Managing BMC

Just like any other critical system, the BMC itself requires proper maintenance. Knowing how to back up its configuration, preserve settings through an update, or restore it to a known-good state is essential for stable and reliable remote management.

This chapter covers the key tasks for managing the BMC's configuration and lifecycle.

Backing up and restoring the BMC configuration

Creating a backup of your BMC's configuration is a crucial first step before making any major changes or performing a firmware update. A backup file saves your critical settings, such as network configuration and user accounts.

To back up the configuration:

1. In the sidebar menu, navigate to Operations > Backup And Restore.

2. Under the Backup tab, use the toggles to select which settings you want to include in the backup (e.g., SMTP, Virtual media, Network).

3. Click Download. A .tar file containing your selected settings will be saved to your computer.

[Image, EXISTING, Source: 6.6: Screenshot of the Backup and Restore page showing the backup options.]

To restore a configuration:

1. Select the Restore tab.

2. Click Add File and choose a previously saved .tar backup file.

3. Click Upload. The settings from the file will be applied to the BMC.

[Image, EXISTING, Source: 6.6: Screenshot showing the success message after uploading a restore file.]

Preserving settings across updates

The Preserve feature allows you to select specific configurations that you want to protect during a firmware update or a factory reset. This is more granular than a full backup and ensures that critical settings like network IPs and user accounts remain intact.

1. Navigate to Operations > Preserve.

2. Check the boxes for each configuration group you want to save (e.g., Authentication, Network, FRU). You can use Check All to select everything.

3. Click Save.

[Image, EXISTING, Source: 6.3: Screenshot of the Preserve page showing the various settings that can be selected to be preserved.]

Best Practice: Preserve Network and User Settings

Before any firmware update, it's highly recommended to at least preserve your Network and Authentication settings. This will prevent you from being locked out of the BMC after the update and save you the trouble of re-creating all your user accounts.

Restoring the BMC to factory defaults

In some cases, you may need to reset the BMC to its original factory state. This can be a useful troubleshooting step if the BMC becomes unstable or if you are decommissioning a server.

1. Navigate to Operations > Factory Default.

2. Choose your reset option:

   • Restore Default - Partial: Resets some settings but attempts to keep critical data.

   • Restore Default - Full: Wipes all configurations and returns the BMC to its out-of-the-box state. This is a complete reset.

3. Click Restore. The BMC will reboot, and the changes will take effect.

[Image, EXISTING, Source: 6.2: Screenshot of the Factory Default page showing the partial and full restore options.]

Rebooting the BMC

Sometimes, a simple reboot of the BMC can resolve issues like a slow or unresponsive web interface. This action restarts the management controller only and does not affect the host server's operating system.

1. Navigate to Operations > Reboot BMC.

2. The page will show you the timestamp of the Last BMC reboot.

3. Click the Reboot BMC button.

   

The web interface will be inaccessible for several minutes while the BMC restarts. You will need to log in again once it comes back online.