Notes on using iDRAC 6 with Dell PE R710

I'm using a Dell PowerEdge (PE) R710 for my homelab. This server has a remote management feature, iDRAC 6 Express, ie the one without the dedicated management port and also doesn't require any licensing.

Instead a shared LOM (Lights Out Management) port is used from the four-port NIC-outlet bank in the back.

Enable and configure iDRAC 6

• Reboot your server.
• After you see the virtual drives scanned, be ready to press Ctrl-E within five seconds.
• Having entered the config utility, change the following settings as needed. Assuming TCP-IPv4 is used.
  • iDRAC6 LAN: Set to On.
  • LAN Parameters:
    • NIC Selection: Set to Shared with Failover LOM2. This means you should connect a network cable to NIC port number 2.
    • IPv4: Set to Enabled.
    • IPv4 Address Source: Set to Static. You don't want to chase down the correct IP when you need it.
    • IPv4 Address: Set to your preference. I used 192.168.0.197, the same as the rest of the network.
    • Subnet Mask: Set to your preference. I used 255.255.255.0, the same as the rest of the network.
    • Default Gateway: Set to your preference. I used 192.168.0.1, the same as the rest of the network.
    • DNS Servers from DHCP: Set to Off.
    • DNS Server 1: Set to your preference. I used 192.168.0.1, the same as the rest of the network.
    • DNS Server 2: Set to your preference. I used 192.168.0.1, the same as the rest of the network. I couldn't delete the old DNS address there, so set it to the same as DNS Server 1.
  • Press ESC and choose Save Changes and Exit.
• Server should resume boot.

Accessing the iDRAC

iDRAC 6 is fairly old and won't work out of the box as is with modern web browsers.

There are two practical alternatives to access the iDRAC, as well as two others that are a little more involved and which I won't get too deep into.

Alternative 1

1. Use eg VirtualBox to install Windows XP and an old web browser.
2. I used Firefox ESR v 52.9.0.
3. Enter 192.168.0.197 in the address field and press Enter. You should see a login page from the iDRAC.
4. Default uid and password is root and calvin. This can be changed in either the config utility or in the iDRAC itself.
5. If you get a message like "The maximum number of user sessions is reached", you may have to press the small iDRAC reset button on the server itself. It's the small round button next to the LCD-display. Press and hold it for about twenty seconds.
   NB! It's not the on-off button!

Alternative 2

1. Use your regular OS's web browser.
2. If using Firefox, enter about:config in the address field.
3. Acknowledge the warning.
4. Enter security.tls.version.min and press Enter.
5. Default value should be 3.
6. Change it to 1.
7. Repeat step 3-5 as needed from Alternative 1 above.
8. When done, you may want to reset step 4 to the default value.

Alternative 3

• Use the dockerised image found on the github link in the Sources list below.
• I wasn't able to make this work properly FWIW, but it may work better for you!

Alternative 4

• Install ipmitool; https://phoenixnap.com/kb/install-ipmitool-ubuntu-centos.
• Follow the steps outlined in the Spiceworks link in the Sources list.

Sources

https://archyver.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-dell-idrac6-part-1-idrac6-configuration-utility.html
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1101896
https://github.com/DomiStyle/docker-idrac6
https://community.spiceworks.com/t/fix-dell-idrac-7-error-rac0218-the-maximum-number-of-user-sessions-is-reached/353948/12
https://phoenixnap.com/kb/install-ipmitool-ubuntu-centos
https://www.dell.com/community/en/conversations/systems-management-general/idrac6-enterprise-root-password/647f15d5f4ccf8a8de87455e?commentId=647f15f6f4ccf8a8de8953ec