The Virtual Media feature provides the managed system with a virtual CD drive, which can use standard media from anywhere on the network. Figure 10-1 shows the overall architecture of virtual media.
Figure 10-1. Overall Architecture of Virtual Media
Using Virtual Media, administrators can remotely boot their managed systems, install applications, update drivers, or even install new operating systems remotely from the virtual CD/DVD and diskette drives.
NOTE: Virtual media requires a minimum available network bandwidth of 128 Kbps.
The managed system is configured with a DRAC 5 card. The virtual CD and floppy drives are two electronic devices embedded in the DRAC 5 that are controlled by the DRAC 5 firmware. These two devices are present on the managed system's operating system and BIOS at all times, whether virtual media is connected or disconnected.
The management station provides the physical media or image file across the network. When you launch the RAC browser for the first time and you access the virtual media page, the virtual media plug-in is downloaded from the DRAC 5 Web server and is automatically installed on the management station. The virtual media plug-in must be installed on the management station for the virtual media feature to function properly.
When virtual media is connected, all virtual CD/floppy drive access requests from the managed system are directed to the management station across the network. Connecting virtual media is identical to inserting media into virtual devices. When virtual media is not connected, virtual devices on the managed system appear as two drives without media installed in the drives.
Table 10-1 lists the supported drive connections for virtual floppy and virtual optical drives.
NOTE: Changing virtual media while connected could stop the system boot
sequence.
Table 10-1. Supported Drive Connections
Supported Virtual Floppy Drive Connections
Supported Virtual Optical Drive Connections
Legacy 1.44 floppy drive with a 1.44 floppy diskette
CD-ROM, DVD, CDRW, combination drive with CD-ROM media
USB floppy drive with a 1.44 floppy diskette
CD-ROM image file in the ISO9660 format
1.44 floppy image
USB CD-ROM drive with CD-ROM media.
Installing the Virtual Media Plug-In
The virtual media browser plug-in must be installed on your management station to use the virtual media feature. After you open the DRAC 5 user interface and launch the Virtual Media page, the browser automatically downloads the plug-in, if required. If the plug-in is successfully installed, the Virtual Media page displays a list of floppy diskettes and optical disks that connect to the virtual drive.
Windows-Based Management Station
To run the virtual media feature on a management station running the Microsoft Windows operating system, install a supported version of Internet Explorer with the ActiveX Control plug-in. Set the browser security to Medium or a lower setting to enable Internet Explorer to download and install signed ActiveX controls.
For a list of supported Web browsers, see the Dell
Systems Software Support Matrix on the Dell Support website at
support.dell.com.
Additionally, you must have administrator rights to install and use the virtual media feature. Before installing the ActiveX control, Internet Explorer may display a security warning. To complete the ActiveX control installation procedure, accept the ActiveX control when Internet Explorer prompts you with a security warning.
Linux-Based Management Station
To run the virtual media feature on a management station running the Linux operating system, install a supported version of Mozilla or Firefox. If the virtual media plug-in is not installed or if a newer version is available, a dialog box appears during the installation procedure to confirm the plug-in installation on the management station. Ensure that the user ID running the browser has write permissions in the browser's directory tree. If the user ID does not have write permissions, you cannot install the virtual media plug-in.
See the Dell Systems Software Support Matrix on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com for more information.
Running Virtual Media
NOTICE: Do not issue a racreset command when running a Virtual Media session.
Otherwise, undesired results may occur, including loss of data.
Using Virtual Media, you can "virtualize" a diskette image or drive, enabling a floppy image, floppy drive, or optical drive on your management console to become an available drive on the remote system.
Supported Virtual Media Configurations
You can enable Virtual Media for one floppy drive and one optical drive. Only one drive for each media type can be virtualized at a time.
Supported floppy drives include a floppy image or one available floppy drive. Supported optical drives include a maximum of one available optical drive or one ISO image file.
