[Feature Requrest] Add vendor-specific management platform agents to extra installables #736
Description
Feature Request: Add Enterprise Hardware Management Agents to XCP-ng Repositories
Summary
Add vendor-specific hardware management agents (e.g., HPE AMS, Dell iSM, LXCA) to the XCP-ng package repositories to enhance hardware telemetry, monitoring, and lay the groundwork for hardware lifecycle management via Xen Orchestra.
Motivation
Many enterprise users run XCP-ng on certified hardware from major vendors like HPE, Dell or Lenovo . These platforms offer enhanced monitoring and integration with their respective BMCs (iLO, iDRAC, XClarity, etc.) when their agents are installed.
Currently, these must be manually downloaded and installed from vendor sources, which is time-consuming and often fragile due to dependencies or system compatibility.
Proposal
Add the following vendor packages to the extra installable packages (extra_installable.txt) or create a new curated repo category (e.g., xcp-ng-vendor-agents):
| Vendor | Tool | Repo | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| HPE | AMS (Agentless Management) | https://downloads.linux.hpe.com/SDR/project/mcp/ | Enables hardware telemetry via iLO |
| Dell | iSM (iDRAC Service Module) | https://linux.dell.com/repo/hardware/ism/ | Adds deeper integration with iDRAC |
| Lenovo | LXCA Agent | Lenovo Linux Repo | Enables XClarity support |
These packages are typically built for RHEL/CentOS 7, and are generally compatible with XCP-ng 8.x. Packaging them (or wrapping them as installable optional components) would simplify management for users on enterprise-grade hardware.
Benefits
- Native hardware telemetry (temperature, voltage, power, fan data, predictive failures)
- Seamless reporting into BMCs (iLO, iDRAC, XCC, etc.)
- Foundation for firmware management and hardware lifecycle orchestration via Xen Orchestra
- Matches capabilities found in ESXi
- Improves reliability and observability in datacenter environments
Implementation Notes
- Could be added to
xcp-ng-extrasor a new optional repo - Install wrappers or configuration helpers could be added to simplify setup
- Hardware monitoring data could be surfaced in Xen Orchestra or exported via SNMP/IPMI
Request
Please consider adding support for these vendor agents to XCP-ng's official or supported repositories to improve hardware integration in enterprise deployments.