System x IMM2: Login, Event Logs, Firmware and Remote Control

This guide covers IBM/Lenovo System x IMM2 and IMM2.1 access, event logs, firmware maintenance and remote control. Hardware ports and available functions vary by server and firmware. For a complete service-data package, use the separate System x FFDC collection guide if available through the document center.

English figures include original English screens, Lenovo official examples and localized instructional reconstructions. Official examples can show older IBM-branded screens, different system models, package filenames and version values; those identify the interface only and are not update packages or recommended target versions for your machine. No credentials from the source are reproduced.

1. Connect and sign in

Identify the correct management connector from the guide for the exact model. An x3650 M5 type 5462 has a dedicated systems-management Ethernet connector; an x3250 M5 type 5458 can share Ethernet 1 with IMM2. The official x3250 drawing also labels additional Ethernet 3/4 ports; that differs from the original annotated photo and is configuration dependent.

Official Lenovo x3650 M5 type 5462 rear connector diagram: dedicated systems-management Ethernet at the left. Replaces the annotated source photo; follow actual hardware labeling.

Official Lenovo x3250 M5 type 5458 redundant-PSU rear diagram: Ethernet 1 / Shared system management. Port population differs from the source photo.

Use the authorized account and credentials assigned to the actual controller. The source included factory-login details; this edition omits credential values. Open the intended controller address in an approved browser and confirm its identity before signing in.

Configure a static management address through UEFI

At the System x startup screen, press F1 when prompted. Open System Settings, Integrated Management Module, then Network Configuration.

Original English UEFI Setup: System Settings selected.

Original English System Settings: Integrated Management Module selected.

Original English IMM configuration menu: Network Configuration selected; Reset IMM and Reset IMM to Defaults are separate actions.

Choose the appropriate Network Interface Port: Dedicated when present and intended, or Shared for the correct shared connector. DHCP Control offers Static IP, DHCP Enabled and DHCP with Failover. For Static IP, enter the approved address, subnet mask and gateway, then select Save Network Settings. Lenovo notes that changes can take approximately a minute; do not assume the source’s approximate 20-second pause is a fixed timeout.

Original English Network Configuration example: Dedicated, Static IP, 192.168.198.6 and subnet 255.255.255.0; these are source-example values, not a prescribed network plan.

Connect the intended management network and browse to the configured address. Reset IMM restarts the controller; Reset IMM to Defaults restores configuration defaults and can change access settings. Treat these as separate recovery actions under the approved recovery plan, not routine login steps. The source reports temporary unresponsiveness and high fan speed during reset.

Temporary direct connection

The source uses 192.168.70.125 as the default/failover management address on an otherwise unconfigured controller. This is not a guarantee for a controller with existing static/DHCP settings. For that direct-connection example, a laptop uses 192.168.70.201 with subnet 255.255.255.0 and no gateway. Verify the actual controller address before applying the example.

English IPv4-properties reconstruction: example laptop 192.168.70.201 / 255.255.255.0; gateway and DNS fields blank.

Windows in-band Ethernet over USB

With the supported driver and IMM USB interface enabled, Windows exposes IBM USB Remote NDIS Network Device. The source screenshot shows that connection disabled before use; enable the intended adapter as required. The typical example addresses are 169.254.95.120 on the OS side and 169.254.95.118 on IMM2, but check actual settings rather than assigning them blindly.

English Windows illustration: IBM USB Remote NDIS Network Device highlighted in Network Connections and Device Manager; the shown connection is still Disabled.

Fresh credential-free login illustration for typical Ethernet-over-USB addresses; both login fields are blank. Original credential-bearing screen was not uploaded to imagegen.

If Device Manager shows Unknown Device instead, investigate the actual driver/interface state. The source’s recovery example required a host restart; schedule any such restart for the workload rather than assuming it is a harmless controller reset. Disabling Ethernet over USB can affect in-band firmware tools and related functions; external management access is a separate route.

Fresh blank-field IMM2 login illustration using the source’s example management address; no default or customer credentials are included.

2. Understand the interface

After login, System Status summarizes system state, active events and hardware health. Allow the pop-up window needed for the selected remote-console function when applicable. The top navigation separates System Status, Events, Service and Support, Server Management and IMM Management. Use the correct menu for the intended function.

