iDRAC7 Licensing - Dell Community

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iDRAC7 Licensing Dell Technical White Paper

Dell Enterprise Solutions Group

THIS WHITE PAPER IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, AND MAY CONTAIN TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS AND TECHNICAL INACCURACIES. THE CONTENT IS PROVIDED AS IS, WITHOUT EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND. Dell, the DELL logo and PowerEdge, are trademarks of Dell, Inc. Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell disclaims proprietary interest in the marks and names of others. © 2012 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of Dell, Inc. is strictly forbidden. For more information, contact Dell.

Contents Overview ................................................................................................................ 6 Understanding iDRAC7 Express and Enterprise Offerings ........................................................ 6 Purchasing PowerEdge Servers with Installed Licenses ........................................................... 7 Comparing an Enterprise Perpetual License and an Evaluation License ....................................... 8 Installing an Evaluation License Using the iDRAC GUI, RACADM or WSMAN .................................... 9

iDRAC GUI ................................................................................................................................................. 9 RACADM.................................................................................................................................................. 10 WSMAN ................................................................................................................................................... 11 Purchasing an iDRAC7 License after Server Purchase ............................................................ 11 Receiving a Notification that a License is Available to Download ............................................. 12 Using Dell’s License Management Portal .......................................................................... 13

Setting up An Account ............................................................................................................................ 13 Downloading a License ........................................................................................................................... 14 Managing User Access ............................................................................................................................ 15 Adding New Users ............................................................................................................................... 15 Removing User Access ........................................................................................................................ 16 Locating Licenses within the Portal ........................................................................................................ 17 Managing License Keys ........................................................................................................................... 18 Re-Acquiring a License That Was Previously Downloaded ................................................................. 19 Binding a License ................................................................................................................................. 19 Unbinding a License ............................................................................................................................ 21 Replacing a Part .................................................................................................................................. 22 Backing up and Restoring iDRAC License Keys .................................................................... 22

Backing up a License File ......................................................................................................................... 22 Exporting a License File ........................................................................................................................... 22 iDRAC GUI............................................................................................................................................ 23 RACADM .............................................................................................................................................. 24 WSMAN ............................................................................................................................................... 25 Restoring a License ................................................................................................................................. 26 Validating End User License Agreement (EULA) Compliance ................................................... 26 Using the Dell OpenManage License Manager ..................................................................... 27

Obtaining and Installing DLM.................................................................................................................. 27 Inventorying Licensable Systems ............................................................................................................ 27 Importing Licenses .................................................................................................................................. 30

Deploying Licenses .................................................................................................................................. 32 Backing-Up Licenses ................................................................................................................................ 34 Restoring Licenses................................................................................................................................... 35 Viewing License Status and Compliance Information ............................................................................. 35 Frequently Asked Questions ......................................................................................... 37

Figures Figure 1.

Licenses ............................................................................................... 10

Figure 2.

License Management ................................................................................ 13

Figure 3.

Create a new Dell My Account ..................................................................... 13

Figure 4.

Dell Software License Agreement ................................................................. 14

Figure 5.

License Management – Manage Licenses ......................................................... 14

Figure 6.

Deliver My License Key Window ................................................................... 15

Figure 7.

License Management – Users tab .................................................................. 15

Figure 8.

Add a new user window ............................................................................ 16

Figure 9.

License Management ................................................................................ 17

Figure 10.

Software Inventory tab ............................................................................. 17

Figure 11

License Management – Activate Licenses ........................................................ 18

Figure 12.

License Management – Manage Licensees (results) ............................................. 19

Figure 13.

License Management – Trusted (Non-Bound) Licenses ......................................... 19

Figure 14.

License Management – Activate Licenses tab ................................................... 20

Figure 15.

Assign a License to a System window ............................................................ 20

Figure 16.

License Management – Manage Licenses ......................................................... 21

Figure 17.

License Options...................................................................................... 23

Figure 18.

Select License Options ............................................................................. 24

Figure 19.

License Manager – Run Discovery and Inventory ................................................ 27

Figure 20.

Discover and Edit Inventory ....................................................................... 28

Figure 21.

Discover/Inventory Wizard – Step 2 .............................................................. 28

Figure 22.

Discover/Inventory Wizard – Step 3 .............................................................. 29

Figure 23.

Licenses – Import Licenses ......................................................................... 30

Figure 24.

Select Licenses - Open ............................................................................. 31

Figure 25.

Select Licenses - Import............................................................................ 31

Figure 26.

Manage Licenses ..................................................................................... 33

Figure 27.

Manage Licenses - Credentials .................................................................... 33

Figure 28.

License Inventory ................................................................................... 34

Figure 29.

Specify Archive File ................................................................................. 35

Figure 30.