Running Virtual Media Using the Web User Interface
Connecting Virtual Media
Open a supported Web browser on your management station. See the Dell
Systems Software Support Matrix on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com for more information
NOTICE: Console Redirection and Virtual Media only support 32-bit Web browsers. Using 64-bit Web browsers may generate unexpected results or failure of operations.
The Virtual Media page appears with the client drives that can be virtualized.
NOTE: The Floppy Image File under Floppy Drive (if applicable) may appear,
as this device can be virtualized as a virtual floppy. You can select one optical
drive and one floppy at the same time, or a single drive.
NOTE: The virtual device drive letters on the managed system do not coincide
with the physical drive letters on the management station.
If prompted, follow the on-screen instructions to install the virtual media
plug-in.
In the Attribute box, perform the following steps:
In the Value column, ensure that the Attach/Detach status value is
Attached.
If the value is Detached, perform the following steps:
In the Media tab, click
Configuration.
In the Value column, ensure that the
Attach Virtual Media check box is selected.
Click Apply Changes.
In the Virtual Media tab, click
Virtual Media.
In the Value column, ensure that the
Attach/Detach status value is Attached.
Ensure that the Current Status
value is Not connected. If the Value
field displays connected, you must disconnect from the image or drive
before reconnecting. This status denotes the current status of the
Virtual Media connection on the current Web-based interface only.
Ensure that the Active Session value is Available. If the Value field
display In Use, you must wait for the existing Virtual Media session to
be released or terminate it by going to the Session Management tab
under Remote Access and terminating the active Virtual Media
session. Only one active Virtual Media session is allowed at one time.
This session could have been created by any Web-based interface or
VM-CLI utility.
Select the Encryption Enabled check box to establish an encrypted
connection between the remote system and your management station
(if desired).
If you are virtualizing a floppy image or ISO image, select
Floppy Image
File or ISO Image File and enter or browse to the image file you want to
virtualize.
If you are virtualizing a floppy drive or an optical drive, select the button next to the drives that you want to virtualize.
Click Connect.
If the connection is authenticated, the connection status becomes Connected and a list of all connected drives is displayed. All available diskette images and drives you selected become available on the managed system's console as though they are real drives.
NOTE: The assigned virtual drive letter (for Microsoft® Windows® systems)
or device special file (for Linux systems) may not be identical to the drive letter
on your management console.
NOTE: Virtual Media may not function properly on Windows operating system
clients that are configured with Internet Explorer Enhanced Security. To
resolve this issue, see your Microsoft operating system documentation or
contact your administrator.
Disconnecting Virtual Media
Click Disconnect to disconnect all virtualized images and drives from the management station. All virtualized images or drives disconnect and are no longer available on the managed system.
Attaching and Detaching the Virtual Media Feature
The DRAC 5 Virtual Media feature is based on USB technology and can take advantage of the USB plug and play features. DRAC 5 adds the option to attach and detach the virtual devices from the USB bus. When the devices are detached, the operating system or BIOS cannot see any attached drives. When the virtual devices are attached, the drives are visible. Unlike DRAC 4, where the drives could only be enabled or disabled at the next system boot, DRAC 5 virtual devices can be attached or detached at any time.
The virtual devices can be attached or detached using a Web browser, local racadm, remote racadm, telnet, and serial port. To configure virtual media using a Web browser, you can navigate to the Media page and then to the Configuration page where you can change settings and apply them.You may also specify the Virtual Media Port Number and the Virtual Media SSL Port Number. In addition, you can enable or disable the Virtual Flash and the Boot Once feature.
NOTE: To enable the Boot Once feature, go to the BIOS Setup and manually
change the boot order during system reboot.
Auto-Attaching Virtual Media
DRAC 5 firmware version 1.30 and later support the auto-attach virtual media feature. When you enable this feature, DRAC 5 will automatically attach a virtual device to the system only when a device is virtualized (connected) on a supported client.
