Raritan Engineering DOMINION KXII Switch User Manual


 
APPENDIX D: FAQS 149
Appendix D: FAQs
General Questions
QUESTION ANSWER
What is Dominion KX
II?
Dominion KX II is a second generation digital KVM (Keyboard, Video
Mouse) switch that enables IT administrators to access and control 16,
32, or 64* servers over the network with BIOS-level functionality.
Dominion KX II is completely hardware and OS-independent; users
can troubleshoot and reconfigure servers even when servers are down.
At the rack, Dominion KX II provides the same functionality,
convenience, space savings, and cost savings as traditional analog
KVM switches. However, Dominion KX II also integrates the
industry’s highest-performing KVM-over-IP technology, allowing
multiple administrators to access server KVM consoles from any
networked workstation.
How does Dominion KX
II differ from remote
control software?
When using Dominion KX II remotely, at first glance, the interface
may seem similar to remote control software such as pcAnywhere
TM
,
Windows
®
Terminal Services / Remote Desktop, VNC, etc. However,
because Dominion KX II is not a software but a hardware solution, it’s
much more powerful:
OS- and hardware-independent – Dominion KX II can be used
to manage servers running many popular operating systems,
including Intel
®
, Sun
®
, PowerPC running Windows, Linux
®
,
Solaris
TM
, etc.
State-independent / Agentless – Dominion KX II does not
require the managed server OS to be up and running, nor does
it require any special software to be installed on the managed
server.
Out-of-Band – Even if the managed server’s own network
connection is unavailable, it can still be managed through
Dominion KX II.
BIOS-level access – Even if the server is hung at boot up,
requires booting to safe mode, or requires system BIOS
parameters to be altered, Dominion KX II still works flawlessly
to enable these configurations to be made.
How do the new features
of the Dominion KX II
compare to the KX I?
Dominion KX II has many new and exciting features, including virtual
media, dual power, dual gigabit Ethernet, common Web-based user
interfaces, next generation local port, etc.
How do I migrate from
the Dominion KX I to
Dominion KX II?
In general, KX I customers can continue to use their existing switches
for many years. As their data centers expand, customers can purchase
and use the new KX II models. Raritan’s centralized management
appliance, CommandCenter
®
Secure Gateway, and the Multi-Platform
Client (MPC) both support KX I and KX II switches seamlessly.
Will my existing KX I
CIMs work with the
Dominion KX II switch?
Yes, existing KX I CIMs will work with the Dominion KX II switch. In
addition, select Paragon CIMs will work with the KX II. This provides
an easy migration to KX II from Paragon I customers who wish to
switch to KVM-over-IP.