Configure the network settings on the LOM port

The default IP address for initial access to the LOM port is 192.168.1.3. Change the default credentials and IP address the first time you log on. All LOM GUI operations require you to connect to the appliance by typing the LOM IP address in a web browser and then entering the administrator credentials. Alternatively, you can access LOM functionality through the command line by using the ipmitool utility. Using the ipmitool utility remotely, you can determine the LOM firmware version number, perform warm and cold restarts, configure LOM network settings, monitor the health of the appliance, and perform power control operations. The utility is available for download at http://ipmitool.sourceforge.net/. The ipmitool utility is also included in NetScaler MPX and CloudBridge/SDX (dom0) appliances for initial LOM port network configuration. When using the shell, you can choose to use DHCP or static IP settings for initial network configuration. After configuring the network settings, you can use the ipmitool commands over the network. For example, the BMC firmware revision command would need the same user name, password, and IP address that is used to access the BMC/LOM GUI port.

For initial configuration, connect the network port on your laptop or workstation directly to the LOM port with a crossover cable, or to a switch in the same local subnet(192.168.1.x) as the LOM port. Assign a network-reachable IP address and change the default credentials. After saving the new settings, the LOM restarts and the changes take effect. After the restart, you must use the new address to access the LOM.

If you make a mistake that results in losing network connectivity at both the old and new IP addresses, you must use the local shell method to recover.

See the Secure Deployment Guide for best practices for managing administrative credentials and configuring your network for a secure LOM deployment.

Note

On all SDX platforms, except SDX 22040/22060/22080/22100/22120 and SDX 24100/24150, the LEDs on the LOM port are nonoperational by design.

Tip: For first-time setup in a network, to facilitate troubleshooting, make sure that a laptop/PC is connected directly to the LOM port. If you can ping and access the LOM GUI at the default IP address (192.168.1.3) by using static addressing on the computer, but remote access does not work:

• Take a closer look at the network firewall settings and access control list (ACL) policies of all network devices along the network path.

Tip: If some LOM GUI features work but others do not (for example, normal NetScaler console output is visible in the NetScaler console window in the LOM GUI, but typing in the console does not work), try the preceding method to isolate the cause to the specific BMC protocol being blocked by the network.

Tip: Use the iKVM (HTML5) feature to access the LOM GUI. Alternately, use Java. Ensure that the latest Java updates are installed on your computer.

To configure the NetScaler LOM port by using the GUI

1. In a web browser, type http://192.168.1.3 and enter the default user credentials. In Password, if the earlier default password does not work, try typing the serial number of the appliance. The serial number bar code is available at the back of the appliance.

   Note

   The NetScaler LOM port is preconfigured with IP address 192.168.1.3 and subnet mask 255.255.255.0. See Troubleshooting if some of the options are grayed out.

2. On the Configuration tab, click Network and type new values for the following parameters:
   • IP Address—IP address of the LOM port.
   • Subnet Mask—Subnet mask used to define the subnet of the LOM port.
   • Default Gateway—IP address of the router that connects the LOM port to the network.
3. Click Save.
4. If you want to change the user credentials, navigate to Configuration > Users, select the user, click Modify User, and change the credentials.

To configure the NetScaler LOM port by using the shell

Note: You need superuser (admin) credentials to access the shell.

1. Configure the IP addressing mode:

   • To use DHCP, at the shell prompt, type:

     ipmitool lan set 1 ipsrc dhcp

     No further IP-level configuration is required.

   • To use static addressing, at the shell prompt type:

      >ipmitool lan set 1 ipsrc static
      >ipmitool lan set 1 ipaddr (LOM IP address)
      >ipmitool lan set 1 netmask (netmask IP address)
      >ipmitool lan set 1 defgw ipaddr <default gateway IP address>
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   The BMC reboots to apply the changes. Pings to the BMC succeed after approximately 60 seconds.

2. Optionally, to configure Ethernet VLAN ID and priority, at the NetScaler shell prompt type:

   >ipmitool lan set 1 vlan id <off|ID>
   >ipmitool lan set 1 vlan priority <priority>
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   You can either disable or enable the VLAN. Set the VLAN ID to a value from 1 to 4094, and the VLAN priority to a value from 0 to 7. After the network settings have been correctly applied, you can access the ipmitool remotely from a physically separate machine over the network. For remote access, enter the BMC user name, BMC password, and the BMC IP address. For example, to run the ipmitool mc info command, at the shell prompt on a remote machine, type:

   ipmitool –U <username> –P <password> –H <bmc IP address> mc info

Obtain health monitoring information

There are two NetScaler MIBs: the NetScaler software management MIB and the NetScaler IPMI LOM hardware management MIB. The software management MIB is primarily used for monitoring the application software and the application software’s utilization of hardware resources, such as CPU % and memory %. It provides a high level view of the appliance and is therefore suitable for the application monitoring function carried out by an application group within an organization. The LOM MIB is used for monitoring the hardware health and therefore provides a lower level view of the appliance. This type of monitoring is more applicable to the network monitoring function carried out by a network monitoring group.

