DellPowerEdge Server

Templates Creation & Deployment(With Optional OS ISO)

Via Dell OME Deploy Solution Bare Metal / Zero Touch

Using iDRACMethod

Mark Maclean – April – Version 1.4 – Essential Guide

Summary & TermsSummary

The aim of this deck is to provide a simple overview using screen shots of how to create & run OME jobs to collect + push Dell server templates (sometime called profiles) via the out of band iDRAC.

OME/iDRAC offers a automated licenced methods to deploy server templates & OS image that includes full “bare metal” zero touch deployment.

Terms

Template – collection of server firmware setting eg bios/raid/nic/drac in XML format

OME – OpenManage Essential windows based Dell management solution/console

DRAC – “iDRAC” Dell Remote Access Controller offering out of band/lights outs management of Dell servers

Racadm – CLI for DRAC

Mark Maclean - #Iwork4dell

Use Case Server Templates are used to save customers server setup time to streamline device configuration management

They are mostly used during deployment & repurpose work

Configuring multiple servers/blades manually to match a precise setup is an arduous task, server templates are used to dramatically speed up deployment & keep constancy across an entire fleet of servers .

Example “Use Cases” includes :

Configuration of the just the DRAC accounts/SNMP & SMTP alerting settings

Setting PERC raid config for the first two disks to be raid 1

To complete cloning of one servers settings (BIOS/DRAC/PERC) to a set of new servers

Prerequisites

DRAC Licensing For

OME Deploy Enablement &

File share For Template Storage Usage

Drac deploy licence

“Server Configuration” Licence On iDRAC For OME

This licence is required on each target server iDRAC For OME deployment enablement

Check For this Optional LicenceOn targetServersiDRAC

Set File Share For OME Template Usage

File shareto store servertemplate

How To Collect A Server Template

Extract Server SettingVia iDRAC

& Save On OME Share LocationTo Generate “Gold” Template

How To Collect A Template In OME

Access TemplateWizard

Name thenew template

How To Collect A Template In OME

SelectSourceServer’siDRACFor TemplateTo beBuilt from

How To Collect A Template In OME

SourceDRACCredentials

How To Collect A Template In OME

Finish

How To Collect A Template In OME

How To Collect A Template In OME

OK

“Create Template” JobRunning

How To Collect A Template In OME

How To Collect A Template In OME

“Create Template” Jobcompeted

Click on completedtask to reviewdetails

How To Collect A Template In OME

New “Template”listedhere

How To Collect A Template In OME

Right Click To Clone“Template”Useful to keep“master” andcreate different versions

How To Collect A Template In OME

How To Deploy A Template

Deploy The Server Template In OME

Select DeploymentPortal

Deploy The Server Template In OME

If requiredManuallyAddTarget Server(s)

Deploy The Server Template In OME

Select Target Servers iDRACTo be added To Bare MetalDevice group

Deploy The Server Template In OME

Target serversare added to computer pool“repurpose &Bare metal”(default group)

Tip : “NEW” bare metal servers can be Auto discovered/ Auto deployed - review section late in this deck

Deploy The Server Template In OME

To Start DeploymentWizard Click “DeployTemplate”

Deploy The Server Template In OME

NameTask

OS ISO Can be remotely installed Via OME this needs manual intervention once OSI has booted Or install script (windows unattend.txt etc) included in bootable ISO

DeployTemplateOnlyNo OS ISOSelected

Deploy The Server Template In OME

Selectsourcetemplate

Deploy The Server Template In OME

In thisexample No IO poolis being deployedclick next

Deploy The Server Template In OME

SelectTarget Server(s)iDRAC’sTo deployTemplateto

Deploy The Server Template In OME

Templatecan be reviewed/ editedat this point beforetemplateis deployed

Deploy The Server Template In OME

Templatecan be edited reviewat this point beforetemplateis deployed

Tip : If using Npar (nic partitioning) feature, two jobs are required one to enable Npar & second to set values

Deploy The Server Template In OME

iDRACCredentials

When to run task

Deploy The Server Template In OME

Detailsof the completedtask

Advanced FeaturesIncluding

Example TemplatesAuto Deploy Settings

Config iDRAC for Bare MetalTemplate import/export

Setting For OME Auto Deployment

Default Values“Auto Deploy”ever 60 mins

Sample Server Templates Included In OME

Example Templates

Sample Templates “samples” include mini template just to set iDRAC snmp values or config just the iDRAC users

Right ClickSelect “export”

Template Export In OME

Select Create From File

Template Import In OME

iDRAC Remote EnablementConfig

For Optional

OME “Bare Metal”Zero Touch Automated

Deploy

Config “Remote Enablement” On Drac For Zero Touch This can Be ordered from Dell as Enabled or enable manually any time by customers “Remote Enablement” is use for deployment Enter lifecycle controller & config drac settings as detailed.

Scroll downthe drac settings list to access thesetwo menuItems user config & Remote Enablement

Config “Remote Enablement” On Drac For Zero Touch

Enable“auto discovery”For OMENo IP requiredIf OME set up to discover iDRAC on a given IP range

Note : Provisioning Server Is used by other tools suchAs Dell’s OMIVV .This will “auto” add this server to the OMIVV deploy list

Config “Remote Enablement” On Drac For Zero Touch

DisableUser

Back Ground

RACADM cli command clear iDRAC jobs

Example RACADM Commands

# example command to report on jobs running on the remote idrac

Racadm -r 192.168.0.92 -u root -p calvin jobqueue view

# example command to clear jobs from the remote idrac

racadm -r 192.168.0.92 -u root -p calvin jobqueue clearall

RACADM cli command to “get”/ collect server template

Example RACADM Commands

# example script to collect server template from dell server via the remote idrac

#local

racadm -r 192.168.0.92 -u root -p calvin get -f template.txt -t xml --clone

#windows cifs share

racadm -r 192.168.0.92 -u root -p calvin get -f template.txt -t xml --clone –u administrator –p p@ssword1 –I //192.168.0.77

# run from remote system to push profile file “template.txt" to target server’s drac using xml file in "clone" format – reading profile file from a windows file share

# --continue : makes configuration job continues with next section in file if error occurs

racadm -r 192.168.0.92 -u root -p calvin set -f template.txt -t xml --nocertwarn –u administrator –p p@ssword1 –I //192.168.0.77/temp

RACADM cli command to “set” push server template

Example RACADM CLI Command for iDRAC

Example Sample of Server Template

Next StepsWhite Papers/Videos : covering this topic deeper

“Deployment and Managing Configurations with Dell OpenManage Essentials”

“Creating and Managing Server Configuration Profiles”

OME Server Template Deployment Video Part of a library of “how to” Dell OpenManage videos

Racadm Command Set

Dell tech center iDRAC – Whitepapers/videos etc

XML Configuration Feature - XML File Structure

OME

Dell tech center OpenManage Essentials “OME” – Whitepapers/videos etc

Dell System Management technical forum

Dell tech center – a customer forum to post questions on for all thing OpenManage