Raritan KVM Switch Offers Remote-Control Flexibilty

The Dominion KSX is the first Raritan KVM switch designed for the management of remote offices, which usually have a smaller equipment set and IT staff than a company's primary location. The Dominion KSX allows two locations to share data securely and the main office IT staff to troubleshoot or reboot any equipment in remote offices via the Web. The unit features a built-in modem and dedicated power-control port.

The Dominion KSX eliminates both downtime and the expense and time required to send IT staff to remote locations. It also helps companies get by with just one or two IT people on the payroll.

The device is an integrated hardware-based solution that provides KVM access, serial device management and power control in a 1U form factor. It delivers 128-bit SSL remote KVM access, serial device management and power control of up to 16 servers and other network devices. It's ideal for remotely managing domain servers, application servers, file and print servers, serial equipment, switches, routers, load balancers, firewalls and other network equipment.

A useful accessory for the Dominion KSX is Raritan's Remote Power Control unit, which is available with eight to 20 ports. Each of those ports features a relay-controlled AC power receptacle that can be monitored for current, voltage, power and temperature. The Remote Power Control unit enables the remote shutdown and reboot of all connected equipment.

The Dominion KSX is available in two models: The KSX 440 features four serial ports and four KVM ports. The KSX 880 has eight serial ports and eight KVM ports. CRN Test Center engineers evaluated the KSX 440.

Again, what makes this KVM switch unique is that it's set up and accessed remotely, unlike a conventional KVM switch that must be operated locally. The Dominion KSX is set up in a remote office and is sandwiched between each remote server or system and its keyboard, display and mouse. Equipment that doesn't use input devices can be connected serially and must support VT100 emulation; the Dominion KSX's serial ports default to 9,600 baud, no parity bit, 8 data bits and one stop bit (9600-N-8-1).

After setup, the Dominion KSX can be accessed remotely, offering good performance over low-bandwidth connections such as a modem and better performance over a broadband or T1 connection. Video compression and frame-grabber technology ensure high-quality video transmission at a resolution of up to 1,280 x 1,024 and tight keyboard and mouse synchronization.

To prepare equipment for connection to the Dominion KSX, desktop backgrounds should be set to solid light colors, and the video resolution must be set to something compatible with the KVM. Mouse motion should be set to its slowest speed with no acceleration.

To use the Dominion KSX's default configuration, the network and firewall must be set to allow communication on TCP Port 5000, but the KVM switch can be configured manually to use a different port if necessary. To access the Dominion KSX from a Web browser, the firewall must allow access to Port 443 (standard HTTPS) also, and for standard HTTP access, Port 80 must be accessible as well.

When initially configuring the Dominion KSX, a keyboard, mouse and monitor can be connected directly to the KVM switch. An on-screen setup wizard guides the solution provider through this process. Once configured, the keyboard, mouse and display can be disconnected. Alternatively, solution providers can configure the Dominion KSX remotely by entering its default IP address into a Web browser and using the default user name and the password. Doing so launches the Raritan Remote Client, or RRC, which enables control of the KVM switch itself and anything connected to it. The RRC shows a consolidated view of all the equipment connected to the KVM switch, and administrators can double-click on any serial or KVM port to establish control of the attached device. If a Remote Power Control unit is attached, the RRC also will display the graphical power control interface.

In and of itself, remote access is nothing new. In fact, people have been using software products such as pcAnywhere for years. The problem with such software is that if the remote equipment is down, the remote client software can't possibly run on it. Raritan's operating-system-independent, hardware-only solution avoids that problem and helps administrators reboot systems that are down.

CHANNEL PROGRAM SNAPSHOTS
>RARITAN COMPUTER DOMINION KSX
PRICE: $3,395
MARGIN: 12 to 45 percent
WARRANTY: 2 years
DISTRIBUTORS: D&H, Ingram Micro, Tech Data
TECH RATING:

CHANNEL RATING:

CHANNEL OVERVIEW: Somerset, N.J.-based Raritan Computer provides a broad range of marketing support, one-on-one assistance and training. Raritan's regional sales directors conduct joint sales with partners and assist in the development of particular solutions. The vendor's internal graphics department works closely with partners to develop joint advertisements and marketing materials. Sales demos and basic marketing resources are available from Raritan's solution provider Web site. Margins vary based on a partner's sales volume.

Note: Vendors can earn up to five stars for technical merit and five for their channel program. If the average of these two scores is four stars or greater, the product earns CRN Test Center Recommended status.