The integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) with Lifecycle Controller is embedded within every Dell PowerEdge™ server and provides functionality that helps IT administrators deploy, update, monitor, and maintain Dell servers with no need for any additional software to be installed. The Dell iDRAC works regardless of operating system or hypervisor presence because from a pre-OS or bare-metal state, iDRAC is ready to work because it is embedded within each server from the factory.
Dell OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA) is a software agent that provides a comprehensive, one-to-one systems management solution in two ways: from an integrated, Web browser-based graphical user interface (GUI) and from a command line interface (CLI) through the operating system.
OMSA is designed so that system administrators can manage server systems both locally and remotely on a network. It also interfaces with OpenManage Essentials (OME) console, which allows for monitoring of the systems in your data center from a single interface.
You provided the official descriptions for both of them, but can you provide their specific similarities or differences?. E.g. can you access storage (e.g. RAID) details from both of them?.
Your question is a little bit strange. OMSA and iDRAC are completely different things. But if I must make a guess a would say, you ask for the difference between managing Servers in OME via iDRAC or OMSA.
In this case the answer is following.
If you want only monitor the Hardware you can use the Mail alerts from the iDRAC. You need not really OME.
If you want remote update your firmware and drivers it's another thing. In this case the iDRAC can give only information about the firmware and you can only update the firmware. If you want also update the drivers, you need OMSA, because the iDRAC has no information about the drivers in the OS.
Additionally is my experience, that updating via iDRAC is very slow.
I've been trying to determine if iDrac and OpenManage can work together. Is it really one or the other? I was under the impression that OMSA could login to remote servers using the iDrac credentials.
OMSA is a local installed software on a server. You can use it stand alone, only for manage every single server locally, and you can use ist additionally as agent for Open Manage Essentials.
The OMSA services communicates only with the local iDRAC in the server where it is installed. It uses the direct way to the hardware with internal drivers and firmware for this, not the web credentials you use for the connection to the iDRAC.
You can use the web component of OMSA to connect to another server, but in this case you connect to the OMSA installed in the operating system, not with the iDRAC. So I have the web component of OMSA installed on my workstation and can manage all my servers remotly from one point. If I want connect to an iDRAC I can do this as well with any browser, but this has nothing to with OMSA.
OME in opposite can connect to an iDRAC to get error messages from it if you configure OME for manage the server only over iDRAC. There are configuration templates in OME for this.
Would one have a use for OSMA if running Vmware Esxi Dell image as OS? My bias would be no as Dell release supdated images that include the Driver updates. Does this makes sense?
Please pardon my ignorance, I work for a tech reseller and recently have been asked to advise a customer on the best way to monitor for hardware issues on their Dell PowerEdge servers. They have 12 PowerEdge 740xd with iDRAC Enterprise. I have installed the Open Manage Server Administrator on each host, and this provides awareness of hardware health, but not in a proactive manner.
The goal is to avoid a manual check of the iDRAC or OMSA by their employees, but to create a system that sends alerts (from any/all servers) via e-mail, and perhaps provides a centralized interface to see current status. The servers are located at various geographic locations, all in same time zone, and all on different subnets within a routed layer 3 network.
I would greatly appreciate some high level advice on how to accomplish the tasks in paragraph #2, and if there are costs to any of the software functionality or pieces of this solution, including the OpenManage Essentials that I only read about today.
Cost? _________ if any, recurring or one-time?
Complexity factor? __________ any indications would be useful. I have done SNMP monitoring, but it was years ago.
Task labor duration? ____________ for 12 servers
Should I have a dedicated host as the OpenManageEssentials 'user interface'?
I will appreciate any guidance I receive, thanks in advance, Ed M.
DELL-Shivendra K
685 Posts
0
October 6th, 2016 12:00
Hi Chetan,
Thanks for the query.
What is iDRAC?
The integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) with Lifecycle Controller is embedded within every Dell PowerEdge™ server and provides functionality that helps IT administrators deploy, update, monitor, and maintain Dell servers with no need for any additional software to be installed. The Dell iDRAC works regardless of operating system or hypervisor presence because from a pre-OS or bare-metal state, iDRAC is ready to work because it is embedded within each server from the factory.
