DELL EMC POWEREDGE

INSTALLATION,
ADMINISTRATION AND
TROUBLESHOOTING
LAB GUIDE
v3.0

PARTICIPANT GUIDE

PARTICIPANT GUIDE
 Dell Confidential and Proprietary

Copyright © 2021 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved. Dell, EMC and other
trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. Other trademarks may be
trademarks of their respective owners.

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Table of Contents

Dell EMC PowerEdge Installation, Administration, and

Troubleshooting Lab Exercises ............................................................... 1

Lab Exercises ............................................................................................................. 2

Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 3
Lab Exercise: iDRAC9 Dashboard and System Options ................................................. 4
Lab Exercise: iDRAC9 Storage and Configuration Options.......................................... 14
Lab Exercise: iDRAC Virtual Console ............................................................................ 19
Lab Exercise: iDRAC Information Gathering ................................................................. 22
Lab Exercise: RACADM CLI ............................................................................................ 23
Lab Exercise: Lifecycle Controller Navigation............................................................... 26
Lab Exercise: Server Profile Back up and Restore ....................................................... 31
Lab Exercise: System Setup Utility ................................................................................ 32
Lab Exercise: OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA) .......................................... 39
Lab Exercise: iSM ............................................................................................................ 45
Lab Exercise: Configuring RAID using IDRAC .............................................................. 48
Lab Exercise: RAID Level Migration ............................................................................... 51
Lab Exercise: SupportAssist Collection ........................................................................ 53
Lab Exercise: Maintenance and iDRAC Settings Options............................................. 55
Lab Exercise: iDRAC Troubleshooting Tools ................................................................ 59
Lab Exercise: Virtual AC Cycle ....................................................................................... 61
Lab Exercise: Embedded System Diagnostics .............................................................. 62

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Dell EMC PowerEdge Installation, Administration, and
Troubleshooting Lab Exercises

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Lab Exercises

Lab Exercises

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 Lab Exercises

Introduction

Lab Instructions

To complete these lab exercises, you will be logging into a management station
(jump box). From there you will be using a browser to access your target server
iDRAC and either an RDP session or the iDRAC Virtual Console to access your
target server operating system.

You will be completing the majority of the lab exercises by accessing your target
server's iDRAC and operating system.

You should receive a handout stating the login information including IP addresses
and credentials for your management station and your target server. ONLY use the
systems that are allocated to you to avoid conflicts with other student's lab
exercises.

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Lab Exercise: iDRAC9 Dashboard and System Options

Procedure
1. To access the iDRAC Web Interface:

a. Open a web browser.

b. Enter: https://<iDRAC-IP-Address>

i. If you receive a warning about the website certificate, accept

the warning and continue to this website.

c. Log in with the default credentials unless told differently by your

instructor.

d. Click Submit.

2. Once log in, you are presented with the Dashboard view). If you are not in the
Dashboard view, Click Dashboard in the menu bar, on the left top of the
iDRAC UI.

3. The Dashboard view consists of several sections. The main sections are:

a. System Health

b. System Information

c. Task Summary

d. Recent Logs

e. Virtual Console

f. Notes

4. In the Dashboard screen, under the Health Information, you should see a list
of check marks – if not inform your instructor.

a. The green checks indicates that the subsystems are working and
healthy.

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b. Note that if your server is powered off, inform your instructor.

c. Any items in blue are links which allow you to click them to get more
details or perform configuration options.

i. Click some of the blue links to observe what information is

displayed, but then return to the Dashboard view before
proceeding.

5. At the center of the interface, the System Information section is displayed,

where essential server details are shown.

6. To the right of the System Information section, you see the Task Summary
section. This section provides a listing of jobs that are either: Pending, In
Progress, or Completed.

7. Below the Task Summary section, you will see the Virtual Console section.
This section provides a preview of what is being displayed on your server
along with the options to view the Settings and Launch Virtual Console.

8. To the left of Virtual Console, you will see the Recent Logs section which
allows you to view the most recent log entries.

a. To the far right of the Recent Logs section, you can click the view all
link to observe all the log entries.

9. Below the Recent Logs section is the Notes section.

a. Here you can add notes that are included in the log entries.

b. For example, you can add a work note that you are testing the
system. You can then add another work note stating when you have
finished. If someone then reviews the logs at a later stage and notices
that the server was powered on and off several times within a certain
timeframe, the notes would show that it occurred while you were
testing the system.

10. In the top right corner, you will see various items:

a. A search bar.

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b. A lock icon which is normally in the unlocked position. This allows you
to enable or disable the lockdown feature which you will be exploring
shortly.

c. A small icon of a person – click it now to display information about the

current person who is logged in and the option to log out.

d. A question mark in a white circle:

i. Click the question mark to display five options. Click each

option to see what information is supplied.

ii. The Help feature is useful to explain the functions of the

various iDRAC9 features.

11. Exactly below the word Dashboard, you can see three blue boxes. On the left
one, there is a drop-down icon – click the drop-down icon and observe the
options that are displayed,

a. Click the Power Cycle System (cold boot) option, click OK at the
warning message then click OK again at the success message.

b. You should now see the system rebooting in the Virtual Console
preview screen.

i. Use the Help option on the upper right of the interface to view
the functions of the other options available in this drop down
menu.

12. The next blue box: LED On provides an option to turn the System
Identification LED On or Off.

13. The next blue box: More Actions- click the drop-down arrow where you are
presented with Reboot iDRAC and the Turn on the System Lockdown
Mode options.

a. The Reboot iDRAC option performs a reset procedure on the iDRAC.

While the reset operation is being processed, you are logged out of
the iDRAC.

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b. The System Lockdown Mode stops unauthorized configuration

changes. Click this option. You will see a message stating that
configuration actions cannot be performed while in this mode.

14. Switch off the System Lockdown Mode by using the More Actions drop-down
option.

15. In the menu bar you will see the following options:

a. Dashboard

b. System

c. Storage

d. Configuration

e. Maintenance

f. iDRAC Settings

16. Click the drop-down icon against System in the menu bar and you will see the
following options:

a. Overview

b. Details

c. Inventory

d. Performance

e. Host OS

17. There are two ways to get to the System Overview either click Overview from
the drop-down options or click System in the menu. Use either of these to
access the Overview page.

18. This screen is split into two sections:

a. The upper section has the major components and their current status.

b. The below sections has System Information and the iDRAC Details
section.

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19. Explore all the options under System Overview. First, click the box labeled
Batteries.

a. You are now presented with the status of the PERC and CMOS
batteries.

20. Click the box labeled Cooling.

a. Cooling Overview and Temperature Overview information is now

displayed.

b. Notice that next to some of the items, a blue information icon is

shown. If you hover over an icon, a pop-up with additional information
is presented.

21. Scroll down and expand the Fans section.

a. Detailed fan information is now displayed.

b. Notice each fan has a unique number to aid in troubleshooting. Also

note the RPMs across the fans are often different.

i. The RPM is different because each fan is providing airflow to

different sections of the server. The iDRAC raises and lowers
the RPM based on temperatures that are reported throughout
these different sections.

22. Expand the Temperatures option.

a. Temperature Probes information is now displayed.

b. Note the following items:

i. A temperature reading for each Probe is displayed. For

example: System Board Inlet Temperature.

ii. Under System Inlet Temperature Historical Data, you can use
the drop-down menu to select information as Last Day, Last
Month, or Last Year.

1. You can also move your cursor along the graph to see
detailed information.

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23. Scroll up and click the CPU box.

a. Click the ‘+’ icon to expand one of the CPU sections.

b. Observe the CPU information displayed.

i. Click Accelerators. If present in the system, GPU information

will be displayed.

