KVM Switches and Related Technology Blog

42U Webinar: Energy Efficiency Best Practices

2008-11-06T08:06:00.000-07:00

Electricity expense has become an increasingly important factor of the total cost of ownership (TCO) for data centers. Energy consumption of typical data centers can be substantially reduced through design of the physical infrastructure and IT architecture.

Electrical power usage is not currently a typical design criterion for data centers. Historically, it has also been difficult to effectively manage as an expense. This is an interesting fact when you consider that the electrical power costs over the life of a data center can exceed the costs of the electrical power system as well as the IT equipment itself.

This webinar will be on Wednesday, December 3rd @ 11MST

Click here to register!

42U Webinar: Energy Efficient Cooling Solutions for the Data Center

2008-07-28T07:31:00.000-06:00

Accenture recently reported on an event hosted by Sun Microsystems assessing four energy-efficient modular, scalable server rack cooling systems for data centers. During this “Chill-Off”, the four solutions were evaluated under a range of conditions reflecting different inlet air temperatures and server loads, and for the appropriate systems, elevated chilled water temperatures. The rack density measured for this study capped off at a 10kW.

Now for: ‘...the rest of the story’

Join 42U on Friday, August 8th for a discussion of server rack cooling solutions for higher density, 10kW+ load, applications.

Register Today!

Energy Efficiency Leadership for Data Centers & IT

2008-07-22T15:16:00.000-06:00

Data center efficiency is a hot topic! With data center build outs, retro-fits, re-commissioning, expansions and server consolidation reaching a feverish pace, so have the challenges in keeping up with compliance, green initiatives – all while attempting to lower costs, increase scalability and keeping IT operations and Business always on/Uptime.

PG&E has fostered a consortium of electric companies throughout the country who could have financial incentives available for your company’s move towards Data Center Efficiency. Following the webinar, 42U has the resources and expertise to guide you through the steps towards earning incentives and becoming efficient in your Data Center environment.

Join 42U on Friday, July 25th as Mark Bramfitt, Principle Program Manager for PG&E, discusses how PG&E is helping their customers save money by being energy efficient.

Translating an equation into energy savings and future ROI. Experts agree that, for now, Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) is the most accurate way to measure the energy efficiency of a data center. Bramfitt said he needs something like PUE to help determine which data center products and improvements are truly energy efficient and then provide financial incentives for companies that adopt them. "Manufacturers just can't stick up their hand and say 'This is an energy-efficient product,' he said. "I need to know how efficient it is."

Discussion Points

* What is driving the emphasis on energy efficiency in the Information Technology/Data Center sector
* Likely technology and market adoption trends
* What strategies should we be taking to move towards "Green IT"
* Getting there: a leadership challenge

Register Today!

42U Webinar: Avocents Exciting Updates

2008-06-27T15:13:00.000-06:00

Avocent Discusses Exciting Launch: DSView® 3 Upgrades to 3.6 & Innovative Power Manager Plug In

Date: Friday, July 11th
Time: 11AM MDT (1PM EDT)

Register Today!

Managing your data center has just become easier! The new DSView® 3 includes benefits ranging from labor-saving features such as consolidated access of physical and virtual servers, integrated virtual machine and power management support, and myriad out-of-band hardware support options…all in ONE tool.

Join 42U on Friday, July 11th as Dan Skrove, Senior System Engineer for Avocent, reviews the new features and benefits of the DSView® 3 management software and Power Manager Plug In.

Benefits of the DSView® 3 Power Manager Plug In:
- Measure overall IT energy consumption
- Understand available power capacity
- Measure IT energy cost

Benefits of the NEW DSView® 3 software version 3.6:
- Simplified set-up and configuration
- Integrated VMware environment support
- Increased device access and management options
- Enhanced power management with NEW Power Manager software
- Increased third-party KVM switch support
- Unlimited User Licenses
- Lowered virtual server support costs

This webinar will be beneficial for current DSView® 3 users as well as those who may be new to DSView® 3.

Register Today!

