Using CLI Commands in Windows Operating SystemsDell OpenManage™ Server Administrator Version 1.4 Command Line Interface User's Guide
Using CLI Commands in Windows Operating Systems
CLI Error Checking and Error Messages
Scripting and Comparing With the CLI
Whether you are using the graphical user interface (GUI) or the command line interface (CLI), Server Administrator performs essential systems management tasks.
The reporting and viewing features allow retrieval of overall health status for systems on your network. At the component level, you can view information about the voltages, temperatures, current, fan RPM, memory functioning, and many other critical component details. You see a detailed account of many relevant cost of ownership (COO) facts about your system in summary view. Version information for BIOS, firmware, operating system, and all installed software is easy to retrieve. You can also update BIOS and firmware packages and run diagnostic tests on system components.
Configuration features allow the Server Administrator to perform essential tasks described in detail in the following sections.
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NOTE: You can use the CLI instead of the Server Administrator home page, and turn the Server Administrator Web server off if you have security concerns. The CLI does not use the Web server. Use the omconfig system webserver action=stop command to turn off the Web server. The Web server starts automatically after a reboot, so this command must be issued every time a system starts up. See "omconfig system webserver" for more information. |
Use Server Administrator CLI commands from a 32-bit Microsoft® Windows® command prompt. You can access the 32-bit command prompt from the Start button® Programs® Accessories® Command Prompt shortcut, or by clicking the Start button and selecting Run, then typing cmd.exe in the Run dialog box.
Avoid using the DOS command prompt launched by the command.com command. This command launches a 16-bit DOS command prompt and may produce unpredictable results.
The commands that carry out the functions of Server Administrator are:
The omconfig command writes values that you assign to an object's properties. You can specify values for warning thresholds on components or prescribe what action your system is to take when a certain warning or failure event occurs. You can also use the omconfig command to assign specific values to your system's asset information parameters, such as the purchase price of the system, the system's asset tag, or the system's location.
The omdiag command runs diagnostic tests against system hardware to isolate problems.
The omhelp command displays short text help for CLI commands. The shorthand equivalent of omhelp is the command for which you want help followed by -?. For example, to display help for the omreport command, type one of the following commands:
omhelp omreport
omreport -?
The omreport command produces reports of your system's management information.
The omupdate command installs the latest update packages for the system's BIOS and firmware.
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NOTE: For an overall summary of CLI commands, type omhelp. |
Table 1-1 lists the primary CLI commands used by Server Administrator. This guide contains a section for each primary command.
Table 1-1. CLI Commands and Sections in This Guide
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Primary CLI Command |
Section Title |
Related Sections |
|---|---|---|
omconfig: Managing Components Using the Instrumentation Service | ||
omreport: Viewing System Status Using the Instrumentation Service | ||
omupdate: Using the Update Service for BIOS, Firmware, and Device Drivers |
Additional useful topics about the CLI include:
The CLI checks your commands for correct syntax when you enter them. If you enter a command and the command is executed successfully, a message displays, stating that your command has been successful.
Do not type command into the Run dialog box to launch a command line window; this activates the MS-DOS® emulator command.com, which has environment variable limitations that can cause subtle problems with the CLI. Instead, use the Command Prompt shortcut (click the Start button and point to Programs® Accessories® Command Prompt) or type cmd in the Run dialog box to use the 32-bit command line application.
For a successful omreport command, data about the component displays. When data for the component displays, your command is successful.
The following omconfig command examples show valid CLI commands and their success messages:
omconfig chassis temps index=0 warnthresh=default
Temperature probe warning threshold value(s) set successfully.
omconfig chassis biossetup attribute=speaker setting=on
BIOS setup configured successfully.
omconfig system assetinfo info=depreciation duration=6
Asset information set successfully.
CLI failure messages provide reasons why some commands do not succeed. Some common reasons why commands fail include syntax errors and components that are not present. Many error messages provide syntax information that you can use to execute the command successfully.
