If an HMC does not have a direct Internet connection, which is probably the case in the majority of cases, call home can be implemented via an SSL proxy. An SSL proxy and the associated port number of the proxy must then be specified. If the proxy requires user authentication, the user to be used and the associated password must also be specified. Overall, there are the following attributes for the proxy configuration:

   is_hmc_callhome_server
      0 - disable this HMC as a call-home server
      1 - enable this HMC as a call-home server
   use_internet_conn
      0 - do not use an existing Internet connection
      1 - use an existing Internet connection
   use_ssl_proxy
      0 - use direct Internet connection
      1 - use an SSL proxy
   use_authentication
      0 - no authentication with SSL proxy
      1 - authenticate with SSL proxy
   host - host name or IP address of SSL proxy
   port - port number of SSL proxy
   user - user name to use for authentication with SSL proxy
   password - password to use for authentication with SSL proxy
   protocol - internet protocol used by SSL proxy
      ipv4 - IP
      ipv6 - IPv6
      ipv4,ipv6 - try IPv6 then IP

The configuration can be done again with the command “hmc chcallhome”. We first show an example without user authentication (use_authentication=0):

$ hmc chcallhome hmc02 is_hmc_callhome_server=1 \
 use_internet_conn=1 use_ssl_proxy=1 use_authentication=0 \
 host=192.168.199.10 port=3128 protocol=ipv4
Shared connection to hmc02 closed.
$

As with a direct Internet connection, the functionality can be tested directly with the “hmc testcallhome” command:

$ hmc testcallhome hmc02
Test beginning
Edge_Gateway_1:129.42.56.189:443(esupport.ibm.com)::Connected
Edge_Gateway_2:129.42.54.189:443(esupport.ibm.com)::Connected
Edge_Gateway_3:129.42.60.189:443(esupport.ibm.com)::Connected
Testing Completed
Shared connection to hmc02 closed.
$

The standard output of “hmc lscallhome” does not show detailed information about the SSL proxy configuration:

$ hmc lscallhome
            CALLHOME       INTERNET  SSL    
HMC      STATE     SERVER  CONN      PROXY  PROTOCOL  SERVER_NAMES
hmc01    Enabled   1       1         0      ipv4      hmc01
hmc02    Disabled  1       1         1      ipv4      hmc02
$

However, using the “-P” (proxy configuration) option, the details of the SSL proxy configuration can be displayed:

$ hmc lscallhome -P
         CALLHOME  SSL                     
HMC      SERVER    PROXY  PROTOCOL  AUTH  HOST            PORT  USER
hmc01    1         0      ipv4      0     null            null  null
hmc02    1         1      ipv4      0     192.168.199.10  3128  null
$

If the SSL proxy requires authentication (use_authentication=1), then the user and password must also be specified. The user and/or password can be specified directly on the command line:

$ hmc chcallhome hmc02 is_hmc_callhome_server=1 \
  use_internet_conn=1 use_ssl_proxy=1 use_authentication=1 \
  host=192.168.199.11 port=3128 protocol=ipv4 \
  user=proxyuser password=s3cr3t
Shared connection to hmc02 closed.
$

Alternatively, it is also possible to enter these interactively:

$ hmc chcallhome hmc02 is_hmc_callhome_server=1 \
  use_internet_conn=1 use_ssl_proxy=1 use_authentication=1 \
  host=192.168.199.11 port=3128 protocol=ipv4
Please enter SSLProxy Authentication UserName:
proxyuser
Please enter proxyuser's SSLProxy Authentication Password:
s3cr3t
Shared connection to hmc02 closed.
$

As before, the availability of the IBM support servers can be tested immediately:

$ hmc testcallhome hmc02
Test beginning
Edge_Gateway_1:129.42.56.189:443(esupport.ibm.com)::Connected
Edge_Gateway_2:129.42.54.189:443(esupport.ibm.com)::Connected
Edge_Gateway_3:129.42.60.189:443(esupport.ibm.com)::Connected
Testing Completed
Shared connection to hmc02 closed.
$

The SSL proxy configuration can be displayed at any time using “hmc lscallhome –P”:

$ hmc lscallhome -P
         CALLHOME  SSL                     
HMC      SERVER    PROXY  PROTOCOL  AUTH  HOST            PORT  USER
hmc01    1         0      ipv4      0     null            null  null
hmc02    1         1      ipv4      1     192.168.199.11  3128  proxyuser
$

Note: The password is generally not displayed and cannot be queried.