Integrated Lights-Out, or iLO, is a proprietary embedded server management technology by HP (Hewlett-Packard) which provides out-of-band management facilities. HP iLO is combination of the iLO ASIC that is part of the server-board and the firmware that powers the ASIC. iLO is key to make the server operational and boot and it helps simplify server set up, engage health monitoring , and also power and thermal control.

 

 

Generations & Versions 

HP has offered five generations of iLO so far, and, of course, each generation includes different versions. In the table below you can see the history of these generations and the release date of the latest version of each generation:

ITperfection, servers, server utilities, server firmwares, hp servers, iLO, generatins and versions

 

 

Features and Licensing

In iLO realm, there are two types of features:

  • Standard features: These features are shipped at no extra cost as part of your server purchase. Support for iLO standard features is covered under the server hardware warranty.
  • Licensed feature: There are one and three year support licenses. Anyway, when the support agreement expires, you can continue to use licensed features. However, support for those licensed features is not available. Of course, you can renew support for licensed features.

The HPE Server Edge line Chassis supports server cartridges with iLO. If you require iLO Advanced features, you must purchase an iLO Advanced license for each cartridge in the enclosure. Select the quantity of iLO licenses based on the number of server cartridges.

 

 

All Features of  iLO 

The following list describes features that are standard HPE iLO server features, and features that require a license:

  • Active Health System Diagnostics: It is a 24/7 control center for server that monitor more than 1600system parameters and health and service alert.
  • iLO RESTful API: This is a management interface that server management tools can use to perform server configuration, inventory, and monitoring via iLO.
  • iLO RESTful API with Redfish Compliance: It is a communication bridge between iLO and HPE RESTful API.
  • Advanced Power Management: This feature provides access to power related data (include time spent in Power Regulator Dynamic Savings mode, average, peak, and minimum power consumption over 24-hour intervals) from any of the three iLO interfaces (browser, command line, or script).
  • Automatic Secure Recovery: It validates the iLO firmware when power is applied. Also validates the system ROM during server startup.
  • Backup and Restore: This feature allows us to restore the iLO configuration on a system with the same hardware configuration as the system that was backed up.
  • iLO Federation Discovery: This feature queries using any iLO in the Federation Group of multiple systems to return results from the full group.
  • Directory Service Authentication: This feature integrates directory services, such as Microsoft Active Directory, to authorize directory users with assigned user roles to Integrated Lights-Out processors.
  • Remote Syslog: It sends event notification messages to Syslog
  • IPMI over LAN/DCMI: This feature uses the LAN to establish remote connectivity independently of the processor, firmware, and operating system. Also it can uses Data Center Management Interface function of the Intelligent Platform Management Interface specification.
  • Email-Based Alerting: It sends iLO alert conditions that are detected independently of the host operating system to a specified email address.
  • Agentless Management: This feature monitors and generates SNMP traps and additional operating system data independently of the operating system and processor.
  • Embedded System Health: This feature monitors fans, temperature sensors, power supply sensors, and VRMs without loading the System Management Driver.
  • iLO Federation Management: This feature enables us to manage multiple servers from one system running the iLO web interface.
  • Global Team Collaboration via Integrated Remote Console: This feature enables iLO users (up to six users) with remote console privileges in different locations to collaborate using the Integrated Remote Console to troubleshoot, and maintain remote servers.
  • Core Boosting: This feature works with selected Intel processors to enable higher performance across more processor cores.
  • iLO Federation Group License Activation: It activates licensed features on all servers within a configured iLO Federation group.
  • Discovery Services: This feature automatically reports server locations to HPE SIM and Insight Control.
  • Two-Factor Authentication (Kerberos, Smart Card – PIV/Common): You can implement two-factor authentication. Read more about 2FA, and MFA.
  • Text-Based Remote Console via SSH: This feature provides a text-based remote console. We can customize it that is protected by the SSH encryption.
  • Pre-Boot Health Summary: This feature is useful for troubleshooting when the server will not start up, and can also be used to view other health information.
  • iLO Reboot: This feature makes whenever the UID button for is pressed for five seconds, it initiates a manual reboot iLO without bringing down the server.
  • Silicon Root of Trust: The silicon root of trust provides a series of trusted handshakes from lowest level firmware to BIOS and software to ensure a known good state. Rather than the iLO firmware checking the integrity of the firmware every time it boots, the iLO 5 hardware determines whether to execute the iLO firmware, based on whether it matches the encryption hash that is permanently stored in the iLO chipset silicon.
  • Integrated Remote Console (IRC): This feature turns a supported browser into a virtual desktop, giving us full control over the display, keyboard, and mouse of the host server.
  • Integrated Remote Console Record and Playback: This feature records and plays back video streams of events, such as startup, ASR events, and sensed operating system faults.
  • IPv6: It provides IPv6 network support.
  • Kerberos Authentication: This feature is very useful. It integrates iLO authentication into a customer security system. If the client workstation is logged in to the domain, and the user is a member of a directory group for which iLO is configured, enables a user to login to iLO without supplying a user name and password.
  • Remote Insight Board Command Language (RIBCL): This feature provides Remote Insight Board Command Language for server administration.
  • Secure Erase of Non-Volatile Storage (NAND/User Data): This feature will trigger a secure hardware erase of all user and warranty info.
  • Runtime Firmware Verification: This feature allows us to run an on-demand scan or implement scheduled scans.
  • Scripted Virtual Media: It connects scripted media for access by the servers in an iLO Federation group.
  • Active Health System Viewer: A tool that enables us to view and self-diagnose any issues with your server. This tool is free.
  • Secure Shell (SSH) Command Line Interface: This feature provides monitoring and management via a Secure Shell (SSH) CLI.
  • Workload Matching Profiles: This feature allows us to tune the resources in our HPE ProLiant server by choosing a preconfigured workload profile.
  • Smart Array Secure Encryption: This feature supports HPE Smart Array controllers, providing data-at-rest encryption for direct-attached HDD or SSD storage connected to servers.
  • Virtual Media via Integrated Remote Console: This feature helps us to use the Integrated Remote Console to control virtual media.
  • Virtual Serial Port: This feature enables us to operate as if a physical serial connection exists on the remote server serial port.
  • Virtual Serial Port Record and Playback: This feature helps us to operate as if a physical serial connection exists on the remote server serial port.
  • Jitter Smoothing: This technology mitigates processor frequency fluctuation to reduce latency and deliver deterministic and reliable performance.
  • Web-Based GUI: It adds web-based monitoring and management of licensed features to the standard iLO user interface.
  • Embedded Remote Support: This feature helps us to register servers for HPE remote support.

