Managing Server Power State
Being able to remotely control the server's power is a fundamental part of out-of-band management. Whether you need to perform a simple reboot, shut down the server for maintenance, or force a boot from a specific device, the BMC gives you full control without needing physical access.
This chapter covers how to check the server's status, perform power operations safely, and configure boot overrides.
Checking the current power status
Before you perform any power action, it's a good practice to check the server's current state.
In the sidebar menu, navigate to Operations > Server power operations.
Review the Current status panel on the left.
[Image, EXISTING, Source: 6.8: Screenshot of the Server power operations page, showing boot settings and the operations panel.]
This panel tells you two important things:
Server status: Shows whether the host system is currently
OnorOff.Last power operation: Displays the timestamp of the last power action. This is useful for confirming if a recent reboot was successful or seeing if another administrator has recently performed an action.
Performing power operations (reboot, shutdown)
The BMC allows you to reboot or shut down the server with two different methods: orderly (graceful) or immediate (forced). Understanding the difference is critical to avoid data loss.
In the Operations section, choose the action you want to perform:
Reboot Server
Orderly: This is the safe option. It sends a shutdown command to the operating system, allowing it to close applications and unmount filesystems gracefully before the server reboots. Always use this method unless the OS is completely frozen.
Immediate: This is equivalent to pressing the physical reset button. It forces an immediate reboot without warning the OS.
Shutdown Server
Orderly: Sends a shutdown command to the OS, which then powers down the system safely.
Immediate: This is equivalent to holding down the physical power button. It cuts power to the system instantly.
Caution: Use "Immediate" actions as a last resort
An Immediate reboot or shutdown can cause data corruption, filesystem damage, or loss of unsaved work, just like pulling the power cord on a running machine. Only use this option if the operating system is unresponsive and an orderly shutdown has failed.
Setting one-time boot options
This feature lets you override the default boot order for the next restart only. It's incredibly useful for maintenance tasks like booting into the BIOS setup, running diagnostics from a USB drive, or deploying an OS via a network (PXE) boot.
In the Boot settings panel, use the Boot settings override dropdown to select your desired boot device (e.g., Pxe, Hdd, BiosSetup, Usb).
(Optional) Enable the TPM required policy. This adds a layer of security by ensuring the system will only boot if the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is functional.
Click Save.
Perform an Orderly Reboot for the setting to take effect.
The server will boot from your selected device once. After that, it will revert to its standard boot order.
Troubleshooting power and boot issues
Problem: An "Orderly" shutdown or reboot fails, and the server seems frozen.
Solution: This usually means the operating system is unresponsive and cannot process the graceful shutdown command. In this situation, using the "Immediate" power option is justified as a last resort to force the server to restart.
Problem: The server doesn't boot from the selected override device.
Solution: First, double-check that you clicked Save after selecting the boot override option. Second, ensure the boot media itself is valid and bootable (e.g., the USB drive is formatted correctly, or the PXE server is configured properly).
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