How to Control Server Power
How to Control Server Power
Shut down, restart, or power-cycle a Brainsalt server from the System Management web interface or from the Brainsalt Hub app. The Hub can also power a server on and act on several servers at once.
[USER-ACTION-REQUIRED: Attach a screenshot of the Power page in System Management here]
Before you start
- You are signed in to System Management or the Brainsalt Hub app
- Your account has the Operator or Administrator role (Users see power state read-only but cannot trigger actions)
- Any live show or playback that must not be interrupted has been stopped or saved
Steps
1. Open the Power page in System Management
In the System Management sidebar, under Operate, select Power. The page shows the current chassis power state (on / off / unknown) and two groups of actions: Host power (chassis-level IPMI commands) and Software & display (OS and application-level actions).
2. Choose a chassis power action
Under Host power, select the action that matches your intent. Every destructive action (Power Off, Power Cycle, Hard Reset) prompts for confirmation before it executes. Soft Shutdown sends immediately without a confirmation prompt because it lets the operating system shut down gracefully.
Power Off, Power Cycle, and Hard Reset cut power immediately. The operating system does not get a chance to shut down cleanly. Use these only when a graceful shutdown is unresponsive or you need an immediate recovery.
3. Use Software & display actions for lighter restarts
If you only need to restart the operating system or the core playback software (Backstage), use the second group of buttons instead of a full chassis power action. Restart System (OS) reboots Windows gracefully. (Re)Start Core Software restarts Backstage without affecting the rest of the system.
4. Power on a server (Brainsalt Hub or Hardware page)
The Power page has no Power On button — it is served by the server itself, so if the server is off, the page is unreachable. To power a server on:
Brainsalt Hub app — select the server in the server list, open the power menu, and choose Power On. The Hub sends the command to the BMC via Redfish. You can select multiple servers and power them all on at once.
Hardware page (Power control tab) — if the server is reachable (e.g. BMC is powered independently), navigate to Maintain > Hardware and switch to the Power control tab. This surface uses Redfish and lists all reset types the BMC supports, including Power On.
5. Control power from the Brainsalt Hub app
The Brainsalt Hub app provides Redfish-based power control for any discovered server with a BMC. Open the power menu on a server row to see the available actions. The Hub color-codes buttons by destructiveness: green for power-on actions, yellow for graceful operations (shutdown, graceful restart), and red for forceful operations (force off, force restart, power cycle). Destructive actions require confirmation. Safe actions (Power On) execute immediately.
Multi-server power control: Select multiple servers in the Hub, then trigger a power action. The Hub fans out the command to all selected servers simultaneously.
[USER-ACTION-REQUIRED: Attach a screenshot of the Brainsalt Hub power menu with color-coded buttons here]
Options explained
Host power (chassis IPMI)
These actions appear on the Power page in System Management. They use the local IPMI interface to control chassis power.
Action | Description | Confirmation |
|---|---|---|
Soft Shutdown | Sends an ACPI shutdown signal. The operating system shuts down gracefully, saving state and stopping services. | None |
Power Off | Cuts chassis power immediately. Equivalent to pulling the power cable. The OS does not shut down cleanly. | Yes — confirms before executing |
Power Cycle | Cuts power and immediately restores it. A hard reboot without a graceful shutdown. | Yes — confirms before executing |
Hard Reset | Resets the system board immediately. Similar to pressing and holding the physical reset button. The OS does not shut down cleanly. | Yes — confirms before executing |
Software & display
These OS and application-level actions also appear on the Power page.
Action | Description | Confirmation |
|---|---|---|
Restart System (OS) | Reboots the Windows operating system gracefully. Your web session will drop and reconnect after the server comes back up. | Yes — warns the session will drop |
(Re)Start Core Software | Starts or restarts the core playback software (Backstage). If Backstage is already running, it is stopped first and then restarted. | None |
Stop Core Software | Stops the core playback software. Playback output ceases. The server and OS remain running. | Yes — confirms stop |
BMC Monitor Only | Switches the display layout so only the BMC/IPMI console monitor is active. Useful for remote diagnostics when you need to free GPU outputs. | None |
All Monitor Layout | Restores the full multi-monitor layout, re-enabling all configured display outputs. | None |
Reset Monitor Config | Performs a full factory reset of the display configuration: clears mosaics, forced EDIDs, virtual monitors, and resets the Windows display topology. Use as a last resort when display settings are stuck. | Yes — warns this is destructive |
Redfish power actions (Hardware page and Brainsalt Hub)
The Hardware page's Power control tab and the Brainsalt Hub app use Redfish to communicate with the BMC. The available actions depend on what the BMC reports. Common Redfish reset types:
Redfish action | UI label | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Power On | Powers the server on from an off state. |
| Shut Down (Graceful) | Asks the OS to shut down cleanly via ACPI. |
| Restart (Graceful) | Asks the OS to restart cleanly. |
| Power Off (Force) | Cuts power immediately. No graceful shutdown. |
| Reset (Force) | Hard reset. No graceful shutdown. |
| Power Cycle | Cuts power and restores it. Hard reboot. |
The exact set of Redfish actions depends on your BMC firmware. The Hub and the Hardware page show only the actions the BMC reports as supported. If the BMC does not advertise its supported actions, a safe default set is offered: Power On, Shut Down (Graceful), Power Off (Force), and Reset (Force).
Common Mistakes
Looking for Power On on the Power page. The Power page is served by the server itself — if the server is off, the page is unreachable. Use the Brainsalt Hub app or the Hardware page's Power control tab to power on a server.
Using Power Off or Hard Reset to shut down normally. These cut power immediately without letting Windows shut down. Always use Soft Shutdown or Restart System (OS) for a clean shutdown. Reserve the destructive actions for recovery situations.
Expecting power buttons as a User-role account. Users can view the power state but cannot trigger any action. Sign in as an Operator or Administrator to use the power controls.
Restarting the entire server when only Backstage needs a restart. Use (Re)Start Core Software to restart Backstage without rebooting the OS. This is faster and does not affect other services.
Tips
For a fleet of servers, use the Brainsalt Hub app to shut down or power on multiple servers simultaneously instead of opening each server's System Management interface individually.
The Power page shows the chassis power state as reported by the BMC. After sending a command, the state updates within a few seconds.
The Hub color-codes its power buttons: green for safe (power on), yellow for graceful (shutdown/restart that lets the OS finish), and red for forceful (immediate power cut or reset). Use the color as a quick visual guide to destructiveness.
Use BMC Monitor Only to temporarily switch to a single-monitor layout for remote diagnostics. Restore your full output layout afterward with All Monitor Layout.
After a Restart System (OS), your System Management web session will drop. The server will come back online automatically and the core software (Backstage) will restart via the Launch Manager.
Related
Monitor Server Health and Hardware Status — Read the server's health rollup, hardware sensors, and hardware-error state.