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Last modified: 2006-08-24 11:23:44 CEST
I don't have time to make a translation, so it's a robot translation :-)
Dell linux reference website : http://linux.dell.com/
The DellTalk forums: http://delltalk.us.dell.com/supportforums (There is less information than on the mailing-list, and it is painful to use)
the FAQ: http://lists.us.dell.com/faq (Nothing very userfull :-()
mailings-list: http://lists.us.dell.com/mailman/listinfo
The Linux-PowerEdge list is the most interesting. I subscribed the following lists :
If you wish to obtain the telephone support of Dell concerning of the problems related to the operating system, you do not have the choice, it is necessary to buy Red Hat Advanced Linux at Dell.
That does not means that the others distributions do not function on Dell, simply you will not be able to profit from the telephone support.
While reading the the mailing list, you will realize that all the GNU/linux distributions works with the Dell servers. It is just more or less complicated to install the Dell administration tools (Raid monitoring, material monitoring etc). I use Dell servers in production with Red Hat 8.0 and Debian Woody.
On the PowerEdge servers, there are several models of Raid cards. The characteristics which change are:
The "problem" it is that at Dell, the RAID cards are called all PERC/someting: -). The http://linux.dell.com/storage.shtml page will help you according to the model.
For information, the text after PERC is version SCSI, for example a PERC3/Di is a Ultra3 RAID card (U160 SCSI). After the / it is a letter: S for single, D for dual, Q for Quad, which corresponds to the number of channels SCSI supported by the card. Respectively one, two and four channels 1. to summarize, a PERC4/DC Is an external Ultra 4 card (U320) Dual Channel. This known as, starting from this single reference, you cannot know the manufacturer nor the distribution of the channels (internal/external).
| [1] | Note that it is not specified if these channels are internal or external. It also should be specified that internal channel does not want inevitably to say internal connector. For example the PE 2650 (and 1650 I think) signals between the backplane and the RAID chipset are directly routed on the motherboard, it does not have cables nor connectors (what is better for the air circulation). |
Tested on a PE 6300 and PE 2600
The new RAID cards are not always supported by the debian official kernels
Use installation image on: http://wiki.osuosl.org/display/LNX/Debian+on+Dell+Servers
Proceed to the usual installation of Debian
Once your system installed, your kernel is a 2.4.25-bf24. You will probably not want to continue to use this kernel : all the drivers are integrated in the kernel and not in the form of module. Moreover you won't be able to use debian kernel updates by apt.
All would have been perfect if one could use the official kernel woody (2.4.18). Alas, I was obliged to use a backport kernel `` 2.4.26`` to be able to install OpenManage/dellomsa-drivers (the module `` esm.o`` does not function with the `` 2.4.18``, a priori a patch Red Hat which was integrated placed in the last 2.4)
Add in the file /etc/apt/source.conf :
deb http://www.backports.org/debian stable kernel-image-2.4.26-i386 deb http://www.backports.org/debian stable kernel-source-2.4.26
Install the kernel and sources 2.4.26 :
# apt-get install kernel-image-2.4.26-1-686-smp kernel-source-2.4.26
Take care has what lilo is well configured, in particular the line `` initrd=/initrd.img`` and rebooter.
The new kernel is modular, one thus needs preciser for the system which is its driver. In my case, it is e1000 (I had identified it at the time of the first boot with the initial kernel).
To modify /etc/modutils/aliases :
alias eth0 e1000
To update the file of modules
# update-modules
To start again the network
# /etc/init.d/networking stop # /etc/init.d/networking start
To recover the file lin_apps_a04.tar.gz by seeking the R49828 reference on dell support.
