Evolution of Intelligence System Management Dell OME 4.0 Release
Tue, 31 Oct 2023 15:30:28 -0000
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Why were the films Star Wars episodes 4, 5, and 6 released before episodes 1, 2, and 3? In charge of the schedule, Yoda was!
At Dell, we like to keep things simple, so we released version 4.0 of OpenManage Enterprise following on from release 3.10. For customers new to OpenManage Enterprise, often referred to as OME, it is Dell’s management console solution, offering comprehensive lifecycle management for Dell PowerEdge servers and so much more.
Designed to simplify, OpenManage Enterprise offers you the ability to orchestrate and automate repetitive server management tasks at scale. Customers have a choice of:
- Using the OME GUI
- Integrating the data from OME into VMware virtual center or Microsoft System Center via plugins
- Leveraging the rich restful API that offers 100% the features of the GUI offering Infrastructure as code for DevOps teams
Capabilities can be extended with additional plugins, ranging from automated Dell support case creation via the Services plugin to detailed and granular firmware updating via the Update Manager plugin. With Ansible modules, Terraform support, and Service Now integration, OME supports multiple ways to extend orchestration.
Combining OpenManage Enterprise with Dell CloudIQ utilizes the power of AIOps to detect server metrics anomalies. Trends can be analyzed and forecasted for capacity, power, and processing. Server security can be proactively improved using intuitive security policies and automated relevant CVE alerting. Adding server telemetry to data from other Dell infrastructure collected by CloudIQ gives you end to end management with predictive analytics to reduce risk by addressing problems before they have an impact.
Server power usage can be optimized to support sustainability by using the Power Manager plugin to maximize visibility and management of servers’ power consumption. You can review consumption and set power strategies using telemetry visualization and reports on power utilization, power costs, CO2 emissions, thermal data, GPU data, and performance metrics. Power Manager also supports analysis of power data by virtual machines, components, individual servers, racks, or even entire data centers. The plugin can automatically respond to power and thermal events to limit issues. With built-in idle server detection and reporting, hunting down underutilized zombie servers becomes easy.
OpenManage Enterprise strengthens servers’ cybersecurity defenses, covering elements from highlighting and deploying the latest firmware updates to configuration drift detection. With support for LDAP, Microsoft AD, iDRAC password rotation, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) with RSA SecurID, and CyberArk credential provider, management is a breeze.
OpenManage Mobile, a mobile app that provides monitoring capabilities from an Android or Apple phones, extends OpenManage Enterprise into your pockets. The app enables you to receive push alerts from OpenManage Enterprise, view server configuration details, and even view and control server consoles on mobile devices. Say hello to managing your servers from almost anywhere!
Following are the highlights of new features for OME 4.0 and associated plugins updates. For more details, visit the OME and plugin support pages in the Resources section.
OME 4.0
- OME can now access iDRAC passwords via CyberArk vault
- OME can now create encrypted credentials to access iDRAC and rotate them automatically
- Local Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) with RSA SecurID
- Support new server platforms (see OME Support Matrix for details)
- New generation PowerEdge servers
- New XR/XE/XC/VxRail platforms
- TLS 1.3 support
- Secure Boot (appliance allows only OS distribution provided signed binaries to run at startup)
PowerManager plugin 3.2 (for OME 4.0)
- GPU power and thermal data
- Visualization of multivariate data to observe patterns and trends in server telemetry data
- AMPs readings from Grid A and B (when more than one power supply is deployed)
- BIOS system profile and workload profile reporting
OpenManage Enterprise integration For VMware vCenter or OMEVV (for OME 4.0)
- Support for the vSphere 8.0 U2
- Support for non-clustered hosts baseline profiles, firmware compliance, and application of firmware updates
- Apply System Profile to baremetal hosts (System Profile = Deployment Template of OME)
- vLCM support for standalone hosts
- OMMP 3.0 new management park for VMware Aria Operations for OMEVV plugin
Update Manager plugin 1.5 (for OME 4.0)
- Set the Baseline to any Repository Version
- Automate Repository Refresh on server or component update, such as add/remove
- Compare and report different repositories
OME Integration for Microsoft Systems Center Plugin (OMEMSSC) 1.2
- SCOM Web Console Support
- SCOM Alert Auto Resolution
- SCOM Resource Pool Management
CloudIQ Plugin (CIQP) 2.0
OME Services Plugin (OME-S) 4.0
Are you getting the maximum benefits from Dell OpenManage? As I always say, where there are servers, there's a server management need!
