Administrator Guide

Beyond Alerts – policy-based actions
14 Prefailure alerts provided by Dell EMC PowerEdge server systems management | ID 426
3 Beyond Alerts – policy-based actions
Getting an alert is one thing; acting on it is another. Some companies still have IT staff patrol the aisles of
their data center, taking notes of flashing or amber lights. This process is a time-consuming task with the
potential for overlooked or missed information.
For customers with a smaller IT shop with a few servers, the emailed alert option from iDRAC can be an
effective solution. An iDRAC email alert is both informative and actionable. It provides the server name,
service tag, an exact, easy-to-understand description of the error and the error message ID.
But for larger data centers, a more comprehensive solution is required to ensure proper uptime. This section
discusses how tools such as OpenManage Enterprise, VMware vCenter, and Microsoft System Center use
and consume alerts.
3.1 Alerts and OpenManage Enterprise
For IT shops of all sizes, Dell EMC offers the OpenManage Enterprise console. OpenManage Enterprise is a
“one to many” console that can monitor and manage 8000+ PowerEdge servers. Also, OpenManage
Enterprise can be set up to receive SNMP traps from almost any servers, storage, or networking device using
the MIB importer. OpenManage Enterprise also allows users to set up a policy to trigger an action when the
alert is received. IT administrators can also write a script to automate the actions they want to take after
receiving certain alerts.