APPENDICES
47
Appendix B: Virtual media
Virtual media and USB 2.0 constraints
The virtual media feature of ServSelect IP VM appliance enables you to connect to the
USB port of an attached computer. With this feature, a user located at the appliance or
using the remote software can access a local USB storage device, such as a USB CD drive,
diskette drive, or flash drive, from an attached computer.
The USB VM SAM module is a composite device that addresses four functions: keyboard,
mouse, CD drive, and mass storage device. The CD drive and mass storage device will be
present on the target device whether or not a virtual media session is mapped. If a media
device is not mapped, it is shown without media present. When a virtual media device is
mapped to the target device, the target device will be notified that media has been inserted.
When the media device is unmapped, the target device will be notified that the media was
removed. Therefore, the USB virtual device is not disconnected from the target device.
The USB VM SAM presents the keyboard and mouse as a composite USB 2.0 device.
Therefore the BIOS must support composite USB 2.0 human interface device (HID). If the
BIOS of the connected computer does not support this type of device, the keyboard and
mouse might not work until the operating system loads USB 2.0 device drivers. If this
occurs, there might be a BIOS update provided by the computer manufacturer that will
provide BIOS support for a USB 2.0 connected keyboard and mouse.
Booting a computer using virtual memory
In many cases the virtual media feature can boot an attached computer from a device
attached to the USB port on the appliance. Most computers with a USB port can use
virtual media; however, limitations in some USB media devices and the BIOS of some
computers might prevent the computer from booting from a USB device attached to the
ServSelect IP VM appliance.
Booting from a virtual USB device is dependant on the target device supporting booting
from an external composite USB device. It also requires a CD of the operating system that
supports external USB 2.0 booting. The following is a partial list of operating systems that
support booting from an external USB 2.0 device:
• Windows Server 2003
• Windows XP
• Windows 2000 Server with Service Pack 4 (SP4) or later
To determine if your computer can be booted from virtual media, complete
the following steps:
1. Connect a USB CD drive to the ServSelect IP VM appliance with an operating sys-
tem installation CD that is bootable and map it to the target device. Reboot the target
device to determine if it will boot from this attached CD drive. The BIOS might need
to be set to boot from an external USB device.
2. If the target device will not boot, connect the USB CD drive to a USB port on the tar-
get device and reboot the target device. If the target device successfully boots from
the CD drive, the BIOS is not supporting booting from a composite USB 2.0 device.
Check the support Web site from the target device manufacturer to determine if a
later BIOS is available that might support booting from a composite USB 2.0 device.
If so, update the BIOS and retry.
