Newbie Question About System Update

[Bill Moran]

Pete French <petefrench at ticketswitch.com> wrote:

> > KVM requires you to physically _be_ at the colo.
> 
> ?! Not the one I have for our colo - it's a little java app
> where I choose a machine from a dropdown and get the video
> in a window on the desktop.

That's an out of the ordinary KVM.  Would you mind passing on the
manufacturer of that unit, I'd like to recommend that unit to a number
of clients/associates of mine.

The point is that a normal, run of the mill KVM doesn't have that capability.

> > A serial console with an IP address and ssh capabilities (which is easy to
> > set up, or fairly inexpensive to purchase) allows you access to the system
> > as if you're sitting at it, over ssh.
> 
> Ah, O.K. sounds fairly similar to what I have. Preseumably you can get at
> BIOS settings and stuff like that too ?
> 
> Still don't see the advantage to be honest, but thanks for the explanation.

With a networkable KVM like you've got, there is no real advantage that I
can see (unless you're doing kernel debugging, but that's a pretty advanced
topic)  But compare your KVM to a typical, non-networkable KVM and you get
the same idea of what I was thinking when I compared a serial console to
a KVM.

-- 
Bill Moran
Potential Technologies
http://www.potentialtech.com