24. Click the Front Panel box.

a. You are now presented with the live status of the front panel LEDs.

25. Click the Intrusion box.

a. You can see the status of the system board intrusion switch. The
normal condition should be Closed.

26. Click the box that is labeled Memory.

a. Memory attributes such as total installed memory capacity are seen

here. Also, note the Individual Memory Details section where the
following are displayed: memory status, connector name, type, size,
state, rank, and speed.

27. Click the Network Devices box.

a. The network devices installed in the server are displayed here.

b. Click one of the network devices to display additional information

such as the vendor names and port details.

28. Click the Power box.

a. A detailed summary of the installed power supplies with information

displayed such as wattage, health, and so on.

29. Click the box labeled Removable Media.

a. The system may contain an Internal Dual SD Module or vFlash SD

card – if it does not, please inform your instructor.

30. Click the Voltages box.

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a. A list of all the voltage probes within the server are displayed along
with their status and reading.

31. Click PCIe Slots box.

a. The details of the PCIe cards installed in the server are displayed
here.

b. b. Expand each PCIe slot to view detailed information about each

slot.

32. Under the System heading on the submenu bar, click Details.

33. Observe the information provided here, paying particular attention to the
System Details section where you should see Edit in blue against the Power
State status icon.

a. Click Change and you will find that you have been transferred to the
Configuration page which we will be exploring later.

b. Return to the System > System Details section.

34. In the System Details > Overview section, you will see Location at the bottom.
To the right of location, you will see Edit in blue.

a. Click the word Edit.

b. In the menu that is displayed you can add your System Location
information - do not enter any information. Click Cancel.

35. Scroll down and expand the iDRAC Details section and observe the displayed
information.

a. There is an Edit option for the iDRAC License – never delete the
license without first exporting it to a safe location.

b. Note that this supplies information such as the iDRAC IP Address,

Subnet Mask and Gateway.

36. Click System > Inventory in the submenu bar.

a. This page is split into two sections: Firmware Inventory and Hardware
Inventory.

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37. Observe the information in the Firmware Inventory section – this can be
useful to view all the different firmware versions installed in the system.

38. Expand the Hardware Inventory section.

39. Expand the different headings and explore the range of hardware information
provided.

a. Note that detailed component information is found in this location

only.

40. Click Performance in the submenu bar.

a. This section displays the performance and usage information about

CPU, Memory, I/O, and SYS Usage.

b. Take a few moments to observe the information then reset the values
by clicking the Reset Historical Park Values on the right side for
each one.

41. Click System > Host OS in the submenu bar.

a. Details are only available if the iDRAC Service Module is installed.

b. At this point, you should not have the iDRAC Service Module
installed. If you do, please inform your instructor and observe the
displayed information

42. Before we complete this lab exercise, explore Group Manager briefly. We are
restricted in what we can do with Group Manager as our training environment
does not allow us to connect to the servers that the other participants are
using. However we can certainly show how it should be set up.

43. Click Dashboard in the menu bar then click Enable Group Manager.

a. WARNING: The Group Manager may take up to 60 seconds to

initialize.

44. Click Open Group Manager.

45. At the Welcome to Group Manager window, use the drop-down menu to select
Create New Group.

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a. Input an eight character name as the Group Name then enter the
password DellTech

b. Click Apply, then click OK at the Success message.

c. WARNING: You may experience a delay while the group is created.

46. You should now be at the Grouped Servers screen.

47. As we only have your server as the single occupant of this group, notice that
only your server is listed. If you had more servers added to the group, those
would also be listed.

a. Above the listed servers are options to Manage Logins, Update

iDRAC Firmware, Configure Alerts and then an option to Export the
group summary.

b. On the top right of the interface, you will see the group name and the
information showing the current server as the Controlling System.

c. Below the Group information you can look up a server, or launch the
iDRAC of the server, or perform power operations. You can also
launch the Virtual Console under More Actions.

48. Click Discovered Servers in the menu bar.

a. Use the help function to find information on the Discovered Servers.

49. Click Jobs in the menu bar.

a. Again use the help function for information on the Jobs.

50. Click Summary in the menu bar.

51. Before we complete this lab exercise, we will delete the group.

52. Click Group Settings.

a. The options include being able to change the name of the group,
change the Passcode, or delete the group. You can also remove
selected systems.

53. Click Delete Group, then click Delete Group at the Confirm Delete Group

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window.

54. Click OK, then click Close.

a. If you receive an error, follow the directions to resolve the error

condition and confirm that you group has been deleted.

55. Now use the knowledge that you have gained to Disable Group Manager.

STOP: Inform your instructor that you have finished this lab exercise unless you
have been instructed to proceed to the next lab exercise.

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Lab Exercise: iDRAC9 Storage and Configuration Options

Procedure
1. Access your iDRAC interface.

2. Click Storage in the menu bar.

3. The box labeled Summary should be highlighted – if not, select it now.

4. The main part of the screen contains the Physical Disks Overview.
Note the Summary of Disks section and below that is the Recently Logged
Storage Events section. Take a few moments to navigate through the
displayed information.

5. In the boxes near the top center of the page, click the Controllers then
expand the ‘+’ sign against your PERC controller.

6. You are now presented with detailed information for the PERC controller.

a. Note the following (use the Help function to learn more about any
option):

i. SAS Address

ii. Patrol Read Rate

iii. Check Consistency Rate

2. Rebuild Rate

7. In the boxes near the top center of the page, click the Physical Disks box.

8. In the drop-down boxes, select Clear All Filters.

9. Also notice that you have the ability to Blink or Unblink the disk LEDs. Why
would that be useful?

10. Expand the ‘+’ against your first disk and observe the information being
displayed.

11. Click Advanced Filter and study the different types of filters that can be

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applied.

12. Click the box that is labeled Virtual Disks and explore the information being
displayed.

13. In the boxes near the top center of the page, click the box that is labeled
Enclosure and expand the ‘+’ against your enclosure.

a. Spend a few moments exploring the information being displayed.

b. In the Physical Disks Overview section, note the different status

options: Ready, Online, Foreign, and so on.

14. Click Configuration in the menu bar.

15. In the submenu bar Power Management should be selected (if not, select it
now).

16. Note the three sections – Power Control, Power Cap Policy and Power
Configuration.

a. Use the drop-down menu against Power Control to observe the

different power control options – use the online help function to learn
more about these options.

b. Take a few moments to study the other options before proceeding to

the next step.

17. Click Virtual Console in the menu bar.

18. The Virtual Console settings allow you to change the Virtual Console options.
We will be exploring the Virtual Console in a later lab exercise, but for now,
note:

a. The Active Sessions section displays how many active Virtual

Console sessions are currently in use.

b. Max Sessions – you are allowed up to six active session

simultaneously.

c. Use the help function to locate information on video encryption and

local server video.

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d. Plug-in Type – eHTML5 is the latest plug-in option available.

19. A feature in the iDRAC9 is the VNC Server option. Use the help function to
learn how this feature can be used on a mobile device.

20. Click Virtual Media in the menu bar.

a. Virtual Media allows us to attach a remote device such as a DVD or

file share to the local server.

21. Click Licenses in the menu bar.

22. Click ‘+’ just below the status heading to expand the iDRAC license details.

a. The iDRAC license details are displayed as well as the drop-down

option to Export, Delete, or Learn More.

23. Click System Settings in the menu bar then expand the Alert Configuration
heading where you have the option to disable or enable the iDRAC alerts.

