Dell IDRAC Server Remote Control settings

For the remote server , we can not regularly to the computer room maintenance, so remote control for the server is very important. So how do you remotely control the server? Remote Desktop? Or a KVM switch ? NO, you 're out ! If you are using a Dell server, then the IDRAC feature is a huge waste.

So what isIDRACIt?IDRACAlso known asIntegrated Dell remoteaccess Controller, which is the integration of the Dell Remote control card, which isDell Server's unique features,IDRACThe card is equivalent to the one attached to the serverComputer, can realize one-to-one server remote management and monitoring, through theServer BoardOn the management chipBMCTo communicate, monitor and manage the hardware status information of the server. It has its own system andIPAddress, and the server on theOSIndependent. is a powerful tool for administrators to remotely access and manage, and the Dell server integratesIDRACControl card, we can throw away the expensiveKVMThe device. In Daldy AGeneration Server,IDRACVersion has been upgraded to theiDRAC7, below we will take the DellPowerEdge R820As an example, for your illustrationIDRACStep-by-step setup.

The idrac remote Control interface of the Dell server, in the lower right corner of the diagram, has the word "IDRAC"

Idrac 's network port on the back of the server is generally marked with the word idrac . In Dell's server, this network port uses a 1Gbps network port, which is faster. In general, theIdrac feature is turned off by default, we need to enable it in the BIOS , first we restart the computer, then enter the BIOS, select IDRAC Setting.

Select IDRAC settings in the BIOS

A detailed list of IDRAC settings in the BIOS

After entering the IDRAC Setting , we see a lot of detailed settings, and generally we can just set up network networks.

To turn on the IDRAC feature in the BIOS

First we need to enable the Idrac feature, and the Idrac interface of the Dell PowerEdge R820 uses a gigabit Nic , so we are in the enable NC option, select Enablein theNC Selection option, dedicated (iDRAC7 enterpriseonly), and Auto negotiation We can choose the rate of the IDRAC network interface and the full and half duplex mode, in general we choose on , that is, the automatic setting is possible.

Setting the iDRAC network parameters in the BIOS

And then it should beIDRACThe network parameters are set up and we selectIPV4 SETTINGS (WhenIPV6We can use it when it's popular.IPV6's address.)。IPThe address is set in the formDHCPand static address two, in order to facilitate maintenance and management, we recommend that you choose static fixedIPThe way. We putEnable DHCPTo giveDisableOff, you can setIPAddress. If it is LAN control, then fill in the LANIPAddress, if it is remote control, you need to enter an existingIPAddress, and also set the defaultGatewayAndDNSAddress, so that not only can remote control be implemented, and once problems occur(such as redundancyPower supplyStrike or the server is compromised.)，IDRACwill send a message to a pre-set e-mail, what, sounds tempting?

Of course, if we open the Idrac feature in advance, we can also set or modify the idrac network Parameters on the LCD screen of the server panel. the "<,> and √" buttons next to the LCD screen are operated.

Select static IP, press "√" key to confirm

First, you need to set up the use of IP address, there are DHCP ( automatic acquisition ) and Staticip ( static IP) two ways. For ease of use and management, we strongly recommend using the Staticip method, which is the static IP address, and press the "√" key to confirm.

Set the IP address, press the "√" key to confirm

Set subnet mask, press "√" key to confirm

Set the default gateway address and press "√" key to confirm

Set the DNS address and press "√" key to confirm

After setting up the network parameters of Idrac , we can use Idrac to remotely control and maintain the remote server . First, we first open IE Browser, enter the IDRAC IP address and return, and then pop up a certificate of the wrong page. We don't have to bother, just click "Stand-alone here to close this page".

Website Security certificate Error, ignore

IDRAC Web landing page

Then there is the iDRAC login interface, and we enter the default username "root" and the default password "Calvin" to log in.

IDRAC Operations Main Page

IDRAC also provides users with simplified Chinese interface, more intimate. In this interface, we can view the operation of the various parts of the server, as well as complete the management of the server, such as remote switch, server Virtual Console to control the operation of the entire server, but also to see if the server has been compromised ; The Virtual Console preview can display the current server's monitor screen.

System Summary

In the system summary we can seeIDRACEnumerate the operation of key components of the server, includingBattery, Server coolingFanGroupChassisIntrusionPower supply, and temperature and voltage, we just click on the items we need to see. If there is a problem with a section, the system summary shows an error, and we can look further at the problem with a particular component, so that we can hit the problem at the time of repair and reduce the approximate47%Maintenance time. Listed in thepower to the serverThere is a problem with the device, we'll check it out.Power supply UnitWorking conditions. Below we will list the power supply, cooling fan andCPUView the working status of key components.

Power Device operating Status View

In the power supply options we can see that the original remote server 's redundant power down, only the main power supply is working properly. Determine the location of the fault we can go to the computer room to solve problems quickly, greatly reducing the maintenance time.

Cooling Fan working Status View

Dell The cooling fan set of the PowerEdge R820 has 6 fans, which can be seen in the fan redundancy state, including the current fan speed, and, if there is a problem with one of the fans, a red error will appear in front of the fan.

CPU Working Status View

The processor is the core of the server, we can also from the IDRAC to see the current operating state of each CPU , if a CPU has a bad contact, and so on, this CPU Status will give you an error message.

Jes Hong of the remote monitor screen display and operation of the IDRAC Virtual Console

Here's what this highlights,IDRACVirtual Console, you can see the monitor screen of the server through the Virtual Console. However, before normal use, you need to install aActiveXPlug-in, and then prompt to connect to the remote server, if the network settings are not a problem, the Remote Server Monitor screen can be moved to our screen. It is worth mentioning that the operations section, in the Virtual Console, we can only useMouseTo perform the operation, but the virtual mouse arrows and our mouse arrows are separate, so the remote mouse arrow is a good operationKung FuLive;keyboardIt doesn't work on this screen, but it doesn't matter, the Virtual Console provides us with "macros", which are pre-set common hotkey combinations such as "Alt+ctrl+del", but from the list of macros, these keys are not very full, such as enteringBIOSOfF2The key is not, it is a bit regrettable. Also, if you need to remotely add acd/DVDOrISOMirror maps to the server, you can use the virtual Media feature so that we can remotely install the serverOperating SystemThe

Start Virtual Media

Detailed System Log

The system log is a very useful feature that records the various problems and critical information of the server, for example, we can see two server lid opened records, three server power error messages, etc., so that the server will be able to make every hardware problem can be documented. Of course,IDRAC 7 also has its own SMTP Mail Service, which can send alarm messages directly to our pre-set mailbox, we can find the server alarm message from the mail, such as memory alarm.

IDRAC 7 Memory alert information sent to the mailbox

We know that the LCD display of the Dell Server 's control Panel can display information, but how to display the information we need, this also needs to be set up in IDRAC . In the front panel setup we can see the contents of the information that is displayed by the current LCD display.

View the information displayed when the panel LCD display

Setting the display information of the panel LCD display

In the LCD Setup, we can see that the LCD display can be very informative, such as the ambient temperature, system model,IDRAC 's IP address and MAC Address, system power consumption, of course, if the system components fail, theLCD display will give priority to the contents of the error message.

Setting the backlight flashing of the panel's LCD display

In addition, we can set the backlight of the LCD display, can set the backlight flashing switch and flashing timeout time, this will give users a reminder of the role, especially in the coexistence of multiple servers in the environment, we only need to maintain the server's LCD the display flashes so that the maintenance staff can quickly locate the server to be operated on.

In summary, theIDRAC system Embedded, to the remote server management and settings to provide a great convenience, a lot of operation we as long as the remote can be completed without the need to run to the room inside to set up ; In the case of component faults,IDRAC can quickly and directly display the name and number of the component, so that we can quickly locate the problematic part in order to replace the parts and troubleshoot, thus saving the maintenance time of approximately 47% . It also significantly reduces the loss caused by server outages. Therefore, users who use Dell servers must not waste the iDRAC functionality of your server.

From for notes (Wiz)

Dell IDRAC Server Remote Control settings