License Manager – System Inventory ............................................................. 36

Figure 31.

Licenses - Status .................................................................................... 41

Overview This document provides an overview of iDRAC7 digital licensing and how it is different from iDRAC6.

Understanding iDRAC7 Express and Enterprise Offerings At a high level, the features and offerings for iDRAC are similar between iDRAC6 and iDRAC7. Dell provides three main offerings: Basic Management, Express, and Enterprise. Starting with our 12 th generation blade servers, Dell also has a new offering, Express for Blades. As in Dell’s 11th generation servers, Basic Management (called BMC in 11th generation) is the default for servers 200500 series. For 600 series and above, iDRAC Express is the standard, default offering that is part of the base configuration. It does not require a license to be installed, backed up, or managed. Express offers embedded tools, console integration, and simplified remote access. However, most IT administrators want a deeper, more inclusive solution that allows them to manage servers as if they were physically near the server. New for all of the 12th generation blades is “Express for Blades,” which offers a single-user virtual console session and virtual media in addition to the standard Express offerings. Because all 600-series servers ship with iDRAC7 Express enabled, customers can take advantage of the features and benefits provided by iDRAC7 with Lifecycle-controller technology. Customers with 200-500 series can also upgrade their systems to either Express or Enterprise by simply installing a license key. See section “Purchasing an iDRAC7 Enterprise License after Server Purchase” for more details. The following table describes the features found in Basic Management, Express, Express for Blades, and Enterprise (which is the same for blades and monolithic). There are many reasons to upgrade to Enterprise as described below, but the most sought after feature is the virtual console. Note: Only 200-500 series servers ship with Basic Management as the default. Basic Management

Express

Express for Blades

Enterprise

Local Updates

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Driver Pack

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IPMI 2.0

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Embedded Diagnostics

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Local OS Install

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Shared NIC (rack and tower only)

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Local Configuration via USC

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Web GUI

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Serial Redirection

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Remote CLI

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local/SSH CLI

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IPv6

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Auto-Discovery

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Power Monitoring

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Crash Screen Capture

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Auto-Recovery

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Remote Config

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Remote Update

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Email Alerts

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Encryption

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Power Control

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SNMP Alerts

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Comprehensive Monitoring

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Virtual Flash Partitions Dedicated NIC 1Gbps

1

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Backup & Restore Virtual Console Virtual Media

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Part Replacement 2

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Remote File Share

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PK Authentication

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Crash Video Playback

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Console Chat

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Virtual Folders

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Enterprise Group Power Management

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Power Capping

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Boot Playback

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Directory Services (AD, LDAP)

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Two-Factor Authentication

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1

Blade to chassis internal connection is 100MB

2

Single User Virtual Console with remote launch

Purchasing PowerEdge Servers with Installed Licenses New with Dell’s 12th generation servers, customers can evaluate and then purchase upgrades from Dell. For server models 600 series and above, all the hardware needed is on the server. For servers in the 200-500 series, customers can upgrade from Basic Management to either Express or Enterprise without having to open the box or install any hardware. Now that iDRAC7 Express and Enterprise are digital license offerings, what does that mean for new purchases? The purchase of a PowerEdge server with iDRAC7 is the same as it was with iDRAC6. One improvement we made for iDRAC7 is that for the 600 series servers and above, all the hardware required for iDRAC7 Enterprise is on the motherboard. Not only does this eliminate the possibility of

a card unseating during shipping, but it also allows for an upgrade if available. If Enterprise is ordered from Dell at point of sale on 200-500 series servers, the necessary hardware is installed in the factory. This piece of hardware is the Dell Ports card, which sits in a PCIe slot and has the RJ-45 connector for the Dedicated NIC and the slot for the vFlash SD card.

Also, the factory process loads the iDRAC7 Express or Enterprise license key so that all functionality is fully enabled when you receive your new server. In other words, there is no key to locate or install if Express or Enterprise is ordered from the factory. Keeping Track of Your iDRAC Licenses Dell offers a online portal to keep track all of your iDRAC licenses; for example, which servers have Express, Enterprise, or even Trial licenses. Servers can be sorted by service tag. In the unlikely event of motherboard failure, Dell also stores a copy of the key and makes it available to you in an online License Management portal (www.dell.com/support/retail/lkm). The only additional steps you need to complete after deploying your new server into production is to set up your “My Account” and authorize users who can access the digital license on Dell’s License Management Portal. The online portal is the best way to review all your iDRAC license keys.

Comparing an Enterprise Perpetual License and an Evaluation License Licenses are defined by the type and the duration. A customer can try the Enterprise features with an Enterprise Evaluation license, and they can use the features indefinitely by purchasing an Enterprise Perpetual license. 

