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Configuring Ethernet over USB

Use the information in this topic to control the Ethernet over USB interface used for in-band communication between the server and the XClarity Controller.

Click Network under BMC Configuration to view or modify the XClarity Controller Ethernet over USB settings.

The Ethernet over USB is used for in-band communications to the XClarity Controller. Click the checkbox to enable or disable the Ethernet over USB interface.
Important

  • If you disable Ethernet Over USB, you cannot perform an in-band update of the XClarity Controller firmware or server firmware using the XClarity Essentials in-band update utility. Use the Firmware Update option on the XClarity Controller Web interface or the XClarity Essentials out-of-band update utility to update the firmware.

  • It is important to disable the Watchdog timeouts to prevent the server from restarting unexpectedly when USB in-band interface is disabled.

  • To use this interface, the operating system drivers that support this function (RNDIS for Windows, cdc_ether and usbnet for Linux) must be installed. The XClarity Controller provides an INF file for Windows that allows Windows to recognize the XClarity Controller USB device as an RNDIS device.

Select the method that The XClarity Controller uses to assign addresses to the endpoints of the Ethernet over USB interface.

  • Use IPv6 link-local address for Ethernet over USB:

    This method uses IPv6 addresses based off the MAC address that have been allocated to the endpoints of the Ethernet over USB interface. Normally, the IPv6 link local address is generated using the MAC address (RFC 4862) but Windows 2008 and newer 2016 operating systems do not support a static link local IPv6 address on the host end of the interface. Instead the default Windows behavior regenerates random link local addresses while running. If the XClarity Controller Ethernet over USB interface is configured to use the IPv6 link local address mode, various functions that make use of this interface will not work because the XClarity Controller does not know what address Windows has assigned to the interface. If the server is running Windows use one of the other Ethernet over USB address configuration methods, or disable the default Windows behavior by using this command:netsh interface ipv6 set global randomizeidentifiers=disabled

  • Configure IPv4 setting for Ethernet over USB:

    With this method, it specifies the IP addresses and network mask that are assigned to the XClarity Controller and the server side of the Ethernet over USB interface.
    Note

    • You need to manually configure the IP address of Ethernet over USB interface in the local operating system after you configure the XClarity Controller IP address, OS IP address, and Network mask.

    • The OS IP address setting is used to make XClarity Controller aware of the opposite end of Ethernet over USB network (Operating System) for communication purposes, such as Watchdog status monitoring or in-band firmware update.

Mapping of external Ethernet port numbers to Ethernet over USB port numbers is controlled by clicking the Enable external Ethernet to Ethernet over USB port forwarding checkbox and completing the mapping information for ports you wish to have forwarded from the management network interface to the server.