24. Expand the following subheadings and examine the options using the help
function for clarification of any items that you are unsure of:

a. Alert Configuration > Alerts > Quick Alert Configuration

b. Alert Configuration > Alerts > Alert Configuration

c. SNMP Traps Configuration

d. SMTP (Email) Configuration

e. Remote Syslog Settings

f. Redfish Event Settings

g. Test Event

h. Alert Recurrence

25. Expand the Hardware Settings heading then click each of the following
subheadings and examine the available options. NOTE: Not all options may be
available, depending on your system:

a. Cooling Configuration

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b. Front Panel Configuration

c. iDRAC Quick Sync

d. First Boot Device

i. Front Ports

e. I/O Identify Optimization

f. SSD Wear Thresholds

26. Click Asset Tracking in the menu bar.

a. Use the Help function to read about this section.

27. Click Storage Configuration in the menu bar.

a. If you have more than one controller card, you can choose which one
to examine by using the drop-down menu next to Controller.

28. Under Controller Configuration, you are presented with a list of options.
Without making any changes, explore which options are available plus use the
online help for clarification of any items that you are not familiar with.

a. Notice the warning message under Foreign Configuration. If a

foreign device was detected, information would be displayed here.

29. Expand Physical Disk Configuration.

a. Your physical disks are now listed. On the right under Action you
have a drop-down menu giving you a selection of options that will
depend on what your current disk configuration is (use the online help
feature to learn more about them).

30. Expand Virtual Disk Configuration.

a. Use this page to view the Virtual Disks present in the storage
subsystem and their properties.

31. Expand Enclosure Configuration.

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a. Use this page to view the enclosures or backplanes present in the

storage subsystem and its properties.

32. Click BIOS Settings in the menu bar.

a. The 13G PowerEdge systems require you to reboot the server after
configuring the system setup options. With 14G PowerEdge systems
onwards, the system reboot is not required after configuration.

b. Review the different headings to ensure that you understand the

available options, using the help feature where possible, to gain
additional knowledge.

c. Pay particular attention to:

i. Memory Settings

ii. Processor Settings

iii. Boot Settings

iv. Integrated Devices > Slot Disablement

v. Miscellaneous Settings

33. Click Server Configuration Profile in the menu bar.

a. This page is used to import and export server configuration profiles.

STOP: Inform your instructor that you have finished this lab exercise unless you
have been instructed to proceed to the next lab exercise.

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Lab Exercise: iDRAC Virtual Console

Procedure
1. Access your iDRAC Web Interface.

2. Ensure that you are at the Dashboard page then over to the right in the Virtual
Console section, click Settings.

3. Although there are four different plug-in types (ActiveX, Java, HTML5, and
eHTML5), we are going to use the eHTML5 plug-in.

4. Use the drop-down menu against Plug-in Type, select eHTML5, click Apply
then click OK at the success message.

5. Across to the right, click Start the Virtual Console (in blue).

a. The Virtual Console can also be launched from the Dashboard page.

6. A separate browser should open - if you receive a certificate warning click

continue to the website. After accepting the certificate close the virtual console
window down and reopen it – it should now display the video.

a. If you are having trouble opening a Virtual Console session, inform

your instructor.

7. Once the Virtual Console window has opened, click Boot on the Virtual
Console menu bar.

a. As you can see, there are several different boot options. To see how
you select an option, click Lifecycle Controller and a window will
appear asking if you want to continue.

i. Click No.

8. Click the Power box that is on the Virtual Console menu bar.

a. You can now see the different power commands available to you.

b. Click Power Cycle System (cold boot) and click Yes at the warning
box.

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c. Observe what happens.

i. Notice that during the power on process you can see the
complete power on procedure as if you were observing the
server’s local monitor and you can even press hot keys to
access the System Setup or Lifecycle Controller.

d. Allow the server to reboot.

9. Click the Chat box that is located on the Virtual Console menu bar.

a. If there were other iDRAC users who are logged in currently, the chat
would allow conversation between the users.

b. Click Cancel.

10. Click the Keyboard box that is located on the Virtual Console menu bar.

a. This allows you to input commands/information if your keyboard is not

operational.

b. Click the 'X' in the upper right corner of the keyboard image.

11. Click the Screen Capture box that is located on the Virtual Console menu bar.

a. Click Folder icon.

i. To view the captured image, use Paint on your desktop to

open and view the image.

ii. Close the folder window (plus close the image if you opened
it).

12. The Refresh and Full Screen boxes are self-explanatory.

13. Click the Connect Virtual Media box that is located on the Virtual Console
menu bar.

14. The Map CD/DVD option allows you to connect to a remote CD or DVD to your
server.

a. The Map Removable Disk option allows you to map a file to your
server.

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15. When images/files are mapped, they can be booted by the server.

a. Click Close to close the Virtual Media window.

16. Before we disconnect the viewer, click Console Controls in the menu bar.

17. Use the drop-down menu against Keyboard Macros to observe the different
options.

a. This is an important feature. Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete this will pass the

key combination to your server and allow you to log in to your remote
server operating system.

18. Use the drop-down menu against Aspect Ratios to observe the different
options.

a. The HTML5 virtual console video image automatically adjusts the size
to make the image visible. The following configuration options are
displayed as a drop-down list.

19. Use the drop-down menu against Touch Mode to observe the different options.

a. The Touch Mode alters the touch sensitivity when using a tablet,
smart-phone or touch screen on a laptop.

20. Click Close to close the Console Controls window.

21. Click Disconnect Viewer to close the Virtual Console window.

STOP: Inform your instructor that you have finished this lab exercise unless you
have been instructed to proceed to the next lab exercise.

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Lab Exercise: iDRAC Information Gathering

Procedure
1. Browse through the iDRAC interface, and find the following information:

a. iDRAC MAC address:

b. Express Service Code:

c. The iDRAC network speed:

d. Power Supply 1 Part Number:

e. The LoadBalance Mode for your PERC Controller:

f. CPU 1 MaxClockSpeed:

g. PERC SAS Address:

h. Memory DIMM in slot A1 Rank Type:

i. Integrated NIC 1 Port 1 Link Status:

j. You want to use Telnet to communicate with the iDRAC, but the
Telnet session will not connect. Where can you check to find out if
Telnet is enabled on your system?

STOP: Inform your instructor that you have finished this lab exercise unless you
have been instructed to proceed to the next lab exercise.

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Lab Exercise: RACADM CLI

Procedure
1. From your management station desktop, open the Student Share folder and
navigate to the Tools folder.

2. Copy both the putty file and the iDRAC Tools file (normally named something
similar to OM-DRAC-Dell-Web-WINX64-xxxxxx) file to your desktop.

3. Right-click the iDRAC Tools file and select Run as administrator.

4. Accept the default folder, click Unzip, click OK at the success message and
then close the WinZip window.

5. Navigate to the C:\OpenManage folder, and double-click the RACTools file.

6. Click Next, accept the license agreement and click Next.

7. Click Next at the Destination Folder window, click Install then click Finish.

8. Now navigate to the location of where RACADM is installed – by default this

location will be C:\Program Files\Dell\SysMgt\rac5

a. Open up a command prompt and type cd C:\Program

Files\Dell\SysMgt\rac5

9. Lets get some basic information first. Open a command prompt window and
enter each of the following commands then study the results. The command
format is “racadm -r <ip address or hostname> -u <username> -p <password>
<subcommand>”

a. racadm -r <target iDRAC IP> -u root -p calvin get

BIOS.MemSettings

i. Provides a list of attributes for a specific group (for example,

MemSettings).

10. Right-click the Putty file and select Run as administrator.

11. Enter the IP Address of your servers’ iDRAC then click Open.

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12. When the Command Prompt window opens, enter the iDRAC credentials.

a. If you receive a PuTTY Security Alert, click Yes.

13. Let us get that same information again via PuTTY. Enter each of the following
commands, then study the results.

a. racadm get BIOS.MemSettings

i. Provides a list of attributes for a specific group (for example,

MemSettings).

b. racadm jobqueue view

i. Checks the job status of all the jobs or a specific job using the
job queue view command.

c. racadm getniccfg

i. Get the current value of the NIC config.

d. racadm getled

i. Gets the state of the LED on a module.

e. racadm hwinventory

i. Gets the hardware inventory of the server.

14. Spend some time looking at some of the available racadm commands by using
the racadm help command.

a. DO NOT run these commands, but locate the racreset and

racresetcfg commands.

i. The racreset command will reset the iDRAC.

ii. The racresetcfg will reset the iDRAC back to the factory
default settings including resetting the security and IP Address.
DO NOT run this command.

15. Close the putty window.

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STOP: Inform your instructor that you have finished this lab exercise unless you
have been instructed to proceed to the next lab exercise.

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Lab Exercise: Lifecycle Controller Navigation

Procedure
1. Access the iDRAC web interface and open a Virtual Console session window.

2. Reboot your server and press the <F10> to access the Lifecycle Controller
during the power on procedure.

a. Allow the system to boot to the Lifecycle Controller.

b. The first time you access the Lifecycle Controller you are often sent to
the Settings page straight away, asking you for your Language and
Keyboard Type.

i. If you get asked for these options, enter the information.

3. At the Lifecycle Controller main page, you will see the system tree on the left
and you will see Quick Launch Tasks under Things to Do in the main area.

4. Click Lifecycle Log in the system tree, then click View Lifecycle Log
History.

a. The Lifecycle Log is displayed.

b. Observe the different options in the Filter By Category box.

5. Click Storage in the Filter by Category drop-down:

a. Observe the events displayed.

6. Click Back.

7. Click Add a work note to Lifecycle Log.

8. Enter a sample work note of “testing.”

a. Select OK.

b. Click OK at the success box.

9. Select View Lifecycle Log History and click Work Notes in the filter by
category drop-down to see if your note has been added.

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10. Click Back.

11. Click Firmware Update in the system tree.

12. Click Launch Firmware Update.

a. From here, you can elect to have the Lifecycle Controller download
any firmware updates direct from the Dell FTP server or from a Local
Drive (CD or DVD or USB) or Network Share.

13. Click Back.

14. Click Launch Firmware Rollback.

a. If any components have already been updated using the Lifecycle

Controller, they are displayed along with the current levels.

b. In this case, we are not performing any rollback operations so select

Back.

15. Click View Current Versions to display what is currently installed on your
system.

16. Click Back, and then select Hardware Configuration in the system tree.

17. Click Configuration Wizards.

18. Click iDRAC Settings.

a. This takes you to the iDRAC Settings section within the System Setup
Utility which will we be exploring in a later lab exercise.

19. Click Finish.

20. Click System Time and Date Configuration and ensure that these are
correct based on where the server is physically located.

21. Click Back.

22. Click RAID Configuration.

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a. WARNING: DO NOT make any changes in the RAID Configuration

settings because any changes or additions may delete all existing
virtual disks.

b. View the displayed information.

23. Click Back, and then click Back again.

24. Click Hardware Inventory.

25. Click View Current Inventory.

a. Explore the information that is displayed here and use the Filter to
narrow down the various fields.

26. Click Back.

27. Click Factory Shipped Inventory (if available) and observe the displayed
information.

a. Think about how this option can be useful.

28. Click Back.

29. Click Collect System Inventory on Restart and ensure that it is Enabled.

a. Use the help function to understand the role of this feature.

30. Click Back and then click Back again to return to the Hardware Configuration
page.

31. Click Repurpose or Retire System.

a. Observe the information found here but DO NOT make any selections
here as we are not ready to retire this server.

b. Notice that you can select individual components.

32. Click Back.

33. Click OS Deployment in the system tree and then click Deploy OS.

a. Again we do not want to go any further as we already have an

operating system that is installed on this server. Note that you can

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configure RAID before you start the operating system Deployment

function in case you have not already configured your RAID.

34. If you receive a message stating that it is unable to find a device capable or
reading the operating system media and do you want to reboot now, click No.

35. If you are now displayed Step 1 or 5 (because it has found a device capable of
reading the operating system media), click Back.

36. Click Platform Restore in the system tree.

a. From here, you have the option to import a server license. Select
Import Server License and press help to see the licenses which can
be uploaded.

37. Click Part Replacement Configuration.

a. This menu allows you to set which options you require for any
replaced hardware parts so take a few minutes to ensure that you
understand how each option would operate. Use the help function to
understand more about the available options.

38. Click Back.

39. Click Hardware Diagnostics in the system tree.

a. We will be exploring this feature in a later lab exercise.

40. Click Back, and then click Settings in the system tree.

a. This is where you can define your Language, Keyboard, and Network
Setting options.

41. Click System Setup in the system tree.

42. Click Advanced Hardware Configuration where you are now directed to the
System Setup Utility which will we be exploring in a later lab exercise.

a. For now, click Finish to be returned to the Lifecycle Controller menu.

43. Exit from the Lifecycle Controller and allow the server to reboot,

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STOP: Inform your instructor that you have finished this lab exercise unless you
have been instructed to proceed to the next lab exercise.

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Lab Exercise: Server Profile Back up and Restore

The Server Configuration Profile (SCP) allows you to import and export server
configuration files.

Procedure
1. In the iDRAC interface, select Server Configuration Profile under
Configuration menu.

2. Expand Export.

3. Select Local from the Location Type drop-down menu.

4. Type a File Name and select the Export Components applicable.

5. Select Read Only for Additional export items.

6. Click Export.

a. This process may take few minutes to complete.

7. At the information message, click Save Locally.

STOP: Inform your instructor that you have finished this lab exercise unless you
have been instructed to proceed to the next lab exercise.

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Lab Exercise: System Setup Utility

Procedure
NOTE: We will now explore the System Setup Utility. Although with the iDRAC9 we
can now access the BIOS settings through the iDRAC interface, the System Setup
Utility also features additional functions such as Device Settings.

In this lab exercise, we will first access the System Setup Utility and explore the
various options, then we will use the System Setup Utility to create a RAID
configuration before finally returning to the iDRAC interface to briefly look at the
BIOS settings for comparison purposes.

1. Access the iDRAC web interface and open a Virtual Console session window.

2. Reboot your server and access the System Setup Utility, press <F2> when
requested.

3. At the main System Setup Main Menu, click System BIOS.

4. Click System Information, and observe the BIOS version and the UEFI
Compliance version.

5. Click Back.

6. Click Memory Settings and observe the information presented here,

especially the Memory Operating Mode.

a. Observe the different memory mode options available for your

system.

7. Click Back.

8. Click Processor Settings.

a. Explore the information found here.

i. Use the help feature to understand the roles of the different

settings.

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ii. Use the drop-down menu against the Number of Cores per
Processor to observe the available options. (Use the Help
function for additional information about any options).

9. Click Back.

10. Click SATA Settings and review.

11. Click Back.

12. Click NVMe Settings and review.

a. Use the help function to understand the function of this option.

13. Click Back.

14. Click Boot Settings.

15. Your Boot Mode should be set to UEFI for this training lab, if not inform your
instructor.

16. Click UEFI Boot Settings (blue link) and observe the bootable devices that
are currently enabled or disabled.

17. Click UEFI Boot Sequence.

a. From here, you can specify the boot sequence for your server.

18. Click Cancel then click Back twice to return to the System BIOS Settings
screen.

19. From the System BIOS Settings menu, click Network Settings.

a. Again observe the different settings.

20. Click Back to return to the System BIOS Settings menu.

21. Click Integrated devices.

a. Note that you can switch various USB ports on or off.

