Managing usernames and passwords for your data center is a big job, and finding a way to simplify user account and privilege management is not just desirable, it’s a necessity. While the iDRAC GUI that comes with Dell PowerEdge 12th generation server enables Active Directory (AD) setup—even remote setup—account management remains largely a manual and tedious task. What’s needed is a solution that makes AD setup and management programmatic, automatic, and remotely accessible.
Dell Lifecycle Controller’s remote API provides just these capabilities, requiring only that you write and run your WS-MAN scripts. The API allows you to set up your iDRAC servers, configures users and their associated privileges. Users can then submit their AD credentials to authenticate their access to all iDRACs, the iDRAC GUI, SSH, and telnet consoles, as well as for running RACADM and WS-MAN commands from the CLI.
When introducing a new Dell PowerEdge 12th generation server to the system, you need only to run the WS-MAN script to automatically set up your AD on that new server.
See Active Directory Configuration Setup on 12G Servers Using Lifecycle Controller for detailed instructions on how to set up AD for Dell PowerEdge 12th generation servers, including
- The Structure of the Active Directory Environment
- Standard Schema or Extended Schema
- Set up Active Directory Service
- Set up the AD Attributes
- Check the Setting
- Test the Setting
- Build Active Directory Server
- Configure iDRAC for use with Active Directory Standard
- Test your Standard Schema configuration
- Sample WINRM Commands and Mapping to iDRAC GUI Display Names
With Dell PowerEdge 12th generation server and Dell Lifecycle Controller, your users need only to manage one username/password for all your iDRAC servers, and you, the IT administrator, only need to manage one username/password, instead of hundreds, for each user.
iDRAC with Lifecycle Controller Technical Learning Series, Lifecycle Controller Home : iDRAC7 Home