iLO on DL320 G6 Servers

[Jossy John Vazhaparambi]

We have quiet few DL320 G6p servers from HP. I understand that Integrated Lights out is enabled by default on all these boxes.
If the server is connected in a network environment where there is a DHCP server is running, the iLO port acquires an IP Address automatically. Because by default, the DHCP option is turned on on iLO.

We have some Client Server applications that runs on the Server which sends and receive lot of data via network. And since the iLO port has already acquired a DHCP IP, it will try to renew it's lease as and when it expires. Does that activity really affect any network application running on the MS Server 2003 OS on HP Server?

Moreover, these servers come with Dual onboard NICs.Port1 Mngmt(hope for iLO Mgmt) and Port2 is normal. And we usually configure Teaming using both the Ports available and assign the IP to the Teamed adapter. Since DHCP is enabled for iLO by default, even before we configure the Teaming from Microsoft OS, the NIC 1(mgmt) should have acquired a IP from DHCP server. And as I mentioned earlier, does that iLO IP from DHCP server cause any network issues to the apllication running in the server?

Since we need Teaming configured, Is it required to disable the iLO first and go ahead?

I would greatly appreciate some answers to my query.

[Jimmy Vance]

The amount of traffic generated by a DHCP renew is minimal.

For more information about iLO and iLO shared port refer to the

Planning and configuration recommendations for Integrated Lights-Out processors

http://bizsupport2.austin.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c00257375/c00257375.pdf


From the paper:

Shared port access

The iLO Shared Network Port (SNP) on ProLiant servers lets you share a network connection between iLO and the host OS. The ProLiant server SNP implements a sideband connection between the host NIC and iLO, providing a 1 Gb link for management traffic. Systems that support the Management
Engine Kit (MEK) "bridge" cable that links iLO to an optional 10Gb NIC can support 10Gb links. This sideband connection maintains a separate MAC address assigned to the iLO device, which lets iLO get a separate IP address from the server's NIC. Since SNP activates this shared connection with a
single cable, you are using the least number of network ports to manage the server.

With iLO 2 and iLO 3, SNP provides a connection to iLO with performance comparable to the iLO Dedicated Network Port. Servers with first generation iLO are limited-to a low-speed connection when
using the SNP.

When teaming host NICs, you can still use the iLO SNP because iLO and the host have separate MAC and IP addresses. But iLO does not benefit from NIC teaming fault tolerance. The SNP will not failover and the connection will be lost unless you provide an alternate network connection.

The SNP operates as a miniature network switch, routing iLO information to the iLO network interface and server OS information to the OS network interface. Connecting both ports to the corporate network gives you fewer network-to-system connections but allows access to iLO from anywhere on the network. It also reduces the amount of networking hardware and infrastructure you need because iLO uses existing DNS and DHCP servers and routers. You can access management functions through the corporate network unless you use VLAN tagging. Using iLO SNP increases corporate network traffic.