The DRAC 5 will detach the virtual media devices when the virtual media session is disconnected
Attaching, Auto-Attaching, and Detaching Virtual Media using the Web browser
To Attach the virtual media feature, do the following:
Click System-> Media-> Configuration
Select the Value check box for Attach Virtual Media
Click Apply Changes
To Detach the virtual media feature, do the following:
Click System-> Media-> Configuration
De-select the Value check box for Attach Virtual Media
Click Apply Changes
Attaching, Auto-Attaching, and Detaching Virtual Media using RACADM
To Attach the virtual media feature, open a command prompt, type the following command, and press <Enter>:
On supported systems, the system BIOS enables you to boot from virtual optical drives or virtual floppy drives. During POST, enter the BIOS setup window and verify that the virtual drives are enabled and listed in the correct order.
To change the BIOS setting:
Boot the managed system.
Press <F2> to enter the BIOS setup window.
Scroll to the boot sequence and press <Enter>.
In the pop-up window, the virtual optical drives and virtual floppy drives are listed with the standard boot devices.
Ensure that the virtual drive is enabled and listed as the first device with
bootable media. If required, follow the on-screen instructions to modify
the boot order.
Save the changes and exit.
The managed system reboots.
The managed system attempts to boot from a bootable device based on the boot order. If virtual device is connected and a bootable media is present, the system boots to the virtual device. Otherwise, the system overlooks the device—similar to a physical device without bootable media.
Installing Operating Systems Using Virtual Media
This section describes a manual, interactive method to install the operating system on your management station that may take several hours to complete. A scripted operating system installation procedure using Virtual Media may take less than 15 minutes to complete. See "Deploying Your Operating System Using VM-CLI" for more information.
Verify the following:
The operating system installation CD is inserted in the management station's CD drive.
The local CD drive is selected.
You are connected to the virtual drives.
Follow the steps for booting from the virtual media in the "Booting From
Virtual Media" section to ensure that the BIOS is set to boot from the CD
drive that you are installing from.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
Using Virtual Media When the Server's Operating System Is Running
Windows-Based Systems
On Windows systems, the virtual media drives are automounted and configured with a drive letter.
Using the virtual drives from within Windows is similar to using your physical drives. When you connect to the media at a management station, the media is available at the system by clicking the drive and browsing its content.
Linux-Based Systems
On Linux systems, the virtual media drives are not configured with a drive letter. Depending on the software installed on your system, the virtual media drives may not be automounted. If your drives are not automounted, manually mount the drives.
Using Virtual Flash
The DRAC 5 provides persistent Virtual Flash—16 MB of flash memory that resides in the DRAC 5 file system that can be used for persistent storage and accessed by the system. When enabled, Virtual Flash is configured as a third virtual drive and appears in the BIOS boot order, allowing a user to boot from the Virtual Flash.
NOTE: To boot from the Virtual Flash, the Virtual Flash image must be a bootable
image.
Unlike a CD or floppy drive that requires an external client connection or functional device in the host system, implementing Virtual Flash only requires the DRAC 5 persistent Virtual Flash feature. The 16 MB of flash memory appears as an unformatted, removable USB drive in the host environment.
Use the following guidelines when implementing Virtual Flash:
Attaching or detaching the Virtual Flash performs a USB renumeration, which attaches and detaches all Virtual Media devices, respectively (for example, CD drive and floppy drive).
When you enable or disable Virtual Flash, the Virtual Media CD/floppy drive connection status does not change.
NOTICE: The Detach and Attach procedures disrupt active Virtual Media read and
write operations.
Enabling Virtual Flash
To enable Virtual Flash, open a command prompt, type the following command, and press <Enter>:
The Virtual Flash can be formatted from the managed host. If you are running the Windows operating system, right-click the drive icon and select Format. If you are running Linux, system tools such as format and fdisk allow you to partition and format the USB.
