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Vendors are fighting it out in the market for integrated network, computer, and storage systems. We go ringside to help you pick a winner. >>
By Kurt Marko
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NETWORKCOMPUTING.COM
May 2011 Issue 8

CONTENTS
Remote Management
When critical systems fail and youre hundreds of miles away, remote management can save the day. Use our strategy for smart, secure access. p.10

Interop Las Vegas Get up to speed on IT innovations in security, cloud computing, virtualization, and more at Interop Las Vegas. Its happening May 8-12. interop.com/lasvegas Black Hat: All About Security The Black Hat briefings are the premier security event of the year. Join with top experts in Las Vegas, Aug. 3-4. blackhat.com

IN-DEPTH REPORTS
IT Pro Ranking: Data Center Networking Your IT peers evaluate Cisco, Brocade, Hewlett-Packard, and more. networkcomputing.com/dcnetwork 2011 Salary Survey: Networking And Data Center Find out how your salary matches up with your peers in our exclusive research. networkcomputing.com/dcsalary HP BladeServer Matrix We take a close look at Hewlett-Packards entry into unified computing. networkcomputing.com/hpmatrix

COLUMNS Preamble
IPv6 isnt a Y2K redux. Heres why this rollout wont hurt. p.3

Datagram COVER STORY

New products will make storage and virtualization work better together. p.4

Battle For The Data Center

Cisco, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and others want their proprietary, integrated network, server, and storage platforms in your data center. Weve got the info you need to get the best fit. p.5
networkcomputing.com

CONTACTS
Editorial Contacts p.15 Business Contacts p.15
May 2011 2

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Unified computing stack wars >> Smart remote management >> IPv6: It just works >> Virtualizations challenges >> Table of contents >>

PREAMBLE
IPv6: It Just Works
The transition to IPv6 is shaping up to be much ado about nothing. The standards defining IPv6 have been in development since 1995 and supported in operating systems since 2000. IPv6 standards development has grown to include standards around address assignment and transitional technologies, as well as a number aimed at the needs of wireline and wireless carriers and service providers. In other words, IPv6 is fairly mature technology. That point was driven home while talking to the team putting together the IPv6 network for the 2011 Interop show thats happening May 8-12 in Las Vegas. The hardest part, according to the InteropNet IPv6 team leads Gunter Van de Velde and Scott Leibrand, was getting team members unfamiliar with IPv6 up to speed on the changes. The actual configuration of the equipment took about 30 minutes and just worked. How did this happen? Vendors have had a number of years to work out protocol issues, resolve interoperability problems, and run conformance tests thanks to groups such as the IPv6 Forums IPv6 Ready Logo Program. The program defines a set of steps based on the IETF standards to create a baseline conformance program that ensures interoperability. To date, there are 1,006 products listed as IPv6-ready. Of those, 455 are certified as Phase 1 ready, which means they support the core IPv6 protocols. The other 551 are Phase 2 ready, which means they support advanced features such as IPsec, SIP, and DHCPv6. Thats good news because once you start to migrate to IPv6, it should be smooth sailing. For instance, if a users computer supports both IPv4 and IPv6, the computer will figure out which protocol to use. The real difficulty comes from identifying IPv4-only devices on your network and upgrading the software to support IPv6, or replacing those devices with more modern versions. Youll have to figure out which devices dont support IPv6 and talk to your vendor to determine when, if ever, there will be an upgrade. Pay particular attention to intermediary devices such as firewalls, load balancers, routers, network monitors, and packet analyz-

Mike Fratto
ers that have to process IPv6 traffic. And yes, there will be some network challenges with an IPv6 migration. Complex protocols like SIP, streaming media, and video conferencing, which embed the host IP address in the application protocol header, will have to be addressed by vendors. That said, the challenges are surmountable. For example, Interops site became IPv6-enabled by simply adding an IPv6 address to the load balancer that sits in front of the Web farm and letting it translate IPv6 connections to the IPv4 Web servers. Networking purists bristle at the inelegance of address and protocol translation, but it works as an interim step. It will be years before IPv4-only hosts start to show their wear, so take some time to prioritize your migration. Start with Internet facing services, then focus on your infrastructure, including switches, routers, DNS servers, and DHCP. Then migrate hosts and servers. Before you know it, youll be done. Mike Fratto is editor of Network Computing and Network Computing.com. Write to him at mfatto@techweb.com.
May 2011 3

Interop
Get up to speed on IT innovations in virtualization, cloud computing, and more at Interop Las Vegas, May 8-12.

