Managing Dell™
Systems That Run
Novell® NetWare®
Enterprise Systems Group (ESG)
Dell OpenManage™
Systems Management
Dell White Paper
By Vipul Arvind
vipul_arvind@dell.com
September 2002
Contents
Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................... 3
Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 4
Managing Servers with Dell OpenManage Server Administrator ..................................... 5
Managing storage with Dell OpenManage Array Manager .......................................... 6
Managing servers that have SCSI controllers .................................................................. 7
Enabling remote management with remote access cards ............................................... 7
Installing/Upgrading/Uninstalling Server Administrator on NetWare Systems ............. 9
Install/Upgrade ....................................................................................................................... 9
Interactive install (From NWConfig Utility) ...............................................................................10
Silent install (From Server Console, also used from automated scripts) ................................12
Uninstalling Server Administrator ................................................................................... 12
Interactive uninstall (using the NWConfig Utility) ...................................................................12
Silent uninstall (From Server Console) ........................................................................................13
Other Useful Documents and Web Sites on System Management .................................. 14
Useful Documents (Systems Management from Dell) ................................................. 14
Useful Web-Sites (Systems Management from Dell) ................................................... 15
Glossary ........................................................................................................................................ 16
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 18
Author Biography ................................................................................................................ 18
References:............................................................................................................................. 18
Tables
Table 1: Features available from Dell to Manage Systems running Novell Netware ........................ 3
Figures
Figure 1: Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Home Page............................................................ 5
Figure 2: Remote Management Hardware from Dell ............................................................................. 7
Figure 3: General flow of Install process .................................................................................................10
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Section
1
Executive Summary
Dell offers management capabilities for its servers that run on major platforms,
including Microsoft® Windows®, Red Hat® Linux, and Novell® NetWare®
operating systems. This paper describes several systems management features
(See Table 1) and products for Dell systems running NetWare, with a special
focus on Dell OpenManage™ Server Administrator.
Dell OpenManage Products (ISVs Included)
Support for Novell Netware
V 5.1
V 6.0
Dell OpenManage Server Administrator


Dell OpenManage Server Agent


Dell OpenManage Array Manager


Dell Remote Assistant Card (DRAC II)


Dell Remote Access Card (DRAC III)


Adaptec CIO Agent

X
Table 1: Features Available From Dell to Manage Systems Running Novell
Netware
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Section
2
Introduction
Dell provides several components to manage Dell™ PowerEdge™ servers
running the Novell® NetWare ® operating system. The Dell OpenManage series
of products allow administrators to locally and remotely manage systems that
encompass many devices. The software and adapter cards discussed here
support NetWare 5.1 and 6.0. The exception is the Adaptec CI/O™ agent, which
supports only NetWare 5.1.
The Dell OpenManage Server Administrator program allows for the
management and monitoring of an individual Dell server. It has a web browser
interface, so users can perform a variety of actions locally or remotely – see
Figure 1. These actions include:

The ability to perform configuration changes

Status reporting on the various components in the server
Server Administrator has been described in detail in other papers (see
http://www.dell.com/us/en/biz/topics/vectors_2001-serveradministrator.htm and
http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/topics/openmanage/omsa_paper.doc ).
This paper explains in detail the various system management features available
from Dell to manage systems running Novell NetWare.
This paper is organized as follows:
1.
Managing servers with Dell OpenManage Server Administrator
This also includes details of how to:
2.

