How to use the iDRAC9 virtual Console to access your PowerEdge Server remotely

Learn about the features of the iDRAC9 Virtual Console for remote management and maintenance of your Dell EMC PowerEdge server. We'll talk about boot and power options, chat, screen capture, and virtual media.

With iDRAC9, you can access your server remotely by using the virtual console. In this video tutorial, you will learn how to access it  and the different features it offers. To find out how to configure your iDRAC for remote access, check out the card in the top-right corner of this video. Log in to the iDRAC and you will see the main menu. First, click on Settings. Here, you can choose if you want to use  the Java or HTML5 version of the console.

We recommend the HTML5 version, which is supported by most current browsers. Back in the main menu, you will see the virtual console on the right-hand side.  Click on the preview to launch it.  If you are using a pop-up blocker, you will need to disable it and reopen the virtual console.  Now, let’s take a quick look at the features available. The Boot menu lets you choose which option you boot to on the next restart of the server.

For example, the BIOS Setup, virtual media,  or even a USB key connected to the server directly. Power options are Graceful Shutdown,  which sends a shutdown command to the OS and performs a clean shutdown. Power Off shutdown powers off the server directly.  Reset System, which reboots the server. Power Cycle System powers down the system and powers it up again.

The chat is used to communicate if multiple users are working on the same system via iDRAC. The on-screen keyboard is an alternative method of input  if you don’t have a keyboard connected. Screen capture will perform a screenshot  and downloads it to the system you are using to access the iDRAC. Connect Virtual Media lets you mount an image on the system. You will learn more about that in a different video.

Thanks for watching.