[xcat-user] 2.16.5 and rcons

[Calvin S. <c.s...@qm...>]

Hi

We've just migrated to a fresh 2.16.5 in a Rocky9.3 VM using imports from the previous 2.16.3, which has been mostly successful. We can rinstall and perform most r-commands

Our test cluster which this xcat manages is comprised of older hardware and is meant to serve as a dress rehearsal for upgrading similarly in our production cluster with newer-gen hardware

For the most part, 2.16.5 has been working fine with the notable exception of rcons. Both system types in the test cluster work fine with rcons under 2.16.3 user CentOS7, but under 2.16.5:

Flex System x240 and NeXtScale nx360 M5 respond on C3 only, C17 is inoperative (and verified using ipmitool) with error:

Error: Unable to establish IPMI v2 / RMCP+ session
Error in open session response message : no matching cipher suite

Testing on other hardware is complicated by many accepting both C3 and C17 (dell iDrac is one). More contemporary IMM2 allows both cipher suites as well

This leads me to think that rcons is still somewhere hardwired to C3.  We downloaded and patched IPMI.pm with the one from https://github.com/xcat2/xcat-core but the issue persists.

However, I also don't understand exactly which system or xcat-specific components are involved in operation of goconserver or establishing an rcons connection to track down where the cipher suite is set


Cal Sawyer
ITS Research Platforms Manager
Queen Mary University of London