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Unified computing stack wars >> Smart remote management >> IPv6: It just works >> Virtualizations challenges >> Table of contents >>>

DATAGR AM
Take On Virtualizations Storage Challenges
Server virtualization impedes enterprise storage as much as it revolutionizes the modern data center because the hypervisor acts as an I/O blender, concentrating and randomizing read and write requests. Individual operating systems tend to present a uniform and predictable set of I/O requests to underlying storage systems. Hard-disk drives excel at delivering sequential I/O, so theyre a nice match for this sort of system. But server virtualization blends I/O operations together. This creates a random stream thats difficult for storage systems and networks to handle. Newer technology integrates the hypervisor and storage array to address this problem. For instance, N_Port ID virtualization lets Fibre Channel SANs accurately reflect the consolidation of virtual machines on a single physical server. Some storage arrays now include software that integrates their configuration with VMwares vCenter or Microsofts System Center Virtual Machine Manager, enabling the storage system to react as changes are made. In addition, VMwares vStorage API for Array Integration has three essential features: It enhances thin provisioning, improves SCSI LUN locking, and off-loads mirroring tasks to the array. Arrays have also become better able to handle the flood of random I/O they now face. The advent of NAND flash-based solid-state disk storage couldnt have come at a better time: Unlike conventional drives, SSD excels when it comes to random I/O. Enterprise storage systems increasingly use SSD as a storage tier or cache, enabling hot virtual server data to be serviced much quicker than before. A New Kind of Storage New types of enterprise storage are also being designed to embrace virtualization. These devices will still be recognizable as storage arrays but will feature seamless integration with the hypervisor and management console, enhanced flexibility and automation, and performance enhancements targeted at frequently accessed data and random I/O issues. I recently sat down with a number of companies that make these devices, two still in stealth, and was impressed by their ideas. In all cases, solid-state storage and hypervisor inte-

Stephen Foskett
gration are key components, but each has a creative twist. Tintri, for example, uses NFS rather than SAN protocols for communication and an integrated flash cache to service I/O. Marvells DragonFly, in contrast, places a nonvolatile RAM and SSD cache directly in the server, along with a VMkernel driver, to accelerate conventional SAN and NAS storage. Avere uses SSD to accelerate NAS, while Nimbus produces an all-flash storage system with integrated deduplication. Traditional storage companies like EMC, HDS, NetApp, and Xiotech are also getting into the game with automated tiering and flash caches. The best of these systems will be transparent to the virtualization administrators that use them and hide the complexity of configuration and management. As VMware and Microsoft improve their integration APIs, we may see a new wave of non-storage innovation in the enterprise storage space. Even a storage guy like me approves of that development. Stephen Foskett leads Gestalt IT, a community of independent IT thought leaders. Write to us at comments@nwc.com.
May 2011 4

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COVER STORY

IN THIS ISSUE
Unified computing stack wars >> Smart remote management >> IPv6: It just works >> Virtualizations challenges >> Table of contents >>

Vendor consortiums are battling to dominate the integrated network, server, and storage market. We go ringside to help you pick a winner.

V
Get This And All Our Reports
Become an InformationWeek Analytics subscriber and get our full report on unified computing architectures. This report includes 22 pages of action-oriented analysis. What youll find: > A seven-point comparison of unified computing systems from Cisco-EMC, Dell-Xsigo, HP, and IBM > In-depth discussions of server, storage, networking, and management decision points

Stack Attack!
By Kur t M arko

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endors from across the technology spectrum are bundling blade servers, edge switches, and shared storagealong with the software to manage it allinto what are becoming known as unified computing stacks. Behind this trend is a one-two punch of virtualization technology advances and vendors looking to grab sales from their rivals corners. On the technology front, virtualization is moving beyond servers to networks and storage. But pervasive virtualization can achieve its full potential only when these systems are working as a single abstracted hardware layer that supports all application resource needs. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done, and thats why major IT equipment vendors are stepping outside their traditional market segmentshoping to become the one-stop
May 2011 5

