Working with Virtual Media
The virtual media feature is a powerful tool that allows you to mount a disk image (like an .iso file) from your local machine or a network share and present it to the server as if it were a physical USB CD-ROM or flash drive. This is the standard method for remotely installing an operating system, running diagnostic tools, or updating firmware from a bootable image.
This chapter explains how to choose the right method for your task and walks you through the steps for mounting images and troubleshooting common issues.
Choosing the right mounting method
The BMC offers two ways to mount an image. Choosing the right one depends on your file's location, its size, and how often you'll use it.
Mount from your local machine: Best for quick, one-off tasks with smaller images (e.g., a diagnostic tool or a driver disk). It's convenient because the file is already on your computer, but it relies on your browser's connection and can be slow for very large files.
Mount from an external server: The preferred method for installing operating systems or using large, standardized images. It's generally faster and more reliable because the connection is between two servers on the same network. This is the standard practice in most data center environments.
Mounting an image from your local machine
This method streams an image file directly from your computer to the server through the web browser.
In the sidebar menu, navigate to Operations > Virtual media.
In the Load image from web browser section, find an available slot (e.g., Slot_1).
Click Add file and select the bootable image file (
.iso,.img, etc.) from your computer.Click the Start button. The BMC will initiate a WebSocket session and present the file to the server as a connected USB device.
[Image, EXISTING, Source: 6.9: Screenshot of the Virtual media page, showing the options to load an image from a web browser or an external server.]
Best Practice: Use a stable, wired connection
Streaming an image from your local machine consumes significant network bandwidth between your computer and the BMC. For best results, use a stable, wired network connection. A weak Wi-Fi signal can cause the connection to drop, interrupting the process.
Mounting an image from an external server
This method tells the BMC to connect to a network share (NFS or CIFS) and mount an image file from there.
On the Virtual media page, find an available slot in the Load image from external server section (e.g., Slot_2).
Click Configure Connection.
Fill in the connection details in the popup window:
External server URI: The IP address or Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of your file server.
Path to Image: The full path to the image file on the server. For CIFS, this often looks like
\\sharename\folder\image.iso.Mount Type: Select CIFS (for Windows shares) or NFS.
Username and Password: Enter the credentials needed to access the share (for CIFS).
Click Save to close the dialog.
Click the Start button for that slot to initiate the connection.
[Image, EXISTING, Source: 6.9: Screenshot of the legacy mode configuration dialog for mounting an image from a CIFS/HTTPS share.]
Troubleshooting virtual media issues
If you run into problems, here are a few common issues and their solutions.
Problem: The image is mounted, but the server won't boot from it.
Solution: You likely need to change the boot order. After mounting the image, go to Operations > Server power operations, set the Boot settings override to CD or Usb, and then perform an orderly reboot. This forces the server to look for your virtual media first.
Problem: The connection fails when mounting from an external server.
Solution: Double-check your settings. The most common errors are an incorrect Path to Image, mistyped Username or Password, or a firewall blocking the connection between the BMC and the file server on the required ports (NFS or CIFS).
Problem: The boot process fails with a "media not found" error when using a Windows ISO.
Solution: This is a known limitation. Standard Windows installation ISOs often use a file system (UDF) that is not directly bootable via this virtual media feature. You may need to use a utility to convert the ISO to a bootable MBR/FAT32 image format first for the installation to work correctly.
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