Perpetual - This license is valid for the life of the product. It does not expire and never needs to be renewed. It must be bound to only one service tag at a time.



Evaluation - This license is for a 30-day trial of certain features. It can be used on any system (although not recommended in a production environment).

Customers can install an evaluation license to test out a new feature class before purchasing it. A status icon in the iDRAC GUI changes from green to yellow when the license has 5 days remaining. There will also be log entries in the LC log. Customers that require additional time to complete an evaluation can obtain an extension of an additional 30 days by contacting their account representative. To purchase a perpetual license or obtain evaluation licenses, customers can contact their Dell representative or go to: http://www.dell.com/us/enterprise/p/servers?redirect=1 The customer can type iDRAC in the search field at the top right side of the page to locate the evaluation license or preferred perpetual license. An email is sent to the customer containing the entitlement and a link to www.dell.com/support/retail/lkm

If the customer wants a perpetual license, the server service tag number is required. Dell then generates a license that the customer can download and import into the iDRAC. For additional support/help for an evaluation license, select the “Learn More” link in Device Options drop-down next to the iDRAC device on the Licensing page.

Installing an Evaluation License Using the iDRAC GUI, RACADM or WSMAN Base and Point of Sale (POS) upgrade licenses are installed in the factory by Dell prior to platform shipment. The base functionality for the particular server model is enabled at POS and does not require an additional file. After Point of Sale (APOS), you must install licenses electronically via iDRAC7 interfaces, such as the Web interface, RACADM, or WSMAN. To accomplish this task, log on to the License Management portal, locate your upgraded license, and then choose to have the license file emailed to your account or downloaded directly to your computer. Once the license file is in your possession, you can import it to your server from a network share or external storage device by using the iDRAC7 Web Interface, RACADM, or WSMAN interfaces.

iDRAC GUI To install a license using the iDRAC GUI: 1. Navigate to the Licenses tab, and then select Import in the drop-down under “Device Options”. 2. Browse to the license file, and then click Apply. You can locate the license file on the local file system of your management station, or on a share that is accessible.

Figure 1.

Licenses

RACADM To install a license using RACADM: The basic command for racadm is “racadm license import”. This option has many possibilities based on whether you are using local, remote or firmware racadm and on where the license file is located. [SH7757 ~]$ racadm license help import License import -- Import licenses to various devices on the server. Usage: racadm license import -u -p -f l -c Valid Options: -c -l -f -u -p -o

FQDD name of the device to where the license file has to be imported. Network share location (see the Usage Examples section for NFS or CIFS share) from where you must import the license file. License file name. Username of the remote share from where the file will be imported. Password for the remote share from where the file will be imported. Option to override the EULA warning and import the license.

Usage Examples:



Import a license from a CIFS share to a device,in this case Embedded iDrac: racadm license import -u admin -p passwd -f License.xml -l //192.168.2.140/licshare -c idrac.embedded.1



Import a license from NFS share to a device,in this case Embedded iDrac: racadm license import f Licen.xml -l 192.168.2.14:/share -c idrac.embedded.1



Import a license by overriding the EULA warning: racadm license import -u admin -p passwd -f License.xml -l //192.168.2.140/licshare -c idrac.embedded.1 –o



Import a license from the local filesystem using local racadm: racadm license import -f License.xml -c idrac.embedded.1



Import a license from the local filesystem using remote racadm: racadm license import -f C:\Mylicdir\License.xml -c idrac.embedded.1

WSMAN To install a license using WSMAN: winrm i ImportLicenseFromNetworkShare "cimv2/root/dcim/DCIM_LicenseManagementService?SystemCreationClassName=DCIM_SPComputerSys tem+CreationClassName=DCIM_LicenseManagementService+SystemName=systemmc+Name=DCIM:Lice nseManagementService:1" -u:%s -p:%s -r:https://%s/wsman -SkipCNcheck -SkipCAcheck -encoding:utf8 -a:basic file:d:\xml_files\license_management_import_license_From_Cifs_Network_Share_idrac.xml

