SubscribeHUNTSVILLE, Ala. August 27, 2007 - Avocent® Corporation (Nasdaq: AVCT) today announced its MergePoint® 5200 family of service processor managers now supports more server models, enhancing IT infrastructure management capabilities for data center managers charged with keeping business operations ‘always on’. The MergePoint products leverage service processors, the embedded “chips” inside servers designed to help manage those servers independent of the main operating system processor. This technology can complement in-band server management tools by enabling remote control of server power, hardware monitoring and alerts for improved server availability.
“While hardware health monitoring is an important attribute of service processors, it is the power management capability that has grabbed the attention of our customers today,” said Ivan Passos, director of product management. “Embedded service processors send alerts that signal hotspots in a data center, and enable remote power cycling to easily and quickly power down servers when they’re overheating. Or if a server is not in use, it can be powered off to reduce utility costs. Adding a service processor strategy to the overall data center management strategy also cuts costs because you are leveraging a technology already paid for when the server was purchased.”
There are many different service processors being used in different servers. Added to the list of SP’s supported by the MergePoint family are Sun’s ILOM and Dell’s DRAC 5, and service processors found in the IBM BladeCenter. The open standard IPMI (versions 1.5 and 2.0) and proprietary Dell DRAC 4, HP iLO, IBM RSA II and Sun ALOM technologies have been supported since the MergePoint was introduced. Avocent is the first company to enable IT administrators to manage multiple service processors in Windows, Linux and Unix servers from a single console via Avocent’s centralized management software.
The MergePoint appliances help reduce the complexity as well as the cost of leveraging service processor technology and can enhance security as follows:
Reducing Costs
Service processors that require a dedicated Ethernet port come with a high operating cost — which end users say start at $200 and can go as high as $1,000 per year, per Ethernet port — that often makes their overall deployment cost prohibitive. The MergePoint 5224 and 5240 appliances consolidate service processor Ethernet ports, requiring only a single external IP address and Ethernet switch port for all connected devices, significantly reducing deployment costs.
Increasing Security
Service processors’ lack of built-in security support can also be a significant barrier to adoption, but the MergePoint appliances’ authentication, authorization, and auditing (AAA) security features allow integration with existing security infrastructures and compliance with corporate security policies.
Easing Implementation
Servers embedded with IPMI (intelligent platform management interface), an open standard service processor, are usually shipped with IPMI disabled for security reasons. MergePoint appliances simplify the provisioning of IPMI by automating and streamlining the process of enabling and configuring this technology across multiple servers at once. Avocent also develops IPMI implementations and works with leading original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to pre-integrate IPMI capabilities into server product lines.
MergePoint appliances also feature auto discovery of service processors for faster deployment and direct action links to access virtual KVM and virtual media functions so that the process of logging into the service processor and navigating through its interface to get to those functions is transparent.
The Avocent MergePoint 5200 family of appliances, DSR® KVM over IP switches, ACS console managers and PM power devices can all be centrally managed via DSView® 3 software, simplifying the management complexity of heterogeneous IT environments.