Before you upload an image from the RAC Web browser to the Virtual Flash, ensure that the image file is between 1.44 MB and 16 MB in size (inclusive) and Virtual Flash is disabled. After you download the image and re-enable the Virtual Flash drive, the system and BIOS recognize the Virtual Flash.
Configuring a Bootable Virtual Flash
Insert a bootable diskette into the diskette drive or insert a bootable CD
into the optical drive.
Restart your system and boot to the selected media drive.
Add a partition to Virtual Flash and enable the partition.
Use fdisk if Virtual Flash is emulating the hard drive. If Virtual Flash is configured as Drive B:, the Virtual Flash is floppy emulated and does not require a partition to configure Virtual Flash as a bootable drive.
Using the format command, format the drive with the /s switch to transfer
the system files to the Virtual Flash.
For example:
format /s x
where x is the drive letter assigned to Virtual Flash.
Shut down the system and remove the bootable floppy or CD from the
appropriate drive.
Turn on the system and verify that the system boots from Virtual Flash to
the C:\ or A:\ prompt.
Using the Virtual Media Command Line Interface Utility
The Virtual Media Command Line Interface (VM-CLI) utility is a scriptable command-line interface that provides virtual media features from the management station to the DRAC 5 in the remote system.
The VM-CLI utility provides the following features:
NOTE: When virtualizing read-only image files, multiple sessions may share
the same image media. When virtualizing physical drives, only one session
can access a given physical drive at a time.
Removable media devices or image files that are consistent with the Virtual Media plug-ins
Automatic termination when the DRAC firmware boot once option is enabled.
Secure communications to the DRAC 5 using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
Before you run the utility, ensure that you have Virtual Media user privilege to the DRAC 5 in the remote system.
If your operating system supports administrator privileges or an operating system-specific privilege or group membership, administrator privileges are also required to run the VM-CLI command.
The client system's administrator controls user groups and privileges, thereby controlling the users who can run the utility.
For Windows systems, you must have Power User privileges to run the VM-CLI utility.
For Linux systems, you can access the VM-CLI utility without administrator privileges by using the sudo command. This command provides a centralized means of providing non-administrator access and logs all user commands. To add or edit users in the VM-CLI group, the administrator uses the visudo command. Users without administrator privileges can add the sudo command as a prefix to the VM-CLI command line (or to the VM-CLI script) to obtain access to the DRAC 5 in the remote system and run the utility.
Utility Installation
The VM-CLI utility is located on the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD,which is included with your Dell OpenManage System Management Software Kit. To install the utility, insert the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD into your system's DVD drive and follow the on-screen instructions.
The Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD contains the latest systems management software products, including diagnostics, storage management, remote access service, and the RACADM utility. This DVD also contains readme files, which provide the latest systems management software product information.
Additionally, the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD includes vmdeploy—a sample script that illustrates how to use the VM-CLI and RACADM utilities to deploy software to multiple remote systems. For more information, see "Deploying Your Operating System Using VM-CLI".
Command Line Options
The VM-CLI interface is identical on both Windows and Linux systems. The utility uses options that are consistent with the RACADM utility options. For example, an option to specify the DRAC 5 IP address requires the same syntax for both RACADM and VM-CLI utilities.
NOTE: You need Administrator privileges to run the racvmcli command.
All command-line syntax are case sensitive. See "VM-CLI Parameters" for more information.
If the remote system accepts the commands and the DRAC 5 authorizes the connection, the command continues to run until either of the following occurs:
The VM-CLI connection terminates for any reason.
The process is manually terminated using an operating system control. For example, in Windows, you can use the Task Manager to terminate the process.
VM-CLI Parameters
DRAC 5 IP Address
-r <RAC-IP-address>[:<RAC-SSL-port>]
where <RAC-IP-address> is a valid, unique IP address or the DRAC 5 Dynamic Domain Naming System (DDNS) name (if supported).
