OpenManage Mobile Brings the Power of Augmented Reality to PowerEdge MX
Download PDFMon, 16 Jan 2023 17:14:53 -0000
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Summary
Dell EMC OpenManage Mobile, a unique Android or iOS app, helps IT Administrators track data center issues and respond rapidly to unexpected events. Anytime. Anywhere. OpenManage Mobile (OMM) is a powerful tool inside the data center also, perhaps especially with regard to the PowerEdge MX chassis. With OMM’s Augmented Reality capabilities, IT Admins can simply point the camera of their mobile device at the front of the MX chassis, tap the screen, and get a visual health overlay of the MX platform. Tapping the screen again drills down into lower-level health messages. Many systems management actions can similarly be taken directly from the mobile device, using OMM. These capabilities greatly boost the efficiency of IT Admins, helping them to save time, gain better understanding of their data center, and reduce potential for error and downtime.
Introduction
Dell EMC OpenManage Mobile (OMM) is a mobile application for monitoring and managing Dell EMC PowerEdge servers, the PowerEdge MX7000 chassis and other datacenter equipment, from Android and iOS mobile devices. OpenManage Mobile enables IT Administrators to perform a subset of server configuration, monitoring, troubleshooting, and remediation tasks from anywhere. Thus, whether the IT Admin is in the data center or away from it, he or she can monitor and manage their infrastructure from their mobile device. They can also receive proactive notifications from OpenManage Enterprise consoles and take appropriate actions, as needed.
Quick Sync 2
When the IT Admin is in the data center, OpenManage Mobile can communicate directly with a PowerEdge server or an MX chassis with Quick Sync 2, an optional wireless module embedded in the server or MX chassis. The Quick Sync 2 module eliminates the need for mobile device to be on management network. The IT Admin uses the OpenManage Mobile app on their mobile device and taps the Quick Sync button on the hardware to connect with the app via Bluetooth. The Admin can now access information about their PowerEdge server or PowerEdge MX platform from the app. Users can browse the screens to view inventory, view health status, or even do basic configuration and take action, e.g. change the IP address, change the password, or change key BIOS settings.
Remote management – in the data center
Even though in this scenario these actions are being performed in the data center (rather than remotely, away from the data center), this does not minimize the benefits of flexibility and efficiency brought to the data center itself by OpenManage Mobile: The IT Admin is no longer tied to a console on a desk - instead, he or she can roam the data center at will. And, when roaming the data center, he or she is no longer dragging a crash cart along with them – all the functionality of the crash cart is right in the IT Admin’s hand, on their smart device.
Augmented Reality
With a PowerEdge MX7000 chassis, OMM utilizes Augmented Reality to make monitoring even simpler. The IT Admin simply views the chassis through their mobile device camera in the OMM app and is able to see the chassis image with health overlays on top of individual components.
This capability is activated in just a few simple steps:
- In the OpenManage Mobile app with Quick Sync activated, focus your camera on an MX chassis.
- The OMM app identifies the MX chassis.
- The OMM app places health overlays on top of every component in the MX image, as shown in Figure 1 below.
- Clicking on any health overlay provides more details.
Figure 1: OpenManage Mobile with Augmented Reality provides visual overlays to give IT Admins at-a-glance health status of their PowerEdge MX platform, right on the camera of their mobile device.
A brief, 1-minute video, Manage your PowerEdge MX with Augmented Reality https://youtu.be/TSiNRmX2H60, shows this technology in action.
How does Augmented Reality on PowerEdge MX work?
OpenManage Mobile uses Augmented Reality (AR) to provide an overview of health updates by looking at the MX chassis through the mobile device camera. By calculating the plane of the chassis’ front face and identifying key shapes that make up important components, such as the fan or power button, OpenManage Mobile creates a 3D boundary of where the chassis exists in the real world and overlays a blueprint of all the chassis parts and components on top of the boundary.
How does Quick Sync feed into AR?
In order to draw meaningful data onto the detected chassis, OpenManage Mobile reads details about the chassis health status from the Quick Sync 2 module on the chassis. Quick Sync 2 utilizes Bluetooth Low Energy to wirelessly host its health and component data, allowing OpenManage Mobile to connect and read the server. All Quick Sync 2 communications are encrypted with a secure handshake like what is available in HTTPS connections. If OpenManage Mobile has connected to the chassis at least once before working with augmented reality, the broadcast address and chassis certificate will quickly and automatically match and validate the Quick Sync 2 connection.
In Conclusion
Dell EMC OpenManage Mobile (OMM) liberates IT Admins by allowing them to perform many management functions without having to be physically present at a console in the data center. With OMM, IT Admins don’t need a crash cart anymore; the OMM app on a mobile device is the crash cart. With OMM’s powerful Augmented Reality capabilities, IT Admins can learn the health status of their PowerEdge MX platforms within seconds, by simply aiming the camera of their mobile device at the MX chassis and tapping the screen. This not only saves time and greatly simplifies the day of the IT Admin, it also boosts efficiency, productivity, and reduces the potential for error and downtime.
Notes:
- View the brief video, Manage your PowerEdge MX with Augmented Reality, available at https://youtu.be/TSiNRmX2H60
- Read the white paper Understanding Augmented Reality Monitoring in OpenManage Mobile
- Find still more information at the OpenManage Mobile website, https://www.delltechnologies.com/en- us/solutions/openmanage/mobile.htm
- Download OpenManage Mobile for iOS or Android
Related Documents
A PowerEdge MX environment using OpenManage Enterprise and OpenManage Enterprise Modular can make life easier
Tue, 13 Feb 2024 04:28:44 -0000
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Compared to a Cisco UCS-X environment using Intersight, the Dell environment streamlined making changes to VLANs and helped avoid interventions during scheduled firmware updates
Decision makers who are equipping their data centers with new servers typically weigh many factors as they choose a platform. While performance and pricing are important, another less obvious consideration is how easy server life cycle management will be. The amount of time that IT staff must spend performing routine server management activities can vary greatly depending on the management tools at their disposal. The right tools can significantly streamline and simplify ongoing management tasks such as updating firmware and making changes to virtual local area networks (VLANs). Tools that automate these processes reduce the likelihood of error and save time, which can free administrators to pursue initiatives that add value to the business.
To explore the differences between the solutions, we configured two test environments: (1) a Dell™ PowerEdge™ MX environment using OpenManage™ Enterprise (OME) and the embedded OpenManage Enterprise Modular (OME-M) and (2) a Cisco® UCS® X-series environment using Intersight. We executed two management scenarios, recording the time and steps necessary to use the tools in each environment and noting any differences in approaches.
In the scenarios we tested, completing networking changes in a Dell PowerEdge MX platform required up to 33 percent fewer steps and up to 40 percent less time than carrying out the same tasks on a Cisco UCS platform. Additionally, administrators can schedule updates with the Dell PowerEdge MX platform in advance, which eliminates the need for them to intervene during overnight maintenance windows. These findings suggest that companies planning to upgrade their older Cisco UCS servers may want to consider instead shifting to Dell PowerEdge MX servers and enjoy time savings and these lower management costs.
* Dell PowerEdge MX environment using OpenManage Enterprise and OpenManage Enterprise Modular compared to a Cisco UCS-X environment using Intersight.
About our testing
We compared a Dell PowerEdge MX chassis environment with Dell OpenManage Enterprise and OpenManage Enterprise Modular against a Cisco UCS X-Series chassis environment with Cisco Intersight. We executed two management scenarios in the Dell PowerEdge MX760c environment and the Cisco environment:
- VLAN updates with a requirement for VLAN tagging after deployment
- Automated firmware updates with no administrator intervention required
Figure 1 shows our test environment. The management tools for the Dell PowerEdge MX environment, OME and OME-M, are located on premises. Intersight, the controller for the Cisco environment, resides in the cloud.
Our test environment. Source: Principled Technologies.
About the Dell PowerEdge MX server platform
Dell calls the PowerEdge MX a “modular, 7U integrated solution designed for enterprise data center density with easy deployment, management, and maximum longevity” and says its no-midplane design and scalable fabric architecture allow it to support new processor technologies and connectivity options.[i]
Learn more at https://www.dell.com/en-us/dt/servers/modular-infrastructure/poweredge-mx/index.htm#tab0=0&tab1=0&accordion0.
