How To: Set up the Intel Remote Management Module (RMM)

We install the Intel Remote Management Module (RMM) into all of our Intel server based deploys. If deploying a Tier 1 box we install theirs and make sure the KVM over IP option is enabled (license purchased).

Having out-of-band management access to a server can save critical time in the event of a server problem. We no longer need to jump in a vehicle and run down to our client’s site or have someone on-site for our remote clients.

Out of the box the RMM needs to be properly configured.

Once the server has been assembled and all of its components have had their firmware updated (Intel Download Site) we configure our RMM via the server board’s BIOS.

1. Turn the server on and F2 into the BIOS.
2. Server Management Tab.
3. BMC LAN Configuration
4. Set the IP for the RMM
1. In the shop we leave it DHCP so that we can remote into the server while here.
2. Client’s site we tend to plug directly into the Internet and give it a static IP.
5. Set the BMC DHCP Host Name
1. Convention is a bit goofy (no special characters).
2. 
6. Choose User ID and hit [Enter]
1. Choose User3
• 
2. Privilege: Administrator
3. User Status: Enabled
4. Set the user name: JungleJim
5. Set the user password: Icanacc3ssthis (x2)
7. We end up with this.
• 
8. F10 to save settings and reboot the server.

If using DHCP then check the network’s DHCP Server console for the IP that the RMM has picked up.

Open a browser and navigate to the RMM IP.

Log on with the credentials set. Barring two left thumbs we should be able to log in.

Once in we are able to launch the KVM over IP, reset the server’s power, power it up or down, and check the server’s current status.

The cost on the Intel units and Tier 1 equivalents will cover one on-site visit.

We believe that an RMM/iLO Advanced/iDRAC Enterprise and other remote management module should be a part of _every_ server configuration.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

Windows Live Writer

Intel Server Systems Remote Management Module 4 (RMM4) Display Resolution

Once the server with the RMM4 has been set up there is an important step that needs to happen to allow the RMM4 to establish a remote KVM over IP session:

Make sure the desktop display resolution after installing the graphics driver is set to 1440x900 or 1280x1024 before logging off the desktop the final time.

Otherwise the KVM over IP session will show a black screen after clicking the Launch Console button.

This is an especially important step for all servers with an RMM2/3/4!

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

Windows Live Writer

One Reason For Having a Remote Management Module In All Servers

Among the many reasons, having an Intel Remote Management Module (RMM), Dell iDRAC Enterprise, HP iLO Advanced, and other add-in remote management module is the ability to have console KVM access to that box under virtually any condition.

Caveat: Obviously, no power or Internet means no access. :)

The above screenshot is a snip taken on our back shop’s desktop.

We are in the process of setting up a 2 node cluster on behalf of a client. Because we have Intel RMM3 modules in both nodes we are able to have both consoles running side-by-side so as to run _all_ configuration steps at the same time.

Thus, besides full remote management capabilities we have the ability to work on both systems without messing around with a physical KVM (the servers are just behind the shop desktop).

Having this ability reduces the possibility that a mistake would be made configuring the nodes as we can keep an eye on both systems simultaneously.

Once the OS configuration has been complete up to the domain join point, all of the cluster components will be loaded up in their boxes and delivered to our client site for the next phase of the cluster setup . . . all done remotely once the systems are fired up and the remote connection is tested.

Static IPs

Note that we request that all of our clients have at least one static IP address with our preference being for two (Certain ISP’s DHCP reservation for the IP are _not_ static IPs IMNSHO).

One IP is configured for their remote access. The other IP would be used for the RMM.

For this particular client we just got off the phone with Nucleus (our preferred DSL provider here in Alberta and BC) to add a third static IP address that the new standalone DC’s RMM will be plugged into.

Once we have finished the migration and the original SBS 2003 server has been decommissioned we will call Nucleus and release the IP associated with the original SBS server’s RMM2.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Intel RMM3: Error Opening Video Socket Fix

Intel has released an update for the RMM3 module that is supposed to fix the error when trying to establish a remote KVM session.

• MPECS Inc. Blog: Intel Remote Management Module 3 – Error Opening Video Socket

The downloads for the Intel Server Board S3420GP series can be found here:

• Intel Download Center: Intel Server Board S3420GP

Note that the Intel Server Board S3420GPRX has a different firmware set than the Intel Server Board S3420GPLX.

