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Dell DRAC

March 01, 2024

The Dell Remote Access Controller (DRAC) is an out-of-band management platform on certain Dell servers. The platform may be provided on a separate expansion card, or integrated into the main board; when integrated, the platform is referred to as iDRAC.

It mostly uses separate resources to the main server resources, and provides a browser-based and/or command-line interface (CLI) for managing and monitoring the server hardware.

Features edit

The controller has its own processor, memory, network connection, and access to the system bus. Key features include power management, virtual media access and remote console capabilities, all available through a supported web browser or command-line interface. This gives system administrators the ability to configure a machine as if they were sitting at the local console (terminal).

The DRAC interfaces with baseboard management controller (BMC) chips, and is based on the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) 2.0 standard, which allows the use of IPMI out-of-band interfaces such as IPMI Over LAN.[1]

Versions edit

The Dell Remote Access Controllers (DRAC) and the Integrated Dell Remote Access Controllers (iDRAC) come in different versions, where a new (i)DRAC version is often linked to a new generation of Poweredge servers.

The hardware is often integrated on the motherboard of the server, and the combined product is termed iDRAC, where the "i" is for integrated. When iDRAC Express is used, the software and hardware systems management functions are shared with one of the server's on-board network interfaces using a unique IP address. By contrast, iDRAC Enterprise version features a dedicated physical network interface.

iDRAC version 7 was introduced in conjunction with the release of Dell PowerEdge generation 12 servers in March 2012, and is only available on 12th generation models.[2] Unlike previous versions the functionality of iDRAC 7 is the same for rack, tower and blade-servers.

An overview of the different versions:[3]

Type Family Year Server Comments
DRAC II[4] 2 1999 — Extra card
DRAC III[5] 3 2002
DRAC iV[6] 4 2005 Generation 8
DRAC 5[7] 5 2006 Generation 9 Extra card, virtual console requires Firefox 1.5
iDRAC 6 embedded 6 2008 First version for blade servers Integrated on motherboard on all servers
iDRAC 6 Express 6 2008 Standard on all midrange systems
iDRAC 6 Express 6 2008 Blade servers[8]
iDRAC 6 Enterprise[9] 6 2008 Additional software features in combination with express; vFlash SD card slot
iDRAC 6 Enterprise[10] 6 2008 Blade Additional software features in combination with express
iDRAC 7[2] 7 2012 Generation 12 New licensing model, hardware based, NTP support, Redfish management
iDRAC 8[11] 8 2014 Generation 13 Quick sync, NFC configuration, UEFI secure boot, HTML5 virtual console, Storage configuration on Supported PERC Cards
iDRAC 9 9 2017 Generation 14 Quick sync 2.0, iDRAC Direct using front Mini-USB Port, New User Interface.

Power management edit

With the DRAC enabled and using its own separate network connection, a user may login and reboot the system even if the core operating system has crashed. If the operating system has loaded the correct drivers, the DRAC will attempt to shut down the system gracefully. Without this feature and with the system running, administrators can use the remote console to access the operating system too.

Remote console edit

The remote console features of the DRAC allow an administrator to interface with the computer as if sitting in front of it, and one can share the local inputs from keyboard and mouse as well as video output (DRAC does not support remote sound). Remote-console capability relies on either an Active X or Java plug-in, or HTML5 in the later models, which displays a window showing the video output on the local terminal and which takes mouse and keyboard input. This behavior closely resembles that of other remote access solutions such as VNC or RDP but also works if the operating system of the server doesn't work anymore (unlike VNC or RDP). It is used to take the server console remotely.

Virtual media edit

The DRAC enables a user to mount remotely shared disk-images as if they were connected to the system. In combination with the remote console, this gives administrators the ability to completely re-install an operating system, a task which traditionally required local console access to the physical machine. Administrators can control virtual media through the browser or through the OpenManage tools provided by Dell, though specific versions of browsers restrict some functionality.[12]

Access edit

The main DRAC management takes place via a web interface. All generations of the DRAC use the default user name root and the default password calvin. Starting with the DRAC 3, Microsoft Active Directory can also provide authentication either with Dell AD Schema Extensions or Standard Schema.[13][14][15][16][17]

Implementation edit

The DRAC5 and iDRAC6 and higher are embedded platforms running Linux and Busybox. The firmware source code is available on the Dell website,[18] but it is not possible to compile the source into a replacement firmware as Dell does not include a build environment.[19]

The DRAC provides remote access to the system console (keyboard and screen) allowing the system BIOS to be accessed over the Internet when the server is rebooted. This is done by configuring the system BIOS to send its output to a serial port (as a stream of text using VT100-compatible control codes). The chosen serial port is then redirected to the DRAC's serial port. Users can then log into the DRAC via SSH and run a command to connect the SSH session to the serial port, thus allowing the console to be accessed over the Internet.

Earlier versions of the DRAC used ActiveX in Internet Explorer to provide a remote-console interface in a web browser; however, this was unpopular with non-Windows users who did not have access to Internet Explorer. The latest revision of the DRAC6 uses a Java application instead (launched from within the browser), though both the DRAC5 and iDRAC6 also provided the aforementioned platform-independent SSH access.

iDRAC6 edit

iDRAC6 is available in two levels: iDRAC6 Express and iDRAC6 Enterprise. iDRAC6 Express (which integrates features previously charged for in DRAC5) became a standard offering on Dell's servers. Certain features are not available for the Express version, including the remote console functionality and the vFlash SD card slot. As with iDRAC, iDRAC6 Enterprise is a standard offering on blade servers

  • iDRAC6 offers three upgrades: iDRAC6 Express, iDRAC6 Enterprise, and VFlash Media
  • iDRAC6 offers power budgeting
  • iDRAC6 Enterprise's virtual console and virtual media features are now integrated into a single plug-in
  • iDRAC6 Enterprise's virtual console now allows two users to collaborate on the same server
  • iDRAC6 now allows customers to view what is on the server LCD without a server-side visit
  • iDRAC6 supports IPv6

iDRAC7 edit

On 6 March 2012, software version 1.00.00 for the iDRAC7 was released for generation 12 servers. iDRAC 7 does not work on earlier generation servers although some of the new functions introduced with iDRAC 7 might be offered in iDRAC 6 releases.[8][9] As of May 2019, the current version was 2.63.60.62.[20]

With the introduction of iDRAC 7, the licensing model has changed. iDRAC 7 now supports lifecycle controller. Some features of Lifecycle controller are licensed and to access those features via iDRAC the correct licenses for those functions need to be enabled.

Supported hardware platforms edit

iDRAC 7 runs on generation 12 PowerEdge servers. Per introduction in March 2012 the following servers use iDRAC7:[2]

  • PowerEdge T620 – tower model of 620, can be converted to 5U rack system
  • PowerEdge R220 – native rack server, 1U
  • PowerEdge R320 – native rack server, 1U
  • PowerEdge R420 – native rack server, 1U
  • PowerEdge R520 – native rack server, 2U
  • PowerEdge R620 – native rack server, 1U
  • PowerEdge M620 – blade server for M1000e enclosure, half-height (max 16 per chassis)
  • PowerEdge R720 – rack-server, 2U
  • PowerEdge R720xd – an R720 with additional 2.5" hard drive bays in the front and rear of the enclosure

Supported operating systems edit

iDRAC 7 is supported by the following operating systems

Supported web browsers edit

The GUI for iDRAC7 uses a Web browser and Java. Internet Explorer 7, 8 and 9, as well as Firefox 6 + 7 were tested for different operating systems.[2]

Limitations edit

To take advantage of storage greater than 256 MB on the iDRAC6 enterprise, Dell requires that a vFlash SD card be procured through Dell channels. As of December 2011, Dell vFlash SD cards differ from consumer SD cards by being over-provisioned by 100% for increased write endurance and performance.[21]

While there are no other known functional differences between a Dell-branded vFlash SD card and a class 2 or greater SDHC card, the use of non-Dell media prevents the use of extended capacities and functions.

On a Linux client system the standard arrow and print screen keys cannot be used in the iDRAC6 Java virtual console application because of some incompatible key event IDs;[22] however, the arrow keys on the numeric keypad can still be used.

Some combinations of DRAC firmware, web browser, and Java runtime do not support virtual media via the Java applet or the plugin in DRAC5 and iDRAC6.

References edit

  1. ^ "Exploring the DRAC 5" (PDF). Dell Power Solutions, August 2006. Dell. p. 27.
  2. ^ a b c d Dell manuals for iDRAC 7 2012-03-14 at the Wayback Machine, version 1.0, 6 March 2012, visited 7 March 2012
  3. ^ Dell support website Dell Remote Access Controllers manuals, visited 7 March 2012
  4. ^ Manual for the Dell Open Manage Remote Assistant Card II 2012-01-07 at the Wayback Machine, 14 December 1999. Visited 7 March 2012
  5. ^ Dell support website DRAC 3 manuals 2012-06-03 at the Wayback Machine, visited 7 March 2012
  6. ^ Dell manuals for DRAC 4 2011-12-19 at the Wayback Machine, 9 August 2004, Visited 7 March 2012
  7. ^ Dell manuals for DRAC 5 2012-02-28 at the Wayback Machine, 7 June 2006, Visited 7 March 2012
  8. ^ a b Dell manuals for iDRAC 6 for blade servers 2012-01-06 at the Wayback Machine, visited 7 March 2012
  9. ^ a b Manual for iDRAC 6 for monolithic servers 2012-02-26 at the Wayback Machine, visited 7 March 2012
  10. ^ Manual for IDrac 6 for blade servers 2012-04-16 at the Wayback Machine, visited 7 March 2012
  11. ^ Dell manual for iDRAC 8, version 1.0, September 2014, visited 22 April 2015
  12. ^ . Users Guide. Dell. Archived from the original on 2008-12-26.
  13. ^ . Users Guide. Dell. Archived from the original on 2008-12-26.
  14. ^ . Users Guide. Dell. Archived from the original on 2009-02-07.
  15. ^ . Users Guide. Dell. Archived from the original on 2008-06-20.
  16. ^ . Users Guide. Dell. Archived from the original on 2010-09-25.
  17. ^ . Users Guide. Dell. Archived from the original on 2009-08-17.
  18. ^ Dell Open Source repository
  19. ^ Post on Dell Linux-PowerEdge mailing list, Dec 2010
  20. ^ "Support for PowerEdge R220 | Drivers & Downloads | Dell US".
  21. ^ Dell’s vFlash SDFlash Media Card – Better Endurance & Performance via Over-Provisioning
  22. ^ Post on Dell Linux-PowerEdge mailing list, Jun 2011

External links edit

  • Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) on Dell's website
  • Available manuals for iDRAC7
  • Dell Remote Access Controller 6 (iDRAC 6)
  • Dell Remote Access Controller 5 (DRAC 5) Version 1.20
  • DRAC II/III product info from Dell
  • Dell Remote Access Controller User Guides
  • Managing out-of-band management in InfoWorld
  • Dell DRAC 5 Remote SSH Console Redirection
  • iDRAC7/iDRAC8 feature comparison

March 01, 2024
dell, drac, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, relies, excessively, references, primary, sources, please, improve, this, article, adding, se. This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article relies excessively on references to primary sources Please improve this article by adding secondary or tertiary sources Find sources Dell DRAC news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article may rely excessively on sources too closely associated with the subject potentially preventing the article from being verifiable and neutral Please help improve it by replacing them with more appropriate citations to reliable independent third party sources January 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message The Dell Remote Access Controller DRAC is an out of band management platform on certain Dell servers The platform may be provided on a separate expansion card or integrated into the main board when integrated the platform is referred to as iDRAC It mostly uses separate resources to the main server resources and provides a browser based and or command line interface CLI for managing and monitoring the server hardware Contents 1 Features 2 Versions 3 Power management 4 Remote console 5 Virtual media 6 Access 7 Implementation 8 iDRAC6 9 iDRAC7 9 1 Supported hardware platforms 9 2 Supported operating systems 9 3 Supported web browsers 10 Limitations 11 References 12 External linksFeatures editThe controller has its own processor memory network connection and access to the system bus Key features include power management virtual media access and remote console capabilities all available through a supported web browser or command line interface This gives system administrators the ability to configure a machine as if they were sitting at the local console terminal The DRAC interfaces with baseboard management controller BMC chips and is based on the Intelligent Platform Management Interface IPMI 2 0 standard which allows the use of IPMI out of band interfaces such as IPMI Over LAN 1 Versions editThe Dell Remote Access Controllers DRAC and the Integrated Dell Remote Access Controllers iDRAC come in different versions where a new i DRAC version is often linked to a new generation of Poweredge servers The hardware is often integrated on the motherboard of the server and the combined product is termed iDRAC where the i is for integrated When iDRAC Express is used the software and hardware systems management functions are shared with one of the server s on board network interfaces using a unique IP address By contrast iDRAC Enterprise version features a dedicated physical network interface iDRAC version 7 was introduced in conjunction with the release of Dell PowerEdge generation 12 servers in March 2012 and is only available on 12th generation models 2 Unlike previous versions the functionality of iDRAC 7 is the same for rack tower and blade servers An overview of the different versions 3 Type Family Year Server CommentsDRAC II 4 2 1999 Extra cardDRAC III 5 3 2002DRAC iV 6 4 2005 Generation 8DRAC 5 7 5 2006 Generation 9 Extra card virtual console requires Firefox 1 5iDRAC 6 embedded 6 2008 First version for blade servers Integrated on motherboard on all serversiDRAC 6 Express 6 2008 Standard on all midrange systemsiDRAC 6 Express 6 2008 Blade servers 8 iDRAC 6 Enterprise 9 6 2008 Additional software features in combination with express vFlash SD card slotiDRAC 6 Enterprise 10 6 2008 Blade Additional software features in combination with expressiDRAC 7 2 7 2012 Generation 12 New licensing model hardware based NTP support Redfish managementiDRAC 8 11 8 2014 Generation 13 Quick sync NFC configuration UEFI secure boot HTML5 virtual console Storage configuration on Supported PERC CardsiDRAC 9 9 2017 Generation 14 Quick sync 2 0 iDRAC Direct using front Mini USB Port New User Interface Power management editWith the DRAC enabled and using its own separate network connection a user may login and reboot the system even if the core operating system has crashed If the operating system has loaded the correct drivers the DRAC will attempt to shut down the system gracefully Without this feature and with the system running administrators can use the remote console to access the operating system too Remote console editThe remote console features of the DRAC allow an administrator to interface with the computer as if sitting in front of it and one can share the local inputs from keyboard and mouse as well as video output DRAC does not support remote sound Remote console capability relies on either an Active X or Java plug in or HTML5 in the later models which displays a window showing the video output on the local terminal and which takes mouse and keyboard input This behavior closely resembles that of other remote access solutions such as VNC or RDP but also works if the operating system of the server doesn t work anymore unlike VNC or RDP It is used to take the server console remotely Virtual media editThe DRAC enables a user to mount remotely shared disk images as if they were connected to the system In combination with the remote console this gives administrators the ability to completely re install an operating system a task which traditionally required local console access to the physical machine Administrators can control virtual media through the browser or through the OpenManage tools provided by Dell though specific versions of browsers restrict some functionality 12 Access editThe main DRAC management takes place via a web interface All generations of the DRAC use the default user name root and the default password calvin Starting with the DRAC 3 Microsoft Active Directory can also provide authentication either with Dell AD Schema Extensions or Standard Schema 13 14 15 16 17 Implementation editThe DRAC5 and iDRAC6 and higher are embedded platforms running Linux and Busybox The firmware source code is available on the Dell website 18 but it is not possible to compile the source into a replacement firmware as Dell does not include a build environment 19 The DRAC provides remote access to the system console keyboard and screen allowing the system BIOS to be accessed over the Internet when the server is rebooted This is done by configuring the system BIOS to send its output to a serial port as a stream of text using VT100 compatible control codes The chosen serial port is then redirected to the DRAC s serial port Users can then log into the DRAC via SSH and run a command to connect the SSH session to the serial port thus allowing the console to be accessed over the Internet Earlier versions of the DRAC used ActiveX in Internet