Daxten LARA User manual

LARA
Installation and User
Guide

© Copyright 2002 Peppercon AG
All rights reserved
Scheringerstr. 1
08056 Zwickau
Germany
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, Peppercon AG. Peppercon AG acknowledges the following trademarks:
 Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation.
 Windows 98, Microsoft Windows, and Windows NT are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
 IBM, AT, VGA, PS/2, and OS/2 are registered trademarks and XT and CGA are trademarks
of International Business Machines Corporation.
 Peppercon is a registered trademark of Peppercon AG 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. Peppercon AG disclaims any proprietary interest
in trademarks and trade names other than its own
Authors: Peppercon Team
This document was created on July 10, 2002
ii

The LARA  (LARA Advanced Remote Administration) provides server management capabilities.
You can use LARA to manage and monitor components in your servers through a modem, an ISDN
line or LAN, even if your network is down (Modem/ISDN). LARA offers a comprehensive hardware
solution to server management.
Limited Warranty
The buyer agrees if this product proves to be defective, that Peppercon AG is only obligated to
repair or replace this product at Peppercon AG’ discretion according to the terms and conditions
of the warranty registration card that accompanies this product. Peppercon AG 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
Peppercon AG 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 Peppercon AG may be commenced more than two years after the delivery of product to
Licensee of Licensed Software.
Licensee agrees to defend and indemnify Peppercon AG 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 Peppercon AG to Licensee.
Technical Support
If you need help installing, configuring, or running LARA, call your Peppercon OEM or VAD
Technical Support representative.
We invite you to access Peppercon’s Web site at:
http://www.peppercon.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 LARA to the host system .......................... 11
3.3.1. Connecting system management option ..................... 11
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 ................................ 13
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 .................... 16
4.1.4. Mouse suppression utility ............................. 17

vi Contents
5. Usage 19
5.1. Prerequisites ........................................ 19
5.2. Login into LARA and logout ............................... 20
5.2.1. Login into LARA .................................. 20
5.2.2. Main Screen ..................................... 21
5.2.3. Logout from LARA ................................ 22
5.3. Remote Console ....................................... 22
5.3.1. Show Remote Console ............................... 22
5.3.2. Remote Chat Frame ................................ 25
5.3.3. LARA On-Screen display (OSD) ......................... 26
5.3.4. LARA Mouse Synchronization .......................... 28
5.3.5. Remote Console Settings ............................. 29
5.3.6. Telnet Console ................................... 31
5.4. Server ............................................ 31
5.4.1. Power Control ................................... 31
5.4.2. Power Control Settings .............................. 33
5.4.3. Keyboard/Mouse & Video Settings ........................ 35
5.4.4. KVM Settings ................................... 35
5.5. Administration ....................................... 36
5.5.1. User/Group Management ............................. 36
5.5.2. User/Group Permissions .............................. 39
5.5.3. Network Settings .................................. 40
5.5.4. SNMP Settings ................................... 43
5.5.5. Serial Settings ................................... 46
5.5.6. Modem Settings .................................. 47
5.5.7. ISDN Settings ................................... 48
5.5.8. Update Firmware .................................. 51
5.5.9. IPMI Settings .................................... 52
5.5.10. Security Settings .................................. 55
5.5.11. SSL Certificate Management ........................... 58
5.5.12. Reset LARA .................................... 60
5.6. Documentation ....................................... 60
5.6.1. Data file for support ................................ 60

Contents vii
5.6.2. The LARA SNMP MIB .............................. 60
5.7. Access via Telnet ...................................... 60
6. Frequently Asked Questions 63
A. Glossary 65
B. LARA Video Modes 67
C. Key Codes 69
D. Pin Assignments 71
D.1. VGA HD-15 ......................................... 71
D.2. RJ 45 Connector Ethernet ................................. 71
D.3. RJ 45 Connector ISDN ................................... 72
D.4. Serial SUB-D 9 Connector 1 ................................ 72
D.5. Serial SUB-D 9 Connector 2 ................................ 72
D.6. KVM SUB-D 25 Connector ................................ 73
D.7. Power Supply Connector .................................. 73
E. Peppercon Warranty information 75
F. Specifications 77
F.1. Size and Weight ....................................... 77
F.2. Environmental ....................................... 77