This parameter provides the DRAC 5 IP address and SSL port. The VM-CLI utility needs this information to establish a Virtual Media connection with the target DRAC 5. If you enter an invalid IP address or DDNS name, an error message appears and the command is terminated.
If <RAC-SSL-port> is omitted, port 443 (the default port) is used. The optional SSL port is not required unless you change the DRAC 5 default SSL port.
DRAC 5 User Name
-u <DRAC-user-name>
This parameter provides the DRAC 5 user name that will run Virtual Media.
The <DRAC-user-name> must have the following attributes:
Valid user name
DRAC Virtual Media User permission
If DRAC 5 authentication fails, an error message appears and the command is terminated.
DRAC User Password
-p <DRAC-user-password>
This parameter provides the password for the specified DRAC 5 user.
If DRAC 5 authentication fails, an error message displays and the command terminates.
Floppy/Disk Device or Image File
-f {<device-name> | <image-file>}
where <device-name> is a valid drive letter (for Windows systems) or a valid device file name, including the mountable file system partition number, if applicable (for Linux systems); and <image-file> is the filename and path of a valid image file.
This parameter specifies the device or file to supply the virtual floppy/disk media.
For example, an image file is specified as:
-f c:\temp\myfloppy.img (Windows system)
-f /tmp/myfloppy.img (Linux system)
If the file is not write-protected, Virtual Media may write to the image file. Configure the operating system to write-protect a floppy image file that should not be overwritten.
For example, a device is specified as:
-f a:\ (Windows system)
-f /dev/sdb4 # 4th partition on device/dev/sdb (Linux system)
If the device provides a write-protection capability, use this capability to ensure that Virtual Media will not write to the media.
Additionally, omit this parameter from the command line if you are not virtualizing floppy media. If an invalid value is detected, an error message displays and the command terminates.
CD/DVD Device or Image File
-c {<device-name> | <image-file>}
where <device-name> is a valid CD/DVD drive letter (Windows systems) or a valid CD/DVD device file name (Linux systems) and <image-file> is the file name and path of a valid ISO-9660 image file.
This parameter specifies the device or file that will supply the virtual CD/DVD-ROM media:
For example, an image file is specified as:
-c c:\temp\mydvd.img (Windows systems)
-c /tmp/mydvd.img (Linux systems)
For example, a device is specified as:
-c d:\ (Windows systems)
-c /dev/cdrom (Linux systems)
Additionally, omit this parameter from the command line if you are not virtualizing CD/DVD media. If an invalid value is detected, an error message is listed and the command terminates.
Specify at least one media type (floppy or CD/DVD drive) with the command, unless only switch options are provided. Otherwise, an error message displays and the command terminates and generates an error.
Version Display
-v
This parameter is used to display the VM-CLI utility version. If no other non-switch options are provided, the command terminates without an error message.
Help Display
-h
This parameter displays a summary of the VM-CLI utility parameters. If no other non-switch options are provided, the command terminates without error.
Encrypted Data
-e
When this parameter is included in the command line, the VM-CLI utility will use an SSL-encrypted channel to transfer data between the management station and the DRAC 5 in the remote system. If this parameter is not included in the command line, the data transfer is not encrypted.
VM-CLI Operating System Shell Options
The following operating system features can be used in the VM-CLI command line:
stderr/stdout redirection — Redirects any printed utility output to a file.
For example, using the greater-than character (>) followed by a filename overwrites the specified file with the printed output of the VM-CLI utility.
NOTE: The VM-CLI utility does not read from standard input (stdin). As a result,
stdin redirection is not required.
Background execution — By default, the VM-CLI utility runs in the foreground. Use the operating system's command shell features to cause the utility to run in the background. For example, under a Linux operating system, the ampersand character (&) following the command causes the program to be spawned as a new background process.
