no longer eligible for deactivation on that or any other chassis, unless Dell
Service reprograms the original chassis service tag back into a chassis, and CMC that has the original
feature card is made active on that chassis.

•

The FlexAddress feature remains activated on the originally-bound chassis. The binding of that chassis
feature is updated to reflect the new service tag.

Is an error message displayed if two feature cards are installed in a redundant CMC system?
A feature card in the active CMC is active and installed in the chassis. The second card is ignored by CMC.
Does the SD card have a write-protection lock on it?
Yes it does. Before installing the SD card into the CMC module, verify the write protection latch is in the
unlock position. The FlexAddress feature cannot be activated if the SD card is write protected. In this
situation, the $racadm feature -s command returns this message:
No features active on the chassis. ERROR: read only file system
What happens if there is no SD card in the active CMC module?
The $racadm featurecard -s command returns this message:
No feature card inserted.
What happens to FlexAddress feature if the server BIOS is updated from version 1.xx to version 2.xx?
The server module must be turned off before it can be used with FlexAddress. After the server BIOS
update is complete, the server module does not get chassis-assigned addresses until the server is power
cycled.
How can an SD card be recovered if the SD card was not in the chassis when the deactivation
command was run on the FlexAddress?
The issue is that the SD card cannot be used to install FlexAddress on another chassis, if it was not in
CMC when FlexAddress was deactivated. To recover use of the card, insert the card back into a CMC in
the chassis that it is bound to, reinstall FlexAddress, and then deactivate the FlexAddress.
The SD card is properly installed and all the firmware or software updates are installed. The
FlexAddress is active, the server deployment screen does not display the options to deploy it? What is
wrong?

218

This is a browser caching issue. Log off from the browser and relaunch.
What happens to FlexAddress if I need to reset my chassis configuration using the RACADM command,
racresetcfg?
The FlexAddress feature will still be activated and ready to use. All fabrics and slots are selected as default.
NOTE: It is highly recommended that you turn off your chassis before running the RACADM
command racresetcfg.
After disabling only the FlexAddressPlus feature (leaving FlexAddress still activated), why does the
racadm setflexaddr command on the (stillactive) CMC fail?
If the CMC subsequently becomes active, with the FlexAddressPlus feature card still in the card slot, the
FlexAddressPlus feature gets reactivated, and slot or fabric flexaddress configuration changes can
resume.

IOM
After a configuration change, sometimes CMC displays the IP address as 0.0.0.0.
Click the Refresh icon to see if the IP address is set correctly on the switch. If an error is made in setting
the IP/mask/gateway, the switch does not set the IP address and returns a 0.0.0.0 in all fields.
Common errors are:
•

Setting the out-of-band IP address to be the same as, or on the same network as, the in-band
management IP address.

•

Entering an invalid subnet mask.

•

Setting the default gateway to an address that is not on a network, which is directly connected to the
switch.

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