Using iDRAC on X-Series NVRs

What is iDRAC?

Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) is a proprietary technology that allows IT administrators to remotely manage and monitor Dell-built servers. This includes software and hardware components.

The Exacq X-Series NVRs include iDRAC micro ports on the front of the system and iDRAC network interfaces on the back. The location of these is noted on the X-Series Quick Start Guide.

Out of the Box

iDRAC ports are not enabled out of the box. To enable either, or both interfaces, you must access the Lifecycle Control Center on the system.

Enabling iDRAC Ports

During boot up of the system, watch for the boot options to appear on screen.
When shown, press the F10 key to boot into the Lifecycle Control Center.
The Lifecycle Controller automatically begins a network configuration wizard if it has not been configured before. You may select the Back button to exit the wizard.
From the Lifecycle Controller Home screen, navigate to System Setup > Advanced Hardware Configuration.
Select iDRAC Settings.

Continue to Step 6 to enable iDRAC Direct on the iDRAC micro port. Skip to Step 7 to enable iDRAC networking.
To enable the iDRAC micro port, select Media and USB Port Settings.
 
- Beneath USB Management Port, locate the iDRAC Direct: USB Configuration XML setting.
- The default setting is ‘Enabled while server has default credential settings only.’ However, for the security of your system, these credentials are changed before shipping from the factory.
- Change the above-mentioned setting to ‘Enabled‘.
- Select the Back button.
To enable the iDRAC network port on the rear of the system, select Network.

NOTE: A VLAN is recommended as a best security practice when iDRAC is in Dedicated or Shared LOM mode, to isolate network access to iDRAC’s management interfaces. Technologies such as VLANs and firewalls help ensure that only authorized users can access network resources. 
- Beneath Network Settings, change the Enabled NIC setting to ‘Enabled‘.
- Leave the NIC Selection set to ‘Dedicated‘.
- Scroll down to the IPv4 Settings section. The default settings are as follows:
 - Enable IPv4: Enabled
 - Enable DHCP: Enabled
 - Static IP Address: 0.0.0.0
 - Static Gateway: 0.0.0.0
 - Static Subnet Mask: 0.0.0.0
 - Use DHCP to obtain DNS server addresses: Disabled
 - Static Preferred DNS Server: 0.0.0.0
- If you plan to connect this interface to a network with a DHCP server, you may leave the settings as they are.
- If you wish to use a static IP address for the iDRAC interface, change the Enable DHCP setting to ‘Disabled‘ and enter the proper Static IP address settings in the fields below.
- Select the Back button when done.
Press the Finish button to save your changes and return to the System Setup menu.
Press Finish again to return to the Lifecycle Controller main menu.
Leave the Lifecycle Control Center and boot to the operating system by selecting the Exit option in the corner of the screen.

Accessing the iDRAC9 Dashboard

The iDRAC9 Dashboard is accessible using any modern web browser, but there are various methods available to reach it: Local, Network, and USB (iDRAC Direct).

Local Browser Access

Accessing the iDRAC9 Dashboard locally requires a keyboard, mouse, and monitor connected to the system.

Log into the system’s operating system (Windows or Linux).
Open a web browser.
In the browser address bar, enter: https://169.254.1.1
Use the browser’s advanced settings to continue past the warning message. This message appears because the SSL certificate is self-signed.
Log into iDRAC using the proper credentials.

Network Access

iDRAC network interfaces support RJ45 jacks, with 1G BASE-T Ethernet Cat5/6 cables.

The Lifecycle Control Center provides the ability to set the iDRAC network interface to DHCP or static IP address.

If set to a static IP address, a site administrator should be able to provide the configured address.

If configured for DHCP, but a DHCP server is not available, or has no available addresses to offer, this interface should fall back to 192.168.0.120. Otherwise, you may need to determine what address the DHCP server assigned to the system.

Whether using a static or dynamically allocated IP address, you will enter this address into the browser’s address bar.

Example: https://172.10.10.4

USB Access (iDRAC Direct)

iDRAC Direct allows you to utilize the front-facing iDRAC micro port to connect directly to the system over USB, say from a laptop, which makes ad hoc management in a server room/stack easily accessible.

iDRAC micro ports couple with a USB 2.0 Micro-A or Micro-B connector. You will need a cable with either of these interfaces to connect between the X-Series system and your laptop/workstation. Cable length should not exceed 3ft (0.91m). Cable quality could affect performance. The iDRAC micro port is a Micro-A type port, which will accept either Micro-A or Micro-B connectors, but will not accept USB 3.0/SS Micro-B.

