Application Node Setup: HP
Intended for use with Cassatt Active Response V5.0.
Application nodes are servers that Cassatt Active Response deploys into tiers to run your business applications. In this article, I'll describe how to set up HP application nodes that use iLO or iLO2 remote access controllers for Cassatt Active Response. On each application node, you need to configure the following to facilitate Cassatt Active Response automation:
- PXE booting – Enabling PXE on application servers gives Cassatt Active Response the means to boot them over the network.
- External power controller or an integrated, on-board remote access controller – Configuring access to these gives Cassatt Active Response the means to manage power and start-up/shut down operations on application nodes.
- DHCP – Enabling DHCP on the application node gives Cassatt Active Response the means to automatically discover application nodes and pool them together for use in the Cassatt Active Response environment.
Setting up application nodes for use with Cassatt Active Response primarily involves configuring the BIOS and power controller for these purposes. (If you haven't already, review the overview document, Understanding Application Node Setup.) This article specifically describes how to set up and configure HP application nodes that include integrated, iLO-based remote access controllers. This includes iLO and iLO2 controllers. The setup tasks are:
- Cable hardware
- Configure application nodes to:
- Set the boot order
- Enable PXE
- Enable DHCP
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Prerequisites
Before setting up you application nodes, review the following:
- Verify that application nodes have a supported power controller with the latest firmware version; if not, upgrade to a recommended version of the firmware. For more information, see Recommended Hardware and Firmware.
- Know your network topology to avoid inadvertently enabling PXE on nodes that you don't want Cassatt Active Response to manage.
- If Cassatt Active Response is already running, Cassatt recommends turning off automatic node discovery and automatic node inventory until all of the nodes that you want to add are configured and you are ready to monitor discovery and inventory. (In the Controller, navigate to Discovered Pool > Properties and turn off Automatic Node Discovery and Automatic Node Inventory.) Because automatic discovery and inventory happen as soon as Cassatt Active Response detects DHCP requests, keeping this feature off until you're ready leaves you free to have application nodes and power controllers powered on or off without consequence. Keeping automatic discovery off is also recommended until switches are configured, especially if you are configuring VLANs. (For more information on using automatic discovery and inventory, see Understanding Automation: Node Discovery, Inventory, and Quarantine.)
- To discover power controllers and their attached nodes, Cassatt Active Response must know the power controller user names and passwords. Verify that the default power controller user names and passwords are set correctly for Cassatt Active Response: Discovered Pool > Properties > Power Controller Authentication.
If there is a mismatch between the power controller user names and passwords in Cassatt Active Response and those set on the application node, nodes will not be discovered.
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Step 1: Cable hardware
In this step, rack the application nodes and cable them to network switches. Refer to the following sample cabling diagrams as a guideline:
Application nodes cabled into dual control node/switch configuration
Application nodes cabled into single control node/switch configuration
For a more detailed cabling example, see this sample network cabling diagram.
If the first NIC in the application node is not going to be managed by Cassatt Active Response, make sure it is either unplugged, or plugged into its appropriate network.
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Step 2: Configure the BIOS to enable PXE and network booting
Cassatt Active Response leverages PXE and network booting to manage application nodes in the Cassatt Active Response environment, so you need to enable these features in the application node's BIOS. The following BIOS setup steps are applicable to HP DL class servers using these remote access controllers:
Follow these steps to configure the BIOS on the application nodes to enable PXE and network booting. Some steps and settings may vary according to the BIOS and network configuration utilities on your application node hardware.
- Connect a console, keyboard, and mouse to the application node.
- Power on the application node.
- As the node boots, use the specified key sequence to access the BIOS setup program. (Watch carefully. These prompts go by fast, and the function keys to access the BIOS vary from one server model to another.)
- Configure the BIOS as follows:
- Enable the NIC to PXE boot. Select the Systems Options:
| For this BIOS setting... |
Set as follows... |
Embedded NIC Port 1 PXE Support
Embedded NIC Port 2 PXE Support |
Set either one to Enabled. |
The setup screen to enable PXE on the NIC may vary from one version of the HP BIOS to another. If the BIOS setup you see is different from this example, find the embedded NIC setting under System Options and enable one of the NIC ports to PXE.
- Set the boot order. Select Standard Boot Order:
| For this BIOS setting... |
Set as follows... |
Standard Boot Order |
1. (Select the network adapter from the list of boot devices.)
2. - 5. Set per your site requirements.
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The network interface must come before the "Hard drive" option in the boot order or the node will not boot. If you place the network interface first in the boot order, you gain a small optimization in speed for node discovery and in moving nodes to the free pool. If you are operating in a test environment or you expect to need frequent administrative access to the application nodes, you can set the order to Floppy, CD-ROM, Network.