What we learned
Making VLAN changes
We looked at how much time and effort it took to make changes to the network with the addition of VLANs. For the Dell solution, we leveraged the Dell OpenManage Enterprise Modular console, and for the Cisco solution, we used Cisco Intersight.
We found that using OME-M for deploying changes through the fabric manager took 1 minute and
2 seconds less administrator time, and nine fewer steps, than deploying the same changes through Cisco Intersight (see Figures 2 and 3). Additionally, Cisco requires the (non-disruptive) deployment of the VLAN changes twice—once for the domain profile, and again for the individual blades in question. This yielded a 40.25 percent time savings when using the Dell PowerEdge MX chassis. (To see a list of steps we completed in each environment, see the science behind the report.) Carrying out fewer steps means fewer opportunities for error, and spending less time on routine tasks gives administrators more opportunities to innovate.
Hands-on administrative time (in minutes and seconds) necessary to make VLAN changes. Less time is better. Source: Principled Technologies.
Number of hands-on administrative steps necessary to make VLAN changes. Fewer steps are better. Source: Principled Technologies.
About Dell OpenManage Enterprise and OpenManage Enterprise Modular
OpenManage Enterprise is a one-to-many systems management console for the data center. The console offers a modern HTML5 graphical user interface and deploys as a virtual appliance for VMware ESXi™, Microsoft Hyper-V, and Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) environments. OpenManage Enterprise can discover and inventory on IPV4 and IPV6 networks for up to 8,000 devices, including Dell rack servers, Dell tower servers, and Dell blades and chassis.[ii]
Learn more about OpenManage Enterprise at https://www.dell.com/en-us/lp/dt/open-manage-enterprise.
OpenManage Enterprise – Modular Edition is an embedded systems management solution for the Dell PowerEdge MX chassis. It delivers the primary abilities of OpenManage Enterprise within the server chassis and can manage servers across several PowerEdge MX chassis. A web/RESTful API interface manages all nodes, including compute and networking.[iii]
Learn more about OpenManage Enterprise – Modular Edition: https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/ipovw/openmanage-modular.
Updating firmware
If you’re an IT administrator, you’ve probably accepted that working in the middle of the night on occasion comes with the territory. However, any management tools that allow you to avoid pulling all-nighters can make your work life much more comfortable.
When we explored the firmware updating process with the Dell solution, we found that we could schedule the update to take place either immediately or at some future date and time of our choosing, and we could select the method by which the reboot would occur. The options for scheduled updates are graceful reboot with forced shutdown, graceful reboot without forced shutdown, or a power cycle, which is a hard reset equivalent to pressing the power button once to shut the server down and a second time to power it back on.[iv] With any of these choices, administrators can schedule updates to occur within an overnight maintenance window, and they would not have to be present or take action unless a server failed to return to service for some reason.
With the Cisco solution, we submitted the firmware update job, and Intersight sent the files to the target servers we had selected. It then performed the update at the next reboot. We could toggle a switch at job submission to force an immediate reboot, but we could not find any timing mechanism specific to the update that would allow us to schedule it for a future time. This means that during an overnight maintenance window, an admin would have to be awake to reboot the servers so the server then applies the update. Also, if an administrator were to submit the package and someone were to reboot the server prior to the maintenance window, cluster members could be subject to inconsistencies.
To summarize the difference between the two environments, in the Dell environment, the updates could be a zero-touch task for admins most of the time; they would be present only in the event of a true incident, and not simply for scheduled maintenance. The Cisco environment, in contrast, requires admins to be present and fully participating every time they wish to update firmware.
To see a list of steps we completed in each environment, see the science behind the report.
Conclusion
We executed two management scenarios in a Dell PowerEdge MX environment with Dell OpenManage Enterprise and OpenManage Enterprise Modular and a Cisco UCS X-Series chassis environment with Cisco Intersight. We learned that the Dell solution’s single-part profile modification for performing VLAN updates was quicker and simpler than the Cisco solution’s two-part profile deployment, requiring 40 percent less time and two-thirds as many steps. We also compared the firmware updating process on the solutions. Being able to schedule these updates to occur automatically from the online Dell repository offered an advantage over having to manually execute the same tasks from the Cisco Intersight repositories. Namely, administrators do not need to take action during maintenance windows but can instead schedule them ahead of time. Saving time on routine tasks frees administrators to pursue innovation, and being able to avoid middle-of-the-night duties helps companies provide a better work experience for admins. Together, these advantages help make Dell PowerEdge MX servers a good candidate for companies considering upgrading the older Cisco UCS servers in their data centers.
