Dell Drac 5 User Manual

							Using and Configuring Virtual Media191
Preparing for Deployment
Configuring the Remote Systems
1Create a network share that can be accessed by the management station.
2Copy the operating system files to the network share.
3If you have a bootable, preconfigured deployment image file to deploy the 
operating system to the remote systems, skip this step.
If you do not have a bootable, preconfigured deployment image file, create 
the file. Include any programs and/or scripts used for the operating system 
deployment procedures
For example, to deploy Microsoft
® Windows® operating system, the 
image file may include programs that are similar to deployment methods 
used by Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS).
When you create the image file, ensure that you:
 Follow standard network-based installation procedures
 Mark the deployment image as read only to ensure that each target 
system boots and executes the same deployment procedure
4Perform one of the following procedures:
 Integrate RACADM and the Virtual Media command line interface 
(VM-CLI) into your existing operating system deployment 
application. Use the sample deployment script as a guide when 
integrating the DRAC 5 utilities into your existing operating system 
deployment application. 
 Use the existing 
vmdeploy script to deploy your operating system.
Deploying the Operating System
Use the VM-CLI utility and the vmdeploy script included with the utility to 
deploy the operating system to your remote systems. 
Before you begin, review the sample vmdeploy script included with the 
VM-CLI utility. The script offers detailed requirements to deploy the 
operating system to remote systems in your network. 
						

							192Using and Configuring Virtual Media
The following procedure is a high-level overview for deploying the operating 
system on targeted remote systems.
1
Identify the remote systems that will be deployed.
2Record the DRAC 5 names and IP addresses of the targeted remote systems.
3Perform the following procedure for each targeted remote system:
aConfigure a VM-CLI process that includes the following parameters 
for the targeted system:
 DRAC 5 IP address or DDNS name
 Bootable deployment image file name
 DRAC 5 user name
 DRAC 5 user password
bUsing RACADM, set the target DRAC 5 boot once option.
cUsing RACADM, reboot the DRAC 5 system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sometimes, I notice my Virtual Media client connection drops. Why?
When a network time-out occurs, the DRAC 5 firmware drops the 
connection, disconnecting the link between the server and the Virtual Drive. 
To reconnect to the Virtual Drive, use the Virtual Media feature.
Which operating systems support the DRAC 5?
See the Dell Systems Software Support Matrix on the Dell Support website at 
support.dell.com for a list of supported operating systems.
Which Web browsers support the DRAC 5?
See the Dell Systems Software Support Matrix on the Dell Support website at 
support.dell.com for a list of supported Web browsers. 
Why do I sometimes lose my client connection?
 You can sometimes lose your client connection if the network is slow or if 
you change the CD in the client system CD drive. For example, if you 
change the CD in the client system’s CD drive, the new CD might have an 
autostart feature. If this is the case, the firmware can time out and the 
connection can be lost if the client system takes too long before it is ready 
to read the CD. If a connection is lost, reconnect from the GUI and 
continue the previous operation.  
						

							Using and Configuring Virtual Media193
 When a network time-out occurs, the DRAC 5 firmware drops the 
connection, disconnecting the link between the server and the Virtual 
Drive. To reconnect to the Virtual Drive, use the Virtual Media feature.
What should I do if Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4 fails to install 
properly?
If you use Virtual Media and the Windows 2000 operating system CD to 
install Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4, your system may momentarily lose 
its connection to the CD drive during the installation procedure, and the 
operating system may fail to install properly. To fix this issue, download the 
file usbstor.sys from the Microsoft Support website at support.microsoft.com 
and run the program only on systems that experience this issue. For more 
information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 823086.
Why can’t I install Windows 2000 locally or remotely?
This issue usually happens if Virtual Flash is enabled and does not contain a 
valid image, for example, the virtual flash contains a corrupted or random 
image, you may not be able to install Windows 2000 locally or remotely. To 
fix this issue, install a valid image on Virtual Flash or disable Virtual Flash if it 
will not be used during the installation procedure.
Why does the Virtual Media connection drop when configured in the 
Shared-NIC mode?
Installing network and chipset drivers on the server causes the Virtual Media 
connection to drop when configured in the Shared-NIC mode. Installing the 
network or chipset drivers causes the LOM to reset, which in turn causes 
network packets to timeout and the Virtual Media connection to timeout and 
drop. To work around this issue, copy the drivers from your virtual drive to 
the server’s local hard drive. To prevent a dropped Virtual Media connection 
from interfering with your driver installation procedure, start the driver 
installation directly from the server.
An installation of the Windows operating system seems to take too 
long. Why?
If you are installing the Windows operating system using the Dell Systems 
Management Tools and Documentation DVD and experience a slow network 
connection, the installation procedure may require an extended amount of 
time to access the DRAC 5 Web-based interface due to network latency. 
While the installation window does not indicate the installation progress, the 
installation procedure is in progress. 
						

