Deploying common configurations

IBM® Flex System Manager management software configures some hardware and software settings automatically during initial setup. For other common settings, the management software comes with Configuration Patterns that enable you to provision multiple managed resources quickly and easily. The management software also has predefined configuration templates and plans that enable you to deploy specific configurations to managed resources.

Configuration Patterns enable you to quickly provision or pre-provision multiple compute nodes by configuring local storage, network adapters, boot order, and other Integrated Management Module (IMM) and Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) settings.

Important: The Configuration Patterns function is compatible only with X-Architecture compute nodes.

Configuration Patterns integrates support for IBM Fabric Manager so that you can virtualize fabric connections, and failover or re-purpose servers without disrupting the fabric. You can also initiate fabric change requests through your change-management process before your hardware arrives by pre-configuring host interconnect addresses.

See Modifying firmware and hardware configuration settings for more information.

Configuration templates deploy individual settings to operating systems, service processors, or network switches. A configuration template stores your setting choices, which enables you to deploy the same settings multiple times. The settings that you can deploy include IP address, Boot device order, and user accounts.

Note:

You cannot use configuration templates on the director server you are operating on.
You cannot use configuration templates on an FSM because an FSM cannot be a managed endpoint.
You cannot add a user to VIOS OS MEP.

Configuration plans deploy multiple settings as a group to a managed resource in a single operation. A configuration plan consists of multiple configuration templates. For example, you can group configuration templates for UEFI, power scheduling, and network IP address configuration into a single configuration plan, and deploy them in a single operation.

After you complete the initial setup of the management software, you can begin working with configuration templates and plans. From the Home page, click the Additional setup tab; then, click Deploy Common Configurations.

Predefined configuration templates

The following predefined configuration templates come with the management software.

Note: If you do not find a predefined configuration template that suits your environment, you can use the Configuration Manager component of the management software to create your own configuration template.

IPv4 Address Pool template
IPv6 Address Pool template
Server Network template
Server Legacy OS Boot Order
Server Primary Boot Order
Server Wake On LAN Boot Order
Server SNMPv1 template
Server SNMPv3 template
Server Immediate Power® Off
Server Immediate Power On
Server Scheduled Power Off
Server Scheduled Power Off and Restart template
Operating System IPv4 Network template
Operating System IPv6 Network template
Operating System Create Linux Account template
Operating System Create Windows Account template
Operating System Create i5 Account template
Operating System Immediate Power Off
Operating System Immediate Restart
Ethernet 1GB Switch Protocol Configuration template
Ethernet 1GB Switch VLAN Configuration template
8GB SAN Switch Protocol Configuration template

Predefined configuration plans

The following two predefined configuration plans come with the management software.

Note: If you do not find a predefined configuration plan that suits your environment, you can use the Configuration Manager component of the management software to create your own configuration plan.

Windows Server on IPv4 Network Plan
- Server Primary Boot Order
- Server Scheduled Power Off and Restart template
- Operating System IPv4 Network template
- Operating System Create Windows Accounts template
Linux Server on IPv6 Network
- Server Wake On LAN Boot Order
- Server Scheduled Power Off and Restart template
- Operating System IPv6 Network template
- Operating System Create Linux Accounts template