There is also a catch in the BMC installation procedure that should be noted at step 3 of the BMC firmware Release Notes.TXT file:

=====================================================================
            INSTALLATION PROCEDURE
=====================================================================

  1. Copy the BMC_0124.ima, fwpiaupd.efi, ipmi.efi, upd_BMC.nsh files
     to a USB key, hard disk drive or floppy drive.
     All of these files must reside in the same directory.

  2. Boot to EFI and then run the upd_BMC.nsh script file to update the BMC FW.

     Using fwpiaupd.efi with your own command line parameters is not supported
     and doing so is at your own risk!

     *** If you have an Intel Remote Management Module 3 plugged into the baseboard ***
     *** then proceed to the next step otherwise go to step #4 and proceed ***

  3. Power off the system and cycle AC power

  4. Install latest available FRU/SDR package.
=====================================================================
                           KNOWN ISSUES/WORKAROUNDS
=====================================================================
  - Users of the KVM feature will need to update their client Java JRE to version
    1.6 (JRE 6) or later otherwise the KVM redirection application will not launch.
    The latest Java Runtime Environment (JRE) update can be downloaded from here:
    http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp

  - The following features are not supported in BMC FW :
    ∙ IPMI serial channel, COM port MUX switching and the terminal mode feature.
=====================================================================
                           ISSUES FIXED
=====================================================================

01.24
  -  Issue with Win7/IE8/Java 6 Update 22 through RMM3 connection/remote access.

Essentially it looks as though we are visiting most of our clients with RMM3 and RMM3LITE modules installed to run these updates to power cycle those boxes. Fortunately some have their servers hooked into a UPS or PDU that allows us to power cycle the A/C remotely!

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

A First Look At Intel’s RMM4

We deploy Intel’s Remote Management Modules in all of our client’s Intel Product Dealer based servers.

We just finished installing the new RMM4 into the Intel Xeon E3 based server we received at the recent TST.

• MPECS Inc. Blog: Intel TST & Microsoft TS2 Registration Now Open

Note that we needed to re-run the integrated BIOS/BMC/SDR-FRU update since we installed the RMM4 and TPM modules after installing Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard with the Hyper-V Role on the box.

The log on page:

We enabled USER3 in the BIOS, setting a username, and setting a password for the RMM4’s administrator. We then set the RMM4 to obtain an IP address dynamically for now.

We were able to log on.

There look to be some new management and alerts features built into the BMC setup:

Having reports e-mailed to us to indicate a hardware problem is definitely a plus for this setup.

The key for us though is the remote KVM abilities:

Which give us complete out-of-band management of our servers:

We require RMM, iDRAC Enterprise, iLO Advanced, or other out-of-band management in all of our server deploys as their cost is paid for by saving us one or two visits to the client’s site.

We can even _fully recover_ the server using this ability.

Note that two ISP IPs are preferred for this setup. One for the gateway device and the other for a direct connection to the RMM.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Providing IT Support – Out-of-Band Management Required

A paraphrase of a post to the SBS2K Yahoo Group.

In our opinion a server should _never_ be deployed without iDRAC Enterprise, iLO Advanced, Intel RMM, or other out-of-band (OOB) device. Period.

Professional grade tools for professionals.

We get:

• KVM, USB, and drive redirection to the server.
• BIOS, Firmware, RAID BIOS, etc access.
• BMC Management and sensor logs/data.
• Power cycle and reset ability (frozen OS).
• At-a-glance view of all firmware versions.

What this does for us:

• Immediate access to the _console_
• No travel time delays ... response is quick.
• No need for client intervention in most cases.

When patching or working on servers we create two connections to the box. One via RD Gateway and one via OOB. It is our preference to have physical access to that box at all times.

With the lack of a speaker on the Dell PERC RAID controllers and Open Manage may or may not e-mailing us about a failed drive we prefer to watch all reboot cycles for any anomalies.

If there is a failure, we can recover that server without any client intervention after the tier 1 tech has done their stuff.

I am sorry, but there is something totally unprofessional about, "I am sorry Mr. Customer, but could you sit at the server and see why I am locked out?" Or having to call a client’s user or contact in before or after business hours to find out why something broke. As IT Professionals we need to set the bar higher than that.

With gas at $1.10/Litre (US Gal = 3.78L, IMP Gal = 4.54L) here and rising at this time _not_ having to travel to client sites for out of scope work is a great thing.

Why?