Official IMM2 System Status example from an x3550 M4: page layout only, replacing the source’s x3550 M5 screen; health and model values do not describe the reader’s machine.

English Server Management menu reconstruction: firmware, remote control, properties and power actions are separate entries.

Fresh schematic IMM Management menu; entries vary by firmware and no action is shown as invoked.

3. View and export events; acknowledge Check Log

Open Events → Event Log. The toolbar provides refresh, export, delete, visible-column and Check Log LED controls, followed by error/warning/information/audit filters and date/search controls. The LED acknowledgment does not repair a fault or erase its recorded event. Preserve the needed logs before considering deletion.

Official English IMM2 toolbar legend replacing the Chinese annotations; it identifies filter and navigation controls rather than a current event state.

To display only errors, select the Error filter and clear other severity filters as needed. Inspect the full message, source and timestamp.

Original English error-filtered Event Log example: Error filter selected; historical entries remain available.

Click Export and choose All Events or Selected Events as intended, then save the file. The archived interface example uses an .elg event export; verify the actual download. An event export is distinct from the full FFDC/service-data collection.

Original English Export Events dialog: choose the required scope before confirming.

English System Status excerpt: a Front USB configuration error and Critical system health remain visible; a red active-error indicator is distinct from the Check Log acknowledgment control.

After reading and handling the relevant event, select its row and use Check Log LED Status when that LED is on. Read the confirmation, then acknowledge only as intended. Lenovo explains that this records that the error was read; it does not mean the problem is resolved. Check the real front-panel/management state and event list afterward.

Official IMM2 Change Check Log LED confirmation; this is the acknowledgment dialog before confirmation, not evidence of repaired hardware.

English illustration after Check Log acknowledgment: LED off while the historical Front USB error is retained; no repair or event deletion is asserted.

4. Update IMM2 and UEFI firmware

Identify the exact machine type, current firmware and supported target. Read the package readme and change history for dependencies, intermediate releases, accepted file type and required activation actions. The source’s sequence updates IMM before UEFI; follow the applicable package dependencies rather than assuming every generation uses the same sequence. Use the approved maintenance window and power conditions. Do not interrupt an active flash.

English historical x3550 M5 package illustration: IMM2 3.50 and UEFI 2.21 are archived example versions, not current recommendations.

Obtain the correct Lenovo package. The source shows ZIP packages and also mentions .uxz payloads; the supported input depends on the package and update method. Do not rename an arbitrary archive or choose an old filename from an official example as a compatibility shortcut. Lenovo’s illustrated wizard recommends its coordinated update tools for routine system updates and describes the wizard’s recovery context; retain that distinction when selecting the maintenance method.

IMM2 update

Open Server Management → Server Firmware. Record the active, primary and backup versions, then choose Update Firmware for the intended component.

Official IMM2 Server Firmware page: example primary/backup status columns and Update Firmware control; displayed values are from the official example, not the source’s update session.

Official English Select Firmware File wizard example; an older IBM IMM package is already named in this example and must not be selected for an unrelated server.

English historical IMM2 file-selection illustration; verify the actual machine/package and accepted format before opening a file.

Select the intended file and review the selected filename before continuing to Upload and Verify.

Official English selected-file example using an older IBM IMM package; illustrates the review step rather than an x3550 M5 package recommendation.

Official English upload-and-verify progress example, shown at 15%; an upload progress meter is not firmware-flash completion.

After verification, check the detected firmware type, uploaded version/build and current bank versions. A successfully uploaded file has not yet been flashed or activated.

Official IMM file-verification example with build comparisons. Its older build values differ from the source; compare the actual package before proceeding.

Review Additional Options. The source chooses Update the primary bank, leaving the optional second action unselected. Updating the backup bank is a different choice; do not add it merely because the wizard supports it.

Official Additional Options example: Action 1 updates the primary bank; Action 2 remains unchecked.

English source-state reconstruction: primary-bank flash at 17%; no backup action or success is shown.

On successful IMM primary flashing, use the required Restart IMM activation action when ready. That restarts the management controller and interrupts its sessions; it differs from Restart OS. The source shows about 3–5 minutes before login returns. Follow the package’s activation requirements, then verify the actual running version.

Official firmware-success example with Restart IMM enabled; a successful flash still requires its specified activation action.

English controller-restart message reconstruction: management access temporarily unavailable; this is not a completed host reboot.

Official Server Firmware table reused to identify the Active/Primary/Backup fields for verification. In the original session IMM primary changed from 3.00 to 3.50 while backup remained 3.00; this official table contains different example values.

Clear stale browser data if required by the update guidance and sign in again. Verify primary and backup values independently. The original’s fixed “15 days” claim for backup synchronization is corrected: when automated promotion is enabled, Lenovo specifies a minimum interval of two weeks, with the actual interval depending on firmware activity and stability checks. If it is disabled, do not assume synchronization will occur.

UEFI update and activation

Use the matching UEFI package, review its verification result, then perform the approved bank update. The source cautions against running this web UEFI flash while the server is sitting in F1 Setup; check the supported host state in the applicable readme. Its example is a different operation from rebooting IMM.

English historical UEFI package selection; UEFI 2.21 is an example version for the source session.

English UEFI upload verification: uploaded 2.21 compared with source-example primary/backup 2.10; flashing has not yet started.

English UEFI primary-bank flash progress at 4%; this is still in progress.

English UEFI completion illustration: Restart OS is enabled for activation; Restart IMM is not the required host activation action.

Schedule the indicated Restart OS/server activation for the workload. In the original powered-off-host case, the action instead prompts to power the host on. Read the actual prompt before confirming. Follow the update instructions through any required restarts and check the resulting firmware state afterward.

English reconstruction of the source’s powered-off-host prompt: Confirm Power On, not an already accepted restart.

English post-activation source example: IMM primary 3.50 / backup 3.00 and UEFI primary 2.21 / backup 2.10. These are historical values, not an assertion about a real device maintained here.

5. Remote control and virtual media

Open Server Management → Remote Control. Confirm the platform’s remote-presence entitlement/features and the actual client choices. The source notes that many models require the IMM Advanced Upgrade / Features on Demand activation; availability is model specific. ActiveX, Java and the HTML5 browser client depend on firmware and browser support.

Original English Remote Control page: Java client selected and no active sessions listed.

Original English browser-client / multi-user session example; session entries illustrate concurrent access, not a session created during documentation work.

Choose the supported client and single-user or multi-user mode as appropriate. Lenovo’s Java requirements vary by IMM release: the pictured 3.50-era workflow uses Java 1.8, while earlier releases have different minimum requirements. Check the actual firmware requirements. Confirm endpoint/certificate identity using the approved process before launching a legacy viewer.

Original English Java Video Viewer showing UEFI Setup; File, Macros, Tools and Virtual Media menus are visible.

The Java viewer can capture a screen through File → Capture to File, send keyboard macros, expose power actions and launch virtual media. In the source version choose Virtual Media → Activate, then Select Devices to Mount; some older interfaces place the controls under Tools.

Original English Virtual Media menu with Activate highlighted; the checked activation state is not shown yet.

Original English Virtual Media menu after Activate is checked: Select Devices to Mount is available.

Original English Select Devices to Mount dialog: Add Image is available; no ISO is mapped yet.

Choose Add Image for the intended ISO or disk image, select the appropriate Mapped checkbox and then Mount Selected. In the illustrated Java dialog, optical/ISO media are read-only. Confirm that the intended virtual device is visible to firmware or the OS; mounting alone does not boot the server or install software. Lenovo documents that only one remote-control client can own a virtual-media session at a time. Unmap the image when finished, following the viewer’s instructions before closing the media session.

Original English mapping example: an ISO row is checked as Mapped and Read Only; Mount Selected is available. This is the selection stage, not proof of guest detection or boot.

The illustrated IMM2 HTML5 browser client opens a viewer in a separate browser window and provides keyboard/macros, capture, display settings and multi-user functions. The source’s older HTML5 workflow does not provide its Java virtual-media mount dialog; do not assume capabilities are identical across firmware or apply this limitation to newer XClarity controllers.

Official English IMM2 HTML5 viewer layout replacing the browser-chrome source image. Its No Signal screen is an official interface example, not a current condition on the reader’s server.