Bug Report - multiple usability issues with iLo 5 on DL325

[Chris_Drake]

My observations of a few problems that snuck through the HPE dev cracks:

1. iLo 5 remote console is unusable over slow connections - for example, load the "Chrome" download page in internet-exploror and the only way to recover is to reboot the server: this is because that web page is animated (a pointless spinning ball) and the resulting bandwidh chokes the connection entirely (keyboard no longer works, session options like "send ctrl+alt+del" do not work, and so on...)

2. Keyboard stops responding when remote-session windows size is changed - I was in the text-mode CentOS8 install page when I resized my .NET remote console window.  

3. CentOS8-Stream GUI install does not work - not sure if this is an iLo or DL325 problem - but - simply boot the installer in the iLo with the install DVD medio remote-mounted, and it hangs forever at a black screen after getting 95% of the way to the install first-page (the lockup happens when the installer tries to enter a GUI)

If you work for HP - please log these bugs in the relevant development stream.  (Please do not ask me to log your bugs for you.)

[ksram]

Hi Chris_Drake,

Thank you for the Post and we definitely understand your concern here.

May we please know if you have tried applying the SPP which updates all the Firmwares or atleast updating the iLO Firmware and System ROM would help in such scenarios.

Multiple enhancements and fixes are available on the latest Firmware versions which has fixed such similar issues earlier.

We would request you to do the same and then try installing and share the observations.

Thank you

RamKS

[Chris_Drake]

This is a brand new server which had every firmware update applied approximately one week before I posted these bug reports.  The machine and iLo firmware looks up-to-date to me:-

Product Name
ProLiant DL325 Gen10
Product ID P04662-B21
System ROM A41 v2.44 (11/13/2020)
System ROM Date 11/13/2020
Redundant System ROM A41 v1.42 (04/16/2019)
iLO Firmware Version 2.33 Dec 09 2020

If you think there's anything newer, send me the link.

[SanjeevGoyal]

Hello,

Please update the bios and firmware from the below link.

* RECOMMENDED * Online ROM Flash Component for Windows x64 - HPE ProLiant DL325 Gen10 (A41) Servers

https://support.hpe.com/hpsc/swd/public/detail?swItemId=MTX_311be1895f7746e9bc1181d9b2#tab-history

* RECOMMENDED * Online ROM Flash Component for Windows x64 - HPE Integrated Lights-Out 5

https://support.hpe.com/hpsc/swd/public/detail?swItemId=MTX_68521c7f55774cbe856a3f3256#tab-history

If you feel this was helpful please click the KUDOS! thumb below!   

Regards,

[Chris_Drake]

I do not use windows (and your links did not point to any linux downloads or any iLo homepage - if one exists).

I did search for a newer iLo firmware before my last reply, without luck.

Is there ONE SINGLE web page which I can load which tells me:

a) All the MOST RECENT firmware I'm supposed to be using on my new DL325 (with linux downloads), and

b) All the CORRECT AND CURRENT drivers/packages I'm supposed to install on my O.S (Linux)

I've got quite a large number of HP machines across the last 5 generations now, but I'm just one person, and it's extrmeely hard trying to keep up with HP because *everything* seems to be different every time a new generation comes out!

[ksram]

Hi,

We definitely understand your concern, and the changes made to make the support site easier to access..

You may login to https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/home

> Enter the Server Model and search.

> Select the Operating System.

> Further you can select Firmware and Driver which will list the links on the Right side.

Also you can use HPE SPP : Service Pack for ProLiant is a comprehensive collection of Smart Components (firmware, drivers, and system software) tested together as a single solution stack and used for updating HPE ProLiant servers and HPE Synergy and HPE BladeSystem infrastructure. 

> https://techlibrary.hpe.com/us/en/enterprise/servers/products/service_pack/spp/index.aspx

You may refer the below links to get information on how to install / run the SPP :

> https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/docDisplay?docId=emr_na-a00026884en_us

> https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/docDisplay?docId=c03930984&docLocale=en_US

Thank you

RamKS

[Chris_Drake]

Do the SPP Service Packs automatically get the latest firmware, or do they already include all the firmware available at the date and time mentioned in the service pack?  (The SPP release notes say that it includes iLo5 firmware 2.30 - not 2.44 - see https://downloads.hpe.com/pub/softlib2/software1/publishable-catalog/p1099065821/v176687/Gen10SPP2020.09.0ContentNotes.pdf and, interesting, even though my system has version 2.33 - that is dated Dec 09 2020... which is *after* the version 2.44 release dates)

For example - the iLo5 firmware you tell me to use is Version:2.44_11-13-2020 (19 Nov 2020)

The most current SPP available in the links you gave is  2020.09.0 - which is 3 months older than the iLo firmware.

My seller *did* load the most current SPP on the date that I purchased my server they promise me (which was this month - so the iLo v2.44 was long-available at this point), so as far as I can tell, there's no way for me to get the latest iLo firmware without specifically installing that?

