Post by Nir Dary
1. Reduce Clutter! I don’t know about you, but many of my fellow IT friends have been faced with the same challenges in the server room: How can I free up my overcrowded server room? How can I eliminate cable clutter in the rack? one solution I found is to combine a KVM LCD drawer with a KVM switch. This creates a less cluttered work environment, now I’m using up only one U of rack space instead of 2 and the drawer KVM cables connect to the KVM switch on the same U, providing better cable management. Now that my equipment is all neatly organized I can access it more easily, save time,increase productivity and provides a safer work environment.
2. I need a reboot, and I need a reboot now! When servers crash, the resolution time is critical crucial and you must get your system up and running as soon as possible. In addition, you must do it without making any mistakes because you don’t want to get to the point of no return where you end up recycling a downed server. With time of the essence, the best way to bring your server back to life is with one click. Yes, one click. There is technology out there that provides direct access to PDU remote reboot features without a separate login and password, with the option of going through your KVM or serial session. There is no need to decode which power port is associated with a given target. Each server has icons for both remote access and power control right next to it, making the transition from access to control easy and immediate.
3. Consolidate your system! For daily maintenance of your servers, you rely on in-band software access services like VNC, RDP, Telnet and SSH. And, when it comes to dealing with server crashes, I bet you need out-of-band tools like console servers, KVM switches, managed PDUs and service processors. Sounds like a case of an overpopulation of remote access tools. The cure: Access all your IT assets at one address. You should manage all your remote access tools from one consolidated place with all your IT assets and their associated access methods. With one click access, IT managers can maintain and troubleshoot their data centers.
4. Lower your operational costs! Companies are always looking to cut costs and increase efficiency. As I researched ways to cut my operational costs, I found Minicom’s “Real Needs” approach. The unique approach provides a management SW portal to access and control all of your mixed-vendor IT hardware. This means you can use all your existing equipment- servers, consoles, switches, PDUs etc-regardless of the manufacturer, save your money for future investments.
5. If you would like to learn more about how you can make your data center more efficient, and learn more about changes in the IT remote access field, the Data Center Alliance is hosting the following event at Georgia Tech University on December 8, 2010: Winds of Change: Creative Concepts for Increasing Data Center Efficiency
Nir Dary is a Tech Support Manager at Minicom
