Dell Management Agents

[mmmather]

Is it possible to extract the Dell Management agents from the Dell CD or do you need the entire set of files? It looks like you could copy the \srvadmin\linux CD with the appropriate subfolder(s).

I would like to get the management agents to under 100MB. This way I can use a custom ESX install DVD with only the necessary components and a kickstart script.

I have my bootable DVD working and just need to copy the source bits to it now.

Thanks!

[balacs]

Yes, you can get the agents from the Dell CD. It may also be possible to get the agents under 100MB. In the CD, browse to the directory ./srvadmin/linux/custom/RHEL4. Pick the RPMs you want from there and then it would be a simple RPM based install.

Another probably simpler option would to go to support.dell.com and download the tar file for your system. The instructions to download the tar file is given here: http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/solutions/installing_dell_openmanage_on_esx.pdf. But I dont know if the tar file is under 100MB.

Bala.

Dell Inc.

null

[mmmather]

Is it possible to do a silent install?

I see from http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/software/smsom/4.4/en/ug/instlx.htm where the options to install are listed but you can't pass parameters:

\[-x|--express] installs all components including RAC. Any other options passed will be ignored.

\[-b|--base] installs Base components.

\[-d|--diags] installs Diagnostics components, including Base.

\[-s|--storage] installs Storage components, including Base.

\[-r|--rac] installs applicable RAC components, including Base.

\[-w|--web] installs Web Server components, including Base.

I have copied the management agents on to the ESX server. It looks like I would need to pass this directory as a parameter somehow.

[balacs]

You can do "srvadmin-install.sh -b -w -r -s" from the directory you have the files. It should not require any user interaction.

I found another thread that might be useful for you:

http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=101120

Bala

Dell Inc

[Schorschi]

Never use -x, only use -b -w -r -s. Dell makes it very clear, if you ask them, that the diagnostics should not be installed on ESX.

[wolfwolf]

Any ideas why the Diagnostics components should not be installed on ESX Server?

Thanks.

[Schorschi]

Per Dell, as of 5.2 or older, the Diagnostic code is Linux specific, not certified nor honored as a solution on VMware. In short, Dell does a half-ass job with some aspects of their OMSA support on VMware. However, they are improving it. Just not as mature as HP, but much better than IBM.

Comparing HP 7.7, 7.8, 7.9, version Dell 4.5, 5.0, 5.1.x, 5.2, and IBM Director Agent 5.1, 5.2, 5.2.1, 5.2-2... and recent issue per Vendor...

HP agent 7.7-7.9 have issues with their HP OpenIPMI driver on ESX 3.0.x

Dell agent 5.x series has some signficant holes compared to HP agents, NIC monitoring for example, error counters and stats per NIC port are missing

IBM Director Agent 5.x series has no local Web-Page function like HP and Dell, and requires integration to IBM Director Server, but it has some powerful options

As you can see we have done extensive comparions for some time. Specific to Dell, you can run DSET in REPORT ONLY mode, but you can not install any daemon like function when it comes to Dell diagnostics, either from OMSA side for DSET, basically the same concept. I have not as yet seen OMSA 5.3 details yet, but it is expected early next year, but no specific date of release has been published that I know of.

[wolfwolf]

Thanks for your reply.

BTW, Dell OpenManage 5.3 is already out, we're running it on our PowerEdge 1950s with ESX Server 3.0.2 Update 1.

Regards.

[Schorschi]

Serves me right for not checking the website before I commented. I guess I need to kick our Dell TAM in the head again. He is supposed to give us early warning of the releases too.

[Sangokan]

Anyone got email notifications working with Dell agent?

[Lfrisino]

We installed Dell OM 5.2 on our 6850s and had noting but problems. we ended up rolling back to 5.1...

[Schorschi]

Any previous version installed? Or newly build ESX hosts? We always rebuild our ESX hosts, never upgrade in place, so we avoid some issues at the cost of time to rebuild.

Schor-

[Lfrisino]

They were all new builds. We just uninstalled OM 5.1 and installed 5.2...then reinstalled )M 5.1

[Schorschi]

What specifically did you see? We had some issues with OMSA in general that we were able to resolve, until Dell improves the agents, for example...

hot spare monitoring

lack of NIC error detail

lack of monitoring all NICs

[wolfwolf]

Schorschi,

After you rebuild an ESX Server system from scratch, how do you reapply the previous configuration (e.g. switches and VLANs) to it?

Thanks.

[Schorschi]

I have to be a bit vague on this... since it is NDA and proprietary. In short, we install a very simple service (bash script) at post kickstart that does all the work at each boot until total configuration is done…nothing new about this many do it this way.

However, we then link to remote repository server or query for local media, and copy all custom files, scripting, RPMs, etc. and the core automation script and a logic data file. The core automation script parses the master data file, and depending on vendor/make/model, dmi-decode output, and other methods, including SNMP queries, and using other tools, we establish the profile of the system, or its personality, once we have it personality, combined with a GUI .NET interface survey, via an interview process, which creates the ks.cfg as well, we have all information to finish the OEM load and post customization.

The automation script runs through all its marching orders, handling updates, RPMs, file replacements, file edits, esxupdate updates, etc., etc. changing security defaults, and just about anything can be done via esxcfg commands is, reboots done as needed to validate changes, or reconfigure boot settins, etc.… and to your query… we build the entire vswitch configuration, # NICs, # of VSwitches, configure HA & DRS, Licensing, VMotion setup, etc. from the CLI in COS via the above noted automation.

VMware has seen our automation implementation, and calls it quote… One of the best build automation implementations for ESX OS that we have ever seen. We started this core automation with ESX 2.0.1, and have improved it over the years, and can even use it virtually unchanged for ESX 3.5. 99% of the time, we just have to update the media images, or network repository, and tweak the logic data table.