Altiris Deployment Solution
for Dell Servers v2.0 SP1
Agenda
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Dell IT Success Story
Deployment Solution for Dell Servers Overview
Single Image for Dell PowerEdge Servers White Paper
KeyLabs Study
Demo
Rip and Replace Process Flow / Blade Change Rule Options
Where to Go for More Information?
Dell IT Success Story
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Dell IT global rollout of Deployment Solution:
– Japan, China, Ireland, Amsterdam Training Center, etc.
– Solution to drive global standardization and efficiency for server
deployment
Typical Build
– Update components pre-OS (BIOS, ESM, DRAC, etc.)
– Config BIOS, DRAC, BMC, RAID, etc.
– Unattended install of Windows/Linux (slipstream hotfixes, etc.)
– Server apps and agents
Results
– Part of a project that reduced server deployment operations staff from 40
to 5!
– Admin Time: 6 hours per server to 20 minutes (includes cabling)
– Build time 2-4 hrs. per server (unattended by admin)
– Performed up to 80 simultaneous deployments
Where To Get Dell IT Case Study
"We are extremely pleased
with the results of
implementing Altiris
Deployment Solution. We
have reduced the
console time for each
server build dramatically.
We have repeatable
processes that can be
used in each region."
- Christopher Casias, Senior Systems
Engineer of Wintel Engineering for Dell IT
www.altiris.com/dell
Deployment Solution for Dell Servers
• Altiris Deployment Solution for Dell Servers adds Dellspecific predefined jobs to the Altiris Deployment
Solution console(s)
• Integrates the 16bit and 32bit Dell OpenManage Tool
Kits (DTK) with 5th-9th generation support (DOS, WinPE,
and Linux pre-boot supported environments)
• 1st product released from the Management Suite for Dell
Servers (mid ’04)
• Top standalone server solution sold through Dell
channel
• Considered a must have for all-in-one Dell Server
provisioning
Benefits
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•
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Reduce administrator deployment time from hours to minutes
Pre-provision Dell Servers using MAC, Asset Tag, or Service Tag
Capture/Configure/Redeploy BIOS/BMC/RAID/DRAC (non-blade) settings
as 1:many application
– Tokenization of DRAC and BMC settings
– Define IP address pools for DRAC and BMC configuration
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Deploy Windows/Linux operating systems via image or scripted installs
– Scripted install now uses common directory for mass storage and PnP drivers
– Ability to import drivers from Dell Server Assistant (DSA) CD
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Power management through DRAC and BMC (IPMI)
– Discover DRAC devices based on IP range and/or ability to manually add DRAC
and BMC IP addresses to database and associate with managed node
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Install server applications (such as OMSA, SQL Server, Oracle 10g, ESX
Server, etc.), service packs, hotfixes, etc.
Ability to download Dell Update Packages (DUPs) from internet and/or
import from Dell Server Update Utility (SUU) CD (published quarterly) to
patch HW as part of provisioning process
Rip and replace support for PE1655MC, PE1855, and PE1955 Blade
Servers
Updated! - Single Image for Dell PowerEdge Servers
• How to Build a Single
Image for Dell
PowerEdge Servers
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Overview
Best practices
Methodologies used
Step by step
instructions
– Support files
• Download white paper:
www.altiris.com/dell
Single Image for Dell PowerEdge Servers
20 PowerEdge Servers Successfully Tested!!
Model
Processor(s)
PERC
RAM
Storage
Add-on Cards
6300
Dual P3 Xeon 550Mhz
PERC 2
1.5GB
16GB
n/a
6450
Quad P3 Xeon 700Mhz
PERC 2
512MB
18GB
n/a
1550
P3 1.2Ghz
PERC 2
2GB
36GB
n/a
2550
Dual P3 1Ghz
PERC 3/Di
2GB
36GB
PERC 3/DCL
1650
Dual P3 1.4 Ghz
PERC 3/Di
2GB
36GB
n/a
P3 1.3Ghz
PERC 4/im
512MB
18GB
n/a
2600
Dual P4 Xeon 2.4 Ghz
PERC 4/Di
2GB
36GB
n/a
2650
Dual P4 Xeon 3.1 Ghz
PERC 3/Di
6GB
36GB
n/a
4600
Dual P4 Xeon 2.2 Ghz
PERC 3/Di
4GB
36GB
n/a
6650
Xeon 2.8Ghz
PERC 3/QC
8GB
36GB
n/a
4600
Dual P4 Xeon 2.2 Ghz
PERC 3/Di
4GB
36GB
n/a
750
P4 Xeon 2.8Ghz
CERC SATA 1.5
1GB
36GB
n/a
1750
Dual P4 Xeon 2.8Ghz
PERC 4/Di
1GB
17GB
PERC 4/DC, PERC 4/SC,
DRAC 3
1850
Dual Xeon 3.4 Ghz
PERC 4e/Di
2GB
136GB
n/a
1855
Xeon 3Ghz
LSI Ultra 320 SCSI
256MB
36GB
n/a
2850
Dual Xeon 3.4 Ghz
PERC 4e/Di
2GB
136GB
n/a
860
P4 3Ghz
SAS ATA/133
1GB
314GB
n/a
1950
Dual Xeon 3Ghz
PERC 5/i
2GB
36GB
n/a
2900
Dual Xeon 3.2Ghz
PERC 5/i
8GB
136GB
n/a
2950
Dual Xeon 3Ghz
PERC 5/i
2GB
36GB
PERC 5/e
1655MC
KeyLabs Independent Study
Server Deployment Time Comparison - For 25 Dell Servers
Qty of 25 Dell PE 2650 Servers
Server Builds Tested
Manual
Installation
(hh:mm)
MS SQL 2000:
- BIOS, RAID, DRAC config
- Windows 2000 Advanced Server
- SQL Server 2000
- Dell Update Packages
41:15
RH Apache:
- BIOS, RAID, DRAC config
- Redhat EL 3.0 AS
- LAMP (mySQL, Apache, PHP)
- Dell Update Packages
30:25
Dell Server
Assistant CD
(hh:mm)
Altiris
Admin
Time
Altiris
Build
Time
26:15
5 sec.
4:15
(36%
reduction)
(99%
reduction)
(90%
reduction)
16:32
5 sec.
3:55
(46%
reduction)
(99%
reduction)
(87%
reduction)
*Required an initial setup time of 3h:45m to install and configure Altiris
KeyLabs Independent Study (cont)
Microsoft SQL 2000 Server Deployment
Admin Time Comparison
Manual
180
Dell Server Asst. CD
Administrator Time
Required (in hours)
160
Altiris
140
120
100
80
60
40
Altiris/Dell adds this value
for Dell customers
20
0
-20
1
25
50
100
No. of Servers Deployed
Download the study at www.dell.com/altiris
RDP White Paper from Dell Custom Solutions
White paper from Dell
Custom Solutions
discusses how to
install the Dell
Deployment Add-on
pack from Altiris inside
HP’s RDP console.
(“Zero Switch Cost”)
Go to www.dell.com/altiris for
this and other white papers
Video – Installing Dell Management into RDP
This is a silent video demonstrating
how Dell management (Altiris
Deployment Solution for Dell
Servers) can be snapped into HP's
Rapid Deployment Pack (RDP) to
manage a heterogenious
environment of both HP and Dell
hardware. (3m 33s) (50.6MB)
http://www.altiris.com/delldeploy
DEMO
(Screen Shots)
Imported Predefined Dell Jobs
• Predefined Dell jobs
import into DS Console
Jobs Pane
• Integrated Dell
OpenManage Tool Kits
with support for DOS,
Linux, and WinPE Pre-OS
environments
• Full provisioning support
for 5-9G PowerEdge rack
and tower models
Dell Config Utility - “Server Models” Tab
1
Get DUP Catalog – Download published DUP catalog from
Dell’s support website (internet connection required)
2
Select OS type and type of DUPs to be downloaded from
published catalog (internet connection required). Multiple
Add
to System
– made
Selectby
PEenabling
models corresponding
are added to system
selections
can be
out
of
the
box.
