Remote Management Software

P16 Software for Deploying Highly-Available Services

Sun Microsystems, Inc.

many of the key elements that enable efficient, centralized administration and automation. For example, admin- istrators can boot Sun systems remotely over the network and can install operating systems from remote system administration servers. Solaris JumpStart software, a standard component of the Solaris Operating System, enables fully automatic and remote operating system installation based on custom profiles and scripts.

Solaris Flash Software

Solaris Flash software provides provisioning functionality that allows administrators to capture a snapshot image of a complete server—including the Solaris Operating System, the applications stack, and the system configura- tion—into a new Flash Archive format. Using this system image, administrators can then rapidly replicate a refer- ence server configuration onto many target servers. Solaris Flash images can be deployed via standard media or over the network via HTTP and NFS protocols. Solaris Flash images can be installed using custom Solaris JumpStart scripts, the Solaris Web Start graphical interface, or through interactive installation of the Solaris Operating System.

Solaris Live Upgrade Software

Solaris Live Upgrade software allows the creation, management, upgrade, comparison, and activation of multiple boot environments on systems running the Solaris Operating System. In particular, Solaris Live Upgrade software enables systems to run uninterrupted while a system administrator installs a Solaris Flash archive or upgrades to a new version of the Solaris Operating System. As a result, downtime for upgrades can be reduced to the time needed for a simple reboot.

In the past, the remote networking capabilities of the Solaris Operating System enabled administrators to log into and remotely manage Sun systems. Administrators could perform basic administrative tasks or access system consoles through network terminal servers.

However, true lights out management—with its need for remote event notification and problem diagnosis— requires remote access at a level that makes few assumptions about the correct operation of an operating system or other critical system components. As a result, remote system administration capabilities for geographically distributed or physically inaccessible systems require a fundamental system design that includes an independent or out-of-band control channel. This channel plays an essential role when the operating system on a remote system is not able to respond due to software, hardware, or network connectivity problems or power outages.

Now, the Netra 240 server extends basic remote management capabilities through the use of sophisticated system management and monitoring tools.

Advanced Lights Out Management (ALOM)

To address the need for out-of-band control, the Netra 240 server features Advanced Lights Out Management. Available through an embedded System Management Controller integrated into the Netra 240 server motherboard, ALOM gives system administrators the ability to locate and resolve problems quickly, independent of the operating state of the system.

The autonomous System Management Controller ASIC provides remote system console capabilities through both serial and Ethernet interfaces on the back panel. Administrators can access ALOM service through a serial connection from a modem, terminal server, personal computer, or other devices supporting terminal emulation. Ethernet access to ALOM management capabilities is available from any network-attached administrative resource such as a Sun workstation.