Purchasing an iDRAC7 License after Server Purchase iDRAC7’s move to digital licensing eliminates the need to purchase and install hardware on your server to upgrade iDRAC functionality on the 600 series servers and above. What used to require server downtime and physical hardware shipments, you can now accomplish without impact to the production workload running on your PowerEdge server (Zero downtime). You can purchase the digital license using Dell’s online sales portal or through your Dell Sales representative. For 200-500 series servers, either Express or Enterprise can be enabled electronically at any time without rebooting the server or taking it offline. Simply download and install either the trial or perpetual license, and then log out and log in to the iDRAC console. For customers who wish to upgrade to Enterprise on these systems, features such as the Dedicated 1Gbps NIC and the vFlash will not be available until additional hardware (the iDRAC Ports Card) has been added. However, all other Enterprise class features will be available in minutes. Customers who do wish to use the Dedicated NIC or vFlash can install the Dell Ports card to take advantage of these features. Adding the Ports card requires taking the server offline. For all Enterprise systems: Customers have a choice of ordering either the software license or ordering the license with the vFlash SD card on the same order, but not bundled under the same SKU. Note that on 600 series servers and above, both the dedicated NIC port and the SD slot for the vFlash are present on the system, but neither is active until the activation of the license key. You may purchase an SD card locally of any size (16, 32, or higher), but partition size is limited to 4GB. Dell offers both an 8GB and 16GB vFlash SD card.

Receiving a Notification that a License is Available to Download After purchasing a license, a customer receives an email indicating that a license is ready to download. The email contains the information the customer needs to retrieve their license such as: •

order number



order date



customer number



entitlement ID



item description



URL to access the Dell License Management Portal

The email contains the electronic download instructions as well as a link to the online portal. For example:

Using Dell’s License Management Portal Customers can utilize the external, self-help License Management portal to view their digital licenses, obtain a replacement license, or in some cases re-assign licenses to different hardware.

Setting up An Account In order to access the License Management portal, an account is required. To set up an account: 1. Go to www.dell.com/support/retail/lkm Figure 2.

License Management

2. To create an account, click on Sign in to Your Account Now and then follow the prompts to create an account. Make sure to use the same email address when you register as the same email address that was used when placing your order. Figure 3.

Create a new Dell My Account

The end user license agreement is displayed: Figure 4.

Dell Software License Agreement

i. Review the Dell Software License Agreement. If you agree with the license agreement, select the Yes, I Agree button. ii. If you agreed with the Dell Software License agreement, you are redirected to the License Management portal.

Downloading a License Once logged on to the License portal, you can download or have the license key emailed to you by completing the following steps for an upgrade entitlement, which was purchased online: 1. Click on the “Manage Licenses” tab where you can view the licenses that have been assigned to an asset under your customer number. Figure 5.

License Management – Manage Licenses

2. To download the license, click on the Get Key link that is shown under the maintenance column. A “Deliver My License Key” window is displayed: Figure 6.

Deliver My License Key Window

3. To download the license directly to your computer, click the Download button and click on the Submit button. Alternatively, if you click on the Email button, an email is sent to the email address that was used to log in to the License Management portal.

Managing User Access Once logged into the License Management portal, you can manage user access to your digital entitlements by clicking on the “Users” tab: Figure 7.

License Management – Users tab

Adding New Users To add new users to your license portal view: 1. Click on the Add User button and provide the information requested in the window that is displayed:

Figure 8.

Add a new user window

2. Click on the Add button. The newly added user receives an email with instructions on how to log on to the License Management portal. Remember that anyone who is granted access to the portal has the same abilities and is able to perform the same functions as everyone else.

Removing User Access If a user no longer requires access to the portal, (for example, he/she has left the company), you can remove their authorization. To remove the user’s access: 1. Click on the Delete button, which is next to the customer’s email address. Once deleted, the user will no longer have visibility to entitlements that are listed under that customer number.

Figure 9.

License Management

Locating Licenses within the Portal You can locate licenses in the portal using several methods, including: 

The Software inventory tab provides a view of all types of licenses that are owned by the customer. It is a quick way to view groups of licenses as well as use key terms in the search box. Figure 10.

Software Inventory tab



The Activate License tab is used to view all licenses that require activation or that have not yet been assigned to an asset. You can search licenses under this tab by description, Dell order number, or entitlement ID. For more information, see “Managing License Keys”.



The Manage License tab lists licenses that are currently bound to an asset and you can search by Dell order number, entitlement ID, Service tag of the asset, or a description of the license. For more information, see “Managing License Keys.”

Managing License Keys There are three tabs within the Dell License portal that are used to actively manage your digital entitlements: 

Activate Licenses - For some licenses, you must associate (bind) the license with an asset’s serial number. The Activate Licenses tab lists the licenses that must be bound to an asset and have not yet been bound. Figure 11.



License Management – Activate Licenses

Manage Licenses - Lists the licenses that are currently bound to an asset. You can perform operations on bound licenses, such as: o

Re-acquire a license that was previously downloaded.

o

Unbind a license from an asset.

o

Replace a part.

Figure 12.



License Management – Manage Licensees (results)

Other Licenses - Lists licenses that are never bound to hardware and provide the ability to download the license keys for your product. Figure 13.

License Management – Trusted (Non-Bound) Licenses

Re-Acquiring a License That Was Previously Downloaded If you misplaced your original license and need to resend the original license, follow the steps described in the “Downloading a License” section.

