User's Manual

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 Configuring and Using Virtual Media
Dell™RemoteAccessController4User'sGuide
Overview
Operating System Requirements on the Managed System
Installing the Virtual Media Plug–In
Using the Virtual Media Feature
Frequently Asked Questions
Overview
The Virtual Media feature provides the managed system with a virtual floppy diskette drive and a virtual CD drive, which can use standard media from
anywhere on the network. (Figure7-1 shows the overall architecture of virtual media.) With this feature, administrators can remotely boot their managed
systems, install applications, update drivers, or even install new operating systems remotely from the virtual CD/floppy diskette drives.
Figure 7-1. Overall Architecture of Virtual Media
The managed system has a DRAC 4 card installed. The virtual CD and floppy drives are two electronic devices embedded in the DRAC 4 and which are
controlled by the DRAC 4 firmware.
The management station provides the physical media or image file across the network. For the virtual media feature to work, the virtual media plug-in must be
installed on the management station. 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 4 web server and is automatically installed on the management station.
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. When virtual media is not connected, virtual devices on the managed system behave just like two drives without media present.
Currently, the virtual floppy drive can be connected to a legacy 1.44 floppy drive with a 1.44 floppy diskette, a USB floppy drive with a 1.44 floppy diskette, a
1.44 floppy image, and USB keys. The virtual CDROM drive can be connected to a CDROM, DVD, CDRW, or combination drive with CDROM media. The virtual
CDROM drive can also be connected to a USB CDROM drive with CDROM media.
Operating System Requirements on the Managed System
Virtual media is supported on systems running the following operating systems:
l Microsoft®Windows®Server 2000 with Service Pack 4
l Windows Server 2003
l Red Hat Enterprise Advanced Server, version 2.1 (ES, AS, and WS)
l Red Hat®Enterprise Linux Advanced Server, version 3 (ES, AS, and WS)
NOTE: These two devices are present on the managed system's operating system and BIOS at all times, whether virtual media is connected or not.
Connecting virtual media is just like inserting media into virtual devices.
NOTE: Changing virtual media while connected could stop the system boot sequence.
NOTE: When using Virtual Media to install Windows 2000, the installation CD must have a built–in Service Pack 4. Service Pack 4 is required in order to
access the virtual drives. This requirement also applies to using the virtual drives with Windows 2000. The drives do not appear until Service Pack 4 has
been successfully installed.