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OS install path for R620 and iDRAC Express
I have a fresh PowerEdge R620, 8 bay chassis, no optical drive, with iDRAC7 Express edition.
I've got the DRAC web interfaced configured and I can access it just fine. I have an Ubuntu .iso image sitting on another server accessible via HTTP I want to mount and install from. What's the method to do this using DRAC7 Express? Is this not possible?
I see the "Remote File Sharing" configuration settings but they're not available in the Express edition. The help docs say I need an Enterprise license in order to use it. I assume that's the only way to mount an ISO over the network, which is unfortunate because our old R610's didn't require an extra license just to mount network ISO files.
Let's assume I can't mount an ISO image as virtual media. What's the Dell-recommended method to do an OS install with just DRAC Express and no internal optical drive?
DELL-Joey C
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July 9th, 2014 00:00
Hi rwhaley,
You might have an enterprise card in the R610 which need not have license like the new 12G R620.
The only way that you can do through DRAC connection is to upgrade the express to enterprise.
You can refer back to your Dell Sales rep, and request for a 30-day trial license, which might help you to install your OS.
duanef
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April 6th, 2018 19:00
I think we're going to see more and more issues in this area, unless I'm missing something. The OP had no optical drive, but for Server 2016 (and beyond) with the ISO exceeding 4.7GB, unless you have a double layer drive you might as well not have one. I don't believe the standard CD/DVD+/-RW is DL, but happy to be corrected.
So then you hit the iDrac Express limitation. Maybe this is an encouragement for us all to buy an Enterprise License, what it also points out is that the iDrac Express options are not fit for purpose. If you can't load an OS the nice shiny new server you just bought is a brick. So no doubt in recognition of this fact, indeed you can download a 30 day trial lics at http://www.dell.com/support/article/sln309292/
This gets you the valuable iDrac Virtual Media option. Which in my experience did NOT allow me to mount the ISO off USB stick on the server, but rather you navigate the file system on the mgmt machine. This means I am loading the OS s l o w l y from a mounted ISO on a laptop across Ethernet to the LOM port. Yuck