42U Earns Avocent Data Center Solutions Accreditation

2008-03-07T11:54:00.000-07:00

Broomfield, CO - March 7, 2008 -- 42U today announced it is among the first wave of graduates from Avocent's initial VAR accreditation training program for data center solutions, one of several initiatives planned this year to help partners further expand their Avocent expertise and offer increased value to customers. The course emphasizes how partners can leverage Avocent's individual data center products to deliver end-to-end data center management for their customers.

"The advancements Avocent has made within the IT Infrastructure space are impressive. They are clearly focused on providing robust, best-in-class and comprehensive solutions for IT total asset management, "commented Alan Mamane, Founder and President of 42U. "We are thrilled to be one of Avocent's exclusive partners, serving all of the mountain west region."

Click here to read the entire data center solutions press release.

42U Awarded GSA Contract for Data Center Equipment

2008-01-30T07:09:00.000-07:00

Broomfield, CO – January 29, 2008 -- 42U (http://www.42u.com/) the nation's largest, vendor-independent valued-added reseller of data center infrastructure solutions, today announced it has been granted a contract number by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). Inclusion on the GSA schedule allows 42U to bid on federal contracts for data center equipment. 42U's GSA contract number is GS-35F-0180U and can be found under Schedule Information Numbers (SINs) 132-8 (Purchase of Equipment).

42U's contract approval is the result of a 6-month application and negotiation process. With the completion of the contract, the organization can now service a federal and state government customers through a channel that previously was not available to them.

At the launch of its GSA contract, 42U will strictly be offering a select number of Avocent's IT infrastructure management tools including DSView 3, which provides data centers with a secure, centralized management solution for all of their IT assets-physical and virtual.

To read the entire press release visit 42U.

Curbing IT Power Usage

2008-01-21T07:12:00.000-07:00

New Ideas To Save Energy In Your Data Center

Thanks to energy hogs such as blade centers, data center energy costs are high. SMEs will find it hard to absorb these kinds of financial hits without some help. Fortunately, there are more than a few ways to curb power consumption.

Measure Power Consumption
According to Chris Loeffler, product manager of the data center solutions group at Eaton (www.eaton.com), one of the biggest trends in data center energy savings is toward looking at how to monitor or meter data center power consumption (through power consumption metrics).

Data centers should start by measuring their power consumption across all of IT. “SMEs can’t afford to do much submetering. But, they can afford a power consumption monitor that they can plug selected equipment in to see how much electricity is being consumed by a range of representative equipment,” says Simon Mingay, research vice president at Gartner.

For SMEs that can’t afford the power monitor setup, equipment vendors (server and air-conditioning unit companies) have power consumption numbers available. These often come from the vendor’s customers. This information can be used to model power consumption of the IT infrastructure (using simple spreadsheets), according to Mingay.

Click here to learn about data center power requirements

To read the entire article visit Processor.com

KVM Streamlines Remote Server Management

2008-01-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

For 3,000 machines, remote server management is easier than managing locally, but for business intelligence software company SAS, wrestling with multiple management interfaces was only marginally helpful.

...Reducing the divorce rate
Do not underestimate the power of remote server management, warned Dennis Drogseth, a vice president and analyst at Enterprise Management Associates. Marx, for example, says that he can now sit at his desk, perform remote server management tasks like installing software or doing a reboot, and all while checking email. But Drogseth said the benefits extend further, especially for IT staffers on call at odd hours.

...VMware support breaks the tie
According to Drogseth, there are two major players in the KVM management space: Avocent and Raritan, both of which SAS evaluated closely.

Avocent already had the edge in Marx's mind because SAS was already using Avocent's KVM switches. Still, the company went through a two- to three-month evaluation, and Marx said he prefers Avocent's roadmap. He thought Avocent seemed to be more on top of the game in terms of various vendors' remote console access methods. He was also encouraged by Avocent's ability to manage virtual VMware servers as well as physical devices. So, about a year ago, SAS settled on Avocent's digital switches and its DSView 3 management software.

Click here to find out more about Avocent and Raritan products.

