For years, I have been running a weekly rsync backup from one Unraid server to another via a user script which called ipmitool.  ipmitool was part of the Nerd Pack which is no longer supported in Unraid 7.0.0. 

 

As it turns out, just installing the version of ipmitool included in Nerd Pack into /boot/extra does not work either because of some library dependencies which have also changed.  There is a way around that by downgrading to a 6.x.x version of Unraid, copying the necessary files and then copying them back to the right place after upgrading to Unraid 7.0.0.  I did not feel that was a good long-term solution.

 

Instead of ipmitool, I am now using Freeipmi for Slackware.  Freeipmi uses the ipmipower command to turn a machine on and off via the on-board IPMI.

 

Accordingly, I had to modify the user script doing the rsync backup on the local LAN to use the new commands and syntax.

 

I replaced this ipmitool command in the script which runs from the source server:

ipmitool -I lan -H 192.168.1.17 -U admin -P {password} chassis power on

 

The new command using Freeipmi/ipmipower is:

ipmipower -h 192.168.1.17 -u admin -p {password} --on

 

I also needed to modify the shutdown of the target server after the backup is complete.

 

In the user script, I replaced the following ipmitool command:

ipmitool -I lan -H 192.168.1.17 -U admin -P {password} chassis power soft

 

The new command using Freeipmi/ipmipower is:

ipmipower -h 192.168.1.17 -u admin -p {password} --soft

 

I have yet to work out doing this over the Internet by first establishing a Wireguard or Tailscale connection to the remote target server but that is the next step as the backup target server is being moved 270 miles south of the source server.

 

 

Edited January 23, 20251 yr by Hoopster

FYI the freeipmi tools come with the ipmi plugin from SimonF, so even if you don't use the plugin functionality itself, someone else is keeping the package up to date for you

 

Edited January 23, 20251 yr by tjb_altf4

I have compiled ipmitool and a copy of the package is here