22. Click Slot Disablement (at the bottom of the page in blue).

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a. Think about why would you want to select the BOOT Driver Disabled
option?

23. Click Back, and then click Back again.

24. Click Serial Communication and observe the serial settings.

25. Click Back.

26. Click System Profile Settings.

a. Explore the various options in the System Profile drop-down box and
observe how the settings change.

b. Use the Help function to learn more about the settings.

c. Ensure that the original System Profile setting is selected and then
click Back.

27. Click System Security.

28. DO NOT set any passwords currently – observe the various settings.

29. Click Back.

30. Click Redundant operating system Control.

a. Access the help function to learn more about this setting.

31. Click Back.

32. Click Miscellaneous Settings.

a. Notice that you can add your Asset Tag from here.

b. Again use the help function to understand the options.

33. Click Back.

34. Click Finish (click No at the Saving Changes warning if asked (unless you
have been told to make changes).

35. At the System Setup Main Menu screen, click iDRAC Settings.

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a. This menu has a similar function to the iDRAC UI you explored earlier
but let us look at some interesting areas.

36. Click Network.

a. Notice that you can Disable or Enable the NIC.

i. Under NIC Selection, look at the setting in the drop-down box.

ii. Note that you can select one of the system LOMs.

37. Click Back.

38. Click Alerts.

a. Here you could enter the IP Address for your management station so
that the iDRAC would know where to send an alert if required.

39. Click Back.

40. Click Front Panel Security.

a. From here, you can enable or disable the server power button and
change the iDRAC Quick Sync options.

41. Click Back.

42. Click Media and USB Port Settings.

43. For Virtual Media, you can select Detach, Attach, or Auto attach. The
differences are:

a. Detach: cannot map an image to the system.

b. Attach: media is mapped even when the Virtual Console window is

closed.

c. Auto attach: media is mapped when the Virtual Console window is

open but closed when the Virtual Console window is closed.

44. Click Back, and then click Lifecycle Controller.

45. Note that you can Disable or Enable the Lifecycle Controller.

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a. If you are performing a Lifecycle Controller function and it gets

interrupted, the Lifecycle Controller would recover. However if the
interruption was serious the Lifecycle Controller could become
disabled to avoid damage to the chip.

b. Verify if the Lifecycle Controller displays Disabled, if so Enable it to

see if the issue resolves.

c. If the Lifecycle Controller stays disabled, download and apply the

Lifecycle Controller Repair Package. Then check if you can reenable
the Lifecycle Controller.

46. Click Back.

a. Take some time to explore the options not already covered.

47. Click Finish to return to the System Setup Main Menu then click Device
Settings.

48. Before we look at the RAID Controller, click one of the NIC and spend a few
minutes examining the information before returning to the Device Settings
page.

49. Select your RAID Controller then click Virtual Disk Management.

a. Observe the information and options on this page.

50. Click Main Menu then click Virtual Disk Management.

51. Click Virtual Disk 0.

52. Click View Associated Physical Disks and make a note of which disks are
currently being used as Virtual Disk 0:

a. Virtual Disk 0 contains your operating system so NEVER change or

delete Virtual Disk 0.

53. Navigate back to the Integrated RAID Controller Configuration Utility main
menu.

54. Click Configuration Management.

55. Click Create Virtual Disk and select RAID 0 for the raid level.

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56. Click Select Physical Disks.

57. Click one unconfigured available disk.

58. Click Apply Changes, and then click OK.

59. Enter RAID_0_Test as the Virtual Disk Name then click Create Virtual Disk
(in blue).

60. Check the Confirm box, click Yes then click OK.

61. Click Back twice.

62. Click Virtual Disk Management.

a. You should now see your new Virtual Disk listed.

63. Click the new Virtual Disk that you just created – BE SURE that you click your
newly created disk and not your original disk containing the operating system.

64. In the Operation drop-down menu, select Delete Virtual Disk and click Go.

65. Check the Confirm box, click Yes then click OK.

a. Your new Virtual Disk should now have been deleted.

66. Navigate back to the Integrated RAID Controller Configuration Utility

dashboard view then click Finish to return to the Device Settings page.

67. Click Finish to return to the System Set up Main Menu.

68. Click Finish, then click Yes to allow your system to reboot.

69. Close your Virtual Console window.

70. Back in the iDRAC interface, click Configuration in the menu bar, and then
click BIOS Settings.

71. With the iDRAC9, you can view and change certain settings in the BIOS
without rebooting the server and accessing BIOS via the F2 key.

72. Spend a few minutes observing the available settings. Also note the options at
the bottom of the screen which allow you to Apply and Reboot now or Apply At
Next Reboot.

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STOP: Inform your instructor that you have finished this lab exercise unless you
have been instructed to proceed to the next lab exercise.

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Lab Exercise: OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA)

Procedure
NOTE: First we will install OMSA onto our target server, and then we will access
and navigate the OMSA interface.

1. Either open an RDP session from your management station and login to your
target servers’ operating system using credentials that are supplied by your
instructor or using an iDRAC Virtual Console session to log in to the server
operating system - if you cannot connect, please inform your instructor.

a. The target server is your server with the iDRAC9.

2. Navigate to and open the Student Share folder, which should be loaded on to
your server desktop.

3. Copy the OpenManage Server Administrator zip file (usually with a name
similar to OM-SrvAdmin-xxxxx found in the OMSA folder) to your target server
desktop – your instructor will advise where you can obtain this file.

4. Double-click the OpenManage Server Administrator zip file and note where
the files will be extracted (the default is C:/OpenManage), then click extract.

5. When the files have been extracted, click OK then click Close to close the
Self-Extractor box.

6. Navigate to the folder where the files were extracted and double-click the
Setup file within the Windows folder.

7. Review the Prerequisite Checker.

a. If any errors occur (indicated by a red circle with a white x in the top
part of the page), inform your instructor.

8. Click Install Server Administrator, then click Next.

9. Click I accept the terms of the license agreement.

10. Click Next, then select Typical.

11. Click Install.

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12. When the OMSA installation is complete, click Finish.

13. Double-click the Server Administrator icon located on your server desktop.

a. If a Certificate Error is displayed and you are asked to choose an

action, choose Continue to this website (not recommended).

i. Note that this security message is provided by the browser and

is not to be considered a lab exercise recommendation.

b. If prompted, add the URL to Trusted Sites.

c. If you receive any Windows Security boxes prompting you to log in,
click Cancel.

d. A login screen should then be displayed that looks similar to the

iDRAC login screen.

14. If required, log in with username and password that the instructor supplied you
with.

15. In the System Tree, select System.

The main screen includes tabs for Health, Summary, Asset Information, and Auto
Recovery and shows the general health properties of the system.

16. Click Health and then click Main System Chassis.

Note that you should be seeing a column of green boxes with white check marks
on the right side.

17. Verify each of the components in blue text should match a line in the system
tree.

18. Click the following in the system tree and make a note of the settings:

a. BIOS version

b. Fans - System Board Fan 1A reading

c. Firmware - Lifecycle Controller

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d. Spend a few moments studying the information on the other

components.

19. Highlight System in the system tree, and click Properties > Summary in the
menu bar.

20. Examine the information found here.

21. Click Asset Information in the menu bar to display sections where initial
information can be entered, allowing Asset Management control at a later time.

22. Click Auto Recovery in the menu bar.

a. Auto recovery allows you to set parameters that are triggered when a
specific event occurs.

b. Click Reboot Server, enter 180 in the System Reset Timer box and
then click Apply.

i. This option means that if the operating system stops

responding for 180 seconds the system will reboot
automatically.

23. Click Logs in the menu bar to observe log entries.

24. Click Alert Management in the menu bar where you will find a detailed list of
System Events that can have actions that are configured for when those
system events occur.

