UNSOLVED
iDRAC keyboard not working
Ok, no flames please as this question has been asked a million times. I simply cant get my iDRAC keyboard to work no matter what I try. I have googled till I am blue in the face and tried it all. I have an older PowerEdge T420 with iDRAC 7 Enterprise. I have updated to the latest iDRAC firmware (dated 2/2020) and LifeCycle controller. I am running the server as an ESXi Host using ESXi 6.7. The console opens just fine, but the keyboard simply does not work. I have tried, Chrome, FireFox and IE(yuk). No joy on any of them. I have tried Native, Java and HTML5, nothing works. I have even tried using a 32 bit browser on XP, still no joy. I have also tried both Windows and Linux browsers, and nothing works. I cant help but feel it is something real stupid on my part as there is no reason I can think of why this should not work. I even tried disconnecting the physical keyboard as a list ditch effort, still no joy.
So, I then tried my MacBook, and finally got something I can use as an error. This error appears to be coming from Java : "The native library for keyboard and mouse support failed to load. To pass all keystrokes to the managed system, the virtual console application requires direct access to your keyboard. You can enable this in System Preferences/Universal Access and select Enable access for assistive devices option."
The only problem here is that the location this error mentions does not exist on my system. I tried Native, Java and HTML5 on the MacBook, same results as windows and Linux, no keyboard. Even if I bring up the on screen keyboard, it also does not work.
Can someone please point me to the error of my ways? Thanks in advance for any and all help.
As I mentioned before, I have tried virtually EVERYTHING in google searches, and yes, it is set to Attached. There is not an option for "Auto Attach", only attached.
I have some additional info that may help. The keyboard DOES work up until the point where ESXi loads. If I interrupt the boot by hitting F2 to enter BIOS, that all works and the keyboard works fine. It is only when ESXi loads that the keyboard is not working. I am stumped to say the least. The only think I have not tried is to attach a PS2 keyboard to the server as a fishing expedition.
So, any idea on why it does not work once ESXi loads? ESXi version is 6.7.
Thanks for any help you can provide.
DELL-Shine K
6 Operator
•
3042 Posts
18785
0
Posted April 20th, 2020 19:00
Can you let me know iDRAC FW version you have on the server
DELL-Shine K
6 Operator
•
3042 Posts
18765
0
Posted April 21st, 2020 07:00
Is it possible for you to connect a USB keyboard directly to the server USB ports and see whether that keyboard is working when ESXi is loaded on the server?The iDRAC version is 2.65.65.65. The BIOS version is 2.9.0. Both are the latest I could find on Dell's web site. There is also a IDSDM Firmware Version of 1.10. Not sure what that is.
The ESXi version is 7.0.0 build 15843807. I updated to 7.0 from 6.7 in an attempt to fix this issue. This did not resolve the problem. The remote console keyboard works just fine up until ESXi loads. I have no idea why the OS load would trigger the keyboard to fail. I found some items in a google search about USB going to sleep on RHEL and the fix for that being a kernel tweak. That is the closest thing I can find to this issue.
Thanks for the help.
Yes sir, the local keyboard works just fine. I have tried 3 different keyboards just in case that made a difference. I have not tried a PS2 keyboard as I dont have one. All local keyboards that I have tried work just fine using either the front or rear USB ports.
I even tried disconnecting both the local keyboard and monitor in case that made a difference in some way that would trigger the remote keyboard working. Sadly, no joy there either.
I was able to get this resolved. Not the way I had hoped, but none the less, the keyboard is now working in the remote console after ESXi loads.
I re-installed ESXi 6.7, then upgraded to 7.0, then imported all the VM's. Aside from the VM ID's changing, all seems to be well. I would sure like to know what was wrong with ESXi that nuked the keyboard.
In case you are wondering why I did not just start with 7.0, I tried that first, but the system would boot to a black screen and was not accessible.
DELL-Joey C
Moderator
•
4170 Posts
•
20965 Points
3916
0
Posted December 15th, 2020 22:00
Hi,
Could you let us know more about what you have done on troubleshooting? How about the model servers you're using? Let check on 1 particular server that has the issue, and find out the root cause. Have you tried the settings that @DELL-Shine K has suggested on the settings attributes of Keyboard/Mouse Attach State? It's not advisable to boot from USB, unless to do OS installation only. Have you installed the OS on hard drive and test it? Does the virtual keyboard work in BIOS
DELL-Joey C
Social Media and Communities Professional
Dell Technologies | Enterprise Support Services
#IWork4Dell
Did I answer your query? Please click on ‘Mark as Accepted Answer’ if I did.
DELL-Shine K
6 Operator
•
3042 Posts
18950
0
Posted April 14th, 2020 20:00
Can you check setting of "Keyboard/Mouse Attach State" attribute on Virtual Console page. It need to be in "Auto-attach" or "Attached" state. Is your mouse movements and clicks is working through virtual console? You can also trying resetting iDRAC and try the same.