IPMINetworkAdministration7 min read

Getting started with your Bare Metal server

Initial access, network configuration, IPMI/KVM and first administration tasks on your dedicated server.

What you receive

When your Bare Metal server is provisioned, you'll receive:

Primary IP address and gateway
Root credentials (or SSH key if provided during order)
IPMI/KVM access credentials and URL
Hardware specifications confirmation

Step 1: Access via IPMI

IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface) gives you out-of-band access to your server, even if the OS is unresponsive:

Navigate to the IPMI URL provided in your welcome email
Log in with the IPMI credentials
Access the Remote Console (KVM over IP) for direct screen access

Common IPMI tasks

Power control: Power on, off, reset, graceful shutdown
Console access: View boot process, access BIOS
Hardware monitoring: Temperature, fan speeds, PSU status
Boot order: Change boot device remotely

Step 2: First SSH connection

bash
ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

Step 3: Verify hardware

Confirm your server matches the ordered specifications:

bash
# CPU information
lscpu

# Memory
free -h
sudo dmidecode -t memory | grep -E 'Size|Speed|Manufacturer'

# Storage
lsblk
sudo smartctl -a /dev/sda

# Network interfaces
ip link show
ethtool eth0

Step 4: Network configuration

Verify your network settings:

bash
ip addr show
ip route show
cat /etc/resolv.conf

For additional IPs or subnets, configure them in Netplan (Ubuntu):

bash
sudo nano /etc/netplan/01-netcfg.yaml

yaml
network:
  version: 2
  ethernets:
    eth0:
      addresses:
        - YOUR_PRIMARY_IP/24
        - YOUR_ADDITIONAL_IP/32
      gateway4: YOUR_GATEWAY
      nameservers:
        addresses:
          - 1.1.1.1
          - 8.8.8.8

Apply changes:

bash
sudo netplan apply

Step 5: Update and secure the system

bash
apt update && apt upgrade -y

# Set hostname
hostnamectl set-hostname myserver.example.com

# Configure timezone
timedatectl set-timezone America/Argentina/Buenos_Aires

# Enable automatic security updates
apt install -y unattended-upgrades
dpkg-reconfigure -plow unattended-upgrades

Step 6: Configure basic firewall

bash
sudo ufw default deny incoming
sudo ufw default allow outgoing
sudo ufw allow ssh
sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp
sudo ufw enable

Step 7: Set up monitoring

Install basic monitoring to track hardware health:

bash
sudo apt install -y lm-sensors smartmontools
sudo sensors-detect --auto
sensors

Next steps

Configure software RAID for data redundancy
Set up Proxmox for virtualization
Install your application stack
Configure automated backups

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