Abstract
Most Lenovo ThinkSystem servers contain an integrated service processor, XClarity Controller (XCC), which provides advanced service-processor control, monitoring, and alerting functions. This document summarizes the features of XCC and the upgrades available to ThinkSystem servers.
Change History
Changes in the May 5 update:
Added SR645 and SR665 to the server support table - Server support section
Introduction
Most Lenovo ThinkSystem servers contain an integrated service processor, XClarity Controller (XCC), which provides advanced service-processor control, monitoring, and alerting functions. The XCC consolidates the service processor functionality, super I/O, video controller, and remote presence capabilities into a single chip on the server system board. The XCC is based on the Pilot4 XE401 baseboard management controller (BMC) using a dual-core ARM Cortex A9 service processor.
Figure 1. ThinkSystem servers include the XClarity Controller integrated service processor
Features
There are three levels of features of XCC: Standard, Advanced and Enterprise:
XClarity Controller Standard offers the following capabilities:
Gathering and viewing system information and inventory
Monitoring system status and health
Alerting and notifications
Event logging
Configuring network connectivity
Configuring security
Updating system firmware
Configuring server settings and devices
Real-time power usage monitoring
Remotely controlling server power (Power on, Power off, Restart)
Managing FoD activation keys
Redirecting serial console via IPMI
Capturing the video display contents when an operating system hang condition is detected
FIPS 140-2 compliant encryption
XClarity Controller Advanced Upgrade adds the following functionality to the Standard features:
Remotely viewing video with graphics resolutions up to 1920x1200 at 60 Hz with 16 bits per pixel
Remotely accessing the server using the keyboard and mouse from a remote client
Ability to record and replay the video from a remote control session
Remotely deploying an operating system
Component replacement logs
Syslog alerting
Redirecting serial console via SSH
Security Key Lifecycle Manager (SKLM)
IP Address blocking
Displaying graphics for real-time and historical power usage data and temperature
XClarity Controller Enterprise Upgrade adds the following functionality to the Advanced features:
Capping power usage
Mapping the ISO and image files located on the local client as virtual drives for use by the server
Mounting the remote ISO and image files via HTTPFS, CIFS, and NFS
Collaborating across up to six users of the virtual console
Virtual console chat
Ability to capture and replay the server’s boot-up video
Ability to capture and replay the server's video information leading up to the point where the operating system may hang or crash.
Out-of-band (OOB) performance monitoring - System performance metrics
Controlling quality and bandwidth usage of the virtual console
Management interfaces
There are two ways to access the XCC management processor remotely:
Command-line interface. To access the CLI interface, use SSH to log in to the management processor.
Web-based interface. To access the web-based interface, point your browser to the IP address for the management processor. The new intuitive interface includes at-a-glance visualizations and simple access to common system actions. The dashboard is shown in the following figure.
Figure 2. Lenovo XClarity Controller dashboard
XCC can also be accessed remotely through industry-standard interfaces:
Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) Version 2.0
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
Version 3 supported (no SET commands)
Version 1 supported, traps only*
Common Information Model (CIM-XML)
Data Center Manageability Interface (DCMI) Version 1.5
Representational State Transfer (REST) support
Redfish support (DMTF compliant) with specification version 1.2.0 and schema version 2017.1
Web browser - HTML 5-based browser interface (Java and ActiveX not required) using a responsive design (content optimized for device being used - laptop, tablet, phone) with NLS support
* Support for SNMP v1 requires updated XCC firmware. Depending on the server model, this is v1.4.0, v2.10 or v2.12 (or newer). For specifics, consult the change history file for the XCC firmware for your server at https://datacentersupport.lenovo.com.
Access via the XClarity Mobile app
XCC can also be managed locally from the XClarity Mobile app on a phone or table. The mobile device is physically attached to the server via a USB cable connected to a front USB port with XClarity Controller access.
Note: The ThinkSystem SD650 dense server does not support the use of the XClarity Mobile app.
The steps to enable this tethering function are as follows:
If you haven't done so already, install the XClarity Mobile app on your mobile device.
Enable USB Management on the server, by holding down the ID button for 3 seconds (or pressing the dedicated USB management button if one is present)
Connect the mobile device via a USB cable to the server's USB port with the management symbol
In iOS or Android settings, enable Personal Hotspot or USB Tethering
Launch the XClarity Mobile app
Once connected you can see the following information via a Virtual Operator Panel:
System status, firmware, network, health, and alerts information (read only, no login required)
Server management functions including configuring systems management and network settings, and controlling system power (power on, power off, restart) (XClarity login credentials required)
Part numbers
Models of ThinkSystem servers come with either XClarity Controller Standard, Advanced or Enterprise, depending on the server type and the model. The servers will be delivered with the stated version already active. The following table shows the field upgrades available for models that come with XCC Standard or XCC Advanced.
