[TriLUG] Dell server assistant and RHAS2.1

[Ryan Leathers]

Anyone know what Dell's open manage / server assistant is doing?

I have some friends who are making the leap from MS to Linux.  They just
got a Dell 6650 and a RHAS2.1 license.  Since they are MS-heads they
really want to use the Dell provided installation CD rather than the RH
install media alone.... trouble is when installed this way the system
boots with a "ton-o-errors" they tell me.

I walked them through a manual install using only the RH installation
media which results in a working system.  However, I didn't get it right
the first time.  The RAID wasn't detected so they had to reinstall in
expert mode to provide the driver disk.  I also failed to forsee the
need to provide a driver disk for the network interfaces.  So, even
after a successful install they have a bad taste in their mouths.  They
are concerned that even once the rpm has been applied for the network
interfaces there may be additional unforseen missing devices.  

Is there any merit to that concern?  I'm not really surprised if I need
to provide drivers for raids, networks and maybe even video, but beyond
that is there anything that the installation could miss?

Also, any ideas about what the Dell server assistant does that might
cause errors - - has anyone else here used it?

-- 
Ryan Leathers <ryan.leathers at globalknowledge.com>
Global Knowledge