Can you send me a link to the latest iLo5 firmware for Linux (like the windows one you sent before, but for Linux instead) ?

[Chris_Drake]

Another quick question - again in the release notes, these are the iLo5 update requirements:

*. RESTful Interface Tool (iLOREST) 3.0

*. HPQLOCFG v5.2

*. Lights-Out XML Scripting Sample bundle 5.20.0 or later

*. HPONCFG Windows 5.3.0

*. HPONCFG Linux 5.3.0 or later

*. LOCFG v5.20.0 or later o HPLOMIG 5.2.0

Some or all of those look like things I'm supposed to install into my O/S - is that true?

How do I find out the complete list of all recommended HP software that I should be installing into my server O/S ?

[ksram]

Hi Chris_Drake,

Some or all of those look like things I'm supposed to install into my O/S - is that true?
> Yes, this is right.

How do I find out the complete list of all recommended HP software that I should be installing into my server O/S ?

> This depends on the requirements.

However again the HPE SPP : Service Pack for ProLiant would be useful here to keep the Components updated.

Thank you

RamKS

[Chris_Drake]

> However again the HPE SPP : Service Pack for ProLiant would be useful here to keep the Components updated.

Did you read my reply above?  The latest SPP does *not* containt the latest iLo5 firmware (it has 2.3x, but 2.44 is the latest), so your suggestion that it would be "useful to keep the Components updated." is misplaced.

I've spent an hour reading through assorted HPE web pages (many are annoyingly old and broken), but it looks like I'm supposed to run the "smartupdate" command from inside linux after I install its RPM.

Someone should really put some effort into trying to tell new customers that we need to do that - the "SPP" stuff is not what we need to use - SUM seems to install the SPP stuff for us when we use that, whereas if we just used SPP, it skips all the O/S components (obviously, since there's no O/S yet when you do SPP first)...

[ksram]

Hi,

Sorry for that.

The SPP will have most of the Components required : https://downloads.hpe.com/pub/softlib2/software1/publishable-catalog/p1099065821/v176687/Gen10SPP2020.09.0ContentNotes.pdf

Yes, since it will be released every quarter, any latest / new Firmware / Driver release post the SPP release will not be available. (ex iLO, BIOS), and those new components will be added in next SPP release.

The Pre reqs seen on Installation Instructions 

Here you can run SPP once now and once the OS is installed you can run the SPP again Online method - which helps the other Components required to get updated.

You can follow : Set Up Server >> Run SPP > Install OS > Run SPP again (online method) : this helps to get Server updated and installed with the components.

Also the new components can also be added in the SPP or you can simply use the same SPP and get the other Firmwares updated to latest using individual files downloaded from Site (if required)

If you are looking for any particular Firmware / Driver you may let us know I shall check and share the required information

Thank you

RamKS

[Chris_Drake]

Thanks for all your patient help!!

So I installed SUM and ran it from my O/S, which opened my browser and proceeded (in auto mode) to say it was goign to do nothing, so I re-ran in manual mode and it lists 4 obsolete updates, all of which my machine already has newer versions of, and it does not want to install or do anything. (my supplier used Windows to install the SPP, and I wiped that and installed linux - so it looks like the Linux SPP is older than the Windows one).

Anyhow - other than the SUM RPM itself, I've never installed any HP-specific O/S components, and SUM+SPP is *not* telling me that I need *any* ?  Is that correct?

Is it true that a DL325g10 with linux does not need ANY hpe software installed whatsoever?  No O/S-level monitoring/alerting/reporting. No O/S-side components to talk to hardware (like iLo scripting).  No higher-performance HP drivers for the main board comonents.  No firmware auto-update processes?  No iLOREST/HPQLOCFG/iLo XML/HPONCFG/LOCFG/HPLOMIG/...  Nothing???

If that's *not* true... how do I find out what I'm supposed to install in my O/S ?  This is a critical live server which, after I've set it up, will not have any opportunity to be "down" in future, so I **REALLY** need to make 100% certain I've done everything right, now, at the start, because this is my last chance...

[ksram]

Hi,

There are multiple options available for monitoring and managing the Servers.

You can monitor using the iLO GUI which will help you to get the status of the Servers.

You can configure the iLO Alert Email or SNMP alerts doing which you will receive Email alerts if there are any issues / changes.

It would be important to keep the iLO and AMS (also other Firmwares using SPP - which would be released every quarter) which helps in monitoring.

Along with this we have Oneview to monitor the Servers as well.

https://techlibrary.hpe.com/docs/enterprise/servers/moonshot/webhelp/content/v28046491.html

https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/docDisplay?docLocale=en_US&docId=emr_na-a00026111en_us

https://www.hpe.com/in/en/what-is/oneview.html

Thank you

RamKS