Using the Remote Console Application

C H A P T E R 5

This chapter describes how to use the remote console application. It includes the following sections:

Accessing the Remote Console

Starting the Remote Console Application

Redirecting Keyboard, Video, Mouse, or Storage Devices

Installing an Operating System on a Remote Server

Other Remote Options

Accessing the Remote Console

The remote console application, which you access via a web browser, enables you to control your server’s operating system remotely using the screen, mouse, and keyboard, and to redirect local CD and diskette drives as if they were connected directly to the server.

Requirements

A compatible web browser and a minimum of JRE trademark 1.6.0 are required to operate the remote console application. See TABLE 5-1.

Note - You do not need to install any OS-specific drivers or helper applications on client systems to run the remote console application.

TABLE 5-1 Client Installation Requirements
Client OS	Java Runtime Environment Including Java Web Start	Web Browsers
Microsoft Windows XP Pro	JRE 1.6 (Java 6.0 or later)	Internet Explorer 6.0 and later Mozilla 1.7.5 or later Mozilla Firefox 1.0
Red Hat Linux 4.0 or later Desktop and Workstation Editions	JRE 1.6 (Java 6.0 or later)	Mozilla 1.7.5 or later Mozilla Firefox 1.0
Solaris 9	JRE 1.6 (Java 6.0 or later)	Mozilla 1.7.5
Solaris 10	JRE 1.6 (Java 6.0 or later)	Mozilla 1.7.5
SUSE Linux 9.2	JRE 1.6 (Java 6.0 or later)	Mozilla 1.7.5

Note - You can download the JRE 1.6 at http://java.sun.com.

Note - To start the remote console successfully, pop-ups must be allowed on the browser. With some browsers you can do this by pressing and holding the Control key when launching the remote console session.

CD and Diskette Redirection Operational Model

When you redirect the local client CD drive or diskette drive to a remote host server, the following rules apply:

In all cases, the CD drive and diskette drive appear to be plugged in to the host.

If you do not redirect them, the host acts as if there is no medium unless there is a CD in the host CD drive. If there is a CD in the host CD drive, the host accesses it normally.

The information in TABLE 5-2 describes different case scenarios in which the remote console application and CD drive and diskette drive redirection operate.

TABLE 5-2 Remote Console Operation With DVD Drive and Diskette Drive
Case	Status	DVD Seen by Host	Diskette Seen by Host
1	Remote console application not started or remote console started but DVD/diskette redirection not started.	DVD device present. No medium indication is sent to the host from the ELOM when the hosts asks.	Diskette device present. No medium indication is sent to the host from the ELOM when the host asks.
2	Remote console application started with no medium present in the drive.	DVD device present. Whenever the host asks, which may be automatic or when you access the device on the host, the remote client sends a status message. In this case since there is no medium, the status is no medium.	Diskette device present. Whenever the host asks (for example, you double-click a drive), the remote client sends a status message. In this case since there is no medium, the status is no medium.
3	Remote console application started with no medium, then medium is inserted.	DVD device present. Whenever the hosts asks (automatic or manual), the remote client sends a status message as medium present and also indicates the medium change.	Diskette device present. Whenever the host asks (manual), the remote client sends a status message as medium present and also indicates the medium change.
4	Remote console application started with medium inserted.	Same as 3.	Same as 3.
5	Remote console application started with medium present, then medium is removed.	Next command from the host gets a status message indicating medium not present.	Next command from the host gets a status message indicating medium not present.
6	Remote console application started with image redirection.	Same as 3.	Same as 3.
7	Remote console application started with image, but redirection is stopped (which is the only way to stop ISO redirection).	Driver knows DVD redirection stopped so it sends a medium absent status on the next host query.	Driver knows DVD redirection stopped so it sends a medium absent status on the next diskette query.
8	Network failure.	The software has a keep alive mechanism. The software detects keep alive failure since there is no communication and closes the socket, assuming the client is unresponsive. Driver sends a no medium status to the host.	The software has a keep alive mechanism. The software detects and unresponsive client, closes the socket, and indicates to the driver that the remote connection went away. Driver sends a no medium status to the host.
9	Client crashes.	Same as 8.	Same as 8.

Starting the Remote Console Application

Use this procedure to start the remote console application from a web browser. You might be presented with a series of questions. In each case, select Run.

Note - Each new ELOM system is delivered with DHCP set as the default. If an IP address is not found within 5 seconds, the system retries three times to find a DHCP server. If it is still unsuccessful, the SP will allow instant web access by defaulting to the IP address 192.168.xxx.xxx. Where xxx.xxx is based upon the last two fields of the SP MAC address.

To Start the Remote Console Application

1. Open your web browser.

2. In the address bar, enter the IP address of the SP.

The login screen appears.

3. Type an administrator user name and password.

Or use the default preconfigured account:

Username: rootPassword: changeme

4. Click Login.

The main menu screen appears.

