Test Center review: An IP KVM for the little guy

IP KVMs have revolutionized datacenter management, granting IT unprecedented remote access to the datacenter via a Web browser. Collocation services just wouldn’t be practical without IP KVMs and other types of remote-management technology.

The problem, however, is that vendors have taken a kitchen-sink approach to remote management. With the Avocent DSView system or the Raritan Commander, for example, you have the ability to integrate out-of-band management such as IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface), iLo (Intergrated Lights-Out), DRAC (Dell Remote Access Controller), and so forth with serial consoles, power management, and other enterprise-oriented features. The end result: complex, expensive systems ill-suited for the SMB market.

[ Considering a higher-end KVM? Read what the InfoWorld Test Center had to say about Avocent's offering. | Discover other tools on the market to pimp your datacenter. ]

There is demand out there, however, for IP KVM access to just a few servers. The AdderView CATxIP 1000 (image) from Adder is purely and simply an IP KVM that meets SMBs' remote-management needs beautifully. It doesn't deliver the tight integration of management features that you'll find in offerings from Raritan and Avocent. It also doesn't scale as well as the enterprise-oriented alternatives. But then again, the AdderView is far less expensive.

Simply splendid
Unlike the big boys who relied on custom-written ActiveX or Java applets for remote desktop control, Adder saw that VNC (virtual network computing) was already doing a better job, and it was easy to license the technology from the folks at RealVNC. So in one swoop, Adder now has IPKVM access to just about every computer platform on Earth -- including my Nokia N810 Internet Tablet.

Adder also listened to the marketplace that was very tired of the huge cables found on older stand-alone KVMs taking up valuable rack space. The company replaced them with analog CAMs (computer access modules) that run the KVM over CAT5 (or better) cable from the server to the main AdderView unit for a maximum of 10 meters. That length is OK for a tabletop full of branch-office servers, but not long enough for most datacenters.

Because these CAMs are analog, care should be taken to keep them away from power feeds. From my experience with analog KVM dongles, you do not want to mix different types of cables (such as T68A versus T568B). Just mixing CAT5 with CAT6 cables on the same analog link is a formula for some truly funky connections. Moreover, Adder does not recommend using patch panels.