Click here to read the entire article

Web Seminar: Avocent IT Infrastructure Tools

2008-01-16T07:48:00.000-07:00

Unleashing the Power of Avocent IT Infrastructure Tools

Data center build outs, expansions, updates and server consolidation have reached a feverish pace and so have the challenges in keeping up with compliance, green initiatives – all while attempting to lower costs, increase scalability and keeping IT operations and Business always on.

On Wednesday, February 6th at 11pm PST, join Steve Lewis, IT Infrastructure Consultant for 42U and Mark Harris, VP Strategic Marketing for Avocent Corporation for this informaitonal webinar.

During this webinar, you’ll learn ways you can:

- Increase Operation Effectiveness – get more out of your data center hardware investment
- Minimize Risk of Data Center– and ensure greater availability and control
- Increase Data Center Security
- Increase IT Infrastructure Productivity – through automation

click here to register

Avocent Introduces Family of Space-Saving Desktop KVM Switches for Small and Home Offices

2007-12-18T07:56:00.000-07:00

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Dec. 17, 2007 – Avocent Corporation (Nasdaq: AVCT) today introduced its family of SwitchView® 100 desktop KVM switches for small and home offices. These latest additions to the Avocent family of market-leading connectivity solutions include four space-saving desktop KVM switches that support multimedia applications.

SwitchView 100 switches come bundled with all the necessary cables for a solution that’s ready to deploy out of the box, simplifying both the buying and set up process and offering a complete package at a competitive price. Full audio support is also included, eliminating the need for separate sets of speakers and microphones for each computer – providing an uninterrupted multimedia experience across platforms.

To read the entire press release visit the Avocent website.

TOP 10 WAYS TO SAVE ENERGY IN THE DATA CENTER

2007-11-30T07:50:00.000-07:00

By Shamus McGillicuddy, News Writer
11.29.2007 | SearchCIO.com

LAS VEGAS -- Gartner Inc. has predicted that the cost of supplying energy to a server over its three-year lifetime will soon exceed the server's acquisition cost.

With this in mind, Chris Loeffler, product manager of data center solutions at Eaton Corp. in Cleveland, offered delegates at this week's Gartner Data Center Conference the top 10 ways to save energy in the data center. He said these "low-hanging" management options and technologies can combine to reduce data center energy consumption by up to 50% without compromising availability.

...

8. Adopt cooling best practices.
Loeffler said many data centers may use hot aisle/cold aisle configurations to improve cooling efficiency, but there are also some small things they can do. Simple "blanking panels" can be installed in server racks that have empty slots. "That's a great way to make sure the cold air in the cold aisle doesn't start mixing with the hot air in the hot aisle any sooner than it needs to," he said.

Loeffler said organizations should also seal cable cutouts to minimize airflow bypasses. He said data organizations should consider air handlers and chillers that use efficient technologies such as variable frequency drives, which adjust how fast the air conditioning system's motors run when cooling needs dip.

9. Assess the utilization and efficiency issues in your data center.
In addition to turning off unused IT equipment, as mentioned above, organizations should also retire unused software applications and focus on adopting more effective software that requires extra CPU cycles.

10. Prioritize actions to reduce the energy needs of your data center.
Loeffler said organizations should identify and prioritize the steps needed to reduce the energy needs of a data center. He said IT should get executive-level support before embarking on these efficiency gains and form a cross-functional team to develop an energy strategy for IT operations.

Click here to read the complete article

Server Racks & Enclosures Add Value

2007-11-09T08:35:00.000-07:00

Businesses Have Increasing Options When Tailoring Racks For Data Center Operation

Businesses are increasingly turning their attention to optimization of the racks and enclosures used within their data center operations as they seek to enhance efficiency and build out physical infrastructure that can provide a path for growth.

The proper selection of appropriately sized racks can allow a business to correctly attack power and cooling requirements, says Cliff Unger, senior sales engineer for DirectNET, a data center equipment and services company. Midmarket businesses are increasingly looking to take a strategic approach to data center design and facilitation, selecting enclosures and related power and cooling equipment to maximize current and future operational efficiency.

