I love using remote management for my home lab

Building out a home lab requires one to take advantage of various features not typically available to (or used by) consumers. This includes hardware RAID, super-fast link-aggregated networking, remote management, virtualisation, and more. If I had to pick one feature that would be my highlight with managing my home lab as I build it out, it’s hardware-based remote management. I’m not talking software running on a server and your client, but a hardware-level tool that can run even when the host is offline. A few are available, including Lenovo xClarity, Dell iDRAC, and HP iLO.

Building out my home lab with Lenovo servers, I’ve learned to love and appreciate xClarity and hardware-based remote management as a whole. This remote management solution is available with all ThinkServers, including the excellent ThinkServer SR250 V2.

What is remote management?

And why do I love it?

Hardware remote management is precisely what it describes. You can remotely manage the system at the hardware level. Instead of having to fire up the system for specific software to start and allow for remote connections, hardware-level server management is considerably more advanced, tapping into the actual system and everything connected to all the I/O. On my Lenovo server, I’m rocking xClarity, which fires up as soon as the server has power and the associated network port is connected to the LAN.

Although Proxmox and some other OS running on a server will usually provide a web-based interface for managing the system with the added option of connecting to the device via SSH, should things go wrong where a link cannot be established, you’ll have to dig out a keyboard, mouse, and monitor. This wasn’t an issue when I was maintaining hardware in a data center back in 2009, as we had KVM hardware for quickly hooking up each rack server. At home, things are a little different.

Without plugging in a keyboard, mouse, and monitor to the server, there’s no way to figure out what’s going on. Enter xClarity with its integrated Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM). This fancy remote desktop runs even when the system power is cycled, making it perfect for even making UEFI alterations. It’s possible to achieve a similar solution to one of these proprietary tools on a custom device with KVM that can intercept the video output of the server and such, but it’s not quite as feature-rich as Lenovo xClarity, Dell iDRAC, and HP iLO.

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Making server management painless

With the server rack being located in the garage, once I finally complete a house purchase, I must have the means to quickly connect to servers without needing to leave the home office and galavanting across the plot of land. British weather isn’t renowned for days of sunshine all year round, and I don’t want to have to physically relocate myself to the garage in the cold with torrential rain. That’s where Lenovo’s xClarity really comes alive.

This software suite is impressively feature-rich, much like Dell iDRAC and HP iLO. I can check current utilization, power draw, cooling status, and specific component data by visiting the assigned IP address. Full logging is present, detailing any noteworthy events such as DHCP assignments and power mode switching. Remote disc mounting is fantastic for setting everything up and makes installing Proxmox (or some other server OS solution) painless with a downloaded ISO — begone, Ventroy!

Should any firmware updates be available for parts installed on the system or the BIOS itself, the respective files can be quickly downloaded from Lenovo’s website and uploaded to xClarity for installation. It would be great for the software to automatically check each component against a central repository to notify if any updates are available (and download them at request), but it’s still more convenient with a centralized hub to update everything.

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The utilization section is great for diving deep into how the server is performing. We’ve got everything from voltage measuring to temperature readings and fan speeds. Alerts can be displayed when defined limits are met, though I’ve yet to have any issues relating to temperature and heat build-up. Though Intel’s Core series may be experiencing issues with generating too much waste heat, the Xenon E-2336 is pretty efficient, especially when there’s not too much running on the box.

From checking hardware and viewing events to cycling the system and booting up the remote viewer to interact with the server as if I was physically next to it, hardware-based remote management has become part of my arsenal for maintaining as much as possible within the home lab, making it easier to keep tabs on vital hardware without having to mess around with a separate KVM solution.