Virtual media lets you boot a dedicated server from your own ISO image — to install an operating system, or to run a recovery or diagnostic tool. The image is mounted through the server's management interface and appears to the server as a physical drive.
For how to reach the management interface, see What is IPMI (IP-KVM) and how do I connect to it?
The method depends on the hardware. We use servers from several manufacturers, and their management interfaces differ in how virtual media works — some mount an image uploaded through the browser, others need it reachable over the network. If you plan to install from your own image, open a ticket first with the image you intend to use: we will tell you the workable method for your server, or mount it for you.
The general procedure
- Open the remote console from the management interface.
- Find the Virtual Media section — in the console's menu, or as a separate page in the web interface.
- Attach your ISO image. Depending on the interface this means uploading the file, selecting it from your computer, or giving the address of a network share.
- Confirm that the image is attached. The interface reports the connection state; the console log or status field will show it.
- Restart the server through Power Control and enter the BIOS/UEFI.
- Select the virtual drive as the boot device, either from the boot menu or by changing the boot order.
On Supermicro interfaces the console path is Virtual Media → Virtual Storage, where you choose ISO File as the logical drive type, open the image and click Plug In. On Dell iDRAC the equivalent is under the Virtual Console's Virtual Media menu, and on Lenovo XClarity Controller under Remote Console media settings.
Before you start
- Installing from an image wipes the server. Copy off everything you need first — see What to do before returning a server for the list of things people forget.
- Check the image boots. A damaged or non-bootable ISO simply produces a server that does not start, and the console does not always make the reason obvious.
- Allow time. An image mounted over the network installs considerably more slowly than one on local media. A full operating system installation this way can take a while.
- Note the network settings — address, gateway, netmask, DNS — before you begin. An operating system installed from your own image will not be configured for our network automatically.
If the keyboard or mouse does not work in the console
On some older Supermicro platforms the input devices need to be enabled explicitly: in the console window, use Options → Keyboard Mouse Hotplug. A virtual keyboard is also available from the console menu, which is useful for entering the BIOS when the physical keyboard is not being passed through.
If the server will not boot from the image
- Check that the image is still attached — some interfaces drop the connection when the console window is closed.
- Check whether the server is in UEFI or Legacy boot mode, and whether your image supports that mode. An image that boots only in Legacy mode will not appear in a UEFI boot menu at all.
- Secure Boot may prevent an unsigned image from starting; it can be disabled in the BIOS/UEFI.
If you cannot get the image to mount or boot, open a ticket from your client area saying which server it concerns and which image you are using — the approach differs by hardware, and it is usually quicker for us to do it than to describe it.
