specification: API Commons Rate Limits
specificationVersion: '0.1'
schema: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/interface-research/main/schema/api-commons.yml#/$defs/RateLimits
provider: Dell Servers
providerId: dell-servers
created: '2026-05-04'
# Provenance stamped 2026-08-11: this artifact was written by the API Evangelist
# bulk sweep dated 2026-05-04, not harvested from the provider. See roadmap#35.
method: generated
modified: '2026-05-05'
reconciled: false
tags:
  - Hardware
  - Infrastructure
  - Server Management
  - Redfish
  - Rate Limiting
description: The Dell server-management APIs are firmware-resident on iDRAC, OME, and related
  appliances inside the customer's own network. There are no vendor-imposed cloud rate limits.
  Throughput is bounded by the iDRAC's embedded controller (modest CPU and memory), the OME
  appliance sizing, and the network path from clients to the BMC. Excessive concurrent sessions
  against a single iDRAC or aggressive Redfish polling can degrade BMC responsiveness — Dell
  guidance is to space telemetry / inventory polls and prefer streaming (SSE) over polling for
  high-frequency data.
sources:
  - https://developer.dell.com/apis/2978
  - https://www.dell.com/support/manuals/en-us/poweredge-r760/idrac9_lc_user_guide_4-x_pub
notes: No public numeric rate limits. Limits are device-side (iDRAC firmware concurrency,
  session ceilings) and operator-tunable. Reconciled false — concrete numbers vary by iDRAC
  generation and firmware version.
responseCodes:
  throttled: 429
  serverError: 500
  serviceUnavailable: 503
limits:
  - name: iDRAC concurrent sessions
    scope: device
    metric: concurrent_sessions
    limit: see iDRAC user guide for the active firmware version
    notes: iDRAC enforces a small concurrent-session ceiling (typically single-digit). Excess
      sessions are rejected with 503 / 429 depending on firmware.
  - name: Redfish polling cadence
    scope: device
    metric: requests_per_second
    limit: operator-tunable; Dell recommends spacing inventory polls
    notes: Frequent polling against a single iDRAC can starve the BMC. Dell recommends Server-Sent
      Events (telemetry streaming) over polling.
  - name: OpenManage Enterprise appliance throughput
    scope: appliance
    metric: requests_per_second
    limit: operator-defined — bounded by OME appliance sizing
    notes: OME is a customer-deployed virtual appliance; throughput is a function of the assigned
      vCPU / memory / storage and the count of managed nodes.
policies:
  - name: Streaming Over Polling
    description: For high-frequency telemetry, use the iDRAC Telemetry Streaming (Server-Sent
      Events) endpoint rather than periodic Redfish GETs.
  - name: Session Lifecycle
    description: Reuse iDRAC sessions where possible and explicitly delete sessions after use to
      avoid hitting the device's session ceiling.
  - name: Stagger Fleet Polling
    description: When inventorying a fleet, randomize start times and parallelism so peaks do not
      saturate any single iDRAC or the OME appliance.
  - name: Firmware-Version Awareness
    description: Specific limits and supported endpoints vary by iDRAC generation (8 vs 9 vs 10)
      and firmware revision. Always validate against the active iDRAC user guide.
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com