Learn how to use the functionality of the Integrated Dell™ Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) in the Dell PowerEdge™ 11th-generation servers to remotely connect and manage your systems. Then discover how to use the Unified Server Configurator that is built into the server to help easily deploy the server remotely.

Technical Community - Background Reading

• Dell Efficient Enterprise Portfolio
• Dell 11G Lifecycle Controller

Chat Transcript

DELL-ScottH	Welcome all; let’s allow a few more minutes for stragglers to join...brb
welshconsulting	Hi
DELL-ScottH	Hello. Welcome all to this weeks chat!
DELL-ScottH	Couple of things before we get started. This chat is recorded, so be on good behavior. :-) And don't worry about writing any URLs down because you'll be able to click on them tomorrow. Speaking of URLs, if you right-click them you can avoid accidentally exiting the chat. Also, ask questions at any time during the chat; it's not rude to interrupt, and we can sort out everything midstream. Okay, let's kick it off
DELL-ScottH	Today's topic is on the Dell PowerEdge 11th-generation Lifecycle Controller. In a nutshell, you can get a quick overview here: www.delltechcenter.com/page/lifecycle+controller
DELL-ScottH	Welcome, Tony
tonyhgras	Hi Scott, a bit early?
DELL-ScottH	The Lifecycle Controller is built into the 11th-generation systems and allows you to update and build a system from the ground up without the stack of CDs and DVDs you used to use.
DELL-ScottH	Actually just started
DELL-ScottH	Use Action, Recent room History to catch up
DELL-ScottH	I think everyone is vSphere'd out today and taking late lunches :-)
DELL-ScottH	I think the easiest way to learn is through the use of demos. So to that end I've created two demos that show an overview and how to apply system updates. They are both located on the Lifecycle Controller TechCenter page: www.delltechcenter.com/page/lifecycle+controller
DELL-ScottH	Very easy to use.
tonyhgras	It’s safe to click links?
DELL-ScottH	Simply press F10 at boot to enter "system services," which boots you into the Unified Server Configurator—the GUI for the Lifecycle Controller, the hardware
DELL-ScottH	Yes, but right-click just in case
DELL-ScottH	Or not :-)
tonyhgras	Some trouble with pop-up blocker
DELL-ScottH	So with the new 11th-generation systems you no longer have to use the Systems Build and Update Utility aka SBUU; you just press F10 and update from ftp.dell.com, or a local repository on a USB key
DELL-ScottH	Then you can install the OS from the same menu; the Lifecycle Controller has the drivers built in for the supported operating systems
DELL-ScottH	So welcome back everyone from the joy of pop-up blockers and links in the chat taking you to laa laa land :-)
tonyhgras	Scott, is this repository usable once the OS is installed? I mean to update OS drivers?
DELL-ScottH	No, only available at build time
tonyhgras	Okay, and for firmware updates?
DELL-ScottH	The one that is built into the Lifecycle Controller, if you put a separate repository on a USB key, then obviously that one is available. Make sense?
tonyhgras	Understand
DELL-ScottH	Anyone have their hands on 11th-generation hardware yet?
tonyhgras	So we should still be using DUPs?
btoups	Yes, I have nine PowerEdge R710s
DELL-ScottH	Cool! What applications are you doing?
DELL-ScottH	And thanks!
Dustin	@tonyhgras, the DUPs will be used through the Lifecycle configuration manager
btoups	Hyper-V with EqualLogic PS6000XV
Dustin	For OS-level drivers you can still use the DUPs within the OS
DELL-ScottH	So, any questions on how to use the Lifecycle Controller ? It's really straightforward; check out the demos and you'll see what I mean. And I'll have an OS installation demo done this week. It will be posted on the same page: www.delltechcenter.com/page/lifecycle+controller
tonyhgras	Thanks, Dustin. Can you explain in more details?
DELL-ScottH	@btoups, that's a pretty beefy configuration. How easy was the setup?
btoups	I have deployed a couple Windows 2008 x64, and I seemed to install the drivers fine
Dustin	USC/LCM can perform hardware-level updates, but for OS-level updates you will still need to use your current OS management. What I mean by using DUPs from LCM is that when it accesses the FTP at DELL.COM, it actually is pulling down the DUP updates for the firmware level
btoups	It doesn’t seem to install the typical Dell utilities though
tonyhgras	What I understand is that once the OS is up and running you have to use DUPs for updating drivers or DMC (ITA), is that correct?
Dustin	Correct. There is 1:1 options and 1:many options, plus all the partner applications that support Dell Updates
btoups	Sorry guys, help me out (recent convert from HP). I don’t know the acronyms you are using
Dustin	www.dell.com/openmanage/isv (to view the other partner applications)
DELL-ScottH	USC = Unified Server Configurator
Dustin	DUPs = Dell Update Packages
DELL-ScottH	DUP = Dell update Package
DELL-ScottH	LCM = Lifecycle Controller
Dustin	DMC = Dell Management Console
btoups	Thanks
Dustin	DMC replaces ITA = IT Assistant
tonyhgras	I have a couple of questions regarding management
DELL-ScottH	ITA = IT Assistant, predecessor to DMC that just released
