Black Box RAS-PutIn User manual

RAS-PutIn
Installation and User
Guide
Based on Firmware 03.02.07

© Copyright 2003 Blackbox Inc.
All rights reserved
This publication contains proprietary information, which is protected by copyright. No part
of this publication can be reproduced, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, translated into
any language or computer language, or transmitted in any form whatsoever without the prior
written consent of the publisher, Blackbox Inc.. Blackbox Inc. acknowledges the following
trademarks:
 Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation.
 Windows 98, Microsoft Windows, and Windows NT are trademarks of Microsoft Corpo-
ration.
 IBM, AT, VGA, PS/2, and OS/2 are registered trademarks and XT and CGA are trade-
marks of International Business Machines Corporation.
 Blackbox is a registered trademark of Blackbox Inc. Zwickau, Germany.
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. Blackbox Inc. disclaims any proprietary
interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own
Authors: Blackbox Team
This document was created on February 10, 2004.
ii

The RAS-PutIn  (ServSwitch RAS-PutIn) provides server management capabilities. You can
use RAS-PutIn to manage and monitor components in your servers through a modem, an ISDN
line or LAN, even if your network is down (Modem/ISDN). RAS-PutIn offers a comprehensive
hardware solution to server management.
Limited Warranty
The buyer agrees if this product proves to be defective, that Blackbox Inc. is only obligated to
repair or replace this product at Blackbox Inc.’ discretion according to the terms and conditions
of the warranty registration card that accompanies this product. Blackbox Inc. shall not be
held liable for any loss, expenses or damage, direct, incidental or consequential resulting from
the use of this product. Please see the Warranty Information shipped with this product for full
warranty details.
Limitations of Liability
Blackbox Inc. shall in no event be held liable for any loss, expenses or damages of any kind
whatsoever, whether direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential (whether arising from the
design or use of this product or the support materials provided with the product). No action or
proceeding against Blackbox Inc. may be commenced more than two years after the delivery of
product to Licensee of Licensed Software.
Licensee agrees to defend and indemnify Blackbox Inc. from any and all claims, suits, and
liabilities (including attorney’s fees) arising out of or resulting from any actual or alleged act or
omission on the part of Licensee, its authorized third parties, employees, or agents, in connection
with the distribution of Licensed Software to end-users, including, without limitation, claims,
suits, and liability for bodily or other injuries to end-users resulting from use of Licensee’s
product not caused solely by faults in Licensed Software as provided by Blackbox Inc. to
Licensee.
Technical Support
If you need help installing, configuring, or running RAS-PutIn, call your Blackbox OEM or
VAD Technical Support representative.
We invite you to access Blackbox’s Web site at:
http://www.blackbox.com/
There you shall find all modifications made after the editorial deadline.
iii

iv

Contents
1 The Quick Installation Guide 1
2 Introduction 5
2.1 When the server is up and running .......................... 7
2.2 When the server is dead ................................ 8
3 Installation 9
3.1 Operation Overview .................................. 9
3.2 Connectors and Jumpers ................................ 10
3.2.1 Front Side Connectors ............................. 10
3.2.2 Rear Side Connectors ............................. 10
3.3 Connecting RAS-PutIn to the host system ...................... 11
3.3.1 Connecting system management option ................... 12
3.3.2 Connecting IPMI option ............................ 12
3.3.3 Connecting the Internal Reset/Power Option ................ 13
3.3.4 Connecting the External Reset/Power Option ................ 13
3.3.5 Connecting Ethernet .............................. 14
3.3.5.1 10 Mbps Connection ......................... 14
3.3.5.2 100 Mbps Connection ........................ 14
3.3.6 Connecting ISDN ................................ 14
4 Configuration 15
4.1 Initial Configuration .................................. 15
4.1.1 Initial configuration via DHCP server .................... 15
4.1.2 Initial configuration via local console ..................... 15
4.1.3 Mouse, Keyboard and Video configuration .................. 17
4.1.3.1 RAS-PutIn mouse settings ..................... 17
4.1.3.2 Host system mouse settings ..................... 17
4.1.3.3 RAS-PutIn Video Modes ...................... 17
5 Usage 19
5.1 Prerequisites ...................................... 19
5.2 Login into RAS-PutIn and logout ........................... 20
5.2.1 Login into RAS-PutIn ............................. 20
5.2.2 Main Screen ................................... 21
5.2.3 Logout from RAS-PutIn ............................ 22
5.3 Remote Console ..................................... 22
5.3.1 Show Remote Console ............................. 22
5.3.2 Remote Chat Frame .............................. 26
5.3.3 RAS-PutIn Mouse Synchronization ...................... 27
5.3.4 RAS-PutIn Video Settings ........................... 28