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UNIFIED COMPUTING

COVER STORY

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Unified computing stack wars >> Smart remote management >> IPv6: It just works >> Virtualizations challenges >> Table of contents >>

data center shop that brings it all together. Its what some call vendor verticalization an integrated source for all IT hardware, software, and services. Server vendors have added strong network and storage offerings, software vendors have bought hardware companies, and everyone is treading on someone elses turf. As always in uncharted IT territory, theres plenty of dispute over the best technology choices and procurement models. While HP and IBM are pushing fully integrated, singlevendor offerings based on 10-Gb Converged Ethernet, Cisco and EMC champion not only a multivendor approach, but also a proprietary network fabric. Meanwhile, Dell and its partner, network startup Xsigo, try to differentiate with a more open, standards-based approach. Of course, what vendors bill as integrated product bundles many IT pros see as just the latest and greatest attempt at lock-ina way to finally grab the lions share of your hard-

ware budget. Unified systems, with their constrained hardware choices and limited configuration options, will by definition be lessthan-optimal designs compared with a best-of-breed setup tailored to your priorities. How much youll need to sacrifice for convergence will vary widely depending on application requirements; our polls show many virtualized server environments are hosting mission-critical apps. Still, if you run large transaction processing and database applications, move with caution. Our full InformationWeek Analytics/Network Computing report includes an in-depth overview of the major unified stack offerings, from single-vendor bundles such as HPs BladeSystem Matrix (BSM) and IBMs CloudBurst to duopolies like the Cisco-EMC Virtual Computing Environment (VCE). We also touch on more open, do-it-yourself approaches epitomized by the Dell-Xsigo design. IT teams need to inventory what they already own and

balance the replacement budget reality against their companies technical sophistication, risk aversion, and tolerance for still-evolving technology and standards. Vendors take different approaches, but share a common destination: for enterprise data centers to look more like the flexible world of Amazons Web Services and less like applicationspecific hardware fiefdoms. That means creating an environment where each app can be dynamically provisioned, configured, orchestrated, and decommissioned. Doing so requires set app resource profiles that include: >> VM configuration (number of cores, memory, number of separate VMs). >> Virtualized network configuration per VM (LAN and SAN bandwidth, addresses, and auxiliary network services such as quality-ofservice and load balancing). >> Shared storage allocations (whether block-level SAN or file-level NAS). Ideally, these profiles are linked to specific

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UNIFIED COMPUTING

COVER STORY

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applications, such that instantiating the app automatically creates an entire compute, network, and storage stack. Furthermore, these profiles should be dynamic, meaning they can be modified on the fly, and nomadic, capable of being moved among physical devices without disrupting running applications. While unified computing stacks do offer the convenience of a prepackaged system, similar results can be achieved using standalone products. To determine if a build-your-own approach is feasible, its important to understand the technological battleground. Architectural disputes are happening up and down the technology stack, but given the goal of cloud-like resources on demand, these arent isolated spats. A change in one part of the system can affect all the others. The key areas of differentiation between various unified stack strategies are in topology, data and storage network convergence, and management software. We touch on the high points in the box at left and in much more depth in our full report. Purchase And Deployment The way you architect, purchase, and deploy a unified stack will vary depending on your

Top 3 Decision Points

NETWORK TOPOLOGY
A flatter architecture is a given. The question is how you achieve itconventional vs. fabricbased switches.

DATA AND STORAGE NETWORK CONVERGENCE

The choice is between supporting both Ethernet and native Fibre Channel, or converging storage networks onto Ethernet. Think about existing gear.

MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
Can you integrate new elements with existing consoles, or will you buy dedicated tools? Fractured management defeats the purpose.

technical sophistication and hardware requirements. That said, a couple of standard procurement models have emerged. One mirrors the car-buying experience, where customers choose from a limited slate of configurations and then tack on options. This method has its appeal, especially for companies with aging infrastructures that are doing wholesale replacements. For enterprises, we understand the desire to integrate existing core LANs, SANs, and data center management software, and sometimes you can. But the reality is, the goal is convergence and standardization. At some point, CIOs need to bite the bullet and budget for new gear.