This
button
allows
you
to add legacy
checkbox here
“Supported by DTK” servers to system for provisioning
support
3
Remove From System – Removes selected PE models
from system
Copy Utility Partition Image – Copies the upimg.bin file
from DSA CD to install 32MB Dell utility partition as part of
provisioning process
Edit Configuration File – Edit configuration files captured
from running jobs in the predefined “1. Pre-OS Deployment
Jobs” folder. Config files are now “tokenized” and allow
easier 1:many deployments using custom and built-in DS
tokens
Download DUPs – Downloads single or multiple selection
of DUPs to appropriate PE model directories
.\Dell\Toolkit\Systems…
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2
3
Output of DRAC Config (PE1850)
Fields are “tokenized” to
inject data from eXpress
database before
configuration occurs
Output of BIOS/BMC Config (PE1850)
Field is “tokenized” to inject
data from eXpress database
before configuration occurs
*Note – When using the Linux or
WinPE jobs, the BIOS/BMC is
captured as a single file
(sysset.ini). When using the
DOS jobs, the BIOS and BMC
are captured separately
(biosset.ini, bmcset.ini)
Dell Config Utility - “Server Models” Tab
4
Get catalog on startup – Automatically download published
DUP catalog when Dell Configuration Utility is launched
(internet connection required).
Get catalog and packages from – Specifies source of
imported DUPs, Online from Dell’s support website or Local
from Dell’s Server Update Utility (SUU) CD. ISO image of
SUU CD can be downloaded from support.dell.com. CD is
published on quarterly basis.
Supported by DTK – Allows you to filter PE models based
on the pre-OS environment the DTK supports for bare metal
provisioning. *To filter, check only the “Supported by DTK”
box on the main screen of the “Server Models” tab. Then
check the desired checkbox for the pre-OS environment on
this screen. The results are displayed in the window of the
main screen below the “Server Models to Display”.
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Dell Config Utility - “IP Ranges” Tab
1
Add – Adds user defined IP address pools for 1:many
DRAC and BMC configuration. Works just like DHCP. Once
IP address is used, it’s removed from pool.
Remove – Removes selected IP address range
Move Up – Moves selected IP address range up for higher
priority
Move Down – Moves selected IP address range down for
lower priority
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Dell Config Utility - “Power Control” Tab
1
Discovery Method – Discover DRAC (PE1655) / NonBlade or IPMI devices. *PE1855/PE1955 DRAC IP’s and
chassis positions have to be manually entered to enable
power control
Begin IP – Starting IP range
End IP – Ending IP range
2
3
1
User name – User name configured for out of band
management access. Default from factory is “root”
Timeout
per
IP addressconfigured
– 10 seconds
is the
optimal
Password
– Password
for out
of band
interval
to
allow
sufficient
time
for
credentials
to
be verified
management access. Default from factory is “calvin”
Verify existing power control entries – Initiates
Computer ID from Deployment database – Computer ID
verification of entries in database vs. actual connectivity. If
from Deployment database
connectivity is not established, entries are removed from
Power control IP address – IP address of DRAC or BMC
database
devices
2
Power control type – 1855 Blade (will work for PE1955 as
well), DRAC (non-Blade), 1655 Blade, IPMI (BMC)
3
Chassis position – (1-10)
Power control user name – User name configured for out
of band management access
Power control password – Password configured for out of
band management access
Dell Config Utility - “Power Control” Tab
4
Method – DRAC or IPMI
External dependency – IPMI has an external dependency
to enable power control through this device, however is
installed “out of the box”.
External file – BMCHEALTH.EXE is built-in and provides
power control through IPMI interface. No dependency exists
for DRAC.
Power Control Precedence – Specifies the order of
devices that will be executed during the discovery.
Up/Down Arrows – Controls the order of the devices.
4
Power Control from DS Console
• When DRAC or IPMI
entries are added to
database you go from this
• To this
• “Dell – Launch Interface” option
is not available through IPMI
interface, only DRAC. Option will
be grayed out if BMC IP address
is entered in database for
managed node
Dell Config Utility - “OS Deployment” Tab
1
Operating system – Windows 2000 Server, Windows
Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 64-bit, Red Hat
Enterprise Linux, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 64-bit, SUSE
Linux, SUSE Linux 64-bit. *It is possible to copy other
flavors of OS’s for scripted installs
Have the required source files been found? – This field
indicates whether the source files have been copied for this
flavor of OS or not
Source file location – The default path in which the source
media will be copied. This default path can be changed if
desired, but recommended to be left alone.
