Proliant ML350 G4p upgraded to 2008 W32 - can't get the iLO Advanced Management Controller working

[KubaL]

Hi,

We have 2 older ML350 G4p servers running win2003 Standard. recently one of those servers was upgraded to win2008 w32 and HP Proliant Support Pack 8.70 was installed on it (plus all latest updates above this PSP).

W2k8 was complaining about wrong/missing driver for iLO Advanced Management Controller. I tried some older driver I found through google, but ti still didn't work, then I tried installing the latest driver (W32 version of course). After reboot Windows again complained about "needing driver", but this time after I selected automagical search it found it and installed successfully (never asked for it again).

What gets me baffled, is that the device still does not show up in Device Manager under the Multifunction adapters like it does on ML350 G6 server (running w2k8 R2 x64) - it reports both HP iLO Management Channel Interface Driver and HP Proliant iLO 2 Management Controller Driver over there.

G4p (now running w2k8 w32 SP2 w/ PSP 8.70) reports only HP iLO Management Channel Interface Driver (no controller device showing up).

Is there a problem with iLO Management Controller driver since a certain PSP?

And now since I am prepping the other 2003 (G4p) server for an upgrade to w2k8 next week, I instaleld PSP 8.70 with option force downgrade/reinstall to bring all drivers to same same level ... and guess what ... iLO Management Controller is missing and not reporting in HP SMH ... also massive time outs happen in SMH.

EDIT:

correction for w2k3 w/ PSP 8.70. The SMH source got switched over to WBEM causing time outs, now I was able to switch it back to SNMP and all works fine and Management Controller is being detected properly.

However I still cannot solve the problem with Windows 2008 W32 (ML350 G4p). the iLO Management Controller is missing from SMH still in both SNMP and WBEM mode. what am I missing here?

[Sirajul haque]

1. Can you please post the screenshot of the device manager?

2. Could you get me the hardware IDs of devices which is shown as unknown in Windows 2K8 ?

Steps:

1) Right click on the device which is listed under unknown devices in Windows Device Manager list.

2) Then choose Properties Option and then from the Properties menu click on Details Tab.

3) From the details Tab provide the details mentioned under Device Instance ID or Hardware ID at Description Column.

For example: PCI_VEN13782 etc.

[KubaL]

HI Sirajul,

Currently the Device Manager does not show unrecognized devices.

Yesterday I used this iLO Manager Controller driver (for Windows 2008 w32) from here and installed it manually from the installer package:

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SoftwareDescription.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&prodTypeId=15351&prodSeriesId=459045&swItem=MTX-0a9c13040ec54117a72633c4d5&prodNameId=3279709&swEnvOID=4022&swLang=8&taskId=135&mode=5

After restart, Windows 2008 SP2 (ML350 G4p system) again complained about needing a driver for it, but when I used Automatic Search option it found what it needed and installed something successfully.

Still, whenever I log on to HP SMH, it takes a long time and reports no details later (Management Processor: NONE, Computer Model: unknown, etc.)

Since the device seems to be installed, it should show up in Device Manager somewhere, yes? I canot find it anywhere. Which category it's supposed to fall into? It's not shwing up under Multifunction adapters... the only thing I have over there is called "HP iLO Management Channel Interface Driver" ... unless I'm totally confused now and that's what it is.... and problem is elsewhere (reporting agents?).

anyways here's a screenie:

http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/9128/cddcw2k8devmngr.jpg

---

@Sirajul haque wrote:

1. Can you please post the screenshot of the device manager?

2. Could you get me the hardware IDs of devices which is shown as unknown in Windows 2K8 ?

Steps:

1) Right click on the device which is listed under unknown devices in Windows Device Manager list.

2) Then choose Properties Option and then from the Properties menu click on Details Tab.

3) From the details Tab provide the details mentioned under Device Instance ID or Hardware ID at Description Column.

For example: PCI_VEN13782 etc.