25. Click System in the system tree, and then click Session Management in the
menu bar.

a. From here, you can terminate other users who are signed into OMSA.

26. Navigate to System > Licenses in the system tree.

a. Expand the ‘+’ sign to observe the iDRAC9 license information.

27. Navigate to System > Main System Chassis in the system tree.

a. In the main screen, the health of the components and the Information,
System Components (FRU), and Front Panel tabs are displayed in
the menu bar.

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28. Click Information in the menu bar.

a. This supplies you with key chassis information.

29. Click System Components (FRU) in the menu bar.

30. Note the information that is displayed on the System Components (FRU) tab,
including serial numbers, part numbers, and firmware revisions.

31. Near the right-hand upper corner of the screen, click Export (circle with arrow
pointing to upper right) to export a file containing the information and save it,
observing where the file has been saved.

32. Go to the file location and review the information that is saved in the file.

33. Click Front Panel in the menu bar.

a. Note that you can disable the front power button.

b. Imagine a scenario where you may want to disable the front power
button.

34. Click System > Main System Chassis > BIOS in the system tree.

The Setup tab allows you to view and change certain BIOS settings.

35. Click System > Main System Chassis > Remote Access in the system tree.

a. From here, you can view and change the iDRAC settings.

36. Click System > Main System Chassis > Temperatures in the system tree.

37. Click System Board Inlet Temp.

a. Note that you can alter the warning thresholds.

b. Make a note of the Current Reading and the Minimum Warning

Threshold reading.

38. Against Threshold Settings, select Set to Values then enter a value a few
degrees ABOVE the Current Reading then click Apply.

a. This should put your system in the warning mode

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39. Click System in the system tree and you should see a warning icon against
Main System Chassis.

40. Without closing either OMSA or the Virtual Console session window, navigate
back to the iDRAC interface.

41. In the Dashboard view, you should see warning errors being displayed for
cooling.

42. Now return to the OMSA screen, navigate back to Temperatures and click
System Board Inlet Temperature.

43. Select Set to Default and click Apply.

44. Notice that the default Minimum Warning Threshold has returned to its
default value and if you look both at the iDRAC interface and the system view
in OMSA, the status has returned to normal.

45. Navigate to System > Storage in the system tree.

46. Select your PERC controller.

47. Expand Connector 0 (RAID) > Enclosure (backplane) > Physical Disks,
and review the installed Physical Disks.

a. Click Full View for more detail.

b. Use the drop-down menu under Tasks to observe available actions.

The action types may change depending on the media of the disk that
you have installed.

48. Click System > Storage > PERC Controller > Connector 0 >
Firmware/Driver Versions in the system tree and review the current firmware
and driver versions.

49. Click System > Storage in the system tree.

50. Click the Available Tasks drop down and examine the available tasks.

51. Use the drop-down menu to select Export Log then click Execute.

52. Review the Export Log information, and then click Export Log File.

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53. View the log (typically called lsi_<MonthYear> at the host path specified
(C:\Windows).

54. Click Storage in the OMSA system tree.

55. Use the drop-down menu under Select Report and select View Slot
Occupancy Report.

56. Click Execute.

57. Review the Slot Occupancy Report.

58. Click Go Back to Previous Page.

59. Attempt to view the View Patrol Read Report and View Consistency Check
Report.

a. These reports may not have any entries populated currently.

60. Close OMSA.

61. OMSA can also be accessed remotely.

a. From your management station desktop, open a web browser and

enter https://<target server OS IP Address>:1311, - for example, if
your target servers operating systems IP address is 192.168.1.20,
enter https://192.168.1.20:1311

b. Enter your operating system credentials and see if you can access
OMSA remotely. If this does not work, please inform your instructor.

STOP: Inform your instructor that you have finished this lab exercise unless you
have been instructed to proceed to the next lab exercise.

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Lab Exercise: iSM

Procedure
1. Access the iDRAC Web Interface:

2. Select System > HOST OS in the menu bar.

a. Observe that you should not have any information displayed currently
other than an Alert stating that the iDRAC Service Module is not
installed.

3. Before we install the iSM, we should enable the operating system iDRAC
Pass-through option.

a. This feature provides a high-speed bi-directional in-band

communication between the iDRAC and the host operating system
through a shared LOM (rack and tower servers), a dedicated NIC
(rack, tower, or modular servers), or through the USB NIC.

4. Select iDRAC Settings > Connectivity in the menu bar then expand OS to
iDRAC Pass-through.

5. Use the State drop-down menu to select Enabled.

6. Use the Pass-through Mode drop-down menu to select USB NIC.

7. Click Apply and then click OK at the success message.

a. If the selections were already correct, click Test network connection

to ensure that the connection is good – if successful, click OK at the
information message.

8. Use RDP session to log in to your target servers operating system.

9. Copy the iSM install file on to the desktop (file name is similar to OM-iSM-Dell-
Web-X64……..) – your instructor will advise where you can obtain this file.

10. Right-click the iSM file and select Run as administrator.

11. Click extract and allow it to extract to the default folder, click OK and when
complete then close the extractor window.

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12. Navigate to the C:\OpenManage\iSM\Windows folder and double-click the

iDRACSvrMod file.

13. Click Next, select I accept the terms in the license agreement and click
Next again.

14. Select Typical, click Next then click Install.

15. When complete, click Finish.

16. Now that you have installed the iSM, return to the iDRAC interface and click
System > Host OS in the menu bar.

17. You should now see network information being provided by the iSM.

a. If the iSM is still stating that it is not installed, on your target server
confirm that iSM is installed by checking Services to see if the iSM is
running - the service is called DSM iDRAC Service Module.

18. Take a few minutes to explore the different options.

19. Click iDRAC Settings in the menu bar notice the iSM is Running in the iDRAC
Service Module section.

20. Again using either an RDP session or an iDRAC Virtual Console session, log
in to the operating system of your target server.

21. Now that the iSM is installed you have the ability to access the iDRAC
interface from your target server operating system:

a. Open a browser, and enter <idrac.local> as the address.

i. This can be useful if you are logged in to your target server

operating system, need to access the iDRAC and have
forgotten the iDRAC IP Address.

b. You should now be able to open your iDRAC interface.

c. Close the iDRAC browser window, but stay logged in to the target
server operating system.

22. Open a PowerShell script window, and enter the following command:

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a. Invoke-iDRACHardReset

i. Alternatively you can use the Program Menu shortcut

ii. This command is installed by the iSM and can be used when
the iDRAC becomes unresponsive due to various reasons.

b. Enter Y at the prompt and then press Enter to continue.

Your iDRAC should now reset.

23. Close the PowerShell script window.

24. For simplicity, iSM provides a shortcut in the Program Menu of the Windows
operating system.

a. Use the Program Menu of the Windows operating system to look for
this shortcut.

i. You will also find shortcuts for the Power Cycle features
(FullPowerCycle).

25. Back at your iDRAC interface, log back in when the iDRAC has been reset.

STOP: Inform your instructor that you have finished this lab exercise unless you
have been instructed to proceed to the next lab exercise.

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Lab Exercise: Configuring RAID using IDRAC

Procedure
During this lab exercise, DO NOT change or delete the single RAID 0 disk that
contains your operating system.

1. Before we continue, we will first find information concerning the disk that we
already have configured that contains our operating system.

2. In the iDRAC interface, click Storage in the menu bar then click Virtual Disks.

3. You should only see a single disk that is listed with a RAID-0 layout – this is
where the operating system has been installed.

a. Expand this disk, and then click View Physical Disks (in blue) in the
Advanced Properties section.