The latter technique is useful in script programs, as it allows the script to proceed after a new process is started for the VM-CLI command (otherwise, the script would block until the VM-CLI program is terminated). When multiple VM-CLI instances are started in this way, and one or more of the command instances must be manually terminated, use the operating system-specific facilities for listing and terminating processes.
VM-CLI Return Codes
0 = No error
1 = Unable to connect
2 = VM-CLI command line error
3 = RAC firmware connection dropped
English-only text messages are also issued to standard error output whenever errors are encountered.
Deploying Your Operating System Using VM-CLI
The Virtual Media Command Line Interface (VM-CLI) utility is a command-line interface that provides Virtual Media features from the management station to the DRAC 5 in the remote system. Using VM-CLI and scripted methods, you can deploy your operating system on multiple remote systems in your network.
This section provides information on integrating the VM-CLI utility into your corporate network.
Before You Begin
Before using the VM-CLI utility, ensure that your targeted remote systems and corporate network meet the requirements listed in the following sections.
Remote System Requirements
DRAC 5 card is installed in each remote system
The virtual device in each remote system is the first device in the BIOS boot order.
Dell Custom Factory Integration
When you order your Dell™ system using the Dell Custom Factory Integration (CFI) options, Dell can preconfigure your system with a DRAC 5 card that includes a DDNS name and a preconfigured system BIOS that is enabled for Virtual Media. Using this configuration, your system is ready to boot from its Virtual Media devices when installed into your corporate network.
For more information, see the Dell website at www.dell.com.
Network Requirements
You must have a network share containing:
Operating system files
Required drivers
Operating system boot image file(s)
The image file must be a floppy image or CD/DVD ISO image with an industry-standard, bootable format.
Creating a Bootable Image File
Before you deploy your image file to the remote systems, ensure that a supported system can boot from the file. To test the image file, transfer the image file to a test system using the DRAC 5 Web user interface and then reboot the system.
The following sections provide specific information for creating image files for Linux and Windows systems.
Creating an Image File for Linux Systems
Use the Data Duplicator utility to create a bootable image file for your Linux system.
To run the utility, open a command prompt and type the following:
dd if=<input-device> of=<output-file>
For example:
dd if=/dev/fd0 of=myfloppy.img
Creating an Image File for Windows Systems
When choosing a data replicator utility for Windows image files, select a utility that copies the image file and the CD/DVD boot sectors.
Preparing for Deployment
Configuring the Remote Systems
Create a network share that can be accessed by the management station.
Copy the operating system files to the network share.
If you have a bootable, preconfigured deployment image file to deploy the
operating system to the remote systems, skip this step.
If you do not have a bootable, preconfigured deployment image file, create the file. Include any programs and/or scripts used for the operating system deployment procedures
For example, to deploy Microsoft® Windows® operating system, the image file may include programs that are similar to deployment methods used by Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS).
When you create the image file, ensure that you:
Follow standard network-based installation procedures
Mark the deployment image as "read only" to ensure that each target system boots and executes the same deployment procedure
Perform one of the following procedures:
Integrate RACADM and the Virtual Media command line interface (VM-CLI) into your existing operating system deployment application. Use the sample deployment script as a guide when integrating the DRAC 5 utilities into your existing operating system deployment application.
Use the existing vmdeploy script to deploy your operating system.
Deploying the Operating System
Use the VM-CLI utility and the vmdeploy script included with the utility to deploy the operating system to your remote systems.
Before you begin, review the sample vmdeploy script included with the VM-CLI utility. The script offers detailed requirements to deploy the operating system to remote systems in your network.
The following procedure is a high-level overview for deploying the operating system on targeted remote systems.
Identify the remote systems that will be deployed.
Record the DRAC 5 names and IP addresses of the targeted remote systems.
Perform the following procedure for each targeted remote system:
Configure a VM-CLI process that includes the following parameters
for the targeted system:
DRAC 5 IP address or DDNS name
Bootable deployment image file name
DRAC 5 user name
DRAC 5 user password
Using RACADM, set the target DRAC 5 boot once option.