Fortunately, todays unified stack architectures do address a wide gamut of IT requirements, with configurations that can scale to petabyte-size storage arrays or terabit-persecond switching backplanes. Standard designswhether packaged products like HP BSM or IBM Cloudburst, or reference architectures like Cisco-EMC VCE vBlocksare typically specified in graduated systems with appropriately scaled edge switches. In each case, the goal is to create standard, repeatable, rack-size building blocks that can be upsized and replicated as needed for added capacity. Blades arent an absolute requirement, but they are the most logical foundation. As we discussed in our November 2010 issue, blades do come at a cost premium over standalone servers, though that will likely be recouped by their more efficient use of data center floor space, power, and cooling capacity. When assessing unified computing stacks, go at it from two sides: as an architecture for private clouds, and as products aimed at bootstrapping the implementation of a private cloud strategy. Unified computing stack products and reference architectures can certainly simplify
May 2011 7

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UNIFIED COMPUTING

COVER STORY

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Unified computing stack wars >> Smart remote management >> IPv6: It just works >> Virtualizations challenges >> Table of contents >>

the task of pulling hardware and software components into a converged IT resource stack that can be managed as one logical en-

ment that doesnt fit your long-term goals. When analyzed as architectures, all vendors check the right boxes, offering the features

Unified Computing Stack Architecture

Management software
Network Infrastructure server hardware Storage hardware Application profiles

the various suppliers, and your philosophy toward homogeneity. Do you prefer one throat to choke, or some level of flexibility to mix and match products? What Price Standardization? When starting from a blank slate, stacks offer a compelling mix of performance, scalability and upgradability, and LAN and SAN features. However, they do require a new type of edge switch (top of rack or end of server row) and, in many cases, lock you in to one server supplier. Yet, infrastructure standardization is only at the rack level; to external networks, theyre just plain old Ethernet or Fibre Channel interfaces. If a wide-open choice of servers is important to you, consider Xsigos InfiniBand approach. Shops with large, potentially strategic, commitments to a major equipment supplier will be swayed more by ease of integration and vendor management. That said, for the Big Three unified stack entrantsCisco-EMC, HP, and IBMthe primary points of technology lock-in are at the server and network tiers; all make it relatively easy to integrate disparate storage systems. Thats something, anyway. As products, bundled unified stacks ocMay 2011 8

VM Converged virtualized pipes

VM Servers

VM

vLUN vLUN Pooled storage

LAN

SAN

Infrastructure virtulization layers for networks, servers, and storage

Unified computing stacks include the key infrastructure components of converged networks, servers, and shared storage, all linked under a software management umbrella. Application profiles can be created that specify the resource configurations required by different applications. The management software pulls together all the virtualized components from the unified stack hardware; orchestrates instantiation of new VMs, vLANS, vHBAs, and vLUNs; and optimizes hardware usage based on application demand.

tity but apportioned into app-size virtual chunks, but theyre hardly the only way to get there. And an easier deployment isnt worth it if the result is a computing environnetworkcomputing.com

needed for a fully virtualized IT environment, so choosing among them is less a matter of technical merit and more one of compatibility with your existing infrastructure, comfort with

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UNIFIED COMPUTING

COVER STORY

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Unified computing stack wars >> Smart remote management >> IPv6: It just works >> Virtualizations challenges >> Table of contents >>

Are You Using Private Cloud Tools In Your Infrastructure?

