| General |
| Q1. |
What is Insight Control for Linux (IC-Linux)? |
| A1. |
HP Insight Control for Linux (IC-Linux) is essential management for industry-standard HP ProLiant servers running Linux. Integrated toolsets enable administrator productivity in both Enterprise and Cluster environments. HP Insight Control for Linux is the type of management solution that Linux administrators would design for themselves, given the opportunity. A robust toolset integrates the best of open source and HP technologies for discovery, imaging & provisioning, rapid deployment, health & performance management, remote management, virtualization, and power management. Llifecycle management is complemented by multi-system scaling, power management, and direct-to-the-hardware control. HP Insight Control for Linux is backed by HP’s Linux expertise and global HP Support. |
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| Q2. |
What's new in Insight Control for Linux v6.00? |
| A2. |
HP Insight Control for Linux v6.00 provides
- Virtualization management for VMware® ESX & ESXi host installations,
- Capability for running HP IC-LX in a XEN® virtual machine guest,
- Virtual Media support for installation in iLO-based servers without PXE/DHCP,
- Scaling enhancements for operation with 1000+ physical nodes,
- Easy-to-use performance management for at-a-glance physical & virtual views across large environments with standard & customizable metrics,
- Power management enhancements for Datacenter power control and Power monitoring,
- Firmware updating and Reporting improvements in HP-SIM,
- Updated Linux operating system support (e.g. SLES 11, RHEL 5.4), and
- Broad HP ProLiant support for blade-, rack-, tower-, and scalable- servers (BL-, DL-, ML-, SL- series servers).
“Linux-managed Reference Platforms” combine RHEL AP & HP IC-LX with high availability, virtualization & simplified HP single-source-of-support for Linux users in business-important environments.
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| Q3. |
What ProLiant servers and Linux operating systems are supported with HP Insight Control for Linux? |
| A3. |
HP Insight Control for Linux supports HP ProLiant Blade-, Rack-, Tower-, and Scalable- servers (BL-, DL-, ML-, and SL-series servers). Systems supported include HP BladeSystems (c7000 and c3000), HP Rack servers (DL1000, DL785, DL500s, DL300s, DL180s, DL160s), HP Tower servers (ML300s), and Scalable servers (SL6000). Servers with IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface), iLO, and iLO2 (Integrated Lights Out) capabilities are supported. Check the Product Support Matrix for support on specific models.
ProLiant Support Packs (PSPs) are available to support operation with a wide variety of Linux operating systems at the Linux ProLiant website.
HP Insight Control for Linux is HP supported on Red Hat’s RHEL and Novell’s SLES distributions. HP Insight Control for Linux is community supported on a wide variety of other Linux operating systems [e.g. See technical white paper for ICE-Linux tests with CentOS v5.2 (64-bit)].
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| Q4./td>
| How is it configured and how does it work? |
| A4. |
HP Insight Control for Linux (HP IC-LX) is delivered via web download from Software Depot containing all the necessary software (HP IC-LX application, database, installer, management agents, utilities) to be installed on one of the supported ProLiant servers. That server becomes the host for the HP Systems Insight Manager (HP SIM) central management system from which system administrators can remotely discover, deploy, monitor, and manage their infrastructure and servers. |
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| Q5. |
How do I install HP Insight Control for Linux and keep it updated? |
| A5. |
HP ICE-Linux comes with its own installer to assist you in the installation process. A supported ProLiant server with a supported Linux distribution already installed is recommended. Documentation and a
'Getting Started' guide provide guidance on setting up the Linux host system for the central management system. Review the documentation and requirements prior to performing the installation and setup.
A technical white paper on version control is available to guide the user's processes to update agents, system firmware, and Linux distros. HP Technical Support and Update Service is included with each HP ICE-Linux license, which entitles the user to solution updates for a one year.
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| Availability & Purchase |
| Q1. |
When will HP Insight Control for Linux v6.0 be available? |
| A1. |
HP Insight Control for Linux v6.00 is available by mid-January, with license keys are available for purchase at that time. The HP Insight Control for Linux software is available for free download from
Software Depot now, or you can order the HP Insight Control for Linux (HP ICE-Linux) Media Kit (TC208A) which includes the software on a DVD (but license entitlement must be purchased for operation beyond 60 days). |
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| Q2. |
How do I get HP Insight Control for Linux? |
| A2. |
HP Insight Control for Linux licenses are
available for purchase via your HP authorized reseller, through
your HP account team, and also
online.
