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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