Server search

This article describes the server search mechanism and its settings in DCImanager.

How it works

DCImanager configures the DHCP server so that all devices that are trying boot via the network will run using the "Search servers" template:

The server is assigned a temporary IP address to boot using the server search template.
The system runs the server diagnostics and sends information to DCImanager. This information includes CPU, RAM, number of hard drives and their size, network cards, IPMI.
The server is added into the list of found servers.
The system defines server connections to the switch and PDU. DCImanager searches MAC-addresses of the server's network cards and add adds connections to the corresponding ports, and sets up the server racks according to the switch rack. In the racks where server search is enabled, DCImanager powers on available PDU ports and pings the server, thus defying the PDU ports to which servers are connected.
The recovery mode starts on the server.
The administrator brings this server into operation. The system changes its temporary IP into the real one.

Configuring server search

Complete the following steps.

Step 1. Setting up a "temporary network

IP addresses from that server will be temporarily allocated to found devices. You need to add a private network. The system will create a network interface with the IP address from this network. For the main location, the network interface is created on the server with DCImanager. For other locations, it is created on their servers. The default location requires that the DHCP-server keeps the operation on the created interface. The interface will be added to the list of the DHCP-server.

You can manage the interfaces where the DHCP-server runs in Settings → Global settings → Interfaces. If you are going to use several VLAN for server search, add addresses of VLAN-interfaces in Settings → Panel address.

Note

The DHCP-server cannot correctly process VLAN-interfaces with "." in their name.

Step 2. Setting up the server search template

Navigate to Settings → OS templates.

Server-search template is used in the case of network booting (PXE)
Server-search-noipxe template is used in the case of network booting (noiPXE).

Learn more in OS templates.

Step 3. Setting up and configuring the "Server search" module

This module allows you to work with the server search module in DCImanager interface. For more information on how to install and configure the module, please refer to the article "Server search" module.

Step 4. Functionality check

Select a server for testing. We recommend that you use a new server which is not registered in DCImanager, or an existing server (you need to delete it from the control panel: Main menu → Servers → Delete.
Enable the network booting on the server.
Reboot the server. In a few minutes, the server will be added into Tools → Found servers.

Note

The server search does not handle redirect in the ihttpd configuration file (the default location is /usr/local/mgr5/etc/ihttpd.conf). If redirect is specified for the panel IP address in the listen section, the data won't be sent to DCImanager and the servers won't be found.

Managing found servers

To manage the found servers, navigate to Tools → Found servers.

Click Approve to bring the server into operation. It will be moved from Found servers into Servers.

Once in 30 minutes DCImanager automatically defines server connections to the switch and PDU. Click Search to find the connections. Click Reset to delete all the server connections.

Note

After reboot, the found sever will keep on booting using the server search template.