4. Make a note of the slot number of this disk (for example, under Name it may
state 0:1:0 which means that it is installed in slot 0):

5. Now navigate to Storage> Physical Disk Configuration section.

6. Check that you have one disk that shows as Ready.

a. If the disk is set to Non-RAID under State, complete the following

substeps, otherwise proceed to the next full step.

i. Select Convert to RAID in the Action drop-down menu next to

one of your selected disks then click OK at the Warning
message.

ii. Complete the same action against your second selected disk.

iii. Click Apply Now.

iv. Select Job Queue at the Information message and when the
job is complete, return to the Storage > Physical Disk tab.

v. Your disk should now be showing Ready in the State column.

7. Click the Virtual Disk tab and then click Create Virtual Disk and select

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Advanced configuration.

a. WARNING: Do nothing that affects the current Virtual Disk that

contains your operating system.

8. Input the following information and Click Next.

a. Name: Disk001

b. Layout: RAID-0

9. Select ONE physical disk (you may have to scroll down the page), click Add to
Pending Operations then click Close at the Information message.

a. On the Virtual Disk Settings page, review the information and click
Next.

b. On the confirmation page, click Add to Pending.

10. On the Pending Operation Created page, select Apply Now.

11. Click Job Queue to see if the virtual disk creation has started – then return to
Storage > Virtual Disk.

a. For your new Virtual Disk, use the drop-down menu under Virtual Disk
Actions to select Initialize: Fast then click OK at the warning
message. Ensure THAT YOU PERFORM THIS OPERATION ON
YOUR NEW VIRTUAL DISK AND NOT YOUR OPERATING
SYSTEM VIRTUAL DISK.

12. Click Apply Now (below Enclosure Configuration) then click Job Queue at the
Information message.

a. Once the Configure: RAID-Integrated 1-1 job shows Completed

(100%), return to the Storage > Virtual Disk section where your new
Virtual Disk should have a white checkmark in a green box in the
Status column.

13. Now delete your newly created Virtual Disk. Use the drop-down menu under
Virtual Disk Actions for your newly created Virtual Disk and observe the
available options.

14. Ensure that you only select your new Virtual Disk, select Delete and then click

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OK at the warning message.

15. Click Apply Now then click Job Queue at the Information message.

16. When the delete job is complete, you should only have your existing Virtual
Disk containing your operating system configured.

STOP: Inform your instructor that you have finished this lab exercise unless you
have been instructed to proceed to the next lab exercise.

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Lab Exercise: RAID Level Migration

RAID migration allows you to change the RAID level online but has always been
limited to a function of OMSA. Using the iDRAC9 we can now perform this action
using the iDRAC9 interface.

During this lab exercise, you will use the IDRAC9 interface to perform a RAID level
migration.

Procedure
1. In the iDRAC interface, navigate to Storage > Virtual Disk.

2. Expand Virtual Disk Configuration and then click Create Virtual Disk and
Advanced Configuration.

3. Input the following information on the Setup Virtual Disk page.

a. Name: TESTDISK01

b. Layout: RAID-1

4. Click Next.

5. Select TWO physical disks on the Select Virtual disk page and click Next.

6. On the Virtual disk settings page, you should now see that the Capacity has
been automatically calculated based on the number of disks, their capacity,
and the selected RAID level.

7. Change the Capacity to 10 GB - for training purposes, this speeds up the

migration process and click Next.

8. Select Event Log in the menu bar and study the log results.

9. On the confirmation page, review the settings and click Add to Pending
Operations. Click Apply Now on the pending operations screen.

a. Go to the job queue and after the virtual disk job is finished, return to
the Storage > Virtual Disk section.

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i. Use the drop-down menu under Virtual Disk Actions to select

Initialize: Fast then click OK at the Warning message.
Ensure THAT YOU PERFORM THIS OPERATION ON YOUR
NEW VIRTUAL DISK AND NOT YOUR OPERATING
SYSTEM VIRTUAL DISK.

10. Click Apply Now (below Enclosure Configuration) then click Job Queue at the
Information message.

a. Once the Configure: RAID-Integrated 1-1 job shows Completed

(100%), return to the Storage > Virtual Disk section where your new
Virtual Disk should have a white checkmark in a green box in the
Status column.

11. Against your new Virtual Disk, use the drop-down menu to select RAID Level
Migration

12. At the RAID Level Migration box, select RAID 0 as the New RAID Level.

13. Click Apply, click Apply Now then click Job Queue at the information
message.

14. When the job shows Completed (100%), navigate back to the Storage >
Virtual Disk section.

15. The reconstruction process is performed in the background may take up to 10

minutes to complete. When complete the RAID Level being displayed should
state RAID 0 - do not move on to the next step until this occurs.

16. You should now understand the procedure for creating a Virtual Disk then
using the iDRAC interface to perform a RAID Level Migration procedure so we
will delete this new Virtual Disk.

17. Using the drop-down menu against your new Virtual Disk, select Delete to
delete this Virtual Disk.

STOP: Inform your instructor that you have finished this lab exercise unless you
have been instructed to proceed to the next lab exercise.

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Lab Exercise: SupportAssist Collection

Procedure
1. In the iDRAC interface, navigate to Maintenance > SupportAssist and then
click SupportAssist in the menu bar.

a. If asked to register, click Cancel and then click Cancel Registration.

2. Click Start a Collection.

3. Select the following:

a. Data to Collect

i. System Information

ii. Storage Logs

b. Collection Preferences

i. Save Locally

4. Click Collect.

a. Check I accept the terms of the license agreement and then click
Continue.

b. You should see a progress bar and also an ‘In Progress’ under
Collection Log. Once complete, click OK.

5. Click Save and View.

a. If the file does not open automatically, click Open Folder (or go to the
folder that was saved - normally saved to the Downloads folder -
open the folder, and navigate to the tsr subfolder.

b. Extract the zip file and open the viewer.html file - the SupportAssist
Collection Viewer should now open.,

6. You are now presented with a great deal of information which you can either
scroll down through or click the section that you want in the submenu bar

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under Inventory that is labeled 'Overview - Board - CPU - Memory - Power -

PCI - Network - Storage - Sensors.

7. Take a few minutes to explore this information then see if you can find the
following items:

a. Current speed of the memory DIMMs

b. Thread count for CPU 1

c. Part Number for one of the Power Supply Units

d. RAID levels supported for the PERC:

8. Close the SupportAssist Collection Viewer.

As we have already installed the iSM, a SupportAssist Collection can also be

invoked from within the server operating system.

9. DO NOT perform the following steps, but simply observe how to create a
SupportAssist Collection from within the server operating system.

a. Access your server operating system using either the iDRAC Virtual
Console or an RDP session.

b. Open an Administrator Command Prompt, and enter the following

command:

i. invoke-SupportAssistCollection

c. This collects in the same way that you previously created a collection
using the iDRAC interface.

STOP: Inform your instructor that you have finished this lab exercise unless you
have been instructed to proceed to the next lab exercise.

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Lab Exercise: Maintenance and iDRAC Settings Options

Procedure
1. Access your iDRAC interface.

2. Click Maintenance in the menu bar and ensure that Lifecycle Log is
highlighted.

a. You should now see a list of the log entries. Note that you can add
comments on the right.

3. Click Job Queue in the menu bar and examine the entries.

a. We will now clear the Job Queue.

b. Check the box to the left of ID, click Delete and then click OK at the
success message.

4. Click System Update in the submenu bar and ensure that Manual Update is
selected.

5. Use the drop-down menu against Location to observe the different options for
where you can download the update file.

a. Use the help function for more information about the location types.

