Baseboard Management Controller

Configuration & Usage Guide

HB-DDXX-0004
Version 2
05-11-08
Table Of Contents

Purpose of this document

How to set up the BMC

IP Address-Related Items

Console Redirection Screen Options

Using the BMC Management Utility

Unsupported BMC Features and BMC Particulars

Using SOL Proxy

Purpose of this document

This document details the procedures needed to utilise the Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) of a dell
blade to manage a PC remotely. Remote management in this instance also allows BIOS changes to be made
so that a PC can be remotely booted from a PXE server in the event of a problem.

How to set up the BMC

Entering the System Setup Program

1. Turn on or restart your system.

2. Press <F2> immediately after you see the following message: <F2> = Setup
3. When you see the message “Press CTRL-E for BMC Setup within 5 seconds” press CTRL-E to
enter the BMC Setup.
4. Set the IPMI Over LAN option to be on
5. Enter the IPMI LAN Channel Setup and configure the IP Address, Subnet and Default Gate
way for the BMC – Note that the IP address of the BMC must be the same as the hosts port
1 IP Address
6. Enter the User Configuration and enter the username and password you would like to use
7. Quit the BMC setup using the escape key and save your changes
8. The system will now enter BIOS Setup
9. Select the console redirection option and press return to open a sub-menu
10. Ensure that the console redirection option is set to “BMC SOL”
11. Quit system setup using the escape key and select the option to save changes
IP Address-Related Items

The following items apply to the BMC IP address:

• The BMC IP address and the hosts port 1(the first one) IP address must be set to the same
value. This means that if the host is using DHCP, the BMC LAN channel must be turned off.

• Ensure that the gateway IP address is set to the correct subnet and the IP address is correct
when routing packets to the BMC. The BMC will properly respond to routed packets if only
the IP address is correct, but some packets may be lost if the gateway IP address is
incorrect.

• Any host application that monitors ports 623 and 644 cannot be executed from port 1 (the
first one) of a server module. If you attempt this, the network packets will be sent to the
BMC instead of the host. Use port 2 instead.

Console Redirection Screen Options

Option Description

Console Redirection Console Redirection options are BMC SOL, DRAC/MC, and Off.
(Default = Off) BMC SOL enables the BMC serial over LAN connection. DRAC/MC enables
console redirection through the management module’s serial connector.
Off disables console redirection.

Failsafe Baud Rate Displays the failsafe baud rate used for console redirection when the baud rate
(Default = 57600) cannot be negotiated automatically with the remote terminal. This rate should not
be adjusted.

Remote Terminal Type Select either VT 100/VT 220 or ANSI.

(Default = VT 100/
VT 220)

Redirection After Boot Enables or disables BIOS console redirection after your system boots to the
(Default = Enabled) operating system.
Using the BMC Management Utility

The BMC Management Utility is a collection of software applications that enable remote management
and configuration of systems equipped with a BMC. The BMC Management Utility includes the following
components:

• Command Line Interface (IPMI Shell)

The IPMI Shell is a scriptable console application program for the control and management of remote systems
using the IPMI 1.5 protocol. The IPMI Shell supports both serial access and LAN access to the BMC. It allows
administration of one or more managed systems from a command line shell, rather than a graphical user
interface (GUI).

Use the IPMI Shell to perform the following tasks:

– System power management

– System identification

– Access to the event log

– System identifier control

• Serial-Over-LAN Proxy (SOL Proxy)

The SOL Proxy is a telnet daemon that allows LAN-based administration of remote systems using the Serial
Over LAN (SOL) and IPMI 1.5 protocols. Any standard telnet client application, such as HyperTerminal on
Microsoft® Windows® or telnet on Red Hat® Enterprise Linux, can be used to access the daemon’s features.
The SOL protocol coupled with the remote system’s BIOS console redirection allows administrators to remotely
view and change a managed system’s BIOS settings over a LAN. The Red Hat Enterprise Linux serial console
and Microsoft’s EMS/SAC interfaces can also be accessed over a LAN using SOL.

