ILO access using ssh

[Anupam_1]

I am trying to access the ILO from a Linux machine. I am getting the following error.

192.1.10.253 is the IP address for ILO

ssh anurag@192.1.10.253
anupam@192.1.10.253's password:
dispatch_protocal_error: type 100 seq 7
buffer_get: trying to get more bytes 4 than in buffer 0

It accept the password and produce this error. How to solve this?

[acartes]

What version of ssh are you using?

How about the output of "ssh -V" to get the version number and maybe "ssh -v 192.1.10.253" to get some verbose output.

[Rod Jackson]

I'm having the same problem.
The ssh version is:
OpenSSH_3.9p1, OpenSSL 0.9.7e 25 Oct 2004

I'm running SuSE linux 9.3, kernel 2.6.11 .

[Goetz Rieger]

Hi,

the easiest way is to "unset LANG". At least
that helped me.

Setting LANG to some other value then the SUSE
9.3 standard UTF (de_DE.UTF-8 for german) should help also, but I haven´t tried it.

Goetz

[Rod Jackson]

Unsetting LANG didn't help. I suspect a version mismatch, but don't know how to debug this other than to use ssh -vvv . This outputs a number of "Ignored env BLAH" messages for every environment variable, all of which are normal and occur for logins to other machines. However, those logins succeed.

Any more ideas or discoveries, anyone?

[David Pullman_1]

We just received a couple of new DL585s. Had the same error message from ssh using OpenSSH_3.6.1p2. Tried firmware update to 1.80, no change. Called HP, was told that "we really recommend that you use the web browser".

I reviewed the -v output and it occurred to me to try and comment out the config settings I have for agent and X11. Seems like not having agent forwarding lets me get in. Either commenting out the config value or use -a on the command line and I'm in.

Best wishes

--David

[Rod Jackson]

Using -a and/or -x doesn't work either. Perhaps it's because I'm using OpenSSH_3.9p1 , later version.
If HP doesn't want to support ssh, why did they put it in?

[Chris Cockerham]

Just got around this today...

I had to unset LANG and unset LC_CTYPE on the SUSE 9.3 side before the iLO card would let me in using SSH...

[Tim McMurphy]

I put in a call to HP (3211800883) asking what terminal emulation I should use when I ssh in and use remcons. I am getting lots of bad screen redraws and I can't vi files.

They said that "the functionality you want isn't available" and "use the browser". If you are on a network where port 80 is not available and port 22 is the only one HP's ILO is kind of useless.

Why do they say in the manual that you can admin text based operating systems via ssh on the ILO port when you clearly can not?

Has anyone got ILO via ssh to work reliably? If so what terminal emulation do you use? I have tried all the common ones.

[acartes]

>> what terminal emulation I should use when I ssh in and use remcons.

iLO builds-in a VT320 serial client when accessing the virtual serial port via the browser interface.

>> I am getting lots of bad screen redraws and I can't vi files.

Check your vi termtype and configure your client to use the same.

>> They said that "the functionality you want isn't available" and "use the browser".

"They" say things like that sometimes

>> If you are on a network where port 80 is not available and port 22 is the only one HP's ILO is kind of useless.

I suggest using SSH to access iLO and then to access the virtual serial port (VSP) instead of remcons. I assume you are using a flavor of Linux or Unix. There is a HOWTO whitepaper that has details here:
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/DocumentIndex.jsp?contentType=SupportManual&locale=en_US&docIndexId=179166&taskId=101&prodTypeId=15351&prodSeriesId=397989 

[Moderator edit: Removed the broken link. Please refer to https://support.hpe.com/]

Look for the one titled, "Integrated Lights-Out Virtual Serial Port configuration and operation HOWTO"

Not only will this address your issues with remcons, it is much more true to Unix.

>> Why do they say in the manual that you can admin text based operating systems via ssh on the ILO port when you clearly can not?

Try the VSP and report back. I think you'll be satisfied.

>> Has anyone got ILO via ssh to work reliably?

Yes. We usually use PuTTY and VT100 or VT320. It is the console ANSI cursor movements that can get in the way.

[Tim McMurphy]

Thanks for the help. You are 100 times more useful than HP support has been so far. It is a Linux setup so I'll try the VSP. Thanks for the links.

[David Pullman_1]

Just a quick point regarding the use of the VSP, and not to take away at all from the response by acartes:

We're just getting used to the HP DL585s we bought and we found that if you configure the embedded (physical) serial port for com1, then the BIOS will automatically set the VSP for com2. Or vice a versa. In other words you can't have both on the same com port.

What this means as we see it so far is that we can't use our server room serial terminal concentrator and also use VSP. At least I don't think we can configure the RHEL OS install for console to more than one port.

Part of this is a traditional reliance on our part to have the physical serial console on our concentrator as a fundamental need. This is because we've been a Sun shop for many years. So we may be faced with reconsidering that and changing our conmfort zone a bit :)

--David

[acartes]

In response to David's comments...
>> ... in other words you can't have both [the VSP and a COM port] on the same com port.

True; COM ports and VSP are logically separate serial interfaces from an I/O resource perspective.

>> we can't use our server room serial terminal concentrator and also use VSP.

Not completely true... see below.

>>At least I don't think we can configure the RHEL OS install for console to more than one port.

I think that you can set this up when the console is specified (inittab?) using a comma-separated list; i.e. console=ttys0,ttys1

>> Part of this is a traditional reliance on our part to have the physical serial console on our concentrator as a fundamental need. This is because we've been a Sun shop for many years.

Serial infrastrcuture for management s pretty typical in long-time Unix shops, as I understand it.

The current iLO firmware allows you to configure the iLO command-line interface (CLP) to share the server's DB9 serial port. This can be configured on the iLO Global settings page, scripting interfaces, etc. If you want the iLO CLP and the host OS to share the system DB9 port.

This means a terminal connected to the serial port can signal to iLO to invoke the CLP.

I think the signal is esc (

iLO will prompt you for login, if configured, and then you will be able to access lights-out functions. You can return to the original serial session by exiting the command-line interface. Or, you can connect to the VSP.

This means that from the DB9 port to the iLO CLP, you can switch between the COM port or the VSP streams. However, you cannot get both at the same time.

[Tim McMurphy]

You guys are great. Thanks again for the info. HP should pay you something or at least incorporate this info in their support group's database!