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Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller 9 User's Guide

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Managing virtual media

iDRAC provides virtual media with HTML5 based client with local ISO and IMG file, remote ISO and IMG file support. Virtual media allows the managed server to access media devices on the management station or ISO CD/DVD images on a network share as if they were devices on the managed server. You need iDRAC Configure privilege to modify the configuration.

Following are the configurable attributes:

  • Attached Media Enabled — Enabled / Disabled
  • Attach Mode — Auto-attach, Attached, and Detached
  • Max Sessions — 1
  • Active Sessions — 1
  • Virtual Media Encryption — Enabled (by default)
  • Floppy Emulation — Disabled (by default)
  • Boot Once — Enabled / Disabled
  • Connection Status — Connected / Disconnected
Using the Virtual Media feature, you can:
  • Remotely access media connected to a remote system over the network
  • Install applications
  • Update drivers
  • Install an operating system on the managed system

This is a licensed feature for rack and tower servers. It is available by default for blade servers.

The key features are:
  • Virtual Media supports virtual optical drives (CD/DVD) and USB flash drives.
  • You can attach only one USB flash drive, image, or key and one optical drive on the management station to a managed system. Supported optical drives include a maximum of one available optical drive or one ISO image file.

    The following figure shows a typical Virtual Media setup.

  • Any connected Virtual Media emulates a physical device on the managed system.
  • On Windows-based managed systems, the Virtual Media drives are auto-mounted if they are attached and configured with a drive letter.
  • On Linux-based managed systems with some configurations, the Virtual Media drives are not auto-mounted. To manually mount the drives, use the mount command.
  • All the virtual drive access requests from the managed system are directed to the management station across the network.
  • Virtual devices appear as two drives on the managed system without the media being installed in the drives.
  • You can share the management station CD/DVD drive (read only), but not a USB media, between two managed systems.
  • Virtual media requires a minimum available network bandwidth of 128 Kbps.
  • If LOM or NIC failover occurs, then the Virtual Media session may be disconnected.

After attaching a Virtual Media image through Virtual Console, the drive may not show up in Windows host OS. Check Windows Device Manager for any unknown mass storage devices. Right click on the unknown device and update the driver or choose uninstall driver. The device is recognized by Windows after disconnecting and reconnecting vMedia.

Figure 1. Virtual media setup
Image displaying virtual media setup

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