NOTICE: All versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system include Hilgraeve’s HyperTerminal terminal
emulation software. However, the included version does not provide many functions required during console
redirection. Instead, you can use any terminal emulation software that supports VT100 or ANSI emulation
mode. One example of a full VT100 or ANSI terminal emulator that supports console redirection on your
system is Hilgraeve’s HyperTerminal Private Edition 6.1 or later.

NOTE: See your Dell system User’s Guide for more information about console redirection, including
hardware and software requirements and instructions for configuring host and client systems to use console
redirection.

NOTE: HyperTerminal and telnet settings must be consistent with the settings on the managed system. For
example, the baud rates and terminal modes should match.
Unsupported BMC Features and BMC Particulars

The following items describe BMC particulars and features that are not supported by the BMC on this sys-
tem.
• The IPMI Shell does not allow a user with administrator-level BMC user privileges to set and
change user privileges.

• The server module does not have an external serial connector; therefore, Terminal and Basic
mode are not supported through a serial port for out-of-band (IPMI) management.

NOTE: Console redirection can be set to the DRAC/MC module if use of its serial port is desired.

• Alerts (PET), Platform Event Filters (PEF), and DHCP are not supported, as there are no alert
destination or IP Source options in the BMC setup.

• To prevent heavy ARP request traffic to the BMC, the BMC does not receive any ARP
requests as they are routed only to the host.

• The BMC sends gratuitous ARPs every 10 seconds to allow a remote host to discover the
BMC if the host’s operating system is not communicating.

• The server module’s front-panel power and KVM buttons are directly connected to the BMC.
If the BMC program becomes corrupt or is badly configured, the power button may not
operate.

• Do not use the keyboard sequence to switch server modules or turn off the server module
when updating the BMC firmware. Otherwise, the update may fail. If this does occur, restart
the update.
Using SOL Proxy

Depending on the console you use, there are different steps for accessing SOL Proxy. Throughout this section,
the management station where the SOL Proxy is running is referred to as the SOL Proxy Server.

Using the Windows Command Prompt to connect and use SOL Proxy:

Open a Command Prompt window on your management station.

Enter the telnet command in the command-line and provide the IP address of the SOL Proxy server and
the port number that you specified in the SOL Proxy installation (the default value is 623). Such as: telnet
192.168.1.24 623

NOTE: The IP address and port number you provide should conform to the ones defined in the SOL Proxy
configuration file. If you are prompted for a username, provide the operating system login credentials of
the SOL Proxy Server. Provide a password when prompted. SOL Proxy will use this combination of operating
system username and password to authenticate you on SOL Proxy Server. The specific authentication scheme
will depend on the operating system configuration for the SOL Proxy Server. You will not be prompted
if localhost or 127.0.0.1 is used; it is assumed that the user has login privileges to the local host. After
authentication is performed, you will see a login successful message and the SOL Proxy main menu prompt.
You are ready to use SOL Proxy. See “SOL Proxy Main Menu” for further instructions.

Using Windows HyperTerminal Console to connect and use SOL Proxy:

Open a HyperTerminal session on your management station. Create a new TCP/IP connection, providing the
IP address of SOL Proxy Server and the port number you specified in SOL Proxy installation (the default value
is 623). The Emulation mode is VT100 and ANSI.

NOTE: The IP address and port number you provide should conform to the ones defined in the SOL Proxy
configuration file. For more details, see “Configuring SOL Proxy with the SOL Proxy Configuration File.” If
you are prompted for a username, provide the operating system login credentials of the SOL Proxy Server.
Provide a password when prompted. SOL Proxy will use this combination of operating system username and
password to authenticate you on SOL Proxy Server. The specific authentication scheme will depend on the
operating system configuration for the SOL Proxy Server. You will not be prompted if local host or 127.0.0.1 is
used; it is assumed that the user has login privileges to the local host. After authentication is performed, you
will see a login successful message and the SOL Proxy main menu prompt. You are ready to use SOL Proxy.

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