Important considerations:
If you will be using XClarity Administrator for tasks such as remote control and OS deployment then the XCC Enterprise level must be used on the server.
Lenovo ThinkSystem XClarity Controller Enterprise license includes license for Lenovo XClarity Energy Manager
Table 1. XClarity Controller field upgrades
Part number
Feature code
Description4L47A09132
AVUT
ThinkSystem XClarity Controller Standard to Advanced Upgrade
(for servers that have XCC Standard)
4L47A09133*
AVUU
ThinkSystem XClarity Controller Advanced to Enterprise Upgrade
(for servers that have XCC Advanced) (requires XCC Advanced*)
* The Enterprise Upgrade requires that XCC already be at the Advanced level. If the server currently has XCC Standard, you must first apply the XCC Standard to Advanced Upgrade before applying the XCC Advanced to Enterprise Upgrade.
For configure-to-order (CTO) models, you can specify the XCC level you require by selecting the appropriate XCC feature code as listed in the following table:
XCC Standard - if both AVUT and AUPW are not in the order
XCC Advanced - select feature AVUT
XCC Enterprise - select feature AUPW
Table 2. XClarity Controller Upgrades for configure-to-order
Feature code
DescriptionAVUT
ThinkSystem XClarity Controller Standard to Advanced Upgrade
AUPW
ThinkSystem XClarity Controller Standard to Enterprise Upgrade
Server support
The following table shows what level of XCC is included with each ThinkSystem server.
Table 3. Server support
Server
XCC Standard
XCC Advanced
XCC EnterpriseSE350 ( 7Z46 / 7D1X)
Supported
Most models**
Some models**
ST50 (7Y48/7Y50
Not supported
Not supported
Not supported
ST250 (7Y45/7Y46)
Most models*
Upgrade
Upgrade
SR150 (7Y54)
Most models*
Upgrade
Upgrade
SR250 (7Y51/7Y52)
Most models*
Upgrade
Upgrade
ST550 (7X09 / 7X10)
Most models*
Upgrade
Upgrade
SR530 (7X07 / 7X08)
Most models*
Upgrade
Upgrade
SR550 (7X03 / 7X04)
Most models*
Upgrade
Upgrade
SR570 (7Y02 / 7Y03)
Most models*
Upgrade
Upgrade
SR590 (7X98 / 7X99)
Most models*
Upgrade
Upgrade
SR630 (7X01 / 7X02)
Most models*
Upgrade
Upgrade
SR635 (7Y98 / 7Y99)
Not supported
Not supported
Not supported
SR645 (7D2Y/7D2X)
Most models*
Upgrade
Upgrade
SR650 (7X05 / 7X06)
Most models*
Upgrade
Upgrade
SR655 (7Y00 / 7Z01)
Not supported
Not supported
Not supported
SR665 (7D2W/7D2V)
Most models*
Upgrade
Upgrade
SR670 (7Y36 / 7Y37 / 7Y38)
Configure-to-order
Configure-to-order
Configure-to-order
SR850 (7X18 / 7X19)
N/A
Most models**
Upgrade
SR850P (7D2F / 2D2G)
N/A
N/A
Most models**
SR860 (7X69 / 7X70)
N/A
Most models**
Upgrade
SR950 (7X11 / 7X12 / 7X13)
N/A
N/A
All models
SR850 V2 (7D31 / 7D32 / 7D33)
N/A
N/A
All models
SR860 V2 (7Z59 / 7Z60)
N/A
N/A
All models
SD530 (7X21)
Most models*
Upgrade
Upgrade
SD650 (7X58)
Configure-to-order
Configure-to-order
Configure-to-order
SN550 (7X16)
N/A
N/A
All models
SN850 (7X15)
N/A
N/A
All models
* Most models include XCC Standard, however some country-specific models have Advanced or Enterprise levels. Check the model tables in the server product guide for specifics.
** Most models include XCC Advanced or Enterprise. Check the model tables in the server product guide for specifics.
Related product families
Product families related to this document are the following:
Trademarks
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The following terms are trademarks of Lenovo in the United States, other countries, or both:
Lenovo®
ThinkSystem
XClarity®
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