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Using the baseboard management controller
The baseboard management controller provides basic environmental monitoring for
the server. If an environmental condition exceeds a threshold or if system
components fail, the baseboard management controller lights LEDs to help you
diagnose the problem and also records the error in the BMC system event log.
The baseboard management controller also provides the following remote server
management capabilities through the OSA SMBridge management utility program:
v Command-line interface (IPMI Shell)
v Serial over LAN
Important: The server Ethernet ports are set to DHCP by default. In order to find
your BMC on an existing network, you will need to identify the server by the default
hostname. The default hostname for each server is the last 8 characters of the
BMC MAC address. The BMC MAC address can be found in the setup utility, on a
label on the system board, and on a tag hanging from the front of the server. Once
you have deployed your server, make sure that you remove the BMC MAC address
tag from the front of the server so that it does not impede airflow through the front
of the server.
Enabling and configuring SOL using the OSA SMBridge management
utility program
To enable and configure the server for SOL by using the OSA SMBridge
management utility program, you must update and configure the BIOS code and
update and configure the baseboard management controller (BMC) firmware;
update and configure the Ethernet controller firmware; and enable the operating
system for an SOL connection.
BIOS update and configuration
To update and configure the BIOS code to enable SOL, complete the following
steps:
1. Update the BIOS code:
2. Update the BMC firmware:
The command-line interface provides direct access to server management
functions through the IPMI protocol. Use the command-line interface to issue
commands to control the server power, view system information, and identify the
server. You can also save one or more commands as a text file and run the file
as a script.
Establish a Serial over LAN (SOL) connection to manage servers from a remote
location. You can remotely view and change the BIOS settings, restart the server,
identify the server, and perform other management functions. Any standard
Telenet client application can access the SOL connection.
a. Download the latest version of the BIOS code from http://www.ibm.com/
support/.
b. Update the BIOS code, following the instructions that come with the update
file that you downloaded.
a. Download the latest version of the BMC firmware from http://www.ibm.com/
support/.
b. Update the BMC firmware, following the instructions that come with the
update file that you downloaded.
Chapter 4. Configuring the server
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