Remote Management (OOB / LOM) - iLO

Integrated Lights-Out (iLO) is the Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE) version of ‘Remote Management’. If you purchase Remote Management with your server or request to have Remote Management installed on your server, and your server is a HPE ProLiant server, your server will be configured with iLO.

HPE’s iLO is a hardware component, which exist on most HPE ProLiant servers, which allow the user to have greater administrative control over their devices remotely. When iLO is configured on a HPE server, you can access the iLO remotely through a web-based GUI portal, through a dedicated IPv4 address configured on the iLO. Once you have accessed and logged in to a server’s iLO, you can use the iLO portal to check the current status of your server and its hardware, to run operations/tasks on your server, and to start a Remote Console.

We encourage our clients to order Remote Management with their server (thus iLO with a HPE server), 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 provide the necessary information to have this hardware replaced. HPE’s iLO also allows our clients to be able to start a remote console at any time; meaning that they do not have to wait for a KVMoIP to setup and providing the user greater control, 24/7.

Please note that the iLO component is unique to HPE servers, so iLO is only available on our HPE ProLiant servers. Servers manufactured by other companies use other forms of remote management, similar to iLO. Some other examples include iDRAC for Dell PowerEdge servers and IPMI for SuperMicro servers. This means that the form of remote management provided depends on the make and model of the server.

If you have any further questions about iLO or Remote Management, 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.

If Integrated Lights-Out (iLO) is configured on a HP ProLiant server, you can access the iLO through any compatible web-browser, using the iLO’s configured IPv4 address. As long as there are no firewall rules associated with the iLO’s connection, or as long as the firewall rules are configured to allow you to do so, you should be able to access the iLO remotely, on your home/work computer or on another device within this network. Simply enter the iLO’s configured IPv4 Address into your web-browser’s URL box.

If you are presented with any security warnings, you should be able to proceed beyond on them. You should now be presented with the HPE iLO login screen. You can now enter the Username and Password for the iLO; then press Submit. If the iLO connection has recently been configured by our technicians, you will be able to find the credentials of the iLO in the MyServers panel, in the Credentials section of the IS page for the server, with the name of LOM/https.

Once you have entered the credentials and pressed submit, you will be presented with the iLO’s control panel. You can now use the iLO to check the health of your server and its hardware, to run operations/tasks on the server, or to start a remote console. We would recommend familiarising yourself with the control panel and the configuration of the server after you have logged in for the first time; so if an error does occur in future, you already understand how your server should be configured and how to use the application.

If you have any further questions about iLO or Remote Management, 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.

One of the main benefits of iLO is that it allows you to check the current health of your server and allows you to check the current status of your server’s hardware.

Please note that this section uses iLO 4 as an example. Different generations of HPE servers use different version of iLO. You can identify the iLO version your server is using when you log in to the iLO control panel. Older versions of iLO may have less functionality and the portal may look different to the examples shown in this FAQ; so the below may not apply to these older versions.

When you first login to the iLO portal, you will be you will be presented with the current health status of the server. If there are currently any errors with the server’s health, an error will appear next to System Health.

To find out more specific information about the health of the system you can click on System Health, which will bring up a list of monitored components within the server. Here you will be able to see the current status of each monitored sub-system.

If an error does appear within the system’s health in this section, how you identify the specific error and how you proceed is dependent on what type of component has an error. Click on the name of the monitored item to find out more details. For investigating errors with pieces of hardware not outlined within this FAQ, information can be found through HPE’s support website, or you can raise a support ticket and we will be happy to help.

If you have any further questions about iLO or Remote Management, 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.

Due to the nature of hardware, you should regularly check the storage of your servers, to make sure no errors have occurred with the server’s virtual or physical drives. If you identify that an error has occurred with the storage of your server, you can use your iLO to identify which specific piece of hardware has an error, and use this information to decide on what action you wish to take next.

Please note that this section uses iLO 4 as an example. Different generations of HPE servers use different version of iLO. You can identify the iLO version your server is using when you log in to the iLO control panel. Older versions of iLO may have less functionality and the portal may look different to the examples shown in this FAQ; so the below may not apply to these older versions.

To check for errors relating to storage, click on System Information on the left hand side of the iLO control pane and then click on Storage.

You will now be presented with the status of any Logical Drives (or RAID arrays) and any Physical Drives within the server; as well as the status and details of the RAID Controller. You will also be able to see all the details of the Logical and Physical Drives. Use can this information to identify the current status of the storage of your server.

In my example below, you can see that my server has two Logical Drives, four physical drives, and the drives are split so that there is two drives configured within each logical drive. You can also see that the Physical Drive in bay 4 has degraded, which has cause the status of Logical Drive 2 to also be degraded.