5. Click the Remote Control tab, and select Redirection.

The screen displays a Launch Redirection button.

6. Click Launch Redirection.

A screen identifies your current host name, IP address, and user name. The Launch button opens the remote console.

7. Click Launch.

Note - For systems using Firefox and Mozilla web browsers, the required version of JRE must be at least version 1.6 or later.

The web browser downloads the embedded remote control application automatically, and the Remote Console screen appears.

If the remote console does not appear, it might be blocked by web browser security controls. Reduce security configuration to allow the remote console to appear.

Changing the format of the screen is described in the following section, To Set Parameters for the Remote Console.

Setting Parameters for the Remote Console

This section explains how to define the quality of video, the size of the screen, and set hot keys for the remote console application.

To Set Parameters for the Remote Console

1. From the Remote Control submenu, select Hotkey Setup.

The User Profile screen appears. The User Profile screen allows you to set up separate video, KVM, and hot key settings for each user. The subsequent window displays a version of the screen output. This requires a Java Webstart application to be launched.

a. The first time this application is launched you must respond to accept various security questions before the application is installed and operates correctly.

b. Right-click to display the remote console as a full screen.

By default, the remote console will synchronize both mouse cursors, and display only one mouse cursor within the remote console screen.

When the mouse cursor leaves the screen, the local cursor takes over and the other mouse cursor remains in the remote console screen.

You can enable user modes in the setup of the web GUI or in the remote console screen.

2. When the login is successful, the remote console screen appears.

The remote console application starts with the video and keyboard enabled by default. In most cases, you need only enable the mouse redirection. You can now use the remote console application to start your server’s operating system.

Note - For detailed instructions on how to enable and disable I/O and storage devices (CD-ROM and diskette drives), see Redirecting Keyboard, Video, Mouse, or Storage Devices.

Redirecting Keyboard, Video, Mouse, or Storage Devices

The remote console application supports the redirection of the following types of devices:

Video quality display - the server’s video output is automatically displayed on the local console screen.

Hot key - enable a single key to mimic a series of keystrokes.

Keyboard and mouse devices - Standard keyboards, mouse, and other pointing devices.

Keyboard redirection is enabled by default.

Mouse redirection must be enabled manually.

Storage devices - CD/DVD drives, USB flash, DVD-ROM or diskette disk drives, hard drives, or NFS.

Note - When attempting to mount a virtual USB device with the Solaris OS, the USB device might need to be physically removed and inserted.

Some redirection and mounting issues might occur with some versions of RHEL. To resolve RHEL redirection and mounting issues, see the workaround procedures in Redirection and Mount Workarounds for RHEL.

To Redirect Keyboard and Mouse Devices

Use the following procedure to redirect your local workstation or laptop keyboard and mouse to a remote server.

1. Start the remote console application as described in Starting the Remote Console Application.

2. From the Remote Control submenu, select the Hotkey Setup tab.

The Control Mode section of the Hotkey Setup screen enables mouse redirection.

3. Select Hardware Cursor to enable a variety of cursor movements.

Note - For the mouse to work correctly, you might have to change the mouse mode. Click the double mouse cursor on the navigation bar to toggle between local and remote mouse cursor movement. Keyboard redirection is selected by default.

FIGURE 5-1 Keyboard, Video, and Mouse Selections

Screenshot showing keyboard, video and mouse selections

4. You can click Submit to enable your options after each choice to observe the consequences, or continue directly to Step 5.

5. When you have completed your selections, click Submit to enable your options.

To Redirect Storage Devices

Use the following procedure to enable a storage device attached to your local workstation or laptop to serve as a storage device for a server. You can use this option to install software from a local CD/DVD drive to multiple remote servers.

You can also redirect a CD image file or a diskette image file stored on your hard drive.

1. Start the remote console application as described in Starting the Remote Console Application.

The Remote Console screen appears.

2. Select Storage from the drop-down list, and click Mount Device.

This enables the corresponding local storage device to connect to the remote server as though it were a storage device attached directly to that remote server.

Note - With the RHEL 5 OS, virtual USB devices are not shown in the drop-down list. For a workaround, see Mounting a Virtual USB Drive with RHEL 5.

3. Select a source device from the drop-down list.

To store a selection to a real CD-ROM device, select from the Drive Name drop-down list.

To store a CD image file or a diskette image file to your hard drive, select ISO file from the Source Device drop-down list.

Note - You cannot select two CD-ROM devices or two diskette devices. For example, you cannot select CD-ROM and CD-ROM image. Use the web browser to navigate to the corresponding file, then click Submit.

Redirection and Mount Workarounds for RHEL

The procedures in this section describe redirection and mount workarounds for some versions of RHEL. The procedures included here are:

Redirecting a CD/DVD Drive Using RHEL 3

Mounting More Than One Virtual Device with RHEL 4

Manually Mounting a Virtual Device Connected to a RHEL 5 System

To Mount a Virtual USB Drive with RHEL 5

Redirecting a CD/DVD Drive Using RHEL 3

When using RHEL 3, the system might not see any virtual CD/DVD drive. To resolve this issue, use the following procedure.