Explorer to provide a remote console interface in a web browser however this was unpopular with non Windows users who did not have access to Internet Explorer The latest revision of the DRAC6 uses a Java application instead launched from within the browser though both the DRAC5 and iDRAC6 also provided the aforementioned platform independent SSH access iDRAC6 editiDRAC6 is available in two levels iDRAC6 Express and iDRAC6 Enterprise iDRAC6 Express which integrates features previously charged for in DRAC5 became a standard offering on Dell s servers Certain features are not available for the Express version including the remote console functionality and the vFlash SD card slot As with iDRAC iDRAC6 Enterprise is a standard offering on blade servers iDRAC6 offers three upgrades iDRAC6 Express iDRAC6 Enterprise and VFlash Media iDRAC6 offers power budgeting iDRAC6 Enterprise s virtual console and virtual media features are now integrated into a single plug in iDRAC6 Enterprise s virtual console now allows two users to collaborate on the same server iDRAC6 now allows customers to view what is on the server LCD without a server side visit iDRAC6 supports IPv6iDRAC7 editOn 6 March 2012 software version 1 00 00 for the iDRAC7 was released for generation 12 servers iDRAC 7 does not work on earlier generation servers although some of the new functions introduced with iDRAC 7 might be offered in iDRAC 6 releases 8 9 As of May 2019 the current version was 2 63 60 62 20 With the introduction of iDRAC 7 the licensing model has changed iDRAC 7 now supports lifecycle controller Some features of Lifecycle controller are licensed and to access those features via iDRAC the correct licenses for those functions need to be enabled Supported hardware platforms edit iDRAC 7 runs on generation 12 PowerEdge servers Per introduction in March 2012 the following servers use iDRAC7 2 PowerEdge T620 tower model of 620 can be converted to 5U rack system PowerEdge R220 native rack server 1U PowerEdge R320 native rack server 1U PowerEdge R420 native rack server 1U PowerEdge R520 native rack server 2U PowerEdge R620 native rack server 1U PowerEdge M620 blade server for M1000e enclosure half height max 16 per chassis PowerEdge R720 rack server 2U PowerEdge R720xd an R720 with additional 2 5 hard drive bays in the front and rear of the enclosureSupported operating systems edit iDRAC 7 is supported by the following operating systems Microsoft Windows Server 2016 x64 Microsoft Windows Server 2012 x64 Microsoft Windows Server 2008 SP2 standard enterprise and datacenter editions x86 and x64 Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 standard enterprise and datacenter editions x64 Microsoft Small Business Server 2011 x64 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server SLES 10 and 11 x64 Red Hat Enterprise Linux RHEL 5 8 x86 x64 6 1 x64 and 6 3 x64 Microsoft Hyper V with Windows server 2008 and Hyper V R2 Windows Server 2008 R2 VMware ESX ESXi 4 1 Update 2 VMWare ESXi 5 Patch 01 Citrix Systems Xen Server 6Supported web browsers edit The GUI for iDRAC7 uses a Web browser and Java Internet Explorer 7 8 and 9 as well as Firefox 6 7 were tested for different operating systems 2 Limitations editTo take advantage of storage greater than 256 MB on the iDRAC6 enterprise Dell requires that a vFlash SD card be procured through Dell channels As of December 2011 Dell vFlash SD cards differ from consumer SD cards by being over provisioned by 100 for increased write endurance and performance 21 While there are no other known functional differences between a Dell branded vFlash SD card and a class 2 or greater SDHC card the use of non Dell media prevents the use of extended capacities and functions On a Linux client system the standard arrow and print screen keys cannot be used in the iDRAC6 Java virtual console application because of some incompatible key event IDs 22 however the arrow keys on the numeric keypad can still be used Some combinations of DRAC firmware web browser and Java runtime do not support virtual media via the Java applet or the plugin in DRAC5 and iDRAC6 References edit Exploring the DRAC 5 PDF Dell Power Solutions August 2006 Dell p 27 a b c d Dell manuals for iDRAC 7 Archived 2012 03 14 at the Wayback Machine version 1 0 6 March 2012 visited 7 March 2012 Dell support website Dell Remote Access Controllers manuals visited 7 March 2012 Manual for the Dell Open Manage Remote Assistant Card II Archived 2012 01 07 at the Wayback Machine 14 December 1999 Visited 7 March 2012 Dell support website DRAC 3 manuals Archived 2012 06 03 at the Wayback Machine visited 7 March 2012 Dell manuals for DRAC 4 Archived 2011 12 19 at the Wayback Machine 9 August 2004 Visited 7 March 2012 Dell manuals for DRAC 5 Archived 2012 02 28 at the Wayback Machine 7 June 2006 Visited 7 March 2012 a b Dell manuals for iDRAC 6 for blade servers Archived 2012 01 06 at the Wayback Machine visited 7 March 2012 a b Manual for iDRAC 6 for monolithic servers Archived 2012 02 26 at the Wayback Machine visited 7 March 2012 Manual for IDrac 6 for blade servers Archived 2012 04 16 at the Wayback Machine visited 7 March 2012 Dell manual for iDRAC 8 version 1 0 September 2014 visited 22 April 2015 Supported Web Browsers Users Guide Dell Archived from the original on 2008 12 26 Accessing the DRAC 5 Through a Network Users Guide Dell Archived from the original on 2008 12 26 Accessing the DRAC 4 Through a Network Users Guide Dell Archived from the original on 2009 02 07 Accessing the DRAC III Web Based Interface Users Guide Dell Archived from the original on 2008 06 20 Accessing the CMC Through a Network Users Guide Dell Archived from the original on 2010 09 25 iDRAC Configuring Networking Using the CMC Web Interface Users Guide Dell Archived from the original on 2009 08 17 Dell Open Source repository Post on Dell Linux PowerEdge mailing list Dec 2010 Support for PowerEdge R220 Drivers amp Downloads Dell US Dell s vFlash SDFlash Media Card Better Endurance amp Performance via Over Provisioning Post on Dell Linux PowerEdge mailing list Jun 2011External links editIntegrated Dell Remote Access Controller iDRAC on Dell s website Available manuals for iDRAC7 Dell Remote Access Controller 6 iDRAC 6 Dell Remote Access Controller 5 DRAC 5 Version 1 20 DRAC II III product info from Dell Dell Remote Access Controller User Guides Managing out of band management in InfoWorld Dell DRAC 5 Remote SSH Console Redirection iDRAC7 iDRAC8 feature comparison Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Dell DRAC amp oldid 1186864604, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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