When attempting to mount an ISO via Supermicro IPMI's Virtual Media feature using Windows SMB shares, the path validation fails with:

error: The image path is invalid or contain /:*?"<>|

The root cause stems from Windows SMB path formatting requirements differing from local filesystem paths.

Instead of using local Windows paths like:

C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop\OperatingSystems\CentOS-5.7-x86_64-netinstall.iso

You must use UNC format with proper SMB syntax:

\\192.168.1.100\ShareName\OperatingSystems\CentOS-5.7-x86_64-netinstall.iso

1. Share Preparation on Windows Server:

# PowerShell commands to create and configure share
New-SmbShare -Name "IPMI_Media" -Path "C:\SharedISO" -FullAccess "Administrator"
Set-SmbPathAcl -ShareName "IPMI_Media"

2. IPMI Virtual Media Configuration:

• Share Host: Windows server IP (e.g., 192.168.1.100)
• Path: \\192.168.1.100\IPMI_Media\CentOS-5.7-x86_64-netinstall.iso
• User: DOMAIN\Administrator (or .\Administrator for local account)
• Password: [your admin password]

Common Pitfalls:

# Test SMB connectivity from command line
net use \\192.168.1.100\IPMI_Media /user:Administrator *

If authentication fails, verify:

• Firewall rules (TCP 445)
• SMB v1 compatibility mode (sometimes required for IPMI)
• NTFS permissions on the shared folder

For frequent users, create a PowerShell automation script:

# IPMI_Media_Mount.ps1
$cred = Get-Credential
$smbPath = "\\192.168.1.100\IPMI_Media\"
$isoFile = "CentOS-5.7-x86_64-netinstall.iso"

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://IPMI_IP/cgi/ipmi.cgi" 
    -Body @{
        "op" = "mount_iso"
        "share" = $smbPath
        "image" = $isoFile
        "user" = $cred.UserName
        "password" = $cred.GetNetworkCredential().Password
    } 
    -Method Post

When working with Supermicro IPMI's Virtual Media feature, many administrators encounter path validation errors when trying to mount ISO files from Windows shares. The specific error message "The image path is invalid or contain /:*?\"<>|" typically occurs due to improper path formatting in the IPMI interface.

For Supermicro IPMI to properly access your ISO file, you need to follow SMB (Server Message Block) path conventions rather than local Windows paths. Here's the correct format:

\\192.168.1.100\ShareName\CentOS-5.7-x86_64-netinstall.iso

Key requirements:

• Use UNC path format (\\IP\ShareName)
• Replace C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop with a properly shared network folder
• Remove special characters from share and path names

Here's how to properly set up your environment:

# On Windows Server 2008:
1. Create a dedicated share (e.g., "ISO_Images")
2. Set share permissions to allow IPMI access
3. Set NTFS permissions appropriately
4. Copy your ISO files into this share

# In Supermicro IPMI:
Virtual Media → CD-ROM Image
Share Host: 192.168.1.100
Path: \\192.168.1.100\ISO_Images\CentOS-5.7-x86_64-netinstall.iso
User: DOMAIN\Administrator (or local\Administrator)
Password: ********

Authentication Issues: If you're still having problems, try these variations for the username field:

WORKGROUP\Administrator
.\Administrator
Administrator@domain.local

Firewall Configuration: Ensure these ports are open on your Windows firewall:

TCP 445 (SMB)
TCP 139 (NetBIOS)
UDP 137-138 (NetBIOS name service)

For advanced users, you can create and configure the share programmatically:

# Create new share
New-SmbShare -Name "ISO_Images" -Path "C:\ISO" -FullAccess "Administrators"

# Set NTFS permissions
$acl = Get-Acl "C:\ISO"
$rule = New-Object System.Security.AccessControl.FileSystemAccessRule("Everyone","Read","Allow")
$acl.SetAccessRule($rule)
Set-Acl -Path "C:\ISO" -AclObject $acl

# Verify share
Get-SmbShare -Name "ISO_Images" | Select Name,Path,Description

• Verify connectivity between IPMI and Windows server using ping
• Test share access from another Windows machine first
• Check IPMI firmware version (should be 3.88 or later for best compatibility)
• Enable SMB1 if using older IPMI firmware (not recommended for security)