Were not considering private cloud tools

38%

6% 14%

We have full automation to provision combined network, storage, and server configurations We can provision combined network, storage, and server configurations with some effort

17% 25%
Were evaluating private cloud tools
Data: InformationWeek Analytics/Network Computing 2011 State of the Data Center Survey of 427 business technology professionals, March 2011

We have limited private cloud tools deployed in production

cupy that uncomfortable position common to most all-in-one offerings: Strive to be all things to all people and you end up dissatisfying almost everyone, at least a bit. The question is, how much pain will you accept in moving toward a cloud-like future? Because once youve bought into a vendors vision and architecture, its product offerings, whether Cisco-EMCs vBlocks, HPs BSM Starter Kit, or IBMs CloudBurst, do provide a convenient means of quickly bringing up a complete, self-contained private cloud. Finally, one area where all of the products excel is incorporating sophisticated management softnetworkcomputing.com

ware for deploying and configuring hardware, and even self-provisioning of virtualized applications. Since these are new and much-desired capabilities for many data centers, unified computing stacks may be justifiable just to get that level of managementbut beware. Given the tentacles such tools hook into every aspect of data center operations, the software becomes yet another point of vendor lock-in, necessitating just as much evaluation for fit and compatibility with existing systems as the hardware. Kurt Marko is an IT industry veteran. Write to us at comments@nwc.com.
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Become an InformationWeek Analytics subscriber and get our exclusive report on data center migration. This report includes 20 pages of action-oriented detail on a realworld data center move. What youll find: > Step-by-step analysis of this 18month project > How the company moved 200 applications and 250 servers > Key planning insights

Smart Remote Management

ts 2:30 a.m. and your cellphone rings. A text message says Server down. No need to get dressed, though. Your VPN and out-of-band management let you connect to your data center, tap into the servers Integrated Lights Out card, restart the server, observe the POST test and boot sequence, then confirm that the operating system is operationalall while still in your pajamas.

By Jonathan B erd yc k

Data centers never close. Heres what you must know to manage infrastructure anywhere, anytime.

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This scenario is good justification for remote management. While data center budgets are flat, demand for uptime is high. According to a 2011 InformationWeek Analytics survey, the top data center concern is the ability to remediate or upgrade the data center without interruption. Remote management is one way to do that, and the remediation options available dont stop with

rebooting the OS. An array of tools are available to perform vital operations regardless of an administrators physical location. What follows is an overview of remote data center monitoring and management of servers and network devices, and common approaches and tools to do these tasks. We examine power and environmental monitoring, which can warn you when conditions
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within the data center reach dangerous levels. And we look at the role of smartphones and tablets in data center management. Building Blocks When dealing with remote management, focus on whats absolutely necessary. You can remotely manage IT systems and environmental and power systems. Priorities are important: if you can monitor every last watt of your facility from an iPad but cant remotely restart a server, your priorities are out of whack. Start with remote management of data center devices while youre in your own network. Server and network devices require the most day-to-day manipulation, so youll appreciate being able to tap into them whether youre in your office managing devices five floors down or in a hotel room 500 miles away. Basic server and network infrastructure management comes baked into many products. Use Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) for servers and Telnet or Secure Shell (SSH) for routers and switches. RDP is a common inband protocol for managing Windows. RDP is just one of many commercial and open source choices. If you have a heterogeneous server environment, check out tools such as RealVNC, which works with Windows, Linux, Mac, and Unix, and has an associated mobile viewer for the Apple iOS. Note that RealVNC requires a server install for every system you want to manage and a client install on every machine from which you want management capability. Virtual servers add a layer of complexity, because theyre already accessed through a separate, dedicated console. Because theres no physical console, youre fully reliant on a remote management interface from the get-go. In the case of VMware, this interface is installed on a separate server. If a problem arises, you can point the management interface to a single host server to control your virtual machines. Rebooting a server is only the start of what you can do: You can manipulate every aspect of a virtual machines state, as its the same interface youd use inside your network to deploy and maintain your enterprise VMs. Yes, this means an additional management console, but there are options. Raritans CommandCenter Secure Gateway, for instance, is an appliance that consolidates the management of multiple disparate systems into a single browser-based interface. For network gear, tools such as HyperTerminal and Telnet are common. If you have a small environment, you can manage with a command window on individual devices. Note that while Telnet is easy to set up, its not the most secure protocol. Add a Radius server for authentication because you can tie authentication back to a single user directory and apply user and group access controls. Also, you only need to remember one account credential. With larger environments, a serial console or other connection aggregator is needed.

