Management of distributed environments
Lantronix's innovative and cutting-edge IT infrastructure management solutions streamline remote management of network, server and power infrastructure in data centers and remote branch offices. The Out-of-Band solution ensures business continuity and secure and reliable access. Given the demands of today's business world, anything below 24/7 reliability is considered a failure. Equipped with robust security, industry-leading, scalable hardware and intuitive tools, managing IT infrastructure has never been easier.
Lantronix offers innovative IT infrastructure solutions. These devices help people and organizations thrive by simplifying operations, optimizing personnel and proactively solving system problems to ensure infrastructure continuity.
For more than 25 years, IT network administrators around the world have chosen Lantronix-branded products to access, monitor and manage their corporate networks anywhere, anytime. Stovaris recommends the following Lantronix solutions: the Lantronix SLC8000 Advanced Modular Console Manager - is the industry's first advanced modular console manager that provides secure and robust out-of-band (OOBM) remote access and management of IT equipment. With user-replaceable RS-232 ports and high-density USB modules, the SLC 8000 enables simple and cost-effective upgrades and deployment in data centers and test labs.
The SLC 8000 provides twice the performance of competing products. The Lantronix solution has a scalable and flexible modular design and features high compatibility with USB solutions. The device allows IT administrators to easily and quickly configure 16-port USB and RS-232 modules with "mix and match" support for up to 48 ports. The SLC 8000 server is easy to install, has an intuitive user interface, and has built-in help menu features that enable busy IT administrators to get up and running quickly. The device supports up to 15 concurrent users per port and 396 concurrent sessions per console.
Out-of-band management reduces MTTR (mean time to repair) in distributed IT environments
Factors such as the ongoing digitization process, the Internet of Things and the increasing decentralization of devices are creating entirely new challenges for IT departments. Among other things, it becomes necessary to manage distributed network environments in remote offices, production facilities and private clouds to ensure constant connectivity and avoid the expenses that network failures entail. In most cases, this is done centrally, from a server room located at the company's headquarters. The problem, however, is that in the event of a failure of the main (in-band) network or a broken connection to the Internet, you have no room for maneuver - as the possibilities for remote control are very limited. Identifying the problem generally requires a visit from a technician, who only on site is able to determine what steps should be taken (e.g., what parts should be replaced). An alternative is out-of-band management, which provides access to IT equipment at any time, regardless of the functionality and connectivity of the local network.
A growing network of remote offices is helping to increase a company's sphere of influence and is evidence of its resilient growth. At the same time, the operation of remote IT infrastructures brings many additional responsibilities to network administrators, who must take care of the installation and ongoing maintenance of all distributed applications and servers, as well as network devices such as routers, switches, WAN optimization solutions and firewalls. It is also the IT department's responsibility to integrate remote devices with central network management, authentication, authorization and accounting systems - only this will ensure adequate control and security.
A distributed network inherently has more vulnerabilities and is more prone to outages. IT experts are on duty in large remote branches, but no longer in stores or small sales offices - and that's where costs resulting from network failures can reach enormous sums.
Core network failure - what to do when in-band tools fail
Using tools for centralized monitoring and remote access to distributed resources, administrators successfully manage dozens or even hundreds of locations. This is usually done using in-band tools such as Telnet (Teletype Network), which rely on network availability. This means that any technical problems or connection errors result in no access to remote locations.
A single hardware malfunction can cause up to several days of downtime. In such a situation, a technician is dispatched to the site, who is sometimes able to solve the problem within a few minutes, such as rebooting the device. Of course, sometimes the issue is more complex and the repair requires more time and effort. Either way, a trip to the site of the failure wastes the time of both the IT service technician and employees, who cannot access key systems and perform their duties.
So it's not hard to see why out-of-band management is such an attractive solution for distributed network administrators. It gives them control over all infrastructure components, even when in-band tools fail.
Out-of-band solutions with failover
The principle is simple: network devices have serial ports. Administrators can access these ports independently of the main network to see the status of the device. For some advanced management functions (such as firmware updates), the device's ports are even the only means of access. If the device stops responding, the administrator has the option of doing a hard reset - just disconnect the power.
Out-of-band management allows you to remotely control and service components such as servers, WAN devices, network equipment and power supplies, and repair related problems. Out-of-band solutions use failover to communicate power to the administrator's console in the event of a connection failure. As a rule, this is a high-speed 4GLTE or 3G cellular connection. In areas where wireless connectivity is problematic, a slightly slower modem connection can be used.
With out-of-band management, administrators have full remote access to key infrastructure components such as network switches, routers, PDUs, firewalls and encryption tools. In many cases, on-site technical support can be dispensed with altogether, and any problems can be resolved instantly by replacing the entire device or the relevant part. As a result, the MTTR indicator, which determines the average repair time, is significantly reduced.
Business continuity through automated monitoring and troubleshooting
Out-of-band management comes in handy not only in the event of a sudden outage, but also during day-to-day operations. Any problems are automatically detected and resolved before they disrupt local network traffic. Modern solutions are equipped with an automatic response system that reacts to network failures, providing diagnostic and repair tips for common problems. This makes it possible to completely automate simple tasks - such as detecting an out-of-band router, notifying the administrator via SMS or email and rebooting the device. In addition, the out-of-band console can be configured to automatically shut down key devices if it registers a rack temperature that is too high, or if there is a UPS power failure and the battery level drops below a certain value.
Virtual hardware administrator
Self-repair processes are carried out based on special scripts, without user intervention. This allows monitoring of almost the entire infrastructure, including power supply and environmental parameters (temperature, humidity, presence of smoke, vibration) measured by connected sensors. As a result, the infrastructure operates as if there were a virtual equipment administrator at each remote location, and the risk of human error or digital sabotage is minimized. Solutions such as M2M, cloud computing and the Internet of Things are making IT infrastructures increasingly complex. It therefore becomes crucial to quickly identify and resolve any irregularities. With secure, remote out-of-band access to servers, WAN devices, network equipment and power supplies, this can be done before hardware problems prevent users from working. The cost of tools that enable administrators to centrally manage their infrastructure and monitor the status of devices generally pays for itself after the first failure, when several hours of downtime and repair expenses can be avoided.
