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Analysis: Out-of-Band Management: Page 8 of 10

With all the options available for in-band system management at both hardware and software levels, basic monitoring and power control of key networking systems should be the primary consideration in any OBM strategy. The ability to remotely restore essential networking systems will allow more advanced in-band management solutions to become available. An OBM solution may not be necessary for every component, only those that impact the accessibility of others.

Given the heightened focus on data security, the importance of issues like user authentication, error logging, event-based alerts, system parameter monitoring and audit trails will vary from business to business, but vendors of the newest generation of OBM products have recognized the importance of protecting these remote systems, and there's no reason that a carefully planned OBM system should present more of a security risk than any other Internet-based activity.

Granted, these types of problems aren't as much of an issue in the typical data center environment. In larger installations there's someone on staff 24/7/365 who at least knows what to do during a serious emergency, but with the number of smaller distributed data centers appearing in branch offices, the simple ability to remotely power cycle a server or switch can mean the difference between a five-minute outage and a five-hour one. Bridging The Gap

All your new servers have integrated system-management processors, but what can you do to remotely manage legacy systems that don't have that luxury? Long-time BIOS manufacturer American Megatrends' PCI-based MegaRAC G4 system-management processor card offers a variety of useful remote options for practically any PCI-capable system.

Available to both OEMs and IT customers, the MegaRAC G4 uses an on-board 266-MHz PowerPC RISC processor, 32 MB of SDRAM and 16 MB of flash memory to provide most of the capabilities of embedded management systems. The card fits in a standard 16-bit PCI slot and remains accessible regardless of system status, either by drawing power from the PCI bus or through an optional external power supply.