Setting up Wi-Fi on Linux Hosts using NetworkManager Client on Command Line

This is a note about setting up Wi-Fi interface on Linux hosts using NetworkManager client on the command line.

1. The first step is to figure out the name of the Wi-Fi interface. For this, we can use the nmcli device command, e.g.,

   
   $ nmcli device
   DEVICE          TYPE      STATE         CONNECTION
   wlp5s0          wifi      disconnected  --
   p2p-dev-wlp5s0  wifi-p2p  disconnected  --
   

   where wlp5s0 is the Wi-Fi interface. Below we use this name in our examples and should replace it with the actual interface name.
   
   
2. For a Wi-Fi interface, we can create connection profiles to connect to Wi-Fi Access Points. In the following, we assume that
   • the Wi-Fi interface name is wlp5s0,
   • we name the Wi-Fi connection profile HomeWiFi5GhzConnection,
   • the ssid of the Access Point that the Wi-Fi interface connects to is WiFiAp5GHz,
   • the Access Point does not broadcast ssid, i.e., is hidden, and
   • the Access Point is configured to use the WPA-PSK security protocol, and the PSK password is "ThisPasswordIsDumb".
   , which we should replace with actual ones.
   
   We create the connection profile,

   sudo nmcli connection add type wifi con-name HomeWiFi5GhzConnection ifname wlp5s0 ssid WiFiAp5GHz
   sudo nmcli connection modify HomeWiFi5GhzConnection wifi-sec.key-mgmt wpa-psk
   sudo nmcli connection modify HomeWiFi5GhzConnection wifi-sec.psk ThisPasswordIsDumb
   sudo nmcli connection modify HomeWiFi5GhzConnection 802-11-wireless.hidden yes
   

3. Finally, to connect to the Wi-Fi access point using the connection profile, use the nmcli connection up command, e.g.,

   sudo nmcli connection up HomeWiFi5GhzConnection    
   

Dell iDRAC Default IP Address and Account

This is to note Dell iDRAC default IP address and default account information.

By default, Dell iDRAC is configured with DHCP disabled and assigned a static IP address,

192.168.0.120/24

The default username and password for iDRAC is

Username: root

Password: calvin

A quick way to configure iDRAC without a keyboard and a monitor is via Ethernet. 

1. Connect an Ethernet cable from a host computer like a laptop computer to the iDRAC Ethernet port
2.  Configure the host computer with an IP address on the same subnet, e.g.,
   On Windows, use

   netsh interface ip set address static 192.168.0.121 255.255.255.0 192.168.0.1
     
   

   On Linux, use

   ip adddress add 192.168.0.121/24 dev eth0
         

3. Open https://192.168.0.120 and accept the SSL certificate 
4. Configure the system or iDRAC via the Web interface