Dell Remote Access Controller Installation and Setup Guide
This section provides information specifically about DRAC III. It includes a list of DRAC III features, DRAC III kit contents, supported systems, hardware and optional hardware installation instructions, and a software configuration overview.
NOTE: Throughout the remainder of this document, the system in which the RAC is installed or embedded is referred to as the managed system. A system that remotely accesses the RAC is referred to as a management station. The term system console refers to a system's keyboard, mouse, and monitor. |
The DRAC III is a 33-MHz PCI card with its own microprocessor and memory. The DRAC III may be preinstalled on your system, or available separately in a kit. To get started with a DRAC III that is already installed on your system, see "Software Installation and Configuration Overview." If the DRAC III is not already installed on your system, see "Installing the DRAC III Hardware" before beginning the software installation and configuration.
In addition to the features listed in "Remote Access Controller Features," the DRAC III also provides the following features:
NOTE: The serial connection supports text-only console redirection. |
NOTE: While the DRAC III does not require an external power adapter, using one will allow the DRAC III to remain operational when the system is off, and will extend DRAC III power beyond the 30-minute limit of the battery backup. |
In addition to the security provided for the RAC NIC and Web-based interface connections (see "Remote Access Security Features"), the DRAC III also provides security for VT-100 and modem connections.
Password encryption is not used for this type of connection because the VT-100 connection is a direct-connect terminal emulation, and as such, does not warrant encryption. Terminal security is provided by nonencrypted authentication of the user name and password. The firmware prevents display of the password on the terminal. System power management features (such as reset and power cycle) and text console redirection are provided through the VT-100 interface. Access to a graphical operating system is not available.
DRAC III supports CHAP encryption for PPP modem connections.
DRAC III supports the following PowerEdge systems: 1650, 4600, 6600, 6650, and 7150 systems.
NOTE: See your racread.txt file for the most current list of supported systems. |
DRAC III supports the following PCMCIA modems:
CAUTION: Before you perform this procedure, you must turn off the system and disconnect it from its power source. Only trained service technicians are authorized to remove the system cover and access any of the components inside the system. Read and follow all safety precautions in your System Information Guide. |
NOTICE: Before installing a DRAC III, read the installation instructions in this document and in your system's Installation and Troubleshooting Guide. |
CAUTION: Only trained service technicians are authorized to remove and access any components inside the system. See your System Information Guide for complete information about safety precautions, working inside the computer, and protecting against electrostatic discharge. |
NOTICE: Failure to dissipate static electricity may damage or destroy static-sensitive components. |
Figure 2-1. DRAC III Hardware Components
NOTICE: If you are installing the DRAC III on a 32-bit system, skip steps 8 and 9. If you are installing the DRAC III on a 64-bit system and want access to the IPMB, you must complete steps 7 and 8 before installing the DRAC III into the system. If you are not sure if your system is equipped with an IPMB connector, see your system documentation. |
Ensure that the cable is securely connected to the DRAC III card.
See your system Installation and Troubleshooting Guide for the location of this connector.
NOTICE: For the DRAC III to function properly, it must be installed in the 32-bit, 33-MHz PCI slot 1. The DRAC III must be inserted into PCI slot 1 because it must reside on the same bus as the video controller. If another expansion card is installed in slot 1, it must be moved to another slot before proceeding with the installation. |
NOTICE: On PowerEdge 1650 systems, the DRAC III is installed on a riser board. The riser board plugs into the riser connector on the system board and is considered an extension of the system board. The riser board is equipped with one 32-bit, 33-MHz expansion slot (PCI1) for 5- V cards, and one 64-bit, 66-MHz expansion slot (PCI2). For the DRAC III to function properly, it must be installed in the 32-bit PCI1 slot. If you purchased the DRAC III with your PowerEdge 1650, the riser card and the DRAC III are preinstalled. If you purchased the DRAC III kit separately for installation on a PowerEdge 1650, see the instructions for installing the riser card contained in the kit. |
Ensure that the card-edge connector is fully seated into the system board.