vi Contents
5.3.4.1 Video Settings through the HTML-Frontend ........... 28
5.3.4.2 Video Settings through the remote console ............ 29
5.3.4.3 Custom Video Modes ........................ 30
5.3.5 Remote Console Settings ........................... 31
5.3.6 Telnet Console ................................. 34
5.4 Server .......................................... 34
5.4.1 Power Control ................................. 34
5.4.2 Keyboard/Mouse Settings ........................... 36
5.4.3 KVM Settings ................................. 37
5.5 Administration ..................................... 38
5.5.1 User/Group Management ........................... 38
5.5.1.1 Add User ............................... 40
5.5.1.2 Delete User .............................. 40
5.5.1.3 Modify User ............................. 40
5.5.1.4 Copy User .............................. 40
5.5.1.5 Add Group .............................. 40
5.5.1.6 Delete Group ............................. 40
5.5.1.7 Modify Group ............................ 40
5.5.1.8 Copy Group ............................. 40
5.5.2 User/Group Permissions ............................ 41
5.5.3 Network Settings ................................ 42
5.5.3.1 Dynamic DNS ............................ 44
5.5.4 SNMP Settings ................................. 45
5.5.5 Serial Settings ................................. 47
5.5.6 Modem Settings ................................ 49
5.5.7 ISDN Settings ................................. 50
5.5.7.1 I want to allow non-callback dial in for everyone. ......... 52
5.5.7.2 I want to allow non-callback dial in for selected people. ..... 52
5.5.7.3 I want to allow non-callback dial in for everyone except some
people that should be called back. ................. 52
5.5.7.4 I want to allow non-callback dial in for selected people except
some people that should be called back. .............. 52
5.5.7.5 I want to allow callback connections only. ............. 52
5.5.8 IPMI Settings .................................. 52
5.5.8.1 Generals ............................... 52
5.5.8.2 IPMI Settings ............................ 53
5.5.8.3 Power Control ............................ 54
5.5.8.4 Event Log via IPMI ......................... 54
5.5.8.5 Status via IPMI ........................... 54
5.5.9 LDAP Settings ................................. 55
5.5.9.1 Generals ............................... 55
5.5.9.2 LDAP Settings ............................ 55
5.5.10 Security Settings ................................ 56
5.5.10.1 SSL Settings ............................. 57
5.5.10.2 Telnet Settings ............................ 57
5.5.10.3 IP Access Control .......................... 57
5.5.11 SSL Certificate Management ......................... 58
5.5.12 Maintenance .................................. 60
5.5.12.1 Update Firmware .......................... 60
5.6 Access via Telnet .................................... 62