Manage Storage

Manage Servers installed with SCSI Cards

Enable remote management with remote access cards
Installing/Upgrading/Uninstalling Server Administrator on NetWare
systems
This includes details of new features available with Install/Uninstall of Dell
OpenManage Server Administrator for systems running Novell NetWare.
This also includes various steps to install/uninstall Server Administrator.
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Section
3
Managing Servers with Dell OpenManage
Server Administrator
Dell OpenManage Server Administrator lets administrators manage their
NetWare-based systems from a command line interface (CLI) through the
operating system and from an integrated, Web browser-based graphical user
interface (GUI). Figure 1 shows the Server Administrator home page. System
administrators can locally and remotely manage systems on a network. The oneto-one system management provided by Server Administrator allows
administrators to manage an individual server while focusing on their entire
network.
Figure 1: Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Home Page
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The capabilities of Server Administrator help manage Dell systems, and can help
reduce total cost of ownership.
Administrators can manage the external storage attached to the server. Server
Administrator maintains an audit trail of changes made to the server, monitors
and reports server health, and provides asset and inventory information. Remote
access capabilities include remote shutdown and restart, and remote
management.
All Server Administrator software components reside on the managed server; the
management console needs only a Web browser. This approach is designed to
require little maintenance, and lets administrators who have an Internet or
intranet connection manage the network from any local or remote location.
The Server Administrator CLI enables system administrators to run scripts on a
group of servers, one server at a time. This capability assists group management
by letting administrators generate and compile reports (such as inventory), and
perform management activities without affecting users’ day-to-day operations.
Access to Server Administrator occurs through an HTTP secure (HTTPS)
connection using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to protect the identity of the
managed system. Novell NetWare operating systems compatible with Server
Administrator use native Java™ SSL and SAS (Secure Authentication Services,
which is built on Novell International Cryptographic Infrastructure, or NICI) to
protect sensitive data transmitted over the socket connection when a user
accesses the Server Administrator home page.
Dell OpenManage IT Assistant, installed on the management console,
communicates with Dell OpenManage Server Administrator on the managed
server to provide one-to-many system management in which one console
manages many servers.
Managing storage with Dell OpenManage Array Manager
Dell OpenManage Array Manager provides a single interface to configure SCSI
and Fibre Channel RAID, plus disk and volume management. Administrators
can configure and manage local and remote storage devices attached to a server
while the server is online and processing requests.
OpenManage Array Manager provides propagation of storage status and event
capture and logging from all storage components that have the OpenManage
array management agent on the managed server. The array management tool on
the management console lets administrators perform the following:

Create and configure virtual disks (RAID arrays)

Manage RAID and non-RAID devices

Create partitions and volumes
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OpenManage Array Manager supports all currently shipping and most legacy
Dell PowerEdge servers and RAID controllers. See the ReadMe file included with
the latest release for details.
Dell OpenManage IT Assistant includes integrated storage management. A
single interface lets administrators launch array management utilities from IT
Assistant and perform storage management operations.
Managing servers that have SCSI controllers
Adaptec Comprehensive Input/Output (CI/O) manages and monitors servers
that have an Adaptec SCSI controller, which monitors the channels and devices
configured on each channel. The managed server that has Adaptec SCSI
controllers must have Dell instrumentation to use Adaptec CI/O agent features.
To configure this component and use it from the management console,
administrators must install Dell OpenManage Connections (For more
information on Dell OpenManage Connections, please refer to the following
document:
http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/topics/openmanage/connections_overvie
w.doc).
Enabling remote management with remote access cards
The Dell Remote Assistant Card II (DRAC II) and the Dell Remote Access Card
III (DRAC III) – see Figure 2 – are PCI hardware interface cards that enable
remote management of Dell PowerEdge servers. When DRAC II or DRAC III is
installed on PowerEdge servers, administrators can manage those servers that
may or may not be operational.
Figure 2: Remote Management Hardware from Dell
On systems running Novell NetWare, administrators should install DRAC II or
DRAC III and the associated software on the managed server. From the
management console, administrators can use OpenManage IT Assistant,
OpenManage Server Administrator, and DRAC II Web Console to deploy the
management capabilities provided by these cards, which let administrators:
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
Manage the server remotely through console redirect —and experience fast
performance at high resolution

Perform an orderly shutdown for maintenance tasks and following critical
component failure

Access the system after power failure using the onboard battery, although
access may be limited

