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Glossary

A​

authentication server
The LDAP server that is used to authenticate users to access Lenovo XClarity Administrator, CMMs, and baseboard management controllers. Lenovo XClarity Administrator supports an internal LDAP server that is part of the management server or an external LDAP server that resides on a remote system and is provided by the customer.

B​

baseboard management controller (BMC)
A generic term for a service processor in a server that combines systems-management functions, video adapter, remote presence, and blue-screen capture features in a single chip.
bay
A physical space into which a device or filler can be physically mounted and connected to power and data (for example, a fan, power supply, disk drive, server, or CMM).
bundle
A file that contains a set of device drivers and boot files for a specific operating-system release.

C​

cabinet
See rack.
Call Home
A communications link that is established between Lenovo XClarity Administrator and the Lenovo Support Center. When a managed system requires service, Lenovo XClarity Administrator automatically collects diagnostic data from that system, and uses this link to open a problem ticket with the Lenovo Support Center.
category pattern
A set of related firmware settings that can be reused in multiple server patterns.
chassis
A metal frame in which various electronic components are mounted.
Chassis Management Module (CMM)
A service processor that is used to configure and manage components in a Flex chassis.
centralized user management
See managed authentication.
compliance policy
See firmware compliance policy.
compute node
An independent server that is supported in a Flex chassis and contains one or more microprocessors, memory, storage, and network controllers. It runs its own operating system and applications.
Configuration Patterns
A set of common configuration settings, including local storage configuration, I/O adapter configuration, boot settings, and other management controller and UEFI firmware settings that you can use to quickly configure multiple servers at one time.
cryptography
The transformation of data to conceal its information content and to prevent its unauthorized use or undetected modification. Data is encrypted into an unreadable format, called cipher text. A cipher key is used to decipher (or decrypt) the content into plain text.

D​

device
A system or component that Lenovo XClarity Administrator manages currently.

E​

endpoint
See device.
Encapsulation
Firewall rules on the device are configured so that incoming requests are accepted only from Lenovo XClarity Administrator.
event forwarder
Information about where to send events that occur for a specific device, event class, event severity, and component. Events can be forwarded using syslog, SNMP traps, or email notifications.

F​

filler
A device in the rack other than a supported manageable device (for example, a network switch or KVM console).
firmware compliance policy
A policy that ensures that the firmware on specified devices is at the current or specified levels. The policy identifies which devices are monitored and which firmware-update level must be installed to keep the devices in compliance.
firmware-updates repository
A repository that contains the product catalog and the firmware-update packages that have been downloaded using Lenovo XClarity Administrator or manually downloaded from the web and then imported.

I​

Integrated Management Module (IMM)
See baseboard management controller

L​

local authentication
Active user accounts on the devices or in Active Directory are used to authenticate managed devices.

M​

managed authentication
Active user accounts that are defined in Lenovo XClarity Administrator are used to authenticate managed devices.
management server
See Lenovo XClarity Administrator.
management controller
See baseboard management controller

P​

product catalog
Contains information about firmware updates that are currently available in the Support website for all devices that are supported by Lenovo XClarity Administrator. The catalog organizes the firmware updates in update packages by device type.
privilege
A set of permissions for a specific action or set of actions.

R​

rack
The cabinet in which the chassis, servers, and switches are stored.
rack server
A stand-alone server that is supported in a rack but outside of the Flex chassis and contains one or more microprocessors, memory, storage, and network adapter. It runs its own operating system and applications.
rack view
A graphical view of the front rack that shows each device in the rack, including chassis, rack and tower servers, top-of-rack switches, and fillers.
repository
A container of preloaded and imported files (such as firmware updates and OS images)
role
Controls user access to resources and limits the tasks that users can perform on those resources.
role group
Assigns roles to user accounts that are defined and managed in the authentication server.

S​

server
A generic term to mean a compute node, rack server, or tower server.
server pattern
A set of configuration settings that can be used by one or more servers of the same type. The pattern contains several categories of settings, such as system information and management interface information. These categories can also be patterns so that you do not have to specify the same information multiple times.
server profile
Deployable patterns for one or more devices; stored in the LDAP repository.
service forwarder
Information about where to send diagnostic files when a serviceable event occurs, using either Call Home or SFTP.
slot
A physical space into which a device can be physically mounted (for example, an I/O device, memory, or CPU).
stacked switches
A group of switches that operate as a single network switch. The stack includes a master switch and one or more member switches.
storage device
Hardware that provides shared storage capacity to servers. A storage device can include other storage devices that work together.
system
A chassis, server, or switch that Lenovo XClarity Administrator can discover and manage.

T​

tower server
A stand-alone server that is supported outside of a rack and contains one or more microprocessors, memory, storage, and network controllers. It runs its own operating system and applications.

U​

Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)
A specification that details the interface between the operating system and the platform firmware at boot time. It is not specific to any processor architecture.
update package
A bundle of one or more firmware updates for a specific device.

V​

virtual appliance
The Lenovo XClarity Administrator management server plus a virtual machine, such as ESXi or Microsoft Hyper-V.
virtual local area network (VLAN)
A network of devices that behave as if they exist in a single LAN despite their physical location, and share a single broadcast and multicast domain.
VLAN tagging
The practice of inserting a tag (or ID) into a packet header to identify which VLAN the packet belongs to. Switches use the VLAN tag to determine which interfaces to send a broadcast packet to.

X​

XClarity Controller (XCC)
See baseboard management controller