viii Contents

List of Figures
1.1. LARA Front Side Connectors ............................... 1
1.2. Rear Side Connectors ................................... 2
1.3. Top part of LARA Remote Console ............................ 4
2.1. LARA total view ...................................... 5
2.2. Internal Reset/Power Option - PC bracket ........................ 7
3.1. LARA usage scenario ................................... 9
3.2. Multiple users on multiple servers ............................. 9
3.3. LARA Front Side Connectors ............................... 10
3.4. Rear Side Connectors ................................... 10
3.5. Connections of LARA KVM signals to the controlled system ............. 11
3.6. Connections of LARA with local console ......................... 12
3.7. Connecting LARA 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. LARA login screen ..................................... 21
5.3. LARA home menu window ................................ 22
5.4. Remote Console window showing a Windows 2000 desktop screen ........... 23
5.5. Example for the Chat window ............................... 26
5.6. OSD panel ......................................... 27
5.7. OSD main menu ...................................... 27
5.8. OSD picture menu ..................................... 27
5.9. OSD picture Misc menu .................................. 28
5.10. OSD settings menu ..................................... 28
5.11. OSD configuration menu .................................. 28
5.12. Example of Remote Console settings ........................... 32

x List of Figures
5.13. Telnet Console ....................................... 33
5.14. Internal Power Control ................................... 33
5.15. External Power Control .................................. 33
5.16. Power Control settings ................................... 34
5.17. Keyboard Mouse & Video settings ............................ 35
5.18. KVM Settings ........................................ 36
5.19. User/Group Management ................................. 37
5.20. User/Group Permissions panel .............................. 39
5.21. LARA network settings .................................. 41
5.22. Dynamic DNS Scenario .................................. 43
5.23. Dynamic DNS configuration panel ............................ 43
5.24. SNMP settings ....................................... 45
5.25. Serial Settings ........................................ 46
5.26. LARA ISDN settings panel ................................ 50
5.27. Panel for uploading a new firmware ............................ 51
5.28. Panel to update a new firmware that was previously uploaded ............. 51
5.29. IPMI settings panel .................................... 52
5.30. IPMI Event Log ...................................... 54
5.31. Example of IPMI State panel ............................... 54
5.32. Security settings ...................................... 55
5.33. SSL Certificate Request .................................. 59
5.34. SSL Certificate Signing Request .............................. 59
5.35. Reset panel ......................................... 60
C.1. English (US) Keyboard Layout, used for key codes ................... 69

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 LARA features ....................... 22
5.2. Description of Remote Console Options ......................... 24
5.3. Chat Frame element description .............................. 26
5.4. Decription of Remote Console Option Menu ....................... 30
5.5. Remote reset and power button effects .......................... 34
5.6. Keyboard Mouse & Video Settings description ..................... 35
5.7. Description User/Group Management .......................... 37
5.8. LARA user and group permissions ............................ 40
5.9. Network settings parameters ................................ 41
5.10. Dynamic DNS options ................................... 44
5.11. SNMP setting parameters ................................. 44
5.12. Serial Port 1 Functional Options ............................. 47
5.13. Description of all modem settings ............................. 47
5.14. Description of all ISDN options .............................. 48
5.15. IPMI settings explained .................................. 53
5.16. Security parameters .................................... 55
5.17. Telnet security settings ................................... 56
5.18. IP access control parameters ............................... 57
5.19. Certificate request required information ......................... 58
5.20. Telnet server commands and description ......................... 61

xii List of Tables
B.1. LARA Video Modes .................................... 67
C.1. Key Names ......................................... 69

1. The Quick Installation Guide
Installation
LARA redirects local keyboard, mouse and video data to a remote administration console. All data
is transmitted via IP. LARA can be used in a multi administrator and multi server environment
as well. Combining LARAs with a KVM switched matrix allows to access multiple remote servers
over a single remote console.
Connectors
Front Side Connectors (Figure 1.1)
L A R A
www
.
p
e
pp
e
r
c
on
.
c
o
m
R
S
T
G
R
AB
I
S
DN
F
U
LL
V
G
A
RUN
100
l o c a l
m o u s e
l o c a l
k e y boa r d
l o c a l v i deo
i nt e r f a c e
Figure 1.1.: LARA Front Side Connectors
Reset Pushing this button performs a reset of LARA. The button is important for the initial
configuration of LARA
VGA Indicates, that the VGA input is active and a video signal is received by LARA
RUN Indicates whether the LARA 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 LARA and the video engine is outputting data
Using the connectors for video and keyboard/mouse a local console might be connected simultane-
ously.
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 LARA
Power supply A power supply with the following parameters must be attached:
 Voltage: 12 V
 Current: >= 1 A
RJ 45 ISDN Using this connector LARA can be connected to an EURO ISDN network (EMEA
versions only)
RJ 45 Ethernet UTP3/5 cables may be used to connect LARA to an Ethernet LAN
Connecting LARA to the host system
Perform the following steps in order to connect the KVM signals of the server system to LARA:
1. Connect the SUB-D 25 to PS2/PS2/Video cable to the SUB-D 25 connector on LARA
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 LARA
In case you want to connect a local console to the host system besides LARA, you can attach
monitor, keyboard and mouse to the according LARA connectors on its front.
Video modes
LARA recognizes a limited number of common video modes. When running X-Window on the host
system, please don’t use any custom modelines with special video modes. If done so, LARA 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 67 for a list of all known modes.

3
Initial IP configuration
Initially the LARA network interface is configured with the parameters shown in Table 1.1.
Table 1.1.: Initial configuration
parameter value
DHCP active
IP address 192.168.1.22
Netmask 255.255.255.0
IP access disabled
If this initial configuration doesn’t meet your local requirements, you need to do the initial IP
configuration. Connect the enclosed NULL modem cable to the serial interface on the LARA rear
side.
The serial interface needs to be adjusted with the following parameters:
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 LARA. After establishing a
connection the following message appears:
LARA (c) Peppercon AG 2002
For initial IP configuration login as "config". Press F10 to resume.
192.168.1.22 login:
Enter “config” as login name. There is no need for a password. After logging in you may configure
DHCP, 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.
Web interface
LARA 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 LARA into your
Web browser. Initially there is only one user configured who has unrestricted access to all LARA
features:
Login name super
Password lara
Please login and change the password immediately according to your own policies.

4 CHAPTER 1. THE QUICK INSTALLATION GUIDE
The Remote Console
The Remote Console is the redirected screen, keyboard and mouse of the remote host system to
which LARA is attached. The Web browser which is used for accessing LARA 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 LARA 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 LARA 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.
OSD Panel in Options Menu This opens a new window with elements to control the LARA OSD
(on-screen display). Press the buttons or use the keyboard to open the OSD. You can change
some video settings, 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. The changes are saved on exit from the OSD.

2. Introduction
Features
LARA defines a new class of remote KVM access devices (see Figure 2.1). LARA1combines digital
remote KVM access via IP networks with comprehensive and integrated system management.
LARA 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. LARA provides a non-intrusive solution for remote access and control. Remote
access and control software runs on the LARA 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.: LARA total view
Furthermore, LARA offers remote power management and remote system management according
to the interfaces of the remote server. LARA supports three ways of power management:
 via Peppercon’s internal reset/power option
 via external scalable power switch box
 via IPMI Version 1.5
1LARA — LARA Advanced Remote Administration

6 CHAPTER 2. INTRODUCTION
Other features of LARA 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
 Remote Mouse suppression (requires an additional software utility)
 Local Mouse suppression (only when using SUN’s Java Virtual Machine)
LARA 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 71 for more details. LARA will automatically detect
the current video mode of the console, however manual fine tuning is recommended to receive the
best video quality. LARA 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 provides.
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 per-
forming a hard reset. Modern server systems, supporting the IPMI
V1.5 specification, provide a mode where the externally available
COM2 serial connection can be configured as system management
port (sometimes also referred to as emergency management port).
LARA may use this port in order to enable remote system man-
agement 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.
LARA System Components
LARA is a fully configured stand-alone product consuming one quart of a 1U 19” rack mount chassis
space. Up to four LARA devices can be mounted in 1 U chassis using the 19” rack mount kit (Item
No: 8400200)
Each LARA (Item No: 8400000) is shipped with:
1. LARA base unit
2. Peppercon utility CD-ROM including

2.1. WHEN THE SERVER IS UP AND RUNNING 7
a) LARA Installation and User Manual
b) LARA utilities
3. LARA keyboard video mouse connection cable (Sub D 25)
4. NULL modem cable
5. LARA 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 LARA 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 Fig-
ure 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 LARA Serial Port 2. The internal 4x2 pin con-
nector allows to connect the reset and power on/off switching signals of the main board to LARA.
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
LARA 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. Nevertheless
LARA 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
happen2:
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 LARA, 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.