							194Using and Configuring Virtual Media
I am viewing the contents of a floppy drive or USB memory key. If I try to 
establish a Virtual Media connection using the same drive, I receive a 
connection failure message and am asked to retry. Why?
Simultaneous access to Virtual Floppy drives is not allowed. Close the 
application used to view the drive contents before you attempt to virtualize 
the drive.
How do I configure my virtual device as a bootable device?
On the managed system, access the BIOS Setup and navigate to the boot 
menu. Locate the virtual CD, Virtual Floppy, or Virtual Flash and change the 
device boot order as needed. For example, to boot from a CD drive, configure 
the CD drive as the first drive in the boot order.
What types of media can I boot from?
The DRAC 5 allows you to boot from the following bootable media:
 CDROM/DVD Data media
 ISO 9660 image 
 1.44 Floppy disk or floppy image
 DRAC 5 embedded virtual flash
 A USB key that is recognized by the operating system as a removable disk
 A USB key image
How can I make my USB key bootable?
Only USB keys with Windows 98 DOS can boot from the Virtual Floppy. To 
configure your own bootable USB key, boot to a Windows 98 startup disk and 
copy system files from the startup disk to your USB key. For example, from 
the DOS prompt, type the following command:
sys a: x: /s 
where x: is the USB key you want to make bootable.
You can also use the Dell boot utility to create a bootable USB key. This 
utility is only compatible with Dell-branded USB keys. To download the 
utility, open a supported Web browser, navigate to the Dell Support website 
located at support.dell.com, and search for R122672.exe. 
						

							Using and Configuring Virtual Media195
Do I need Administrator privileges to install the ActiveX plug-in?
You must have Administrator or Power User privileges on Windows systems 
to install the Virtual Media plug-in.
What privileges do I need to install and use the Virtual Media plug-in on a 
Red Hat Linux Management station?
You must have Write privileges on the browser’s directory tree to 
successfully install the Virtual Media plug-in.
I cannot locate my Virtual Floppy device on a system running Red Hat 
Enterprise Linux or the SUSE Linux operating System. My Virtual Media is 
attached and I am connected to my remote floppy. What should I do?
Some Linux versions do not automount the Virtual Floppy Drive and the 
Virtual CD drive in a similar manner. In order to mount the Virtual Floppy 
Drive, locate the device node that Linux assigns to the Virtual Floppy Drive. 
Perform the following steps to correctly find and mount the Virtual 
Floppy Drive:
1
Open a Linux command prompt and run the following command: 
grep Virtual Floppy /var/log/messages 
2Locate the last entry to that message and note the time.
3At the Linux prompt, run the following command: 
grep hh:mm:ss /var/log/messages 
where:
hh:mm:ss is the time stamp of the message returned by grep in step 1.
4In step 3, read the result of the grep command and locate the device name 
that is given to the Dell Virtual Floppy 
5Ensure that you are attached and connected to the Virtual Floppy Drive.
6At the Linux prompt, run the following command:
mount /dev/sdx /mnt/floppy
where:
/dev/sdx is the device name found in step 4 
/mnt/floppy is the mount point. 
						