 

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Source: The contents of the official website of HP have been used in preparing the contents of this blog.

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Standard Features

Without any additional license, we can use these features as soon as we buy an HP server. In fact, these features are the standard features:

  • Active Health System Diagnostics
  • Agentless Management
  • Backup and Restore
  • Embedded Remote Support
  • Embedded System Health
  • iLO Federation Discovery
  • iLO Federation Management
  • iLO Reboot
  • iLO RESTful API
  • IPMI Over LAN/DCMI
  • IPv6
  • Pre-Boot Health Summary
  • RIBC
  • Silicon Root of Trust
  • SSH CLI
  • Virtual Power Button
  • Virtual Serial Port
  • Web-Based GUI
  • Workload Matching Profiles

 

 

Licensed Features

Types of licenses include:

  • Advanced Premium Security Edition
  • Advanced /iLO Advanced for Blades
  • iLO Scale-Out
  • iLO Essentials

In the continuation of this blog, we will deal with the permitted features under each of these licenses. It is necessary to mention two points:

  • We only refer to features that are not standard features.
  • A feature may be supported by multiple licenses.

 

Features permitted under Advanced Premium Security Edition license 

These features are:

  • Advanced Power Management
  • Automatic Secure Recovery
  • Commercial National Security Algorithm (CNSA) Mode
  • Core Boosting
  • Directory Service Authentication
  • Discovery Services
  • Email-Based Alerting
  • Global Team Collaboration via Integrated Remote Console
  • iLO Federation Management
  • Integrated Remote Console
  • Integrated Remote Console Record and Playback
  • Jitter Smoothing
  • Remote Syslog
  • Runtime Firmware Verification
  • Scripted Virtual Media
  • Secure Erase of Non-Volatile Storage (NAND/ User Data)
  • Text-Based Remote Console via SSH
  • Two-Factor Authentication
  • Virtual Media via Integrated Remote Console
  • Virtual Serial Port Record and Playback

 

Features permitted under Advanced /iLO Advanced for Blades License 

These features are:

  • Advanced Power Management
  • Core Boosting
  • Directory Service Authentication
  • Discovery Services
  • Email-Based Alerting
  • Global Team Collaboration via Integrated Remote Console
  • iLO Federation Management
  • Integrated Remote Console
  • Integrated Remote Console Record and Playback
  • Jitter Smoothing
  • Remote Syslog
  • Scripted Virtual Media
  • Text-Based Remote Console via SSH
  • Two-Factor Authentication
  • Virtual Media via Integrated Remote Console
  • Virtual Serial Port Record and Playback

 

Features permitted under iLO Scale-Out License 

These features are:

  • Advanced Power Management
  • Email-Based Alerting
  • iLO Federation Management
  • Remote Syslog
  • Text-Based Remote Console via SSH
  • Virtual Serial Port Record and Playback

 

Features permitted under iLO Essential license 

These features are:

  • Email-Based Alerting
  • iLO Federation Management
  • Integrated Remote Console
  • Virtual Media via Integrated Remote Console

 

 

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Source: The contents of the official website of HP have been used in preparing the contents of this blog. We suggest you refer to these two links for more information about HPE iLO:

HPE iLO standard and licensed features on HPE Gen8, Gen9, and Gen10 servers

HPE iLO standard and licensed features on HPE ProLiant Gen8, Gen9, and Gen10 servers