To convert the rpm into deb by using alien (apt-get install alien)
debian:~/delltools# alien -d Megamon-3.6-0.i386.rpm megamon_3.6-1_i386.deb generated debian:~/delltools# alien -d dellmgr-5.22-0.i386.rpm dellmgr_5.22-1_i386.deb generated debian:~/delltools# alien -d percsnmp-4.06-1.i386.rpm percsnmp_4.06-2_i386.deb generated debian:~/delltools# alien -d linflash-2.14-0.i386.rpm linflash_2.14-1_i386.deb generated debian:~/delltools# ls -l *deb -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 287408 May 19 17:47 dellmgr_5.22-1_i386.deb -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 17294 May 19 17:47 linflash_2.14-1_i386.deb -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 408496 May 19 17:47 megamon_3.6-1_i386.deb -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 73934 May 19 17:47 percsnmp_4.06-2_i386.deb
Installation of the packet
# dpkg - I dellmgr_5.22-1_i386.deb
It works OK, you can run the application
# dellmgr
Installation of the packet
# dpkg - I megamon_3.6-1_i386.deb # ln - S /usr/sbin/MegaCt32 /usr/sbin/MegaCtrl # rm /etc/rc.d/init.d/raidmon
To install the compatible file raidmon debian in the repertoire /etc/init.d
You can specify a list of emails recipient of the reports/ratios of raidmon via the file: /var/log/raidmon.lst
Complete OpenManage consists of three files of installation:
Embedded System Management (esm)
dellomsa_4.120-3925_i386.deb: Demons
server-administrator-1.4.0a.tar.gz: Operating software: in line of order (omreport, `` omconfig`` etc.) and Web to consult/parameterize openmanage It must exist a more recent version, but a documentation exists to install this file under debian.
The driver is compiled automatically at the time of the installation of the package. The sources of the kernel must be available as well as file BEEPBEEP it is thus necessary to make a make EPD.
# cd /usr/src # tar xvjf kernel-source-2.4.26.tar.bz2 # ln -s kernel-source-2.4.26 linux-2.4 # ln -s kernel-source-2.4.26 linux # cd linux-2.4 # cp /boot/config-2.4.26-1-686-smp .config # make oldconfig # make dep # dpkg -i dellomsa-drivers_4.120-3925_i386.deb Selecting previously deselected package dellomsa-drivers. (Reading database ... 23497 files and directories currently installed.) Unpacking dellomsa-drivers (from dellomsa-drivers_4.120-3925_i386.deb) ... Setting up dellomsa-drivers (4.120-3925) ... Building device driver for running kernel: [OK] Loading Server Administrator Device Drivers: [OK] Please read the license agreement located at: /usr/lib/dell/openmanage/omsa/LICENSE-DRIVERS dellomsa-drivers-4.120-3924.i386.rpm: Upgrade was SUCCESSFUL! Stop the driver : /etc/init.d/dellomsaesm stop Start thedriver : /etc/init.d/dellomsaesm start
The files of init of dellomsa require the presence of a directory
# mkdir /var/lock/subsys # dpkg -i dellomsa_4.120-3925_i386.deb Selecting previously deselected package dellomsa. (Reading database ... 23749 files and directories currently installed.) Unpacking dellomsa (from dellomsa_4.120-3925_i386.deb) ... Setting up dellomsa (4.120-3925) ... System startup links for /etc/init.d/snmpd already exist. Shutting down SNMP agent because of configuration changes... Stopping network management services: snmpd snmptrapd. Please read the license agreement located at: /usr/lib/dell/openmanage/omsa/LICENSE If you wish to change the default password for SNMP Set operations, run the following utility: dcinuser32 To start Server Administrator Instrumentation, reboot or enter the following command: dellomsa start dellomsa-4.120-3924.i386.rpm: Upgrade was SUCCESSFUL!
Stop the daemons : /etc/init.d/dellomsa stop Start the daemons : /etc/init.d/dellomsa start
To follow the directives starting from section 4 on : http://www.cs.uni-magdeburg.de/~aschultz/dell/sa-1.4.0a.txt
I disadvise the stage 12, the Web server should be launched only when one needs some really because it is a gas works. Moreover it was not possible to stop it correctly, of the kill -9 for each process or a reboot was necessary.