							196Using and Configuring Virtual Media
What file system types are supported on my Virtual Floppy Drive or Virtual 
Flash?
Your Virtual Floppy Drive or Virtual Flash supports FAT16 or FAT32 file 
systems.
When I performed a firmware update remotely using the DRAC 5 Web-
based interface, my virtual drives at the server were removed. Why?
Firmware updates cause the DRAC 5 to reset, drop the remote connection, 
and unmount the virtual drives. The drives will reappear when the DRAC 
reset is complete.
When enabling or disabling the Virtual Flash, I noticed that all my virtual 
drives disappeared and then reappeared. Why?
Disabling or enabling the Virtual Flash causes a USB reset and causes all 
virtual drives to detach from and then reattach to the USB bus.
How can I install a Web browser on my management station that has a read-
only file system?
If you are running Linux and your management station has a read-only file 
system, a browser can be installed on a client system without requiring a 
connection to a DRAC 5. By using the native plug-in installation package, the 
browser can be manually installed during the client setup phase. 
 NOTICE: In a read-only client environment, if the DRAC 5 firmware is updated to a 
newer version of the plug-in, then the installed VM plug-in will become inoperative. 
This is because earlier plug-in features are not allowed to function when the 
firmware contains a newer plug-in version. In this case, the client will be prompted 
for plug-in installation. Since the file system is read-only, the installation will fail and 
the plug-in features will not be available.
To obtain the plug-in installation package:
1
Login to an existing DRAC5
2Change the URL in the browsers address bar, from:
https:///cgi-bin/webcgi/main
to:
https:///plugins/ # Be sure to include the 
trailing slash. 
						

							Using and Configuring Virtual Media197
3Locate the two subdirectories vm and vkvm. Navigate to the appropriate 
subdirectory, right click the 
rac5XXX.xpi file, and select Save Link 
Target As....
4Choose a location to save the plug-in installation package file.
To install the plug-in installation package:
1
Copy the installation package to the clients native file system share that is 
accessible by the client.
2Open an instance of the browser on the client system.
3Enter the file-path to the plug-in installation package in the browsers 
address bar. For example:
file:///tmp/rac5vm.xpi
4The browser guides the user through plug-in installation.
Once installed, the browser will not prompt for that plug-in installation again, 
as long as the target DRAC5 firmware does not contain a newer version of 
the plug-in. 
						

							198Using and Configuring Virtual Media 
						

							Configuring Security Features199
Configuring Security Features
The DRAC 5 provides the following security features:
 Advanced Security options for the DRAC administrator:
 The Console Redirection disable option allows the 
local system user to 
disable console redirection using the DRAC 5 Console Redirection 
feature. 
 The local configuration disable features allows the 
remote DRAC 
administrator to selectively disable the ability to configure the 
DRAC 5 from:
– BIOS POST option-ROM
– operating system using the local racadm and Dell OpenManage™ 
Server Administrator utilities
 RACADM CLI and Web-based interface operation, which supports 
128-bit SSL encryption and 40-bit SSL encryption (for countries where 
128-bit is not acceptable)
 NOTE: Telnet does not support SSL encryption.
 Session time-out configuration (in seconds) through the Web-based 
interface or RACADM CLI
 Configurable IP ports (where applicable) 
 Secure Shell (SSH), which uses an encrypted transport layer for higher 
security.
 Login failure limits per IP address, with login blocking from the IP address 
when the limit is exceeded.
 Limited IP address range for clients connecting to the DRAC 5 
						

							200Configuring Security Features
Security Options for the DRAC Administrator
Disabling the DRAC 5 Local Configuration
Administrators can disable local configuration through the DRAC 5 graphical 
user interface (GUI) by selecting Remote Access→ Configuration→ 
Services. When the Disable the DRAC local Configuration using option 
ROM check box is selected, the Remote Access Configuration Utility—
accessed by pressing Ctrl+E during system boot—operates in read-only 
mode, preventing local users from configuring the device. When the 
administrator selects the Disable the DRAC local Configuration using 
RACADM check box, local users cannot configure the DRAC 5 through the 
racadm utility, or the Dell OpenManage Server Administrator, although they 
can still read the configuration settings. 
Administrators can enable one or both of these options at the same time. 
In addition to enabling them through the GUI, administrators can do so 
using local racadm commands.
Disabling Local Configuration During System Reboot
This feature disables the ability of the managed system’s user to configure the 
DRAC 5 during system reboot.
racadm config -g cfgRacTune -o
cfgRacTuneCtrlEConfigDisable 1
 NOTE: This option is supported only on the Remote Access Configuration Utility 
version 1.13 and later. To upgrade to this version, upgrade your BIOS using the BIOS 
update package from the Dell Server Updates DVD or the Dell Support website at 
support.dell.com.
Disabling Local Configuration From Local racadm
This feature disables the ability of the managed system’s user to configure the 
DRAC 5 using the local racadm or the Dell OpenManage Server 
Administrator utilities.
racadm config -g cfgRacTune -o 
cfgRacTuneLocalConfigDisable 1