Integrated Remote Console; Console Capture And Replay - HP AB500A - Integrated Lights-Out Advanced Technology Brief

Figure 3. This diagram represents an overview of how the iLO 2 digital video redirection (DVR) engine operates.
An encoding process uses video characteristics such as changed/unchanged data and
repetition/alternation for efficient video compression. Before it is sent over the network to the remote
console, the video is encrypted and packetized. Either a Java or an ActiveX application on the client
decodes and displays the data. With most of the video processing off-loaded from the management
processor, overall performance substantially increases. Video refresh rates for the monitored video
increase from a previous iLO average of 0.32 frames per second to over 6 frames per second.
Operational bandwidth bottlenecks are reduced and the client system acts as the remote console.
Virtually all browser types support the Java-based remote console applet. HP refers to this functionality
as Virtual KVM. Because of the high-performance DVR engine, administrators can rely on the iLO DVR
for remote console operation. This reduces the need for KVM over IP solutions and the associated
hardware.

Integrated Remote Console

The iLO 2 Integrated Remote Console combines the remote control capabilities of iLO—virtual KVM
plus server power control and virtual media—into a single user interface. The Integrated Remote
Console uses an ActiveX client application for the graphical remote console. The ActiveX client
provides native operation in a Windows environment, as compared to the interpretive mode that the
Virtual KVM application must run in a Java virtual machine. Thus, the Integrated Remote Console can
provide better performance than the Java-based remote console. The DVR engine operation remains
the same, regardless of which console an administrator uses. Additional iLO 2 capabilities, such as
console capture/reply, shared remote console, and virtual folders, are also available through the
Integrated Remote Console.

Console capture and replay

Using console capture, administrators can record and replay a video stream of events such as the last
boot sequence, ASR-2 events, and OS faults. Administrators can manually start and stop the video
capture so that any action an administrator takes using the remote console can be recorded.
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