To Redirect a CD/DVD Drive Using RHEL 3

1. Open a terminal window.

2. Obtain the device ID of the CD/DVD drive using the following command:

# ls -al /dev/cdrom

The result of the command might look similar to:

  /dev/hda

hda is the CD/DVD-ROM device ID.

3. Edit the lilo.conf file by adding the following line:

xxx=ide-scsi

xxx The CD/DVD drive device ID obtained in Step 2

Example:
image=/boot/bmlinuz-2.4.21-40.EL
label=linux
initrd=/boot/initrd--2.4.21.40.EL.img
read-only
root=/dev/hda1
append=xxx=ide-scsi

4. Save and exit the file.

5. Edit grub.conf file by adding the following line:

xxx=ide-scsi

xxx The CD/DVD drive device ID obtained in Step 2

Example:
timeout=1-
splashimage=(hd0,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
title Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS (2.4.21-40.EL)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.21-40.EL ro root=LABEL=/ xxx=ide-scsiinitrd-2.4.21-40.EL.img

6. Save and exit the file.

7. Reboot the system.

Mounting More Than One Virtual Device with RHEL 4

To Mount More Than One Virtual Device with RHEL 4

1. Edit the /etc/modprobe.conf file by adding the following line:

options scsi_mod max_luns=xxx.

xxx The number of LUNs to support

2. Build the initial ramdisk to implement the change.

mkinitrd -f /boot/newimage-2.6.xx 2.6.xx

xx The kernel version

3. Change the boot/grub/menu.1st parameter to:

newimage-2.6.xx

xx The kernel version

4. Save and exit the file.

5. Reboot the system.

After the reboot, the LUNs should appear.

Manually Mounting a Virtual Device Connected to a RHEL 5 System

When mounting a virtual device, sometimes the device might not automount on the remote system with RHEL 5. Use this procedure to manually mount the device.

To Manually Mount a Virtual Device Remotely Connected to a RHEL 5 System

1. Double-click on the computer icon on desktop.

2. Right-click on the new device and select Mount.

Mounting a Virtual USB Drive with RHEL 5

With the RHEL 5, virtual USB devices are not shown in the drop-down list. Use this procedure to mount a virtual USB drive on a RHEL 5 system.

To Mount a Virtual USB Drive with RHEL 5

1. Edit the file /usr/share/hal/fdi/policy/10osvendor/20-storage-methods.fdi.

2. Search for the following string: "<match key="volume.fsusage" string="filesystem">"

The search returns the following infomation:

<append key="volume.mount.valid_options" type="strlist">codepage=</append>

<append key="volume.mount.valid_options" type="strlist">iocharset=</append>

<append key="volume.mount.valid_options" type="strlist">umask=</append>

</match>

3. Add the following text to the file:

Place this text immediately after the text that was returned in Step 2.

<match key="@block.storage_device:storage.vendor" string="Virtual">

<match key="@block.storage_device:storage.model" string="DVD/CD-ROM">

<match key="info.category" string="volume">

<match key="block.is_volume" bool="true">

<match key="volume.fsusage" string="">

<merge key="volume.fsusage" type="string">filesystem</merge>

<merge key="volume.fstype" type="string">iso9660</merge>

</match>

4. Save and exit the file.

5. Reboot the system.

Installing an Operating System on a Remote Server

This method includes using a CD or DVD drive or image of the operating system on a remote networked system to install the operating system onto the server.

Requirements for Remote KMVS Over IP installation include:

Remote system connected to the network

CD/DVD drive connected to the remote system

Media for installing the operating system of your choice

SP of the server set up as instructed in the server installation guide.

To Install an OS on a Remote Server Using a Virtual CD-ROM

Note - Disable the timeout function when installing remotely from the virtual CD-ROM.

1. On your laptop or local terminal, open a web browser, and enter the IP address of the Sun Fire X4150 server service processor for the target system.

This is the server on which you want to install the operating system.

2. Type the user name and password in the login screen.

3. From the Remote Control submenu, click the Redirection tab.

4. Click the Launch Redirection button to open a remote console screen.

5. Insert the operating system CD/DVD to be installed on the server into your laptop or local CD/DVD drive.

6. In the remote console screen, choose Storage ->Mount devices.

The Device Configuration screens appears.

7. Under Storage 1, in the drop-down list, select the local CD/DVD that you will be using for the installation.

8. Click Submit.

9. Reboot the server.

The system will add the virtual CD-ROM to the boot order, and boot from it.

Other Remote Options

Command-line options that are available to address many of these tasks include IPMI tools (Chapter 6), CLI (Chapter 7), and SSH (Secure Shell).