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Analysis: Out-of-Band Management: Page 4 of 10

Another interesting feature of KVM-IP setups: the availability of virtual storage media capabilities. For example, with a KVM-IP system, an administrator could configure a DVD or hard drive on his laptop to act as a local drive on a remotely managed system--a handy feature when you're in Chicago and a remote server in Milwaukee starts squawking for you to insert CD #2 to continue.

Avocent's DSR2030 provides its own integrated, authentication-based security to prevent unwanted access, and it supports external authentication services such as Active Directory, LDAP, RADUIS, TACACS+ and RSA SecureID. For environments requiring greater security, Avocent offers a NIAP-certified SwitchView SC KVM system that's been validated to meet EAL4 (Evaluation Assurance Level 4) for secure government applications. Although Avocent seems to be the only company offering this level of security, most other KVM-IP vendors--including Aten, HP, Lantronix, MRV Communications, Raritan and Rose Electronics--and even smaller-scale KVM-IP systems like those from Belkin and Minicom, offer varying degrees of secure and encrypted remote KVM-IP connectivity.

Of course, full KVM-IP for an OBM solution is a bit like the Cadillac of remote access, and the cost can run anywhere from $150 to $450 per managed machine. This may seem expensive, but the combination of base OBM connectivity and in-band management easily justifies the price when compared with the cost of service calls and downtime for systems in remote locations.

Serial Console Servers

When your needs are basic, but extend beyond simple power monitoring and cycling, OBM systems that use serial-based, device-level remote management may fit the bill. Although the current trend is toward sexy Web interfaces, almost every device in the enterprise--from the smallest switch to the largest SAN--offers a basic management interface in the form of a serial console. SCSs reach back to the very roots of IT management and allow the aggregation of multiple serial connections that can be managed over a single serial or Ethernet connection.