Reset and power up the server

Access the server internal logs to help identify the cause of a failure
Dell Remote Access Cards support both in-band and out-of-band communication
modes. In-band mode allows communication with the card or the managedserver system through the managed-server system’s NIC connection. Out-ofband mode allows communication with the card or the managed-server system
through the card’s remote access ports, which include Ethernet (embedded NIC),
modem (optional), and VT 100 serial (optional). Establishing in-band
communication with DRAC II requires Dell OpenManage IT Assistant.
DRAC II works with all Dell PowerEdge servers except the SC line, PowerEdge
1550, and PowerEdge 7150. DRAC III works with the PowerEdge 7150,
PowerEdge 4600, PowerEdge 1650, PowerEdge 6600, PowerEdge 6650, and
PowerEdge 2650.
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Section
4
Installing/Upgrading/Uninstalling Server
Administrator on NetWare Systems
Install/Upgrade
This section describes the features associated with install/uninstall of Server
Administrator. The section also details the steps for doing an
install/uninstall/upgrade (both interactive and silent mode).
The Installation program on the Dell OpenManage Systems Management CD lets
administrators install Dell OpenManage products from a single point. The
netware directory, located at the root level of the Systems Management CD,
contains the files required for installation of OpenManage Server Administrator
on servers running the NetWare operating system. For systems running Novell
NetWare, the installation program offers many new features, some of which are
summarized below:

System Type Detection: The installation program detects the system type (for
example, Dell PowerEdge 2400 or PowerEdge 2500) and then installs the
appropriate components for that particular system. The program supplies an
appropriate message if it detects an unsupported system.

Hardware Detection: The installation program uses its own hardware
detection mechanism prior to installing a particular piece of software. For
example, if hardware detection does not find DRAC II or DRAC III, then
software components that provide the management features for the card will
not be installed.

Single Entry Point for Installation: The NWConfig utility requires only one
initial script (omsetup.ips) file, present under the <CD Drive>:\netware
directory. Administrators use this file to install the product. The installation
program will detect the operating system version (NetWare 5.1 or 6.0) and
will proceed accordingly (See Figure 3 for general flow of install process).

Upgrades: All Server Administrator components are upgraded transparently
to the user. If the installation program detects a previous version of a
component, it upgrades the component to the latest version while keeping
the user preferences intact in configuration files.
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Interactive install (From NWConfig Utility)
Start
Preliminary checks: This includes
(a) Checks for Dell systems type to install appropriate software components
(b) Hardware detection for installing appropriate software components
(c) Checks for all pre-requisite software for Server Administrator and other components
(d) Checks for different versions supported (Netware 5.1 and 6.0)
Installation of one sub component or Agent includes tests for its hardware and software
dependencies, updating the required Netware configuration files (for example autoexec.ncf)
to include inforamtion about the particular component and copying the modules required for
smooth functioning of this agent.
It is important to note that Server Administrator' install takes care of Upgrade cases. For
example if it detects that previous version of 'Dell openManage Server Agent' is already
installed on the host system, it just upgrades the required modules whil e keeping tha user
preference information in configuration files intact. Handling Upgrades is one of the most
important feature included in Server Administrator
Install Sub Component no.1
Install Sub Component no.2
Install Sub Component no.'n'
Post install updates: This includes
(a) Updating the files (product specific and Netware configuration).
(b) Udating the Netware Product database (to include Server Administrator's
information)
(c) Updating the modules which are required for un-installing Server Administrator.
(d) Clean the temporary files and directories.
Stop
Figure 3: General flow of Install process
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As stated, there is only one entry point; the following are the steps to install
various Management software pieces from Dell.
1.
Insert the Systems Management CD into the system's CD drive.
2.
Type load cdrom and press <Enter>.
3.
If the volume name does not display, type volumes at the console prompt
and press <Enter>.
4.
All available volumes display.
5.
Record the volume name for the CD drive.
6.
Type load nwconfig and press <Enter>.
7.
In the NetWare Configuration screen under Configuration Options, select
Product Options and press <Enter>.
8.
On the Other Installation Actions menu, select Install a product not listed
and press <Enter>.
NOTE: A dialogue box listing previously selected paths might appear after
pressing <Enter>. Press <Esc> to close this dialogue box.
A default message appears, stating that the product is to be installed from drive
A:\.
1.
Press <F3> to specify a different installation path.
Erase A: and type the volume name and path: volume_name:netware
(Where volume_name is the name of the volume assigned to the CD drive.)
2.
After you enter the path, press <Enter> to continue.
A message appears, stating:
Indicate which file groups you want installed.
Server Administrator installs automatically.
3.
Select the other components you want to install.
NOTE: Items selected for installation have an X next to them. Pressing
<Enter> next to an item selects that item. Pressing the spacebar next to an
item toggles the selection between selected and not selected.
4.
To accept the components you have selected and to continue with
installation, press <F10>.
The installation of Server Administrator and the components you selected
begins. Status messages appear.
The Systems Management Security Utility appears and asks whether you want to
change the default security settings.
NOTE: The default root password is calvin.
Select one of the following options:

September 2002
Press <y> to change the user password.
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Dell Enterprise Systems Group

Press <n> if you want to add or change a user other than "root." You can
change defaults for "root." You are prompted for a user name and password.
When you are finished adding users, press <q> to return to the installation
program.

Press <q> to quit the security utility and to accept default "root" security.
The installation of Server Administrator and the components you selected
continues. Status messages appear.
When the installation of Server Administrator completes, press <Esc> twice and
Performing a Silent Installation or Upgrade of Server Administrator.
Silent install (From Server Console, also used from automated scripts)
Use the following procedure to silently install Server Administrator for the first
time or to upgrade to a more recent version of Server Administrator.
1.
Insert the Systems Management CD into the system's CD drive.
2.
Type load cdrom and press <Enter>.
3.
If the volume name does not display, type volumes at the console prompt
and press <Enter>.
4.
All available volumes display.
5.
Record the volume name for the CD drive.
6.
Type load volume_name:\Netware\ominss32.nlm and press <Enter>.
The installation script installs all necessary files to the managed server. If you are
upgrading to a more recent version of Server Administrator, the installation
script will uninstall previously installed versions before installing the current
version of Server Administrator.
<Enter> once to return to the console prompt and exit the NWConfig program.
Uninstalling Server Administrator
You can uninstall Server Administrator from your system, using the Product
Options menu in the NWConfig utility, or using the silent uninstallation script
provided on the Systems Management CD.
Interactive uninstall (using the NWConfig Utility)
1.
At the NetWare command line console, type load nwconfig and press
<Enter>.
2.
Select Product Options from the Configuration Options menu.
3.
Select the View/Configure/Remove option from the Other Installation
Actions menu.
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4.
Select the SRVADMIN option from the Currently Installed Products menu
and press <Delete> to uninstall Server Administrator.
Silent uninstall (From Server Console)
1.
Insert the Systems Management CD into the system's CD drive.
2.
Type load cdrom and press <Enter>.
3.
If the volume name does not display, type volumes at the console
prompt and press <Enter>.
i. All available volumes display.
4.
Record the volume name for the CD drive.
5.
Type volume_name:\Netware\omunins.ncf and press <Enter>.
The installation script uninstalls all Server Administrator files from the managed
server.
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Section
5
Other Useful Documents and Web Sites on
System Management
Useful Documents (Systems Management from Dell
These documents are available either on Dell’s Support website
(support.dell.com) or on the documentation CD.

The Dell OpenManage Server Assistant Systems Management Software
Quick Installation Guide provides an overview of applications that you can
install on your management station (console) and on your managed servers,
and procedures for installing those applications on supported operating
systems.

The Dell OpenManage Server Administrator SNMP Reference Guide
documents the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) management
information base (MIB). The SNMP MIB defines variables that extend the
standard MIB to cover the capabilities of systems management agents.

The Dell OpenManage Server Administrator CIM Reference Guide
documents the Common Information Model (CIM) provider, an extension of
the standard management object format (MOF) file. The CIM provider MOF
documents supported classes of management objects.

The Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Messages Reference Guide lists
the messages that are displayed in your Server Administrator home page
Alert log or on your operating system’s event viewer. This guide explains the
text, severity, and cause of each Instrumentation Service Alert message that
Server Administrator issues.

The Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Command Line Interface User's
Guide documents the complete command line interface for Server
Administrator, including an explanation of CLI commands to view system
status, access logs, create reports, configure various component parameters,
and set critical thresholds.