This project was commissioned by Dell Technologies.
January 2024
Principled Technologies is a registered trademark of Principled Technologies, Inc.
All other product names are the trademarks of their respective owners.
Resources
[i] Dell, “PowerEdge MX,” accessed December 20, 2023, https://www.dell.com/en-us/dt/servers/modular-infrastructure/poweredge-mx/.
[ii] Dell, “OpenManage Enterprise,” accessed December 20, 2023, https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/learn/openmanage-enterprise.
[iii] Dell, “OpenManage Enterprise.”
[iv] A fourth option is to select to stage the updates for the next sever reboot, but this is not scheduled.
OpenManage Enterprise Boosts Data Center Staff Productivity
Mon, 16 Jan 2023 17:26:48 -0000
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Summary
Many necessary tasks performed by IT Admins aren’t complex, but are repetitive, time-consuming, and can deflect attention from other, long-term initiatives. The Dell EMC OpenManage Enterprise systems management console delivers powerful automation capabilities that simplify the workflow of the IT Administrator, saving valuable time and reducing the potential for error and downtime. This tech note summarizes the results of recent testing to prove out the benefits of OpenManage Enterprise, and points interested users to a no-charge trial copy.
Introduction
Dell EMC OpenManage Enterprise (OME) is an intuitive infrastructure management console that allows IT staff to discover, deploy, update, and monitor Dell EMC PowerEdge™ servers. It also enables IT administrators to view and make changes to other equipment in the data center infrastructure, including chassis, storage, and network switches on the enterprise network. OME helps users to:
- Simplify: OpenManage Enterprise brings the ability to handle a wide range of IT administration tasks into a single, intuitive systems management solution, thereby greatly reducing complexity.
- Unify: OME is a one-to-many systems management console, built to scale: With a single instance of OME, IT Administrators can manage up to 8,000 devices regardless of form factors, such as Dell EMC PowerEdge rack-, tower-, or modular servers, or PowerVault MD and ME storage systems, or third-party devices. Have more than 8,000 devices in your infrastructure? Just add additional instances of OME.
- Automate: OME helps to boost IT Admin productivity by automating tasks throughout the server lifecycle. For example, OME can speed server discovery and deployment; streamline BIOS and firmware update processes; and produce customized reports.
- Secure: Security is a top priority with Dell EMC OpenManage solutions, including the OpenManage Enterprise console. For example, OME can detect drift from a user-defined configuration template, alert users, and remediate misconfigurations based on pre- setup policies.
Measuring Benefits
With the recent release of OpenManage Enterprise v3.4, we were interested in measuring just how much OME capabilities can benefit IT Administrators, easing demands on their scarce time and freeing up energies for higher priority and strategic tasks. To do the evaluation, we engaged with Principled Technologies, an independent testing and evaluation organization. (Readers can learn more about Principled Technologies at www.principledtechnologies.com). Testing and evaluation were performed in May/June 2020.
At our request, Principled Technologies evaluated several systems management tasks, and documented their findings in a summary report, “Boost data center staff productivity with OpenManage Enterprise”, which readers can find at http://facts.pt/sq2w04k. In each test, Principled Technologies measured the time and effort required to complete each task using OpenManage Enterprise and compared those results to completing the same tasks manually. In this brief tech note, I’ll call out just one of the results, and encourage readers to go to the report at the link above for a longer discussion.
Firmware Update
Since updating firmware is a critical, recurring IT Admin task, and one which can consume a good deal of time, we were interested in what benefit OME could deliver here. Principled Technologies testing showed that, updating a single server using OME was 8 seconds faster than performing the update manually, or 20% faster. Saving 8 seconds doesn’t sound like a big deal, and it’s not, if all the IT Admin has to do is update one server. But again, the power of OpenManage Enterprise comes in when scaling the capability and applying the same task to large numbers of servers. Using OpenManage Enterprise, an IT Admin needs only the same amount of time and effort for multiple servers as they did for a single server.