Binding a License Licenses are bound to the service tag to help easily identify which servers have what feature level, which can aid in auditing and accounting. To bind a license to an asset: 1. Click on Assign License in Actions to activate a license that has not yet been bound to a device.

Figure 14.

License Management – Activate Licenses tab

1. In the “Assign a License to a System” window, type the service tag number for the system that is associated to the license and then press the Add to List button. (To locate the service tag, find a 7-digit number that ends with a 1 that is attached to the server. On tower/rack/modular systems, the tag is typically on the rear wall or the left side if no room on rear wall. For blades, the tag is typically on the non-removable section of removable cover surface or on the side opposite the removable cover.) 2. Once the service tag is added, click on the Service Tag. 3. Select either Email or Download Software Key, and then click the Submit button. Figure 15.

Assign a License to a System window

Depending on your selection, the license key is directly downloaded to your computer or you receive an email that will contain your license file. When you receive the license file, you can proceed to install the license key on the designated system. Note: If you enter the wrong service tag, you have to unbind the license. See “Unbinding a License”.

Unbinding a License A license can be regenerated through a un-bind and bind operation in the portal. The unbind/bind process only changes the binding parameter in the license key (Service Tag or Device ID) and the signature block. The unbind/bind process does not change the entitlement ID or the original purchase date. To unbind a license: 1. Click on the Manage Licenses tab in the License Management portal. 2. Locate the entitlement that you want to unbind. You can do this by searching the Service Tag, Entitlement ID, or the order number. 3. Once you locate the entitlement, click on the Unassign link that is located under the maintenance column. A confirmation window appears. 4. Click Yes if you are certain that you want to un-assign the entitlement. Figure 16.

License Management – Manage Licenses

5. Once the Entitlement is unassigned, the entitlement displays under the Activate Licenses tab, where you can re-assign the entitlement to a new asset. See “Binding a License.”

Replacing a Part If you have an iDRAC upgrade, you need to restore your license key after the motherboard replacement. See the “Backing up and Restoring iDRAC license keys” section for details on how to backup/restore your license key. Your license file is unique to your service tag. The Dell Authorized Service Provider sets the new motherboard service tag to the original one to ensure full iDRAC functionality after the motherboard replacement. See” Using Dell’s License Management Portal” if you do not have an upgraded license backup available in order to download it again or have it emailed to you.

Backing up and Restoring iDRAC License Keys You can back up and restore Dell iDRAC license keys individually using the Lifecycle controller, iDRAC GUI, RACADM, or WS-MAN interfaces. Or, Dell License Manager can back up and restore licenses on a one-to-many basis. For more information on using DLM to back-up and restore licenses, see Using Dell OpenManage License Manager. Enterprise-level backup and restore is part of the Lifecycle Controller. The backup and restore process backs up and restores all types of licenses.

Backing up a License File To initiate a license key backup: 1. Restart your system. 2. Press F10 during POST to enter the Unified Server Configurator. 3. Select Platform Restore, then Export Server Profile. Note that a vFlash SD card must be present or these options will be greyed out. Note: This procedure is a full system backup. There is no support for incremental backups from USC.

Exporting a License File Following a system backup, a license key can be exported to the local file system or to a share from the iDRAC GUI, RACADM or WSMAN.

iDRAC GUI To export a license using the iDRAC GUI: 1. Go to the Licenses tab and select Export from the drop-down list under License Options to export all licenses or click on the plus sign to view a specific license and select Export in that drop-down. Figure 17.

License Options

2. Respond to the message asking if you want to Open, Save, or Cancel. Click Save if you want the file to go to the default downloads folder or click Save As if you want to select the exact location you prefer.

Figure 18.

Select License Options

RACADM To export a license using RACADM: [SH7757 ~]$ racadm license help export License export - Exports licenses from various devices on the server.

Usage: racadm license export -u -p -f -l -t racadm license export -u -p -f -l -e racadm license export -u -p -f -l -c racadm license export -u -p -f -l -c -e -t Valid Options: -c -e -t

FQDD name of the device from where the license file has to be exported. Entitlement ID of the license to be exported. Transaction ID of the license to be exported. Note: To locate the transaction ID, Type racadm license view. The ID is displayed. It can also be

-l -f -u -p

located by expanding the plus sign next to the license in the GUI. Network share location (see “Usage Examples” for NFS or CIFS share) or local file system to which the license file must be exported. Destination license file name. If a filename is not entered, the license file is assigned _.xml Username of the system where the file will be exported. Password of the user on the system where the file will be exported.

