Sep 23rd, 2006 |
First posted on TheTechStop.net
Part of our efforts to keep the network up and running have been served well by gear that several support solutions vendors have sent to the show to be in our “engineering sandbox.” These companies send us various networking solutions from management and monitoring to storage and security, all for the experience of being in a true live Enterprise-Class network. More than that, by dropping their products in our sandbox (ready for our engineers to configure, deconstruct, critique and imagine) these steath vendors gain the invaluable resource of the combined experience of the Interop engineers.
To that end, Lantronix has sent us a wonderful uberGeek care package!
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Pictured above are some of the products that Lantronix asked us to include in our network. The first picture is of the Lantronix SecureLinx SLC serial console server and the SLK IP KVM just mounted in PED 60 on the show floor. The SLC pictured here is an 8-port serial console server. The SLK IP KVM provided a secure interface to easily access any attached workstation or server at the BIOS level through a browser. We were using it to remotely configure some of our Axis and C-Packets servers.
The second photo shows the new Lantronix EDS4100 4-port serial console server. This device is not only a compact unit that includes features normally found only on much more expensive, rack-mounted units, but it is also POE powered. It is fully programmable and can provide standard tunneling to any of the 4 serial ports as well as SSH encrypted connections. My favorite feature is the serial tunneling software that gives users a secure virtual com port on their computers.
The last picture shows the Lantronix WiBox 2-port 802.11b wireless serial console server. This device is about the size of a pack of cigarettes and is a tinkerer’s dream. We used it at the show to give us serial management capabilities for some of our Extreme gear that was at the very edge of the network where running a second physical line for the management network wouldn’t be practical. By using the WiBox, we were able to deploy switches in very remote or inaccessible locations with the confidence of having a separate link for management in case there was a problem that disrupted connectivity through the switch. Furthermore, the WiBox reduced the deployment load from a primary switch, a management switch and a serial console server to just the switch and the WiBox.
Several of the engineers in the NOC were able to come up with even more imaginative uses for the gear, but I’ll save those experiments for another blog. We’ll be posting more in-depth reviews on this gear in the days to come.
As impressive as the gear was the reason why Lantronix decided to become a Support Solutions provider for Interop. Lantronix sent us this equipment with a single mandate: play. — No demands on placement — No contracts for marketing time — No drama over interoperating their products alongside those of their competitors. :: Instead, they wanted our engineers to dream up fresh applications and features for their products and to find a natural, organic place for them in our network.
Put simply: They understand that Interop isn’t just about where the technology is… but where it NEEDS to go. They get that Interop is about the network. — We hope to repay their understanding by putting their gear at the center of some very exciting, very uberGeek creations. — Stay Tuned!