By contrast, the administrator would require more time and effort, over and over and over again, with each additional server when using the manual method (i.e. time scales linearly when using the manual method). Thus, as shown in the Principled Technologies report, for a data center with 1,000 servers, updating firmware using OME eliminates 2,996 steps and performs the task 99% faster, saving 11 hours 6 minutes 8 seconds off the clock (i.e. saves more than one full work day, just to perform one of the many tasks that fall on an IT Admin). Since a single instance of OpenManage Enterprise supports eight times as many servers as in this test case (8,000 vs. 1,000), one can see that the potential time savings are enormous.
Figure 1: When applying firmware updates to a server infrastructure of 1,000 servers, OpenManage Enterprise can save IT Administrators over 11 hours of their time, compared to performing the same task manually.
Additional Capabilities
Other systems management tasks evaluated in the study include: initial deployment of servers; repurposing server hardware; reconfiguring hardware and deploying servers; and completing urgent data center recovery. Readers are encouraged to view the Principled Technologies report at the link above or in the Notes section below, for the results of those tests. Beyond those tasks, OpenManage Enterprise delivers even more capabilities that benefit users:
With multi-homing, administrators can connect OpenManage Enterprise to public and out-of-band networks simultaneously, enabling them to concurrently manage test and production servers without needing to switch networks. This feature is available for OpenManage Enterprise versions 3.3 and higher and setting it up is quite straightforward: It takes only 18 steps and 4 minutes 5 seconds to implement. Readers can see the aforementioned Principled Technologies report for details.
New to OpenManage Enterprise 3.4 is server-initiated discovery. Dell EMC provides the option for new servers to ship with unique login credentials for enhanced security. Server-initiated discovery in OpenManage Enterprise 3.4 provides a method to discover these servers without needing to scan the network for each new server using complex, unique management credentials. As the testing at Principled Technologies showed, it takes only 5 steps and 15 seconds to set up this capability, yet it could potentially save large amounts of deployment time, while also reducing potential for human error (which could lead to downtime).
OpenManage Enterprise 3.4 also delivers thermal event detection capabilities, which allow IT Administrators to set power policies for thermal budgeting. Every 15 minutes, OpenManage Enterprise checks each target server in the thermal-managed group. If it detects servers running an abnormally high temperature, it can use event triggering to place those servers in a low-power state to cool them down, which could prevent damage to critical internal components. Setting this up is a one-time event, which takes only 16 steps and 1 minute 37 seconds.
Trial Copy
Use of Dell OpenManage Enterprise to monitor devices is free. Use of advanced features requires that the OpenManage Enterprise Advanced license is installed on the target server. Users interested in experiencing these advanced features in their own data centers can download a no-charge, 30-day trial copy. The free download is available on the OpenManage Enterprise support site: https://www.dell.com/support/article/en- us/sln310714/support-for-openmanage-enterprise?lang=en
At that site, scroll down a bit to the section entitled, “Evaluate, Purchase and Download of the OpenManage Enterprise Advanced license”.
In Conclusion
As data centers of all sizes continue to grow and transform, more and more demands are placed on the scarce time of IT Administrators. Many of the tasks performed by Admins are simple, but are tedious and time- consuming, and can deflect attention from other initiatives that are more important in the long run. The OpenManage Enterprise systems management console delivers powerful automation capabilities that can be applied to those repetitive, time-consuming tasks, thereby simplifying the workflow of the IT Administrator, saving valuable time, and reducing the potential for error and downtime.
Notes:
- Comprehensive information about OpenManage Enterprise can be found here: https://www.delltechnologies.com/en-us/solutions/openmanage/enterprise.htm
- A brief, 3-minute video summarizing the results of testing performed at Principled Technologies is available here: http://facts.pt/0jwglja
- This crisp, 3-minute video describes how the OpenManage Enterprise console simplifies management by providing powerful automation capabilities, enabling IT Administrators to extend their span of control and use of time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXu5j7wVwp4&feature=youtu.be
- A brief, animated video about OpenManage Enterprise is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=RDCMUClWVI6vuTSuGO5OtOgG_UEw&v=xd0dt-0SctI&feature=emb_rel_end