Crisp informational video about iDRAC:
iDRAC TechCenter page: www.delltechcenter.com/idrac
What is OMSA?
Dell OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA) is a software agent that provides a comprehensive, one-to-one systems management solution in two ways: from an integrated, Web browser-based graphical user interface (GUI) and from a command line interface (CLI) through the operating system.
OMSA is designed so that system administrators can manage server systems both locally and remotely on a network. It also interfaces with OpenManage Essentials (OME) console, which allows for monitoring of the systems in your data center from a single interface.
OMSA TechCenter page: www.delltechcenter.com/omsa
hablutzel1
1 Message
0
February 15th, 2019 17:00
You provided the official descriptions for both of them, but can you provide their specific similarities or differences?. E.g. can you access storage (e.g. RAID) details from both of them?.
MdmBarbarella
1 Rookie
1 Rookie
•
88 Posts
1
February 26th, 2019 05:00
Your question is a little bit strange. OMSA and iDRAC are completely different things. But if I must make a guess a would say, you ask for the difference between managing Servers in OME via iDRAC or OMSA.
In this case the answer is following.
If you want only monitor the Hardware you can use the Mail alerts from the iDRAC. You need not really OME.
If you want remote update your firmware and drivers it's another thing. In this case the iDRAC can give only information about the firmware and you can only update the firmware. If you want also update the drivers, you need OMSA, because the iDRAC has no information about the drivers in the OS.
Additionally is my experience, that updating via iDRAC is very slow.
Greetings Barbara
Fluxbloom
1 Message
0
March 15th, 2019 11:00
@MdmBarbarella
I've been trying to determine if iDrac and OpenManage can work together. Is it really one or the other? I was under the impression that OMSA could login to remote servers using the iDrac credentials.
MdmBarbarella
1 Rookie
1 Rookie
•
88 Posts
1
March 18th, 2019 01:00
Hi @Fluxbloom ,
OMSA is a local installed software on a server. You can use it stand alone, only for manage every single server locally, and you can use ist additionally as agent for Open Manage Essentials.
The OMSA services communicates only with the local iDRAC in the server where it is installed. It uses the direct way to the hardware with internal drivers and firmware for this, not the web credentials you use for the connection to the iDRAC.
You can use the web component of OMSA to connect to another server, but in this case you connect to the OMSA installed in the operating system, not with the iDRAC. So I have the web component of OMSA installed on my workstation and can manage all my servers remotly from one point. If I want connect to an iDRAC I can do this as well with any browser, but this has nothing to with OMSA.
OME in opposite can connect to an iDRAC to get error messages from it if you configure OME for manage the server only over iDRAC. There are configuration templates in OME for this.
In no case OMSA uses iDRAC credentials.
Greetings Barbara
flyg
1 Message
0
December 22nd, 2019 02:00
Hello,
Would one have a use for OSMA if running Vmware Esxi Dell image as OS? My bias would be no as Dell release supdated images that include the Driver updates. Does this makes sense?
EdMddx
1 Message
0
June 17th, 2020 17:00
Please pardon my ignorance, I work for a tech reseller and recently have been asked to advise a customer on the best way to monitor for hardware issues on their Dell PowerEdge servers. They have 12 PowerEdge 740xd with iDRAC Enterprise. I have installed the Open Manage Server Administrator on each host, and this provides awareness of hardware health, but not in a proactive manner.
The goal is to avoid a manual check of the iDRAC or OMSA by their employees, but to create a system that sends alerts (from any/all servers) via e-mail, and perhaps provides a centralized interface to see current status. The servers are located at various geographic locations, all in same time zone, and all on different subnets within a routed layer 3 network.
I would greatly appreciate some high level advice on how to accomplish the tasks in paragraph #2, and if there are costs to any of the software functionality or pieces of this solution, including the OpenManage Essentials that I only read about today.
Cost? _________ if any, recurring or one-time?
Complexity factor? __________ any indications would be useful. I have done SNMP monitoring, but it was years ago.
Task labor duration? ____________ for 12 servers
Should I have a dedicated host as the OpenManageEssentials 'user interface'?
I will appreciate any guidance I receive, thanks in advance, Ed M.