Early generations of these consoles focused on providing switched, text-based access to serial devices, but an increasing demand for remote system security and the need to monitor a greater variety of devices have changed the role of the SCS. To get an idea of the features available on the latest generation of SCSs, we had MRV send us products from its LX-4000T series of console servers. MRV sent a test package to our Real-World Labs® in Green Bay, Wis., that included an LX-4016T SCS and LX-5250 intelligent PDU.
Serial device connectivity continues to be the main focus of MRV's LX solution, but with the LX-4016T we could set up a remote serial-management environment that included power management and serial device control, as well as support for environmental monitoring and a video camera system. Power was managed with the use of MRV's LX-5250 Power Control Series PDU, which offers load monitoring, independent port-access controls and sequential power-up capabilities. Fully functional as a standalone system, the LX-5250 can be managed directly over a Web interface or through a serial link to an LX-4000-series SCS.
LX-4000T-series console servers can support as many as 48 ports, and each system is designed to operate independently or in a clustered configuration with the addition of MRV's client-server MegaVision Pro network-management software. MegaVision Pro can offer single-pane-of-glass access to any number of SCSs, enabling remote access control over thousands of serial devices, PDUs and environmental monitors. In a standalone environment, MRV's LX-4016T provided very granular, port-level control over all attached devices through the company's integrated CLI or Web management system--without the need for additional software.
Considering the level of access these systems provide, security should be an overriding concern--a fact not lost on console vendors. The MRV LX-4000T series meets the FIPS 140-2 cryptographic security standard, is NEBS-certified, and offers support for SSH 2.0, SNMPv3, IPv6, RADIUS, SecurID, LDAP, TACACS+, PPP PAP/CHAP and PPP dial-back capabilities. MRV isn't alone in this space; SCSs with a wide matrix of management capabilities and similar security features are also available from HP, Perle, Lantronix, Cyclades (now Avocent), Raritan and Thinklogical, among others.
For most high-end networking, telecom and storage gear, a plain-old serial port is still the most common interface for communicating with an embedded management interface, but serial consoles are useful for managing many OSs as well. Serial-based terminal services have always been a capability of Unix variants and Linux, and with the introduction of Server 2003, Windows began offering its EMS (Emergency Management Services) support to provide baseline access to key Windows management options through the serial port.
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