White Papers

Troubleshooting Using iDRAC7 Video Capture Feature
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Executive summary
This paper provides information about the iDRAC7 video capture feature on Dell PowerEdge 12
th
Generation servers. This capability provides a valuable troubleshooting tool for administrators who are
not physically present at the system. This is an enterprise feature, and is in addition to the last crash
screen capture offered previously. Video capture provides a better understanding of an issue as
opposed to only a screen capture.
Introduction
Using iDRAC7 for remote troubleshooting lets users diagnose potential issues. The video capture feature
assists with remote debug by displaying the last screen while booting into the operating system.
This document covers:
 Minimum system requirements
 Installing Video Capture Player
 Using boot captures
Playing back the screen of the final seconds prior to an error occurring on a system is crucial
information in troubleshooting the root cause of boot failures.
Setup and minimum system requirements
 Dell iDRAC7 Enterprise License
 12G Dell PowerEdge Server Lines
o 200-500 Series
o 600-900 Series
 iDRAC7 Video Capture Player (if viewing boot capture files offline)
o Java 5 Update 7 or later installed on the host system
 Java 6 or later installed (if viewing directly within iDRAC7 Virtual Console)
Navigating the iDRAC7 to confirm an Enterprise License is
installed
A minimum requirement is the installation of an Enterprise License on the iDRAC7 to use the Video
Capture Troubleshooting Feature. The easiest way to verify that the Enterprise license is installed is to
look at the title bar (See Figure 1). If it specifies, Enterprise, it is installed.
Browse to the iDRAC7 GUI and verify Enterprise License is installed as seen in Figure 1: