KVM over Ethernet Switches for FreeBSD Boxes ... ?

[Chris Pepper]

At 2:34 PM -0500 2004/04/02, Ketrien I. Saihr-Kesenchedra wrote:
>At 12:20 PM 4/2/2004, you wrote:
>>Anyone have any recommendations on what works with FreeBSD?  I've had
>>fun/issues in the past with KVMs that just don't seem to work well,
>>including BlackBox stuff ...
>
>Should've mentioned on IRC, but I may not have been paying 
>attention. My fault.
>
>>I'm interested in being able to power-cycle a box remotely, as well as be
>>able to get into the DEBUGGER remotely if I need to ... I don't care if
>>the interface has to be run under Windows, as we have one in our office
>>for the bookkeeper ...
>
>You're looking for Rose Electronics gear. This is going to cost you 
>a pretty penny. Specifically, the UltraLink (KVM via Ethernet.) I 
>haven't used the UltraLink, but I've heard very good things about 
>it. You'd likely want to combine this with an UltraMatrix E-series 
>(which provides serial per machine as well) or a ServeView Pro.

	We've been talking to Avocent & Cyclades about this.

	Cyclades <http://www.cyclades.com/products/> is a bit 
simpler. They offer AlterPath ACS, terminal servers of 1-48 ports 
running Linux/iptables/sshd/http/https. AlterPath PM is a series of 
managed power strips, capable of controlling 8-20 outlets via serial 
interface (which can be controlled via their web interface. AlterPath 
KVM is a 16 or 32 port KVM, using cat5 cabling to the servers. The 
next KVM rev will support TCP/IP connectivity to the KVM for 
management (hopefully Java based and broadly compatible). We like the 
ACS and the TS predecessor.

	Avocent offers more products, including equivalents to the 
above, but their DS series KVMs 
<http://www.avocent.com/web/en.nsf/Content/DSR2010>, which they 
suggested, only support 30' on the cat5 cables due to signal 
strength, and up to 16 ports/KVM. They also offer external modules 
that take TCP/IP connections and plug into the console port of a dumb 
KVM to provide the same level of functionality (SwitchView IP?). The 
DS series, unfortunately, requires a Windows service to do the 
authentication, but it consolidates access to multiple KVMs. Makes 
more sense for many KVMs; licensing is odd -- apparently you purchase 
SKUs with a fixed number of network connections per KVM, as well as 
user licenses to run the DSView (Windows) or DSWebView client 
software, as well as a license for the authentication server 
(includes a backup license).

	With both types of KVM, the cat5 dongles are expensive. For 
small deployments, I'd probably go with the piggyback TCP/IP module, 
on top of regular KVMs -- we have some non-cat5 24-port KVMs which 
are nice, but also not cheap.

	Both companies offer some level of integration between KVM, 
serial (which is just another dongle for the DS-series KVMs), and 
power management, but we haven't tried most of the options yet. One 
advantage Cyclades mentions is intelligent grouping of power 
management outlets in the TS configuration, so you can control a 
system with 2 or 3 AC outlets without remembering which you have to 
shut off together.


						Chris Pepper
-- 
Chris Pepper:               <http://www.reppep.com/~pepper/>
Rockefeller University:     <http://www.rockefeller.edu/>