FAQ
13 iDRAC9 with Lifecycle Controller—Best in class management for Dell EMC 14th generation PowerEdge Servers
iDRAC is OS- or hypervisor-agnostic, but there are still a few reasons to have a connection between the OS
and iDRAC—such as the watchdog timer in the OS which advises iDRAC to start a crash video.
In that timeframe, a smaller, lightweight replace for OMSA came around—the iDRAC Service Module (iSM)
was introduced. Using only 3–5MB of running memory (compared to the 150–200 used by OMSA,) iSM
provides additional solutions that OMSA cannot provide. For example, iSM can reset an iDRAC8 iDRAC9
remotely, if the iDRAC is not responsive by using the GUI or RACADM commands.
Coming for iDRAC9, iSM offers additional functionality, such as:
Full Remote Power Cycle by using iSM
o Remotely drain all DC power from the server (including auxiliary power) and all its internal nodes
for server troubleshooting
o Benefits
o No need for support personnel to be present at server to pull power cables and plug back
in
o Power is restored back automatically in about 20 seconds.
o Significantly reduces time for remotely troubleshooting hardware
In-band iDRAC Access using host OS IP using iSM
o iDRAC interfaces can be accessed by using in-band Host IP addresses (iDRAC GUI, Redfish,
WS-Man, and SNMP traps)
o Benefits
o Helps customers to get to iDRAC by using the host’s in-band network without creating a
separate dedicated network
o Helps OMSA customers to migrate to iSM
1.1.5 iDRAC Security best practices
The iDRAC Security Best practice recommendations:
iDRACs are intended to be on a separate management network; they are neither designed nor intended
to be placed on or connected to the internet. Doing so could expose the connected system to security and
other risks for which Dell is not responsible.
Along with locating iDRACs on a separate management subnet, users should isolate the management
subnet or vLAN with technologies such as firewalls, and limit access to the subnet or vLAN to authorized
server administrators.
Dell EMC also recommends:
o Continually upgrading to the latest version of iDRAC firmware
o Set the “SSL Encryption” to “256 bit or higher”
o Set the “TLS Protocol” to “TLS 1.2 or higher”