If you try to execute a command for a component or feature that is not present in your system configuration, the error message states that the component is not present.
omreport chassis currents
Error! No current probes found on this system.
omconfig chassis volts index=3 minwarnthresh=3.3000
Error! Number with up to 3 digits after decimal point expected, read 3.3000
The value given by the command specifies more than 3 digits after the decimal point. A valid minimum warning threshold value for volts contains up to 3 digits after the decimal point.
omconfig chassis volts index=3 minwarnthresh=3.300
When you enter the revised command with three decimal points, you receive another error message:
Error! This voltage probe min warning threshold must be between 11.400 and 12.480.
omconfig chassis volts index=3 minwarnthresh=11.500
Voltage probe warning threshold(s) set successfully.
The Server Administrator CLI allows administrators to write batch programs or scripts to be executed by the operating system. For an enterprise with many systems, an administrator could write a configuration script that specified the warning thresholds for each major component of a system and also specified a set of actions that the administrator wants each system to take in case of a warning or failure event. In the most critical cases, the administrator could write a script so that the system shuts down to prevent damage. The administrator could then distribute and execute the script to many managed systems at the same time. Such a scenario facilitates configuring any number of new systems acquired by a company and makes implementation of new system administration policies easier across many existing systems that require reconfiguration.
A similar scenario could be used to populate a large number of newly acquired systems with detailed asset information. Much of the information would be the same, such as the manufacturer or lessor of the system, whether support for the system is outsourced, name of the system's insurance company, method of depreciation, and so on. Any variable that is common to all systems could be scripted, sent to all managed systems, and executed. Asset information that is unique to a system could be scripted as a group and sent to that managed node for execution. For example, a script could specify values for all unique variables such as owner, primary user phone number, asset tag, and so on. Scripts to populate unique values would set all unique variables at once rather than one by one through the system's command line.
In many cases, the CLI allows a user with a very well-defined task in mind to retrieve information about the system rapidly. If a user wants to review a comprehensive summary of all system components and save that summary information to a file for comparison with later system states, the CLI is ideal.
Using CLI commands, administrators can write batch programs or scripts to execute at specific times. When these programs execute, they can capture reports on components of interest, such as fan RPMs during periods of high system usage compared with the same measurements at times of lowest system usage. Command results can be routed to a file for later analysis. Reports can help administrators gain information that can be used to adjust usage patterns, to justify purchasing new system resources, or to focus on the health of a problem component.
Commands vary in complexity. The simplest command has only command level 1. The omhelp command is a simple command. When you type omhelp, a list of the main CLI commands is displayed.
The next level of complexity includes commands that contain command levels 1 and 2. All of the about commands are examples of command level 2 complexity. The omconfig about, omdiag about, omreport about, and omupdate about commands all cause a very brief summary to display. The summary shows version information for the systems management software installed on your system; for example, Server Administrator 1.x.
Some commands have command level 1 and command level 2 and one name=value pair. Consider the following example command that instructs Server Administrator to apply a specific package to update the system BIOS:
omupdate biosupdate path=C:\bios\2400a07.zip
Command level 1 is omupdate, command level 2 is biosupdate, and the name=value pair is path=C:\bios\2400a07.zip.
Many commands use command level 1, command level 2, and command level 3, but do not require any parameters (name=value pairs). Most omreport commands are of this type. For example:
omreport system alertaction
causes a list of alert actions that are configured for components on your system to be displayed.
The most complex commands have all three command levels and can have up to nine name=value pairs. An example of two name=value pairs:
omconfig system assetinfo info=depreciation duration=3
An example of nine name=value pairs:
omconfig system assetinfo info=acquisition
purchasecost=<n> waybill=<n> installdate=<mmddyy>
purchasedate=<mmddyy> ponum=<n> signauth=<text>
expensed=<yes | no> costcenter=<text>
In each section, command syntax and other information about commands is formatted with any of the following fields that apply: