Essentials for HP ProLiant

Course overview

This 2-day course provides essential pre-Gen8 ProLiant training to System Administrators responsible for ProLiant servers. Students will be presented with an overview of HP products, tools, agents and utilities that will help them setup, deploy, monitor and maintain their ProLiant servers. Many practical hands-on lab exercises are presented on an HP ProLiant G7 server.

Prerequisites

• Familiar with Industry Standard Server technologies and HP ProLiant products

Audience

• Administrators, engineers and consultants, who will setup, manage and/or monitor HP ProLiant servers

Ways to save

Course objectives

• Provide a brief overview of HP ProLiant G6 and G7 Server family, key features and supported operating systems
• Review the HP Management Console (iLO3)
• Discuss HP ProLiant configuration via Option ROM. Provide high-level steps required to prepare an HP ProLiant server for an operating system installation via HP SmartStart
• Review HP online configuration utilities: Array Configuration Utility (ACU), Lights-Out Online Configuration Utility and Network Configuration Utility
• Discuss HP Service Pack for ProLiant (SPP): family of deliverables, contents, key features and deployment options
• Describe how to use HP Smart Update Manager (HP SUM) to install, both locally and remotely, HP software components (drivers, agents, non-agents, utilities) and collections of firmware
• Review how to use HP System Management Homepage (SMH) and the HP SNMP Agents and WBEM providers to proactively monitor a standalone HP ProLiant server
• Describe the six-step HP troubleshooting methodology along with tools, utilities and HP programs to assist in diagnostics of an HP ProLiant server
• List HP products that simplify the installation, deployment, configuration, and maintenance of an HP ProLiant multi-server environment
• Review key features included in HP ProLiant Gen8

Benefits to you

• Navigate successfully through the HP Customer Self-Repair Services Media Library to obtain technical information on an HP ProLiant Server
• Remotely administrate an HP ProLiant server using the HP Management Console (iLO3)
• Identify key tools and utilities available from HP to assist in the configuration, installation, updating, monitoring and support of a single HP ProLiant server from bare-metal
• Use the HP SmartStart CD to prepare an HP ProLiant server for an operating system installation
• Use HP Smart Update Manager to update system software and firmware components using HP Service Pack for ProLiant
• Monitor servers with HP System Management Homepage and HP SNMP Agents and WBEM Providers
• Troubleshoot ProLiant servers with HP Insight Diagnostics and HP Array Configuration Utility Diagnostics

Course outline

Module 1: Essentials for HP ProLiant Overview

• Provide a brief overview of the HP ProLiant Server family
• Identify key features in HP ProLiant Generation 6 and 7 servers
• Identify operating systems supported on ProLiant servers
• Describe the HP Customer Self-Repair Services Media Library
• Describe at a high level the steps required to configure, update, monitor and support an HP ProLiant server beginning from bare metal

Lab 1: Essentials for HP ProLiant Overview

• Access the HPVL and describe the lab environment
• Locate documentation for your HP ProLiant server

Module 2: HP Management Console (iLO3)

• Describe HP Lights Out Management
• Identify key features included in the Advanced iLO License
• Review the HP iLO Web Administration Interface
• List the various remote consoles available on a ProLiant server
• Describe how to use the options in the Integrated Remote Console

Lab 2: HP Management Console (iLO3)

• Identify key features of the HP iLO 3 Web Administration Browser
• List different ways to access an integrated remote console
• Identify key features of the Integrated Remote Console (IRC)

Module 3: Configuration via Option ROM

• List key Option ROM setup utilities
• List the steps required to modify a System ROM setting using RBSU
• Describe the purpose of Redundant System ROM
• List the System ROM System Maintenance utilities
• Describe how to perform initial iLO configuration
• List the steps required to configure a logical drive using ORCA

Lab 3: Configuration via Option ROM

• Describe how to access the System ROM of a ProLiant server to make configuration changes
• Describe the purpose of the RBSU and key configuration options
• Describe how to configure iLO at system boot
• Describe how to access the ORCA and review logical drives
• Describe the System Maintenance Menu and identify the utilities

Module 4: System Setup / Provisioning

• Describe the purpose of HP SmartStart
• Identify key utilities on the HP SmartStart CD that assist with preparation of an operating system installation
• List high-level steps required to install an MS Windows, Linux and VMware operating system
• Describe HP online configuration utilities: HP ACU, HP iLO Configuration, HP NCU
• Explain the motivation for using the HP SmartStart Scripting Toolkit

Lab 4: System Setup / Provisioning

• Describe the purpose of HP SmartStart and its various components
• Identify the steps required to perform a Microsoft Windows Assisted Installation using HP SmartStart
• Identify the steps required to configure disks on an HP Smart Array Controller using the offline and online HP Array Configuration Utility (ACU)
• Describe the HP Lights Out Configuration Utility
• Describe the HP Network Configuration Utility

Module 5: System Updating

• List the various components on an HP ProLiant server that require periodic updating
• Describe the key benefits provided with HP SPP
• Review HP SPP, how to install and where to obtain the latest media
• Discuss different methods of deploying HP software and firmware on a ProLiant server
• Describe the key features/benefits of HP Smart Update Manager
• Review HP SUM deployment options

Lab 5: System Updating

• Describe the HP Service Pack for ProLiant available websites
• List the steps required to perform an online local installation of the HP SPP using the HP SUM GUI
• List the steps required to perform an online remote installation of the HP SPP using the HP SUM GUI
• Identify the steps required to perform on offline firmware installation of the HP SPP using the Automatic Deployment Mode
• Identify the steps required to perform on offline firmware installation of the HP SPP using the Manual Deployment

Module 6: Continuous System Monitoring

• Describe the role of HP SNMP Agents & WBEM Providers
• Identify the HP SNMP Agents and WBEM Providers in MS Windows
• Describe the HP System Health Application and Command Line Utilities for Linux
• Describe the HP VMware ESXi Management and NMI Bundles
• Review the features of HP System Management Homepage
• Explain how and when to use HP Insight Diagnostics (offline/online)
• Explain how and when to use HP ACU Diagnostics (online/offline)
• Identify ways to view and manage the HP Integrated Management Log (IML)

Lab 6: Continuous System Monitoring

• List the steps required to perform offline and online diagnostics using HP Insight Diagnostics
• List the steps required to perform offline and online diagnostics on the HP Smart Array Controller using HP ACU Diagnostics
• Identify different ways to view the Integrated Management Log
• Identify the SNMP Agents and the WBEM providers
• Describe key features of HP System Management Homepage (SMH)

Module 7: Ongoing System Support

• Describe the six-step HP troubleshooting methodology
• Identify troubleshooting resources
• Review the support options for HP ProLiant
• Review what is provided by HP Insight Remote Support
• List HP products that simplify the installation, deployment, configuration, and maintenance of an HP ProLiant multi-server environment

Appendix A: Introducing ProLiant Gen8

• List key features introduced in Gen8 ProLiant servers
• Describe the Gen8 boot process
• Review the iLO Management Engine
• Describe how to deploy and configure a ProLiant server using Intelligent Provisioning
• Describe how Agentless Management works in Gen8 ProLiant servers
• List methods to download the Active Health System log