Because they then _do_ see us when we are there for _positive_ things like rotating their backups or our bi-weekly "how are things?" visit (billable as soon as they say, "Can you fix this?" :*) ).

This aspect more than reinforces our _good_ presence in their business. Thus it strengthens our business relationship with our client contact and their users as we are seen and heard when things are good.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Intel Remote Management Module 3 – Error Opening Video Socket

We have hit a problem with the KVM setup in Intel’s RMM3:

Socket Error

Error opening video socket

This particular server was set up here in the shop using the RMM3 connection plugged into our local network. We took the server to our client’s site, plugged everything in, and subsequently went to test connectivity via one of our shop systems.

The RMM3 site came up okay but when we went to start a KVM session the above error happened.

A call into Intel’s support line did not yield any positive results either.

The proper method to try and ground zero both the RMM3 module and the BMC can be found at the bottom of the following Intel Support page:

• Intel Support: How to configure or reset the Intel® Remote Management Module 3 (RMM3)

If you need to reset to factory defaults (e.g. invalid user name or password)

A reset can be done with the syscfg utility.  Download syscfg for for the 5500 series or for the S3420GP series

• Unzip the file and copy the folder UEFI_SYSCFG_V501_B23\ preferably to an USB key

• Boot the server and enter the BIOS

• Go to the Boot Manager menu and select the option to boot to EFI shell and enter

• In the EFI shell prompt, type fs0: (0 is the device containing the sysconfig utility e.g. USB pen)

• Browse to the directory with the sysconfig utility

• The path has to be defined by entering: set SYSCFG_PATH fs0:\<syscfg_efi> where syscfg_efi is the folder containing all the files from the sysconfig utility

• The settings can be reset by entering: syscfg –rfs

Given the above, we will be leaving a small amount of space on any bootable USB flash drive permanently plugged into the server and formatting it FAT32 so that utilities like this can be accessed via the EFI shell.

A post on the Intel Communities Web site was the only result in our searching:

• Intel Communities: RMM3 & S3420GPLX

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Some Thoughts On Standalone, Cluster Host, and VM Recoverability

The following was our post to the Yahoo SBS2K list that we figured would be good to share here.

The question was: How to install ESXi on a Dell using DRAC on a remote server.

QUOTE

Having looked at all of the responses to virtualizing a server on VMWare or Hyper-V, the following is where we are at in this.

We use Hyper-V exclusively. Why? It is very simple to work with.

For standalone servers we run a GUI install of Windows Server 2008 R2 along with an Intel RMM, iDRAC Advanced, iLO Advanced, etc. This gives us full management of both the hardware and the software so that question is moot. As you have indicated.

For clustering, we utilize Hyper-V Server 2008 R2. Again, it is quite simple to set up (after six months of brain busting investigation since documentation stinks for both s/w and h/w) and manage.

The native tools that come with RSAT or built into Windows Server make management and monitoring fairly straight forward.

Now, as to your dilemma we do the following on both the standalone and Hyper-V Nodes:

1. Transcend 16GB TS16GJFV30 formatted NTFS and active.
• Good read speed which is important. We only write once so no worries there.
2. Copy Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 SP1 OS contents onto the flash. The flash will remain plugged into the server for the life of the box.
• CAVEAT: If Win2K8 R2 GUI then put that on the flash.
3. Place needed OS install ISO copies onto the Flash drive.
4. Place needed drivers and firmware on the flash drive.
5. If using Tier 1 have their bootable DVD in the optical drive.
6. RMM, iDRAC ADV, iLO ADV, etc gives us boot control between Optical, USB Flash, and and RAID array with host OS.

What does this do for us?

We have full control over full host recovery, full guest recovery, and more depending on how the backups are structured. As a rule we do _not_ back up the host. It is faster to rebuild the host and either restore the guests from backup or connect existing VHDs depending on the failure.

RMM/iDRAC: We have tried USB redirection to boot the host OS and install via IP KVM and the process is just too painful. BTDT. Send them a fully configured USB Flash drive.

END QUOTE

What the above requires is at least 2 IP addresses from the ISP. One for the Internet connection used by the internal network and the other for the RMM/DRAC/iLO device that will be used to manage the server or cluster node.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Configuring An Intel RAID Controller Via RMM JViewer

We are in the process of setting up a new server remotely.

We are logged in via the Intel Remote Management Module 3 that is installed on the Intel Server Board S3420GPLX.