Contents vii
6 Frequently Asked Questions 65
A Glossary 67
B RAS-PutIn Video Modes 69
C Key Codes 71
D Pin Assignments 73
D.1 VGA HD-15 ....................................... 73
D.2 RJ 45 Connector Ethernet ............................... 73
D.3 RJ 45 Connector ISDN ................................. 74
D.4 Serial SUB-D 9 Connector 1 .............................. 74
D.5 Serial SUB-D 9 Connector 2 .............................. 74
D.6 KVM SUB-D 25 Connector .............................. 75
D.7 Power Supply Connector ................................ 75
E Blackbox Warranty information 77
F Specifications 79
F.1 Size and Weight ..................................... 79
F.2 Environmental ..................................... 79
G Operation advices 81

viii Contents

List of Figures
1.1 Front Side Connectors ................................. 1
1.2 Rear Side Connectors ................................. 2
1.3 Top part of the Remote Console ........................... 4
2.1 RAS-PutIn total view ................................. 5
2.2 Internal Reset/Power Option - PC bracket ...................... 7
3.1 RAS-PutIn usage scenario ............................... 9
3.2 Multiple users on multiple servers ........................... 9
3.3 RAS-PutIn Front Side Connectors .......................... 10
3.4 Rear Side Connectors ................................. 10
3.5 Connections of RAS-PutIn KVM signals to the controlled system ......... 11
3.6 Connections of RAS-PutIn with local console .................... 12
3.7 Connecting RAS-PutIn system management ..................... 12
3.8 Top view of internal reset/power option ....................... 13
5.1 Internet Explorer showing the encryption key length ................ 20
5.2 RAS-PutIn login screen ................................ 21
5.3 RAS-PutIn home menu window ............................ 22
5.4 Remote Console window showing a desktop screen ................. 23
5.5 Example for the Chat window ............................. 26
5.6 Video Settings in HTML frontend .......................... 29
5.7 Video Settings Panel .................................. 30
5.8 Custom Video Modes ................................. 30
5.9 Example of Remote Console settings ......................... 33
5.10 Telnet Console ..................................... 34
5.11 Internal Power Control ................................. 34
5.12 External Power Control ................................ 35
5.13 Power Control via IPMI ................................ 36
5.14 Keyboard/Mouse settings ............................... 36
5.15 KVM Settings ...................................... 37
5.16 User/Group Management ............................... 39
5.17 User/Group Permissions panel ............................ 41
5.18 RAS-PutIn network settings .............................. 42
5.19 Dynamic DNS Scenario ................................ 44
5.20 Dynamic DNS configuration panel .......................... 44
5.21 SNMP settings ..................................... 46
5.22 Serial Settings ...................................... 48
5.23 Internal Power Option Settings ............................ 49
5.24 RAS-PutIn ISDN settings panel ............................ 51
5.25 IPMI settings panel .................................. 53

x List of Figures
5.26 IPMI Event Log .................................... 54
5.27 Example of IPMI State panel ............................. 55
5.28 LDAP settings panel .................................. 55
5.29 Security settings .................................... 56
5.30 SSL Certificate Request ................................ 60
5.31 SSL Certificate Signing Request ............................ 61
5.32 Panel for uploading a new firmware .......................... 61
5.33 Panel to update a new firmware that was previously uploaded ........... 62
5.34 Maintenance ...................................... 62
C.1 English (US) Keyboard Layout, used for key codes ................. 71

List of Tables
1.1 Initial configuration .................................. 3
1.2 Serial parameters .................................... 3
2.1 Host system failures and how they are detected ................... 8
4.1 Initial IP configuration ................................. 15
4.2 Serial line parameters ................................. 16
5.1 Meaning of the main menu RAS-PutIn features ................... 23
5.2 Remote reset and power button effects ........................ 35
5.3 RAS-PutIn user and group permissions ....................... 42
B.1 RAS-PutIn Video Modes ................................ 69
C.1 Key Names ....................................... 71