Please click here to read the full article.

State-by-State Green Power Locator

2007-09-21T12:56:00.000-06:00

More companies are tracking the carbon footprint of their data center facilities as part of broader initiatives towards eco-responsibility. As a result, there's growing interest in renewable energy resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biogas and hydro power. But how do you find these "green power" providers? The Environmental Protection Agency has gathered information on the renewable energy options from utilities in each of the 50 states, which is available online through the EPA's Green Power Locator. Listings for each state include the utility, program name, type of renewable energy offered, and whether the program includes premium pricing. The data was last verified in 2006, but should provide a head start for companies researching green power options.

Click here to see where you can buy Green Power in your state.

What does Green Data Center Mean to You?

2007-09-07T14:29:00.000-06:00

Firms Making Their Own 'Green' Standards
North American companies want energy-efficient data centers, but are struggling to define what "green" really means, and often developing their own metrics and standards. That's the conclusion of a Digital Realty Trust (DRL) survey of enterprise data center users, which found strong commitment to energy efficiency but no clear standard emerging to assess and track these green initiatives.

"The findings provide compelling evidence that green initiatives will play a significant, long-term role in data center planning and design," said Chris Crosby, Senior Vice President of Digital Realty Trust. "Our goal for this survey was to determine whether the greening of the data center is a passing fad or represents the emergence of a deeper trend in technology that will permeate the industry for years to come."
Fifty five percent of companies polled said they have already established a detailed green data center strategy, while more than 80 percent said their strategy addresses facility design and operations in addition to computers and servers. The facility-level focus reflects a comprehensive approach to green data center initiatives, according to Digital Realty. In addition, more than 60 percent of companies said that having a green data center strategy will be an important factor in their vendor selections over the next 24 months, indicating that IT vendors and data center providers will need to be green to compete.

Click here to read the entire article on the Data Center Knowledge website.

Avocent First to Combine Management of Virtualized and Physical Assets in the Data Center

2007-09-06T07:08:00.000-06:00

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Sept. 5, 2007 – Avocent® Corporation (Nasdaq: AVCT) today introduced a major upgrade to its award-winning flagship DSView 3 management software that enables IT managers to seamlessly access and control virtualized environments in the same way they access and control their physical IT environments. Avocent DSView 3 software is the first management platform to enable combined access and control of both virtual and physical servers – in the same “pane of glass” – reducing the cost and complexity of managing data centers.

“Virtualization offers significant economic benefits to the enterprise, and we’re pleased to add this powerful new capability that our data center customers demand,” said Dave Perry, executive vice president and general manager. “This emerging mix of virtual and physical servers is adding a new layer of complexity to IT management and it’s becoming a huge management issue for our customers. Avocent’s enhanced software lessens that complexity because it provides a single platform for combined access and control of both physical and virtual servers thereby eliminating the need for a separate set of tools for managing the virtual world.” The software will be demonstrated publicly for the first time at the VMworld event in San Francisco September 11-13.

Click here to read the entire press release for the Avocent DSView 3.

DirectNET Partners with Powerware to Provide Complete Power Solutions

2007-08-29T06:01:00.000-06:00

Broomfield, CO – August 28, 2007. DirectNET Inc., the nation’s largest provider of server management and data center infrastructure solutions, today announced that it has entered into a value added reseller agreement with Eaton Powerware (www.powerware.com) to provide comprehensive power quality and backup power management solutions.

“With the current estimates that 10 to 30 percent of IT budgets go toward paying for power, we recognize the need to provide innovative, efficient power solutions,” comments Alan Mamane, CEO of DirectNET. “Based on our vendor agnostic approach of assessing, recommending, and offering the solutions that best fit our customer’s needs, Eaton’s market-leading power technologies were a critical addition to our portfolio.”

Along with Powerware’s broad range of rack-based uninterruptible power system (UPS) systems, DirectNET will also offer Powerware’s pivotal technologies that provide much-needed relief for high-density computing environments including the innovative Powerware BladeUPS™ and the Power Xpert Architecture™.

