Virtual Console session is active even if you have logged out
of iDRAC web interface. Is this the expected behavior?
Yes. Close the Virtual Console Viewer window to log out
of the corresponding session.
Can a new remote console video session be started when the local
video on the server is turned off?
Yes.
Why does it take 15 seconds to turn off the local video on the
server after requesting to turn off the local video?
It gives a local user an opportunity to take any action
before the video is switched off.
Is there a time delay when turning on the local video?
No, after a local video turn ON request is received
by iDRAC, the video is turned on instantly.
Can the local user also turn off or turn on the video?
When the local console is disabled, the local user
cannot turn off or turn on the video.
Does switching off the local video also switch off the local keyboard
and mouse?
No.
Does turning off the local console turn off the video on the remote
console session?
No, turning the local video
on or off is independent of the remote console session.
What privileges are required for an iDRAC user to turn on or turn
off the local server video?
Any user with iDRAC
configuration privileges can turn on or turn off the local console.
How to get the current status of the local server video?
The status is displayed on the Virtual Console page.
Use the RACADM command
racadm getconfig –g
cfgRacTuning
to display the status in the object
cfgRacTuneLocalServerVideo.
Or, use the
following RACADM command from a Telnet, SSH, or a remote session:
racadm -r (iDrac IP) -u (username) -p (password) getconfig -g cfgRacTuning
The status is also seen on the Virtual Console
OSCAR display. When the local console is enabled, a green status is
displayed next to the server name. When disabled, a yellow dot indicates
that iDRAC has locked the local console.
Why is the bottom of the system screen not seen from the Virtual
Console window?
Make sure that the management
station’s monitor resolution is set to 1280 x 1024.
Why is the Virtual Console Viewer window garbled on Linux operating
system?
The console viewer on Linux requires
a UTF-8 character set. Check your locale and reset the character set
if required.
Why does the mouse not synchronize under the Linux text console
in Lifecycle Controller?
Virtual Console requires
the USB mouse driver, but the USB mouse driver is available only under
the X-Window operating system. In the Virtual Console viewer, do any
of the following:
- Go to
tab. Under
Mouse Acceleration, select
Linux.
- Under the
Tools menu, select
Single Cursor option.
How to synchronize the mouse pointers on the Virtual Console Viewer
window?
Before starting a Virtual Console session,
make sure that the correct mouse is selected for your operating system.
Make sure that the
Single Cursor option under
Tools in the iDRAC Virtual Console
menu is selected on iDRAC Virtual Console client. The default is two
cursor mode.
Can a keyboard or mouse be used while installing a Microsoft operating
system remotely through the Virtual Console?
No. When you remotely install a supported Microsoft operating system
on a system with Virtual Console enabled in the BIOS, an EMS Connection
Message is sent that requires that you select
OK remotely. You must either select
OK on the
local system or restart the remotely managed server, reinstall, and
then turn off the Virtual Console in BIOS.
This
message is generated by Microsoft to alert the user that Virtual Console
is enabled. To make sure that this message does not appear, always
turn off Virtual Console in the iDRAC Settings utility before remotely
installing an operating system.
Why does the Num Lock indicator on the management station not
reflect the status of the Num Lock on the remote server?
When accessed through the iDRAC, the Num Lock indicator
on the management station does not necessarily coincide with the state
of the Num Lock on the remote server. The state of the Num Lock depends
the setting on the remote server when the remote session is connected,
regardless of the state of the Num Lock on the management station.
Why do multiple Session Viewer windows appear when a Virtual Console
session is established from the local host?
You are configuring a Virtual Console session from the local system.
This is not supported.
If a Virtual Console session is in-progress and a local user accesses
the managed server, does the first user receive a warning message?
No. If a local user accesses the system, both
have control of the system.
How much bandwidth is required to run a Virtual Console session?
It is recommended to have a 5 MBPS connection
for good performance. A 1 MBPS connection is required for minimal
performance.
What is the minimum system requirements for the management station
to run Virtual Console?
