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A ServSwitch Server Room Application
Black Box offers a wide range of single- and multiuser ServSwitch solutions. One can even mix platforms in a single application! The diagram below shows how our ServSwitch KVM Switches and Extenders work with our other server-management products.



ServSwitch over IP solutions
For remotely accessing and controlling servers, many administrators use remote access software. But is it enough? After all, it's operating system dependent and unless the server you need to get to is up and running, the software is useless. KVM switches enable the administrator to warm boot (and, with extra hardware, cold boot) a system and access BIOS settings.
However, as complete out-of-band solutions, they're limited to the lengths of their supported cable connections. And although some KVM extenders support extended connections over fibre optic cabling, the administrator may require even greater distances.

The ideal solution is an IP-based, remoteaccess solution - the ServSwitch Wizard IP. It's a hardware-based, singlepathway device that enables the administrator to access any connected server remotely via the LAN (over IP). The Wizard IP, which enables both in-band and out-of-band access to servers, is most commonly used to extend a KVM switch's user port for secure access by either a LAN or a WAN.

Black Box also introduces a mixed analogue/digital solution, the ServSelectTM IP, which not only enables you to access servers remotely over a LAN or a WAN link but also acts as a basic 16-port ServSwitch! That means an administrator can access, switch between, troubleshoot - and even reboot! - up to 16 attached servers from a remote workstation. Yet another innovation is to interconnect the servers with the ServSwitch by using a CAT5 cable.

Secure Console Server
Some ServSwitch applications may also benefit from a Secure Console Server, which features multiple serial ports and a single Ethernet connection. With this device, an administrator can manage computers as well as network equipment via their serial COM ports. This is done through an Ethernet-connected management console, which is used to access the multiple devices that are connected to the Secure Console Server's serial ports.

For complete out-of-band control, the Secure Console Port Server can be integrated into KVM-based ServSwitch applications seamlessly. Only one KVM console is needed to gain access to GUI-based systems as well as serial devices - without using any networking structure.

Modem connections for access
The Serial Console Server is particularly useful if one needs remote control and management capabilities for a distributed computer system, where the in-band connectivity for management data isn't always sufficient. That's because management data shares the same path as ordinary data, a route that's normally fine - until there's a problem with the network itself.
Secure Console Server takes a different route. It uses separate links through modem connections and, in turn, supports a higher level of access for management functions. An administrator can troubleshoot and reconfigure the system without having to use the network itself.

Secure out-of-band access
Of course, once remote access is granted to a network's main configuration ports, security becomes an issue. If some users can establish out-of-band connections, then so can others. This is where the Secure Console Server serves an important function.
Software based, it's not limited by its hardware, so it's flexible enough to work in various network configurations. But most importantly, the Secure Console Server is equipped with SSHv2 (Secure Shell, Version 2) protocol, which encrypts data before it's sent through a terminal connection, and socket authentication via a RADIUS server, which enables one to establish a secure link that protects the network from security breaches.

ServSwitch KVM Extenders
To increase the distance between a PC, server or ServSwitch and a workstation - or to perform CPU switching in a harsh environment - we offer ServSwitch KVM Extenders. A KVM Extender consists of a local transmit unit and a remote receive unit that connect to each other over CAT5 solid UTP or fibre optic cable.
Black Box offers a wide range of KVM extenders. Here are some product highlights:
  • Dual-access extenders enable one to add a second workstation at a remote location.
  • Maximum distances range from 300 m over CAT5 solid UTP cable up to 10 km over singlemode fibre optic cable.
  • Some extenders also offer audio and serial support.
  • Some extenders even feature an integrated dual-port ServSwitch, which is ideal for the server room administrator who wants to use a workstation to access his or her personal PC as well as a server farm.
  • The maximum resolution in an extender application depends on the KVM extender's maximum supported resolution, the type of cable used and the length of the extension.
  • New Extender support DeSkew to avoid blurry colours, compesating signal delay,witch causes some twisted pair cables.
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