Copy source files from another location – Allows you to
browse to the source media and copy to the source file
location
Scripted install answer file – Path to the unattend.txt file
for Windows scripted installs. The v2.0 release now uses
one common unattend.txt file per OS type rather than per
OS type and PE model type. The “Edit” button allows you to
edit the unattend.txt file to enter items such as Product ID.
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Dell Config Utility - “OS Deployment” Tab
2
Add drivers – Add Mass Storage and Plug and Play (PnP)
drivers automatically from the Dell Server Assistant (DSA)
CD and/or manually from other file location(s)
3
Add drivers from the Dell Server Assistant (DSA) CD –
Browse to the DSA location
3
Server Models – Select the appropriate PE model(s) and
OS type(s) and then click “Add from DSA”. *This is the most
effective way to add Mass Storage and PnP drivers to the
Altiris Server for deployments. The “OemPnPDriversPath” in
the unattend.txt file is automatically populated.
4
Add a driver from another source – Manually import Mass
Storage and PnP drivers from other file location(s)
Operating system – Windows 2000 Server and Windows
Server 2003
Driver type – Plug and Play and Mass Storage
Add From Other Source – Plug and Play driver types
search for .INF file types. Mass Storage driver types search
for a TXTSETUP.OEM file. All associated drivers are copied
to their respective locations on the Altiris Server.
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2
Dell Config Utility - “Advanced” Tab
1
Update files – There is a known issue with the Microsoft
communications driver Altiris uses for WinPE. WinPE image
loads can take as long as 20 minutes without the fix
(startrom.n12) applied. This button will allow a user to
automatically update the associated file on the Altiris Server
after obtaining from Microsoft Support. For more info refer
to: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/906425. If the
“startrom.n12” file is placed in the install directory BEFORE
installing, the WinPE fix will automatically be applied.
Edit script settings – Here you can customize the scripts
that provide the working environment of all the other scripts
that are called. Items that can be set: whether or not to
perform dynamic RAID configs, the ability to create custom
RAID configs, whether or not to skip the RAID config
completely, which drive to perform scripted OS installs from
(default is 0), etc.
Import jobs to database – Allows you to import predefined
Dell jobs to the DS Console Jobs Pane if adding a pre-boot
environment after install. Can also re-initialize existing jobs if
they were modified without making copies first.
Regenerate pre-boot images – Upon installing the Dell
Deployment add-on, if the pre-boot images (DOS, Linux,
WinPE) exist on the DS, they will be automatically updated.
This button is helpful if the pre-boot images are created after
the Dell Deployment add-on has been installed or if you
corrupt the pre-boot images and need to re-create.
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Output of RAID Info (PE2950)
Output of System Info (PE2950)
Blade
view
Job history per blade.
Rip and Replace Process Flow
1. Blade removed
from slot 2
2. New blade inserted
into slot 2
3. New blade
powered on
4. PXE server does not
recognize the new
blade as “managed”
in it’s local cache
PXE
5. PXE server requests
any pending job
assignments from
DS
6. DS determines the blade is
new and executes the blade
change rule (which is set to
Re-deploy computer)
7. DS replays bay's history from
the last Distribute Disk Image
task forward (or a Run Script
task with rem deployment start)
8. New blade is
provisioned w/o a trip
to the Altiris console
Blade Change Rule Options
Options
Re-Deploy
Computer
Run
Predefined Job
Action
All deployment tasks in the bay's history will be executed starting
from the last Distributing a Disk Image task or Scripted OS Install
task, or from any script (in a Run Script task) with this command:
rem deployment start.
The server will process any specified job to run automatically when
a new server is detected in the bay.
Ignore the
Change
The new server blade placed in the bay is not identified as a new
server and no jobs are initiated. If the server existed in a previous
bay, the history and parameters for the server are moved or
associated with the new bay.
Wait for User
Interaction
(default) No job is performed (the Deployment Agent on the server
blade is instructed to wait). The icon on the console changes to
reflect that the server is waiting.
For More information
• User community:
– www.altiris.com/juice
– Other URLs:
– www.dell.com/altiris
– www.dell.com/altiris/
whitepapers
– www.altiris.com/dell
• Weekly webinars schedule
• Joint success stories
• Data sheets
– www.altiris.com/delldeploy
• Videos
• White papers
• Product documentation
• To download:
– www.altiris.com/eval/dell
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©March 19, 2016 Altiris Inc.
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