The DKX2-808 ideally suited for many types of use cases.  For example, a customer may have “critical servers” that must always be remotely accessible.  For example, in a real-time application, say an operations center or control center, an operator may require non-blocked access to a group of servers.  Many broadcast type environments also have this requirement where the user must always have access to critical servers.  For development or test labs, there may also be critical servers used by a large number of people.

In other cases, the user – possibly an IT administrator or developer – may require simultaneous access to multiple servers at once.  With the DKX2-808, they can have this access without affecting the productivity of other users that may be blocked from accessing other servers.

Access to blade servers is another situation ideally suited to non-blocked access.  A customer can connect 8 blade server chassis to the DKX2-808 and each blade server chassis can always be remotely accessible.  This prevents a user from not being able to access up to 20 individual blade servers.

Similar to this scenario is the tiering or cascading of KVM switches.  In this common use case, the customer connects up to 8 other KVM switches to the DKX2-808.  Since these KVM switches provide access up to 16, 32 or even 64 servers, blocking is not acceptable.

Similarly, many customers IP-enable their Raritan Paragon II switches by connecting them to a Dominion KX II.  Again, since a Paragon switch can be connected to up to 64 servers, and losing access to that many servers is not desirable, the DKX2-808 is ideally suited for this application.

For customers requiring non-blocked access to a large number of servers, for example a customer wanting 64×64 or even 100×100 access, multiple DKX2-808 switches can be used together with Raritan’s CommandCenter Secure Gateway such that a large group of users can have immediate access to each and every server.

So as you can see the DKX2-808 is uniquely qualified for many common situations providing the non-blocked access required.

For more information on the Dominion KX2-808 and the other KX II models, contact your authorized Raritan representative or our website at:  http://www.raritan.com/products/kvm-over-ip/dominion-kx-ii/

Join our presentation at 12:30 p.m. and learn how automation of your data center assets is simpler than you think but can help you avoid costly errors and provide huge cost savings.

To register visit http://www.datacenterdynamics.com/conferences/2011/toronto-2011.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the USA. I’m finishing up this blog before heading to the grocery store to pick up the few things I forgot to purchase earlier in the week. How did I manage to forget mushrooms for the gravy?

The global economy is bad, many people are out of work, those fortunate enough to have work are stretched thin trying to get everything done and there is more than enough conflict in the world. But despite all that there are many things for which we can be thankful.

Those of us in the IT world have a lot to be thankful for. Data centers are being upgraded. Despite economic problems IT spending has stayed strong for 2011. There is growing interest in data center infrastructure management (DCIM) and the promise of DCIM solutions to make large and complex data centers easier and more efficient to manage and operate.

But, it is you who is finding ways to cut costs while providing better services. You are reducing energy consumption at the same time that you are improving reliability. You are able to postpone the huge capital expenditures associated with data center expansions and yet grow at unprecedented rates.

These amazing accomplishments are possible because you are thinking hard about how to get the most and the best out of your IT assets. You have become the evangelist who preaches, “The way it’s always been done is not the way we should do it now.” Then you have had to bring about the new order by planning, testing, deploying, implementing and improving products, processes and practices. And you have had to make these changes while maintaining live, 24×7, mission critical systems.

Thank you.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Greg

Come to our booth to see Raritan’s Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) solution – dcTrack.

dcTrack brings an even stronger asset, capacity and change management solution, while also incorporating PowerIQ®, our energy management solution, to complete the DCIM solution.  Power IQ provides a clear picture of available power, energy and environmental trends amongst all assets. This helps provide accurate information on power usage that can be used to save on energy costs and maintain compliance.

The Dominion LX is a family of affordable, high-quality KVM-over-IP switches with single power, single LAN and virtual media. Targeted towards small and midsize businesses (SMB) with less than 75 servers under management, they provide BIOS-level, IP control of 8 or 16 servers with one or two user remote IP access, as well as local, at-the-rack access.

The Dominion LX family includes three KVM-over-IP models:

• The DLX-108 – an 8-port switch, one remote user session and one local user
• The DLX-116 – a 16-port switch, one remote user session and one local user
• The DLX-216 – a 16-port switch, two remote user sessions and one local user

The typical customer, usually an IT administrator or software developer/tester, works for a small or midsize business that needs remote, KVM-over-IP access to their PCs, servers and computer equipment, at an economical price.

SMB’s have had to settle for entry-level KVM-over-IP switches with limited features,  out-dated platforms, and old-school OSD user interfaces.   The typical SMB KVM-over-IP switch has an On Screen Display (OSD) on its local port.  This OSD has an entirely different interface from the IP user interface.   The user must learn two completely different user interfaces!  In addition, many administrative features are missing from the OSD.

The Dominion LX sets a new standard for SMB KVM-over-IP switches with:

• A common, browser-based user interface for remote and local access
• Independent local and remote access
• The most secure switch in it’s class
• Optional virtual media and absolute mouse synchronization
• A modern platform with 1920×1080 remote video, gigabit Ethernet LAN, and dual stack IPv6/IPv4 networking

Click here to learn more about how the Dominion LX can give you affordable, anytime/anywhere IP access to your IT equipment

Click here to watch the Dominion LX Video

Click here to access the article (pages 40 to 43).

Or come to the presentation at 2:50 pm in Hall 1.
Each attendee will enter a drawing to win a Pair of Motorola Two-Radios (20-mile distance).
To register, visit http://www.datacenterdynamics.com/conferences/2011/chicago

You are invited to attend the complimentary Data Center Discussion Panel Event Thursday September 29, 2011 from 12:00pm – 5:30pm, at Andaz | Wall Street in New York City, NY. A catered reception will follow the main event; including wine, beer and hors d’oeuvres. You can also tour the Telx Data Center (8th Avenue facility) from 9:00 am to Noon.

* Pre-Event Mixer on September 28th at Bar Seven Five (in Andaz).

For more information and to register, please visit http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e35bdv73ae254c7e

Executive Order (EO) 13514 was designed to establish a path which the federal government could follow to control energy consumption while reducing costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

To comply with these directives, maintain service level agreements and ensure uptime; accurate, real-time power consumption data is needed from the data center devices.

A comprehensive energy management solution can provide critical, real-time power and environmental data as well as give data center personnel the ability to remotely and securely manage these devices over IP.

These energy management solutions include intelligent rack PDUs, environmenatal sensors to measure heat and humidity and power management software to tie the entire solution together so that all power related data can be poured into one data warehouse.  The data center personnel can then pull relevant data from the software into reports for trending, provisioning and capacity planning purposes and have the ability to view the entire data center power infrastructure from a single pane of glass.

Useful information on this mandate and how to reduce energy through power management to meet the requirments set in EO 13514 can be found in this new white paper: EO 13514 and Smart Federal Govermnment Data Center Management.