NOTICE: You must use the DRAC III VT-100 serial cable specifically provided for use with the DRAC III because not all serial cables have the same pin-out specification. Using the wrong cable will result in VT-100 terminal emulation failure or DRAC III failure. |
NOTE: While the DRAC III does not require an external power adapter, using one allows the DRAC III to remain operational when the system is off, and extends the DRAC III power beyond the 30-minute capability of the battery pack. |
NOTE: A UPS is recommended for the most complete power protection. |
NOTE: The maximum length allowed for the LAN cable connected to the RJ-45 connector is 184 ft (56 m). |
If the DRAC III installation was successful, the green heartbeat LED indicator on the back of the card connector is illuminated (see "DRAC III Hardware Components").
After completing the hardware installation procedures, you must install and configure the RAC software. For more information about the RAC software components, see "Software Components." For an overview of RAC software installation and configuration, see "Software Installation and Configuration Overview."
This section provides a high-level overview of the RAC software installation and configuration process for DRAC III. Some steps give you the option of using several different tools to perform the configuration, including Server Administrator, IT Assistant, the racadm CLI utility, and your operating system utilities.
For more information about the RAC software components, see "Software Components."
Depending on the tool used to perform the configuration, see the following documents for more information:
To install and configure your RAC software, perform the following steps in their numbered order:
If you are adding a RAC to an existing managed system, it is recommended that you update the system's BIOS before installing the RAC to ensure full support for the card. See "Updating the System BIOS."
Install the software on the managed system using the Systems Management CD (32-bit systems) or the Server Management CD (64-bit systems).
For instructions on installing this software, see your Server Administrator User's Guide.
The managed system has the following components embedded or installed: the RAC, the appropriate version of Server Administrator, and the appropriate RAC agent. Depending on the operating system, the RAC agent consists of either Microsoft® Windows® services, Novell® NLMs, or Red Hat Linux drivers and daemons. The RAC agent automatically starts when you boot the managed system.
NOTE: If you are configuring the DRAC III on a 64-bit system, you must install the DRAC III drivers. For more information, see "Installing DRAC III Drivers on 64-Bit Systems." |
Configure the RAC network settings using one of the following tools:
NOTE: If you are deploying the RAC in a Red Hat Linux environment, see "RAC Software Basics for Red Hat Linux." |
Add and configure RAC users using one of the following tools:
NOTE: For more information about user types, see "RAC User Types" and "DRAC III User Types and Feature Configuration." |
If your DRAC III includes the optional modem, configure the modem on the DRAC III using one of the following tools:
Add and configure dial-in (PPP) users using one of the following tools:
Configure dial-out alert notification on the management station using one of the following tools:
If necessary, install (or upgrade) the software on the management station, including Server Administrator and IT Assistant, using the Systems Management CD (32-bit systems) or the Server Management CD (64-bit systems).
For instructions about installing this software, see your Server Administrator User's Guide.
A management station is a system (typically a workstation running Windows 2003 or Windows 2000) that has the following components installed: appropriate versions of Server Administrator (or IT Assistant), a supported Web browser (for more information, see "Supported Web Browsers"), Windows services (if applicable), Server Administrator (or IT Assistant) services, and user interface elements.
To use the management station's modem for remote access to a DRAC III, you must configure the management station's modem. See "Changing the PPP Server IP Address on the Managed System" for instructions.
If you are using a client system that connects to the Internet through a proxy server to connect to the RAC Web-based remote access interface, you must configure your Web browser for this connection.
See "Configuring a Web Browser to Display the Remote Access Interface."
To connect to the remote access interface through the network connection, see "Connecting to the Remote Access Interface." To connect to the interface through the DRAC III optional modem, see "Accessing a DRAC III Through a Modem." To connect to the DRAC III through the optional VT-100 serial connection, see "Accessing the DRAC III Remote Access Interface Using VT-100 Terminal Emulation."
The racras.ini file is used by DRAC III remote access dynamic link library (DLL) functions and the proxy server to provide user-specified configuration. Generally, the contents of the racras.ini file do not have to be modified. The file is for advanced user configuration only.
Modify the racras.ini file to tune the interactions between the RAC and IT Assistant for specific requirements of your user environment.
NOTE: You must reboot the system for modifications to the racras.ini file to take effect. |
The following entries are included in the racras.ini file:
Enable Proxy Routing This entry allows users to disable proxy routing. If proxy routing is disabled, only a user with a browser running on the IT Assistant host system is able to connect to the DRAC III. The connections do not require the DRAC III remote access service proxy server, so the proxy server is disabled. Enable the proxy server when a browser is running on managed systems other than the IT Assistant services host system.