DELL-ScottH	DMC group is here: http://en.community.dell.com/groups/dell_management_console/default.aspx
Dustin	Scott H, great videos; I just watched them both!
DELL-ScottH	*blush* Thanks
tonyhgras	Agree on that, great videos
Dustin	@tonyhgras, what questions?
tonyhgras	Q1: With the new iDRAC Express included on all servers, it’s mandatory to install OpenMange Server Administrator? For remote hardware management
Dustin	Q1: Depends on what level of information you want out of the box. OMSA will continue to have likely more details, but iDRAC 6 may provide at a higher level all you want to know
Dustin	Scotth, is there a page on TechCenter covering iDRAC 6?
DELL-ScottH	Yes, you don't *have* to install OMSA, but to get full details you'll need it. There's some information on this in the FAQ on the DMC group and in some of the demos: http://en.community.dell.com/groups/dell_management_console/default.aspx
tonyhgras	What can you get from OMSA that you cannot from iDRAQ Express?
DELL-ScottH	Not a specific iDRAC 6 page on TechCenter yet; would you like to create it? :-)
btoups	I have the iDRAC Enterprise. Can I use the SD card for OS deployment?
tonyhgras	For example, to be discovered by DMC, iDRAC should suffice, right?
Dustin	Not ignoring the questions, doing some quick homework to answer; my specialty is in update and partners
tonyhgras	No problem
Dustin	Still going to answer, but here is documentation: http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/software/smdrac3/idrac/index.htm
tonyhgras	Thanks, Dustin
Dustin	Deploying Your Operating System Using VM CLI
Dustin	http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/software/smdrac3/idrac/idrac10mono/en/ug/html/racugc1g.htm#wp46449
DELL-ScottH	Dustin, thanks! That is a great resource; I haven't read that part of the documents yet
tonyhgras	I’m afraid to click on links
Dustin	Right-click; have to disable pop-up blockers
tonyhgras	Let me check. But for using VM CLI you need to have iDRAQ Enterprise, or Express is okay?
DELL-ScottH	I will have to check; I'm still confused as to what you get with what. The marketing team was not able to join today, and I'll follow up and post at the end of the transcript, or on the transcript page
tonyhgras	I guess VM CLI is an enterprise feature. Take a look at this: http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/software/smdrac3/idrac/idrac10mono/en/ug/html/racugc1.htm#wp30195
DELL-ScottH	That helps. what I wouldn't give for a time machine to have plenty of time in the day to read everything
Dustin	I was talking offline with a local resource, and for sure you can load a bootable image to the SD card (sub-256 MB), but to remotely load the data to the SD from bare metal, we don't believe that’s there with the current level of firmware
btoups	Okay, thanks. Will probably use WDS for deployment
tonyhgras	Dustin, are you referring to the vFlash?
Dustin	Yes, sorry, the vFlash
DELL-ScottH	I'm planning to do a demo around the SD card to see what is capable, today. I know we are working on some futures
btoups	That would be appreciated Scott
tonyhgras	It is supposedly used to load a service image, right?
Dustin	Tony, what do you mean about service image?
DELL-ScottH	Right now what the developers are telling me is that anything you can fit in 256 MB is what will work. But 256 MB is too small for full OS image deployment directly from the SD card
tonyhgras	Sorry, I should read it somewhere
Dustin	Agreed, you would have to put a Windows PE or Linux boot kernel to go from there
DELL-ScottH	Yup
btoups	Yeah, I was a little disappointed in that, Scott
DELL-ScottH	I have a 1 GB card in mine, but it only reads/formats it as 256 MB
DELL-ScottH	Me too :-(
btoups	Oh, what is needed for the iDRAC to capture crash screens?
DELL-ScottH	But the developer tells me that is changing, but that's about all I can say
btoups	That is a really useful feature
DELL-ScottH	Crash screen capture is built in, as is boot-replay capture, which is really neat
tonyhgras	Btoups, do you have iDRAQ Enterprise?
btoups	Didn’t know about boot-replay capture. I assume it will record the boot sequence?
btoups	Yes
DELL-ScottH	It captures the last three boot cycles under "system," "log," and "boot capture"
btoups	Doing it now; that is really neat
DELL-ScottH	Capturing Twitpic from my live system...hold for URL
btoups	Don’t know if this is off topic or not. UEFI Boot, benefits?
tonyhgras	This is what USC uses
btoups	I see in the BIOS there is the option to boot using BIOS or UEFI; I was not able to boot from PERC when UEFI boot was selected
DELL-ScottH	I'm not a UEFI, but this should help: www.uefi.org/home. But UEFI is for booting into the USC that the Lifecycle Controller uses, not anything for the end user to use yet
btoups	Thanks, that was my final conclusion
DELL-ScottH	Yeah, but some cool stuff coming
DELL-ScottH	Thanks to everyone for joining, any final questions?
btoups	I was hoping to tap into that but figured it wasn’t ready
btoups	Not from me
DELL-ScottH	Thanks to everyone again for joining. If you have any follow-up questions, hit me up on the site, or start a thread directly on the transcript page
tonyhgras	Thanks everyone, have a nice day