Resources
- OpenManage Enterprise white papers and videos: Support page
- OpenManage Documentation: User Guide, API Guide and support matrix etc
- OpenManage Enterprise API: Dell Technologies Developer
- OpenManage Ansible Modules and example API scripts: GitHub OpenManage Ansible
- Dell System Management Info Hub: Tech notes, videos, infographics
Author: Mark Maclean, OpenManage Technical Marketing Engineering
Linkedin : uk.linkedin.com/in/markmacleandell
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14 reasons to fall in love with Dell OpenManage Enterprise 4.0 this Valentine’s Day
Wed, 24 Apr 2024 15:44:39 -0000
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It’s Valentine’s Day, and love is in the air. Dell OpenManage Enterprise is ready to sweep you off your feet with its 14 swoon-worthy features. Imagine a romantic dinner, but instead of music, there are servers humming in perfect harmony, and instead of roses, there is a management tool that makes your heart flutter. OpenManage Enterprise is like the perfect date: attentive, reliable, and always there to make sure the bond between administrators and PowerEdge servers is as smooth as silk. So, grab a box of chocolates, cuddle up with your server rack, and let's dive into the 14 features of Dell OpenManage Enterprise (also known as OME) that will make you believe in love at first sight!
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
1. OME offers lifecycle management for Dell PowerEdge servers
This includes orchestrated discovery of servers, health monitoring, firmware updating, warranty status information, and alert response automation such as SNMP Trap Forwarding and Forwarding to Syslog servers, as well as more than 30 reports as standard with the ability to create custom reports, all delivered in a virtual appliance.
2. Apply VMware cluster-aware firmware updates.
A feature offered by the OME plugin for VMware OMEVV. This leverages VMWare’s vCenter, DRS, and maintenance mode to sequentially update each member server in a cluster with zero down time for your virtual machines during firmware updates.
3. Chart and analyze telemetry information from multiple servers
Visualise multivariate metrics on one graph in OME Power Manager for review. This data includes key performance / power / thermal & IO data. Develop and review a baseline of server performance over time to spot trends and problems before they become an issue.
4. Automatically create Service Requests with Dell Technical Support.
When a hardware failure is detected, OME Service plugin creates a case with Dell , reducing the time to fix. Note : Dell pro support contract required.
5. Enable OME iDRAC credential management (password rotation),
keep OME iDRAC usage compliant with organisations password rotation policy
6. Monitor servers’ power consumption, respond to thermal events, report carbon emissions, and cap the power if required
With OME Power Manager managing server power, customers can report energy usage and build a strategy to lower energy bills, even selected HPE and Lenovo servers are supported.
7. Streamline installation of new servers.
Remove manual steps by systematically deploy server configuration profiles templates and operating systems, reducing time to production for newly delivered servers
8. Build a single view of your entire Dell infrastructure including server, storage, networking, and data protection
Plug OME data into Dell’s cloud-based proactive monitoring and predictive analytic tool, CloudIQ, to better collaborate and simplify operations.
9. Put server management into your pocket
Extend OME to your mobile device with OpenManage Mobile and get secure control where ever you are.
10. Make drift Detection Proactive
Drift management of firmware & settings gives visibility of issues while simultaneously reducing time and effort to resolve.
Drift Management improves operational efficiency and enhances server security posture.
11. Integrate ServiceNow n with OME
Deliver both population of the ServiceNow CMDB with OME data and automatic incident creation for critical events, combining data to enhance service delivery.
12. Integrate Microsoft System Center with OME
Bring Dell server monitoring, deployment, and configuration management into MECM and SCVMM, so customers can leverage skills and investment in system centre
13. Create an infrastructure as code environment
Use Dell’s packs for Terraform from HashiCorp or Redhat’s Ansible support. Watch this video of OME template deployment via Ansible to see just how simple it is.
14. Build custom automation and bespoke integrations
OME Restful API offers DevOps teams deep software-defined infrastructure
Show your PowerEdge servers some love and deploy OpenManage Enterprise 4.0 today.
