White paper: HP Lights-Out Advanced / KVM Card for sx2000 Servers

administrators to view video output from the managed nPartition where the LOA card is installed,
providing a seamless view from the server boot to OS desktop.
The LOA hardware captures three essential components for the managed (host) nPartition:
keyboard input to the console, mouse input to the console, and video output. When an
administrator activates the remote console on the Windows management workstation, the LOA
card sends to the host nPartition all keyboard and mouse input from the integrated remote
console/vKVM client.
vMedia
Virtual media support, which is part of the Lights-Out Advanced / KVM card feature set, provides
administrators with a virtual disk drive that connects to the managed server through the same
management LAN as the iLO/MP, just as if it were physically connected to the server. The virtual
media device can be a physical DVD or CD drive on the management workstation, or it can be
an ISO image file stored on a local or network hard drive. Booting from virtual media enables
administrators to upgrade the system firmware, upgrade device drivers, or deploy an OS from
network drives (among other operations) without having to physically connect the media to the
managed server, or perform a network boot from extensibility firmware interface (EFI) mode.
The LOA card uses a client-server model to perform virtual media functions. The LOA card
streams virtual media data across a live network connection between the remote management
console and the host server. The virtual media Java™ applet provides data to the LOA card as
it is requested.
The LOA card contains a USB device that is viewed by the host OS as if it were a physical USB
device connected to the server. Under the control of the LOA card firmware, a virtual USB device
can be remotely “connected” to the host server. When the virtual media is connected, an OS that
is USB-aware loads its standard USB mass storage driver, that requires no additional HP drivers
running on the server OS.
Additionally, the host server EFI system firmware is extended to support USB virtual devices,
making virtual media available end-to-end (in a pre-boot environment, through OS loading and
while the OS is operational).
Integrated Components
Through the integrated VGA graphics and USB ports, the LOA card offers flexibility in the
datacenter. The ATI graphics chipset enables server administrators to monitor a system with full
KVM functionality from boot, to desktop, to shutdown.
The USB ports allow the use of removable media, keyboards, and mouse devices. The LOA card
uses the LAN port to interface to the server network.
NOTE: The LOA card must be connected to the management LAN to enable vKVM and vMedia
functionality.
Availability of Features
The following table lists which features of the HP Advanced Lights-Out / KVM card are available
on each operating system.
USB PortsVGA Graphics PortvMedia
vKVM
1
nPartition Operating
System
YesYesYesYesWindows
YesNoYesNoHP-UX
vMedia 7