RACADM cheat sheet: 30+ iDRAC9 commands you will use every week
Short answer
RACADM is the Dell command line for iDRAC9 on PowerEdge 14G, 15G and 16G servers. You run it locally on the host, remotely with racadm -r <ip> -u <user> -p <pass> <subcommand>, or inside an SSH session to the iDRAC. The commands below cover the daily jobs: getsysinfo, getsel, serveraction, getniccfg, set iDRAC.Users.N.*, BIOS changes with jobqueue create BIOS.Setup.1-1, storage get pdisks, update -f, racreset and techsupreport.
Written against: the Dell iDRAC9 RACADM CLI Guide (2024, firmware 7.x) and the iDRAC9 Attribute Registry, PowerEdge 14G to 16G
How do you run RACADM: local, remote or SSH?
Dell ships RACADM in three forms. All three accept the same subcommands; only the way you reach the iDRAC differs.
| Mode | Where it runs | How you start it |
|---|---|---|
| Local RACADM | On the server OS, talks to iDRAC in-band | Install the iDRAC Tools package from Dell support, then run racadm <subcommand> as root or Administrator |
| Remote RACADM | On your workstation, over HTTPS to the iDRAC IP | racadm -r <ip> -u <user> -p <pass> <subcommand> |
| SSH (firmware RACADM) | Inside the iDRAC itself | ssh root@<ip>, then type commands at the racadm>> prompt |
# Local
racadm getsysinfo
# Remote, skip the self-signed certificate warning
racadm -r 10.0.20.15 -u root -p '<password>' getsysinfo --nocertwarn
# SSH
ssh [email protected]
racadm>> getsysinfoRemote RACADM puts the password in your shell history. For scripts, read it from a variable or a vault, or use SSH keys on the iDRAC account.
Which RACADM commands show system info and inventory?
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
racadm getsysinfo | iDRAC firmware, BIOS version, service tag, host name, power state, iDRAC IP |
racadm getsvctag | Service tag only; paste it into the Dell support site to check warranty and original build |
racadm getversion | Firmware versions of iDRAC, BIOS and Lifecycle Controller |
racadm hwinventory | Full hardware list: CPUs, DIMMs, NICs, disks, PSUs with FQDDs |
racadm hwinventory NIC | Network adapters only; use the FQDDs it prints in later commands |
racadm getsensorinfo | Temperatures, fans, voltages, PSU and intrusion sensors with status |
How do you read and clear the SEL and Lifecycle log?
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
racadm getsel | System Event Log: DIMM, PSU, fan and temperature events |
racadm getsel -i | Number of entries in the SEL |
racadm clrsel | Clears the SEL. Export or copy it first |
racadm lclog view -s warning,critical -n 20 | Last 20 Lifecycle log entries with warning or critical severity |
racadm lclog export -f lclog.xml -u <shareuser> -p <sharepass> -l //10.0.0.5/logs | Exports the Lifecycle log to a CIFS share |
How do you power a server on, off or reset it with RACADM?
Every action uses racadm serveraction <action> and needs the Execute Server Control Commands privilege.
racadm serveraction powerstatus # ON or OFF
racadm serveraction powerup # power on
racadm serveraction graceshutdown # ask the OS to shut down cleanly
racadm serveraction powerdown # hard power off
racadm serveraction powercycle # off, then on
racadm serveraction hardreset # forced reboot, like the reset buttonHow do you set the iDRAC IP address and NIC with RACADM?
racadm getniccfg # IP, NIC selection, link, speed
racadm setniccfg -s 10.0.20.15 255.255.255.0 10.0.20.1 # static IPv4: address, mask, gateway
racadm setniccfg -d # back to DHCP
racadm get iDRAC.NIC # all NIC attributes (VLAN, autoneg, failover)
racadm set iDRAC.NIC.Selection Dedicated # use the dedicated iDRAC port
racadm set iDRAC.NIC.Selection LOM1 # or share the first onboard portChange network settings from local RACADM or the console when you can. If you run them remotely over the same link, the session drops as soon as the address or port changes.
