Remote Monitoring/KVM
The KVM-over-IP option
Take advantage of remote
infrastructure-management equipment to
access and manage IT systems.
by John Vallely
As the number of remote offices continues to
grow, companies are supporting a wide array
of geographically dispersed networking
infrastructure equipment. Whether the
equipment is located on the other side of
the corporate campus, in branch offices
throughout the world or in remote
facilities, more companies are now
supporting a distributed IT
environment–creating a challenge for IT
departments.
Employees located at remote facilities
need the same access to information and
systems that are available at main
headquarters. To meet this demand and to
maintain 100 percent uptime, organizations
can take advantage of remote
infrastructure-management equipment to
access and manage servers and IT equipment
over the Internet.
Keyboard/video/mouse (KVM)-over-IP
solutions are among the tools available for
remotely managing servers. A KVM switch
allows a single keyboard, video display
monitor and mouse to be switched to any of a
number of computers at once, as opposed to
accessing and managing servers one at a
time.
With BIOS-level access, system
administrators remotely monitor and respond
to server issues from virtually anywhere
over the Internet. The switch provides more
table space, in addition to saving the cost
of multiple keyboards and monitors.
While server management is the
foundation of any IT management
strategy, the fundamental concept of the
data center is rapidly changing.
For all their benefits, however, typical
KVM solutions were designed specifically for
large data center environments and have a
number of limitations when placed in
smaller, remote IT environments. Such
limitations include:
Limited configuration flexibility
and expandability. Traditional
KVM-over-IP switches come in multiport
configurations. In the branch office
environment, however, there may only be two
servers, leaving some unused ports and
increasing the cost per port. Or, adding an
additional server to an even port count can
force administrators to purchase an extra
multiport switch when only a single
additional port is required.
Potential blocked access to
critical servers. Typical
high-density KVM-over-IP solutions allow
access to a limited number of managed
servers at a time. For example, a high-end
eight-port KVM may only allow one or two
servers to be accessed at a time. In a busy
IT environment, this could prevent an
administrator from performing needed
maintenance or service.
Reliability and access to
multiple servers. If access to all
32 servers is through a single Ethernet
connection and the switch port fails, access
to all 32 servers is lost.
Need for extra hardware and
software. Switch-based KVM-over-IP
solutions may require separate KVM and
serial "dongles" to be attached to the
server. Special client-based software may
also be required, and an additional external
power supply may be necessary.
Distance limitation between
servers and the KVM switch.
KVM-over-IP switches have a CAT 5
cable-length distance limitation of
approximately 50 to 150 feet between the
server and the KVM before the analog signal
begins to degrade, limiting flexibility in a
distributed IT environment.
While server management is the foundation
of any IT management strategy, the
fundamental concept of the data center is
rapidly changing. Primary data center
elements–including applications, servers,
infrastructure and storage–are being
virtualized and redistributed in order to
lower cost and complexity, and improve asset
utilization and operational efficiencies.
Traditional data centers with numerous
racks of servers have primarily used
high-density KVM switch solutions, which
take up one to two units of rack space and
allow a connection to many servers. These
solutions are tried and true and will
continue to be used in situations where
high-density servers reside.
These systems, however, usually require a
capital investment for the hardware. These
often require dedicated management software,
which, in some cases, also requires
dedicated servers to run the software–even
to the extent that multiple software and
server licenses are required for systems on
different subnets. These solutions do not
offer the flexibility and scalability needed
for the changing landscape of distributed
infrastructures.
Determining the right solution greatly
depends on the type of environment, the
direction of the IT organization, and the
underlying need for flexibility and
scalability. For many organizations, a
co-existence of high-density and distributed
KVM will be the solution where flexibility
and scalability are needed to augment
existing high-density systems. For the
growing trend of distributed computing and
organizations with larger remote branch and
campus environments, distributed KVM will
take the lead.
In environments such as a corporate
campus, branch offices, test labs or
disaster-recovery sites, there are many
factors to consider when looking for a
KVM-over-IP solution, including:
Does the solution provide
guaranteed anytime, anywhere access?
Regardless of how many users are
simultaneously logged in to a server, there
should be no limitations in terms of where
personnel are located or how many personnel
are logged in.
Is the solution easy to deploy?
Since most companies cannot cost-justify a
dedicated technician for each satellite
location, the remote management equipment
must be generally easy to set up and deploy,
without requiring special training or IT
expertise. Such a solution should be
operating system and application
independent, compact, require minimal power
consumption and generate little heat.
Is the solution cost-effective,
flexible and scalable? The dynamic
nature of the distributed data center and
cost constraints demand any remote
server-management solution to provide
flexibility and scalability. No special
software licenses should be required; no
special hardware or dongles should be
necessary; the ability to add for growth and
purchase only what is needed, when needed,
should be available; and integration of the
solution into a larger remote out-of-band
management architecture should be easy.
Is it secure and reliable enough
to implement into the existing
infrastructure? On top of utilizing
critical IT security, such as SSH tunneling,
and authentication services, such as RADIUS,
LDAP and Active Directory, does the KVM
solution offer no single point of failure?
If one unit fails, will it affect the entire
network? The remote-management solution also
should allow users access when the server's
operating system or the network stack is
compromised.
To further lower total cost of ownership,
built-in Ethernet switching technology,
server-powered design and a browser-based
interface that does not require any special
client software are important elements.
Finally, scalability and flexibility in a
zero-U form factor for cost-effectively
adding additional servers and/or remote
users is an important element for
consideration in a distributed IT
environment.
John Vallely is product manager for
Lantronix, Irvine, Calif.
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