xii List of Tables

1 The Quick Installation Guide
Installation
RAS-PutIn redirects local keyboard, mouse and video data to a remote administration console.
All data is transmitted via IP. RAS-PutIn can be used in a multi administrator and multi
server environment as well. Combining RAS-PutIn with a KVM switched matrix allows to
access multiple remote servers over a single remote console.
Connectors
Front Side Connectors (Figure 1.1)
Figure 1.1: Front Side Connectors
Reset Pushing this button performs a reset of RAS-PutIn. The button is important for the
initial configuration of RAS-PutIn
VGA Indicates, that the VGA input is active and a video signal is received by RAS-PutIn
RUN Indicates whether the RAS-PutIn system is running or not
100 Indicates that the Ethernet connection is in 100 Mbit mode
FULL Indicates that the Ethernet connection is in full-duplex mode
ISDN Indicates that the ISDN subsystem is available and active
GRAB Indicates that a remote user is logged onto RAS-PutIn and the video engine is outputting
data
Using the connectors for video and keyboard/mouse a local console might be connected simul-
taneously.
Rear Side Connectors (Figure 1.2 on the next page)
SUB-D 9 Serial 1 The standard serial connector is used in multiple ways:

2 CHAPTER 1. THE QUICK INSTALLATION GUIDE
I
S DN
E t h e r n e t
S e r i a l 1
K ey bo a r d / V i d e o / M ou se
P o w
e r
S e r i a l 2
Figure 1.2: Rear Side Connectors
 IPMI Version 1.5 connection to the host system using the IPMI Option
cable
 Serial output for modem dial in connection
 Serial pass-through via Telnet
 Initial configuration
SUB-D 9 Serial 2 The serial connector 2 supports the internal and external power options
SUB-D 25 KVM The supplied Keyboard VGA Mouse extender cable has an aggregated SUB
D 25 connector to RAS-PutIn
Power supply A power supply with the following parameters must be attached:
 Voltage: 12 V
 Current: >= 1 A
RJ 45 ISDN Using this connector RAS-PutIn can be connected to an EURO ISDN network
(EMEA versions only)
RJ 45 Ethernet UTP3/5 cables may be used to connect RAS-PutIn to an Ethernet LAN
Connecting RAS-PutIn to the host system
Perform the following steps in order to connect the KVM signals of the server system to RAS-
PutIn:
1. Connect the SUB-D 25 to PS2/PS2/Video cable to the SUB-D 25 connector on RAS-PutIn
2. Connect the (purple) PS/2 Keyboard jack to the keyboard connector of the host system
3. Connect the (green) PS/2 mouse plug to the mouse connector of the host system
4. Connect the VGA HD-15 connector to the VGA monitor output of the host system
5. Connect the power supply as well as Ethernet and/or modem,ISDN, depending how you
want to access RAS-PutIn
In case you want to connect a local console to the host system besides RAS-PutIn, you can
attach monitor, keyboard and mouse to the according RAS-PutIn connectors on its front.
Video modes
RAS-PutIn recognizes a limited number of common video modes. When running X11 on the
host system, please don’t use any custom modelines with special video modes. If done so, RAS-

3
PutIn may not be able to detect these. You are on the safe side with all standard VESA video
modes. Please refer to Appendix Bon page 69 for a list of all known modes.
Initial IP configuration
Initially the RAS-PutIn network interface is configured with the parameters shown in Table 1.1.
Table 1.1: Initial configuration
parameter value
IP auto configuration DHCP
IP address -
Netmask 255.255.255.0
Gateway none
IP access control disabled
If this initial configuration doesn’t meet your local requirements, you need to do the initial IP
configuration.
Note:
If the DHCP connection fails on boot up, RAS-PutIn will not have an IPv4 address. If
IP auto configuration is set to ”None” the standard IP address 192.168.1.22 is assigned to
RAS-PutIn.
Use one of the following ways:
1. Connect the enclosed NULL modem cable to the serial interface on the rear side .
The serial interface needs to be adjusted with the parameters shown in table Table 1.2:
Table 1.2: Serial parameters
parameter value
Bits/second 115200
Data bits 8
Parity No
Stop bits 1
Flow Control None
Use a terminal software (e.g. hyperterm or minicom) to connect to RAS-PutIn. Reset
RAS-PutIn and immediately press < ESC >. You will see some device information and
a ’=>’ prompt. Enter the command ’config’ and press < Enter >. After waiting a
few moments you may configure IP auto configuration, IP address, net mask and default
gateway. Pressing < Enter > without entering values does not change settings. The
gateway value must be set to 0.0.0.0 (for no gateway) or any other value. You will be
asked if the values are correct and get a chance to correct them. After confirming, RAS-
PutIn performs a reset.
2. Use an Ethernet cable to connect RAS-PutIn to a subnet where a DHCP server is available.
After the DHCP server has assigned an IP address to RAS-PutIn you can use the web
interface to configurate the device (see Section 4.1.1 on page 15 for details).