The Dell OpenManage Array Manager User's Guide provides a
comprehensive reference guide for configuring and managing local and
remote storage attached to a system.

The Dell Remote Access Card III User's Guide provides a comprehensive
reference guide for remotely managing and monitoring a system with an
installed DRAC III, even when the system is down.
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Dell Enterprise Systems Group

The Dell OpenManage Product Documentation. This user manual is
available on a CD (part of Dell OpenManage Kit), which is shipped with
every Dell Server.
Useful Web Sites (Systems Management from Dell)
http://www.dell.com/openmanage
http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/topics/openmanage/omsa_paper.doc
http://www.dell.com/us/en/esg/topics/openmanage_server_mgt_server_mgt.htm
http://www.dell.com/us/en/esg/topics/openmanage_client_mgt_client_mgt.htm
http://www.dell.com/us/en/esg/topics/openmanage_server_mgt_managestorage.htm
http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/topics/openmanage/remote_mgmt_card
s_info.doc
http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/topics/openmanage/connections_overvie
w.doc
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Section
6
Glossary
CI/O
Acronym for comprehensive input/output.
ConsoleOne
Novell® ConsoleOne is a Java-based foundation for graphical utilities that
manage and administer network resources from different locations and
platforms. ConsoleOne provides a single point of control for all Novell and
external products.
CLI
Abbreviation for command line interface.
ISV
Abbreviation for independent software vendor.
PCI
Abbreviation for Peripheral Component Interconnect. The predominant 32-bit or
64-bit local-bus standard developed by Intel Corporation.
PERC
Acronym for Expandable RAID controller
PKCS #7
Abbreviation for Public Key Cryptography Standard #7. PKCS #7 is an RSA Data
Security, Inc., standard for encapsulating signed data such as a certificate chain.
PKIS
Abbreviation for Novell Public Key Infrastructure Services.
NICI
Abbreviation for NetWare International Cryptographic Infrastructure.
NLM
Abbreviation for NetWare Loadable Module.
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NWConfig
NWConfig is a utility (NLM) from Novell, which is used to modify Netware
server’s configuration, perform server management operations and install
additional products.
X.509 Certificate
An X.509 certificate binds a public encryption key to the identity or other
attribute of its principal. Principals can be people, application code (such as a
signed applet) or any other uniquely identified entity (such as a Web server).
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Section
7
Conclusion
Server Administrator is a tool from Dell that allows for the management of an
individual server. It provides users the ability to perform configuration changes,
to remotely manage the server, and to perform certain other features that
together can help the end-user bring down the total cost of ownership (TCO) of
the system.
This paper described the Dell OpenManage products for PowerEdge systems
running the Novell NetWare operating system, with a special emphasis on the
Dell OpenManage Server Administrator program. It provides the details of
management features that are available with Server Administrator along with
instructions to on how to install/uninstall the same.
Author Biography
Vipul Arvind
Vipul Arvind (vipul_arvind@dell.com) is a software engineer advisor in the
Software Development Installation Group at Dell, where he has developed Dell
OpenManage modules for Windows, NetWare, and Linux platforms. He has led
development of the NetWare portion of an installation framework to integrate
Dell OpenManage products.
Vipul has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Delhi University, India.
References:
http://www.dell.com/us/en/biz/topics/vectors_2001-serveradministrator.htm and
http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/topics/openmanage/omsa_paper.doc).
THIS WHITE PAPER IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, AND MAY
CONTAIN TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS AND TECHNICAL INACCURACIES.
THE CONTENT IS PROVIDED AS IS, WITHOUT EXPRESS OR IMPLIED
WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND.
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Dell Enterprise Systems Group
Dell, PowerEdge, and OpenManage are trademarks of Dell Computer Corporation. Microsoft, Windows, and Windows
NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Novell and NetWare are registered trademarks of Novell, Inc.
Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.
Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and
names or their products. Dell disclaims proprietary interest in the marks and names of others.
©Copyright 2002 Dell Computer Corporation. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the
express written permission of Dell Computer Corporation is strictly forbidden. For more information, contact Dell.
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
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