In order to get the mouse to a liveable control level we had to close the KVM session and set the mouse configuration to RELATIVE:

Out of the box the mouse is set to ABSOLUTE mode which does not work very well at all.

Neither the Soft Keyboard nor the system’s keyboard that we are using allow for ALT+Key presses. The Keyboard menu at the top has some control over the ALT and CTRL key presses and holds but still it was not too reliable. It just worked to allow us to choose the drives for the disk group.

As long as we remained patient and moved the mouse about in a slow and fluid manner, controlling the RAID BIOS worked . . . just barely.

And finally we had our array:

So, it just takes a bit of patience to work through the process of setting up an array or arrays via the Intel Remote Management Console.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Intel Remote Management Module – Black Screen Or No Screen Refresh

One one of our Intel Server Systems deployments we had a really strange behaviour start to show itself after the box was delivered and set up at the client site.

Many parts of the screen were blacked out like the above. When trying to log onto the console via the RMM3’s Web management portal from our office the SBS 2008 logon page would be almost completely black.

Hitting the video refresh would sometimes work to bring things up, but the only time we could really get anywhere with the RMM3 connection was just after a reboot.

While searching for some information on the new memory available for Intel Xeon 3400 series platforms we came across a mention of the black screens for certain Linux distros.

• Bing Search: Intel RMM3 Black

Once we knew what to look for we could see that there were other results showing that there is indeed an issue and that some platforms may have received a fix while others have not.

The cause of the problem turns out to be the colour depth the physical console was set to _before_ dropping the box into the enclosure and locking it up headless.

After an update on this particular box we were able to log on using the RMM3 and bring up the Display Settings window. Sure enough, our colour depth was 24bpp:

We managed to change the bit depth to 16bit:

And, with that we now have a full SBS 2008 desktop running on an Intel Server System SR1630HGPRX!

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Intel’s New Server System SR1695GPRX 1U 1P 4 Hot Swap Drive

We just received a new Intel Server System SR1695GPRX 1U uni-processor system that has four hot swap SAS/SATA drive bays capable of handling both 3.5” and 2.5” drive sizes out of the box.

This new Intel Server platform is an excellent fit for the SMB space in that it offers the same enterprise class 1U server features as a dual processor unit but at a single processor price level.

This configuration has been on our wish list for _a long time_ now.

• 1U profile provides for lots of room in that 24U enclosure.
• Single processor leads to a lower cost point based.
• A single processor server board with extended RAM capabilities.
• 4 hot swap drive bays give us access to RAID 10 configurations.
• A full height PCI-E slot for a high performance RAID controller.
• Intel Remote Management Module 3 (LITE) capable.
• Takes over NIC5 to provide out-of-band console access via Web.

As we can see the server system also has dual redundant power supplies which is absolutely critical to providing our clients with needed hardware redundancy. On the right hand side at the bottom of the above shot are two ports where we can plug in a couple of additional I/O modules such as dual Intel Gigabit server NICs to bring the total NICs available on this box to eight (without the RMM3LITE NIC).

• The SR1695GPRX is dual power supply capable (watch that part number!)
• Can add another set of dual port Intel Gigabit server NICs.
• Can add an entry level performance SAS RAID I/O module without using the PCI-E slot.
• Some RAID I/O modules have the ability to add a cache battery.

Given that we can have up to eight NICs in this system we now have an excellent platform for a single server Hyper-V host when deploying SBS 2008 plus the second server or as an inexpensive node in a Hyper-V cluster attached to iSCSI storage for Clustered Shared Volumes.

The shot above is just prior to dropping the airflow baffle back on between the fans and the CPU and the memory.

The RAID controller is an Intel RS2BL080 with battery backup situated near the top of the shot (shiny object). We have an RS2BL040 on order but it will not be here until the end of the week. Since Intel RAID controllers can be inter-changed we have this Hyper-V server built up already and will swap in the production controller when it shows up.

From now on this particular hardware configuration will be our principle offering for any situations where we need a 1U server system whether the client is looking for standalone server systems, a couple of virtualized server operating systems, or even a small two node cluster based on two of these units and one or two NAS devices that act as iSCSI targets.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Intel Remote Management 3 A Must

Today, the cost of adding in the Intel Remote Management 3 (RMM3) module in most Intel Server Systems or server boards is very low. To our clients it is actually worth about one visit. So, why not have one installed where we can so that on-site time is reduced?

