# Adding a new managed server

Adding a new managed server can be done in multiple ways:

    1. Via the UI, using the Add Server button from the Servers section of the Admin UI
    2. Via the CLI
    3. Via the "Zero Touch" registration process  (only managed servers)

## Adding a new managed server via the Add Server button

This process is also known as "Server Registration".

To register a new server navigate to **Servers** section, click the **Add server** button.

![](/assets/guides/add_server_01.png)

Select the vendor and input the IPMI/iDRAC/ILO or equivalent management credentials.

![](/assets/guides/add_server_02.png)

Click **Add Server**. The server will show up in the `Registering` state for up to 30 minutes. 
During this process the system will connect to the BMC and extract all of the required information such as determine the firmware catalog, the connections to the links etc. 

For some server vendors that do not support BMC-only registration a legacy PXE-based registration process will be used that will require a different network configuration. Admins can force the behavior by changing the default in the **Datacenters** > **Configuration** tab. Consult [Deploying MetalSoft to support legacy setups](/content/overview/installation/deploying_metalsoft_to_support_legacy_deployments) for more information.

![](/assets/guides/add_server_03.jpg)

At the end of the process the server will be in `Unavailable` state which means it is ready to be added to the pool by setting it to `Available` manually. This is a safety feature to prevent unauthorized devices from being added to the pool.

The server will be shutdown when in `Available` state to save energy. It will be powered on automatically when allocated to an infrastructure.

A server type such as `M.2.4.5` will be automatically assigned based on the server's characteristics. If a matching server type does not exist a new one will be created. If there is a matching server type but only a minor difference (such as the number of links) a new version of the server type will be created such as `M.2.4.5v2`. This server type can be changed later, by the admin from the server's Advanced tab.

During the registration process a link towards an AFC task graph can be seen in the Server's overview page. It can be used to troubleshoot any registration issues. 

![](/assets/guides/add_server_03.jpg)


## Adding a new managed server via the CLI

To start the registration process use the following command:
```
metalcloud-cli server register --server-vendor dell --mgmt-address 172.12.0.10 --mgmt-admin admin --mgmt-pass calvin
```

Check the server status using the CLI:
```
alex@Alexandrus-MacBook-Pro-2 metalsoft-docs % metalcloud-cli server list       
+-------+-----------+-------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+-------------------+
| ID    | STATUS    | SERVER_TYPE | SERIAL_NUMBER | IPMI_HOST     | ALLOCATED_TO  | DATACENTER_NAME   |
+-------+-----------+-------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+-------------------+
| 16    | used      | M.12.8.1.v2 | 7Q8WS52       | 172.18.32.187 | qwe.bh...     | us02-chi-qts01-dc |
| 19    | used      | M.12.8.1.v2 | FFCYRD2       | 172.18.32.188 | .lobo2...     | us02-chi-qts01-dc |
| 34    | available | M.12.8.1.v2 | DGLCB42       | 172.18.32.189 |               | us02-chi-qts01-dc |
| 39    | used      | M.16.64.1   | CZ2613001V    | 172.18.32.132 | xs.bh...      | us02-chi-qts01-dc |
| 41    | used      | M.16.64.1   | CZ2613002F    | 172.18.32.133 | 122.bh...     | us02-chi-qts01-dc |
| 60    | used      | M.8.8.1.v2  | 3PMHG73       | 172.18.32.134 | xxx@co...     | us02-chi-qts01-dc |
+-------+-----------+-------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+-------------------+
Total: 6 Servers: 1 available 5 used 0 cleaning 0 registering 0 unavailable
```

## Adding a new server via Zero Touch

Consult [Registering servers using ZTP](/content/overview/installation/registering_servers_using_ztp) for more details on this process.

## Default RAID configuration

The system will automatically create a RAID array on supported systems when servers are registered based on the default cleanup profile. 

Consult the HCL for details on which servers are supported and under which conditions. Some additional licenses might be required in order for this feature to be available.

The default RAID configuration profile describes the following scenarios which depend on the size and number of drives. 

For each group of identically sized drives (added to the same RAID controller) for the following count of identical drives:
* 1 device -> RAID 0
* 2 devices -> RAID 1
* even number of devices -> RAID 10
* odd number of devices -> RAID 5	

Note that, if enabled end-users can also specify a Custom RAID configuration that will override this raid configuration. To allow a user to configure a RAID profile, the "**Allow custom RAID configuration**" user limit must be enabled from **Users & Permissions** > **<select the user>** > **Limits**.