Using RACADM, reboot the DRAC 5 system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sometimes, I notice my Virtual Media client connection drops. Why?
When a network time-out occurs, the DRAC 5 firmware drops the connection, disconnecting the link between the server and the Virtual Drive. To reconnect to the Virtual Drive, use the Virtual Media feature.
Which operating systems support the DRAC 5?
See the Dell Systems Software Support Matrix on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com for a list of supported operating systems.
Which Web browsers support the DRAC 5?
See the Dell Systems Software Support Matrix on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com for a list of supported Web browsers.
Why do I sometimes lose my client connection?
You can sometimes lose your client connection if the network is slow or if you change the CD in the client system CD drive. For example, if you change the CD in the client system's CD drive, the new CD might have an autostart feature. If this is the case, the firmware can time out and the connection can be lost if the client system takes too long before it is ready to read the CD. If a connection is lost, reconnect from the GUI and continue the previous operation.
When a network time-out occurs, the DRAC 5 firmware drops the connection, disconnecting the link between the server and the Virtual Drive. To reconnect to the Virtual Drive, use the Virtual Media feature.
What should I do if Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4 fails to install properly?
If you use Virtual Media and the Windows 2000 operating system CD to install Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4, your system may momentarily lose its connection to the CD drive during the installation procedure, and the operating system may fail to install properly. To fix this issue, download the file usbstor.sys from the Microsoft Support website at support.microsoft.com and run the program only on systems that experience this issue. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 823086.
Why can't I install Windows 2000 locally or remotely?
This issue usually happens if Virtual Flash is enabled and does not contain a valid image, for example, the virtual flash contains a corrupted or random image, you may not be able to install Windows 2000 locally or remotely. To fix this issue, install a valid image on Virtual Flash or disable Virtual Flash if it will not be used during the installation procedure.
Why does the Virtual Media connection drop when configured in the Shared-NIC mode?
Installing network and chipset drivers on the server causes the Virtual Media connection to drop when configured in the Shared-NIC mode. Installing the network or chipset drivers causes the LOM to reset, which in turn causes network packets to timeout and the Virtual Media connection to timeout and drop. To work around this issue, copy the drivers from your virtual drive to the server's local hard drive. To prevent a dropped Virtual Media connection from interfering with your driver installation procedure, start the driver installation directly from the server.
An installation of the Windows operating system seems to take too long. Why?
If you are installing the Windows operating system using the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD and experience a slow network connection, the installation procedure may require an extended amount of time to access the DRAC 5 Web-based interface due to network latency. While the installation window does not indicate the installation progress, the installation procedure is in progress.
I am viewing the contents of a floppy drive or USB memory key. If I try to establish a Virtual Media connection using the same drive, I receive a connection failure message and am asked to retry. Why?
Simultaneous access to Virtual Floppy drives is not allowed. Close the application used to view the drive contents before you attempt to virtualize the drive.
How do I configure my virtual device as a bootable device?
On the managed system, access the BIOS Setup and navigate to the boot menu. Locate the virtual CD, Virtual Floppy, or Virtual Flash and change the device boot order as needed. For example, to boot from a CD drive, configure the CD drive as the first drive in the boot order.
What types of media can I boot from?
The DRAC 5 allows you to boot from the following bootable media:
CDROM/DVD Data media
ISO 9660 image
1.44 Floppy disk or floppy image
DRAC 5 embedded virtual flash
A USB key that is recognized by the operating system as a removable disk
A USB key image
How can I make my USB key bootable?
Only USB keys with Windows 98 DOS can boot from the Virtual Floppy. To configure your own bootable USB key, boot to a Windows 98 startup disk and copy system files from the startup disk to your USB key. For example, from the DOS prompt, type the following command:
sys a: x: /s
where "x:" is the USB key you want to make bootable.
