What is OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA)?
OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA) is a systems management product, provided by Dell EMC, which can be installed on supported Dell PowerEdge servers. It provides the user with a number of network management and systems management applications.
The OMSA product is accessible through either a web browser-based GUI or through a command line interface via the Operating System, depending on the Operating System installed on the server. For Linux based operating systems, OMSA is accessed through the command line interface of the server’s operating system. With the Windows Server operating systems, OMSA is accessed through the server’s Operating System’s web browser. For VMware ESXI based operating systems, OMSA is accessed through a web browser based GUI remotely, from your home or work computer, using SSH.
If your server is installed with either a Windows or Linux OS, the server’s operating system does not have to be accessible remotely, directly; as you can use a KVMoIP / iDRAC to access the server and then OMSA, as long as the server is booted into a functioning operating system. For an ESXI server, however, you must be able to SSH into the server to access OMSA.
We encourage our clients to download and use OMSA on their Dell servers, as it allows the user to check the status of their hardware, which means that it can be used to identify hardware related issues and provides the necessary information to have this hardware replaced.
OMSA compatibility is based on the Dell PowerEdge server’s generation and the version of Operating Sytem installed onto the server. See the below tables to identify what generation of Dell PowerEdge servers Vs. what Operating System OMSA supports.
Windows Server:
|
Dell PowerEdge Generation |
Compatible with Windows Server 2012 & 2012 R2 |
Compatible with Windows Server 2016 |
|
Dell PowerEdge 11th Gen (R_10) |
Yes |
Not Supported* |
|
Dell PowerEdge 12th Gen (R_20) |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Dell PowerEdge 13th Gen (R_30) |
Yes |
Yes |
|
* There is no officially supported version of OMSA for Windows Server 2016 for 11th Gen servers. However, you may be able to install the 12th generation version of OMSA for Windows 2016 onto a 11th Gen server. Please note, compatibility issues may arise from doing this. Also, iomart (and any company within the iomart group) are not responsible for any issues caused by performing this action, and Dell EMC would advise not to perform this action. |
Linux:
|
Compatibility with OS |
Compatible with Dell PE 11th Gen (R_10) |
Compatible with Dell PE 12th Gen (R_20) |
Compatible with Dell PE 13th Gen (R_30) |
|
CentOS 6 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
CentOS 7 |
Yes (No*) |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Ubuntu 14 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Ubuntu 16 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Debian 7 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Debian 8 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Debian 9 |
Not Supported** |
Not Supported** |
Not Supported** |
|
*OMSA is not compatible with CentOS 7 on a Dell PE R210 II chassis. |
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|
** There is no officially supported version of OMSA for Debian 9. However, using the guide below, you are able to download the Debian 8 version of OMSA onto a Debian 9 OS. Please note, compatibility issues may arise from doing this. Also, iomart (and any company within the iomart group) are not responsible for any issues caused by performing this action, and Dell EMC would advise not to do perform this action. |
VMware ESXI:
|
Compatibility with OS |
Compatible with Dell PE 11th Gen (R_10) |
Compatible with Dell PE 12th Gen (R_20) |
Compatible with Dell PE 13th Gen (R_30) |
|
ESXI 5.0 |
Yes |
No |
No |
|
ESXI 5.1 |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
ESXI 5.5 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
ESXI 6.0 |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
|
ESXI 6.5 |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
If you have any further questions about OMSA, please look through our FAQ section. If our FAQ page does not have the answer, please feel free to raise a support ticket, and we will be happy to help.