Resources
OpenManage Enterprise white papers / videos: Support page
Dell System Management Info Hub: Tech notes, videos, infographics
OpenManage Enterprise hands on lab environment: Dell Software Demo Center
Authors: Mark Maclean OpenManage Technical Marketing Engineering
Linkedin : uk.linkedin.com/in/markmacleandell
Steve Daborn, Senior Global Product Marketing Manager
Linkedin : linkedin.com/in/stephendaborn
OpenManage Enterprise - Customer Success Stories
Wed, 24 Apr 2024 15:43:00 -0000
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We are often asked what the best tool is for managing Dell PowerEdge servers. In this blog, discover how both our in-house Dell IT team and Cambridge University, a long-term customer, use our server management solutions to manage thousands of PowerEdge servers, ultimately avoiding outages, boosting overall server productivity, reducing maintenance windows, and delivering increased operational efficiency.
How Dell IT excels in server management using Dell OpenManage
Dell’s in-house IT team manages over 18,000 PowerEdge servers. The fleet of servers range from brand new to five years old, resulting in a mix of server models and generations. These servers are located across eight major data centers globally. Workloads include Dell.com and back-office systems such as Dell’s order management system. In fact, Dell runs over 600 business applications. Many of these are mission critical, and an outage can have a major impact on customers, sales, and support, down to stopping even the production line.
Server hardware management is done via OpenManage Enterprise (OME), encompassing alerting, monitoring, firmware updating, and configuration deployment and management, as well as power consumption monitoring. Each data center has a dedicated OpenManage Enterprise instance responsible for approximately 2,500 servers.
Monitoring of server health events is covered by OME and integration with Service Now, which automatically creates trouble tickets and routes them to the appropriate team for remediation. Power usage data is collected and monitored, then used to optimize power load per rack cabinet and flag underutilized servers showing lower than expected power draw.
To aid automation and rapid distribution firmware, updates are collected, tested, and released via a customized catalogue. These custom catalogues are assembled and tested by the Dell IT server management team and are consumed by OME to orchestrate server updates. Urgent updates to resolve security CVEs can be pushed out at will by OME following a change management approval. The largest patch job completed by the team so far was an iDRAC firmware update task for 14,500 servers in one change request, demonstrating how scalable OME automation is.
Security is built into Dell’s processes and tools. Microsoft Active Directory integration enables the OME audit log to record who did what and when, recording the AD user account name. The team also use OME configuration drift detection reporting, which audits a server’s current configs against the desired state, highlighting non-conforming servers that OME can then resolve by re-applying a server template.
With Dell IT using OME at major scale in their complex production environment, any customer can be confident OME will perform at scale. As Dell IT says, “If you have Dell PowerEdge servers, you really need to be running OpenManage Enterprise.”
University of Cambridge server management at scale
With an estate of 3,500 Dell servers plus other devices in one data center, the team at Cambridge University needs efficient and scalable server management. The HPCC server group uses integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) embedded in every server and OME to maximize the day-to-day efficiency of admin tasks such as health monitoring, firmware updates, and configuration.
Config management and drift detection are achieved via OME’s configuration compliancy features. Each cluster has a collection of firmware configuration settings. These templates are set and monitored centrally via OME with alerting set for non-compliant hosts. Firmware updates are also streamlined using OME and customized in-house firmware repositories built with OME update manager. Updates are scheduled and then left to run automatically against multiple servers, freeing administrators to focus on more novel tasks. Finally, server health monitoring is real-time. Any alerts are sent from iDRAC to OME with the status notified and logged by OME. Using the Dell TechDirect service portal, the team is able log fault calls and request any required parts from Dell.
Operational highlights include:
- Reduction in time to resolution of faults
- Quicker and easier implementation of firmware updates
- Set BIOS settings configuration across an entire cluster in one easy automated job
Beyond the Dell OpenManage tools, Cambridge uses the iDRAC server telemetry feature to stream power and thermal data to Graphite and Grafana. These Dell metrics, along with values from other data center infrastructure, are aggregated and visualized for analysis of trends, ensuring the clusters are powered and cooled effectively.
Join the ranks of satisfied customers who have optimized their server management operations and enjoy the peace of mind brought about by Dell OpenManage.
Resources
- Podcast: How Would You Go About Orchestrating a Fleet of More Than 18,000 Servers?
- Dell System Management Info Hub
- OpenManage Enterprise Support
Authors:
Mark Maclean, PowerEdge & OpenManage Technical Marketing Engineering
Steve Daborn, Senior Global Product Marketing Manager
Linkedin : uk.linkedin.com/in/markmacleandell | linkedin.com/in/stephendaborn