Here’s a little Python script I cooked up for work. We often have to change the custom LCD string on boxes if the machine is given a new name. Before, we’d have to restart a machine to access the DRAC configuration to change the name. With this script, all you have to do is enable IPMI through the DRAC remotely (if it isn’t already enabled), and know the correct credentials.
If the LCD isn’t set to view the custom string, you should be able to change it from the front of the box. As you can see, the function that I have commented out at the bottom is supposed to do this for you, but I never got it to work.
2023 update: Check out Pierre’s solution which properly sets the mode!
You may have to change ‘/usr/sbin/ipmitool’ to your appropriate path.
#!/usr/bin/python
import os
# Tanner Stokes - tannr.com - 2-26-10
# This script changes the LCD user string on Dell machines that conform to IPMI 2.0
sp_hostname = raw_input ("\nEnter DNS or IP of SP: ");
user_string = raw_input("Enter LCD string: ")
hex_string = ""
for x in user_string:
hex_string += hex(ord(x))
# add space between each hex output
hex_string += " "
print '\nTrying to change LCD string on '+sp_hostname+'...'
return_val = os.system('/usr/sbin/ipmitool -H '+sp_hostname+' -I lan -U root raw 0x6 0x58 193 0 0 '+str(len(user_string))+' '+hex_string)
if (return_val == 0):
print 'LCD string changed successfully.\n'
else:
print '\nNon-zero return value, something went wrong.'
print 'Make sure IPMI is enabled on the remote host and the DNS or IP is correct.\n'
# this function supposedly sets the user string to show on the LCD, but never got it to work
# this can be changed from the front of the box anyway
# os.system('/usr/sbin/ipmitool -H '+sp_dns+' -I lan -U root raw 0x6 0x58 194 0')