As I have three Power Edges to tend to I took some time to search for hints on using the Dell OpenManage applications in Debian Linux (amd64 and i386). It took me some time to get used to the site layout at dell.com but finally I found some resources concerning:

1. Dell OpenManage Software
2. PERC Firmware Updates (needed for full OpenManage Support)
3. Dell Bios Updates
4. IPMI Support using ipmitool

HowTo Install the Dell OMSA Suit on your Power Edge (tested on PE 800,830,700 /w PERC-4e/DC/SC]

• Add the OMSA Repository to your sources.list

PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# echo deb ftp://ftp.sara.nl/pub/sara-omsa dell sara >> /etc/apt/sources.list

• Install the OMSA-Software

PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# apt-get update
PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# apt-get install dellomsa

# APT might complain about not verified Packages:
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
The following extra packages will be installed:
  libbeecrypt6 libglib1.2 libneon25 libopenipmi0 librpm4 libsensors3 libsnmp-base libsnmp9 
  libsqlite3-0 openipmi rpm
Suggested packages:
  lm-sensors alien
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  dellomsa libbeecrypt6 libglib1.2 libneon25 libopenipmi0 librpm4 libsensors3 libsnmp-base 
  libsnmp9 libsqlite3-0 openipmi rpm
0 upgraded, 12 newly installed, 0 to remove and 18 not upgraded.
Need to get 80.4MB of archives.
After unpacking 15.5MB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]? y
WARNING: The following packages cannot be authenticated!
  dellomsa
Install these packages without verification [y/N]? y

• Test the Installation

PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# omreport system summary

• Start the Monitoring Services

# if your want to use SNMP install snmpd
PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# apt-get install snmpd

# Enable SNMP and Motherboard Monitor and start dateng service, and add to 
# system startup (maybe using 'sysv-rc-conf' or 'update-rc.d'):
PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# /etc/init.d/dataeng enablesnmp
PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# /etc/init.d/dataeng start

# If you use snmpd restart it to reread configuration:
PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# /etc/init.d/snmpd restart

# Start the OMSA Webinterface:
PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# /etc/init.d/dsm_om_connsvc start
# or do:
PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# /etc/init.d/dsm_om_shrsvc start

• i.e. to check your Disk Status of Drives attached to a PERC:

PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# omreport storage controller

yields this output:

Controller  PERC 4e/DC (Slot 1)

Controllers
ID                                : 0
Status                            : Ok
Name                              : PERC 4e/DC
Slot ID                           : PCI Slot 1
State                             : Ready
Firmware Version                  : 5A2D
Minimum Required Firmware Version : Not Applicable
Driver Version                    : Not Applicable
Minimum Required Driver Version   : Not Applicable
Number of Connectors              : 2
Rebuild Rate                      : 30%
BGI Rate                          : Not Applicable
Check Consistency Rate            : Not Applicable
Reconstruct Rate                  : Not Applicable
Alarm State                       : Enabled
Cluster Mode                      : Not Applicable
SCSI Initiator ID                 : 7
Cache Memory Size                 : 128 MB
Patrol Read Mode                  : Auto
Patrol Read State                 : Stopped
Patrol Read Rate                  : Not Applicable
Patrol Read Iterations            : 1375

after this add a call like this, using the controller ID from the last command (line 1 in table):

PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# omreport storage pdisk controller=0

what gives you:

ID                        : 0:0
Status                    : Ok
Name                      : Physical Disk 0:0
State                     : Online
Failure Predicted         : No
Progress                  : Not Applicable
Type                      : SCSI
Capacity                  : 136.62 GB (146695782400 bytes)
Used RAID Disk Space      : 136.62 GB (146695782400 bytes)
Available RAID Disk Space : 0.00 GB (0 bytes)
Hot Spare                 : No
Vendor ID                 : SEAGATE
Product ID                : ST3146707LC
Revision                  : D704
Serial No.                : 3KS61QYY
Negotiated Speed          : 320
Capable Speed             : 320
Manufacture Day           : Not Available
Manufacture Week          : Not Available
Manufacture Year          : Not Available
SAS Address               : Not Available

ID                        : 0:1
Status                    : Ok
Name                      : Physical Disk 0:1
State                     : Online
Failure Predicted         : No
Progress                  : Not Applicable
Type                      : SCSI
Capacity                  : 136.62 GB (146695782400 bytes)
Used RAID Disk Space      : 136.62 GB (146695782400 bytes)
Available RAID Disk Space : 0.00 GB (0 bytes)
Hot Spare                 : No
Vendor ID                 : SEAGATE
Product ID                : ST3146707LC
Revision                  : D704
Serial No.                : 3KS68M2Y
Negotiated Speed          : 320
Capable Speed             : 320
Manufacture Day           : Not Available
Manufacture Week          : Not Available
Manufacture Year          : Not Available
SAS Address               : Not Available

• Navigate to the OMSA-Page of your server under:

https://192.168.your.ip:1311

The OMSA is a 32bit application and expects some i386 pam modules to be present in the system path - under amd64 login ist not possible, although the webinterface works like a charm …

• go to the file /etc/pam.d/omauth and change /lib/security to //lib32/security

• copy some files from a debian i386 installation to your amd64 machine

from i386:  /lib/libsepol.so.1              --------> @amd64:     /lib32/libsepol.so.1
from i386:  /lib/libselinux.so.1            --------> @amd64:     /lib32/libselinux.so.1
from i386:  /lib/security/pam_unix.so       --------> @amd64:     /lib32/security/pam_unix.so  
from i386:  /lib/security/pam_nologin.so    --------> @amd64:     /lib32/security/pam_nologin.so 

add any missing other libraries inside lib32 (hint: ldd /lib/security/pam_unix.so) and then get the new libs inside your ldd cache:

ldconfig

Complete OMSA support requires a minimal Firmware status on your PERC for some of the functions (i.e. otherwise the Controller Status reads „degraded“, OMSA notifies you of this), so you have to upgrade the Controller Firmware to have full OMSA support:

• You can use the RHEL Linux Firmware Package on Debian, a good place to start off searching for it is at Dell ftp-server for scsi-raid apps and firmware and at Drivers & Downloads @ Dell, here for PERC 4e/DC.
  
• I used the text file in the ftp-area with the latest revision to search at Dell for the Firmware version and then on to the Download-Page for the RHEL-App, as the BIN file is inside the ftp-tree but not named as PERC4e-FW-xxx.BIN but instead goes like RAID_FRMW_LX_R169530.BIN
• libstdc++.so.5 should be available, if necessary install via aptitude / apt-get

• be prepared to reboot the Server after updating and run

# Stop OMSA Tools (Kernel Panic is possible according to DELL-Linux Apps readme
PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# /etc/init.d/dsm_om_shrsvc stop
PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# /etc/init.d/dsm_om_connsvc stop
#or
#PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# omconfig system webserver action=stop
PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# /etc/init.d/dataeng stop

PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# wget ftp://ftp.us.dell.com/scsi-raid/RAID_FRMW_LX_.yourFWRevhere.BIN
PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# chmod u+x RAID_FRMW_LX_.yourFWRevhere.BIN
PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# ./RAID_FRMW_LX_yourFWRevhere.BIN

# you will be asked some questions:
Collecting inventory...
...
Running validation...

PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller 4/SC

The version of this Update Package is newer than the currently installed version.
Software application name: PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller 4/SC Firmware
Package version: 352D
Installed version: 350O

Continue? Y/N:Y
> ANSWER YES if you want to go on

# after completion
PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# reboot

• You will need to get some packages:

PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# aptitude install libsmbios-bin libsmbios1 libsmbiosxml1

• From this Package two tools are of interest to us:

/usr/sbin/dellBiosUpdate
/usr/sbin/getSystemId

• Issue a 'getSystemID' and examine the output, as you can see we are running BIOS A03

PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# getSystemId
Libsmbios:    0.12.1
System ID:    0x01B7
Service Tag:  HL3GG2J
Express Service Code: 38280895579
Product Name: PowerEdge 830
BIOS Version: A03
Vendor:       Dell Computer Corporation
Is Dell:      1

• visit http://linux.dell.com/repo/software/bios-hdrs/ an search for the SystemID (here 0x01B7) and examine the found entries:

[DIR] system_bios_ven_0x1028_dev_0x01b7_version_a01/ 
[DIR] system_bios_ven_0x1028_dev_0x01b7_version_a02/
[DIR] system_bios_ven_0x1028_dev_0x01b7_version_a03/
[DIR] system_bios_ven_0x1028_dev_0x01b7_version_a04/  

• the format of these Names is system_bios_ven_0×1028_dev_SYSTEMID_version_BIOSVERSION, so get the right hdr for your machine!

PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# wget http://linux.dell.com/repo/software/bios-hdrs/system_bios_ven_0x1028_dev_SYSTEMID_version_BIOSVERSION/bios.hdr

• Perform the BIOS update

# we need the dell_rbu kernel module, it is required for libsmbios updates
# (it is in the soruces since 2.6.14, so you should have it available, otherwise compile it)
PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# modprobe dell_rbu


# use lsmod to check for the module
PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# lsmod |grep dell_rbu
dell_rbu                7436  0
firmware_class          9600  1 dell_rbu

# perform the actual BIOS UPDATE
PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# dellBiosUpdate -u -f bios.hdr

# the Output should look like this:
Supported RBU type for this system: (MONOLITHIC)
Using RBU v2 driver. Initializing Driver.
Setting RBU type in v2 driver to: MONOLITHIC
Prep driver for data load.
Writing RBU data (4096bytes/dot): ..........................................................................
Activate CMOS bit to notify BIOS that update is ready on next boot.
Update staged sucessfully. BIOS update will occur on next reboot.

• REBOOT your system to complete the procedure (torture?)

• verify the Update using

PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# getSystemId
# example Output from my PE800:
Libsmbios:    0.12.1
System ID:    0x0185
Service Tag:  JRQCG1J
Express Service Code: 43035701815
Product Name: PowerEdge 800
BIOS Version: A03
Vendor:       Dell Computer Corporation
Is Dell:      1

• go to ftp://ftp.dell.com/bios/ and search for your machine, here 'PE830'

• get the file:

PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# wget ftp://ftp.dell.com/bios/PE830_BIOS_LX_A04.BIN

• run the file

PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# chmod u+x PE830_BIOS_LX_A04.BIN
PE-xxx:/dell-stuff# ./PE830_BIOS_LX_A04.BIN

• REBOOT

Dell Linux-Wiki for PowerEdge
Dell RPM-Repos for RHL/Suse users
Dell omsa .deb packages

keywords: PowerEdge, Dell, Debian, OMSA, Hardware, Administration, Management, OpenManage Server Administrator