Before beginning, you MUST disable all other network or wireless interfaces on the laptop/workstation you wish to connect from.
Make sure the iDRAC micro port is enabled, see Step 6 of Enabling iDRAC Ports above.
Turn the flat side of the USB micro connector to the right, so that the beveled side of the USB micro connector faces left, then insert the connector into the iDRAC micro port.
Wait a few moments and the laptop/workstation should detect a new virtual network interface. 
This can be seen using the ipconfig command on Windows, or ifconfig command on Ubuntu/Linux. 
The IP assigned to this interface should be 169.254.0.4.
Open a web browser on the laptop/workstation. In the browser address bar, enter the IP of the iDRAC micro port: https://169.254.0.3
Log into the iDRAC Dashboard with the proper credentials.

Logging into the iDRAC9 Dashboard

When logging into the iDRAC9 Dashboard, use the following credentials

Username: root

Password: admin256

Consider changing your iDRAC Dashboard password using the steps below.

Changing the iDRAC credentials

Most system users will probably only use the default root user account and factory set password. However, up to 16 local users may be configured in iDRAC with specific access permissions.

If you are already connected to the iDRAC9 Dashboard, you may do this using the following steps:

Select the iDRAC Settings menu.
Select Users from the menu drop-down, or from the tabs on the iDRAC Settings page.
Select Local Users.
Edit an existing account or add a new user account.

If you are not connected to the iDRAC9 Dashboard, you will need physical access to the system.

During boot up of the system, watch for the boot options to appear on screen.
When shown, press the F10 key to boot into the Lifecycle Control Center.
The Lifecycle Control Center automatically begins a network configuration wizard if it has not been configured before. You may select the Back button to exit the wizard.
From the Lifecycle Controller Home screen, navigate to System Setup > Advanced Hardware Configuration.
Select iDRAC Settings.
Scroll down to find and select User Configuration.
Select the text field beside Change Password to enter a new password.
When done, select the Back button.
Click the Finish button to save your changes.

iDRAC9 Dashboard Basics

The iDRAC9 Dashboard provides a quick overview of the system. Describing all aspects and controls is outside the scope of this document. The items you should pay the most attention to are your system and drive health.

The Dashboard home page shows a high-level overview of System Health and Drive Health.

Clicking on Details for either of these will bring you to the corresponding pages. You may also reach these pages by selecting System or Storage from the top menu bar.

The System > Overview page displays the status of many hardware components, such as memory, CPU, power supplies, and cooling (system fans). Selecting any of these will provide greater detail on each.

The Storage > Overview page lists the number of physical disks, virtual disks, and graphics of drive status. 2U systems will also display a graphic of the system’s front panel to help identify the drive bays.

Each Virtual Disk is comprised of multiple Physical Disks. These are listed on the corresponding Virtual Disks and Physical Disks pages.

Virtual Console

iDRAC9 provides a Virtual Console feature which provides a desktop environment as if you were sitting in front of the system. This negates the need to also configure RDP or VNC to configure the system using a GUI.

IMPORTANT: Do not use the Virtual Console for client monitoring of cameras. This method may be used to configure exacqVision software only: add and configure cameras, managing licensing, check system statuses and logs, etc. For regular camera monitoring, install the exacqVision Client on a client workstation suitable for this purpose. See system hardware requirements.

NOTE: Virtual Console performs better when connected via the iDRAC network interface than when connected using iDRAC Direct using the micro USB port.

Enabling the Virtual Console

Virtual Console is disabled by default. Once logged into the iDRAC9 Dashboard, you may enable this feature for use.

From the iDRAC9 Dashboard, locate the Virtual Console panel. The message in this panel indicates the feature is currently disabled for use.
Click on the Settings option above the empty panel.
From the Virtual Console settings page, change the Enabled setting from ‘Disabled’ to ‘Enabled’, then press the Apply button below.
Return to the Dashboard and note that the Virtual Console panel will display an image from the system based on its current state.
Select the inset image or press the Start the Virtual Console bar below to open a Virtual Console session.

Virtual Console Basics

Virtual Console will open a session in a new browser window. Note that the frame rate of the console display is included in the window’s title bar. The console provides some of the following features from the menu buttons.

Menu Item	Description
Boot	Chooses what the system will boot to on the next boot up. Options include the Lifecycle Controller, as well as physical or virtual media.
Power	Allows the user to remotely power cycle or shutdown the system.
Chat	Provides a chat window for use when more than one person is using the machine’s Virtual Console.
Keyboard	Displays a virtual keyboard. May be useful when attempting to enter multi-key commands such as CTRL+ALT+DEL.
Screen Capture	Allows the user to save a screen capture PNG image to their local machine.
Refresh	Refreshes the console window.
Fullscreen	Displays the Virtual Console in fullscreen mode. Press ESC to exit fullscreen mode.
Virtual Media	Virtual media allows the managed server to access media devices on the management station or ISO CD/DVD images on a network share as if they were devices on the managed server. Select Connect Virtual Media to begin, select your chosen media. Use Disconnect to remove that media from the machine’s console connection.
Disconnect Viewer	Closes the console session and window.
Console Controls	Provides settings for viewing, including a virtual clipboard for copying text between the managed server and the management workstation.

X-Series Quick Start Guide

X-Series Quick Start Video