---
title: "HP iLO2 VSC via SSH on Ubuntu"
tags: ["hp", "ilo", "ssh", "vsp", "tty", "grub"]
categories: [recipe, sysadmin]
description: "How to user HP iLO2 Virtual Serial Console via SSH on Ubuntu"
date: 2020-06-25T11:46:08+02:00
author: "Ettore Dreucci"
draft: false
---

## [[recipe]({{< ref "/categories/recipe" >}}), [sysadmin]({{< ref "/categories/sysadmin" >}})]: How to user HP iLO2 Virtual Serial Console via SSH on Ubuntu

I’ve an old HP ProLiant DL360 G5 rack server with Ubuntu 16.04 at a remote location. Sometimes I’ve the need to remotely connect to it and look at the boot sequence.

iLO2 web interface has a Java applet to use the remote console but unfortunately with last versions of Firefox and Chrome it doesn’t work anymore.

So here we are:

### Configure GRUB to use VSP

To use and control GRUB via a virtual serial port we have to configure it:

1. In `/etc/default/grub` we need to change this lines:

   ```
   GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT=15
   GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT_QUIET=false
   GRUB_TIMEOUT=15
   GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="text console=tty0 console=ttyS1,115200n8"
   GRUB_TERMINAL=console
   ```

   That way the kernel messages are being redirected to tty0 and ttyS1

2. Create `/etc/init/ttyS1.conf` to start a getty on the vsp with:

   ```
   # ttyS1 - getty
   #
   # This service maintains a getty on tty1 from the point the system is
   # started until it is shut down again.
    
   start on stopped rc RUNLEVEL=[2345] and (
               not-container or
               container CONTAINER=lxc or
               container CONTAINER=lxc-libvirt)
    
   stop on runlevel [!2345]
    
   respawn
   exec /sbin/getty -8 115200 ttyS1
   ```

### Connect to iLO2 via SSH

iLO2 support old key algorithms and chipers so we need to specify those:

```
ssh -o HostKeyAlgorithms=ssh-rsa,ssh-dss -o KexAlgorithms=diffie-hellman-group1-sha1 -o Ciphers=aes128-cbc,3des-cbc -o MACs=hmac-md5,hmac-sha1 ILO2_IP_ADDR
```

### Start the VSP

```
hpiLO-> VSP

Starting virtual serial port.
Press 'ESC (' to return to the CLI Session.

hpiLO-> Virtual Serial Port active: IO=0x03F8 INT=4
Ubuntu 16.04 ttyS0

login:

Job done ??

Other CLI commands available:

HP CLI Commands:

POWER    : Control server power.
UID      : Control Unit-ID light.
NMI      : Generate an NMI.
VM       : Virtual media commands.
VSP      : Invoke virtual serial port.
VSP LOG  : Invoke virtual serial port data logging.
TEXTCONS : Invoke Remote Text Console on supported platforms.
```