In hponcfg for iLO config, what's the difference between "YES" and "LOM" for "SHARED_NETWORK_PORT" ?

[Protonus]

If you get your iLO network settings using hponcfg - there is a setting called SHARED_NETWORK_PORT - with falues of NO, YES, LOM, or FlexibleLOM.

I am trying to determine what the actual difference is between the values of "YES" and "LOM".  From the hponcfg scripting manual, the descriptions are identical, as quoted below:

• Yes—Enables a NIC that is built into the server (a shared network port). The NIC handles
server network traffic and can, if ILO is configured to do so, handle iLO traffic at the same
time.
• LOM—Enables a NIC that is built into the server (a shared network port). The NIC handles
server network traffic and can, if ILO is configured to do so, handle iLO traffic at the same
time. Not all servers support a LOM.

So what is the actual, technical difference here.  They both use NIC port 1 right?  What affect does switching from YES to LOM have, and vice versa?

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I ask this because deployed out in the field, I have a ProLiant DL160 Gen 9, that for whatever reason, wasn't shipped with the optional iLO Management Port kit, that provides a dedicated iLO port; that all of our servers typically have.

This server is currently configured as "LOM" and, I am unable to access the iLO interface for it.   It's connected to an auto detecting speed switch, and the NIC 1 interface itself is working as that is how the server is connected and otherwise operational on the network.  Yet I can't get into the iLO.  

I am considering trying to switch it from "LOM" to "YES" for this value, to see if that helps.  But if I lose NIC 1 access as a result, I'll be unable to reach this server at all... 

Thank you in advance!

[rmay_bk]

Might not be relevant to your situation, but I'll toss one tidbit out there that I learned the hard way with my Gen8: There is no Ethernet switch inside that port.  So the server itself can't talk to the iLO over that port, even though they're sharing it.  I suspect Gen9 is the same way.

[Protonus]

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@rmay_bk wrote:

Might not be relevant to your situation, but I'll toss one tidbit out there that I learned the hard way with my Gen8: There is no Ethernet switch inside that port.  So the server itself can't talk to the iLO over that port, even though they're sharing it.  I suspect Gen9 is the same way.

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That is good to know!  Though it probalby won't be an issue for us.  When I access the iLO on the server itself, I use hponcfg which does it at a hardware level, and, doesn't actually go out over ethernet to talk to it.  Otherwise I'm always talking to the iLO from another server. 

I just found out that "LOM" to HP doesn't mean "Lights Out Management" like I thought and everyone else uses it for.  Instead it apparently means "LAN on Motherboard" which is insanity to me lol.

But that doesn't answer my questions still, because I would think that "LOM" and "YES" would be identical then... either way it's talking about an on-board NIC I would think. 

A socketed onboard NIC would be the FlexibleLOM setting, which server doesn't have...  So I'm still confused on what actually is the difference between "LOM" and "YES" for this setting, if there is one at all...

[Protonus · Accepted solution]

Answering my own question here.... I found the answer in the XML comments of the hponcfg script named "Shared_Network_Port.xml" as follows:

<!--   iLO 4:                                                        -->
<!--      Substitute:                            Desired NIC:         -->
<!--      <SHARED_NETWORK_PORT VALUE="N"/>       iLO NIC             -->
<!--      <SHARED_NETWORK_PORT VALUE="Y"/>       FlexLOM (if 
<!--      					      supported)     -->
<!--                                             LOM (if FlexLOM not -->
<!--                                                  supported)     -->
<!--      <SHARED_NETWORK_PORT VALUE="LOM"/>     LOM                 --> 
<!--      <SHARED_NETWORK_PORT VALUE="FlexLOM"/> FlexLOM             --> 

So in otherwords, in a server that does not have a FlexLOM installed, setting it to "Y" is exactly the same as setting it to "LOM". 

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Furthermore, I figured out why I couldn't access the iLO, and why the shared port config wasn't working.

Turns out the person that had set this up, did not specify the correct Gateway IP, in the iLO config.  It was pointing to a gateway IP that was literally just one number off... but that's enough to make this not work.

Using hponcfg (what a lifesaver!) I was able to adjust the Gateway IP to the correct address and... this immediately solved the access issue!  All set here now!