Dell OpenManage Integration with Microsoft Windows Admin Center Version 3.0 User’s Guide

Manage CPU cores in clusters or individual nodes

Use CPU Core Management feature in OpenManage Integration extension to manage cluster or server CPU cores.

In the Windows Admin Center, connect to a cluster or individual node and then perform the following steps:

1. In Windows Admin Center, under Extensions, click Dell OpenManage Integration.
2. Select View > Configure. Another menu with drop-down appears. Select CPU Core. Alternatively, go to the Action menu, under CONFIGURE, select Update CPU Core.
3. Under CPU Core Management, a summary of CPU core distributions of the cluster nodes or individual node is displayed as follows:
   • The donut chart displays the number of cores that are currently enabled in the cluster or individual node and the number cores available for use. The maximum number of CPU cores present in the node or cluster is mentioned inside the donut chart.
   • Click View Details to see node details such as node name, CPU model used in the node, number of CPUs, number of cores per CPU, and core speed. In the Node Level Details, select a node to see the Advanced Details of the node as follows:
     • Dell Controlled Turbo
     • Logical Processor
     • Configurable TDP
     • Virtualization technology
     • X2APIC mode
4. If infrastructure lock is enabled, click Disable to disable the lock to proceed to the next step.
5. To manage CPU cores, click Update CPU Core.
6. Under New Distribution, select the number of cores to be used based on workloads.
   Based on the CPU core manufacturer (Intel or AMD) you can configure the cores as follows. To maintain cluster homogeneity, OpenManage Integration will apply the same configuration across all nodes.

   NOTE: Changing the number of cores impact the overall core count of the cluster. Ensure that you are using the right number of cores to maintain the balance between power and performance.

   CPU Type	Instructions
   Intel CPU	Select number of cores you want to enable per CPU. Minimum number of cores that can be enabled is four. You can enable all the cores that you want to manage workloads.
   AMD CPU	Using the first slider, select the number of CCDs per processor you want to enable. Using the second slider, select the number of cores per CCD you want to enable. You can enable any numbers of cores at a minimum. You can also enable all the cores that you want to manage workloads.

7. Select one of the following options to apply the changes and reboot nodes.
   • For an individual node:
     • Apply and Reboot Now: Select the option if you want to apply the changes and reboot the node now. Ensure to take care of the workloads before applying the changes.
     • Apply at Next Reboot: Select this option if you want to apply the changes now and reboot the node later. Ensure that you reboot the node later to successfully apply the CPU core changes. Also, ensure to take care of the workload before rebooting the node.
   • For a cluster:
     • Apply and Reboot Now: Select the option if you want to apply the changes and reboot the cluster nodes now. Dell recommends using this option as the nodes are rebooted automatically by taking care of the workloads.
       Before clicking "Apply and Reboot Now", ensure the followings:

       • As OpenManage Integration uses the Microsoft Cluster-Aware Updating feature framework to perform cluster updates, ensure the Failover Clustering feature and Failover Clustering Tools are installed on all the cluster nodes before rebooting the cluster. For more information, see Cluster-Aware Updating requirements and best practices in Microsoft document.
       • Dell recommends to test the cluster readiness before rebooting the cluster. For more information, see Tests for cluster updating readiness in Microsoft document.
     • Apply at Next Reboot: Select this option if you want to apply the changes now and reboot the cluster nodes later. Ensure that you reboot the cluster nodes later to successfully apply the CPU core changes. Also, ensure to take care of the workload before rebooting the nodes.

     If Kernel Soft Reboot is enabled for the cluster, the OpenManage Integration extension ignores this settings and performs a full reboot to apply all the BIOS related settings. See When to use Kernel Soft Reboot

   NOTE: Apply and Reboot now process requires the CredSSP to be enabled. To improve security, disable CredSSP after the CPU configuration changes is complete.
8. To apply the changes, click Confirm.
9. OpenManage Integration extension checks the necessary prerequisites required to complete the operation.
   • If all prerequisites are compliant, the extension will proceed to update the CPU core. You can see the progress at nod level by clicking View Details.
   • If any of the prerequisite fails, a banner message appears. Click View Details to see the non-compliant prerequisites, and ways you can resolve them. Resolve the non-compliant prerequisites, and try the operation again. For more information about prerequisites check, see Prerequisites check details.