| What is KVM?
KVM (keyboard-video-mouse) and KVM Switching is one method of
providing OBM. I am sure you seen the old "Crash Carts"
with a keyboard, a monitor and a mouse on them. The administrator
would have to walk to the troubled area and push the cart over
to the failed system and plug the KVM devices directly into the
unit to repair that station. This was a slow, labor-intensive
solution.
Then KVM switches were developed that were able to connect to
multiple servers through their I/O ports and enable centralized
local access from a single workstation. KVM switches provide a
good local OBM solution because they use the same interface (keyboard-video-mouse)
which with we are already familiar. However, most KVM solutions
are generally for local management only and remote access to the
servers is usually not possible.
Now, there are products that do offer KVM over IP, which allow
remote access to multiple servers. They generally require very
high bandwidth and do not work over dial-up lines. In addition,
KVM switches generally require software specific to particular
operating systems and may not support all platforms. KVM switches
are also limited to managing only specific servers and cannot
manage other intelligent devices such as routers, switches or
PBXs.
|