Data Center Management:
Today's data centers contain a wide range of devices including application servers, email servers, database servers, Web servers, and e-commerce servers. These servers may consist of Intel-based servers, RISC servers, and even legacy minicomputers and mainframes. These servers run many operating systems including Windows, UNIX, Linux, and others. It is important to have the right data center management solutions.
The data center also includes numerous communication devices, such as routers, gateways, VPNs, and firewalls. And all of these components require power, which is often managed by UPS devices, surge protectors, and intelligent power strips.
Business computing needs will always grow, which in turn increases the complexity of systems the IT administrator is responsible for managing data centers and data center control is at stake. As an administrator, you have to add new hardware and systems as business needs require without sacrificing your existing data center management platform; you have to maintain additional servers without creating additional support problems.
In any medium to large organization, it's rare for all of the network service components to be in one location. Branch and remote office environments often require key network components to be dispersed to many locations, sometimes all over the world. This can present an access problem for IT administrators.
Budget constraints usually mean that branch locations have very little in the way of IT support. It is often up to the IT administrator at the central office to troubleshoot and fix problems with systems that may reside hundreds or even thousands of miles away.
Centralized access and control through Data Center Management Software:
To be most effective, IT managers need a centralized management solution that gives them full remote access to all of the components regardless of their location. And centralized management should mean more than just controlling each component from one desk. You should be able to see a combined view of all your connected servers and devices on a single computer monitor, in a single interface centralized management solution.
Network data systems are made up of disparate components from many different vendors. A useful remote management solution must be able to handle the needs of several different operating systems. And it will also provide control for not only PC-based systems, but also serial devices and AC power solutions.
Underlying all of these requirements is the need for security. Your centralized management platform should secure access to your devices by leveraging the directory system you already have in place, allowing you to use a single user name and password repository. You should be able to assign device-level rights based on a user's name so that administrators have access to more devices than an entry-level technician. Auditing and logging of all activity is also important so that you can keep track of who does what with your network infrastructure and all the devices attached to it.
Data Center Management Tools
Most vendors have a way of remotely accessing and managing their equipment, but each tool is different. As the number of devices that need to be monitored, managed, and maintained grows, finding the right management tool or utility can be a chore.
For example, the typical enterprise will have network switches in racks that are normally managed using a Telnet session either over a physical serial connection, or via IP. Other devices, such as firewall and security appliances, are monitored and managed over an IP network using Web-based or Telnet-based management or through a third party SNMP monitoring platform.
Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) technology allows IT administrators to monitor and control mechanical elements of their servers' hardware, such as temperature, fans, and power supplies. Add keyboard, video, and mouse (KVM) switches and other commonly used tools such as remote management software, and the issue of access and control becomes quite complex.
Multiple data management solution tools mean multiple interfaces, multiple systems to learn, and no single point of management. Because there is no integration between the tools and no single interface to work from, you will have to connect using a method specific to that piece of equipment on your management console. This means you have to maintain multiple software clients, IP address lists, physical serial connections, and possibly other special hardware in order to connect to a device.