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REMOTE MANAGEMENT
Ciscos Secure Device Manager uses SSL and SSHv2 in a tidy Web interface, and is integrated closely with its VPN products. In addition, SSH is often available with network devices and is the preferred access method. Outside The Network Access Once you have remote management within your network boundaries, move outside. We recommend you set up a gateway that can support an IPsec or SSL VPN. Then establish a few management nodes that house your infrastructure management tools. If you need another connectivity option, deploy a small modem bank for multiuser support. Use an 800 number to access this modem bank and use a pass-through authentication mechanism such as Radius to tie it in with your core user authentication infrastructure. For additional security, use an IPsec VPN tunnel to connect to the Radius server. At this point, youll have established your baseline device management and remote connectivity, and youll be ready to expand as deep into your data center infrastructure as you need. For servers, advanced functionality is delivered by a fully integrated or modular interface card, known as a service processor. Every hardware manufacturer has its own; IBMs Remote Supervisor Adapter (RSA), HPs Integrated Lights Out, and Dells Remote Access Controller all do pretty much the same thing. For example, you can manipulate the power status and boot cycle of a server via these interfaces, whereas with RDP you cant. Note that the card may cost a few hundred dollars as an add-on, or you can buy them prebuilt in the servers. Service processor setup is straightforward: assign the card a separate IP address and local credentials. You can access the card through ple vendors, youll have to use each vendors service processor technology, including a separate interface. Network devices are typically managed via a console or serial port, but you can purchase a console server that aggregates the serial connectivity for each device into a single unit. The most common is a console that aggregates RS-232 ports, and you get to it via inband or out-of-band Ethernet. This centralizes your physical connectivity and provides a sin-

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Unified computing stack wars >> Smart remote management >> IPv6: It just works >> Virtualizations challenges >> Table of contents >>

The Problem With Data Centers

What are your data center concerns, ranked from 1, most pressing, to 6, least pressing?

Remediating or upgrading the data center without interruption Accurately tracking data center resources Inadequate power Inadequate cooling Inadequate space Limiting access to the data center

2011 1 2 3 4 5 6

2009 1 4 2 3 5 6

Data: InformationWeek Analytics/Network Computing State of the Data Center Survey of 427 business technology professionals in March 2011 and 370 in December 2009

a common Web-based management interface, such as IBMs Director or HPs Insight, or via a one-to-one interaction. The interface allows for in-band and out-of-band management in one place. Plan to deploy a server to run the management interfaces. If you maintain server hardware from multi-

gle interface, so you can use a single management point inside and outside of the network perimeter. KVM Over IP If you want to take the management burden away from production hardware, keyMay 2011 12

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board-video-mouse over IP is an option. Historically, KVM products were local server management devices with serial connectivity. KVM over IP lengthens the distance between the console and device for remote management. It also supports Web browser access and integrates with LDAP, Radius, and Active Directory authentication. Aten, Avocent, Belkin, Raritan, and others offer a variety of KVM-over-IP options. While some of these devices come with BIOS access or the ability to interface with device-level IMPI, there are a few drawbacks. First, youre putting all your eggs in one basket; if a KVM device fails, local and remote device-level access disappears. Second, servers are notorious for not regaining full KVM connectivity if the KVM device is disconnected from the server and then reconnected. And third, you have a potential scalability issue. Make sure that your KVM switch is rated for a large number of cascading consoles or youll be daisy-chaining KVM hardware together. Theres also a varying number of connections you can support at the same time, depending on the number of devices youre licensed to access. If youre in firefighting mode, you dont want to be hamstrung by having limited access, so size your license accordingly.

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Remote Management Options

Capability Server OS Server console Virtual server Environmental Target Infrastructure Server operating systems Physical servers (including virtual cluster host servers) Virtual servers Uninterrupted power supplies, power distribution units, air handlers, chillers Form Factor Integrated functionality, third-party software System board integration, PCI card, KVM console Software on host server, client application, Web Server-side software interface for integrated components, remote terminal units, programmable logic controllers Protocol HTTP/S, RDP, Secure Shell (SSH) SSH, HTTPS HTTPS Modbus, BACnet

