How to Configure Dell PowerEdge iDRAC with the racadm CLI

The iDRAC (Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller) is the out-of-band management processor built into every Dell PowerEdge server. The racadm command-line utility lets you configure it scriptably and repeatably — far faster than clicking through the web UI when you are commissioning a fleet. This guide covers the commands SKYLINE uses during a real PowerEdge deployment: setting the management network, creating users, tuning BIOS, building RAID virtual disks and updating firmware. All syntax below is verified against Dell's RACADM CLI reference.

How racadm runs: local, SSH and remote

There are three ways to issue racadm commands:

• Local racadm — installed in the host OS via the OpenManage / iDRAC Tools package; run racadm against the local iDRAC.
• Firmware (SSH) racadm — SSH into the iDRAC IP and run racadm directly on the controller.
• Remote racadm — run from any workstation with the -r, -u and -p flags pointing at the iDRAC.

Remote form, used throughout this guide where shown:

racadm -r 192.168.10.20 -u root -p calvin getsysinfo

On newer releases the binary is invoked as idracadm7 in the OS, but the subcommands are identical. The factory default credential is root / calvin — change it immediately (see the user section).

Step 1 — Inspect the current state

Always start by reading what the box thinks it is:

# Full system, iDRAC and inventory summary
racadm getsysinfo

# Current management NIC / IP configuration
racadm getniccfg

getsysinfo returns service tag, model, firmware versions and power state; getniccfg shows the current IP, mask, gateway and DHCP status of the management interface.

Step 2 — Configure the management network

Disable DHCP and assign a static management address. There are two equivalent approaches. The granular attribute style:

racadm set iDRAC.IPv4.DHCPEnable 0
racadm set iDRAC.IPv4.Address 192.168.10.20
racadm set iDRAC.IPv4.Netmask 255.255.255.0
racadm set iDRAC.IPv4.Gateway 192.168.10.1
racadm set iDRAC.IPv4.DNS1 192.168.10.5
racadm set iDRAC.IPv4.DNS2 8.8.8.8

Or the single-line shortcut, where -s sets a static address as IP, netmask, gateway:

racadm setniccfg -s 192.168.10.20 255.255.255.0 192.168.10.1

Make sure the management NIC is enabled and, if you use a dedicated port, selected:

racadm set iDRAC.NIC.Enable 1
racadm set iDRAC.NIC.Selection Dedicated

Step 3 — Harden access: create users and roles

Never leave the default calvin password in place. Change root, then create a named admin in the next free user slot (slots are indexed; 2 is commonly root, so use 3 onward):

# Rotate the built-in root password
racadm set iDRAC.Users.2.Password 'StrongP@ss1'

# Create a named administrator in slot 3
racadm set iDRAC.Users.3.UserName skyadmin
racadm set iDRAC.Users.3.Password 'AnotherStr0ng!'
racadm set iDRAC.Users.3.Privilege 0x1ff
racadm set iDRAC.Users.3.Enable 1

The privilege value 0x1ff grants full administrator rights; lower bitmask values create operator or read-only roles. Configure NTP and an alert destination while you are here so logs and notifications are trustworthy:

racadm set iDRAC.NTPConfigGroup.NTPEnable 1
racadm set iDRAC.NTPConfigGroup.NTP1 0.pool.ntp.org

Step 4 — Tune BIOS and commit with a job

BIOS attributes are staged, then applied by a Lifecycle Controller job at the next reboot. For a performance virtualization host, set a custom system profile:

racadm set BIOS.SysProfileSettings.SysProfile Custom
racadm set BIOS.ProcSettings.ProcVirtualization Enabled

# Stage all pending BIOS changes into one job, forced at next boot
racadm jobqueue create BIOS.Setup.1-1 -r forced

The -r forced option reboots the server to apply the staged changes. Track the job:

racadm jobqueue view

Step 5 — Build RAID virtual disks from the CLI

Inventory the storage controller and physical disks first:

racadm storage get controllers
racadm storage get pdisks
racadm storage get vdisks

Create a virtual disk — for example a RAID 1 boot mirror — using the controller and physical-disk FQDDs, then commit it with a storage job:

racadm storage createvd:RAID.Integrated.1-1 -rl r1 \
  -pdkey:Disk.Bay.0:Enclosure.Internal.0-1:RAID.Integrated.1-1,Disk.Bay.1:Enclosure.Internal.0-1:RAID.Integrated.1-1

# Commit the pending RAID operation
racadm jobqueue create RAID.Integrated.1-1

The -rl flag takes the RAID level: r0, r1, r5, r6, r10 and so on. Until the job runs, the configuration is pending and not yet on the controller.

Step 6 — Update firmware

racadm can apply a Dell Update Package or a catalog from a network share. From a single update file:

racadm -r 192.168.10.20 -u root -p calvin update \
  -f iDRAC-with-Lifecycle-Controller_Firmware_xxxx.EXE

From a repository share via catalog (NFS shown; CIFS/HTTP also supported with the matching -t type):

racadm update -f Catalog.xml -l 192.168.10.5:/nfsexport/repository -t NFS -a TRUE

Step 7 — Power control and recovery

Control server power and reset the controller without touching the OS:

racadm serveraction powerstatus
racadm serveraction powercycle
racadm serveraction hardreset

# Soft-reset the iDRAC itself (does not reboot the host)
racadm racreset soft

Putting it together

A clean PowerEdge commissioning runs in this order: read state (getsysinfo/getniccfg), set the management IP, harden users, stage and commit BIOS, build RAID, baseline firmware, then hand off to OS deployment via the Lifecycle Controller. Because every step is a racadm command, the whole sequence can be saved as a script and replayed identically across a hundred servers — which is exactly how SKYLINE keeps client estates in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam consistent and auditable. For the broader deployment context see our Dell PowerEdge installation and support service, or reach an engineer at +966 50 993 9334.