You can also use the Dell boot utility to create a bootable USB key. This utility is only compatible with Dell-branded USB keys. To download the utility, open a supported Web browser, navigate to the Dell Support website located at support.dell.com, and search for "R122672.exe."
Do I need Administrator privileges to install the ActiveX plug-in?
You must have Administrator or Power User privileges on Windows systems to install the Virtual Media plug-in.
What privileges do I need to install and use the Virtual Media plug-in on a Red Hat Linux Management station?
You must have Write privileges on the browser's directory tree to successfully install the Virtual Media plug-in.
I cannot locate my Virtual Floppy device on a system running Red Hat Enterprise Linux or the SUSE Linux operating System. My Virtual Media is attached and I am connected to my remote floppy. What should I do?
Some Linux versions do not automount the Virtual Floppy Drive and the Virtual CD drive in a similar manner. In order to mount the Virtual Floppy Drive, locate the device node that Linux assigns to the Virtual Floppy Drive. Perform the following steps to correctly find and mount the Virtual Floppy Drive:
Open a Linux command prompt and run the following command:
grep "Virtual Floppy" /var/log/messages
Locate the last entry to that message and note the time.
At the Linux prompt, run the following command:
grep "hh:mm:ss" /var/log/messages where:
hh:mm:ss is the time stamp of the message returned by grep in step 1.
In step 3, read the result of the grep command and locate the device name
that is given to the "Dell Virtual Floppy"
Ensure that you are attached and connected to the Virtual Floppy Drive.
At the Linux prompt, run the following command:
mount /dev/sdx /mnt/floppy
where:
/dev/sdx is the device name found in step 4
/mnt/floppy is the mount point.
What file system types are supported on my Virtual Floppy Drive or Virtual Flash?
Your Virtual Floppy Drive or Virtual Flash supports FAT16 or FAT32 file systems.
When I performed a firmware update remotely using the DRAC 5 Web-based interface, my virtual drives at the server were removed. Why?
Firmware updates cause the DRAC 5 to reset, drop the remote connection, and unmount the virtual drives. The drives will reappear when the DRAC reset is complete.
When enabling or disabling the Virtual Flash, I noticed that all my virtual drives disappeared and then reappeared. Why?
Disabling or enabling the Virtual Flash causes a USB reset and causes all virtual drives to detach from and then reattach to the USB bus.
How can I install a Web browser on my management station that has a read-only file system?
If you are running Linux and your management station has a read-only file system, a browser can be installed on a client system without requiring a connection to a DRAC 5. By using the native plug-in installation package, the browser can be manually installed during the client setup phase.
NOTICE: In a read-only client environment, if the DRAC 5 firmware is updated to a
newer version of the plug-in, then the installed VM plug-in will become inoperative.
This is because earlier plug-in features are not allowed to function when the
firmware contains a newer plug-in version. In this case, the client will be prompted
for plug-in installation. Since the file system is read-only, the installation will fail and
the plug-in features will not be available.
To obtain the plug-in installation package:
Login to an existing DRAC5
Change the URL in the browser's address bar, from:
https://<RAC_IP>/cgi-bin/webcgi/main
to:
https://<RAC_IP>/plugins/ # Be sure to include the
trailing slash.
Locate the two subdirectories vm and vkvm. Navigate to the appropriate
subdirectory, right click the rac5XXX.xpi file, and select Save Link
Target As....
Choose a location to save the plug-in installation package file.
To install the plug-in installation package:
Copy the installation package to the client's native file system share that is
accessible by the client.
Open an instance of the browser on the client system.
Enter the file-path to the plug-in installation package in the browser's
address bar. For example:
file:///tmp/rac5vm.xpi
The browser guides the user through plug-in installation.
Once installed, the browser will not prompt for that plug-in installation again, as long as the target DRAC5 firmware does not contain a newer version of the plug-in.