If an error has occurred, you can use this information to help you decide what action you wish to be taken. If you wish for a drive to be replaced, please see the section on having a drive replaced using iLO, for more details on how to get a faulty drive replaced using the information found through the iLO portal.

Using the above information you should now know the status of the storage of your server. If you have any further questions about iLO or Remote Management, 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.

Due to the nature of hardware, you should regularly check the components of the server, especially the memory and CPU, to make sure no errors have occurred. iLO allows you check the status of the system’s memory and CPU(s), through the control panel. If you identify that an error has occurred with the memory or with a CPU of your server, you can use your iLO to identify which piece of hardware has an error, and use this information to decide on what action you wish to take next. See below how to use iLO to check the status of the memory and CPU(s) within the chassis.

Please note that this section uses iLO 4 as an example. Different generations of HPE servers use different version of iLO. You can identify the iLO version your server is using when you log in to the iLO control panel. Older versions of iLO may have less functionality and the portal may look different to the examples shown in this FAQ; so the below may not apply to these older versions.

Memory - The memory component refers to all the RAM within the chassis. First, to check for errors relating to memory, click on System Information in the left hand side panel and then click on Memory.

You will now be presented with the details of the system’s memory; including a list of the individual RAM sticks, the RAM stick’s details and their status. Here you should be able to identify if there is any errors with any of the RAM sticks currently configured within the server. If a stick of RAM ever does become faulty, you will be able to find the details of the faulty RAM here, unless it becomes completely faulty and no longer shows on this page.

If you wish for a faulty stick of RAM to be replaced, please let us know all the details found within the Memory Details section, so we can easily identify the faulty stick of RAM. If possible, a screenshot of this page would also be helpful. Please see the section on getting faulty RAM replaced using OMSA for more details.

CPU – The CPU (or processor) page, lists all the processors within the server, their details, and their current status. To check the status of the CPU(s) within the chassis, click on System Information and then Processors.

You will now be presented with the list of CPU(s) within the server, their details and their current status. If an error does ever occur with a processor within a server, please feel free to get in touch and we will be happy to investigate this for you. If there is more than one processer installed in your server, please provide the processor’s number in a support ticket (e.g. Processor 1), so our technicians can easily identify which processor needs replacing. For more details on getting a faulty CPU replaced, please see the section on getting a CPU replaced using iLO.

If you do encounter a physical drive with an error and you wish for this drive to be replaced, you will need to provide as much of the following information as possible about the failed drive, to allow the technicians to correctly identify which drive needs replacing:

1. Serial number

2. Type of drive (e.g. SSD, SATA HDD, etc.)

3. Capacity

4. Model

5. Physical Drive Bay Number

This information will aid the technician in locating the failed drive and swapping it with the correct replacement drive. You can use the iLO control panel to locate the required information above.

Please note that this section uses iLO 4 as an example. Different generations of HPE servers use different version of iLO. You can identify the iLO version your server is using when you log in to the iLO control panel. Older versions of iLO may have less functionality and the portal may look different to the examples shown in this FAQ; so the below may not apply to these older versions.

To do use iLO to find this information, you must first access the iLO control panel and log in. Once you have logged in, click on System Information and then Storage.

You will now be presented with a list of physically drives configured within the server. Once you have found the physical drive with the error, you will be able to find see the details required by our technicians to physically locate the drive. See the image below as an example of how to find the necessary information from the details of a physical drive:

You can supply the above information in a support ticket requesting for this faulty drive to be replaced. The technician should then be able to identify the drive which needs to be replaced. You can also supply a screenshot of the above; as the technician can also use this.

Once you provide all this information in a support ticket, the local technicians will be able to look into swapping the failed drive for you.

If the drive is missing from the iLO control panel monitoring completely (opposed to having an error), then you will not be able to provide the necessary information listed above to get the drive replaced. Instead, you can provide the information on all the drives still present on the iLO control panel and their details, so that by process of illumination our technicians can identify and replace the missing drive.

Once you have provided all the information from the drives that are still present, the technicians should be able to identify the missing drive and replace it.

If you have any further questions about iLO or Remote Management, 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.

If you do encounter an error related to the server’s memory and you wish for a RAM stick to be replaced, you will need to provide as much of the following information as possible, to allow our technicians to correctly identify which RAM stick needs replacing:

1. The failed RAM stick’s DIMM slot number (i.e. the Memory Location + Socket)

2. The failed RAM stick’s size

3. The failed RAM stick’s type

This information will aid the technician in locating the failed RAM stick and swapping it with the correct replacement RAM. You can use the iLO control panel find the above required information.

