| Linux device management package rev'd |
Aug. 14, 2006
 Avocent has brought out a new version of the software suite that lets users manage its Linux-based remote access devices. DSView 3 adds support for console server and power-supply management devices acquired through its recent merger with Cyclades, along with new data logging capabilities and support for Dell and HP blade systems, the company says.
(Click for larger view of DSView 3 screenshot)
Avocent claims to have invented "KVM-over-IP," and has long based its KVM servers on embedded Linux. The company today bases all its appliances on Linux, according to its director of product marketing, C.C. Fridlin. "We had a few devices that were based on a proprietary RTOS, but today, we base everything on Linux," Fridlin said.
Avocent dominates the market for KVM devices, which are primarily used to remotely administer Windows-based servers. Avocent's "DSR" series KVM devices are based on powerful PowerPC processors, along with FPGAs and other special-purpose logic circuits. "They attach to the VGA port, so they have to capture 1024 x 768 pixels of 24-bit color at 70 cycles per second, compress it, and send it over the wire. That takes a lot of processing power," Fridlin said.
Unlike "in-band" technologies such as RDP (remote desktop protocol), KVM servers provide an "out-of-band" access method that can be used to reboot servers, adjust BIOS settings, and so on, Fridlin explains.
Currently, Avocent is executing a strategy of growth through market diversification. The company in March of 2004 acquired OSA software, which makes the firmware used in 85 percent of all IPMI baseport management controllers (BMC's), it claims. Avocent next acquired Cyclades, in a deal announced in January and completed in March of last year. Finally, Avocent expects to complete an acquisition of in-band management software marketshare leader LANDesk later this year.
Avocent's acquisition of Cyclades brought the company several product lines designed to provide remote, out-of-band administration of console-based devices, such as Cisco routers and Linux-based servers. Fridlin explains, "As we were moving deeper in servers, one obvious area of growth was in Linux and Unix. We wanted a quick entry into the market, and our acquisition of Cyclades gave us access to product and market."
DSView 3 adds support for several key Cyclades product lines, including the ACS (advanced console server) and PM Intelligent Power Distribution Unit product lines. Support is expected later in the year for other Cyclades products, including its KVM/net, KVM/netPlus, and TS terminal server lines.
Additionally, DSView 3 adds support for OSA's OnBoard Service Processor Manager. This enables the package to be used to manage IPMI-enabled blade servers from HP and Dell, according to Avocent.
Avocent describes DSView 3 as "the only IT manageability software solution with a hub and spoke architecture." The architecture supports authentication through up to 15 mirrored spoke servers, for real-time load balancing, according to the company.
DSView 3 integrates with a variety of authentication systems, including LDAP and Radius. Robust authentication allows use in public companies obliged to follow Sarbanes-Oxley guidelines, according to Avocent. Fridlin said, "Who can access what, and when, is an important part of business. When you put KVM on the network, you had better lock it down."
Also new in DSView 3 is a console event logging service aimed at letting customers capture console events, in order to assist with fault diagnosis. Such data can be valuable in meeting corporate security policies, as well as Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) mandates, according to Avocent.
Availability
DSView 3 is available now, priced between $800 and $22,500, depending on the number of users. Additional product details, including a gallery of screen shots, can be found here.
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