Home » Raritan Blog
March 2, 2012
One of the ways to improve efficiency in managing the data center is to consolidate access to disparate types of equipment into one secure, centralized interface. Requiring users to utilize separate access solutions is cumbersome and wastes valuable administration time & money.
To eliminate this problem, integration between CommandCenter Secure Gateway and Power IQ enables users who have deployed these solutions to easily access and manage their power infrastructure, servers and serial devices from a single CC-SG client.
Integration between the two enables convenient access and control of any PDU managed by Power IQ — including non-Raritan models — and is easy to implement, use and maintain.
The interface between CC-SG and Power IQ is very easy to configure. Data is easy to upload and synchronize between the two, which eliminates the need to enter duplicate data in each platform.
Data can also be exported from either platform, manipulated in Excel or other programs that accept a .csv file and then imported back into the system.
There are three primary points of integration between CC-SG and Power IQ:
1. Remote power control of Power IQ-managed PDUs from CC-SG – including non-Raritan models.
2. Synchronization of Power IQ with CC-SG to automatically import PDU profile information.
3. Sharing of CSV files.
Configuring communications between CC-SG and Power IQ is fast and easy. After activating the API in Power IQ, simply enter the IP address and a small amount of additional information in CC-SG. Then, indicate how any duplication in node names should be handled during synchronization. Synchronization is then set up as a task or it can be executed manually as needed.
Synchronizing with Power IQ and pulling updated information into CC-SG is easy to configure in the task setup menu. The task menu offers a great amount of flexibility, allowing organizations to match the synchronization interval with their operational requirements.
When the data is added to CC-SG, nodes are created for each device that’s connected to a PDU outlet and are displayed for easy access and power control.
So, eliminate doing double duty in your access & control of resources. Leverage the synergies of CC-SG and Power IQ. Key benefits include access to all data center resources from a single interface, eliminating redundant management of system users, and streamlined data management.
Joel Bryan
February 29, 2012
The days that data center managers could take power and usage for granted are long gone. A few years ago and continuing into 2012, the way organizations analyze and utilize energy in their data centers will continue to force industry changes in power efficiency and analytics. It has recently become common to see organizations grapple with increased power demands in the face of constrained capacity. This is evident considering that most data centers were designed for high performance and high availability, with little attention paid to power.
A recent experience at an enterprise level data center and current Raritan customer gave way to the perfect example of the control/access, infrastructure and intelligent power needs of future data centers and retro fitting data centers. Our customer use case was well thought out and planned to align with the organizations IT department to increase datacenter efficiency through access, control, power, and infrastructure management.
Dorothy Ochs
February 29, 2012
Join us for an afternoon of leading edge Data Center discussions ranging from design through intelligent infrastructure management followed by a tasting of Triumph’s best brews and appetizers.
Register at http://werackyourworld.com/resources/reg/.
This event has limited seating and is first come, first serve.
When: Thursday March 15th from 1:00pm-4:30pm
Where: Triumph Brewing Company, 117 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Topics on Tap:
Richard Dominach
February 28, 2012
A recent InfoWorld article entitled “Got remote access? Lock it down” makes the claim that “poorly configured remote-access programs routinely account for a significant portion of data breaches and network security incidents.” It further cites RDP and VNC as “the two top culprits.” Incredibly it estimates 83 million open VNC ports and 230 million RDP ports.
Compare this to the use of KVM-over-IP systems, which do not share the vulnerabilities of standard remote access systems. Secure appliances such as the Dominion KX II provide out-of-band remote access without the use of hardware or software agents installed in servers or PC’s. In addition, KVM-over-IP provides BIOS-level remote access and does not depend on applications or even the operating system to be running on the server or PC being accessed.
KVM-over-IP systems are not well known by hackers, do not use standard TCP/IP ports, and have many security features. For example, strong passwords can be enforced, users can be blocked after failed login attempts, IP access control can limit access, and comprehensive user and group permissions can be set. Moreover, user access is logged and security events raised for suspicious activities.
With KVM-over-IP you can have full-featured, secure, locked-down remote access! Check out the Dominion KX II on raritan.com.
Paula Alves
February 21, 2012
Many companies have labs to develop, test, and evaluate their hardware and software products. How do you keep lab resources available 24/7, even when you are not physically there? While essential to business operations, managing these lab assets is challenging and remote access is a critical component.
Raritan’s Lab Server Management Solution provides remote and local BIOS-level access for server management and control from anywhere – in the lab, in the office, on the road, or from home – minimizing infrastructure and management costs. Lab managers can quickly and easily reboot, patch, or update servers, reducing travel costs and enhancing productivity.
For those labs that do not need 24/7 uptime and are looking to minimize energy costs, scheduling capabilities enable servers to be powered down at night and powered up in the morning. Additionally, with automated provisioning, lab managers can quickly and intelligently place lab equipment and ensure accurate asset tracking – reducing manual processes and operations costs.
For more information on how Raritan’s Lab Server Management Solution can help your business, contact your authorized Raritan representative or see our website at: https://www.raritan.com/resources/application-briefs/application-brief-lab-server-management.pdf