Usage Examples: -Export license to a NFS share using transaction ID, in this case transaction 27 : racadm license export -f License.xml -l 192.168.2.140:/licshare -t 27

-Export license to a CIFS share specifying the entitlement ID, in this case abcdxyz : racadm license export -u admin -p passwd -f License.xml -l //192.168.2.140/licshare -e abcdxyz

-Export license to a CIFS share specifying the FQDD. While using the –c option and exporting license(s) from a device, more than one license file may be exported. Therefore, if a file name is given, an index will be appended to the end of the file name such as LicenseFile0.xml, LicenseFile1.xml and so on. In this case, the device is Embedded iDrac : - racadm license export -u root -p calvin -f LicenseFile.xml -l //192.168.2.140/licshare -c idrac.embedded.1

WSMAN To export a license using WSMAN: winrm i ExportLicense "cimv2/root/dcim/DCIM_LicenseManagementService?SystemCreationClassName=DCIM_SPCompu terSystem+CreationClassName=DCIM_LicenseManagementService+SystemName=systemmc+Nam e=DCIM:LicenseManagementService:1" -u:root -p:calvin -r:https://172.27.99.61/wsman SkipCNcheck -SkipCAcheck -encoding:utf-8 -a:basic file:c:\xml_files\license_management_export_license_idrac.xml #

ExportLicenseToNetworkShare Method (NFS / Linux Share)

winrm i ExportLicenseToNetworkShare "cimv2/root/dcim/DCIM_LicenseManagementService?SystemCreationClassName=DCIM_SPCompu terSystem+CreationClassName=DCIM_LicenseManagementService+SystemName=systemmc+Nam e=DCIM:LicenseManagementService:1" -u:root -p:calvin -r:https://172.27.99.61/wsman SkipCNcheck -SkipCAcheck -encoding:utf-8 -a:basic file:c:\xml_files\license_management_export_license_to_network_share_idrac_nfs.xml #

ExportLicenseToNetworkShare Method (CIFS / Windows Share)

winrm i ExportLicenseToNetworkShare "cimv2/root/dcim/DCIM_LicenseManagementService?SystemCreationClassName=DCIM_SPCompu

terSystem+CreationClassName=DCIM_LicenseManagementService+SystemName=systemmc+Nam e=DCIM:LicenseManagementService:1" -u:root -p:calvin -r:https://172.27.99.61/wsman SkipCNcheck -SkipCAcheck -encoding:utf-8 -a:basic file:c:\xml_files\license_management_export_license_to_network_share_idrac_cifs.xml #

DeleteLicense Method (IDRAC.Embedded.1)

winrm i DeleteLicense "cimv2/root/dcim/DCIM_LicenseManagementService?SystemCreationClassName=DCIM_SPCompu terSystem+CreationClassName=DCIM_LicenseManagementService+SystemName=systemmc+Nam e=DCIM:LicenseManagementService:1" -u:root -p:calvin -r:https://172.27.99.61/wsman SkipCNcheck -SkipCAcheck -encoding:utf-8 -a:basic file:c:\xml_files\license_management_delete_license_idrac.xml

Restoring a License You can import the license key from the iDRAC GUI, RACADM, or WSMAN to restore a 1 X 1 license. See Installing an Evaluation Licenses Using the IDRAC GUI, RACADM and WSMAN section discussing the “import commands” usage.

Validating End User License Agreement (EULA) Compliance Dell provides several tools to validate license compliance and verify which licenses are installed for all your iDRAC: 

For the one-to-one small business customers: o

iDRAC GUI

o

RACADM command line

o

WSMAN

Use one of the above interfaces to view the installed license(s). 

For the one-to-many larger business customers: o

DLM

o

Dell OpenManage Essentials / DLM

To check your systems compliance using DLM, see “Viewing License Status and Compliance Information”. To prevent systems from being out of compliance, Dell recommends binding the service tag to the entitlement. See “Binding a License.”

Using the Dell OpenManage License Manager Dell License Manager is a one-to-many license deployment and reporting tool for Dell iDRAC licenses. DLM can deploy and backup licenses as well as report on licensing status, including the currently enabled iDRAC feature level.

Obtaining and Installing DLM To download the latest version of DLM, go to: www.dell.com/learnmore/iDRAClicenses. DLM is compatible with Microsoft Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 R2, and Windows Server 2008. The .NET 4.0 Client Profile and Windows Remote Management (WinRM) 2.0 or later are required. To install DLM, launch the downloaded installer and follow the installation prompts.

Inventorying Licensable Systems To use DLM, you first need to discover and inventory your licensable 12th generation iDRACs. To discover your systems’ iDRACs: 1. Click Run Discovery and Inventory from Systems view. Figure 19.

