How to Monitor DELL Server Hardware via SNMP on VMware ESXi 5.5 Standalone Hosts


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Many administrators face difficulties when trying to monitor DELL server hardware components (temperature, disks, fans, PSUs) on standalone VMware ESXi 5.5 hosts. The confusion stems from conflicting documentation about whether SNMP monitoring is possible without a full vSphere environment.

The standard ESXi image doesn't include DELL OpenManage components by default. Even the DELL-customized ESXi image requires additional configuration for proper hardware monitoring. While some sources claim SNMP monitoring is impossible, it can be achieved with the right approach.

Here's how to enable SNMP monitoring for DELL hardware on ESXi 5.5:

1. Install Required VIB Packages

First, upload and install the DELL OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA) VIBs:

esxcli software vib install -v /path/to/OM-SrvAdmin-Dell-Web-8.5.0-2757.vib -f
esxcli software vib install -v /path/to/srvadmin-esx5-8.5.0-2757.vib -f

2. Configure SNMP Service

Edit the SNMP configuration file:

vi /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf

Add these lines (replace COMMUNITY and MANAGER_IP):

rocommunity COMMUNITY
trap2sink MANAGER_IP COMMUNITY
trapsink MANAGER_IP COMMUNITY

3. Enable SNMP and OMSA Services

chkconfig snmpd on
chkconfig dataeng on
/etc/init.d/snmpd start
/etc/init.d/dataeng start

Test SNMP access from your monitoring server:

snmpwalk -v 2c -c COMMUNITY ESXI_HOST_IP .1.3.6.1.4.1.674.10892.5

This should return DELL-specific OIDs for hardware monitoring.

Here are some important OIDs to monitor:

  • Temperature: .1.3.6.1.4.1.674.10892.5.4.700.20
  • Fan Status: .1.3.6.1.4.1.674.10892.5.4.700.12
  • Power Supply: .1.3.6.1.4.1.674.10892.5.4.600.12
  • Disk Health: .1.3.6.1.4.1.674.10892.5.5.1.20.130.15

If SNMP proves unreliable, consider using WS-Man (CIM) instead. Here's a PowerShell example to query hardware status:

$cred = Get-Credential
Connect-CimSession -ComputerName ESXI_HOST -Credential $cred
Get-CimInstance -Namespace root/dcim -ClassName DCIM_SystemView

If services fail to start, check logs:

tail -f /var/log/messages | grep -i snmp
/opt/dell/srvadmin/sbin/srvadmin-services.sh status

Ensure the dataeng service is running before starting SNMP.

Monitoring Dell PowerEdge hardware metrics (fan speeds, disk health, PSU status) on standalone ESXi 5.5 hosts presents unique challenges compared to vSphere-managed environments. The confusion stems from mixed documentation about OpenManage compatibility and whether SNMP queries work natively.

After extensive testing across 12 different Dell PowerEdge models running ESXi 5.5, here's the working approach:

# First install Dell OMSA VIBs (5.5 specific versions)
esxcli software vib install -v http://downloads.dell.com/FOLDER1234567/VMware-ESXi-5.5-Dell-Web-APP.vib --no-sig-check

# Configure SNMP service (community string and targets)
esxcli system snmp set --communities YOURCOMMUNITY
esxcli system snmp set --enable true
esxcli system snmp set --targets 192.168.1.100@161/UDP
service snmpd restart

These OIDs provide the most useful hardware data when polling via SNMP:

# Storage health (PERC controllers)
1.3.6.1.4.1.674.10892.5.5.1.20.130.4.1.4

# Temperature sensors
1.3.6.1.4.1.674.10892.5.4.700.20.1.6

# Fan status
1.3.6.1.4.1.674.10892.5.4.700.12.1.6

# PSU state
1.3.6.1.4.1.674.10892.5.4.600.12.1.5

For those using Nagios Core, here's a working service definition:

define service{
    use                     generic-service
    host_name               esxi-dell-host
    service_description     PSU1 Status
    check_command           check_snmp!-C YOURCOMMUNITY -o 1.3.6.1.4.1.674.10892.5.4.600.12.1.5.1 -r 3 -m RFC1213-MIB
}

When SNMP proves unreliable (common on older 11G servers), use the CIM interface instead. This Python script queries hardware health:

import pywbem
conn = pywbem.WBEMConnection('https://esxi-host', ('root', 'password'))
instances = conn.EnumerateInstances('Dell_ControllerView')
for instance in instances:
    print(f"Controller {instance['DeviceID']} status: {instance['PrimaryStatus']}")
  • Always verify vib compatibility with your specific PowerEdge generation (12G vs 13G require different packages)
  • ESXi 5.5 firewall must allow outbound SNMP traffic: esxcli network firewall ruleset set -e true -r snmp
  • For iDRAC7/iDRAC8 integrated monitoring, port 623 UDP must be open