Avocent DSR Series - KVM over IP

Avocent- Digital KVM Switch

The DSR builds on the success of the DS1800 in providing secure KVM connections to virtually any number of servers using the power of the Internet. The DSR was developed in response to today's new requirements for server access, anywhere, anytime.

How It Works

Because DSR leverages industry standard LAN equipment, complex wired configurations are no longer necessary. All of the analogue KVM signals are converted in real time to digital form and transported using standard Ethernet protocols. This data is then fed into compression engines, which compare the information already transmitted to the operator with the new information presented from the server. Once those changes are analysed, they are sent to a high-powered processor, which packs the information and transmits it via the Internet to the operator. This user can now view the computer video through a PC-based application program called DSView.

DSView - New DSView 3

DSView shows the user a list of computers that he has permission to connect to. Once the user has chosen one of the computers, a connection is established between DSView and the appropriate port on a DSR. Video data is then sent from the DSR to DSView. The remote computer screen image is then scaled to fit appropriately into the window on the PC desktop that is running DSView. This allows multiple computers to be viewed simultaneously, each displayed in its own window. These windows can be arranged on the desktop in any manner desired.

DSView® 3 software, with hub and spoke architecture, increases security with failover authentication. Users authenticate to a central management server (the hub) or one of 15 mirror servers (the spokes). SNMP and IPMI support are also provided.

DSView 3 features

• Compact, KVM over IP appliance integrates KVM, an external modem and power control in one solution
• Includes a USB local port
• High-resolution video with the Dambrackas Video Compression (DVC) algorithm
• Local and remote access for at the rack and remote data center management
• Required login at the local port for increased security
• Provides access to an unlimited number of servers or serial devices, no matter their location
• DSView 3 management software, with hub and spoke architecture, provides failover authentication
• Includes 16 configurable ports for maximum flexibility when connecting to servers or serial devices
• Offers IT administrators the ability to dial into a remotely located server or serial device
• Remotely reboot the server to the BIOS level or even power cycle remote devices --- all from a single DSView 3 software interface
• Uses the same management interface for the data center and the branch offices
• Built on patented, field-proven KVM over IP technology
• Designed for multi-platform servers, including PS/2, Sun and USB
• DSView 3 advanced security includes audit logs and the ability to assign individual user rights

DSI5100 IPMI Proxy Appliance

The Avocent® DSI5100 IPMI proxy appliance adds new capabilities to the proven DS Series data center solutions. Power management is a significant benefit to accessing Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) ? Avocent OSA technology embedded in servers for remote out-of-band access to sensors on target devices. IT administrators also can monitor and control system health including the temperature, fan, and voltage. With power and system health monitoring now internal on IPMI-enabled servers, you can know exactly which server needs attention. Because IPMI data is stored on a stand-alone processor independent of the OS, BIOS and CPU, you can use IPMI even when the operating system is unresponsive.

LAN

Customers can decide if they wish to connect the DSR to their existing LAN, or create a separate out-of-band LAN just for maintenance of their servers. Burst loads of approximately 20 to 30 Mbits per second are reached during full high-resolution screen refreshes.

Transmission

Typical installations may expect ten to twenty operators to be simultaneously viewing and controlling servers on a single 100Mbit collision domain. In most cases, they will see near real-time performance on any connection.

Features

• Uses DSRIQ Smart Cable to reduce cable volume in high density racks.
• Uses Ethernet (Internet) technology to communicate KVM signals between a target computer and a remote operator.
• Is non-invasive to the computer, with no added hardware or software.
• Is extremely reliable, cost effective and easy to use.
• Has performance acceptable to local operators, as well as those in remote locations.
• Can be accessed like any other network-attached device working through a VPN.
• PC based DSView.
• KVM signals are captured and digitized in real-time.
• Leverages industry standard LAN equipment.
• Contains an autosensing 10/100 Mbit Ethernet interface.
• KVM signals are transferred using standard TCP/IP protocol.
• Transmits Keyboard and Mouse events in near real-time performance to the remote screen.
• Emulates PS-2 keyboard & mouse on the server.
• LAN, WAN or dial-up connections
• Uses authentication server to determine user access rights to target computers.
• Accommodates a variety of operating systems including Wintel, Windows 95/98, Windows NT/2000, Unix, and Linux.
• DSR provides digital IP access at the desk analogue access at the rack in the NOC or any location worldwide.
• Local KVM ports managed with Avocent's patented OSCAR on-screen GUI for access at the rack.