Environmental Monitoring Monitoring power use and temperature is important because changes to the data center environment, such as a loss of power or an overheating server, can affect service delivery. Environmental products are usually geared either to IT infrastructure or facility equipment. Both are part of the overall data center infrastructure layer. IT infrastructure products such as IBMs Tivoli Monitoring for Energy Management can provide thermal server and data center device profiles and energy consumption statistics. Facilities-oriented systems such as Lieberts SiteScan are designed to control and provide decision support for uninterrupted power supplies, branch circuits, cooling systems, air handlers, and power distribution. This type of equipment has roots in industrial applications

and facilities management, and has a much longer life cycle than your typical server or switch, so be prepared to work with legacy protocols such as Modbus, LonWorks, and BACnet, which were developed for building automation and control. A common method for power management is through power distribution units. There are three general types of PDUs. Metered ones typically localize the reporting of amps and volts but only at the unit level. Switched PDUs provide individual control and metering at the outlet level. Intelligent PDUs are mix of the other two types and are designed for remote management. With intelligent PDUs, a single power outlet can be switched on and off. Sometimes pulling the plug remotely is the only way to recover an unresponsive
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Remote Management Pros And Cons

Capability Server OS Product Examples DameWare NT Utilities, Microsoft Remote Desktop Services and Terminal Services, Putty, RealVNC VNC Enterprise Edition Avocent Merge Point Unity, Dell Remote Access Card, Hewlett-Packard Integrated Lights Out, IBM Remote Supervisor Adapter, Raritan Dominion KX III VMware vCenter Server, VirtualCenter Pros >> Functionality built in via Terminal Services (Windows) >> Other products can be used with Windows, Unix, Mac, iOS, Android >> Accessible via HTTP >> Out-of-band capability; can manipulate system settings, boot and power cycle >> Provides redundant management channel and increased capability vs. standard in-band OS management >> Same interface used for server deployment, configuration, and day-to-day support >> Breadth of environmental and power management options Cons >> RealVNC must maintain server host software and client-side viewer >> DameWare requires a separate client and a target-side service installation, but no large software component on target >> Some require client-side Java install for full functionality >> Separate card or built-in capability required for each server >> Each card requires individual configuration and IP >> If management services on host servers fail, cluster management and advanced features are repealed, resulting in limited accessibility and potential loss of server control >> Many equipment types (air handlers, PDUs, chillers, UPS) use protocols such as Modbus and BACnet, which are considered legacy >> Protocols must be integrated with IP-based systems for device monitoring and control

Server console

Virtual server

Environmental

IBM Tivoli Monitoring for Energy Management, Liebert SiteScan, Raritan Power IQ

server, so having this capability in your toolbox is beneficial. Of course, pulling the plug should be a last resort. Use the other tools at your disposal for more graceful power manipulation. Mobile Device Extension Smartphones and tablets are becoming more common platforms for remote management. Remote access, remote control, and Secure Shell applications have been
networkcomputing.com

available for smartphones for some time. In addition, Apples iOS and Googles Android platform have solid VPN integration built in. You can also use third-party applications such as Cisco AnyConnect, Check Point Mobile, Junipers JunOS Pulse, and F5s EdgeClient. The catch with these applications is that you need to integrate the vendors gateway software. Thats not the case with clients built into the mobile device. For example, Apples built-

in VPN interface is gateway-agnostic, provides several protocol choices (L2TP, PPTP, and IPsec), and works with RSA. If you already have a VPN product that has a mobile device client, youre better off using it because it should work without difficulty. On the device management side, the market is much wider. General clients can be found for Android and Apple that work with Virtual Network Computing servers and Terminal Services, such as Phase Five Systems Jump Desktop. We found 81 graphical remote desktop iPhone apps and 68 iPad apps. Theres also an array of mobile terminal emulators and Secure Shell clients, such Mocha Telnet and TouchTerm SSH, that target Linux and Unix. Whether youre using a smartphone, tablet, or PC, basic remote device management is a necessity these days because business-critical systems run around the clock. While admins cant be everywhere at once, with a well-designed remote management infrastructure, physical distance is no longer a barrier to keeping the lights on. Jonathan Berdyck is systems support manager for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Write to us at comments@nwc.com.
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Network
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