How to get iDRAC 6 Console Working with Google Chrome

     I've been able to use Dell's Remote Console, iDRAC 6, to work with Google Chrome without any issues. You can login to the web interface and navigate all of the menus without any re-configuration to the iDRAC settings. However to launch the Virtual Console and Virtual Media interface, you must make one adjustment. You must change the virtual console from Native to Java and specify the javaws.exe as the launcher for the JNLP file that will download.



1. Log into the web interface for iDRAC.
2. Select System from the right menu and then click Console/Media.
3. Select the Configuration screen menu
4. In the Virtual Console section, locate the Plug-in Type drop-down menu and select Java (Native is the default)

5. Click Apply at the bottom of the screen.
6. Select the Virtual Console and Virtual Media screen and then click Launch Virtual Console to launch the server console.
7. The file viewer.jnlp will download. Once the download is complete, click on the file download notification in Google Chrome to open it.
8. Click the Select a program from a list of installed programs radio button and click OK.

9. Click Browse...
10. Navigate to the Java Runtime installation directory on your computer and open the BIN folder (the complete path on my computer, which has a default installation, is C:\Program Files\Java\jre7\bin)
11. Select javaws.exe from the list of files and click Open. (This program file is called the Java(TM) Web Start Launcher)
12. Check the box Always use the selected program to open this kind of file and click OK.

13. Confirm any security or firewall prompts that appear.

Boom! You should be good to go.


Production Environment

• Microsoft Windows 7 64bit with SP1 (and fully patched on the date of this writing)
• Google Chrome 26.0.1410.64 m
• Java Runtime 7u21
• Dell iDRAC6 1.95

Dell iDRAC 6 Virtual Console - Keyboard Not Working

   When I launch the virtual console for the server my iDRAC is installed on, I am able to see the screen and to click on the logon buttons, however when I want to type anything...no text is passed to the console. I dug a little bit on the Internet and found two suggestions:

• Problems first appeared after I changed the IP address on the iDRAC config. After some digging, I was able to get my keyboard working again within the Virtual Console Native Plugin by updating the firmware. [Note: I tried this, but it did not solve my problem]
• I had a defective iDRAC expansion card with outdated firmware. I replaced the card with one running the current firmware (because I was also unable to update the firmware remotely) and the problem was solved. [Note: Wow...strange. iDRAC is built into my Dell system's motherboard, Poweredge R710]
• I just had the same issue. Login to your DRAC and change the console type from Native to Java. Once I did this i could use my keyboard. It seems to be a problem with iDRAC plugin on my local computer. [Note: This does not appear to be possible with iDRAC 6, this tip must be for a previous version]
• ...by adding the new iDRAC IP to Trusted Sites in IE.[Note: We already did this via Group Policy and the iDRAC website is trusted]

   None of these things were problems for me, so I tried to run the console in Google Chrome...the browser I normally use for the Internet. I was able to login and when I tried to launch the console, a JNLP file downloaded to my computer to run. From a quick search, I was able to see that JNLP are Java files, and I don't have Java Runtime installed on my computer, so the file would not open. So I downloaded Oracle Java Runtime 7 and installed it (despite my worries of the infinite exploits running around on the Internet and the frequent news releases of security problems with Java). I closed Internet Explorer, relaunched it, logged in, launched the Virtual Console...and still no dice.

I'll post the final solution later.

Notes:
Windows 7 64bit
Internet Explorer 9
Java Runtime 7u21
iDRAC 6 1.95

UPDATE: I found that the 3rd solution I found works for me, I just didn't know how to do it. Here's one way to switch from Native to Java consoles (note: Java Runtime is required as well).

1. Log into the web interface for iDRAC.
2. Select System from the right menu and then click Console/Media.
3. Select the Configuration screen menu
4. In the Virtual Console section, locate the Plug-in Type drop-down menu and select Java (Native is the default)
5. Click Apply at the bottom of the screen.
6. Select the Virtual Console and Virtual Media screen and then click Launch Virtual Console to launch the server console.

Dell iDRAC 6 Default Username and Password

After connecting my iDRAC ports to the network and connecting to the webpage using the IP address in Internet Explorer, I needed to login...

The default username is root, The default password is and calvin.

Dell iDRAC 6 1.1 User Guide