Dell Power Solutions

SYSTEMS MANAGEMENTLinux serverUNIX serverWindows serverSwitchRouterPowercontrolCCM Console ManagerModemDial-up accessto clientorRack-mounted devicesLocal terminalFigure 1. Equinox CCM Console Manager topologyNetworkSerialTelnet clientAVWorks clientSSH clientout-of-band access to network devices. By launching a Telnet sessiondirectly to the CCM Console Manager, the administrator is presentedwith the command-line interface (CLI) of the appliance. Thisinterface allows the administrator to access the attached devicesor the CCM Console Manager itself. The CCM840 and CCM1640Console Managers also can be accessed using Avocent ® AVWorks ®management software, which provides a graphical user interface(GUI) that helps enable administrators to consolidate device discovery,installation, administration, access, and control into a singlecross-platform application (see Figure 2). Clicking on a desktop iconwithin AVWorks launches a console session to the selected device.Centralized access and control of serially managed devices on thenetwork can help decrease administrative overhead while improvingthe stability of network systems.AVWorks provides a list of all network devices and providesaccess to these devices based on assigned permissions. By clickingon a device, an administrator can establish a connection betweenAVWorks and the target device. The CCM Console Manager thentransmits data regarding the status and health of the attached deviceto AVWorks for compilation and viewing. Using AVWorks, administratorscan easily locate a device and establish a secure in-bandor out-of-band Telnet or SSH session in which they can alter deviceconfiguration parameters, diagnose and recover from system faults,view statistics, and perform various other control-related functions.Additional management features, such as offline history bufferingand hardware break suppression, distinguish the CCM ConsoleManager from simple terminal servers, which are often used forsimilar purposes. Equinox CCM Console Manager Simple NetworkManagement Protocol (SNMP) management information base 2(MIB2) and enterprise traps integrate directly with existing SNMPIPmanagement systems to indicate events such as failed authenticationand offline history buffer. This capability helps ensure that ITstaff does not miss important information such as data pertaining totraffic on the attached devices, failures, and user lockouts.To permit access to existing user accounts, the CCM ConsoleManager is compatible with servers that use the Remote AuthenticationDial-In User Service (RADIUS) protocol. In addition, the CCMConsole Manager contains an on-board database that allows for thecreation of 64 on-board user accounts with individual passwords. Specificaccess rights may be set for each account. Advanced featuressuch as access control levels helps ease the task of assigning useraccess rights. The CCM Console Manager offers three levels of accesscontrol: Appliance Administrator, User Administrator, and User. TheCCM Console Manager provides a 10/100BaseT (8- and 16-port) and10/100/1000BaseT 7 (48-port) Ethernet connection for attaching to thenetwork, and up to 48 serial ports for attaching to the serial consoleports of servers, routers, and other devices. Individual users may haveup to 48 simultaneous Telnet sessions, depending on the number ofports available per CCM Console Manager.Using security features for secure connectionsSecurity is an important concern for remote IT administrators becausenetwork connections—particularly in distributed environments—can span both public and private subnetworks. The CCM ConsoleManager offers several attributes that help provide secure local andremote IP connections:• Permissions: Not all administrators need or should have thesame access rights. The CCM Console Manager enables ITstaff to assign user-specific access rights and privileges,restricting access to devices based on set permissions.• Client authentication: Authentication software such asRADIUS is frequently used to identify individuals and provideFigure 2. Avocent AVWorks interfaceView selector tabsSearch barSort barsGroup selectorsUnit selector paneUnit selector:• Managementappliance• Target deviceUnit propertiesGroup selector paneTask bars7 1000BaseT does not connote an actual operating speed of 1 Gbps. For high-speed transmission, connection to a Gigabit Ethernet server and network infrastructure is required.64POWER SOLUTIONS June 2004