Management Processor/Licensing/SSH, etc.

[Brian Hahne]

I'm having an issue I'm sure is easy to solve but I just can't figure it out.

We recently renamed and redeployed a DL380G5 running Windows 2003 STD. We also renamed the ILO. We changed names from OVSIDB to ARCHIVEMGR, and OVSIDBILO to ARCHIVEMGRILO. In doing so I took the newly deployed box, and applied an ICE license to it. I then tried to get the system to run Insight Power Manager. I received an error that no ILO2 advance pack license was applied to the ILO. I checked, and one was.

I went into license manager and SIM. In SIM everything is identified properly. In License Manager, archivemgrilo is not identified, it still shows as ovsidbilo. I think that's the problem.
Looking at the rest of the licenses there, I see other things that have changed names. I then opened up the SQL table which houses the licenses, and saw lots of old, renamed or missing names on boxes.

I thought, I'll do a License Collection on the systems. It came back with invalid credentials. If I change the credentials, it then imports the data.
I think this is something to do with SSH on the ILO? Is that right? I tried a repair/configure agents, but that doesn't work.

I tried running collect license information on all mgmt processors, and it comes back prompting each for user login info. If I didn't have 500+ servers I'd do it manually.
What am I missing? It seems some kind of secure association is missing on the ILO to the SIM server... but once I put the credentials in, I get a license info pulled back.

I'm just looking to clean this up, get the names right, and start fully using IPM. Please help!!!!!!

[Sharath K S]

Yes you are right. SIM License manager communicates to iLO2 using SSH.
If you have common user name and password on iLO2 then you can select the iLOs which have common credential and then assign SSH credential in Options->Protocol Settings-> System Protocol Settings and then give the credential for SSH. After Doing this come back to License Manager and then Collect License info.

Hope this helps.

[Brian Hahne]

Is this for ILO2 and ILO both, that it needs that? I'm just curious what changed, I don't recall ever having an issue before.

Also, does this mean Open SSH needs to be installed on every server? I wouldn't think so, I would think SIM could talk to the ILO without licensing, since the license key is all contained out of band anyway.

[Brian Hahne]

OK I changed protocol settings on ARCHIVEMGRILO. Told it to collect license information.

It came back that the license is overused. ARCHIVEMGRILO is not in the licensed list, OVSIDB is still in there.

Need some additional help on fixing this.
Is there not a way to completely wipe the ILO licensing database and recollect everything?

[Sharath K S]

Hi Brian,
This is mainly for iLO2. IPM requires a iLO2 license to manage the server.
If the license key is not deployed through SIM License manager then it needs to collect it from individual servers Management Processor, this license key exchange will happen through SSH. You need to have SSH enabled in the iLO2.

Coming to the error message you are getting, "License overused" this will come up in the following scenario single seat iLO2 license applied to more than one iLO2. Make sure that you have applied a valid license key to all your iLO2's.
There should be a listing of License in License Manager- something like this "HP iLO Advanced Pack ( License version 1 )" see the Licenses column. if there is a differense in the used and available then assign these available seats to iLO2s which are giving this license overused error message (clear the existing one from iLO2 and deploying license from SIM). For more infor you can refer http://h10018.www1.hp.com/wwsolutions/misc/hpsim-helpfiles/hpsim-trg-52.pdf and license manager section.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Sharath

[Brian Hahne]

Correct, I understand the licensing of 1 per server.
But the servers which no longer are installed, for example OVSI and OVSIDB are gone, as are the ILO's, from the SIM systems information.
But under ILO licensing, the names still exist. How can I get the name to update to the new name, since we re-deployed the server?
As I said, ARCHIVEMGRILO was at one time OVSIDBILO. The license is not overused, just renamed. But since the names don't match on this one, IPM won't work. I think it's saying it's a licensing issue b/c OVSIDBILO still exists in the license database.

[Brian Hahne]

SSH is enabled in the ILO2 administration page. It looks to be enabled by default. I haven't turned it off on any servers.
Now, no authorized SSH keys are in there, but I'm not sure if I would need one.

[Sharath K S]

Hi Brian,
Licenses are not tied to the iLO2 IP/the name so the name change/the IP change will not cause in loosing license data.
I did a name change of one of my iLO2 and re-discovered it and it worked fine for me. Even in License Manager name got updated.
Is it happening only on this renamed server? All other server's iLO2s are working fine?