The management station
requires an Intel Pentium III 500 MHz processor with at least 256
MB of RAM.
Why does Virtual Console Viewer window sometimes displays No Signal
message?
You may see this message because the
iDRAC Virtual Console plug-in is not receiving the remote server desktop
video. Generally, this behavior may occur when the remote server is
turned off. Occasionally, the message may be displayed due to a remote
server desktop video reception malfunction.
Why does Virtual Console Viewer window sometimes display an Out
of Range message?
You may see this message
because a parameter necessary to capture video is beyond the range
for which the iDRAC can capture the video. Parameters such as display
resolution or refresh rate too high causes an out of range condition.
Normally, physical limitations such as video memory size or bandwidth
sets the maximum range of parameters.
When starting a Virtual Console session from iDRAC web interface,
why is an ActiveX security popup displayed?
iDRAC may not be in the trusted site list. To prevent the security
popup from appearing every time you begin a Virtual Console session,
add iDRAC to the trusted site list in the client browser:
- Click
.
- Click
Sites and enter the
IP address or the DNS name of iDRAC
- Click
Add.
- Click
Custom Level.
- In the
Security Settings window,
select
Prompt under
Download unsigned
ActiveX Controls
.
Why is the Virtual Console Viewer window blank?
If you have Virtual Media privilege, but not Virtual
Console privilege, you can start the viewer to access the virtual
media feature, but the managed server’s console is not displayed.
Why doesn’t the mouse synchronize in DOS when using Virtual Console?
The Dell BIOS is emulating the mouse driver as
a PS/2 mouse. By design, the PS/2 mouse uses relative position for
the mouse pointer, which causes the lag in syncing. iDRAC has a USB
mouse driver that allows absolute position and closer tracking of
the mouse pointer. Even if iDRAC passes the USB absolute mouse position
to the Dell BIOS, the BIOS emulation converts it back to relative
position and the behavior remains. To fix this problem, set the mouse
mode to USC/Diags in the Configuration screen.
After launching the Virtual Console, the mouse cursor is active
on the Virtual Console, but not on the local system. Why does this
occur and how to resolve this?
This occurs
if the
Mouse Mode is set to
USC/Diags. Press
Alt + M hot key to use the mouse on
the local system. Press
Alt + M again to use
the mouse on the Virtual Console.
When iDRAC web interface is launched from the CMC web interface
soon after Virtual Console is launched, why does GUI session time-out?
When launching the Virtual Console to iDRAC from
the CMC web interface a popup is opened to launch the Virtual Console.
The popup closes shortly after the Virtual Console opens.
When launching both the GUI and Virtual Console to the
same iDRAC system on a management station, a session time-out for
the iDRAC GUI occurs if the GUI is launched before the popup closes.
If the iDRAC GUI is launched from the CMC web interface after the
popup with the Virtual Console closed, this issue does not appear.
Why does Linux SysRq key not work with Internet Explorer?
The Linux SysRq key behavior is different when using
Virtual Console from Internet Explorer. To send the SysRq key, press
the
Print Screen key and release while holding the
Ctrl and
Alt keys. To send the SysRq key to a remote Linux server
though iDRAC, while using Internet Explorer:
- Activate the magic key function on the remote Linux
server. You can use the following command to activate it on the Linux
terminal:
echo 1 > /proc/sys/kernel/sysrq
- Activate the keyboard pass-through mode of Active
X Viewer.
- Press
Ctrl+Alt+Print Screen.
- Release only
Print Screen.
- Press
Print Screen+Ctrl+Alt.
-
NOTE: The SysRq
feature is currently not supported with Internet Explorer and Java.
Why is the "Link Interrupted" message displayed at the bottom
of the Virtual Console?
When using the shared
network port during a server reboot, iDRAC is disconnected while BIOS
is resetting the network card. This duration is longer on 10 Gb cards,
and is also exceptionally long if the connected network switch has
Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) enabled. In this case, it is recommended
to enable "portfast" for the switch port connected to the server.
In most cases, the Virtual Console restores itself.