Configuring iLO with BL20p g2 with Enhanced Enclosure

[Raymond McDonald]

Hi All,

This is what I am trying to do. Configure the first blade to have the iLO setting set for the other 7 blades.

Steps I tried to do.

On Blade 1. I connect through the front with the iLO cable(192.168.1.1).

I pick the BL Class tab then go to Static IP Bay configuration. I set the range of IP address. Exm 192.168.1.100-192.168.1.108.

I then go to the Network settings tabs and tell it to use Static IP bay configuration.

I then reboot the Blade, I disconnect from the front of the Blade and I remove the iLO cable then I use a cross over cable and plug into the iLO port on the enclsoure and I am able to ping the first blade. 192.168.1.100 but I can't ping the other blades.

Does anyone know what I am missing?

There is one option I dont understand and that option is under Static IP bay configuration "Enable iLO IP Address Assigment" I did try to enable this option I picked blade1 same error, then all the blades same error, I tried nothing checked at all,same error. I did try to read the iLO user guide but so far no luck.

Any help will be awesome.

Thanks
Ray

[acartes]

It sounds like you are configuring the addresses correctly, but there is some confusion about how "ESIP" works. I think it will probably boil-down to changing the network setting for the iLOs in the other bays to enable ESIP. Normally, the feature expects that the enclosure is first configured for ESIP and then "factory default" blades are added. If you have previously used the blades, then this is the cause of the problem.

You can reconfigure the blades for ESIP one of these ways:
- Browse to the old network addresses
- use the front port.
- Use an XML script and CPQLOCGFG/HPONCFG

For brand-new blades, you just need to plug them into a bay and they will be good-to-go.

When this is done, the blades in the other bays will work as you expect.

ESIP addressing works when ALL these things happen:
Bay 1:
1) Static IP Bay addresses are configured (bay 1 config)
2) Static IP Bays are selected (bay 1 config)
Other bays:
3) Blade has minimum iLO firmware 1.55 or later
4) Blade has "factory defaults" ** more on this.
or
Blade Network Settings Enable Static IP Bay Configuration is "Yes".

I am guessing that you had DHCP or static IP configuration before and now you are using these blades in the ESIP enclosure. When this happens, the iLO will continue to use DHCP or static IP- it does not convert to ESIP just by moving the blades once an address assignment mode has been decided. You will have to give them a nudge by reconfiguring the network settings ("Yes" to "Enclosure Static IP Bay Configuration")

Note that you can also reconfigure these blades using a RIBCL script like this:

[Raymond McDonald]

OK thanks for the help.

The other blades were installed in the enclosure before I was able to setup the first blade.

All blade's iLO are 1.62.

What do you mean by the following.

2) Static IP Bays are selected (bay 1 config) Do you mean when I check use Static IP bay assingment?

4) Blade has "factory defaults" ** more on this.

How to do I reset this?
or

Blade Network Settings Enable Static IP Bay Configuration is "Yes".

Do I have to have this checked for every Blade other than Blade1?

Let me know, the blades are not in front of me any more :( so i cant do hands on. But for the next time I want to get this done right the first time.

Thanks

[Raymond McDonald]

I forgot to say these were brand new blades out of the box, DHCP is the default I belive and never set an static ip addresss for them until I wanted to get ESIP working.

Thanks Again

[acartes]

>>2) Static IP Bays are selected (bay 1 config) Do you mean when I check use Static IP bay assingment?

When you configure ESIP in bay 1, there are check boxes that indicate the bays that it applies to. This allows you to have exceptions to ESIP. Obviously, if it is not selected for a given bay, a fresh blade that is installed in that bay will not select ESIP; instead, it will use DHCP.

>>4) Blade has "factory defaults" ** more on this.
>>
>>How to do I reset this?
>>or
>>Blade Network Settings Enable Static IP Bay Configuration is "Yes".

To reset to factory defaults, you can select this in the iLO RBSU during POST on the blade. Of course, this implies that you are remote-consoled into the blade or you are connected to the front debug port.

>>Do I have to have this checked for every Blade other than Blade1?
Yes. If the blade is fresh from the factory or you reset iLO to defaults, it will figure this out when iLO resets.

>>Let me know, the blades are not in front of me any more :( so i cant do hands on. But for the next time I want to get this done right the first time.

It can be a drag. This feature was implemented to assist with rapid initial deployment. We did not want a firmware or infrastructure upgrade to magically start changing blade configuration and behavior, so that is why the features do not automatically change by just hitting bay 1 config.

[Raymond McDonald]

OK let me try this. Example of new blade installs

1.Install only first Blade into enclosure.

2. First connect to the first Blade through the iLO port.

3. Under BL Class tab set the range of IP address.

4. On same page select which Blades will use ESIP.

4. Go to enable static IP BAY address and check this option.

5. Install the rest of the blades, these should get the correct IP address?

What I am not sure is if I have to connect to the rest then tell them to use Static IP bay configuration, I though you only need to do this to the first and only the first blade. You last answer on this kind of confused me.

Thanks for the great help you have given to me.

[acartes]

The procedure you desctibed is correct.

You do not need to visit the other blades - they will self-configure.

(Of course, the exception is blades that have been previously deployed may need to be visited.)

On another note... this should interest you, and is really useful, particularly for your situation:

iLO 1.64 will be available for download this week. If you also upgrade the enclosure firmware to 2.10 (also available this week), you will get some very useful new functionality from iLO:

The "Rack View" page will contain a click-able image of the entire rack, allowing you to view the properties of the various components in the rack as well as launch connections to iLO in the other blades in the enclosure.

The "Blade System Setup wizard" has also been added to ease initial blade deployment - everything from configuring iLO, host RAID, launching virtual media and initiating installation.

[Raymond McDonald]

Thanks for the headsup. I am hoping soon I will get to setup another rack of blades. sounds yummy, LOL.

Do you have a good way to upgrade the firmware for the enclosures without having an OS on them? I tried to do everything first without any OS.

Is there any more info on the serial port on the back of the enclosures? PDF files, etc.

[acartes]

>>Do you have a good way to upgrade the firmware for the enclosures without having an OS on them?

The enclosure firmware requires an OS installed on at least one blade. The utility can upgrade the firmware in all of the enclosures in a rack, but the utility is OS-only.

The enclosure firmware is released as "components" that are part of the HP ProLiant Support Pack (PSP). There is a component for Windows and a component for Linux.

I'll have to check into any information for the serial port. It is intended for field diagnostics... I do not know the areas of functionality from that port.

[Raymond McDonald]

Finished install and blades are running fine