Regards,
Sharath

[Sharath K S]

Just forgot to add "no authorized SSH key present in iLO2" this is not required for license manager, enabling SSH is sufficient enough.

[Brian Hahne]

Nothing that has been renamed is coming up, the old names are in there.

Other systems we are using server migration pack on, are moving from old g3's, etc.. to G5's, so they are swapping all ILO info, but keeping the same name as we re-configure the new ILO2. I'm concerned the names will get duplicated.

It's very strange. I can't figure out any way to get the ILO name in License Manager to rename.
I would think there'd be a way to clear it, then re-query all of the ILO's... just like it was a new database.
Of course, then I'd lose all my manually keyed licenses, and that would be bad.

[Brian Hahne]

I just tried deleting archivemgr and archivemgrilo from the database. re-added to SIM through manual discovery.

They show up fine.

License Manager does not show any updates, and still shows ovsidbilo as the name.
I tried another recollection on the ILO for license information. I got the over-use of license key issue.

[Sharath K S]

Just curious to know you said you are migrating from older g3 to newer g5. I guess the serial number of the newer servers are different from the older one? In this case you can't see the name change as SIM recognizes this as a different node and will create separate entries rather than updating

[Brian Hahne]

Sorry let me clarify.

In this case, it's a redeploy of an existing G5.

I'm worried that on future cases, where I go from G3 to G5, and the name stays the same.. that it gets updated there also.

In this case though, with ovsidbilo to archivemgrilo, it's the same G5 hardware.

[Brian Hahne]

Looking further....
some addresses in the licenses systems list, are just IP addresses. We have entered the names into DNS but apparently the refresh isn't taking place.

That might explain why the ovsidbilo to archivemgrilo change isn't taking place?

Is there a way to automate or expedite this resolution??

[Brian Hahne]

Checked DNS, all forward and reverse lookups working.

All systems in SIM looking fine as far as names...
But the names within License Manager, specifically under the ILO licensing, are not resolving...

numerous ip's listed there, and the ovsidbilo to archivemgrilo not updating... obviously.

Would really like to figure out where this update/resolution is set or scheduled so I can address it.

[Brian Hahne]

Well I figured this out... sort of.
The issue is that during the System Identification, which does a DNS name resolution, it is updating system names EVERYWHERE except for license manager.

Let me first say we don't use Dynamic DNS in my organization.
So.. one thing I found, was that in license manager systems with old names were showing up even after being renamed.. but.. systems to which we licensed an ILO... but didn't yet enter a DNS name, were showing up as an IP address.
In SIM, this is fine, b/c once you fix the DNS entry, it will update and resolve the name and the system will display properly.
In LM, it won't do that now. This is running 5.2 and 5.2 SP1 that I've found this on.

I called our HP tech, and he said that was by design and we would have to get new licenses issued. I wholeheartedly disagree and will fight him on that one. ILO licensing by design is to a physical box, NOT to a DNS name. If HP wants me to get new licenses issued for every server I buy, b/c I didn't do a timely manual DNS entry for an ILO, then I have one solution.. I will stop buying ILO and ICE licenses, and save myself $1000 per server.

OR... you can do this fix. :-)
I first thought, a fresh reinstall of SIM would fix this, b/c the LM data would be fresh. Thus punching more holes in the HP Tech's theory that I need new licenses. The problem with doing that is I would have to re-enter all the ICE and RDP licenses. Not too bad, I'd just delegate to a subordinate. :-P

So I ran this script and it worked..

With an SQL account that you can do updates with.. either your own, or an SA equivalent,..

I went into SQL
opened Query Analyzer

Ran this : select * from LMCertificateList where (productName like '%iLO%')


That returns a list of all the ILO licenses, for ILO and ILO2.

Once I was satisfied that the results were right.. I just put
delete from LMCertificateList where (productName like '%iLO%')

That deleted all the ILO licensing information out of the table, and left the other information.

Next, I went to Deploy>License Manager.

The ILO product is gone from the list.. don't worry.

Click collect license information.
Select Management Processors as your group.
Run the collection.. it's slow as molasses.

VOILA.
All my licenses are fixed and up to date.

Take THAT HP!

I love SIM and have used it for years, our organization is an early adopter of all their mgmt software... I'll tout their products always, but I will NOT be told I need to go through some BS because their product doesn't work like it should

Fix it HP. It's a bug.