Ettore Dreucci

[recipe, sysadmin]: How to user HP iLO2 Virtual Serial Console via SSH on Ubuntu

I’ve an old HP ProLiant DL360 G5 rack server with Ubuntu 16.04 at a remote location. Sometimes I’ve the need to remotely connect to it and look at the boot sequence.

iLO2 web interface has a Java applet to use the remote console but unfortunately with last versions of Firefox and Chrome it doesn’t work anymore.

So here we are:

Configure GRUB to use VSP

To use and control GRUB via a virtual serial port we have to configure it:

1. In /etc/default/grub we need to change this lines:

   GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT=15
   GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT_QUIET=false
   GRUB_TIMEOUT=15
   GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="text console=tty0 console=ttyS1,115200n8"
   GRUB_TERMINAL=console
   

That way the kernel messages are being redirected to tty0 and ttyS1

1. Create /etc/init/ttyS1.conf to start a getty on the vsp with:

   # ttyS1 - getty
   #
   # This service maintains a getty on tty1 from the point the system is
   # started until it is shut down again.
       
   start on stopped rc RUNLEVEL=[2345] and (
              not-container or
              container CONTAINER=lxc or
              container CONTAINER=lxc-libvirt)
       
   stop on runlevel [!2345]
       
   respawn
   exec /sbin/getty -8 115200 ttyS1
   

Connect to iLO2 via SSH

iLO2 support old key algorithms and chipers so we need to specify those:

ssh -o HostKeyAlgorithms=ssh-rsa,ssh-dss -o KexAlgorithms=diffie-hellman-group1-sha1 -o Ciphers=aes128-cbc,3des-cbc -o MACs=hmac-md5,hmac-sha1 ILO2_IP_ADDR

Start the VSP

hpiLO-> VSP

Starting virtual serial port.
Press 'ESC (' to return to the CLI Session.

hpiLO-> Virtual Serial Port active: IO=0x03F8 INT=4
Ubuntu 16.04 ttyS0

login:

Job done ??

Other CLI commands available:

HP CLI Commands:

POWER    : Control server power.
UID      : Control Unit-ID light.
NMI      : Generate an NMI.
VM       : Virtual media commands.
VSP      : Invoke virtual serial port.
VSP LOG  : Invoke virtual serial port data logging.
TEXTCONS : Invoke Remote Text Console on supported platforms.