“Our ability to offer these niche products, in conjunction with broader-reaching power solutions, is an important market advantage for DirectNET,” commented Patrick Cameron, Director of Business Development for DirectNET, Inc. “In the coming quarters we expect to continue adding products that meet the unique needs of our customers.”

Click here to read the entire press release on this power solution partnership.

Avocent Adds Support for More Server Models to Help Businesses Stay ‘Always On’

2007-08-28T07:18:00.000-06:00

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Aug. 27, 2007 – Avocent® Corporation (Nasdaq: AVCT) today announced its MergePoint® 5200 family of service processor managers now supports more server models, enhancing IT infrastructure management capabilities for data center managers charged with keeping business operations ‘always on.’ The MergePoint products leverage service processors, the embedded “chips” inside servers designed to help manage those servers independent of the main operating system processor. This technology can complement in-band server management tools by enabling remote control of server power, hardware monitoring and alerts for improved server availability.

“While hardware health monitoring is an important attribute of service processors, it is the power management capability that has grabbed the attention of our customers today,” said Ivan Passos, director of product management. “Embedded service processors send alerts that signal hotspots in a data center, and enable remote power cycling to easily and quickly power down servers when they’re overheating. Or if a server is not in use, it can be powered off to reduce utility costs. Adding a service processor strategy to the overall data center management strategy also cuts costs because you are leveraging a technology already paid for when the server was purchased.”

Click here for a project consultation or pricing for the MergePoint 5200.

To read the full article visit the Avocent website.

Data Centers Going Green!

2007-08-17T08:04:00.000-06:00

This week there was an article on Data Center Knowledge outlining the key projects "The Green Grid", a non-profit consortium, will be focusing on for the remainder of the year.

The Green Grid's Technology Roadmap
Last week we had a large volume of news from deals and conferences, and didn't get a chance to write about The Green Grid's announcement of its technology roadmap. The plan outlines a series of studies to develop data and metrics, with the goal of "bringing together industry leaders and end users from critical segments of the data center ecosystem to develop a unified voice around data center efficiency issues."

Click here to read the rest of the article on the Data Center Knowledge website.

Avocent Launches New Serial Console Servers for Remote Management of Small and Midsize Data Centers

2007-08-10T15:23:00.000-06:00

Affordable system simplifies remote management of UNIX, Linux and Solaris servers, routers, and power management devices

The Cyclades CS Console Server, based on the industry leading Cyclades ACS Console Server platform, allow consolidated and cost effective management from a single point of access to serial devices.

“These new additions to our range of switching solutions have more advanced features and better pricing than any similar solution on the market today,” said Pete Engler, SMB product manager for Avocent. “Building on the enterprise Cyclades ACS Console Server family, we have now brought this best-in-class technology to our customers who manage smaller environments so that they, too, can more easily manage their complex multi-platform IT equipment.”

To read the complete new release go to the Avocent website.

Click here for more information on these Serial Console Servers.

Earthquake-Proofing the Data Center

2007-07-19T09:28:00.000-06:00

For those of you located in earthquake prone areas...this article will definately be of interest. Data Center Knowledge posted this article following the 6.2 earthquake which recently hit Japan.

Tuesday's magnitude 6.2 earthquake in central Japan was was only the most recent in a series of strong earthquakes to hit the country, one of the most seismically active regions on earth. This presents an engineering challenge for data center managers, whose facilities must be prepared to ride out quakes of magnitude 7.0 or greater.

Nearly 1,000 Japanese companies have turned to WorkSafe Technologies to protect their equipment. The Valencia, Calif. company's ISO-BASE earthquake mitigation products allow racks and cabinets to ride out even major quakes with minimal vibrations.

Click here to read the entire article.

Minicom Forms New Digital Signage Division

2007-07-06T07:50:00.000-06:00

LINDEN, New Jersey, July 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Minicom Advanced Systems announced today the formation of a dedicated Digital Signage Division is to be led by former Vice President for North American Sales, Dave Haar. The decision comes as a result of the company's recognition of the need to provide specialized business attention to the rapidly growing digital signage market.