The LOM SNMP traps in the LOM MIB report hardware failures. The NetScaler SNMP traps in the NetScaler MIB report software failures and hardware load issues.

The NetScaler MIB has a small subset of hardware sensors. It does not cover any BIOS level failures, because the BIOS checks the hardware primarily during boot time, before the NetScaler software starts. If the BIOS detects a failure, it does not load the boot loader. If the boot loader does not load, the operating system does not load, and therefore theNetScaler SNMP software service responsible for sending the traps does not load.

The NetScaler software Management MIB issues a warning under the following conditions only:

1. If the failure is gradual enough for the main CPU to issue an SNMP alert. An electrical failure close to the CPU, such as a failed electrical capacitor, occurs too quickly for the CPU to issue an alert.
2. If the failure happens after the BIOS, Operating System, and SNMP service have started and normal boot-up has been successful.
3. If the failure happens while the operating system and other system software are in a stable enough state for the SNMP software service to run.

Whenever the NetScaler MIB is unable to report these warnings, because of hardware or software failure, the LOM MIB monitors and reports the warnings. The LOM microcontroller operates independently of the NetScaler software. To monitor the hardware and software of the NetScaler appliance, you must use both the NetScaler MIB and the LOM MIB.

The NetScaler IPMI LOM hardware management MIB SNMP firmware runs on the BMC microcontroller chip. The BMC chip CPU sends a warning in the case of a hardware failure, regardless of whether any of the preceding conditions occur. For example, if the BIOS halts the system during boot-up because of a memory DIMM failure, the BMC chip uses the BIOS POST code snooping mechanism to detect the failure, and sends a bad DIMM SNMP alert.

You can log on to the LOM port to view the health information about the appliance. All system sensor information, such as system temperature, CPU temperature, and status of fans and power supplies, appears on the sensor readings page. The Event Log records time stamps of routine events such as a power cycle, in addition to recording hardware-failure events. If SNMP traps are enabled, these events can be sent to your SNMP Network Monitoring software. For more information about how to set up an SNMP alert, see Configuring SNMP Alerts.

To obtain health monitoring information

1. In the Menu bar, click System Health.
2. Under Options, click Sensor Readings.

Install the MIB

Download the IPMI SNMP management information base (MIB) for your LOM firmware version, and import it into the SNMP monitoring software.

For a sample configuration, see http://www.net-snmp.org/tutorial/tutorial-5/commands/snmptrap.html. For the exact steps of this procedure specific to your environment, contact your SNMP network monitoring software provider.

Configure SNMP Alerts

You can configure SNMP alerts on the LOM. Optionally, you can configure an alert to send emails.

To configure the alerts, you can use the LOM GUI or the NetScaler shell.

To configure SNMP alerts on the LOM by using the GUI

1. Download the IPMI View utility from ftp://ftp.supermicro.com/utility/IPMIView/ and install it on your computer. Use this utility to test the configuration. For more information, see the section about configuring the alert settings in the IPMI View User Guide at http://supermicro.com.
2. Open the IPMI View utility.
3. In the LOM GUI, navigate to Configuration > Alerts, click Alert No 1, and then click Modify.
4. Select the severity level of the events for which to generate alerts.
5. Set Destination IP to the IP address at which you installed the IPMI View utility.
6. Optionally, to receive alerts by email, specify an email address. To avoid receiving email for routine alerts, specify a severity higher than Informational.
7. Click Save.
8. The LOM starts sending alerts to the IPMI View utility within a minute or two. After the IPMI View utility starts receiving alerts from the LOM, reconfigure the destination IP address to point to your SNMP Network Management Software, such as HP OpenView.

Set up SNMP alerts on the LOM by using the NetScaler shell

To customize your filter and policy settings, see the IPMI Specification 2.0 rev. 1.1 documentation.

The latest IPMI specifications are available from the IPMI section of the Intel website:

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/servers/ipmi/ipmi-specifications.html

Usually, customization in the SNMP Network Management Software is the preferred method, because it can be done one time at a central location. Therefore, the following settings send all events for all sensors to the SNMP network management software. These events are low traffic events and therefore do not result in any significant network usage.

To set up SNMP filters to allow all events:

ipmitool raw 4 0x12 0x6 0x10 0x80 1 1 0 0xff 0xff 0xff 0xff 0xff 0xff 0xff 0 0xff 0 0 0xff 0 0 0xff 0

To set up a policy list for all sensors and events:

ipmitool raw 4 0x12 9 0x10 0x18 0x11 0x81

To set up a destination IP address for an SNMP event:

ipmitool lan alert set 1 1 ipaddr <x.x.x.x>

Where, is the IP address to which the SNMP event must be sent.

To specify an SNMP community string name:

ipmitool lan set 1 snmp <community string>