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On Sun, May 11, 2008 at 8:34 AM, Rich Braun <[hidden email]> wrote: > Regarding KVM solutions, how about *none*? > > I inherited a network of about 150 Linux boxes that have a mix of no console > port, a Raritan Dominion port, or an Avocent port. Most of the boxes came > from Dell and contain a card called the "Dell Remote Assistant Card" (DRAC) > but none of those had ever been plugged in; I only vaguely knew what those > were for. > > What I hate about the Raritan: unless you pay for a super-duper-high price > for multi-user support (on top of an already-expensive box), only one person > can use a given chassis. Unless you buy their management server, each box is > separate so you have to remember which of N Raritan boxes your target machine > is connected to. And most vexing of all, the device has a nasty piece of > key-bounce logic that inserts unwanted keystrokes into your input stream if > you type faster than 25wpm. > > What I hate about the Avocent: we have a stripped-down version so I'm sure > their higher end ones are better, but as with the Raritan they are separate > non-centrally-managed units and the ones we have don't provide remote access > so you have to walk into the computer room to use it. > > What I like about the DRAC: each one is its own separate thing with its own > separate IP address so you can develop your own DNS/DHCP-based central > management environment and make everything work the way you want. If you've > been around since the old DEC days, think of the front-end processor that > you'd find on the larger systems: it was usually a PDP-11 that you'd use to > boot up and otherwise control a VAX or PDP10. Same idea: this is a front-end > processor that stays powered up all the time and provides you with far more > capability than a KVM switch. Need to power down half your servers to save > electricity during the off-peak period? Write a script and you can do that. > Need to push the reset button because you inevitably have to run some silly > Windows box that periodically gets hosed in a location 30 or 3000 miles from > you? No problem. > > HP has a similar (but better-coded) product called the ILO (Intelligent Lights > Out). These big-name brands cost $300 per server. There are white-box > equivalents on the market for a whole lot less. > > By the time you buy a remote KVM switch with its cabling, and run all the > requisite cables, you're looking at more money and labor for the KVM solution > than the console front-end solution. > > I look forward to the day I finally have the time to finish yanking out our > Raritans so you can find me posting them on eBay. > > -rich
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