This demon controls the state of the subsystem disc. It sends a mall to starting and in the event of problem (failing disc etc.) The demon sends a mall to the user root. It is however possible to specify a list of recipient via the file /var/log/raidmon.lst
This demon to add 0.20 to the load of the machine. According to dell this load is not real.
Stop of the service:
# /etc/init.d/raidmon stop
Starting of the service:
# /etc/init.d/raidmon start
Logger and of if required launching actions on évennements allows (opening of frame, degradation redundancy of alim..) Also allows to visualize information, via SNMP or the tools lines of order or Web.
A priori all that can be made by the interface Web can be done by the line of order. I then will describe the line of order.
See the newspaper of the material évennements:
# omreport system esmlog
See the list of the actions defined on évennements:
# omreport system alertaction
Consultation of the material state:
# omreport chassis # omreport chassis fans # omreport chassis pwrsupplies # omreport chassis temps
Configure the execution of the program /bin/true in the event of intrusion:
# omconfig system alertaction event=intrusion execappath="/bin/true"
Example to return all the events by mall:
omconfig system alertaction event=powersupply execappath="/usr/local/bin/mail.sh 'Alimentation : Perte de la redondance'" beep=true omconfig system alertaction event=tempwarn execappath="/usr/local/bin/mail.sh 'temperature warning'" beep=true omconfig system alertaction event=tempfail execappath="/usr/local/bin/mail.sh 'temperature failure'" beep=true omconfig system alertaction event=fanwarn execappath="/usr/local/bin/mail.sh 'fan speed warning'" beep=true omconfig system alertaction event=fanfail execappath="/usr/local/bin/mail.sh 'fan speed failure'" beep=true omconfig system alertaction event=voltwarn execappath="/usr/local/bin/mail.sh 'voltage warning'" beep=true omconfig system alertaction event=voltfail execappath="/usr/local/bin/mail.sh 'voltage failure'" beep=true omconfig system alertaction event=currentwarn execappath="/usr/local/bin/mail.sh 'current warning'" beep=true omconfig system alertaction event=currentfail execappath="/usr/local/bin/mail.sh 'current failure'" beep=true omconfig system alertaction event=intrusion execappath="/usr/local/bin/mail.sh 'chassis intrusion'" beep=true omconfig system alertaction event=redundegrad execappath="/usr/local/bin/mail.sh 'redundancy degraded'" beep=true omconfig system alertaction event=redunlost execappath="/usr/local/bin/mail.sh 'redundancy lost'" beep=true omconfig system alertaction event=memprefail execappath="/usr/local/bin/mail.sh 'memory pre-failure'" beep=true omconfig system alertaction event=memfail execappath="/usr/local/bin/mail.sh 'memory failure'" beep=true
mail.sh :
#!/bin/sh mail -s "$*" poulailler@ombrepixel.com <<BONJOUR Ceci est un mail automatique qui vous previent que : ---------------------------------------------------- $* ----------------------------------------------------
Example of modification of a threshold temperature:
# omconfig frame time index=3 maxwarnthresh=20
One can find the correspondence of the index:
# omreport frame time
It is possible to consult the whole of the values of monitoring via requetes SNMP for example :
# snmpget -v 1 -c public 192.168.2.10 .1.3.6.1.4.1.674.10892.1.700.20.1.6.1.2 SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.674.10892.1.700.20.1.6.1.1 = INTEGER: 310
This order returns the temperature of the CPU1. One can find examples of definitions OID on : http://web.csma.biz/resources.dellpedge.shtml Attention, this list is not inevitably right.
For that, demon SNMP must be launched on the server, as well as the configuration smux (it must be carried out at the time of the installation of the package).
Under debian, it is not possible to reach out of standard the mibs bus snmpd is in mode paranoid. You can pass it in readonly mode, but attention with safety. Everyone will be able to reach all the values provided by snmpd. :
In standard debian /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf , change these lines to: ... # sec.name source community #com2sec paranoid default public com2sec readonly default mycom #com2sec readwrite default private ...