KVM over IP

[da1]

Hi guys,

I have a remote location of about five PC's (normal ones, no remote management software) and I need console access to those machines as if I were there. KVM over IP came to mind and since I don't have so much experience with it, I started google-ing. Then, I found out that Avocent (for instance), requires a separate software to (apparently) connect to the KVM device. This is problematic as I need an OS-independent solution (sometimes I only have my Nokia Communicator at hand, other times I have my FreeBSD laptop and other times I have Windows).

The costs for IPMI (a clear solution to the problem stated above) are too high due to the fact that it would imply replacing all motherboards+CPU+RAM from all 5 PC's with IPMI-enabled motherboards.

So my questions are:
1) Can one use an Avocent KVM over IP, without the remote management software (DSView)?
If not, is there another brand that allows this (something like the way you connect to an IPMI-enabled motherboard?)
2) Any other ideas for remote management besides KVM over IP?

 

[Zare]

HP's KVM solutions use Java management software that should work on FreeBSD. No-name Chinese stuff mostly uses VNC.

 

[Vitor]

Try an external KVM-IP in-line unit

Try Lantronix SecureLinx SpiderDuo. We tried a few competing units and settled on this small external embedded box for KVM over IP; we selected the Duo model because it allows server-side monitors to be hooked up pass-thru (we wanted this so that the server rack KVM switch can work as well). Other models work for headless servers. Client is a Java applet pushed from the IP address of the box, works in most browsers we have tried, and often better than the paid-for VNC solutions we tried. These units are available on the web for under $200, far simpler than changing out any hardware. Ours have been stable once new firmware uploaded (these run embedded Linux), and very easy to set up via the Cisco-style RS-232 cable, provided. We set ours up with static IP addresses locally with a notebook and ship them for remote deployment to the server location. Be aware that different models have USB or PS/2 connectors, so you need to order the right model for your server I/O plane. If you are really on a tight budget and the servers are all colocated, you could combine one Spider with a rack mount KVM switch to control several servers, but we found it wasn't worth the hassle for the cost savings. One other thing, this passes special key strokes, we have also used these for embedded systems to get into the boot loader. Good luck!