4 CHAPTER 1. THE QUICK INSTALLATION GUIDE
Web interface
RAS-PutIn may be accessed using a standard web browser. You may use the HTTP protocol or
a secure encrypted connection via HTTPS. Just enter the configured IP address of RAS-PutIn
into your web browser. Initially there is only one user configured who has unrestricted access
to all RAS-PutIn features:
Login name super
Password servswitch
Please login and change the password immediately according to your own policies.
The Remote Console
The Remote Console is the redirected screen, keyboard and mouse of the remote host system
to which RAS-PutIn is attached. The web browser which is used for accessing RAS-PutIn has
to supply a Java Runtime Environment version 1.1 or higher. The Remote Console will behave
exactly the same way as if you were sitting directly in front of the screen of your remote system.
That means keyboard and mouse can be used in the usual way. Open the console by choosing
the appropriate link in the navigation frame of the HTML frontend. Figure 1.3 shows the top
of the Remote Console.
Figure 1.3: Top part of the Remote Console
There are some options to choose from, the important ones are the following:
Auto Adjust button
If the video displayed is of bad quality or distorted in some way, press this button and wait
a few seconds while RAS-PutIn tries to adjust itself for the best possible video quality.
Sync Mouse
Choose this option in order to synchronize the local with the remote mouse cursor. This is
especially necessary when using accelerated mouse settings on the host system. In general
there is no need to change mouse settings on the host.
Video Settings in Options Menu This opens a new window with elements to control the RAS-
PutIn Video Settings. You can change some values, for instance related to brightness and
contrast of the picture displayed, which may improve the video quality. It is also possible
to revert to the default settings for all video modes or only the current one.

2 Introduction
Features
RAS-PutIn defines a new class of remote KVM access devices (see Figure 2.1). RAS-PutIn 1
combines digital remote KVM access via IP networks with comprehensive and integrated system
management.
RAS-PutIn offers convenient, remote KVM access and control via LAN, Internet, or ISDN. It
captures, digitizes, and compresses video and transmits it with keyboard and mouse signals to
and from a remote computer. RAS-PutIn provides a non-intrusive solution for remote access
and control. Remote access and control software runs on the RAS-PutIn embedded processors
only but not on mission-critical servers, so that there is no interference with server operation
or impact on network performance.
Figure 2.1: RAS-PutIn total view
Furthermore, RAS-PutIn offers remote power management and remote system management
according to the interfaces of the remote server. RAS-PutIn supports three ways of power
management:
 via the internal reset/power option
 via external scalable power switch box
 via IPMI Version 1.5
1RAS-PutIn— ServSwitch RAS-PutIn

