Avocent 590-222-501M manual Glossary

Chapter 1: Product Overview 3

Seamless cascading

You can increase the number of target devices that users can access by creating a cascaded switching system. You can connect target devices to up to three levels of AMX or non-Avocent KVM switches. When cascading AMX switches, you can seamlessly connect to any target device from a single list in the OSCAR interface, as if all the target devices were connected to one switch. You can also cascade non-Avocent KVM switches, but to access the attached target devices you must first select the non-Avocent switch from the OSCAR interface target list, and then connect to the target device using the methods provided by the non-Avocent KVM switch.

Redundancy and scalability

You may connect two AMX matrix switches to a single user station to allow redundancy and fault tolerance. If one of the AMX switches has a power failure, the second switch provides an alternate path to access the same set of target servers. In addition, you can extend your user station access to additional target servers connected to a second AMX switch.

OSCAR graphical user interface

With the OSCAR graphical user interface, you can use your keyboard or mouse to select any attached target device. This easy-to-use, menu-driven interface also enables you to administer security settings, language and keyboard selection, hotkey sequences and other features.

Administration using the AMWorks software

The AMWorks Java-based system administration software tool is supplied with each AMX switch. Use it to assign names to attached target devices and users, designate user access rights, monitor switching system events, and upgrade firmware. You can also use AMWorks software to configure AMX switching system installations remotely, eliminating the need to configure each unit separately.

System monitoring using the SNMP interface

The AMX switch supports the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) to remotely monitor the switch via the Ethernet port. Once SNMP is configured, you can use the SNMP protocol to manage and control user stations and their connections in the switching system.

Glossary

The following terms are used throughout this documentation:

•Cascading – Connecting multiple KVM switches to an AMX switch, providing additional connections for target devices. Cascading expands the number of target devices that can be connected to the AMX switching system.

•Console – The user station and peripheral devices used by each local user.

•IQ module – The primary interface between an attached device (KVM switch, serial device or PS/2, Sun or USB server) and the AMX switching system. IQ modules are server-powered and provide keyboard emulation, DDC (Digital Data Channel) and AMX switching system support.