OpenManage Foundations Course Review

The following review consists of the course objectives and a brief summary of the information presented in the course that addresses each objective. If you are uncomfortable with the content in any section, please review the material before taking the certification exam.

Define basic system management concepts

• Systems management is intended to simplify and reduce the cost of operating a network of computers.

• The computers to be managed are called managed nodes. The computer used to manage other systems is called a management station.

• There are three common systems management protocols: SNMP, DMI, and CIM

Define Dell systems management

• Dell offers systems management capabilities through the OpenManage family of products. These systems management tools are based on industry standard technologies.

Identify the OpenManage systems management toolset.

OpenManage includes the following:

• Dell Server Assistant CD — A utility disk that simplifies the installation and configuration of a Dell server and streamlines the installation of the operating system and drivers.
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• Dell OpenManage Server Administrator (Available only on the System Management CD 3.x or later) — Managed node software that provides the following services:
  • System Instrumentation — gathers information from a server's firmware and makes it available to a management station
  • Diagnostics — allows remote testing of server hardware
  • Update Service — allows remote updates to BIOS, firmware, and some software
  • Remote Access — allows offline remote management for systems equipped with a Dell Remote Access Card (DRAC III or later) or Embedded Remote Access
  • Storage Management — provides storage management information in a graphical view and provides for diagnostic testing of storage devices, using the managed node component of Dell OpenManage Array Manager
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• Dell OpenManage Server Agent (Available only on the Applications CD 2.x or earlier) — Software that gathers information from a server's firmware and makes it available to a management station.
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• Dell OpenManage IT Assistant — The central management application for OpenManage, able to manage multiple Dell servers or clients from a single location.
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• Dell OpenManage Array Manager — A program providing for management of storage devices using a standard interface for RAID configuration.
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• Dell OpenManage Server Diagnostics (Available only on the Applications CD 2.x or earlier) — Diagnostic routines that can detect and identify hardware problems, sometimes remotely and often without requiring a reboot.
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• Dell Remote Access Card — An optional hardware component of OpenManage that provides some remote management capabilities for servers, even when they are offline.
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• Dell OpenManage Connections — "Plug-in" modules that allow Dell servers and clients to be managed by other enterprise systems management applications.
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