In advance, sorry for my english because its not my own language.
Im working in a quite big datacenter (~ 3000 servers, mainly IBM, Dell & HP) and when we have to access in local to servers, we use an "oldie" solution. We just have a carriage with a screen/keyboard/mouse.
I'm in charge to improve this local solution with another system than this old one. I looked on the internet but i didnt find a lot informations on the different ways to access in local on machines. So i would like to know what solution do you use to access server in machines rooms.
I just found something that could be interesting. It is a "laptop like" that you put in cabinets with rails. But i dont think (maybe im wrong thought) its fast to install in cabinets, so you have to put it one in each cabinet, and this is too expansive (and not the solution i want). I would prefere a solution easy & fast to plug.
thanks in advance if you can help me on this project.
There are several solutions but it would all depend on your requirements. If you are looking for a local KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) to replace the use of a dumb terminal then you would have to buy hardware. Most data centers would install a KVM switch in each rack which would include a monitor, keyboard, and mouse input. But this can become quite an expensive solution since the number of switches you would need will scale with the number of servers you are trying to connect.
In other words, for every server you want to use in this fashion you will need a port on a switch to connect it to. If you have a 16-port switch, but 36 servers you will need to buy additional KVM switches to cover the difference. Hence it can be quite costly.
But a question that needs to be answered is how much control do you need over your system. If you do not need ctrl+alt+del control then remote console is the absolute best approach. It's extremely cost effective and you would not necessarily have to buy any additional hardware. It depends on your server and whether or not it provides a remote console port which can be refered to as an ILO or LOM depending on the manufacturer.
If you're using NT as an OS there is a virtual remote console software called Timbuktu which will grant you the same type of remote desktop access. If you need more control over your server such as being able to power cycle then there are remote access solutions available but they are more costly. Other then that there really is no other way to get around the KVM.
I think remote control says it all. Especially when you're talking about 3000+ servers. Imagine having to get a terminal for each and every one of them, it would cost you way, way too much.
right but the problem is that for some clients there are already some remote control devices.
I mean, i need a fast & easy way to connect to servers in case of servers crashs, like a screen on a chariot (like it is actually). The problem with the actual solution is that we have some materials which has been stolen by the clients or even the employees themselves (keyboard/mouse, i.e easy to steal). With this solution ( Avocent France - Console en rack monorail LCD15 ) it would be good but i dont think its fast to plug (because it seems that you have to screw it, not like dell rails for example).
My two cents, since you asked. It seems to me that you're already accessing multiple console ports in a pretty cost-effective way, so you should think hard about what you're trying to accomplish with your project. Replacing an occasional keyboard or display on a quickly deployable mobile cart is a much lower cost model than implementing a network of KVM switches or equipping each rack with a slide-out console (which could also be stolen and cost a lot more to replace). You might be better off just working the bugs out of your current setup, like using loss prevention measures -- such as RFID tags -- to prevent theft.
Yes, try to use some of the KVM soutions. We are using HP servers and they provide ILO for servers. Also, we can remotely log into enclosure. Please check hp.com. I believe dell provide same services. What kind of servers are you going to run?
Datacenter consoles
