Launching a Dell R610’s iDRAC 6 Virtual Console with Java 8

I was setting up an old Dell PowerEdge R610 server in my home lab this week and kept getting an error message from Java 8 after I attempted to launch the Virtual Console Client from its iDRAC 6 Enterprise card:

Unable to launch the application.

I narrowed the issue down to the disabled algorithms in the java.security file. You’ll need to open this file in a basic text editor and look for the jdk.tls.disabledAlgorithms entry.

Then, delete RC4 from the list of algorithms in that entry. Make sure you save the file as a .security file (not a .txt file) and then launch the Virtual Console Client again.

After I removed RC4 from the disabled algorithms, it connected just fine.

Notably, I ran into a slightly different issue on my MacBook Pro. I went through all the steps above that I had done on my Windows 10 machine but I still had the error. When I clicked through for more info, I saw that a different algorithm was the culprit.

So, I deleted MD5 from the jdk.tls.disabledAlgorithms entry and that solved the problem on my Mac.

I’m not sure how this is handled with later versions of iDRAC on Dell servers; however, removing RC4 and/or MD5 from the list of disabled algorithms in your Java 8 java.security file should solve connectivity issues with other 11th-generation servers like the R710, R510, R410 and so on.

ProVideoInstruments VeCOAX PRO-X QAM RF Modulator Review

VeCOAX PRO-X 4-Channel HD Video to QAM RF Modulator with Simultaneous IPTV Output

The ProVideoInstruments VeCOAX PRO-X QAM RF Modulator has been a great tool for me to use in our campus-wide video distribution at my church. Essentially, it has allowed us to take an antiquated RF distribution system to campus-wide HD distribution in an almost plug-and-play upgrade.

When I was doing research for last year’s complete video overhaul, this is a device that was on my radar. While I wasn’t certain it would work out of the box, it is something we needed to find a way to make work. I was thrilled when we racked it up into our system and connected the 20-year-old RF network. We had four channels available to every coax connected TV accessible via their QAM tuner.

Additionally, we upgraded several of our RF splitters to more modern Extreme 5-1002MHz splitters at our various IDF locations. Other than that, the PVI VeCOAX just works.

Having the four channels gives us plenty of flexibility to distribute content on channels 1-1 through 4-1 with a simple auto-tune setup on every TV’s cable tuning menu. And we can quickly swap out signals if we need something special for a one-off event just by changing the HDMI input source. We can roll our primary video program feed from our SDI switcher output to a Decimator MD-HX and then to HDMI. We also use a dedicated MacBook Pro equipped with ProPresenter for running digital signage that can quickly be altered to all endpoints on the fly.

I’ve wanted to write about this device for a long time because I love it so much. And it’s part of the reason I dusted off Tech Tilt to fire it up and write about things like this.

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