Starting the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CDDell™ PowerEdge™ 2500 Systems User's Guide
Starting the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD
The Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD contains utilities, diagnostics, drivers, and other items that can help you configure your system to best meet your needs. Some of the functions available on the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD are also available on a bootable utility partition that is installed on your hard-disk drive. This section describes how to use the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD. It also describes the utility partition and its options and provides instructions for reinstalling the partition (if necessary).
The Dell OpenManage™ Server Assistant application program has two modes of operation: a setup mode for setting up and configuring your system, creating diskettes, and viewing information, and a service mode for creating diskettes and viewing information. Documentation is available on the Dell Online Documentation CD.
In both setup mode and service mode, the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant main screen gives you the option to choose one of the supported languages as the language for the screen text. You can choose a language at any time from the main screen.
To set up your system, as well as access the utilities, drivers, and other items available on the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD, insert the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD into your CD-ROM drive, and turn on or reboot the system. The Dell OpenManage Server Assistant main page appears.
If the CD does not boot, verify that the CD-ROM drive is specified in the boot sequence option in the System Setup program.
You can create system diskettes and view information on any system that has Microsoft® Internet Explorer 4.0 (or later). When you insert the CD in a system that uses the Microsoft Windows NT® or Windows® 2000 Server operating system, the system automatically starts the browser software and displays the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant main page.
The Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD utilizes a standard Web browser interface. Navigating the CD is accomplished by clicking the mouse on the various icons and text hyperlinks.
Click the Back icon to return to the previous screen. Click the Exit icon to exit the program. Exiting the program causes the system to reboot to the standard operating-system boot partition.
If you purchase a system that does not have an operating system preinstalled by Dell, or if you reinstall an operating system at a later date, you should use the Server Setup option to configure your system or install your operating system.
Dell recommends using the Server Setup program for most situations including installing and reinstalling an operating system. The Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD guides you through the operating system setup and configuration process. If a Dell RAID controller is installed, the Dell RAID utility configures the drives. If the drive does not have a utility partition, one is created. The program prompts you to select the operating system used on the drive and leads you through a step-by-step process to install the operating system.
To start the Server Setup program, perform the following steps:
After you start the Server Setup program, follow the directions on the screen to complete the installation and configuration process. The Server Setup program takes you through the following tasks:
The utility partition is a bootable partition on the hard-disk drive that provides some of the functions available on the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD. Most of the application programs found on the CD are contained in the utility partition. When implemented, the partition boots and provides an executable environment for the partition's utilities. When the utility partition is not booted, it is designated as a non–MS-DOS® partition.
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NOTE: The utility partition provides only limited MS-DOS functionality and cannot be used as a general-purpose MS-DOS partition. |
To start the utility partition, turn on or reboot the system. During the power-on self-test (POST), the following message appears:
<F10> = Utility Mode
The utility partition provides a text-based interface from which you can run the partition's utilities. To select a menu option, you can either use the arrow keys to highlight the option and press <Enter>, or type the number of the menu option. To exit the utility partition, press <Esc> from the Main Menu. Exiting the utility from setup mode causes the system to reboot to the standard operating-system boot partition.
Table 2-1 provides a sample list and explanation of the options that appear on the utility partition menu even when the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD is not in the CD-ROM drive. The options displayed on your system may vary depending on the configuration.
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NOTE: Although most options are available from both the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD and the utility partition, some options or features are available only from the CD. |
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Option |
Description |
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Run Dell System Diagnostics | Runs the system hardware diagnostics. |
Run RAID Configuration Utility | Runs the RAID controller configuration utility if a RAID controller card is installed. |
NOTE: The options displayed on your system are dependent on your system configuration and may not include all of those listed here. For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the Glossary. | |
You can run the system diagnostics from the utility partition, but not from the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD. From the Utility Partition menu, select Run Dell System Diagnostics. To run the diagnostics from a set of diskettes, create diagnostics diskettes from the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD.
The system hardware diagnostics are described in "Running the Dell Diagnostics" in your Installation and Troubleshooting Guide.
The Asset Tag utility allows you to enter an asset tag number for your system.
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NOTE: The Asset Tag utility works only on systems running MS-DOS. |
To create the Asset Tag utility diskette and boot the system, perform the following steps:
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NOTE: The Asset Tag utility diskette contains CD-ROM drivers that provide access to the CD-ROM drive when you boot from the diskette. |
An asset tag number can have up to ten characters; any combination of characters, excluding spaces, is valid.
To assign or change an asset tag number, perform the following steps:
For example, type the following command:
asset 1234567890
The system then displays the new or modified asset tag number and the service tag number.
To delete the asset tag number without assigning a new one, type asset /d and press <Enter>.
Table 2-2 lists the command-line options you can use with the Asset Tag utility. To use one of these options, type asset and a space followed by the option.
Table 2-2. Asset Tag Command-Line Options Asset Tag Option Description /d Deletes the asset tag number /? Displays the Asset Tag utility help screen