For Dell we have the DRAC i6 Enterprise, HP has the iLO with Advanced license, and there are others.

What these components do for us is provide a number of out-of-band management features. That means that we do not need an OS to work with the server.

• Console access to the OS, BIOS, firmware, and other server components.
• This is done by redirected KVM session over HTTPS.
• Ability to reset the server, power it up, or power it down.
• Check the server’s sensor logs for errors.

The initial setup of the RMM3 is done in the BIOS of the server. We enable USER3, rename the user, give it a password, and make sure that it has Administrator permissions.

When we first hit the IP address of the RMM3 we need to log on using the above created user:

The page that we will be greeted with will be a summary of the system.

From an RMM3 on an SR1625URR Server System:

From an RMM3 on an SR1630HGPRX Server System:

The FRU Information link gives us our server’s PBA (Part/Model Number), serial number, and other needed information if we are in need of support or warranty replacement.

The Server Health tab gives us a view of the server’s sensor status along with access to the server’s internal Event Log.

The SR1625URR’s sensor readings:

The SR1630HGPRX sensor readings:

Note the difference in the number of sensors between the server systems. The SR1625URR is a dual Intel Xeon Nehalem 5000 series 1U server while the SR1630HGPRX is an Intel Xeon Nehalem 3000 series 1U server.

While all of the above features are very helpful as far as keeping an eye on the server’s health and for troubleshooting purposes the key RMM3 feature is its ability to give us console access to the server’s OS.

Once we click the Launch Console button we will need to approve some Java security warnings before the redirected KVM session begins.

Once we do get our session we are “sitting in front of the server”.

This is a screenshot of the SR1625URR’s KVM session:

We currently have both 1U server’s RMM3 network ports connected to our own internal network. Once we have plugged in the needed optical disk for the OS install if needed and/or USB flash drives we no longer need to be standing at the workbench to run a fresh OS install as is the case in the above screenshot.

We can have a technician run several OS installs and post install configurations while working at their own station.

Once these servers are ready to go into production, the RMM3 Ethernet ports will be set with an ISP delivered static IP address and a GoDaddy certificate will be installed to eliminate the SSL warnings for the Web portal.

When it comes to a standard access method such as Terminal Services/Remote Desktop Services or TS/RDS via TS/RDS Gateway we are stuck if the underlying services get knocked out by an update or something breaks along the way.

Using the RMM3/DRAC/iLO to run those updates means that we do not need to be concerned about the underlying services plus we can watch the server reboot through its BIOS POST as well as RAID Controller POST status indicators.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

HP iLO 2 Remote KVM Console Licensing Gotcha

Our primary server product line for our local clients is for the most part Intel branded servers that we build.

For our remote clients we have had a good experience with Dell servers and their server products . . . for the most part.

The migration being done this weekend is for a new client that already has an existing HP ML350 G5 that has SBS 2003 Premium R2 on it and a new HP ML350 G6 that we are installing SBS 2008 onto in Migration Mode.

Now, when it comes to the add-in remote management modules in the Intel (RMM2 or RMM3) and Dell (DRAC 5) the Java driven remote KVM console feature is built-in and enabled out of the box. All we need to do is configure the network setup, security settings, and the users to access the module.

This is what we discovered when we enabled the iLO2 on the ML350 G5 that has the existing SBS 2003 OS on:

And, in the iLO2 console itself:

iLO 2 Feature Not Licensed

Activate this iLO 2 feature by installing an optional license key.

Then, we look around for a bit more information and we find:

iLO 2 License Activation

Licensing iLO 2 Advanced enables true [emphasis ours] Lights-Out Management by enabling many features . . .

. . . that include the virtual KVM console.

Now, given our experience with the Intel Remote Management Module (RMM) and Dell Remote Access Card (DRAC), having the virtual KVM disabled out of the box was not considered as a possibility. If it is in the box, its features should be available . . . at least that was our assumption.

We now need to pick up a couple of the iLO Advanced licenses to enable functionality that we figured should have been enabled out of the box. After all, what is the point of installing the iLO 2 setup if it is not going to be used?

• HP iLO Site

The additional cost?

The cost is on par with the Intel and Dell parts when looking at them as options to the overall server configuration. The gotcha is the need to understand that just because the HP server has the iLO hardware installed does not mean that its features are available out of the box.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

Windows Live Writer