Enabling the Local Interconnect Interface

As of ILOM 3.0.12, a communication channel known as the Local Interconnect Interface was added to ILOM to enable you to communicate locally with ILOM from the host operating system (OS) without the use of a network management connection (NET MGT) to the server. Specifically, the local interconnect feature to ILOM is particularly useful when you want to perform these ILOM tasks locally:

• All server management functions in ILOM that you would have typically performed from the ILOM CLI, web interface, or IPMI interfaces through the network management (NET MGT) connection on the server.

• All data transfers, such as firmware upgrades, to ILOM that you would have typically performed from the host over a Keyboard Controller Style (KCS) interface using IPMI flash tools. In particular, for these types of server management environments, the Local Interconnect Interface to ILOM can provide a more reliable and possibly faster data transfer rate than traditional KCS interfaces.

• All future server monitoring and fault detection operations that you would have typically performed from the host operating system through the use of Oracle enabled software tools and agents installed on the server.

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  Note - The Oracle Hardware Management Pack Installer refers to this feature as Local ILOM Interconnect. The ILOM interface refers to this feature as Local Host Interconnect

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Platform Server Support and ILOM Access Through the Local Interconnect Interface

Oracle servers supporting the Local Interconnect Interface between ILOM and the host operating system are shipped from the factory with an internal USB Ethernet device installed.

The internal USB Ethernet device provides two network connection points that are known as the ILOM SP connection point and the host OS connection point. In order to establish a local connection to ILOM from the host operating system, each connection point (ILOM SP and host OS) must be either automatically or manually assigned a unique non-routable IPv4 address on the same subnet. Non-routable IPv4 addresses are considered secured private addresses that prevent external internet users from navigating to your system.

Local Interconnect Interface Configuration Options

In ILOM you can choose to either have the Local Interconnect Interface automatically configured for you or manually configured. Details about both of these configuration options are provided below.

• Automatic Configuration (Recommended)

  To enable the Oracle Hardware Management Pack 2.1 (or later) to automatically configure the Local Interconnect Interface connection points , Oracle recommends leaving the Host Interconnect settings in ILOM in the Host Managed state. In order to automatically configured the Local Interconnect Interface connection points, you must:

  1. Accept the default settings provided in ILOM for Local Host Interconnect.

  2. Install the Oracle Hardware Management Pack 2.1 or later firmware on the server and accept the installation defaults provided for Local ILOM Interconnect. You can install Hardware Management Pack Components using one of the following methods:

     • To install the components using Oracle Hardware Management Pack Installer, see Installing Components Using the Oracle Hardware Management Pack Installer.

     • To install the components using manual OS-specific installation commands, see Installing Components Manually.

• Manual Configuration (Advanced users only)

  If you are an advanced network administrator and prefer not to auto-configure the Local Interconnect Interface by installing the Oracle Hardware Management Pack 2.1 or later, you can manually configure the connections points on the ILOM SP and host operating system. In order to manually configure the Local Interconnect Interface connection points, you must:

  • Ensure that an Ethernet driver for your host OS was provided by the OS distribution and installed on the server. For instructions on installing the driver, see Installing the Local ILOM Interconnect (LAN Over USB) Driver. After you have confirmed that the appropriate Ethernet driver was installed on your server and your operating system recognizes the internal USB Ethernet device, you must manually configure an IPv4 address for both the host operating system connection point. There are two ways to do this:

    • Use the ilomconfig tool to configure the Local Interconnect Interface connection points on the ILOM SP and the host OS.

      See Using the ilomconfig Tool in Oracle Server CLI Tools and IPMItool 2.1 User’s Guide for more information.

    • Use the ILOM interface to configure the connection point in the ILOM SP and separately configure the host side connection point.

      For more information, refer to the Oracle Integrated Lights Out Manager 3.0 Documentation Collection at: http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/prod/int.lights.mgr30#hic