FoD key management on different devices

This topic explains how to manage Features on Demand (FoD) keys that are installed on different devices.

IMM2-based systems, including System x Server

Multiple interfaces are supported for the IMM-based system. If no interface (--interface) is specified, ASU tries to run by the CIM interface first. If the CIM interface fails, ASU will try to run by IPMI LAN interface. If the IPMI LAN interface fails, ASU will try to run by the IPMI KCS interface.

ASU supports FoD key management out-of-band when --host, --user, and --password are all specified. In this out-of-band situation, if --host is specified, --user and --password both should be provided. However, if --host, --user, and --password are all specified, ASU will not try the IPMI KCS interface.

ASU supports FoD key management in-band when --host is not specified. First, ASU tries to get the IP address for the LAN over USB. The default values for --user and --password are USERID and PASSW0RD, respectively. ASU defaults to KCS if LAN over USB fails.

ASU supports work on the CIM interface by connecting with HTTP and HTTPS. By default, the ASU tries to connect with HTTPS, and the default port is 5989. You can specify --cimhttp to try the connection with HTTP, and then also specify --port 5988, which is the port for HTTP. Before running the ASU, configure the IMM correctly.

CMM

Only the CIM interface is supported on CMM; no in-band methods are available. You must enter --host, --user and --password for CMM management.

The ASU supports both HTTP and HTTPS. You can use the CIM interface on a CMM device the same as on an IMM device. Before running ASU, make sure that the CMMCIM interface is configured correctly.

IOM switches

The IOM switch is designed to use SNMP for FoD activation key management and needs an additional TFTP or SFTP server for key file transactions. You must prepare TFTP or SFTP before running the ASU command for FoD management on the IOM switch. In the command line, --tftp <IP:port> is for TFTP, while --sftp <IP:port> and --ftpid <user:password> are for SFTP. Make sure that you have both read and write access for TFTP/SFTP. You do not need to do operations on the TFTP/SFTP server directory; ASU automatically uploads and downloads keys and files.

ASU supports both SNMPv1v2 and SNMPv3. You do not need to specify --user and --password for SNMPv1v2. However, if --user and --password are specified, ASU will try to run SNMPv3 with the SNMP user and authorization password. --privproto and --privpasswd are for SNMPv3 privacy encryption. Before running ASU, make sure that the configuration on the IOM switch for the SNMP interface is correct.

Note: The ASU supports both SNMPv1v2 and SNMPv3. To use the correct one, make sure that both the interface and the IOM switch are supported.