6 CHAPTER 2. INTRODUCTION
Other features of RAS-PutIn are:
 KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) access over IP, ISDN or analogous telephone line.
 No impact on server or network performance
 Automatically senses video resolution for best possible screen capture
 High-performance mouse tracking and synchronization
 Port to connect a user console for direct analogous access to KVM switch
 Local Mouse suppression (only when using SUN’s Java Virtual Machine)
RAS-PutIn supports consoles consisting of PS/2 style keyboards, PS/2 style mouse and HD
15 video output. Please refer to Appendix D.1 on page 73 for more details. RAS-PutIn will
automatically detect the current video mode of the console, however manual fine tuning is
recommended to receive the best video quality. RAS-PutIn will accept video streams up to 110
MHz dot clock. This results in a screen resolution of 1280x1024 dots with a frame rate of 60
Hz.
The used system management options depend on the interfaces the remote server systems pro-
vides. Three main system management options are offered:
IPMI Version 1.5 defines a serial connection to access certain system parameters
and to perform system actions like powering down the system
or performing a hard reset. Modern server systems, supporting
the IPMI V1.5 specification, provide a mode where the exter-
nally available COM2 serial connection can be configured as
system management port (sometimes also referred to as emer-
gency management port). RAS-PutIn may use this port in order
to enable remote system management operations.
Internal Reset/Power Option The internal Reset/Power Option may be applied to remote
systems where no IPMI Version 1.5 is available. The provided
bracket is mounted in a free PCI/AGP slot. Main board pins
for reset and power on/off have to be connected to the bracket.
With this option it is possible to perform a remote reset, a
remote power cycle, and a remote power on/off.
External Power Switch Option In case there is neither an IPMI V1.5 option available nor the
chance to place a bracket in the remote system, an external
power switch box can switch the power on and off.
RAS-PutIn System Components
RAS-PutIn is a fully configured stand-alone product consuming one quart of a 1U 19” rack
mount chassis space. Up to four RAS-PutIn devices can be mounted in 1 U chassis using the
19” rack mount kit (Item No: 8400200)
Each RAS-PutIn (Item No: 8400000) is shipped with:
1. RAS-PutIn base unit
2. Utility CD-ROM including
a) RAS-PutIn Installation and User Manual

2.1. WHEN THE SERVER IS UP AND RUNNING 7
b) RAS-PutIn utilities
3. RAS-PutIn keyboard video mouse connection cable (Sub D 25)
4. NULL modem cable
5. RAS-PutIn external power supply
IPMI Option (Item No. 8400300) The IPMI Option consists of a serial cable (SUB-D 9 fe-
male → SUB-D 9 female) for the connection between RAS-PutIn and an IPMI V1.5 compliant
serial management port on the remote system.
Internal Reset/Power Option (Item No: 8400100) The internal reset/power option (see
Figure 2.2) consists of a PC bracket with a Sub-D 9 jack on the outside and 4x2 pin connector
in the inner side. The Sub-D 9 jack is connected to the RAS-PutIn Serial Port 2. The internal
4x2 pin connector allows to connect the reset and power on/off switching signals of the main
board to RAS-PutIn. Figure 2.2 shows the PC bracket.
Figure 2.2: Internal Reset/Power Option - PC bracket
2.1 When the server is up and running
RAS-PutIn gives you full control over the remote server. The Management Console allows you
to access the remote server’s graphics, keyboard and mouse and to send special commands to
the server.
You can also perform periodic maintenance of the server. Using the Console Redirection Service,
you are able to do the following:
 Reboot the system (a graceful shutdown).
 Watch the boot process.
 Boot the system from a separate partition to load the diagnostic environment.
 Run special diagnostic programs.

8 CHAPTER 2. INTRODUCTION
2.2 When the server is dead
Obviously, fixing hardware defects is not possible using a remote management device. Never-
theless RAS-PutIn gives the administrator valuable information about the type of a hardware
failure.
Serious hardware failures can be categorized into five different categories with different chances
to happen 2:
1. Hard disk failure 50%
2. Power cable detached, power supply failure 28%
3. CPU, Controller, main board failure 10%
4. CPU fan failure 8%
5. RAM failure 4%
Using RAS-PutIn, administrators can determine which kind of serious hardware failure has
occurred (see Table 2.1).
Table 2.1: Host system failures and how they are detected
Type of failure Detected by
Hard disk failure Console screen, CMOS set-up information
Power cable detached, power
supply failure
Server remains in power off state after power on command
has been given.
CPU, Controller, main
board failure
Power supply is on, but there is no video output.
CPU fan failure By IPMI or server specific management software
RAM failure Boot-Sequence on boot console
2According to a survey made by the Intel Corp.