[Beowulf] Intel motherboard BMC

Thu Jun 21 07:16:11 PDT 2018

Jorg, this is probably veering very off topic.
Intel make available the source code for those BMC cards - which surprised
me.
I saw Redfish mentioned https://www.supermicro.com/solutions/Redfish.cfm
Maybe the Redfish standard makes the cards behave differently to old-style
BMC cards

On 21 June 2018 at 15:59, Jörg Saßmannshausen <sassy-work at sassy.formativ.net
> wrote:

> Hi John,
>
> interesting idea, but how does it work when the IP address has not been
> set
> yet?
>
> Regarding hostname/IP for the GUI: see my email to Chris.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Jörg
>
> Am Donnerstag, 21. Juni 2018, 12:55:07 BST schrieben Sie:
> > It is worth saying that Intel have an excellent free to download tool
> > called syscfg which lets you set BIOS and IPMI from the command line
> > To get BIOS settings the same on all nodes on a cluster you just cget the
> > correct settings on one node, copy this file to all nodes,
> > syscfg then reboot. Simples.
> >
> > https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/26971/Save-and-
> Restore-System-Conf
> > iguration-Utility-syscfg-
> >
> >
> > Regarding your web server problem, is your DHCP server giving the correct
> > hostnames to the IPMI cards when they request an address?
> > I do not see how that could matter, but maybe?
> >
> >
> >
> > On 21 June 2018 at 12:29, Jörg Saßmannshausen <
> sassy-work at sassy.formativ.net
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > Hi John,
> > >
> > > further the last email: I am using the onboard interface for the
> BMC/IPMI
> > > (shared link) so there is only one physical network cable between the
> > > switch
> > > and the compute node.
> > >
> > > Regarding PXE boot: I don't want to boot over IB. Right now I even
> don't
> > > have
> > > an IB network. I was just wondering whether for some reason at one
> stage
> > > of
> > > the boot process the kernel recognises the IB card and then tries to
> boot
> > > from
> > > there and shuts off the other NIC which could explain that behaviour.
> > > However, even disabling it in the BIOS did not solve the problem.
> > >
> > > I guess I will need to do some debugging here but without some good
> ideas
> > > I am
> > > a bit stuck as I already have tried the usual suspects.
> > >
> > > All the best
> > >
> > > Jörg
> > >
> > > Am Donnerstag, 21. Juni 2018, 12:02:40 BST schrieb John Hearns via
> Beowulf:
> > > > Hello Jorg. As you know I have worked a lot with Supermicro machines.
> > > > I also installed Intel machines for Greenwich University, so I have
> > > > experience of setting up IPMI on them.
> > > > I will take time to try to understand your problem!
> > > > Also Intel provides excellent documentation for all its products.
> > > > Really.
> > > > But you must get the correct part number and search for it.
> > > > I really recommend finding the BMC manual, as I recall that made
> things
> > > > a
> > > > lot clearer.
> > > >
> > > > One quick question - are you using the on-board ethernet interface
> for
> > >
> > > IPMI
> > >
> > > > or are you using the additional hardware module which has its own
> > >
> > > ethernet
> > >
> > > > port?
> > > >
> > > > > It also has a InfiniBand card which does allow booting from it.
> > > >
> > > > You can PXE boot over a Mellanox Infiniband card. As you probably
> know
> > >
> > > this
> > >
> > > > involves installing extra firmware on the card.
> > > > In my last job we had an IB only cluster, so booting over IB had to
> > > > work!
> > > > I guess you do nto need to flash the card, but to be honest running
> the
> > > > utility is not scary. You just have to get the exact firmware for
> your
> > >
> > > card.
> > >
> > > > On 21 June 2018 at 11:20, Tony Brian Albers <tba at kb.dk> wrote:
> > > > > Does the BMC itself know its own hostname?
> > > > >
> > > > > /tony
> > > > >
> > > > > On 21/06/18 11:13, Jörg Saßmannshausen wrote:
> > > > > > Dear all,
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I got a bit of a confusing situation with the BMC of some Intel
> > > > >
> > > > > motherboards
> > > > >
> > > > > > which we recently purchased and I am not quite sure what to make
> out
> > >
> > > of
> > >
> > > > > it.
> > > > >
> > > > > > We have install a generic user via the IPMI commands on the
> compute
> > > > >
> > > > > nodes and
> > > > >
> > > > > > I can access the BMC remotely, again via the IPMI command like
> this:
> > > > > >
> > > > > > $ ipmitool -H node105-bmc -U username -P xxx power status
> > > > > >
> > > > > > This is working, Also, this works:
> > > > > >
> > > > > > $ ipmitool -H 10.0.1.105 -U username -P xxx power status
> > > > > >
> > > > > > A nslookup of node105-bmc gives the right IP address as well.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > However, if I want to use the GUI for the BMC, i.e. opening my
> > >
> > > browser
> > >
> > > > > and
> > > > >
> > > > > > put:
> > > > > >
> > > > > > https://node105-bmc
> > > > > >
> > > > > > in the URL, I get the loging page When I enter my login
> credentials
> > > > > > then,
> > > > > > which are the same as above, I have a problem to log in *IF* I am
> > >
> > > using
> > >
> > > > > the
> > > > >
> > > > > > hostname as address but not *IF* I am using the IP address. Just
> to
> > >
> > > add
> > >
> > > > > to the
> > > > >
> > > > > > confusion more, on one node the hostname was working.
> > > > > > With problems I mean the browser tells me my login credentials
> are
> > >
> > > wrong
> > >
> > > > > which
> > > > >
> > > > > > does not happen when I am using the IP address.
> > > > > > Also, I can only use https and not http and for now I got the
> > > > > > generic
> > > > >
> > > > > self
> > > > >
> > > > > > signed certificates. I want to change them at one point but right
> > > > > > now
> > > > >
> > > > > that is
> > > > >
> > > > > > more on the bottom of my to-do list.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I find that really odd and I am not quite sure what is going on
> > > > > > here.
> > > > >
> > > > > With all
> > > > >
> > > > > > the Supermicro kit I once had I never had these issues before. I
> was
> > > > >
> > > > > able to
> > > > >
> > > > > > log in regardless of using the hostname or IP address.
> > > > > > So clearly Intel does something here Supermicro did not (at the
> > >
> > > time).
> > >
> > > > > > The boards in question are Intel S2600BPB ones.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Has anybody seen this before?
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I got a second issue with these boards. I usually do the normal
> > >
> > > PXE/NFS
> > >
> > > > > boot
> > > > >
> > > > > > and the setup is working well for the other, older Supermicro
> > >
> > > machines.
> > >
> > > > > > However, with the new Intel ones, this is crashing.
> > > > > > The procedure is you are selecting in the boot-menu you want to
> do a
> > >
> > > PXE
> > >
> > > > > boot
> > > > >
> > > > > > and not boot from the local hard drive.
> > > > > > It then boots the initramfs which seems to be fine. From what I
> can
> > >
> > > see,
> > >
> > > > > both
> > > > >
> > > > > > during the boot process and from the log files of the
> DHCP-server,
> > >
> > > it is
> > >
> > > > > > getting the right IP address.
> > > > > > However, when the initramfs hands over to the kernel, it crashes
> > >
> > > with:
> > > > > > kernel panic! attempt to kill init
> > > > > > and you literally have to pull the plug on the machine, i.e. a
> hard
> > > > >
> > > > > reset.
> > > > >
> > > > > > The only time I have seen that was when I did not specify the NIC
> > > > > > and
> > > > >
> > > > > when I
> > > > >
> > > > > > had two NICs, it somehow decided to use the other one. I fixed
> that
> > > > >
> > > > > problem by
> > > > >
> > > > > > defining the interface in the boot-arguments and also the second
> NIC
> > >
> > > is
> > >
> > > > > not
> > > > >
> > > > > > connected anyway. It also has a InfiniBand card which does allow
> > >
> > > booting
> > >
> > > > > from
> > > > >
> > > > > > it. Again, it is not connected so in theory it should not matter.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I am stuck here. I am using a 4.x kernel for the PXE boot, so a
> > >
> > > fairly
> > >
> > > > > recent
> > > > >
> > > > > > one. As I said, it works for the older machines but not for the
> > > > > > newer
> > > > >
> > > > > ones.
> > > > >
> > > > > >   I upgraded the whole PXE/NFS boot and that is not working too.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Does anybody have any ideas here?
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Sorry for asking 2 questions in one email but as they are
> related I
> > >
> > > hope
> > >
> > > > > that
> > > > >
> > > > > > is ok.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > All the best from a sunny London
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Jörg
> > > > > >
> > > > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > > > Beowulf mailing list, Beowulf at beowulf.org sponsored by Penguin
> > >
> > > Computing
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> > > > >
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> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > --
> > > > > Tony Albers
> > > > > Systems administrator, IT-development
> > > > > Royal Danish Library, Victor Albecks Vej 1, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
> > > > > Tel: +45 2566 2383 / +45 8946 2316
> > > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > > Beowulf mailing list, Beowulf at beowulf.org sponsored by Penguin
> > >
> > > Computing
> > >
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>
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