---

[KubaL]

can this have anything to do with my problem?
http://practicaladmin.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/proliant-support-pack-8-5-8-7-bug-ilo-management-controller-driver-missing/

[Sirajul haque · Accepted solution]

The above said link can be related to your issue. :) :) ;), so please try it.

Let us come to the fact:

I checked the download site of HP, and I find that PSP     8.50 (27 May 2010) is the latest released for this server. So ideally you have installed a PSP which is not supported by this server (As per HP, its not tested). The PSP version 8.5 is listed below:

* RECOMMENDED * ProLiant Support Pack for Microsoft Windows Server 2008
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SoftwareDescription.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&prodTypeId=15351&prodSeriesId=459045&prodNameId=3279709&swEnvOID=4022&swLang=8&mode=2&taskId=135&swItem=MTX-979e4af6ece94a5bbb0cfc195c

Ideally the iLO2 will be listed under Multifuction adapters, please check screenshot :)

As per HP:

The HP ProLiant Integrated Lights-Out Management Interface Driver provides an interface for HP ProLiant Insight Management Agents and other utilities that need to communicate with the HP ProLiant iLO or iLO 2 controller. The iLO 2 Management Interface Driver enables system software, such as SNMP Insight Agents and the Terminal Services Pass-Through service to communicate with iLO 2.

Above said info taken from:

HP ProLiant ML/DL/BL iLO2 - How Do Management Controller Driver and Management Interface Driver Work?
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&taskId=120&prodSeriesId=327575&prodTypeId=15351&objectID=c01755305

Try to install older version of ILO, downgrade PSP, reset iLO/clearNVRAM/Powerdrain Server. All these can be tried. To the extreme, you may also update firmware update :)

Regards

SiRu

Click on Kudos if I was able to help

[KubaL]

Thanks Sirajul!
That certainly makes sense. The screenie you posted is how I see the devices on my newer ML350 G6 server (running w2k8 R2).

It seems that in deed I used the unsupported version of PSP which might be the root cause of my SMH problems ... I picked 8.70 for Windows 2008 however before upgrade it was running 8.50 ... my bad. I was under impression that 8.70 is supported for this server on w2k8 while 8.50 is max for w2k3.
all because I was installing recently another (new ML350 G6) server and was using 8.70 PSP on w2k8 R2 ...

I will downgrade the beast in a second and see what happens after reboot.

BTW: per the bug link I posted, it didn't work. WBEM stays broken and SNMP cannot see the Management Controller still. downgrading the PSP to 8.50 is the only way out I think.

[Sirajul haque]

Hi,

Please give that a try, I hope it helps. :)

Got your Kudos, Thank you :)

Regards

SiRu

[KubaL]

Installed PSP 8.50 for w2k8 with option Product Bundle enabled and Force enabled. However I manually went through the list of initially selected 20 updates/downgrades and compared everything to HP recommended version listing for this server from here:

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SoftwareIndex.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&prodNameId=3279709&prodTypeId=15351&prodSeriesId=459045&swLang=8&taskId=135&swEnvOID=4022#2915

It came up that a bunch of stuff can still stay as they are (some versions numbered as 8.75 and such, latest version control, latest SMH, newest tape drive drivers, etc.). after deselecting what can stay, I downgraded 10 updates that left out to recommended versions.

It came up that I had wrong version of Intel Chipset Identifier installed (8.0.0 while it should be recommended 7.2) and no IPMI update at all. will see about the Management Controller problem after the reboot (doing it now).

[KubaL]

it worked :)

The Management Processor is properly working now and shows itself in SMH (running over WBEM).

However, it still doesn't show up in DEVMNGR under Multifunction Adapter :P

I'm leaving it this way since all works anyways hehe :)

Thanks for the help!

[Sirajul haque]

Hi,

Please check whether it is listed under System devices. I am happy as long as it works

Next time I am sure that you will check the PSP compatibility before you update, lol

You can mark this POST as solved :)

Thanks and regards

SiRu