Configuring HPE Gen10 and later servers for hardware monitoring through SNMP

Configuring HPE Gen10 and later servers for hardware monitoring through SNMP

Overview

With the introduction of HPE Gen10 servers, HPE discontinued support for traditional operating system-based SNMP agents for hardware monitoring. Instead, HPE introduced the System Management Assistant (SMA) as part of the Agentless Management Service (AMS) framework to provide hardware information to host operating system SNMP services.

Applications Manager retrieves hardware metrics through the operating system SNMP service. Therefore, HPE Gen10 and later servers require additional configuration to expose hardware information through the host SNMP service.

Background

  1. HPE Agentless Management Service (AMS) primarily operates in Forward Mode by default, where hardware information is transferred from the host operating system to the Integrated Lights-Out (iLO) interface.
  2. System Management Assistant (SMA) introduces Reverse Mode, where hardware information is transferred from iLO back to the operating system and made available through the host SNMP service, when enabled.
  3. When SMA is enabled, Applications Manager can collect hardware information through standard SNMP polling without requiring traditional HPE operating system SNMP agents.

Prerequisites

Before configuring hardware monitoring, ensure that the following prerequisites are met:
  1. HPE Agentless Management Service (AMS) is installed on the server.
  2. The operating system SNMP service is installed and configured.
  3. Network connectivity exists between the monitored server and Applications Manager.
  4. Firewall rules allow SNMP communication between the monitored server and Applications Manager.
  5. The server iLO interface is functioning correctly and accessible.
  6. Appropriate permissions are available to install and configure AMS and SMA components.

Windows-specific considerations

For Windows servers, SMA acts as a proxy between the iLO interface and the host-based Windows SNMP service. To enable hardware monitoring through SNMP on Windows systems:
  1. Install the HPE Agentless Management Service (AMS) package.
  2. Enable the System Management Assistant (SMA) feature, which is disabled by default.
  3. Ensure that the Windows SNMP service is installed and running.
  4. Verify that SNMP communication is allowed between the monitored server and Applications Manager.
  5. Confirm that the required AMS and SMA services are running successfully.
When SMA is enabled, hardware information collected by iLO is exposed through the Windows SNMP service, allowing Applications Manager to retrieve hardware health information through standard SNMP polling.
Unlike Linux environments, Windows systems do not require additional AgentX configuration because SMA directly proxies SNMP requests between iLO and the host SNMP service.

Linux-specific considerations

For Linux environments, HPE recommends configuring the host SNMP daemon to support AgentX subagents, allowing hardware information received from iLO to be exposed through the operating system SNMP service. To enable hardware monitoring through SNMP on Linux systems:
  1. Install the HPE Agentless Management Service (AMS) package.
  2. Configure the operating system SNMP service.
  3. Configure the SNMP daemon to support AgentX subagents.
  4. Enable the System Management Assistant (SMA) feature.
  5. Start and verify the required AMS and SMA services.
  6. Verify that hardware information is exposed through the operating system SNMP service.
Once configured, SMA acts as an intermediary between iLO and the host SNMP service, enabling Applications Manager to retrieve hardware health information through standard SNMP polling.

How SMA works

When SMA is enabled,
  1. Hardware information collected by iLO is forwarded to the host operating system.
  2. The host operating system SNMP service acts as the SNMP master.
  3. SMA proxies hardware information between iLO and the host SNMP service.
  4. Applications Manager retrieves hardware metrics through standard SNMP communication.
Depending on the operating system,
  1. Windows and Linux: SMA provides hardware information through the host SNMP service.
  2. VMware: SMA provides SNMP trap forwarding from iLO and AMS through the ESXi SNMP service.

Verification

After installing the AMS package and enabling SMA, restart the operating system SNMP service to ensure the hardware information is exposed through SNMP. Verify the following:
  1. The AMS service is running.
  2. The SMA service is running.
  3. The operating system SNMP service is running.
  4. SNMP communication between the monitored server and Applications Manager is successful.

Validate hardware data availability through SNMP

Once all required services are running, execute an SNMP walk command from the Applications Manager server to verify that hardware information is accessible. To do so, navigate to the <APM_HOME>/bin/troubleshooting directory from command terminal and execute the SNMP walk utility using the following syntax:
Quote
Windows:
snmpwalk.bat [version] [community] [port] [hostname/IP Address] [optional timeout] HP

Linux:
snmpwalk.sh [version] [community] [port] [hostname/IP Address] [optional timeout] HP

Example:
snmpwalk.sh v2c public 161 192.168.1.100 HP
NotesNote: Replace the version, community string, port number, and hostname/IP address with the values applicable to your environment.
After executing the above command, review the output and verify that hardware-related information such as the following is returned successfully:
  1. Overall hardware health status
  2. Temperature sensors
  3. Fan information
  4. Power supply information
  5. Processor health information
  6. Memory health information
  7. Storage subsystem information
Successful retrieval of these metrics confirms that the HPE hardware information is being exposed correctly through SNMP and can be collected by Applications Manager.

Troubleshooting

If hardware metrics are not available after configuration:
  1. Verify that AMS is installed correctly.
  2. Verify that SMA is enabled.
  3. Confirm that the operating system SNMP service is functioning correctly.
  4. Verify firewall settings and SNMP communication.
  5. Validate that the required AMS and SMA services are running.
  6. Verify that the installed AMS package version is supported for the operating system and server generation being used.
Collect the following details before contacting support:
  1. Server model number
  2. Operating system version
  3. Firmware version
  4. Installed AMS package version
  5. SNMP walk results
  6. Applications Manager Support Information File

Conclusion

Applications Manager supports hardware monitoring of HPE Gen10 and later servers through SNMP mode when the server is configured according to HPE's Agentless Management architecture. Ensuring that AMS, SMA, and the host SNMP service are correctly configured allows Applications Manager to successfully collect hardware health metrics using standard SNMP polling.
Notes
Note:
  1. SMA is disabled by default and must be explicitly enabled.
  2. AMS and SMA can be enabled simultaneously without conflict.
  3. The required AMS package version varies depending on the server generation, operating system version, and firmware version.
  4. HPE periodically updates AMS packages and compatibility matrices; therefore, always verify compatibility before installation.

Reference documentation

For additional information regarding HPE Agentless Management Service (AMS), System Management Assistant (SMA), supported operating systems, and installation procedures, refer to the following HPE documentation:
  1. HPE System Management Assistant and Agentless Management Service Documentation
  2. HPE Linux Hardware Monitoring and AgentX Configuration Guide
  3. HPE AMS Installation and Configuration Documentation
  4. HPE Server Support and Operating System Certification Matrices




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