License Manager – Run Discovery and Inventory

2. In the Discovery / Inventory Wizard, click Add Range or IP and provide the IP address or range name along with the iDRAC IP address range or individual iDRAC address. Click OK when

complete. When you have finished entering all your iDRAC IPs, click Next to advance to the next screen. Figure 20.

Discover and Edit Inventory

3. Enter your iDRAC credentials and verify your communication settings. Click Next when done. Figure 21.

Discover/Inventory Wizard – Step 2

4. Confirm your settings and click Run Discovery / Inventory.

Figure 22.

Discover/Inventory Wizard – Step 3

5. Discovery/Inventory progress is displayed in Task view. You can view the inventoried systems’ iDRACs in Systems view when complete.

Importing Licenses Once you have obtained your licenses from the License Management portal, you can import them into DLM for deployment. To import licenses: 1. From the License view, select Import Licenses. Figure 23.

Licenses – Import Licenses

2. Select the license archives (zip) or license files (xml) you want to import and click Open. You can select multiple files at once.

Figure 24.

Select Licenses - Open

. 3. Review the license validation results and click Import.

Figure 25.

Select Licenses - Import

. The imported licenses appear in License view.

Deploying Licenses Once an inventory of licensable systems is complete and licenses are imported, they can be deployed. To deploy licenses: 1. Select Automatically Deploy Licenses from License view. This deploys all licenses (not already installed) to systems in the inventory based on their service tag. Alternativley, you can select individual licenses to deploy from the License view grid and select Deploy Selected Licenses or select systems from the System view grid and click Deploy Associated Licenses.

2. Confirm the licenses to deploy and click Next.

Figure 26.

Manage Licenses

3. Enter your credentials and verify your communication settings. Click Next when done. Figure 27.

Manage Licenses - Credentials

Once deployment starts, you can monitor the progress in the Task view. Detailed logs of license operations are retained and visible in Log view.

Backing-Up Licenses Dell License Manager retains licenses imported from the file system and automatically retrieves perpetual licenses during the Discovery/Inventory process. Additionally, DLM has the ability to save a complete license archive to the file system. The archive is in zip format, containing XML license files named by Entitlement ID. You can directly import the license archive into any instance of DLM for redeployment, or the individual licenses can be extracted and redeployed individually. To export an archive: 1. Select the Export Archive tab from the License view. Figure 28.

License Inventory

2. Confirm the export file location and then name.

Figure 29.

Specify Archive File

3. Click Save.

Restoring Licenses To restore a license using DLM: 1. Re-inventory the iDRACs on which the licenses should be restored, as specified in the subsection “Inventorying Licensable Systems” in this document. This ensures that DLM does not consider the licenses deployed. 2. If the licenses to restore are not already present in DLM (visible in License view), import the license archives or license files as specified in “Importing Licenses”. Licenses from a backup archive are processed identically to those obtained from the licensing portal. 3. Restore the licenses using the process for deploying licenses specified in “Deploying Licenses.”

Viewing License Status and Compliance Information Dell License Manager allows you to view a variety of information on licensable systems within System view.

Figure 30.

License Manager – System Inventory

You can sort, filter, and group the information as required. 

To sort a column, click on the column header.



To apply a filter, hover over the column header, click the filter icon when it appears, and enter the filter criteria.



To group by a column, select the column name in the Group By box.

The “Upgrade Available” column indicates that a license is ready for deployment. These licenses can be deployed using the steps in Deploying Licenses . The Evaluation Installed column indicates if an evaluation license is active or has expired. Systems with an evaluation license installed require a perpetual license to retain the functionality being evaluated after the evaluation license expires. The Current License column indicates the currently active license level on the system. For example, you can use this grouping to locate which systems are at the Express-license level and can benefit from an upgrade. The Purchased License column specifies the highest perpetual license class bound to a system. Both installed licenses and licenses available for deployment are included in this calculation. If DLM detects that a perpetual license is installed on more than one system, a compliance warning is displayed in the Additional Information column in System view. You can sort the systems by installed

Entitlement ID in order to determine which systems may be out of compliance with a particular license.

Frequently Asked Questions How do I transfer the iDRAC license to a new machine?

1. Log on to License Management Portal. 2. Click on the Manage Licenses tab. 3. In the search box, enter the service tag of the system on which the license is currently installed. The license should appear in the data grid. 4. Click on the Unassign button to notify Dell that the license will no longer be used on the old system. 5. Click on the Activate License tab. The license that you just unassigned should be visible. 6. Click on the Assign button. 7. Enter the service tag of the new system where you want to install the license. 8. Click the Download or Send Email button to get the new license key. 9. On the old system, remove the old license key using the iDRAC GUI or command line tools. 10. On the new system, install the newly downloaded license using the iDRAC GUI or command line (link to iDRAC usage section).

