Dell M1000E manual Accessing the chassis management controller, Quick Links, Avocent iKVM switch

Figure 1. Avocent OSCAR main dialog box for the Dell PowerEdge M1000e blade server

select a blade to view and control, the Avocent iKVM switch can automatically reconfigure the keyboard and mouse to the proper settings for that blade.

Administrators also have the option of using hotkey sequences to access server blades without using the OSCAR main dialog box. For example, they can config- ure the switch so that rather than pressing the Print Screen button twice to bring up the main dialog box and then selecting a blade, they can press the Print Screen button and then the first few characters of a blade name or slot number to display that blade immediately.

The Avocent iKVM switch also enables administrators to send keyboard and mouse actions to multiple server blades simultaneously, helping simplify the pro- cess of managing multiple blades at once. They can configure the switch to broad- cast keystrokes and mouse movements independently as well, providing addi- tional management flexibility.

The switch provides basic security capabilities to help prevent unauthorized users from controlling the server blades. For example, the OSCAR interface allows administrators to protect the system with a screen saver password: after a defined time period, the screen saver engages and access is prohibited until the password is entered. Administrators can also protect the OSCAR configuration itself with a password. If they ever lose or forget this

password, they can clear it through the PowerEdge M1000e CMC.

Accessing the chassis management controller

The CMC is a hot-pluggable systems management hardware and software controller designed to provide remote management and power control for the Dell PowerEdge M1000e blade server. It includes its own processor and memory, and draws power from the modular blade enclosure. Its key features include the following:

■■ Support for Microsoft Active Directory

authentication: Directory services such as Microsoft Active Directory maintain a common database of information needed to control network users and assets; organizations using Active Directory can use it to provide access to CMCs. Administrators can centralize CMC user IDs and passwords in Active Directory using the standard schema or an extended schema.

■■ Comprehensive monitoring: CMCs provide access to system information and the status of components such as server blades, power supplies, fans, and temperature sensors.

■■ Access to system event logs: CMCs generate a hardware log of events that occur on the chassis, which includes the severity, time, and a description of the event. Administrators can view, save a text file version of, and clear the hardware log from the CMC interface.

■■ Automated alerts: Administrators can configure CMCs to send e-mail mes- sages or Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) traps to alert them of warnings or errors related to tempera- tures, hardware mis-configurations, power outages, fan speeds, and so on.

In addition to other ways of accessing CMCs, administrators can use the Avocent iKVM switch to establish racadm console connections. They can then use racadm commands to configure CMC properties

and perform remote management tasks through a command-line interface. Administrators can display a list of available racadm commands, syntax infor- mation, and other instructions by using the command racadm help. They can list syntax and options for specific racadm commands by using the command racadm help command. The Dell CMC user guide also provides a list of available racadm commands.

Providing simple, flexible blade server management

The Avocent iKVM switch is designed to provide easy access to each of the 16 server blades and the CMC in Dell PowerEdge M1000e modular blade enclosures. Using the switch with the Avocent OSCAR interface and taking advantage of the racadm console con- nections can give administrators compre- hensive access to and control over the Dell PowerEdge M1000e blade server, helping provide simple, flexible monitor- ing and management capabilities.

Stephen M. Hahn has been the Dell account manager at Avocent for the last eight years. He has a bachelor’s degree from Boise State University.

Chad Fenner is the product marketing manager for blade servers at Dell. He has a bachelor’s degree from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

QUICK LINKS

Avocent iKVM switch:

www.avocent.com

Dell PowerEdge M1000e:

DELL.COM/Servers

Reprinted from Dell Power Solutions, February 2008. Copyright © 2008 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. DELL.COM/PowerSolutions 61