Connect to the server using IPMI
All dedicated servers from Glesys are equipped with IPMI, allowing you to connect to your server's console. It also allows you to reinstall the server yourself from an ISO file.
All dedicated servers from Glesys can be remotely managed via IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface). This is a system that allows access to the server’s screen and keyboard as if you had physical access to the server. It enables you to reinstall the server’s operating system, access the BIOS, and more.
With IPMI, it is also possible to monitor hardware RAID, server temperatures, PSU status, and much more. Additionally, you can turn the server on and off via IPMI.
The IPMI login credentials for the server are included in the email you received from Glesys with the server details. This email contains both an HTTPS address for the server’s IPMI and a link to retrieve the login credentials.
Start by clicking the link to retrieve the login credentials. The link begins with secrets.glesys.com. When the page opens, the credentials are hidden, and you must click View secret to reveal them.
The credentials are now displayed. Make sure to save them in a secure location. They will only be available for 14 days, after which they will be permanently deleted.
To access the server’s IPMI address, you first need to create a VPN with Glesys and connect to it. This is because the IPMI address is an internal IP address that is not accessible via the internet. Instructions on how to create and connect to a VPN can be found in the Virtual Private Network (VPN) chapter.
Once you are connected to the VPN tunnel, click on the link in the email to open the IPMI login page. A warning will appear stating that the connection is not secure, but this is only because the certificate is self-signed. The connection is still encrypted. Click Advanced in the web browser.
In the next dialog box, click Proceed to 10.1.xx.xx (unsafe). In the Firefox browser, this option is instead called Accept the Risk and Continue.
In the next step, you log in to the IPMI interface. The credentials were provided when you clicked the link in the email from Glesys.
You will now arrive at the overview, which looks like the image below.
Console access (HTML5)
To open the console and remotely control the server—for example, if you have accidentally locked yourself out from SSH or RDP—you click on Remote Control in the menu. Then, click on iKVM/HTML5 and then on the iKVM/HTML5 button. A console window will then open.
If you experience issues with the keyboard, such as not finding the correct special characters, there is a virtual keyboard available via the button just below the console.
Console access (Java-based)
There is also a more advanced Java-based console. Among other features, it supports more keyboard layouts and allows mounting ISO files directly from the local computer to the server. The latter is useful to reinstall the server’s operating system.
The Java-based console requires Java Web Start to run. This is included when installing the JRE (Java Runtime Environment) on the computer. The easiest way to download Java is from www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp. Select the version that matches your computer and operating system.
Once Java is installed on the computer, you can start the Java-based console. You find it under Remote Control → Console Redirection. Here, click Launch Console.
A file named launch.jnlp will be downloaded to the computer. This is the file you need to run with Java Web Start to launch the console.
In Microsoft Windows, the file can be started by simply double-clicking it. In Linux and macOS, run it using the following command:
You will now see a warning that the certificate is not valid, which is correct since it is a self-signed certificate. Here, click Continue.
Next, you will see another warning dialog stating that the Java application may pose a security risk. Check that the Publisher is Super Micro Computer, Inc and that the Location is the IP address of the server’s IPMI. If this information is correct, check the box to accept the risk and then click Run.
The console now starts and looks like the image below.
Note that you must download a new launch.jnlp file each time you log in to the IPMI interface. A launch.jnlp file is only valid for a single login session.
Reinstall the server's operating system from an ISO file
With the Java-based console, you can mount any ISO file from the local computer. You can then restart the server and, during the boot process, choose to boot from a virtual CD-ROM containing the ISO file. This allows you to reinstall the server’s operating system by yourself.
In the console, click on Virtual Media, then on Virtual Storage.
In the dialog box, select ISO File from the dropdown menu Logical Drive Type. Then, click the Open Image button. Here, choose an ISO file from the local computer.
In the image below, we have selected an ISO file for FreeBSD. Next, click Plug in.
Under Connection Status History, you can see if the ISO file has been mounted correctly. If it has, click OK.
You can now restart the server to boot from the ISO file.
It is always best to restart the server from the operating system, for example, using the reboot command in Linux. However, if something is wrong with the current operating system and this is not possible, you can instead restart the server by performing a power reset. This function can be found under Power Control → Set Power Reset in the Java console. It is also available under Remote Control → Power Control on the IPMI page. Here, you have several options to shut down, power on, and reset the server.
When the server starts and the screen below appears, press F11 to open the boot menu.
When the boot menu opens, select UEFI: ATEN Virtual CDROM YS0J using the arrow keys and then press Enter to confirm.
After a short while, the operating system’s installation program starts from the ISO file. In the image below, the installation program for FreeBSD is displayed.
Monitor the server's health
Through the IPMI interface, you can monitor the server's health. Among other things, you can check the server's temperatures, RAID health, and even the individual disks' status. Click on Server Health in the IPMI menu to browse through all the available readings.
The disk information is located under Server Health in the IPMI menu. At the bottom of the sidebar menu, you find Storage Monitoring. Here, you can select either Physical View to see individual disks or Logical View to check the status of the RAID. For example, if you select Physical View and then click more for a specific disk, you can see details such as Error Count, SMART Event, and Media Error.
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