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| Q3. |
Can I try the software before I buy it? |
| A3. |
Yes. Evaluation licenses for HP Insight Control for Linux are available at
http://www.hp.com/go/ic-lx. Click on the “Free Trial” option. |
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| Q4. |
What licensing options are available for HP Insight Control for Linux? |
| A4. |
HP Insight Control for Linux is licensed on a per-server basis. First purchase the number of licenses that you need. You can purchase a single license [P/N TC209A] or a flexible quantity license [P/N TC210A] of HP ICE-LX, each of which comes with one-year of 24 x 7 HP Software Technical Support and Update Service.
You also have the option of purchasing licenses with your HP ProLiant servers. After you purchase the required number of licenses, you can either download a copy of the
HP IC-LX ISO image , or you can purchase an HP IC-LX DVD media kit [P/N TC208A]. You will only require one download or media package.
“Linux-managed Reference Platforms” combine the HP Insight Control for Linux management solution with the Red Hat Enterprise Linux® Advanced Platform (RHEL AP) operating system, with full HP Software Technical Support and Update Service for 1-year or 3-year durations, in 24x7 Support or 9x5 Support options [P/N TC206A, TC207A, TC279A, TC280A]. |
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| Q5. |
What is the licensing and registration process for HP Insight Control suite for Linux? |
| A5. |
After purchasing any of the Insight Control for Linux license options, you will receive an email entitlement with instructions on how you can access your license keys via the web. You can immediately download the license keys and obtain access to the number or licenses you have purchased. These license keys can also be input into Evaluation copies of HP Insight Control for Linux for continued operation. |
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| Technology |
| Q1. |
What advanced technologies are included in HP Insight Control for Linux? |
| A1. |
HP Insight Control for Linux includes integrated rapid deployment and integrated health & performance management, in addition to power management, remote management, and virtual machine management. (A license for HP Integrated Lights-Out Advanced software is included for remote management.)
HP Insight Control power management provides Dynamic Power Capping to reclaim trapped resources in your infrastructure -- and adds capabilities for Datacenter power control and Power monitoring.
Control for managing virtual host & guest environments is provided for VMware ESX & ESXi (host installation) and for XEN® (open source hypervisor). HP's IC-LX central management server can be run from within an XEN® virtual machine guest.
Remote management provides secure shell capabilities with integrated remote access and server control.
Firmware update technologies are also integrated and can assist in version control processes
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| Q2. |
What Power management capabilities are integrated in HP Insight Control for Linux? |
| A2. |
The HP Insight Control for Linux management solution provides industry-leading power capabilities for industry-standard ProLiant servers based on measurement, visibility, and optimization.
Dynamic Power Capping can optimize power ‘on the fly’ across CPUs, Servers, and Enclosures for worry-free, hardware-based power management. HP Insight Control measures power usage AND controls power on a dynamic basis to optimize on a fractional-second-basis for maximum utilization of the power reserve in the system.
Datacenter Power Control provides uptime for critical applications, particularly when the datacenter hasn’t kept pace with demands & when infrastructure failure impacts critical IT services. This capability also helps to decrease power consumption when users are participating in demand response programs.
Power Monitoring is critical to allowing measurement, visibility, and control of the infrastructure.
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Q3. |
What Rapid deployment capabilities are integrated in HP Insight Control for Linux? |
| A3. |
HP Insight Control for Linux provides integrated capabilities for imaging & provisioning, deployment, and firmware updates for the Linux user. Standard deployment support uses PXE boot & DHCP, but Virtual Media is also supported for environments without DHCP or those needing a more secure medium.
A software repository can be populated by the user with any variety of objects for deployment, such as custom scripts, installation scripts, images, firmware, agents, etc. Standard KickStart and AutoYAST scripts can be used, customized, and deployed. Firmware update capabilities are integrated and can accelerate version control processes.
Deployment methods include both a robust standard mode and a high-performance ‘Avalanche’ mode optimizing both time and network bandwidth.
Deployments can be scheduled and can also be directed to groups or classes of servers. |
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Q4. |
What Health & Performance management capabilities are integrated in Insight Control for Linux? |
| A4. |
HP Insight Control for Linux provides integrated capabilities for health & performance management of physical and virtual nodes in the infrastructure. Capabilities are fully accessible via browser (GUI) or command line (CLI) interfaces. A wide variety of metrics are available for observation, evaluation, and action – and can be user customized.
Thresholds can be set by the user and alerts are forwarded to HP SIM for further use in user’s Enterprise Management System (EMS) of choice.
Issue resolution allows user-control of detailed graphical reporting of stored metrics. Data can be exported in standard formats to meet custom reporting needs.
Numerous open source & HP technologies are integrated into Nagios® and into HP System Insight Manager for accurate display and use. All integrated capabilities, including Nagios®, benefit from auto-generated user configurations to allow users immediate productivity -- and the configuration scripts are user accessible for customization.