DRAC III Web Server Port (specified port number) This entry is the port number that the DRAC III Web server monitors for new Web connections. When the proxy server connects to a DRAC III, it uses this port.
NOTE: The default port is 80. Change the default only if it is modified on the DRAC III. |
Max Number of Routes to Proxy This variable identifies the maximum number of users that can be routed by the remote access service proxy server at one time.
Max Number of Routes to Proxy + Base Port Number This variable is the sum of the base port number and the maximum number of users that can be routed by the remote access service proxy server at one time.
NOTE: The default port is 0. This default means that available ports are identified by the operating system. Change the default only if specific ports are already in use. |
Base Port Number for UI-side Ports This entry is the starting port number that the remote access service proxy server uses for incoming port connections from the DRAC III Web-based interface. Two ports are used per route; therefore, the remote access service proxy may use the ports ranging from this base number up to the maximum number of routes to proxy.
Proxy IP Address If you need to use a different IP address on the incoming IT Assistant services host system than the one currently used by the standard services host, then enter that address.
NOTE: Set this entry to 0 if it is not being used. Use the entry only if the managed system has multiple IP addresses. |
In addition to RAC users (see "RAC Users"), the DRAC III also supports the following users and entries:
NOTE: The demand dial-out entries are not RAC users. Rather, they are remote management station users. |
NOTE: It is not necessary for the destination IP address to be the remote management station that answers the telephone. The destination IP address may be the IP address of another remote management station. If the destination IP address is the IP address of another remote management station, the management station answering the telephone must be able to route to the destination IP address specified. |
Some of the DRAC III features are configured within the context of a RAC user, such as alerting and paging. The following sections describe how to configure the DRAC III features and/or users outside of the Server Administrator environment.
To provide client access to the DRAC III, you must add and configure dial-in (PPP) users. For information about configuring these users in Server Administrator, see your Server Administrator User's Guide. For information on configuring these users in IT Assistant, see your IT Assistant User's Guide. Otherwise, use the procedures in the following sections to add and configure dial-in users.
NOTE: It is also possible to use the racadm command-line utility to add and configure dial-in users. For more information, see the Racadm User's Guide. |
NOTE: If for any reason all the DRAC III users are deleted, use the racadm command- line utility to create new users. |
The DRAC III provides network support through two different interfaces: the DRAC III NIC, and the optional PCMCIA modem. As a result, it is possible that a network loop could be created when both connections are active. This loop makes it difficult for the DRAC III to communicate with its Windows correspondent.
To access the management station from the DRAC III through two distinct paths, you must assign a demand-dial route to the DRAC III from the managed system that does not conflict with the network-based local LAN route.
To assign this demand-dial route, perform the following steps:
NOTE: It is important that the static IP addresses used by the management station be on a different subnet from the DRAC III NIC. |
Typically, the address that is numerically lower is assigned to the management station and the higher address is assigned to the DRAC III when the dial-in connection is complete.
NOTE: If you use DHCP to assign these IP addresses, you must ensure that both addresses used by the management station for dialing-in are on a different subnet from the DRAC III NIC. |
The management station is now able to receive alerts from the DRAC III through both the network and the dial-in connection.
It may be necessary to download msdun13.exe from the Microsoft website for Windows 95; this file contains patches that enhance dial-up networking.
The properties in the TCP/IP Properties dialog box must remain at their defaults. Confirm the following settings:
NOTE: The following instructions vary slightly depending on the system's Windows 2000 configuration. |
To find the IP address for the PPP adapter, open a command prompt and type ipconfig, and locate the IP address under PPP adapter.
NOTICE: Before beginning this procedure, PPP must first be configured and installed on the client system. PPP-2.3 or later is available from the Red Hat website at www.redhat.com. |
pppd callback 1111
If your PPP daemon is not properly configured, it generates an error message about the callback option.
An example modem setup is described at
www-cache.mppmu.mpg.de/callback/linuxanalog.html.
tty02 crtcts 38400
connect `chat v f /etc/ppp/chat/rac'
noipdefault
nodefaultroute
lock
user <username>
remotename <rac>
where <username> is the DRAC III user name that is supplied to the DRAC III, and <rac> is the name preferred for the DRAC III.
This chat script assumes a modem with a standard AT command set and may need to be modified if the actual modem does not support this command set:
ABORT "NO CARRIER"
ABORT "NO DIALTONE"
ABORT "ERROR"
ABORT "NO ANSWER"
ABORT "BUSY"
"" "at"
OK "at&d2&d1"
OK "atdt555-1212"
Using the following example as a guideline, add a single line to the file.
NOTE: The <username> and <rac> values in the following example must match the <username> and <rac> values placed in the /etc/ppp/peers/rac file in step 7. |
# client server secret IP addresses
<username> <rac> <password> *
where <password> is the password that is supplied to the DRAC III during the authentication phase of PPP negotiation.
NOTE: The IP address value (indicated by the * symbol in the previous example) is not used when acting as a PPP client. |
For DRAC III dial-out alert notifications, you can specify a single SMTP system for receiving e-mail with up to eight SNMP trap destinations. When you specify the IP address of the SMTP system or any of the SNMP trap addresses in a demand dial-out entry, the DRAC III dials the telephone number specified in the demand dial-out entry to deliver an e-mail or SNMP trap to the SMTP system or SNMP trap addresses. If you do not specify the IP address of the SMTP system, or any of the SNMP trap addresses in a demand dial-out entry, the DRAC III NIC is used to deliver the e-mail or SNMP trap to the SMTP system or SNMP trap addresses.
To support the dial-out notification feature on the DRAC III, the management station must allow for dial-in. See the following sections for instructions about configuring dial-out alert notifications.
To configure your Windows 2000 management station so that the DRAC III can establish a connection and log an alert, you must add a new local user.
To add a new local user, perform the following steps:
NOTE: You must be logged on as an administrator to access this setting. |
To enable a Windows Server 2003 management station to a receive and log an alert from a DRAC III, you must add a new local user to the management station by performing the following steps:
If you want to use the modem on your management station to dial-up the DRAC III, you must first configure the management station's modem. The following sections provide instructions for configuring the modem on Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 management stations.
When you connect to a DRAC III over a modem, the DRAC III functions as a RAS system by providing an IP address to the remote console. The DRAC III can obtain IP addresses using one of the following methods:
NOTE: By default, the IP address is auto generated by the DRAC III on the 10.0.0.0 network. |
The following sections provide instructions for accessing the managed system's DRAC III by modem from a previously-configured dial-in client. If you have not yet added and configured the client system for dial-in to the DRAC III, see "Changing the PPP Server IP Address on the Managed System."
http://<remote_IP_address>
If you do not know the IP address assigned to the DRAC III, you can calculate it by performing the following steps:
If you are running Windows 95, type winipcfg.
If you are running Windows 98, type ipconfig.
The IP Configuration dialog box does not display the remote IP address assigned to the DRAC III, but it does display the local IP address in the IP Address field.
http://<remote_IP_address>
where <remote_IP_address> is the DRAC III IP address.
If you do not know the IP address assigned to the DRAC III, you can calculate it by performing the following steps:
The ipconfig command does not display the remote IP address assigned to the DRAC III, but it does display the local IP address.
http://<remote_IP_address>
where <remote_IP_address> is the DRAC III IP address.
If you do not know the IP address assigned to the DRAC III, you can calculate it by performing the following steps:
The ipconfig command does not display the remote IP address assigned to the DRAC III, but it does display the local IP address.
# pppd call rac
Both the local and remote addresses are logged in the system log as shown in the following example:
Apr 7 22:59:24 myhost pppd[187]: local IP address 10.19.250.93
Apr 7 22:59:24 myhost pppd[187]: remote IP address 10.19.250.94
In this example, you would type the following Web address into the address box of your Web browser:
http://10.19.250.94.
For information about using VT-100 terminal emulation with a DRAC III, including communication port settings, see the Information Update contained in your VT-100 serial cable kit.
To uninstall the DRAC III from your system, follow the instructions for installing the DRAC III at the beginning of this section, and then uninstall the components and cables in the reverse order that they were installed.
The following sections describe the replacement of the DRAC III battery, including removing and installing the battery pack.
Before removing or installing any system component, see the System Information Guide included with your system for important safety instructions. |
CAUTION: Before you perform this procedure, you must turn off the system and disconnect it from its power source. Only trained service technicians are authorized to remove the system cover and access any of the components inside the system. Read and follow all safety precautions in your System Information Guide. |
CAUTION: Before you perform this procedure, you must turn off the system and disconnect it from its power source. Only trained service technicians are authorized to remove the system cover and access any of the components inside the system. Read and follow all safety precautions in your System Information Guide. |