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Managing servers

Lenovo XClarity Integrator provides platform management for System x, BladeCenter, and Flex servers. The topics in this section describe how to use Lenovo XClarity Integrator for managing servers.

Verify that these prerequisites have been completed:

  • The number of Lenovo servers managed by vCenters registered to the same LXCI instance should not exceed 1,000. Otherwise, users should deploy multiple LXCI instances for these Lenovo servers.

  • VMware vCenter Server has an out-of-band (OOB) network connection with the BMC of the managed ESXi servers.
  • Users can locate the BMC and have requested access for the BMCs on the Cluster Overview page.
  • The following servers must be managed by Lenovo XClarity Administrator, and Lenovo XClarity Administrator must be registered in Lenovo XClarity Integrator (see Configuring Lenovo XClarity Administrator).

    • ThinkServer servers

    • ThinkSystem SR635

    • ThinkSystem SR655

Procedure

  1. Select a host from the vCenter host inventory tree.
  2. Click the Monitor tab.
    On the left navigation pane, select one of the following functions under Lenovo XClarity:

    • System Overview

    • Events

    • Inventory

    • Utilization

    • Chassis Map

    • Hardware Topology

  3. Click the Configure tab.
    On the left navigation pane, select one of the following functions under Lenovo XClarity:

    • Firmware Updates

    • Power Policy

    • Configuration

  4. Right-click the host from the vCenter host inventory tree. On the displayed Actions drop-down list box, move the cursor onto Lenovo XClarity.
    Select one of the following functions:

    • Launch Remote Console

    • Launch BMC Interface

  • Viewing system information
    The System Overview page provides a snapshot view of the current system. Users can view the basic system information such as the machine type, operating system, version, BMC firmware version, and UEFI firmware version. Users can also view the System Hardware Event Summary and collect full diagnostic data.
  • Viewing server events
    Users can view the hardware event details of the current server.
  • Viewing the server inventory
    The Inventory page provides a snapshot view of the current server inventory. Users can view the system board, microprocessor, memory, fan, sensor, NIC, PCI adapter, and firmware information on this page.
  • Viewing the server utilization
    The Utilization page shows latest and history utilization information for ambient temperature, system power input, and fan speed.
  • Working with the hardware topology
    The hardware topology function provides an embedded graphical view for ThinkAgile VX appliance servers. This interface supports to view server layout, detailed hardware inventory, and health information and manage the vSAN disks.
  • Launching the BMC Web interface
    Users can launch the baseboard management controller (BMC) Web interface for a specific server in Lenovo XClarity Integrator.
  • Launching the remote console
    Users can launch a remote-control session for a managed server and perform operations on this server like at a local console, such as powering on or off the server and logically mounting a local or remote drive.
  • Working with the Firmware Updates function
    The Firmware Updates function supports to obtain and deploy UpdateXpress System Pack (UXSP) or individual firmware updates to the current working ESXi server.
  • Working with the Power Policy function
    The Power Policy function supports to allocate less power and cooling to a system if the firmware supports and enables the Power Capping setting. This function helps to lower datacenter infrastructure costs and potentially allows more servers to be put into an existing infrastructure.
  • Working with the System Settings function
    The System settings function supports to manage the system settings of a host. If the server is managed by Lenovo XClarity Administrator, and Lenovo XClarity Administrator is registered in this Lenovo XClarity Integrator, users can deploy a configuration pattern to the host; otherwise, users can only view the boot options and system settings for the host.