Working With Remote Access Controller

The Dell systems baseboard management controller (BMC)/Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) monitors the system for critical events by communicating with various sensors on the system board and sends alerts and log events when certain parameters exceed their preset thresholds. The BMC/ iDRAC supports the industry-standard Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) specification, enabling you to configure, monitor, and recover systems remotely.

NOTE: The Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) is supported on Dell PowerEdge 10G and later systems.

The DRAC is a systems management hardware and software solution designed to provide remote management capabilities, crashed system recovery, and power control functions for Dell systems.

By communicating with the system’s baseboard management controller (BMC)/Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC), the DRAC can be configured to send you e-mail alerts for warnings or errors related to voltages, temperatures, and fan speeds. The DRAC also logs event data and the most recent crash screen (available only on systems running Microsoft Windows operating system) to help you diagnose the probable cause of a system crash.

The Remote Access Controller provides remote access to an inoperable system, allowing you to get the system up and running as quickly as possible. The Remote Access Controller also provides alert notification when a system is down and allows you to remotely restart a system. Additionally, the Remote Access Controller logs the probable cause of system crashes and saves the most recent crash screen.

You can log in to the Remote Access Controller through the Server Administrator home page or by directly accessing the controller's IP address using a supported browser.

When using the Remote Access Controller, you can click Help for more detailed information about the specific window you are viewing. Remote Access Controller help is available for all windows accessible to the user based on the user privilege level and the specific hardware and software groups that Server Administrator discovers on the managed system.

NOTE: For more information about the BMC, see the Dell OpenManage Baseboard Management Controller User's Guide at dell.com/systemsecuritymanuals.

NOTE: For more information on using DRAC 5, see the Dell Remote Access Controller 5 User’s Guide at dell.com/systemsecuritymanuals.

NOTE: For detailed information on configuring and using the iDRAC, see the Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller User’s Guide at dell.com/systemsecuritymanuals.

The following table lists the graphical user interface (GUI) field names and the applicable system, when Server Administrator is installed on the system.