Raritan Expands Remote Access and Control Solution Portfolio

Enterprise Networks & Servers, Apr 2004

Raritan Computer has introduced two new complementary enterprise-class products - CommandCenter 2.0, a global centralized management appliance, and the Dominion KX, a highly scalable digital KVM (keyboard/video/mouse) switch. The products enable companies to remotely and securely manage thousands of multi-platform servers and IT devices in their enterprise through a Web interface.

The KX, which joins Raritan's Dominion family of next-generation, IP-based, digital management appliances, delivers full control of servers and other devices from anywhere and can scale to meet the needs of expanding data centers and server farms.

The CommandCenter 2.0 appliance provides an aggregated, single view of all KVM and serially controlled IT equipment connected to the Dominion Series, as well as Raritan's Paragon II and IP-Reach products. CommandCenter can integrate hundreds of switches to act as a single logical network, enabling IT organizations to view and manage their company's IT assets from a single appliance.

"Raritan's offerings pick up where enterprise-management frameworks for trouble-reporting leave off. If there's a problem, Raritan's products enable IT departments to cost effectively and quickly locate and fix the equipment from any location in the world," said Lloyd Cohen, director of Worldwide Market Analysis at IDC. "With the addition of the Dominion KX and CommandCenter, companies have new extended management capabilities. Complete views and access to the IT infrastructure that supports specific business applications is a major development and will become increasing important as utility computing grows."

The Dominion KX joins two other Dominion digital remote management appliances - the Dominion SX (which supports serial equipment, including Solaris, Linux, and Unix servers; routers; hubs; switches; modems; and PBXs) and the Dominion KSX, an all-in-one appliance for managing multi-platform equipment typically found in smaller remote offices and branches.

The Dominion KX and the KSX integrate Raritan's KVM over IP technology that captures a server's keyboard, monitor and mouse signals. It converts the signals to digital packets, and compresses and encrypts them for secure, low-bandwidth transmission over TCP/IP.

A KX can connect up 32 servers, the highest port density for a digital KVM switch. Its features include: 128-bit encryption of not only keyboard and mouse signals, but also video; dual-Ethernet connections for network redundancy; and a dedicated modem port so that servers can be accessed even in the event of a network failure. Dominion KX can also integrate with existing authentication systems, such as LDAP, RADIUS, and Active Directory. In the event a third-party's authentication server is unavailable, the KX will use its onboard authentication.

CommandCenter offers users the flexibility to customize views of thousands of servers and devices as simple groups, such as by location, operating system, application or even individual users. It also enables global configuration of Dominion appliances and system-wide firmware updates.

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