Minicom produces a range of digital signage distribution systems (http://www.minicom.com/av-products.htm) that narrowcast HD multimedia content from media player to multiple displays in real-time, over long distance, while providing centralized control of the screen network.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Click here for more information on Minicom products.

Minicom Unveils New Digital KVM Switch for the Growing IT Environment

2007-07-05T10:10:00.000-06:00

Minicom Advanced Systems, a leading manufacturer of KVM solutions for remote server management, today announced the launch of the Smart 116IP; a single user, digital KVM switch that provides secure BIOS level access and control to a rack of up to 16 servers either remotely or locally.

"The Smart 116 IP can be operated seamlessly under Minicom's KVM.net global centralized KVM server management system - making it the ideal digital KVM switch for forward minded corporations that require a versatile, high-performance KVM switch today, and looking to centrally manage their globally distributed servers tomorrow" said Benny Hayumi, Product Manager for Minicom.

To read the rest of the article visit the Minicom website.

Traditional KVM Technology Still Thriving!

2007-06-29T10:27:00.000-06:00

In the most recent edition of Processor they raise the question "Is The Death of Traditional KVM Near?" They report that the demand for traditional KVM technolgy products remains strong! Below is a snippet from the article.

Is The Death Of Traditional KVM Near?
Don’t Bet On It Anytime Soon

As new technologies enter the marketplace, older ones tend to fade off into the sunset, but don’t close the door on traditional KVM technologies just yet. While some server manufacturers have begun to integrate KVM functions directly on the motherboard, thus prompting a premature death knell, the demand for traditional KVM products remains strong.

“I don’t think the traditional KVM is dead at all, as I find it to be very strong in ongoing markets, especially in the 2-port and 4-port switches where you don’t necessarily need IP KVM or the need to support servers remotely,” says Adrian Dickens, founder and managing director for Adder Technology (www.Processor.com/Adder), a UK-based KVM manufacturer. Richard Dominach, Raritan’s (www.Processor.com/Raritan1) KVM over IP product manager, agrees: “I think the current state of the traditional KVM is indeed healthy. Customers are making good use of KVM and related technologies.”

To read the complete article visit Processor.com

Click here to find information on Raritan, Adder, and ATEN KVM Switch Products.

Gartner Sees Gains for In-Row Cooling

2007-06-19T15:54:00.000-06:00

"Power and cooling is a pandemic in the world of the data center." That was the message from Michael Bell, research vice president at Gartner Inc., speaking at the Gartner IT Infrastructure, Operations and Management Summit 2007 this week in Orlando. "By next year, about half the world's data centers will be functionally obsolete due to insufficient power and cooling capacity to meet the demands of high-density equipment."

By 2011, in-rack and in-row cooling will emerge as the predominant cooling strategy for high-density equipment. This has been a consistent message from the vendors in this space, but its interesting to see agreement from Gartner on this point.

By the end of the decade, 15 percent of servers will use chip-level or in-chassis cooling technologies from companies like SprayCool and Cooligy Inc.

To read the entire article go to Data Center Knowledge

Click here to read more about server rack cooling options.

Liquid Cooling: Powerful Cooling for Today's Datacenter

2007-06-12T07:39:00.000-06:00

Organizations are increasingly evaluating and implementing liquid cooling solutions to meet the heat challenges of blade servers and high-density computing. Liquid cooling solutions utilize air/liquid heat exchangers to provide quiet, uniform, effective cooling.

Many IT professionals list cooling as a top issue in data center management, as excess heat and high temperatures can shorten equipment lifespan, cause system downtime, and negatively affect equipment performance. As organizations add blade servers to their IT infrastructure, server rooms and datacenters demand more electricity and produce more heat, with some high-density racks exceeding 30 kW and some experts estimating up to 50 kW per server rack, within the next five years.

Click here to read the entire Liquid Cooling article.

liquid cooling