6. We are now going to update the iDRAC firmware – your instructor will advise
where you can obtain this update.

7. Select Local as the Location Type then browse to your iDRAC9 firmware
update file, click Open then click Upload.

8. When the iDRAC9 firmware has been uploaded, check the box against the file,
click Install, then click Job Queue at the Information message.

a. During the update, your iDRAC9 should restart. After a few minutes
you should be able to access your iDRAC9 interface again.

9. In the iDRAC9 interface, select Maintenance > System Update in the menu
bar.

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10. Select Automatic Update.

11. At the bottom of the page, click Enable Automatic Update, click OK at the
success message and then use the drop-down menus to observe the available
options.

a. Use the help function to understand the options.

12. At the bottom of the page, click Disable Automatic Update, then click OK at
the Success message.

13. Select Rollback where the iDRAC is listed with the current and available
images (In this case the current and available versions may be the same).

14. Navigate to Maintenance > Job Queue to observe job status.

15. Navigate to System Event Log to observe information about the managed
system.

16. The Troubleshooting, Diagnostics, and SupportAssist sections are covered in

later lab exercises.

17. Click iDRAC Settings in the menu bar.

18. Notice the different sections on this page:

a. iDRAC Details

b. iDRAC Service Module

c. Connection View

d. Current Network Settings

e. Current IPv4 Setting

f. Current IPv6 Setting

19. Click Overview in the menu bar and then observe the iDRAC Details section.
Note the Device type, Number of Possible Sessions, and the Number of
Current Sessions.

20. Under User Interface Tile Bar Information, click the drop-down menu to

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observe the different options.

a. This option changes the information in the browser title bar. Change
the option, click Apply and then click OK at the success message.

b. Notice that your web browser title tab now displays your selected
information.

c. Change back to Auto.

21. Currently, we should not have the iDRAC Service Module installed (we are
installing it in a later lab exercise) so we skip that option.

22. Click Connectivity in the menu bar.

23. In the Network Settings section, you can change the way the iDRAC
communicates to the external world. Do not make any changes but use the
drop-down menus to explore the available options.

24. Examine the other options under Network.

a. For users in the United States government agencies and contractors

arena, observe the Federal Information Processing Standards section
under Advanced Network Settings, using the help function for more
information.

25. Take a few moments to examine the other following options on this page:

a. Serial

b. Serial Over LAN

26. Expand the OS to iDRAC Pass-through option.

a. This feature allows high-speed communication between the operating

system and the iDRAC using the shared LOM or dedicated NIC.

b. This enables you to open a browser within your server operating

system to access its own iDRAC even if the iDRAC and host are in
different networks.

27. Select Services in the menu bar.

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a. Spend some time examining the options, using the help function
when required.

28. Select Users in the menu bar.

a. From here you can add, edit, and delete new users.

29. Select Settings in the menu bar.

30. From here, you can change the iDRAC Time/Time Zone plus use the Server
Profile and set up the iDRAC Service Module, both of which we will be
exploring in later lab exercises.

STOP: Inform your instructor that you have finished this lab exercise unless you
have been instructed to proceed to the next lab exercise.

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Lab Exercise: iDRAC Troubleshooting Tools

Procedure
1. Access the iDRAC User Interface.

2. Select Maintenance in the menu bar then click Troubleshooting.

3. In the Video Capture section, observe any boot capture files that have been
recorded.

a. The system will automatically record the last three boot procedures.

4. Select the latest recording, click Play to watch the recording, then click Open
to run the recording (click OK/Yes / Run if asked to enable Java to run).

a. Note: You may need to download the Video Capture Player from the
bottom of the screen.

5. When the recording has finished, close the Player window.

6. Click Settings (next to Download Player over to the right in blue).

7. Use the drop-down menu to select Capture Until End of POST, click Save
then click OK at the Success message.

8. Open a Virtual Console window, select Power in the menu bar, select Reset
System (warm boot) then click Yes at the message.

9. As the system reboots, press the <F2> key during the power on process to
enter the System Setup Utility.

10. Once you have entered the System Setup Utility, click Finish and allow the
server to reboot.

11. Once the server has booted back to the operating system, return to the iDRAC
Interface, select Maintenance in the menu bar then click Troubleshooting.

12. Play the latest recording where you should see the entire power on sequence
including when you pressed the <F2> key, entered the System Setup Utility
and then rebooted.

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a. Also please notice that the DVR Player Controls display the start and
end time of the recording.

13. Close the recording window.

14. In the POST Code section, take note of the last system POST Code prior to
booting the operating system of the managed server.

15. In the Intrusion section, take note of the current status of the chassis cover.

16. In the Last Crash Screen section, take note of the most recent crash screen (if
one exists).

17. Click Diagnostics in the menu bar.

a. To demonstrate the way that this feature works, enter the command
netstat into the Command box and click Submit.

b. This command displays the contents of the routing table. Use the help
function to discover other commands.

18. Notice the two boxes that are labeled Reset iDRAC and Reset iDRAC to
Default Settings.

a. The Reset iDRAC option performs a soft reset of the iDRAC without
destroying any settings.

19. Spend a few moments exploring other options in the Maintenance section,
however, we will be exploring the SupportAssist feature in a later lab exercise.

STOP: Inform your instructor that you have finished this lab exercise unless you
have been instructed to proceed to the next lab exercise.

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Lab Exercise: Virtual AC Cycle

Procedure
1. Access the iDRAC Web Interface:

2. Open a Virtual Console session.

3. Back in the iDRAC interface, select Configuration in the menu bar then click
BIOS Settings in the menu bar.

4. Scroll down to expand Miscellaneous Settings.

5. Use the drop-down menu against Power Cycle Reset and select Full Power
Cycle then click Apply.

6. Click OK at the success message.

7. Click Apply And Reboot then click OK.

8. Observe the reboot process using the Virtual Console session.

a. During the reboot process, you will lose connection to the iDRAC
interface and the Virtual Console session.

b. After a few moments log back in to the iDRAC interface.

9. Navigate to Maintenance > Lifecycle Log and observe any entries for the
reboot.

STOP: Inform your instructor that you have finished this lab exercise unless you
have been instructed to proceed to the next lab exercise.

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Lab Exercise: Embedded System Diagnostics

Procedure
1. Log in to iDRAC UI and navigate to the Maintenance > System Update
section.

2. On the single update location – click choose file and navigate to the class
share and Diagnostic folder. Select the Diagnostic DUP file and click Open.

3. Once the file is selected, click Upload. Check the box beside the package and
Select Install.

4. Click Job Queue – once the update gets to 100% proceed to the next step.

5. Using the iDRAC Virtual Console feature, click Boot and select BIOS Boot
Manager. Click Yes at the prompt.

6. Restart the server by selecting Reset system (warm boot) option under
Power.

7. Click System Utilities then click Launch Diagnostics.

a. Diagnostics will now automatically run.

8. While the tests are running, press the <ESC> key to abort testing.

a. It may take a few moments to abort certain tests.

b. When the testing is stopped or completed, you should have mouse

control.

9. Click the right arrow in the lower right-hand corner of the screen.

10. Select Thorough Test Mode.

11. Click Fans in the system tree - the fan tests will now automatically run.

12. When the tests are completed, click OK.

13. Now run tests to the following components:

a. Video

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b. Processor

c. Unselect the Thorough Test Mode, then test one of the Hard Drives.

14. Click Advanced Options.

a. From here, you can loop tests.

b. Close the Advanced Options window.

15. Click Results in the menu bar and observe the results for the tests that you
have completed.

16. Click Configuration in the menu bar, and again observe the amount of
information listed.

17. Click Exit then click OK at the prompt and allow your server to reboot to the
operating system.

18. Close the Virtual Console session window.

STOP: Inform your instructor that you have finished this lab exercise unless you
have been instructed to proceed to the next lab exercise.

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