For busy IT departments, the only good time to solve a problem is before it happens. Fortunately each of the hardware and software vendors offers their own proprietary support facility that monitors and manages their piece of the infrastructure. Tools like APC Infrastruxure, Dell OpenManage and Microsoft's ConfigMgr give instant insight into system and network performance, and deliver remote control.
There's also an array of third party management solutions that endeavour to integrate the diversity of performance, status, configuration and alarm information delivered by each vendor. There's DCIM solutions like Modius and NMS solutions such as Solarwinds that provide valuable
single pain of glass dashboards and access points.
However these in-band management systems all have one significant shortcoming. They connect over the operating network (using SNMP or WMI protocols or the like) and run over the operating system ... so they fail exactly when they are most needed.
System and network administrators who rely on these traditional in-band tools to monitor distributed networks and services are at an inherent disadvantage as they can’t detect problems unless the devices and services they monitor are readily available on the network. When they aren’t available - when there's a system or network outage - the only remedy is often to physically dispatch someone to the site to identify the problem.
Out-of-band management
When remote sites experience network outages the only access available is an out-of-band solution. Opengear console servers for example allow you to establish an always-on redundant network connection, or an automatic failover when the primary network connectivity is lost, to 3G UMTS modem, analog dial-in modem or broadband Ethernet. So out-of-band provides a secondary path to the remote site and to the devices at those sites for use when the primary network is impaired.
Additionally out-of-band may provide an alternate path to the host operating system or CPU so control can be reasserted when the device itself is not functioning. Modern servers and networking devices also come standard with service connectivity - in the form of serial console or service processor interfaces. These interfaces are designed to provide an alternate path for troubleshooting and repairing, so control can be reasserted when the device itself or its main IP network interface is not functioning.
Opengear's out-of-band solutions assure access, monitoring and control even during an outage:
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Serial console management (over a dedicated TTY serial console port) and network console management (over a dedicated Ethernet IP network port connected to the management network using Telnet, Web browser)
- Service processors - Browser and IPMI access to the dedicated internal processors provided in new generation servers and telecommunications platforms
- Access behind firewalls - Managers need direct remote access to their managed devices, wherever they are installed, which can be hidden behind client firewalls without any incoming public IP access Click for More »
- Cellular OoB connection - Opengear appliances support internal and external cellular modems which can then be configured to operate in variety of modes for cellular connectivity. Click for More »
- Automated management - Opengear smart infrastructure enables you to anticipate issues and proactively respond with corrective actions
Opengear's integrated in-band and out-of-band approach to systems management delivers monitoring access and control efficiencies that ensure IT services are available when the business needs them.
