The Raritan Dominion KSX is a KVM-over-IP device, with eight KVM ports and eight serial connections, providing remote administration of up to eight servers and eight network appliances over a TCP/IP connection. It is able to connect to a variety of servers, including Macintosh and Sun Solaris, as well as Windows and Linux machines. It is capable of connecting to any serial connection that can support VT100, which will generally include devices such as routers, switches, SSL accelerators and rack-mounted servers.
While it would normally be used in a WAN/LAN environment it has a built-in modem which can be used to provide a connection even if the normal access mode is unavailable.
Setting up the device is straightforward, using a keyboard and monitor connected to the administration ports. It can be set up using a web browser on a Windows machine too, using a crossover Ethernet cable.
After the initial set up, the device can be administered through a web browser over a network, the special remote client software, or by using a local keyboard and monitor. The remote client software can be installed on a Windows machine, and is useful if administration is to be carried out using a modem link or if firewall security rules do not allow access via ports 80 or 443. The system allows the administrator to create and store macros of key sequences that can be tailored to be specific to a particular server. This is essential, because key sequences would otherwise be intercepted and acted upon by the administrator's computer. The unit also has the capability to monitor and control power supplies using a remote power supply control switch that can be connected to the unit if required.
Raritan provides a number of facilities to administer the device itself, including the ability to carry out firmware upgrades, restart the device or download the activity and diagnostic logs to the administrator's work station for analysis.
Remote access can be configured to use various levels of security, from none at all to 128-bit SSL encryption of the whole session. Sessions can be disconnected after pre-set idle times, and connections can be restricted to approved IP addresses. The device can be configured as a RADIUS client if required.
