OpenManage Components

DRAC/ERA

The Dell OpenManage Remote Access Card (DRAC) is an optional server management card designed to provide remote management capabilities for Dell PowerEdge servers. With the addition of the DRAC, system administrators can manage and monitor a PowerEdge server through a modem or network connection, even if the server itself is down (called out-of-band management). Some recent servers provided most of the same functionality through an embedded device called Embedded Remote Access (ERA). Below is an illustration of a DRAC. This picture shows some features found on a DRAC.

This graphic illustrates the components of a Dell Remote Access Card. Circled are the PCMCIA modem, the battery pack, the 32-bit PCI connector, and the SMB connector.

The DRAC is installed on the managed node. The firmware of the DRAC, the system BIOS, the ESM firmware of the server, and the version of the OpenManage Server Agent all must be compatible. OpenManage IT Assistant, installed on the management console, is used to access the DRAC.

When the server is operating normally, the DRAC allows an administrator to:

Access the system setup remotely and run configuration utilities
Manage the server by redirecting the console output to a remote console
Perform an orderly shutdown of the server to do maintenance tasks
Reboot the server using a "remote floppy" (reading a diskette in the drive of the management station) or a "virtual floppy" (reading an image downloaded to the remote management card on the managed node) in order to upgrade the flash BIOS or other firmware

If the server is down, the DRAC is able to:

Remain in contact with the management console even if power is lost through the onboard battery backup
Reset and cycle the server's power remotely
Access the server's internal logs to check the possible cause of a failure
Alert the administrator when the server detects an error
Reboot the server using a remote floppy or virtual floppy to run diagnostics or DOS-based utilities