Managing Remote Presence

This chapter includes the following sections:

Managing the Virtual KVM

KVM Console

The KVM console is an interface accessible from the CIMC that emulates a direct keyboard, video, and mouse connection to the server. The KVM console allows you to connect to the server from a remote location. Instead of using CD/DVD or floppy drives physically connected to the server, the KVM console uses virtual media, which are actual disk drives or disk image files that are mapped to virtual CD/DVD or floppy drives. You can map any of the following to a virtual drive:

  • CD/DVD or floppy drive on your computer

  • Disk image files (ISO or IMG files) on your computer

  • USB flash drive on your computer

You can use the KVM console to install an operating system or hypervisor on the server and to do the following:

  • Access the BIOS setup menu by pressing F2 during bootup.

  • Access the CIMC Configuration Utility by pressing F8 during bootup.

    Note

    The CIMC Configuration Utility is not applicable to the EHWIC E-Series NCE and the NIM E-Series NCE.

  • On Cisco UCS M1 and M2 servers, access the WebBIOS to configure RAID, by pressing Ctrl-H during bootup.

    On Cisco UCS M3 servers, access the MegaRAID controller to configure RAID, by pressing Ctrl-R during bootup.


    Note

    RAID is not supported on EHWIC E-Series NCE and NIM E-Series NCE. The Ctrl-H and Ctrl-R will not work on these SKUs.

Java Requirements to Launch the KVM Console

To launch the KVM console, you must have Java release 1.6 or later installed in your system.

If the KVM console fails to launch because the certificate is revoked by Java, you must change your Java settings. Do the following:

  1. Access the Java control panel.

  2. Click the Advanced tab

  3. Under Perform certificate revocation on, choose the Do not check (not recommended) radio button. For more information, see http:/​/​www.java.com/​en/​download/​help/​revocation_​options.xml.

Configuring the Virtual KVM

Before You Begin

You must log in as a user with admin privileges to configure the virtual KVM.

Procedure
    Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server menu.
    Step 2   On the Server tab, click Remote Presence.
    Step 3   In the Remote Presence pane, click the Virtual KVM tab.
    Step 4   In the vKVM Properties area, complete the following fields:
    Name Description

    Enabled check box

    If checked, the virtual KVM is enabled.

    Note   

    The virtual media viewer is accessed through the KVM. If you disable the KVM console, CIMC also disables access to all virtual media devices attached to the host.

    Max Sessions drop-down list

    The maximum number of concurrent KVM sessions allowed. You can select any number between 1 and 4.

    Active Sessions field

    The number of KVM sessions running on the server.

    Remote Port field

    The port used for KVM communication.

    Enable Video Encryption check box

    If checked, the server encrypts all video information sent through the KVM.

    Enable Local Server Video check box

    Note   

    Not displayed for the EHWIC E-Series NCE.

    If checked, the KVM session is also displayed on any monitor attached to the server.

    Step 5   Click Save Changes.

    Enabling the Virtual KVM

    Before You Begin

    You must log in as a user with admin privileges to enable the virtual KVM.

    Procedure
      Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server menu.
      Step 2   On the Server tab, click Remote Presence.
      Step 3   In the Remote Presence pane, click the Virtual KVM tab.
      Step 4   In the vKVM Properties area, check the Enabled check box.
      Step 5   Click Save Changes.

      Disabling the Virtual KVM

      Before You Begin

      You must log in as a user with admin privileges to disable the virtual KVM.

      Procedure
        Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server menu.
        Step 2   On the Server tab, click Remote Presence.
        Step 3   In the Remote Presence pane, click the Virtual KVM tab.
        Step 4   In the vKVM Properties area, uncheck the Enabled check box.
        Step 5   Click Save Changes.

        Configuring Virtual Media

        Before You Begin

        You must log in as a user with admin privileges to perform this task.

        Procedure
          Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server menu.
          Step 2   On the Server tab, click Remote Presence.
          Step 3   In the Remote Presence pane, click the Virtual Media tab.
          Step 4   In the Virtual Media Properties area, update the following properties:
          Name Description

          Enabled check box

          If checked, virtual media is enabled.

          Note   

          If you clear this check box, all virtual media devices are automatically detached from the host.

          Active Sessions field

          The number of virtual media sessions that are currently running.

          Enable Virtual Media Encryption check box

          If checked, all virtual media communications are encrypted.

          Low Power USB enabled check box

          If checked, low power USB is enabled.

