How to enable IPMITOOL/VSP login on HPE Server ILO5

First, login into HPE iLO5 and enable IPMI/DCMI over LAN, remember set the Serial CLI speed to 115200.

Note: VSP log is optional, once enabled VSP log, we can retrieve logs via SMASH CLI “vsp log” command.

Enable IPMI/DCMI over LAN

Next Reboot server, and press F9 during booting and enter into Configuration mode, Select “BIOS/Platform Configuration(RBSU)->System Options -> Serial Port Options ”, take down the “Virtual Serial Port” , it could be either COM1 or COM2, we will need this information later in OS configuration.

Virtual Serial Port Configuration

Alternatively, you can using the following command to set Virtual Serial Port Configuration

[root@my_server_product_1 ~]# ilorest
loiLOrest : RESTful Interface Tool version 3.1
Copyright © 2014–2020 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
login 172.23.9.28 -u admin -p <your-password>
iloaccounts modify admin — addprivs 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 
logout
login 172.23.9.28 -u admin -p <your-password>
set VirtualSerialPort=Com2Irq3 — selector=Bios.v1_0_0
commit
logout

Note: if you don’t have ilorest, you can run the following command to install it.

# CentOS 7
wget "https://downloads.hpe.com/pub/softlib2/software1/pubsw-linux/p1545251609/v172101/RPMS/x86_64/ilorest-3.1.0-31.x86_64.rpm"
rpm -ivh ilorest-3.1.0-31.x86_64.rpm

COM2 means ttyS1, COM1 means ttyS0, this has to be align with GRUB configuration.

Now we’re able to access the HPE server via

Option1: ipmitool

ipmitool -I lanplus -H 172.23.8.164 -U <username> -P <password> sol activate

How to exit ipmitool

~ + . # Press shift + ` and then press .

Please note, this will exit SSH session if you access ipmitool from jumper, this is because ssh and ipmitool using the same exit key.

Option2: VSP

ssh username@<your-hpe-server-ilo-ip>
</>hpiLO-> VSP

Stop VSP

</>hpiLO-> stop /system1/oemhp_vsp1

If you’re able to see the output until the BOOT MENU, and after that no output anymore. This usually means the OS doesn’t have serial output, need update /etc/default/grub file, take Ubuntu 20.04 for example:

# vi /etc/default/grub
GRUB_DEFAULT=0
GRUB_TIMEOUT_STYLE=hidden
GRUB_TIMEOUT=0
GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR=`lsb_release -i -s 2> /dev/null || echo Debian`
# Add the following lines
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="console=tty0 console=ttyS1,115200n8"
GRUB_TERMINAL=serial
GRUB_SERIAL_COMMAND="serial --unit=0 --speed=115200 --word=8 --parity=no"

Then run “sudo update-grub” and then reboot the server.

sudo update-grub

Now you should be able to use ipmitool or VSP to access your HPE server.