iDRAC9 with Lifecycle Controller—Best in class management for Dell EMC 14th generation PowerEdge Servers This technical white paper lists the enhancements that iDRAC9 with Lifecycle Controller provides the customers in the Dell EMC 14th generation PowerEdge servers. The method in which the cutting edge technologies offered by PowerEdge servers align with the four pillars of IT infrastructure management are discussed in brief.
Revisions Date Description June 2017 Initial release The information in this publication is provided “as is.” Dell Inc. makes no representations or warranties of any kind with respect to the information in this publication, and specifically disclaims implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Use, copying, and distribution of any software described in this publication requires an applicable software license. Copyright © June-2017 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries.
Contents Revisions.............................................................................................................................................................................2 Executive summary.............................................................................................................................................................4 Audience.......................................................................................................................................
Executive summary This technical white paper briefly describes the enhanced feature that iDRAC9 with Lifecycle Controller offers to enable you manage your servers to ensure that your business-critical services are available 24x7 globally. The key innovations designed to help IT teams securely and effectively deploy, update, and monitor the latest generation of Dell EMC PowerEdge Servers are discussed with its benefits. Enhancements made in the 14th generation servers are listed.
1 iDRAC9—Server industry’s leading Embedded Management solution The integrated Dell Remote Access Controller 9 (iDRAC9) with Lifecycle Controller delivers advanced, agentfree, local and remote server administration. Embedded in every PowerEdge server, iDRAC9 provides a secure means to automate a multitude of common management tasks.
This technical white paper showcases the prime new and greatly improved features of iDRAC9, and covers the various topics as they fit under the respective categories. All these tools are designed to drive simplicity, efficiency, and availability for Dell EMC PowerEdge Servers. 1.1.1 Automating IT management It is no secret that IT teams are continually challenged with increased workloads with reduced personnel. It is at this point when the focus shifts to automation.
Speed up the server deployments using Dell’s Server Configuration Profile (SCP) The heart of embedded management in every Dell PowerEdge server, the iDRAC with Lifecycle Controller provides the ability to generate a human-readable snapshot of server configuration via a Server Configuration Profile. This single file contains all BIOS, iDRAC, Lifecycle Controller, Network, and Storage settings.
1.1.2 Management Made Simple 13th Generation PowerEdge servers introduced multiple ground-breaking firsts for OEM servers. Dell EMC was the first to offer a mobile solution based on NFC to directly connect to the iDRAC to allow an easier method to “set the IP address” compared to the LCD panel—but with many more features such as setting passwords, and viewing logs.
SupportAssist built into every PowerEdge Server One area where Dell EMC is constantly improving is the experience when calling into Tech Support. We are constantly looking for ways to improve and streamline the process so IT admins spend less time on the phone and more time working on projects that have a positive impact on their company’s bottom line.
1.1.3 Security by Default Security is a critical component for any IT department. There is tremendous focus on security at the OS and application layer. Dell EMC is also focuses on security at the hardware, BIOS and firmware levels. Here are some of the features Dell EMC provides to further secure PowerEdge Servers. Lock down the server configuration and firmware iDRAC9 offers a new feature that ‘locks down’ the hardware and firmware configuration of a server or servers.
Factory-generated default password for iDRAC The iDRAC password is well known and documented. However, some IT administrators forget to change this, and leave their systems to potential vulnerabilities. Beginning with 14G, all PowerEdge servers will ship with a factory-generated password, by default. o o o iDRAC at 14G will ship with a factory-generated password string located on the server’s information tag Customers can request “calvin” as the default password.
o o o o o Remotely and quickly check if server LOMs or NDCs and iDRAC are connected to the correct switches and ports Avoid costly remote dispatch of technicians to remediate wiring errors No more tracing cables in the hot aisle Can be done via the GUI, or RACADM commands can provide information for all 14G connections Details o iDRAC parses LLDP messages from external switches to LOM/NDC ports o Requires LLDP enabled in networking environment LCD panel is now an Optional Bezel The LCD panel is old favor
iDRAC is OS- or hypervisor-agnostic, but there are still a few reasons to have a connection between the OS and iDRAC—such as the watchdog timer in the OS which advises iDRAC to start a crash video. In that timeframe, a smaller, lightweight replace for OMSA came around—the iDRAC Service Module (iSM) was introduced. Using only 3–5MB of running memory (compared to the 150–200 used by OMSA,) iSM provides additional solutions that OMSA cannot provide.
Additional resources 14 Dell.com/support is focused on meeting customers’ requirements with proven services and support. Dell TechCenter is an online technical community where IT professionals have access to numerous resources for Dell EMC software, hardware, and services. DellTechCenter/iDRAC provides up to date links to firmware downloads, manuals, and white papers for iDRAC and CLI tools such as RACADM and Redfish.