- Set the remaining BIOS parameters as required by your site, as long as there is no adverse impact on the Cassatt Active Response–specific settings described in this section.
- Save the changes and exit. The node then reboots with the new settings.
Continue with Step 3 to configure the iLO or iLO2.
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Step 3: Configure the iLO-based remote access controller to enable DCHP
Cassatt Active Response leverages DHCP requests from the application node's remote access controller to discover the node and access node information, so you need to enable DHCP in the application node's remote access controller firmware.
If you do not intend to use auto discovery, disable DHCP in the iLO or iLO2 and give it a static IP address. For more information on manually incorporating application nodes into the Cassatt Active Response environment, see Understanding Node Configuration: Manual Discovery.
The following firmware setup steps are applicable to HP DL class servers using these remote access controllers:
Follow these steps to configure the remote access controller on the application node to DHCP. These steps show iLO, but iLO2 is nearly identical.
- Boot the node and press F8 to access the iLO firmware setup program.
- Configure as follows:
- Under the Settings menu select Configure:
| For this iLO firmware option... |
Set as follows.. |
| Lights-Out Functionality |
Enabled |
| iLO ROM-Based Setup Utility |
Enabled |
| Require iLO RBSU Login |
Enabled |
| Show iLO IP during POST |
Enabled |
| Two-Factor Authentication |
Disabled |
- Press the specified function key to save the settings.
- Under the Network menu select NIC and TCP/IP:
| For this iLO firmware option... |
Set as follows.. |
| Network Interface Adapter |
On |
| Transceiver Speed Autoselect |
On |
- Press the specified function key to save the settings.
- Under the User menu, select Add and edit the Login name and password:
| For this iLO firmware option... |
Set as follows.. * |
| User Name: |
cassatt |
| Login Name: |
cassatt |
| Password: |
pcontrol |
* These are the default values set during the Cassatt Active Response installation for iLO-based power controllers.
Power controller user names and passwords must match those defined in Cassatt Active Response. If they do not match, Cassatt Active Response will not be able to manage those nodes. If another user name and password was set during the Cassatt Active Response installation, enter those values instead of these default values.
Or, alternatively, you can set your own user name and password here, and then update the Controller (Discovered Pool > Properties > Power Controller Authentication) accordingly.
- Press the specified function key to save the settings.
- Use the following table to determine your next step: :
| If configuring... |
Then.. |
| iLO |
Go to step H. |
| iLO2 |
Go to step P. |
- For iLO power controllers, you need to assign a static IP address temporarily for the purpose of accessing the HP iLO web configuration program. Under the Network menu, select DNS/DHCP:
| For this iLO firmware option... |
Set as follows.. |
| DHCP Enable |
Off |
- Under the Network menu, select NIC and TCP/IP:
| For this iLO firmware option... |
Set as follows.. |
| IP Address |
A temporary static IP address |
- In a web browser, enter the static IP address for the iLO you specified in step I. This opens the HP iLO web configuration program.
- Log in with the user name and password you specified in step E.
- Under the Administration tab, select Global Settings:
| For this Global Settings option... |
Set as follows.. |
| Remote Console Port Configuration |
Enabled (telnet) |
| Remote Console Data Encryption |
No (telnet) |
- Click Apply.
- Log out of the iLO web configuration program.
- Reboot the application node and press F8 to access the iLO firmware setup program. Continue with step P.
- Under the Network menu, select DNS/DHCP:
| For this iLO firmware option... |
Set as follows.. |
| DHCP Enable |
On |
| F1 Advanced menu |
Set everything to Enabled. |
- Press the specified function key to save the settings.
- Under the File menu, select Exit to exit the iLO or iLO2 firmware setup.
- If you are going to use auto discovery, after the node reboots, record its MAC address and rack and slot. You can then associate each discovered node with a corresponding rack and slot in the Controller during discovery.
- Power off the node.
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Step 4: Start node discovery and inventory
If you are using auto discovery and inventory, follow these steps:
- Verify that application nodes' power controllers are turned on.
If you are discovering large numbers of application nodes, Cassatt recommends powering on power controllers 50U racks at a time. Cassatt Active Response will discover and inventory nodes approximately 15 nodes at a time.
- Verify that Cassatt Active Response is up and running.
- Log in to the Controller, navigate to Discovered Pool > Properties, and turn on Automatic Node Discovery and Automatic Node Inventory.
- At this point, Cassatt Active Response starts receiving DHCP requests from the application nodes, which initiates node discovery and inventory.
- In the Controller, monitor discovery and inventory. For guidance through the discovery and inventory process, see Understanding Node Discovery, Inventory, and Quarantine.
If network switches are added after the application nodes have been inventoried, you must run inventory again.
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