Hi!
I am looking for a kvm switch to install at the dc so that i will be able to control the servers there. What are the industry standard brands/models for this purpose?
How many servers do you want to manage? Nowdays some of the companies provide built in kvm solution with mother board. We have servers from HP and they provide their service throu ILO.
OmniView 8-Port PS/2 / VGA / RJ-11 / RJ45 or check 42u.com. They have good switches.
I would say dell might have smilar solution as HP. Please contact them, if there is any solution, please let me know as well.
I am also quite fond of the DRAC cards. A good feature is the Virtual CD and Floppy. You can mount an ISO over the DRAC and actually install an OS from your workstation or run a diagnostic tool from CD over the network. Another good feature is also the fact that the DRAC is powered regardless of whether the server is on or not. You can turn the server off and on via the DRAC.
The other good thing is that since it is integrated in to the system, you do not have to use a SIP dongle to connect to the KVM ports on the back of the servers. The SIP cards create a serious mess when it comes to cable management. I am actually beginning to relocate SIP controllers to the front of the racks in their own conduit so prevent air flow blockage to these pods that are twice the size than they should be!
Here is a picture to show the issues with KVM Over IP and how I had to rectify the cabling nightmare with them.