Enter the URL for the scripted media in the Scripted Media URL box in the Connect Virtual Floppy (IMG files) or Connect CD/DVD-ROM section (ISO files). On ProLiant Gen8 servers only: Select the Boot on Next Reset check box if you want the server to boot. Our HTTP server shows the GET requests but the HP iLO does not boot to the ISO correctly - it goes into some red text with weird characters. We verified the ISO works just fine when we use the Remote Console to manually select the local file and boot to it. So the ISO is valid. Then connected to iLo of host, from VC, connected Virtual Media to the.iso and booted the host. It started fine, then got to a screen where it asked where the files were - Local CD, Hard drive, NFS share, FTP, or HTTP (I've never seen that before on any other ESX install, but this is my first U5).

Accessing an ISO file for new OS installation a new HP Proliant server can be tricky if we don’t have manual access to the server or if we intend to do this remotely.

In page number: 237 of the ILO 4 user guide available at HPE iLO 4 User Guide, I found below paragraph, which can be an option to access the ISO image from new physical server.

Using an image file through a URL (IIS/Apache) You can connect scripted media by using the .NET IRC or Java IRC.

Scripted media supports only 1.44 MB floppy disk images (.img) and CD/DVD-ROM images (.iso).

The image must be on a web server on the same network as iLO.

1. Start the .NET IRC or Java IRC.
2. Depending on the image type you will use, select Virtual Drives→URL RemovableMedia (.img) or Virtual Drives→URL CD-ROM/DVD (.iso). The Image file at URL dialog box opens.
3. Enter the URL for the image file that you want to mount as a virtual drive, and then click Connect. The virtual drive activity LED does not show drive activity for URL-mounted virtual media.

Following is the process flow which has been mentioned in the HP blog ILO 4 Scripted Media URL

1. Use an existing web server, or install a new web server for the purpose of delivering the ISO files

Ilo Does Not Boot From Virtual Media Iso File Using

2. Create a folder to hold the ISO images

3. Add ISO file(s)

4. Enable directory browsing in Web Services. You can do this with the IIS manager if its a Windows web server. If you created a custom folder for the files, enable directory browsing on that folder.

5. You must add a MIME type for the ISO extension. In Server 2008 IIS, you can do this from the HTTP Headers selection in IIS Manager.

a> .ISO application/octet-stream

b> .IMG application/octet-stream

6. Login to the ILO target server, and open the remote console

7. At the top of the window, click on Virtual Drives, and then select URL DVD ROM

8. Input the HTTP path to the image file, including the file name. Click connect and it will mount the drive. Path will resemble “http://hostname or IP/folder/filename.ISO”

Now the problem with this approach is network latency, especially when the infrastructure is globally spread.

So what can be solution here. Virtual folders?

lets read below two paragraphs taken from the user guide.

Operating system considerations: Virtual Folder

• Windows—A Virtual Folder appears automatically after Windows recognizes the mounting of the virtual USB device. You can use the folder the same way that you use a locally attached device. Virtual Folders are nonbootable. Attempting to boot from the Virtual Folder might prevent the server from starting.

Virtual folders enable you to access, browse to, and transfer files from a client to a managed server. You can mount and dismount a local or networked directory that is accessible through the client. After you create a virtual image of a folder or directory, the server connects to the image as a USB storage device, enabling you to browse to the server and transfer the files from the virtual image to the server.

Using iLO Virtual Media TheVirtual Folder is nonbootable and read-only; the mounted folder is static. Changes to the client folder are not replicated in the mounted folder.

Apart from this virtual folders also have a size limit of 2 GB.

Ilo Does Not Boot From Virtual Media Iso File

So we come down to our next option -> Image File CD/DVD-ROM –

For this option we first need to copy the ISO file to a temporary server in the network where we are installing the new physical server. From this temporary server, we should access the ILO of new server. And select VIrtual Drives Option as Image File CD/DVD-ROM. We then have to browse to ISO file stored locally on temporary server and mount it. As this time the ISO file is in the same network as the new server, the network latency would be eliminated and access speed would be greatly enhanced.

13.24.1. Introduction¶

The primary method for Digital Rebar Platform (DRP) to obtain control and manage the lifecycleof systems is via the in-band DHCP/PXE boot path. In some cases, this path may not be availabledue to network and security policy, or by operational principle.

The primary in-band DHCP/PXE path is dramatically faster, scales to 10s of thousands of systems,and is in general a much more reliable path. The Baseboard Management Controller (BMC, aka “IPMI”,aka “redfish controller”) on many enterprise grade ssytems often lock up and require soft or hardresets, is extremely slow to process the ISO virtual media boot path, and inconsistent from vendorto vendor.

Should you still need to mount ISOs through the BMC, this Operations document will help youto dynamically generate the Boot ISO and control your hardware via the BMC Virtual Media bootingpath.

Here is a short-ish (10 min) video demonstrating this feature:

13.24.1.1. Supported Platforms¶

Due to the customized and unique design of each BMC in different manufacturers hardware platforms,the Virtual Media boot functions only work on limited platform types. Here is the current list ofsupport in DRP by vendor.

13.24.1.2. Prerequisites¶

For Technical Preview use of the VirtualMedia ISO Booting method, you must ensure thefollowing prerequisites are met:

• DRP Version: v4.6.0-alpha00.50 or newer
• drp-community-content: v4.6.0-alpha00.154 or newer (*)
• ipmiplugin: v4.6.0-alpha00.59 or newer
• IPMI actions configured and working via the IPMI plugin
• sledgehammer-builder: v4.6.0-alpha00.154 or newer (**)

Note

Ilo Does Not Boot From Virtual Media Iso File Windows 10

(*) A new version of the Sledgehammer BootEnv iso/tar must also be updated withthe DRP Community Content update. There are enhancements in Sledgehammer tosupport this feature (eg drpclibootenvsuploadisosledgehammer).

Note

(**) Sledgehammer Builder is only required if you intend to create customized versionsof Sledgehammer for the Boot ISO image, otherwise this content pack is not required.

The General Availability (GA) release v4.6.0 of all respective components should supportthis capability, however it may still be marked as a Technical Preview feature and nota production supported feature.

Ilo Does Not Boot From Virtual Media Iso File May

The new version of the Sledgehammer BootEnv ISO (technically it’s a tarball), containsa new embedded tempalte cdboot.iso which is used in the dynamic generated per-machinecustom ISO. In addition, Sledgehammer has been modified to allow injection of Static IPassignments to the Sledgehammer environment (in addition to the default DHCP IP addressassignment method).