          If the low power USB is enabled, after mapping the ISO and rebooting the host, the virtual drives appear on the boot selection menu. But, while mapping an ISO to a server that has a UCS VIC P81E card and the NIC is in Cisco Card mode, this option must be disabled for the virtual drives to appear on the boot selection menu.

          Step 5   Click Save Changes.

          Creating a CIMC-Mapped vMedia Volume

          Before You Begin

          You must log in as a user with admin privileges to perform this task.

          Procedure
            Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server menu.
            Step 2   On the Server tab, click Remote Presence.
            Step 3   In the Remote Presence pane, click the Virtual Media tab.
            Step 4   In the CIMC-Mapped vMedia area, click Add New Mapping.
            Step 5   In the CIMC-Mapped vMedia dialog box, update the following fields:
            Name Description

            Volume field

            The identity of the image mounted for mapping.

            Mount Type drop-down list

            The type of mapping. This can be one of the following:

            • NFS—Network File System.

            • CIFS—Common Internet File System.

            • WWW(HTTP/HTTPS)—HTTP-based or HTTPS-based system.

            Remote Share field

            The URL of the image to be mapped. The format depends on the selected Mount Type:

            • NFS—Use serverip:/share.

            • CIFS—Use //serverip/share.

            • WWW(HTTP/HTTPS)—Use http[s]://serverip/share.

            Remote File field

            The name and location of the .iso or .img file in the remote share.

            Mount Options field

            Industry-standard mount options entered in a comma separated list. The options vary depending on the selected Mount Type.

            If you are using NFS, leave the field blank or enter one or more of the following:

            • ro

            • rw

            • nolock

            • noexec

            • soft

            • port=VALUE

            • timeo=VALUE

            • retry=VALUE

            If you are using CIFS, leave the field blank or enter one or more of the following:

            • soft

            • nounix

            • noserverino

            • guest

            • username=VALUE—ignored if guest is entered.

            • password=VALUE—ignored if guest is entered.

            If you are using WWW(HTTP/HTTPS), leave the field blank or enter the following:

            • noauto

            User Name field

            The username for the specified Mount Type, if required.

            Password field

            The password for the selected username, if required.

            Step 6   Click Save.

            Viewing CIMC-Mapped vMedia Volume Properties

            Before You Begin

            You must log in as a user with admin privileges to perform this task.

            Procedure
              Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server menu.
              Step 2   On the Server tab, click Remote Presence.
              Step 3   In the Remote Presence pane, click the Virtual Media tab.
              Step 4   In the CIMC-Mapped vMedia area, select a row from the Current Mappings table.
              Step 5   Click Properties and review the following information:
              Name Description

              Volume field

              The identity of the image mounted for mapping.

              Mount Type drop-down list

              The type of mapping. This can be one of the following:

              • NFS—Network File System.

              • CIFS—Common Internet File System.

              • WWW(HTTP/HTTPS)—HTTP-based or HTTPS- based system.

              Remote Share field

              The URL of the image to be mapped.

              Remote File field

              The name and location of the .iso or .img file in the remote share.

              Mount Options field

              The selected mount options.

              User Name field

              The username, if any.

              Password field

              The password for the selected username, if any.

              Removing a CIMC-Mapped vMedia Volume

              Before You Begin

              You must log in as a user with admin privileges to perform this task.

              Procedure
                Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server menu.
                Step 2   On the Server tab, click Remote Presence.
                Step 3   In the Remote Presence pane, click the Virtual Media tab.
                Step 4   In the CIMC-Mapped vMedia area, click Unmap.

                Configuring Serial Over LAN

                Serial over LAN enables the input and output of the serial port of a managed system to be redirected over IP. Configure and use serial over LAN on your server when you want to reach the host console with CIMC.


                Note

                Some operating systems, such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux, require extra configuration to redirect the serial console.

                Before You Begin

                You must log in as a user with admin privileges to configure serial over LAN.

                Procedure
                  Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server menu.
                  Step 2   On the Server tab, click Remote Presence.
                  Step 3   In the Remote Presence pane, click the Serial over LAN tab.
                  Step 4   In the Serial over LAN Properties area, update the following properties:
                  Name Description

                  Enabled check box

                  If checked, Serial over LAN is enabled on this server.

                  Baud Rate drop-down list

                  The baud rate the system uses for Serial over LAN communication. You can select one of the following:

                  • 9600 bps

                  • 19.2 kbps

                  • 38.4 kbps

                  • 57.6 kbps

                  • 115.2 kbps

                  SSH Portfield

                  The port to use for secure shell access. The default is 22.

                  Step 5   Click Save Changes.