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If you get your iLO network settings using hponcfg for an HPe server - there is a setting called SHARED_NETWORK_PORT - with values of NO, YES, LOM, or FlexibleLOM.

I am trying to determine what the actual difference is between the values of YES and LOM. From the hponcfg scripting manual, the descriptions are identical, as quoted below:

• Yes — Enables a NIC that is built into the server (a shared network port). The NIC handles server network traffic and can, if ILO is configured to do so, handle iLO traffic at the same time.

• LOM — Enables a NIC that is built into the server (a shared network port). The NIC handles server network traffic and can, if ILO is configured to do so, handle iLO traffic at the same time. Not all servers support a LOM.

So what is the actual, technical difference here. They both use NIC port 1 right? What affect does switching from YES to LOM have, and vice versa?

I ask this because deployed out in the field, I have a ProLiant DL160 Gen 9, that for whatever reason, wasn't shipped with the optional iLO Management Port kit, that provides a dedicated iLO port; that all of our servers typically have.

This server is currently configured as LOM and, I am unable to access the iLO interface for it. It's connected to an auto detecting speed switch, and the NIC 1 interface itself is working as that is how the server is connected and otherwise operational on the network. Yet I can't get into the iLO.

I am considering trying to switch it from LOM to YES for this value, to see if that helps. But if I lose NIC 1 access as a result, I'll be unable to reach this server at all...

Thank you in advance!

Protonus
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2 Answers2

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This article will give you an idea about the differences.

The definition we are concerned with today though is HPE's LOM, or LAN (Local Area Network) On Motherboard. In many older systems, the Network Interface Card (NIC) was permanently attached to the motherboard. This wasn't an issue for many years when the most common networking interface was Gigabit Ethernet. However, faster networking technologies have emerged resulting in changing needs for today's data centers. The old NICs, with their slower technology, are being pushed aside and left taking up valuable space in favor of adapters being used in expansion slots.

In order to more effectively use the space available, HPE has started making the built in NIC (or LOM) removable, allowing the user to choose between the common Gigabit Ethernet or newer technologies. The image below shows the difference between standard LOM design and HPE's new FlexLom:

Switching from LOM to Yes is safe, because it doesn't affect status of the NIC itself in terms of handling the network traffic

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Sergey Nudnov
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Answering my own question here.... I found the answer in the XML comments of the hponcfg script named Shared_Network_Port.xml as follows:

<!--   iLO 4:                                                        -->
<!--      Substitute:                            Desired NIC:         -->
<!--      <SHARED_NETWORK_PORT VALUE="N"/>       iLO NIC             -->
<!--      <SHARED_NETWORK_PORT VALUE="Y"/>       FlexLOM (if 
<!--                              supported)     -->
<!--                                             LOM (if FlexLOM not -->
<!--                                                  supported)     -->
<!--      <SHARED_NETWORK_PORT VALUE="LOM"/>     LOM                 --> 
<!--      <SHARED_NETWORK_PORT VALUE="FlexLOM"/> FlexLOM             -->

So in otherwords, in a server that does not have a FlexLOM installed, setting it to Y is exactly the same as setting it to LOM.

Furthermore, I figured out why I couldn't access the iLO, and why the shared port config wasn't working.

Turns out the person that had set this up, did not specify the correct Gateway IP, in the iLO config. It was pointing to a gateway IP that was literally just one number off... but that's enough to make this not work.

Using hponcfg (what a lifesaver!) I was able to adjust the Gateway IP to the correct address and... this immediately solved the access issue! All set here now!

Protonus
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