Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller 9 User's Guide

Configuring and using virtual console

iDRAC has added an enhanced HTML5 option in vConsole which allows vKVM (virtual Keyboard, Video, and Mouse) over standard VNC client. You can use the virtual console to manage a remote system using the keyboard, video, and mouse on your management station to control the corresponding devices on a managed server. This is a licensed feature for rack and tower servers. It is available by default in blade servers. You need iDRAC Configure privilege to access all configurations on virtual console.

Following are the list of configurable attributes in Virtual Console:

• vConsole Enabled — Enabled / Disabled
• Max Sessions — 1-6
• Active sessions — 0-6
• Remote Presence Port
• Video Encryption — Enabled / Disabled
• Local Server Video — Enabled / Disabled
• Plug-in Type — eHTML5 (by default), ActiveX, Java, HTML5
• Dynamic Action on Sharing Request Timeout — Full Access, Read Only Access, And Deny Access
• Automatic System Lock — Enabled / Disabled
• Keyboard/Mouse Attach State — Auto-attach, Attached, and Detached

The key features are:

• A maximum of six simultaneous Virtual Console sessions are supported. All the sessions view the same managed server console simultaneously.
• You can launch virtual console in a supported web browser by using Java, ActiveX, HTML5, or eHTML5 plug-in.
  NOTE:

  • Any change in web server configuration will result in termination of existing virtual console session.
  • By default, the virtual console type is set to eHTML5.
  • Even if the Video Encryption option is disabled in GUI, you can still configure the feature using other interfaces when the plugin type is eHTML5. Media encryption is enabled by default for eHTML5 plugin type.
  • Virtual console link may get interrupted while running video stress in Internet Explorer.
• When you open a Virtual Console session, the managed server does not indicate that the console has been redirected.
• You can open multiple Virtual Console sessions from a single management station to one or more managed systems simultaneously.
• You cannot open two virtual console sessions from the management station to the managed server using the same HTML5 plug-in.
• If a second user requests a Virtual Console session, the first user is notified and is given the option to refuse access, allow read-only access, or allow full shared access. The second user is notified that another user has control. The first user must respond within thirty seconds, or else access is granted to the second user based on the default setting. If neither the first or second user has administrator privileges, terminating the first user's session automatically terminates the second user's session.
• Boot logs and crash logs are captured as Video logs and are in MPEG1 format.
• Crash screen is captured as JPEG file.
• Keyboard macros are supported on all plug-ins.
• Keyboard macros are supported on all plug-ins. Following are the list of macros that are supported by ActiveX and Java plug-ins:

  Table 1. Keyboard Macros Supported by ActiveX and Java plug-insFollowing table displays the keyboard macros that are supported in the ActiveX and Java plug-ins.

  MAC Client	Win Client	Linux Client
  Ctrl-Al-Del	Ctrl-Alt-Del	Ctrl-Alt-Del
  Alt-SysRq-B	Alt-SysRq-B	Alt-SysRq-B
  -	Win-P	-
  -	-	Ctrl-Alt-F<1-12>
  Alt-SysRq	-	-
  SysRq	-	-
  PrtScrn	-	-
  Alt-PrtScrn	-	-
  Pause	-	-

  NOTE:For keyboard macros supported in HTML plug-in, see the section HTML5 based virtual console.