Serial over LAN

You can start an SOL session to any compute node that supports SOL.

Serial over LAN (SOL) provides a means to manage compute nodes remotely by using the CMM command-line interface (CLI) over a serial, Telnet, or Secure Shell (SSH) connection. SOL is required to manage compute nodes that do not have keyboard/video/mouse (KVM) support.

SOL provides console redirection for both the compute node firmware and operating system. The SOL feature redirects compute node serial-connection data over a LAN without the need for special cabling. The SOL connection enables compute nodes to be managed from any remote location with network access. SOL has the following advantages:

Remote administration without keyboard, video, or mouse (headless servers)
Reduced cabling and no need for a serial concentrator
Standard Telnet interface that eliminates the need for special client software

The Lenovo Flex SystemCMM command-line interfaces provide access to the text-console command prompt on each compute node through an SOL connection, enabling the compute nodes to be managed from a remote location.

You access the compute node Integrated Management Module (IMM) CLI using a CMM SOL session (see Starting an SOL session). If no user accounts have been manually set up for the IMM of a compute node, connection to that IMM must be done using the current CMM user ID and password. In order for an IMM to communicate with the compute node Advanced Settings Utility (ASU) and UpdateXpress System Pack Installer (UXSPI) programs, a local user account must be set up for the compute node IMM. This local account is not included in an IMM configuration backup. For information about using the compute node IMM interface, see the compute node or IMM documentation.

Note

You can access the compute node IMM web interface using a CMM web interface remote console session (see Starting a remote compute node session).

If security is a concern, use Secure Shell (SSH) sessions or connections that are made through the serial-management connector on the CMM to establish secure Telnet command-line interface sessions with the CMM before you start an SOL console redirect session with a compute node.

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