LES1216A
Applications
In the data center, use Advanced Console Servers to:
»Simplify the management of computer, telecommunications, and power equipment, especially in large centers (those occupying an entire floor or multiple floors in a building).
»Establish in-band and out-of-band management that meets the entire data center’s local and remote management needs.
»Better control power dissipation and make better use of equipment space, especially in processing- centric centers with row after row of racked server clusters.
»Rigorously control access privileges, while monitoring and logging all access events to better enforce enterprise security policies.
In the SMB server room, use them to:
»Simplify the control of servers and gear racked in a single room, especially in limited-staff offices dealing with an expanding server count.
»Set up a single integrated gateway to locally and remotely manage all serial- and network- connected devices, particularly newer servers with embedded service processors and baseboard management controllers (BMCs).
»Set up encrypted authenticated access for local and remote access.
»Enact better strategies for disaster avoidance.
IN Depth
Reach equipment out of band securely.
In addition to access through its dual 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX TCP/IP ports, the Advanced Console Server supports out-of-band access to your critical equipment and vital assets. The console server features both an internal modem and a DB9 local console port. Use the internal modem or attach an external modem via a serial cable to the DB9 port while configuring the second Ethernet port for broadband out-of-band access.
Through the modem connection, you can manage your distributed network of servers, Cisco® routers, and other devices with the latest in console access. Typically, you do this via Telnet software, using an SSH tunnel through the console server to communicate securely with serial port-connected devices over the Internet or any other public network.
But you can Telnet through the console server to the serial device several other ways, too. (See “LAN Console Port Management” and “Serial Console Port Management” in the Tech Specs on page 4.)
The console server comes with SDT Connector, a free open-source SSH Java client. Use it to auto-load your console server’s configurations and, to ensure secure connectivity with attached network and serial devices, set up SSH tunnels for port-forwarding communications through the console server. The same SDT Connector is used for setting up 10-/100-Mbps auto failover route to a remote, out-of-band gateway.
Advanced encryption keeps all connections secure. In addition, the console server gives you a choice of filtering and access logging facilities, which you can archive off-line using its USB flash. Store offline logs
for serial ports, available networks, and more. And to protect against unauthorized access, the system enables you to restrict access by IP address, password, or account.
Set up to scan the serial stream and send alerts.
To help ensure maximum uptime, the Advanced Console Server proactively scans the serial stream on console ports, searching for specific errors and phrases.
The console server supports SNMP and SMTP alerts/traps for serial ports and hosts. Simply set the trigger condition for each port, and it monitors port traffic for defined character stream patterns or phrases. If they’re detected, the console server sends SMS text or an e-mail to you or an SNMP server (or to a central Nagios server, if it’s used). This alerts facility can be enabled on any and all serial ports or connected hosts.
In addition, the console server enables you to be informed of its operating status. An LED on the back of the unit flashes a “heartbeat” periodically, and its “heartbeat monitor” agent can trigger dial-back or a redundant path during network outages. The heartbeat monitor checks that the console server is on-line and operating as it should, that it’s clear to send alerts and alarms, and is accessible by remote users. You can set it up so if the heartbeat falters, it can automatically dial up a remote site to raise an alarm, or switch to and activate a failover link.
A simple browser- based interface gives you an easy, intuitive way to consolidate the management of hundreds of ports and UPS systems over a single IP connection.
Supports GNU bash shell script.
Some console port-access products in today’s market use proprietary protocols for communications. However, the Advanced Console Servers give you access to the Linux core, including bash. This makes them ideal for industrial control applications where you need to remotely manage proprietary equipment with custom protocols.
Through the Linux kernel, you can write custom scripts that can run manually or automatically. This way, you proactively create self-healing solutions for cycling power on a router or switch on PING failure.
You can write custom scripts so they run each time a particular alert triggers. For example, you can set it up to power cycle on a managed device when a specific alert event occurs or to send multiple notification e-mails when an alert triggers.
Types of users supported
Advanced Console Servers support two classes of users:
•Administrative users, who are authorized to configure and control the console server, and to access and control all the connected devices. An administrator can access and control the console server using the config utility, the Linux command line, or the browser-based management console. By default, the administrator has access to all services and ports to control all serial connected devices and network-connected devices (hosts).
•Members of the users group, who are only authorized to perform specified controls on specific connected devices. When authorized, they can access serial or network devices and control these devices using the specified services, for example, Telnet, HTTPS, RDP, IPMI, Serial over LAN (SoL), power control. An authorized user also has a limited view of the management console and can only access authorized configured devices and review port logs.