Why is the license bound to a service tag?

Licenses are bound to a service tag to help identify which servers have what feature levels, which can aid in auditing and accounting.

What do I do if I have a motherboard failure?

If you have an iDRAC7 Enterprise upgrade, your license key will need to be restored after a motherboard replacement. 1. You will need to back up and then restore your license key after a motherboard is replaced. See “Backing up and Restoring iDRAC License Keys.”

2. Your license file is unique to your service tag. The Dell Authorized Service Provider sets the new motherboard service tag to the original one to ensure full iDRAC functionality after the motherboard replacement. 3. See “Using Dell’s License Management Portal” if you do not have an upgraded license backup available in order to download it again or have it emailed to you. 4. NOTE: This feature is only available to Enterprise licensed servers. I just logged in to the online portal and can’t find my license key?

It may be that you have an iDRAC that does not have a physical license key and it is not necessary to download or import the key. In that case, you would not see a license in the license key portal. See “Understanding IDRAC 7 Express and iDRAC 7 Enterprise Value Offerings” to determine if you have license key available for download.

I just purchased a used PowerEdge server. How do I access the online License Management portal and iDRAC license keys for my server?

See “Using Dell’s License Management Portal.”

The person who purchased all our servers just left my company. How do I remove his/her online access to my company’s iDRAC licenses?

See “Removing User Access.”

What does digital licensing mean to me when I order a new PowerEdge Server?

Starting with Dell’s 12th Generation servers, iDRAC7 has the capability to enable features simply by entering a digital license. This option is not available with previous versions of iDRAC because upgrades required opening the server and installing a hardware component.

My customer purchased a PowerEdge Server with either Basic Management or the Express option. How do I obtain an evaluation license to try the Enterprise features?

1. Go to: http://www.dell.com/us/enterprise/p/servers?redire ct=1 2. Type iDRAC in the search field at the top of the page. 3. Locate and select the license you prefer. A link to the license will be sent to you via email. The evaluation

Field Code Changed

license is good for 30 days. An email will be sent containing your entitlement and a link to www.dell.com/support/retail/lkm 4. You will need your server service tag and Dell will generate a license that may be downloaded and imported into the iDRAC. This license is good for 30 days from the time it is imported into the iDRAC. 5. You will receive notifications when you have 5 days left, 4 days, etc. 6. Contact your Dell sales representative to purchase a perpetual license if you wish to keep using the features enabled by your Evaluation license.

I lost my Express or Enterprise license. How do I get it replaced?

If you have misplaced your original copy and need another license downloaded or emailed to you, see “Using Dell’s License Management Portal”.

How do I determine who has access to my company’s licenses?

Use Dell’s Online License Management Portal to verify access. See “Using Dell’s License Management Portal”.

How do I determine if a license was removed or installed on my iDRAC?

Import and delete actions are logged in the LC Log, which you can view in the iDRAC GUI or with the RACADM or WSMAN command-line tools.

I purchased my Dell server from a Value Added Reseller or other 3rd party, who do I contact for support?

Please contact the VAR or other 3rd party for support.

If I return a system to Dell that has a digital license key, what happens to the license?

The Letter of destruction will be read and agreed to by the customer: “You are requesting the return of certain software licenses to Dell for a refund, pursuant to the terms and conditions of sale and the return policy between you and Dell. You agree that you are relinquishing all rights to use or upgrade the software whose licenses you are returning and you agree that you have removed or destroyed all copies of such software and/or the license keys, as applicable. You understand that you will not be entitled to any support for software whose licenses you have returned. You are responsible for any claims arising from or related to your unauthorized use of the returned licenses. If you are returning on behalf of an organization, you confirm that you have appropriate authority to agree to these terms

on behalf of the organization.”

Does my PowerEdge server have an iDRAC license installed on it?

For 200-500 series servers: The default feature set is Basic Management. There is no license associated with this offering. For 600 series and above, “Express” or “Express for Blades” feature set is enabled by default in the factory. Note that this feature set is enabled automatically, and no xml license file is actually present. You can see the word “Express or “Express for Blades” at the top of the login screen and also at the top of the iDRAC GUI. If you see “Express” or “Express for Blades”, then no Enterprise license has been installed. If you see “Enterprise”, then you have either an Enterprise Evaluation or an Enterprise Perpetual license. For more details, go to the GUI Licenses tab and click on the plus sign to view the license details. From racadm, type “racadm license view”. Using WSMAN, execute the enumerate command, for example: winrm e "cimv2/root/dcim/DCIM_License" -u:root -p:calvin r:https://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx/wsman -SkipCNcheck SkipCAcheck -encoding:utf-8 -a:basic.

Figure 31.

Licenses - Status