OOB management

OOB (Out-of-Band) is a method of remote server management and monitoring conducted via a separate and independent communication channel. This method provides access to the hardware integrated into the server's motherboard.

In the Customer Portal, there is a page where you can view and manage the OOB. It is accessible through the following steps:

1. Open the Customer Portal and navigate to Dedicated Servers → Manage
2. Select the server and click Details
3. Scroll to the OOB section

This section contains the configurations and credentials related to OOB.

How to access the OOB management of a Dell server

For Dell servers, OOB management is performed using iDRAC (Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller).

iDRAC offers hardware-level access to the server, allowing administrative tasks to be performed even if the primary network fails, the operating system is down, or the server is powered off. iDRAC management is available through both a web interface and a command-line interface. Key features include server power management, hardware sensor monitoring, remote console capabilities, access to virtual media, and remote OS installation, including custom images.

To access iDRAC, you will need the iDRAC IP address and the corresponding credentials.

Authentication in iDRAC

Authentication can be done in two ways:

• Using OOB and VPN credentials For security purposes, the OOB management network for your servers is isolated and accessible via VPN. Use the provided VPN credentials to connect to the OOB network, then access the iDRAC interface with the iDRAC IP address and local credentials
• Temporary 24-hour access For your convenience, you can temporarily enable access to the iDRAC interface of a specific server over the Internet without needing to connect to the VPN. This temporary access will be active for 24 hours, but you can disable it earlier if needed

OOB and VPN credentials

To get access to iDRAC with OOB and VPN credentials, complete the following steps:

1. In the OOB section, click Credentials
2. Enter your account password and click Continue In the opened window, you will see the access details
3. Launch VPN on your computer using the provided credentials. In the Setup manuals section, you will find instructions for popular operating systems on how to set up and launch the VPN
   • VPN server: the access point for connecting to the VPN. The server address and credentials are entered in the VPN client software settings. After successful connection, all data transmitted between the user's device and the VPN server will be encrypted, and the user will receive an IP address associated with this VPN server
   • Shared secret: a key used to authenticate both parties (client and server) when establishing a VPN connection. This authentication method is often used in VPN protocols such as L2TP/IPsec and IKEv2. The shared secret is usually specified in the configuration files or settings of the VPN client and server
4. Open your browser and enter the IP address for accessing the iDRAC interface of a specific server
5. Authenticate using the credentials from the OOB credentials section

Temporary 24-hour access

To get temporary 24-hour access to iDRAC with OOB credentials, complete the following steps:

1. In the OOB section, click Enable public access for 24 hours
2. In the opened window, click Enable
3. To confirm this action, enter your account password in the pop-up window and click Continue

How to disable temporary 24-hour access

When the work with iDRAC is complete, you can disable temporary access to the OOB network by clicking the Disable public access button.

Please note, this button does not appear immediately. It will become available once the network reconfiguration by our automation system is complete.

How to reset OOB credentials

To reset OOB credentials:

1. In the OOB section click Reset OOB credentials
2. Click Reset to confirm
3. In the opened window, enter your account password and click Continue

OOB credentials will be reset.

How to reset VPN credentials

To reset VPN credentials:

1. In the OOB section, click Reset VPN credentials
2. Click Reset to confirm
3. In the opened window, enter your account password and click Continue

VPN credentials will be reset.

How to access iDRAC

To access iDRAC, complete the following steps:

1. Type the IP address of your server's iDRAC interface into your browser's address bar. The browser will warn you about an insecure connection due to the self-signed HTTPS certificate
2. Add an exception
3. Enter the previously obtained iDRAC credentials on the iDRAC authentication page

After logging in, you will be able to manage server settings, view the service tag, use the virtual console, and mount virtual media from local or remote (SMB) images.

How to configure iDRAC to use the HTML5 plug-in for virtual console

iDRAC versions and virtual console plug-in types

iDRAC allows you to switch between Java, ActiveX and HTML5-based plugins for virtual console capabilities and virtual media access. The HTML5 plug-in is the default plug-in in iDRAC 9. iDRAC versions 7 and 8 initially had support for Java and ActiveX. HTML5 support was added in the firmware version 2.30.30.30.

The majority of our DELL PowerEdge servers are of the 14th, 13th, and 12th generations, meaning iDRAC versions vary from iDRAC 9 to iDRAC 7.

How to determine the iDRAC version is described in this article How to identify the iDRAC version embedded in a Dell EMC PowerEdge server.

A detailed guide on how to update the iDRAC firmware is provided in this article How to update iDRAC.

How to set up the virtual console on iDRAC 7 and 8

To configure virtual console using iDRAC Web interface:

1. In the iDRAC Web interface, navigate to Overview → Server → Virtual Console The Virtual Console page is displayed
2. Enable virtual console and specify the required values. For information about the options, see the iDRAC Online Help on the official Dell web site
3. In the Plug-in Type field, select HTML5
4. Click Apply

The virtual console is configured.