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How to configure the Management module on p-series

 
ILOSupport
Occasional Contributor

How to configure the Management module on p-series

I am new to Blades even though I have 10 years working on HP servers. I am tasked with bringing online 4 older p-series Blade chassis, and I have been researching this, but so far I canâ t find the answer to the most basic questions â how to get the chassis managed. Of course there is no keyboard or monitor, and I think the thing to do is attach via iLO. But how to configure the iLO port? I donâ t have DHCP near where the chassis is, and I donâ t know if the management console is set to be a DHCP client anyway. Also I do not have the iLO username and password (these are second-hand servers).

I think I can also use System Insight Manager to manage the chassis, but how would that work? Would SIM connect through the iLO port?

Or maybe I can configure the iLO using SSH session, but how would I determine what commands and setting to use? I have done something similar on an Integrity series server. This blade management module seems to have a DB-9 connector, although it is covered up with a screwed-on cover.

I appreciate any insight into this, and am sorry to be asking such basic questions. I know that the p-series has been replaced by the c-class, and the majority of the documentation I can find is for the c-class.

Here is my possible solution â please comment:
1) Make a portable DHCP server with only maybe 2 addresses and connect it to the ILO port
2) See if I can connect via IP with iLO over http
3) If this works, see if I can login (unlikely) using username administrator
4) If this works, see if I can have SIM discover the iLO IP address and manage the chassis that way.

Does anyone know how to reset the factory password, and if so, how to find out what the factory password is? I donâ t see it listed anywhere on the hardware. Thanks

2 REPLIES 2
Matti_Kurkela
Honored Contributor

Re: How to configure the Management module on p-series

The p-class blade chassis is very different from the newer c-class. First, the chassis doesn't have anything like the c-class Onboard Administrator: the chassis management features are instead accessed via the iLOs of the individual blades, if I recall correctly. Apart from some iLO-integrated odds and ends to monitor the p-class power subsystem, the "management module" on the chassis can be thought as little more than an integrated hub for iLO network connections.

I hope you at least have some "local I/O cables" that plug into the front face of the panel? When re-using second-hand blades, I would regard these as vital equipment.

For an example, see page 38 of this PDF:
http://bizsupport2.austin.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c00293017/c00293017.pdf

With these, you can plug in a local USB keyboard and a VGA monitor, and set up the blade much like a regular server. Of course you must install the OS either from a USB media (USB CDROM/DVD, or a memory stick if your OS of choice can be installed from one) or over the network.

NOTE: if you want to plug in more than 2 USB devices at a time, you will need a USB hub.

NOTE2: if you don't have any Local I/O cables and need to purchase them, get more than one set. The connector that attaches the cable to the blade is not very sturdy mechanically, and is easily damaged by careless use.

The local I/O cable should also solve the iLO problem: the familiar Proliant iLO set-up procedure of "press F8 at the appropriate time while the system is running self-tests" works with the blades too.

If iLO or the system BIOS has password protection set up, open up the blade, find the system maintenance switches (see the Maintenance and Service Guide for your blade model, available at http://www.hp.com/go/support ) and use the appropriate switches to disable the password protection while you replace the passwords with known ones.

Although you can set up blades using local connections and USB-attached installation media, the blade infrastructure is really designed for an environment that has DHCP and a PXE network boot server available.

A minimalistic PXE network boot server is just a DHCP server with appropriate configuration + a TFTP server for loading the initial boot files. Beyond that, the requirements will be specific to the OS you wish to boot: Windows will usually want a Windows-style network share that contains a copy of the Windows installation media.

A single host can certainly provide all of that. This little piece of Windows software combines both functions in a nice small package, ideal for a "portable DHCP server" setup:

http://tftpd32.jounin.net/

MK
MK
ILOSupport
Occasional Contributor

Re: How to configure the Management module on p-series

Matti Kurkela - thank you so much. It is end of day here EST so I will research this information tonight.