Avocent Harnesses Server Manageability with New MergePoint(TM) 5200 Management Gateway Appliance.HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- Enterprises Can Now Tap Existing Service Processor Resources to Securely and Efficiently Consolidate Server Management within Complex Server Environments Avocent Corporation (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on :AVCT AVCT Advanced Vehicles Concept Team ) today announced the MergePoint 5200 management gateway appliance, designed to give enterprises the key to unlock service processor power, unleashing a critical and underutilized resource already deployed within today's complex server environments. The MergePoint 5200 appliance allows enterprises to waken dormant service processor capabilities across heterogeneous systems to securely and efficiently streamline server management. With support for the standards-based command line technology known as Systems Management Architecture for Server Hardware The Systems Management Architecture for Server Hardware (SMASH) is a suite of specifications that deliver industry standard protocols to increase productivity of the management of a data center. Command Line Protocol (SMASH CLP 1. CLP - Cornell List Processor. 2. CLP - Constraint Logic Programming. ) along with an Intelligent Platform Management Interface The Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) specification defines a set of common interfaces to computer hardware and firmware which system administrators can use to monitor system health and manage the system. Several dozen companies support IPMI. (IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface) A protocol for monitoring server hardware for temperature, voltage, chassis intrusion, etc. Introduced in 1998 by Intel, HP, NEC and Dell, IPMI defines a standard set of messages for the characteristics of hardware ) configuration feature and a secure, centrally managed interface, the MergePoint 5200 simplifies server manageability, increases productivity and reduces costs. "Within the high performance and highly scalable clustering environments of large enterprises and the data centers operated by companies of all sizes, system administrators are struggling to conquer the challenging task of server management. Ineffective management tools impact cost, performance and reliability and expose critical resources to security threat," said Dave Perry, executive vice president, Avocent. "By enabling our customers to utilize their existing service processor technologies, the MergePoint 5200 appliance allows system administrators to manage multi-vendor server environments from one interface, automate management tasks using one script, and simplify training and support by speaking one language." Service Processors Simplify Server Management Most servers used by today's enterprises and small to medium businesses contain embedded server management technologies also known as service processors. To date service processor functionality has been underutilized. However this existing resource can now help system administrators overcome the challenges of managing thousands of unique servers across complex, high performance and disparate environments. By using service processors to manage servers, system administrators gain critical management functionality, including Power Control, Serial over LAN Serial Over LAN is a mechanism that enables the input and output of the serial port of a managed system to be redirected via an IPMI session over IP. On some managed systems, notably blade server systems the serial ports on the managed computers are not normally connected to (SoL) Console Access, Monitoring and Alerting, all through a single interface. The MergePoint 5200 management gateway appliance allows system administrators to securely and efficiently utilize existing service processor technologies -- including the standard IPMI, Dell Remote Access Cards (DRAC DRAC Directions Regionales des Affaires Culturelles DRAC Dynamic Relay Authorization Control DRAC Dell Remote Assistant Card (Dell Computer) DRAC Dynamic Resource Allocation Control (3GPP) ) and Hewlett-Packard Integrated Lights Out (iLO) -- to manage the entire server lifecycle from bare metal provisioning to decommissioning Decommissioning is a general term for a formal process to remove something from operational status. Some specific instances include:
With support for the new SMASH CLP standard, the MergePoint 5200 allows enterprises to take advantage of standards-based management technologies to streamline servers within heterogeneous environments. Previously, because servers are not SMASH enabled, companies were unable to utilize the standards interface. The MergePoint 5200 creates a common layer between existing servers and SMASH commands by providing translation of SMASH commands to command line protocols used by the various service processors running on servers within the data center. The MergePoint 5200 provides a single syntax and semantics for operations at the server hardware command line, simplifying management and automation as well as training and support. IPMI provisioning and configuration capabilities provided by the MergePoint 5200 ease manageability even further. By discovering embedded IPMI processors and configuring them based on administrator set parameters, the MergePoint 5200 allows system administrators to more efficiently access and utilize available service processor resources. The MergePoint 5200 provides IT professionals with a secure interface to leverage service processor technologies, featuring centrally managed provisions and SSH (Secure SHell) A security protocol for logging into a remote server. SSH provides an encrypted session for transferring files and executing server programs. Also serving as a secure client/server connection for applications such as database access and e-mail, SSH supports a and HTTPS (1) (HyperText Transport Protocol Secure) The protocol for accessing a secure Web server. Using HTTPS in the URL instead of HTTP directs the message to a secure port number rather than the default Web port number of 80. encryption of service processor packets. Integration with Avocent's DSView(R) 3 management software further consolidates server management by providing a single console for access to embedded management technologies and existing out-of-band interfaces. The MergePoint 5200 appliance complements Avocent's extensive portfolio of manageability solutions that streamline and consolidate IT infrastructure management to improve productivity, reduce costs and optimize resources. About Avocent Corporation Avocent Corporation is a leading supplier of connectivity solutions for enterprise data centers, service providers and financial institutions worldwide. Branded products include switching, extension, intelligent platform management interface (IPMI), remote access and video display solutions. Additional information is available at: www.avocent.com Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains statements that are forward-looking statements as defined within the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) implemented several significant substantive changes affecting certain cases brought under the federal securities laws, including changes related to pleading, discovery, liability, class representation and awards fees and of 1995. These include statements regarding market opportunity, product development, engineering and design activities, and product availability and operability Operability is the ability to keep a system in a functioning and operating condition. In a computing systems environment with multiple systems this includes the ability of products, systems and business processes to work together to accomplish a common task such as finding and . These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made, including the risks associated with general economic conditions, risks attributable to future product demand, sales, and expenses, risks associated with product design efforts and the introduction of new products and technologies, risks associated with reliance on a limited number of component suppliers and single source components, and risk associated with obtaining and protecting intellectual property rights. Other factors that could cause operating and financial results to differ are described in Avocent's reports on Form 10-K Form 10-K A report required by the SEC from exchange-listed companies that provides for annual disclosure of certain financial information. Form 10-K See 10-K. and Form 10-Q Form 10-Q See 10-Q. filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Avocent, the Avocent logo, The Power of Being There, DSView and MergePoint are trademarks or registered trademarks of Avocent Corporation or its affiliates. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion