User guide

Introduction

The Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller 6 (iDRAC6) is designed to improve the overall availability

of Dell servers and to help system administrators save time. The iDRAC6 achieves this by alerting

administrators to server problems, enabling remote server management and reducing the need for the

administrator to physically visit the server.

The iDRAC6 can help improve an administrator’s ability to manage a server without having physical

access to the server, even when it is not operational. This can help administrators in the following ways.

1. Increased Availability – Early notification of potential or actual failures can help prevent a server

failure or reduce recovery time in the case of a failure.

2. Improved Productivity and Lower TCO – Extending the reach of administrators to larger numbers

of distant servers can make IT staff more productive while driving down operational costs such

as travel.

3. Enhanced Embedded Management via Lifecycle Controller – Lifecycle Controller provides local

deployment and simplified serviceability via Unified Server Configurator and WSMan interfaces

for remote deployment integrated with Dell Management Console and other consoles.

4. Secure Environment – By providing secure access remote servers, administrators can carry out

critical management functions while maintaining server and network security. This is the topic

explored by this whitepaper.

Unlike the DRAC5, the iDRAC6 is available in three flavors: iDRAC6 Express, iDRAC6 Enterprise, and the

vFlash option for iDRAC6 Enterprise. While the iDRAC6 Express offers a rich feature set, iDRAC6

Enterprise extends this feature set with more advanced remote access features. The vFlash option for

iDRAC6 Enterprise enables still more automation features including virtual flash partitions and advanced

Lifecycle Controller features. Each version of iDRAC6 provides secure access to its feature set.

Because iDRAC6 is a networked-attached device with powerful management features, securing the

iDRAC6 interfaces is of paramount importance. This whitepaper explores how security is built-in to the

iDRAC6 hardware and software design so IT administrators can spend more of their time on productivity

than security concerns.

Physical connections to iDRAC

When considering the security of a device it is helpful to visualize its physical connections within the

system. Figure 1 illustrates the iDRAC6 processor and how it integrates with its physical environment. It

is a 220 MHz System on a Chip (SOC) using 128 MB of RAM. For nonvolatile storage it has access to an

EEPROM whose size is dependent on the server model, a 1 GB eMMC card (for the Life Cycle Controller),

and optionally a 1 GB SD card (vFlash). The bootloader and configuration for the iDRAC6 is stored on the

EEPROM, and the primary firmware image is stored on the eMMC card for 200-900 series servers.