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Anaconda can now log install status to iDRAC

Summary: Linux installation can at times fail, or be aborted on user request. With kickstart installs (across a large number of servers)

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.

Symptoms

Linux installation can at times fail, or be aborted on user request. With kickstart installs (across a large number of servers), tracking the installs that succeeded and those that failed can be cumbersome.

Dell collaborated with the Anaconda team to implement a mechanism through which the installer can indicate the installation status information to iDRAC. The System Administrator can then query the iDRAC’s Sensor Event Log to know if the install succeeded, failed or aborted on that server.

The status codes were included as new Sensor Type Codes in IPMI (v2.0 E7 Markup, Table 42-3) as new "Base OS Boot / Installation Status" Sensor Type.

The installer can indicate to iDRAC the following status events:
 
Sensor Event Meaning
Base OS/Hypervisor Installation started Install started.
Base OS/Hypervisor Installation completed Install completed successfully without errors.
Base OS/Hypervisor Installation aborted User requested installer to quit/abort.
Base OS/Hypervisor Installation failed Installer encountered an error and the install did not complete.

Table 1: v2.0 E7 Markup

This feature is available in Fedora 23 and later. This will also be available in a future update of RHEL 7.

Here is a sample output from iDRAC after successful completion of a Fedora install:

SLN310923_en_US__1i_IPMI_LAN_vb_v1
Figure 1: sample output from iDRAC after successful completion of a Fedora install

The same can be queried over with IPMI LAN (requires freeipmi-1.4.1 or later or ipmitool-1.8.14):

[root@per ~]# ipmi-sel -D LAN_2_0 -h 10.10.10.1 -u root

ID  | Date        | Time     | Name            | Type                     | Event

2   | Nov-17-2015 | 12:23:13 | Sensor #0       | OS Boot                  | Base OS/Hypervisor Installation started

3   | Nov-17-2015 | 12:30:24 | Sensor #0       | OS Boot                  | Base OS/Hypervisor Installation completed

Here is the sample output when a user aborts/quits a Fedora install before completion:

SLN310923_en_US__2i_IPMI_LAN_vb_v2

Figure 2: sample output when a user aborts/quits a Fedora install before completion

The same can be queried over ipmi:

[root@per ~]# ipmi-sel -D LAN_2_0 -h 10.10.10.1 -u root

ID  | Date        | Time     | Name            | Type                     | Event

2   | Nov-17-2015 | 13:51:03 | Sensor #0       | OS Boot                  | Base OS/Hypervisor Installation started

3   | Nov-17-2015 | 13:55:32 | Sensor #0       | OS Boot                  | Base OS/Hypervisor Installation aborted

Article Properties
Article Number: 000148869
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 21 Feb 2021
Version:  3
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