Please note that this section uses iLO 4 as an example. Different generations of HPE servers use different version of iLO. You can identify the iLO version your server is using when you log in to the iLO control panel. Older versions of iLO may have less functionality and the portal may look different to the examples shown in this FAQ; so the below may not apply to these older versions.

To locate the required information above, after logging in to iLO, click on System Information and then Memory.

Here you will be able to see a list of the RAM sticks attached to the motherboard, their status, their location and socket number, their type and their size. If a stick of RAM appears with an error, you will need to simply need to supply all the information about this RAM stick that appears in this table, in a support ticket, so that our technician can identify the failed DIMM and replace it. You can also supply a screenshot of this page.

Occasionally, if a RAM stick completely fails, it may not appear on this page with an error, but might actually be missing from this page all together. As an example, if your server is meant to be configured with 4x 32GB RAM sticks (or 128Gb of memory in total), but only 3x 32GB RAM sticks are appearing, then it is quite likely that a stick has completely failed and needs replacing. If this is the case, you will not be able to find the information above on the failed RAM stick to get it replaced. Instead, you can provide the information on all the RAM sticks that are present without errors, so the technicians can locate the failed DIMM through a process of elimination. You can also supply a screenshot of this page.

Once you have provided all the above information in a support ticket, the technicians should be able to locate and replace the faulty RAM stick.

If you have any further questions about iLO or Remote Management, 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.

If you do encounter an error related with a server’s CPU and you wish for it to be replaced, and if there is more than one CPU in this server, you will need to provide as much of the following information as possible to allow our technicians to correctly identify which CPU needs replacing:

1. The failed CPU’s number (e.g. Processor 1)

2. The failed CPU’s name (i.e. the Make and Model)

If your server only has one CPU installed, we do not require this information to locate and replace a CPU. Please feel free to raise a support ticket and we will be happy to help.

If you do have more than one CPU in the server, this information will aid the technician in locating the failed CPU and swapping it with the correct replacement CPU. You can use the iLO control panel to find the above necessary information.

Please note that this section uses iLO 4 as an example. Different generations of HPE servers use different version of iLO. You can identify the iLO version your server is using when you log in to the iLO control panel. Older versions of iLO may have less functionality and the portal may look different to the examples shown in this FAQ; so the below may not apply to these older versions.

To use iLO to locate this information, once you are logged in to the iLO, first click System Information and then Processors

Here you will be able to see a list of the CPUs installed in the server, their make and model, their identification number and their specifications. If a CPU appears with an error, you will need to supply all the information about this CPU that appears in this table and the processor number, in a support ticket, so that our technician can identify the failed processor and replace it. You can also supply a screenshot of this page.

Occasionally, if a CPU completely fails, it may not appear on this page with an error but might actually be missing from this page all together. If this is the case, then you will not be able to find the information above on the failed CPU to get it replaced. Instead, you can provide the information on all the CPUs that are present without errors, so the technicians can locate the failed processor through a process of elimination. You can also supply a screenshot of this page.

Once you have provided all the above information in a support ticket, the technicians should be able to locate and replace the faulty CPU.

If you have any further questions about iLO or Remote Management, 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.

One of the main benefits of having iLO configured on your server is that it allows you to stat an Integrated Remote Console. The remote console provides you with the same controls you would have if you were stood at the server, with a keyboard, mouse and monitor attached.

To start a remote console through iLO, first log in to the control panel and then press Java Web Start in-line Integrated Remote Console. A jnlp file will now download.

Now open up the viewer.jnlp file.

The Java Web Start iLO remote console uses the Java application to work. What happens now depends on your Java version and your Java setup on the PC you are accessing the iLO on. Depending on the Java settings, a Security Warning box may now appear. If this is the case press Continue. You may also be asked if you want to run the Java application. If so, press run.

The virtual console will window should now start.

If you have any further questions about iLO or Remote Management, 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.

Another advantage of having iLO configured on your server is that it allows the user to attach media remotely. One example of when this would be used is to upload an operating system ISO file; so the user can use this to install an operating system remotely.

To attach an ISO file to a server through iLO, first login to the iLO’s control panel and then start a remote console. If you are not sure how to do this, please use our FAQ to find information on how to perform these actions. Now click Virtual Drives at the top of the virtual console screen. Then click on ‘Image File CD/DVD-ROM’

A window will now appear allowing you to navigate your computer’s files. Select your ISO file and press Open.

You have now mapped the virtual media to the server. You should now be able to access this content through the server. If you have attached an ISO to install a new operating system, you should now be able to access this media through the boot menu.

If you have any further questions about iLO or Remote Management, 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.