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Q5. |
Does HP IC-LX require agents to be installed on the server that it is managing? |
| A5. |
Details on what data and support are provided with different agents are in the user documentation. Low level agents, called hp_health agents, are recommended for proper operation on HP systems with iLO capabilities, but these are not needed on IPMI-based systems.
The user chooses the number and type of agents to be used with IC-LX. HP Insight Control for Linux v6.00 supports both SNMP, WBEM, and open source agents.
HP IC-LX maximizes “performance-on-the-problem” using lightweight out-of-band metrics collection without compromising environment control The advantage of this approach allows efficient metrics collection for health and performance management -- i.e. when using the recommended minimum set of agents, the combined system usage is significantly less than one percent (<<1% system usage).
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| Management software |
| Q1. |
What benefits does a “Linux-managed Reference Platform” provide? |
| A1. |
- “Linux-managed Reference Platforms” provide the Linux OS and Linux management with high availability and virtualization, all covered by global HP Support. These solutions combine Red Hat Enterprise Linux® (RHEL Advanced Platform) and HP Insight Control for Linux (HP IC-LX) management suite with global HP Support.
- Red Hat’s RHEL on HP ProLiant & BladeSystem servers is a leading low-cost high-performance alternative to expensive legacy infrastructure. The combination of HP Insight Control for Linux, with its advanced management capabilities, and RHEL Advanced Platform provides better value, better technology, better management, and better service. HP becomes your simplified single-source-of-support for server, OS, and management for business-important Linux
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| Q2. |
When should I use HP Insight Control for Linux versus other HP Insight Control solutions? |
| A2. |
These HP management offerings are very complementary. All HP Insight Control suites are based on the HP Systems Insight Manager (HP SIM) platform, but are hosted on different operating systems.
HP recommends using HP Insight Control for Linux for departments and organizations where Linux-hosted multi-system environments are the primary concern. If the environment has a mix of operating systems, then other HP Insight Control solutions should also be considered.
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| Service & Support |
| Q1. |
What support and services are available with HP Insight Control for Linux? |
| A1. |
- One year of HP Software Technical Support and Update Service, typically with 24x7 coverage, is included with HP Insight Control suite for Linux software. This service provides access to HP technical resources for assistance in resolving software implementation or operations problems. The service also provides access to software updates and reference manuals either in electronic form or on physical media as they are made available by HP. If you received a license entitlement certificate, automated registration for this service will take place upon online redemption of the license certificate/key
- With this service, customers of HP Insight Control suite for Linux will benefit from expedited problems resolution as well as proactive management and delivery of HP Insight Control for Linux updates.
- Options for HP Software Technical Support and Update Services are also available for terms of three-years, four-years, and five-years for HP Insight Control for Linux software HP Insight Control for Linux bundled in the "Linux-managed Reference Platforms" allows the option of either 24x7 Support or 9x5 Support
- A public electronic forum is available for users to consult for collective wisdom and experience. Look for the HP Insight Control for Linux ITRC forum
- Installation and Startup Services are also optionally available for HP Insight Control suite for Linux
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| Q2. |
How do I get support for HP Insight Control for Linux? |
| A2. |
HP Insight Control suite for Linux software includes one year of HP Software Technical Support and Update Service, typically with 24x7 coverage. This service provides rapid access to trained support staff as well as proactive management and delivery of software updates. |
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| Q3. |
What is HP Software Technical Support and Update Service? |
| A3. |
HP ICE-LX software includes one year of 24 x 7 HP Software Technical Support and Update Service. This service provides access to HP technical resources for assistance in resolving software implementation or operations problems. The service also provides access to software updates and reference manuals either in electronic form or on physical media as they are made available by HP. With this service, customers will benefit from expedited problems resolution as well as proactive management and delivery of
HP ICE-LX updates. |
| Q4. |
How do I extend my support contract following my first year of Software Technical Support & Update Service? |
| A4. |
Customers that register their Software Technical Support and Update Service with HP will be contacted prior to service contract expiration with a reminder to extend their service contract. While customers are not required to extend their service contract, continued access to software updates will not be possible once the first year of support and update service expires. |
| Q5. |
Can I get help with installation and startup for HP Insight Control for Linux? |
| A5. |
- Most users will find installation and startup an easy process using the HP Insight Control for Linux documentation and the "Getting Started" guide. For users desiring additional help, Installation and Startup Services are also available as an option for HP Insight Control suite for Linux
- A public electronic forum is also available for users to consult for collective wisdom and experience. Look for the HP Insight Control for Linux ITRC forum
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