How do you add an iDRAC user with RACADM?
iDRAC9 has 16 user slots. Slot 2 is the factory root account. Pick a free slot, set the name first, then the password, privilege and enable flag.
racadm get iDRAC.Users.2 # view a user slot
racadm set iDRAC.Users.3.UserName opsadmin # create a user in slot 3
racadm set iDRAC.Users.3.Password '<new-password>'
racadm set iDRAC.Users.3.Privilege 0x1ff # 0x1ff = Administrator
racadm set iDRAC.Users.3.Enable 1The privilege value is a sum of bits: Login 1, Configure 2, Configure Users 4, Logs 8, System Control 16, Virtual Console 32, Virtual Media 64, System Operations 128, Debug 256. A read-only operator is 0x1 plus 0x8.
How do you change BIOS and boot settings with RACADM?
BIOS attributes are staged. A set only queues the value; a job applies it on the next reboot.
racadm get BIOS.BiosBootSettings # boot mode and boot sequence
racadm set BIOS.BiosBootSettings.BootMode Uefi
racadm jobqueue create BIOS.Setup.1-1 -r pwrcycle -s TIME_NOW # apply now with a power cycle
racadm jobqueue view # list jobs and their status
racadm jobqueue delete -i <JobID> # remove one stuck job
# one-time boot from the virtual CD (needs iDRAC Enterprise or Datacenter for virtual media)
racadm set iDRAC.ServerBoot.FirstBootDevice VCD-DVD
racadm set iDRAC.ServerBoot.BootOnce 1On some platforms the boot mode attribute sits in a different group. If set returns an invalid attribute error, run racadm get BIOS and search the output for BootMode.
How do you check disks, update firmware and view licenses?
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
racadm storage get controllers | RAID controllers and HBAs with FQDDs |
racadm storage get pdisks -o | Physical disks with state, size, media type and predictive failure flag |
racadm storage get vdisks -o | Virtual disks: RAID level, size, state |
racadm update -f BIOS_XXXXX.EXE -l http://10.0.0.5/fw -u <user> -p <pass> | Pulls a Dell Update Package from an HTTP share and stages it |
racadm update -f iDRAC_XXXXX.d9 | Local RACADM: update from a file on the host |
racadm license view | Installed iDRAC license: Express, Enterprise or Datacenter, with entitlement ID |
Add --reboot to update when the package needs a host restart (BIOS, NIC, storage controller, PSU). iDRAC firmware itself applies without rebooting the host.
How do you reset the iDRAC and collect a TSR?
racadm racreset # restart iDRAC, settings are kept
racadm techsupreport collect -t SysInfo,TTYLog # build a SupportAssist collection
racadm jobqueue view # wait for the TSR job to finish
racadm techsupreport export -f tsr.zip # local RACADM: save to the host
racadm techsupreport export -l //10.0.0.5/logs -u <shareuser> -p <sharepass>racadm racreset does not touch the host OS or its network. iDRAC needs up to two minutes to answer again. Do not confuse it with racadm racresetcfg, which returns iDRAC to factory defaults and wipes your network and user settings.
racadm jobqueue delete -i JID_CLEARALL force-deletes every job, including firmware updates in progress. Use it only when the queue is stuck and nothing is running.
Questions people ask
Do I need an iDRAC Enterprise license to use RACADM?
No. RACADM itself works on iDRAC9 Express. Some features you control with it, such as virtual media and the virtual console, need Enterprise or Datacenter. Check with racadm license view.
Why does remote RACADM fail with an SSL or TLS error?
Old RACADM clients may not speak the TLS version your iDRAC enforces. Install the current iDRAC Tools package for your OS, or check racadm get iDRAC.WebServer.TLSProtocol from local RACADM or SSH.
Should I use RACADM or Redfish for automation?
Use RACADM for quick tasks and shell scripts on Dell only. Use Redfish when you script across vendors or need a stable REST API; Dell publishes iDRAC Redfish examples on GitHub.
How do I find the right FQDD for a NIC or disk?
Run racadm hwinventory or racadm storage get pdisks. Each line starts with the FQDD, for example NIC.Integrated.1-1-1 or Disk.Bay.0:Enclosure.Internal.0-1:RAID.Integrated.1-1.