HP ProLiant DL360 G5 success stories?

[Johan Ström]

On Mar 17, 2008, at 9:52 AM, Jeremy Chadwick wrote:

> On Mon, Mar 17, 2008 at 08:33:20AM +0100, Johan Ström wrote:
>> On Mar 16, 2008, at 8:36 AM, Ulf Zimmermann wrote:
>>
>>> On Wed, Mar 12, 2008 at 06:40:49PM -0500, Joe Koberg wrote:
>>>> Johan Str?m wrote:
>>>>> But..
>>>>> http://bizsupport.austin.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c00553302/c00553302.pdf
>>>>> seems
>>>>> to tell me that in basic mode I can only access BIOS (pre-OS)  
>>>>> using the
>>>>> Remote Console feature, and that after POST I have to have the  
>>>>> advanced
>>>>> licensed option?
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I don't do the purchasing and we get all Advanced iLO, so I will  
>>>> take
>>>> your word for it.  The older generations supported text console  
>>>> (i have
>>>> a 360G2 that does so).   We use the HP Management agents under  
>>>> Windows
>>>> for all SNMP reporting so I can't comment on the reporting method  
>>>> under
>>>> other OS's.
>>>
>>> iLO2 ActiveX based remote console (Integrated KVM) can still do
>>> text only console without license but it doesn't work too well IMHO.
>>> The Java based console is the same, text will work out license but
>>> graphics
>>> mode and that includes certain VESA text modes.
>>>
>>> Standard iLO gives the graphical console and virtual media. On Blade
>>> servers
>>> the graphical access and virtual media is included. And the Advanced
>>> license
>>> gives extra stuff like integration into AD for authentication afik.
>>
>> How about SSH mode? SSH and view textmode at boot (serial rdr in  
>> bios too?)
>> and console @ serial in fbsd (bootloader and on). Does that work  
>> good or
>> "not to well" either?
>
> I have to chime in here.
>
> Who cares if it has SSH support?  iLO, LOM, and serial console should
> all be done over a *private network*, and should NOT be hooked up to a
> publicly-accessible network or given public IPs.  I cannot stress how
> important this is.  DO NOT put stuff like this on the public Internet:
> you will regret it.
>
>
> The advantage to iLO is that it's the equivalent of KVM-over-IP,
> supporting virtual media too (read: an ISO image on your laptop/local
> client machine being used as a CD on the server itself, thus you can
> install whatever OS you want, etc.).  You get NATIVE VGA CONSOLE
> remotely on the machine -- there is no "serial console", and that's
> always best.  I've seen it in action, and it's *awesome*.

For advanced license yes. Thats another $400 or so (which might not be  
very much money for big corps but for me and my one server  
installation its more..)

>
>
> Said iLO capability usually works over a series of TCP or UDP ports,
> somtimes even supporting HTTP (on the iLO module itself!) which  
> means if
> its on a private network, you can tunnel to it using SSH or similar
> utilities via another box in the co-lo.  Then simply access
> 127.0.0.1:whatever in the ActiveX, Java, or native Win32/Linux client
> and voila -- you have the machines' native VGA console in front of  
> you,
> with no issues relating to serial console.  No more "ohhh, the bootup
> configuration uses 9600bps, but our serial console servers are
> configured to use 115200bps... but the disk isn't booting so it's  
> still
> using 9600bps at that stage, now I HAVE to go to the datacenter"
> scenarios.

Yep, there are some downsides with serial console. But if it works,  
i'd rather use a normal ssh client in my terminal together with the  
virtual serial port than sitting in a web browser. But i'll guess I'm  
going to evaluate the serial port option when I get the box, and if it  
isnt working to good i'll just have to throw up the money and get the  
advanced license (even if i'd rather use that money on more "fun"  
things..)

>
>
> I do not trust IPMI based on stories I have heard from Yahoo! SAs,
> talking about how every implementation is different (so much for a
> "standard"), and how the number of bugs in Supermicro's IPMI
> implementation are absurd.  Supposedly Intel and others have done a
> better job with it, but I lost all interest in it once I found that
> there was no real "standard".  Besides, anything that "piggybacks" on
> top of an existing LAN port (even some iLO implementations do this!)  
> is
> worth avoiding.  I do not want to deal with a single NIC emitting two
> separate MAC addresses -- and that's what happens.  It's sometimes
> referred to as "ASF" as well.

I've got a supermicro ipmi card now and.. I'm afraid I cannot describe  
it with better words than "crappy toy".. Constant IPMI card restarts/ 
crashes, the serial consol java browser applet stopping responding,  
firmware upgrades that b0rks the card totally etc...

--
Johan