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Introduction

Dell OpenManage™ Server Administrator Version 1.4 User's Guide

  Overview

  Integrated Features

  Other Documents You Might Need

Overview

Server Administrator provides a comprehensive, one-to-one systems management solution in two ways: from an integrated, Web browser-based GUI (the Server Administrator home page) and from a command line interface (CLI) through the operating system. Server Administrator is designed for system administrators to both locally and remotely manage systems on a network. Server Administrator allows system administrators to focus on managing their entire network by providing comprehensive one-to-one systems management.

NOTE: For the purposes of Server Administrator, a system can be a stand-alone system, a server with attached network storage units in separate chassis, or a modular system consisting of one or more server modules in a chassis.

Server Administrator provides information about:

• Systems that are operating properly and systems that have problems
  
  
• Systems that require updates
  
  
• Systems that require remote recovery operations
  
  

Integrated Features

Server Administrator provides easy-to-use management and administration of local and remote systems through a comprehensive set of integrated management services. Server Administrator resides solely on the system being managed and is accessible both locally and remotely from the Server Administrator home page. Remotely monitored systems may be accessed by dial-in, LAN, or wireless connections. Server Administrator ensures the security of its management connections through role-based access control (RBAC), authentication, and industry-standard secure socket layer (SSL) encryption.

The following sections describe the Server Administrator integrated services and features:

Installation

You can install Server Administrator by using several methods. The Dell OpenManage Systems Management CD provides a setup program to install, upgrade, and uninstall Server Administrator and other managed system and management station software components on your managed system. Additionally, you can install Server Administrator on multiple systems through an unattended installation across a network. Lastly, if you have a modular system, or if your Microsoft® Windows® operating system was preinstalled and you have the OpenManage Installation icon on your desktop, you can install the preloaded managed system software by double-clicking the OpenManage Installation icon.

NOTE: If you have a modular system, you must install Server Administrator on each server module that is installed in the chassis.

Server Administrator Home Page

The Server Administrator home page provides easy to set up and easy-to-use Web browser-based system management from the managed system or from a remote host through a LAN, dial-up service, or wireless network. When the Server Administrator secure port server is installed and configured on the managed system, you can perform remote management functions from any system that has a supported Web browser and connection. Additionally, the Server Administrator home page provides extensive, context-sensitive online help.

Instrumentation Service

The Instrumentation Service provides rapid access to detailed fault and performance information gathered by industry-standard systems management agents and allows remote administration of monitored systems, including shutdown, startup, and security.

Remote Access Service

NOTE: The Remote Access Service is not available on modular systems. You must directly connect to the remote access controller (RAC) on a modular system. See the Dell Embedded Remote Access/MC User's Guide for more information.

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

Storage Management Service

The Storage Management Service provides storage management information in an integrated graphical view. The Storage Management Service enables you to view the status of local and remote storage attached to a monitored system. The Storage Management Service obtains logical and physical information about attached storage devices from the Dell OpenManage Array Manager managed system.

Diagnostic Service

NOTE: The Diagnostic Service is not available on modular systems.

The Diagnostic Service provides a suite of diagnostic programs that run locally on your system or remotely on a system connected to the network. The Diagnostic Service is engineered to diagnose problems on individual systems and to run concurrently with all other applications running on the system under test.

Update Service

NOTE: The Update Service is not available on modular systems.

The Update Service provides up-to-date version control and valuable change management tools for performing BIOS and firmware version updates on your local system. You can view the current version and perform updates for the system BIOS and firmware, RAID controller firmware and device drivers, RAC firmware, and other system component firmware and device drivers.

Logs

Server Administrator displays logs of commands issued to or by the system, monitored hardware events, POST events, and system alerts. You can view logs on the home page, print or save them as reports, and send them by e-mail to a designated service contact.

Other Documents You Might Need

Besides this User's Guide, you can find the following guides either on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com or on the documentation CD:

• The Dell OpenManage Software Quick Installation Guide provides an overview of applications that you can install on your management station (console) and on your managed systems and procedures for installing your console and managed system applications on systems running supported operating systems.
  
  
• The Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Compatibility Guide provides compatibility information about Server Administrator installation and operation on various hardware platforms (or systems) running supported Microsoft Windows, Novell® NetWare®, and Red Hat Linux operating systems.
  
  
• The Dell OpenManage Server Administrator SNMP Reference Guide documents the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) management information base (MIB). The SNMP MIB defines variables that extend the standard MIB to cover the capabilities of systems management agents.
  
  
• The Dell OpenManage Server Administrator CIM Reference Guide documents the Common Information Model (CIM) provider, an extension of the standard management object format (MOF) file. The CIM provider MOF documents supported classes of management objects.
  
  
• The Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Messages Reference Guide lists the messages that are displayed in your Server Administrator home page Alert log or on your operating system's event viewer. This guide explains the text, severity, and cause of each Instrumentation Service Alert message that Server Administrator issues.
  
  
• The Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Command Line Interface User's Guide documents the complete command line interface for Server Administrator, including an explanation of CLI commands to view system status, access logs, create reports, configure various component parameters, and set critical thresholds.
  
  
• The Dell OpenManage Array Manager User's Guide is a comprehensive reference guide for configuring and managing local and remote storage attached to a system.
  
  
• The Dell Remote Access Controller Installation and Setup Guide provides complete information about installing and configuring a DRAC III, DRAC III/XT, and an ERA/O controller, configuring an ERA controller, and using a RAC to remotely access an inoperable system.
  
  
• The Dell Remote Access Controller Racadm User's Guide provides information about using the racadm command-line utility.
  
  
• The Dell Embedded Remote Access/MC Controller User's Guide provides complete information about configuring and using an ERA/MC controller to remotely manage and monitor your modular system and its shared resources through a network.
  
  
• The Dell PowerEdge 1655MC Systems — System Configuration Guide provides an overview of initially setting up a modular system.
  
  
• The Dell OpenManage Remote Install User's Guide provides information about unattended, simultaneous provisioning and configuration solutions over the network by leveraging image-based technology.
  
  

The Systems Management CD contains a readme file for Server Administrator and additional readme files for most applications found on the CD.

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