White paper Using Server Configuration Profiles to Deploy Operating Systems to Dell EMC PowerEdge Servers Abstract This white paper describes best practices to install an operating system automatically via a Server Configuration Profile. This method can be deployed to multiple servers, greatly reducing the time required to get a server up and running.
Revisions Revisions Date Description April 2020 Initial release Acknowledgements This paper was produced by the following: Authors: Dallin Strong, Charles Stracener, Texas Roemer Support: Sanjay Rao, Steve Fagan, Krishna Kanukurthy, and Chandran Venkatachal The information in this publication is provided “as is.” Dell Inc.
Table of contents Table of contents Revisions............................................................................................................................................................................. 2 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................................................. 2 Table of contents ...............................................................................................
Executive Summary Executive Summary One of the most time-consuming steps in getting a server ready for use is installing the operating system. This document describes how to use the already existing Server Configuration Profile (SCP) to deploy the operating system from an ISO file to a local PowerEdge server. When both SCP profile and ISO file are stored on a network share, they can be leveraged in a simple, efficient process.
Server configuration profile template operating system deployment additions 1 Server configuration profile template operating system deployment additions For this feature, the following attributes have been added to the SCP template and can be seen in the resulting XML/JSON file when doing an SCP export operation. These attributes can be found under the LifecycleController component. NOTE: These attributes act as a template for executing the OSD operation and will not contain values.
Server configuration profile template operating system deployment additions OSMediaShareDomainName Domain name for the network on which the installation file is located. Can be left blank if network has no domain name. OSMediaShareType Share type of the share on which the operating system installation file is located. Supported share types include CIFS, NFS, HTTP, HTTPS, or local. When local is used as the share type, the SCP network information is used as the share data.
Server configuration profile template operating system deployment additions JSON snippet example: { "Name": "OSD.1#SupportedOSList", "Value": “Microsoft Windows Server 2016", "Set On Import": "False", "Comment": "Read and Write" }, { "Name": "OSD.1#OSName", "Value": "Microsoft Windows Server 2016", "Set On Import": "True", "Comment": "Read and Write" }, { "Name": "OSD.1#OSMediaShareIP", "Value": “", "Set On Import": "True", "Comment": "Read and Write" }, { "Name": "OSD.
Server configuration profile operations 2 Server configuration profile operations 2.1 Export server configuration profile template The following section provides a general overview of the supported SCP operations for all supported iDRAC interfaces. These operations include export, import preview and import. To use the server configuration profile feature, first create or export an SCP file that contains all the necessary server configuration information.
Server configuration profile operations attributes that you changed are passed upon application. If you do not execute an import preview first and you import an SCP file with issues, you must wait until the job is either marked failed or completed with errors and then debug the issue and run the import operation again.
Server configuration profile operations 2.3.2 SCP import using RACADM: To import SCP file using RACADM, use the racadm set command. For more examples or help, execute the racadm help set command. RACADM example: C:\>racadm -r 192.168.0.120 -u root -p calvin set -f R740_scp_file.xml -t xml -l 192.168.0.130:/nfs 2.3.3 SCP import using Redfish: To import SCP profile using Redfish, execute a POST call on OEM action EID_674_Manager. ImportSystemConfiguration.
Server configuration profile end-to-end workflows 3 Server configuration profile end-to-end workflows This section covers multiple end-to-end workflows using the server configuration profile feature. Different workflows use different iDRAC interfaces, stacking multiple configuration settings and performing operating system installation. NOTE: All workflows discussed here are performed on a PowerEdge C6420 server with iDRAC9 version 4.00. 3.
Server configuration profile end-to-end workflows -rwxr--r-- 1 root root 309999616 Feb 1 2019 esxi_5u1.iso [root@linux nfs]# ls -la *.xml -rw-rw-r-- 1 root 991 167814 Dec 20 12:46 C6420_scp_file.xml [root@linux nfs]# 3. Using any editor, open the SCP file to make changes. In this workflow, we will change iDRAC and NIC attributes, adding a new iDRAC user, and setting Lifecycle Controller attributes to perform operating system installation. DRAC FQDD, iDRAC.Embedded.
Server configuration profile end-to-end workflows Enabled local esxi_5u1.iso 3600 4. After editing the SCP file, execute the import preview to make sure the SCP file is correct and has no errors before importing.
Server configuration profile end-to-end workflows NOTE: The overall SCP import job will is not marked completed until the boot to network ISO job ID is marked completed or failed first. 8. Once the operating system installation is complete, if you need to detach the operating system drivers before the attach timeout has been reached, you can manually detach them using the iDRAC UI. Go to Configuration> Virtual Media and select the Unmount Drivers option to manually detach the operating system driver pack.
Server configuration profile end-to-end workflows C:\>racadm -r 100.65.84.70 -u root -p calvin --nocertwarn jobqueue view -i JID_768692922198 ---------------------------- JOB ------------------------[Job ID=JID_768692922198] Job Name=Export: Server Configuration Profile Status=Running Start Time=[Not Applicable] Expiration Time=[Not Applicable] Message=[SYS057: Exporting Server Configuration Profile.] Percent Complete=[60] ---------------------------------------------------------C:\>racadm -r 100.65.84.
