From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Tue Jan 24 11:24:58 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 541EF16A41F for ; Tue, 24 Jan 2006 11:24:58 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from xfb52@dial.pipex.com) Received: from asmtp-out2.blueyonder.co.uk (asmtp-out2.blueyonder.co.uk [195.188.213.61]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id B7C1843D45 for ; Tue, 24 Jan 2006 11:24:57 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from xfb52@dial.pipex.com) Received: from [82.41.34.87] (helo=[192.168.0.2]) by asmtp-out2.blueyonder.co.uk with esmtp (Exim 4.52) id 1F1MIB-0002d8-ON; Tue, 24 Jan 2006 11:24:55 +0000 Message-ID: <43D60E87.4050907@dial.pipex.com> Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 11:24:55 +0000 From: Alex Zbyslaw User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; FreeBSD i386; en-GB; rv:1.7.12) Gecko/20051106 X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: David Dean References: <163a4b210601231436j7c6c8210y641dab515903c3ad@mail.gmail.com> In-Reply-To: <163a4b210601231436j7c6c8210y641dab515903c3ad@mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Cc: freebsd-questions Subject: Dell DRAC Questions X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 11:24:58 -0000 David Dean wrote: >As I understand it, the DRAC has a seperate IP, which you can connect >to and issue commands through some kind of web interface - is that >entirely wrong? > >I'm wondering if you can shed some light on what you actually GET out >of a DRAC card in terms of functionality on FreeBSD? > >It seems like your post suggets it binds as the main terminal on the >machine - if so, I'll get one on the next box we order! > > I help run two Dell 2850s, both several hundred miles from me, both with DRACs. The DRACs do indeed have a separate IP and you can connect to them either through a Web interface or via SSH (but you might need to upgrade the firmware - for whatever reason Dell doesn't necessarily do this when they build your machine). The main thing we get out of it, is that the DRAC is capable of being a virtual "serial console". There's a java app on the Web interface that allows a console window to pop up. This works all the time - whether the machine is running FreeBSD, booting, in the BIOS, or even powered down (but not unplugged!). It's pretty much like being sat at a console without actually having to b anywhere near the machine. The DRAC also has a "virtual CD" which allows you to use the CD drive on your (Windows) PC as if it were on the Dell. Just for the heck of it, I actually installed FreeBSD on one of these machines from the virtual CD -- I had the CD in my local PC and was able to install 5.4 on the Dell just as if the CD were in the Dell. (I'll admit that at the time the machines were three feet apart and connected by a Gigabit network, but in principle they could have been hundreds or thousands of miles apart). The DRAC does have other features. In theory it can do notifications of various events, and can be used to check the state of the machine and reboot it or power it off. But for the latter to work you need to be running Dell's OpenManage software, which isn't open at all and doesn't, as far as I can find out, stand a hope of running on FreeBSD. However, just for the remote console, it is great. The only gotcha we have found, is that if the Dell (and the DRAC) are hidden on a NATed network, then you have to VNC or PPP in to the local network before the console app will work. I.e. you need your web browser to be able to connect directly to the DRAC -- we have had no success trying to tunnel through a firewall to it for reasons whose exact details now escape me. Hope that helps, --Alex PS CCed to freebsd-questions, since the message which spawned this question appeared there, and it's the kind of info I was looking for when we were thinking of getting Dells.