Server configuration profile end-to-end workflows NOTE: "IncludedPhysicalDiskID" attribute needs to be passed per disk you will be needing to create the RAID volume. BIOS FQDD, BIOS.Setup.1-1 attribute settings Attribute Setting MemTest Enabled UefiBootSeq RAID.Mezzanine.1-1 LC FQDD, LifecycleController.Embedded.1 attribute settings Attribute Setting OSD.1#OSName Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.6 x64 OSD.1#OSMediaShareType local OSD.1#OSMediaName RHEL_7_6_Server_x86_64.iso OSD.1#AnswerFileName ks.cfg OSD.
Server configuration profile end-to-end workflows "Value": "Newkey12##", "Set On Import": "True", "Comment": "Read and Write" } ], "Components": [ { "FQDD": "Disk.Virtual.0:RAID.Mezzanine.
Server configuration profile end-to-end workflows ]}, ]} } "Attributes": [ { "Name": "MemTest", "Value": "Enabled", "Set On Import": "True", "Comment": "Read and Write" }, { "Name": "UefiBootSeq", "Value": "RAID.Mezzanine.1-1", "Set On Import": "True", "Comment": "Read and Write" } { "FQDD": "LifecycleController.Embedded.1", "Attributes": [ { "Name": "OSD.1#OSName", "Value": "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.6 x64", "Set On Import": "True", "Comment": "Read and Write" }, { "Name": "OSD.
Server configuration profile end-to-end workflows [Job ID=JID_768724066327] Job Name=Preview Configuration Status=Completed Start Time=[Not Applicable] Expiration Time=[Not Applicable] Message=[SYS081: Successfully previewed Server Configuration Profile import operation.] Percent Complete=[100] ---------------------------------------------------------NOTE: If you get any type of job failure, you can view the job ID config results which will tell you the details of why preview failed.
Server configuration profile end-to-end workflows C:\>racadm -r 100.65.84.70 -u root -p calvin --nocertwarn jobqueue view -i JID_779832077111 ---------------------------- JOB ------------------------[Job ID=JID_779832077111] Job Name=Configure: Import Server Configuration Profile Status=Running Start Time=[Not Applicable] Expiration Time=[Not Applicable] Message=[SYS058: Applying configuration changes.] Percent Complete=[20] ---------------------------------------------------------C:\>racadm -r 100.65.84.
Server configuration profile end-to-end workflows • • • SCP import using the same HTTP share. Query import job status until marked completed. Workflow complete Note: If needed, refer to the GUI workflow section which shows screenshots of server behavior once the import job has been created and the server reboots. 1. Perform selective export in XML format, exporting only Lifecycle Controller attributes to an HTTP share using Redfish.
Server configuration profile end-to-end workflows POST action settings Setting Value Action “Oem/EID_674_Manager.ImportSystemConfigurationPreview” Header “Content_type application/json” Body Parameters “SharedParameters” Authorization “Basic Auth” (passing in iDRAC username / password) After you execute a POST command, a status code of 202 is returned along with a job ID URI value for the Location key. 5. Take the location URI and execute a GET to check the job status.
Troubleshooting 4 Troubleshooting 4.1 Operating system driver pack issues The following sections detail some of the most common issues seen while performing operating system install via SCP and how to resolve them The following are symptoms of issues with the operating system driver pack: • If the below is seen in the SCP template file for the OSD field: PAGE 24Troubleshooting Message=[SYS067: Unable to complete application of configuration profile values.] Percent Complete=[100] ---------------------------------------------------------To get more information on why the job failed, execute the following command: racadm lclog viewconfigresult -j JID_xxxxx SeqNumber = 148 FQDD = LifecycleController.Embedded.1 Job Name = Import Configuration DisplayValue = OS Media Share IP Address Name = OSD.1#OSMediaShareIP OldValue = "" NewValue = 10.36.99.
Troubleshooting ---------------------------------------------------------However, once the system tries to boot to the corrupt media an error will be seen on the host. Booting from vFlash Media ISOIMG Boot Failed: vFlash Media ISOIMG Boot Failed: Please ensure a compatible bootable media is available. Available Actions: F1 to Continue and Retry Boot Order F2 for System Setup (BIOS) F11 for Boot Manager If this happens, make sure that the operating system install file is good and retry the SCP operation.
Useful Links 5 Useful Links • • 26 Using Server Configuration Profiles (SCP) on PowerEdge Servers: https://downloads.dell.com/solutions/dell-management-solutionresources/ServerCloning_SCP%20v2_50%28DTC%20copy%29.pdf SCP .xml file structure whitepaper: https://downloads.dell.com/solutions/general-solutionresources/White%20Papers/Server%20Configuration%20XML%20File.
Additional notes 6 Additional notes • • • • • • 27 The SCP option for end host power state will be overwritten when OSD operations are provided in the template. The operating system install process might require manual interaction via a Press Any Key prompt if the host already has an operating system installed. The operating system name value you pass in the SCP file must not contain any whitespace characters. For example, Windows Server 2019.iso is an invalid value, but Windows_Server_2019.
