Cyclades ALTERPATHTM MANAGER 5000 User Manual

Applications:

• Secure, remote OOBI administration

• IPMI management

•

Consolidated OOBI administration and provisioning

• 24/7 mission-critical network operations

• Lights-out, automated data center administration

•

Data logging/archiving for regulatory and audit compliance

(Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA, etc.)

•Audited change management

Benefits:

•

Reduced MTTR

•Reduced operational costs for OOBI administration

•Easier and faster provisioning of OOBI

•

Reduced management overhead

• Centralized security policy

• Audited change history

AlterPath

TM

Manager 5000

Out-of-Band Infrastructure Administration

The AlterPath™ Manager 5000 serves as the command and control
center for the AlterPath System of products designed to provide
secure, remote and consolidated out-of-band infrastructure (OOBI)
administration. The AlterPath Manager 5000 provides high
availability with redundant power and disc drives. Its ability to scale
up to 2,048 data logging/console sessions and 32,768 console ports
in a 2U form factor provides the expandability and flexibility
necessary to support future enhancements and applications. The
AlterPath Manager 5000 enhances out-of-band access by providing
a higher level of logging, automation, security and software
functionality compatible with next-generation data centers,
enabling true lights-out operation.

A data center's heterogeneous environment requires OOBI access to
the IT assets within the enterprise through many different physical
interfaces, including RS-232 serial console ports, KVM ports,
power control ports, server blades, and service processor managers
such as IPMI. The AlterPath Manager 5000's view consolidation
functionality enables a centralized view of all management ports on
secure, redundant interfaces, and provides a layer of abstraction to
hide the underlying connectivity methods from the user.

In large deployments, the task of deploying and maintaining the
OOBI is a huge undertaking that can overburden the network
operations center or networking teams. Without a central command
and control center like the AlterPath Manager 5000, operational
costs and complexity increase. The AlterPath Manager 5000's
change and configuration management functionality eases
deployment. It tracks and maintains configuration files and
firmware versions for all IT assets, while minimizing extra
overhead. In addition, the health-monitoring module ensures that
the OOBI is always available when problems occur.

Traditional systems management tools such as HP OpenView, CA
Unicenter® and IBM® Tivoli® can monitor the health of the
production network, log events and notify system administrators of
the need for human intervention. However, when network problems
occur, these tools are only useful to inform the operator of problems
and cannot provide information to help to diagnose and fix the
problem. The AlterPath Manager 5000's event management feature
complements the system management tools by providing access to
console data logs and change history, ensuring the operator has a
clear understanding of the status of the equipment before the
problem occurred. The event notification feature can inform the
operator of the exact problem as soon as it occurs.

Information security depends not only on the availability of strong
security mechanisms but also on a consistent security policy
implemented across the data center. The AlterPath Manager 5000
serves as a secure, central point of access for the entire OOBI,
including serial, KVM and power, blade servers, service processors
like IPMI, iLO and other interfaces such as Microsoft® Windows®
2003 Emergency Management Services (EMS) consoles. By using
the AlterPath Manager 5000, all access to equipment console ports
is independently logged and monitored to allow full auditing for
security and quality purposes. It creates a uniform layer of access
control and authentication across different media and target
systems. This simplifies the security architecture.

Application Example

Part Number Model

APM5000 AlterPath Manager 5000
MOD0007 AlterPath Quad RAS/Integrated Modem
MOD0010 AlterPath Manager 4 port Ethernet card
MOD0011 AlterPath RAS/Async serial
ATP5064 IPMI 64 Server Activation
ATP5128 IPMI 128 Server Activation
ATP5256 IPMI 256 Server Activation
ATP5008 IPMI 8 Server Upgrade
ATP5164 Manager/IPMI Package
ATP5264 IPMI 64 Server Upgrade
ATP5200 IPMI Enterprise Package

APM B-DLSXXXX (SXXX = 0128 to 2048) Indicates the number of data logging sessions applied to

the base system as a bundle (Please consult your sales
representative for how to configure your system.)

APM DLUXXXX (UXXX = 0128 to 2048) Indicates the number of data logging sessions applied to

the base system as an upgrade (Please consult your sales
representative for how to configure your system.)

AlterPath 5000 Specifications

Features

View Consolidation

• Web-based interface with SSL encryption provides access to

32,768 console ports

• SSH command line interface for console access

• Simultaneous access to serial console, KVM and KVM over IP,

server blades, and IPMI system interfaces with embedded
power-cycling capability

• Console and user grouping allows simple management of access control

list and user views

• Single sign on provides centralized authentication, authorization

and accounting

Remote Access

• Integrated modem pool option provides dial backup to remote sites

when the production network is down

• Health monitor periodically polls remote sites to ensure that out-of-band

access will be available when needed

• Remote dial-out configuration is centralized to allow easy management

in large-scale remote branch office and telecom applications

Data Logging

• Continuous online and offline data logging ensures console events

are captured

• Secure data logging over authenticated SSH sessions provides security

for console log information

• Console monitor automatically restores connections if they become

lost to ensure all data is captured

• Continuous online and offline data logging provides data for

regulatory compliance like Sarbanes-Oxley

Event Management and Automation

• Centralized monitoring of console messages scans for pre-defined

fault conditions

• Automated e-mail notification alerts operators of fault conditions as

they happen

• Integrated trouble ticketing system ensures events are acted upon

and resolved

• Event tracking shows full history of all system events

Change and Configuration

• Consolidated management of OOBI components

• Automated provisioning of OOBI components

• Firmware repository allows for automated upgrade of system firmware

for OOBI components

• Centralized configuration management

Enterprise Integration and Security

• Enterprise security with embedded IP filtering and VLAN 802.1q support

• Strong authentication options using existing enterprise authentication

servers using RADIUS, LDAP, Active Directory, TACACS+, Kerberos and NIS

• Complete audit logs showing user access and session logs

• Periodic data replication allows for complete system redundancy

Supported Systems

• Cyclades-TS Series

• AlterPath Integrator

• AlterPath ACS Series

• AlterPath KVM/net

• AlterPath KVM/netPlus

• AlterPath OnSite

• AlterPath OnBoard

• AlterPath PM power management

• IPMI 1.5 servers

• IPMI 2.0 servers

View Consolidation - provides a centralized view of the OOBI console and KVM ports and

presents a list of available connections to servers and network equipment, which is filtered
for each user based on access control list policies. A single mouse click or command line
interface command launches the appropriate user interface to connect to IT assets using serial
console, KVM and KVM over IP, blade servers or service processors.

Secure, Centralized Access Point - provides a secure access point to the OOBI and centralizes

all authentication, authorization and accounting functions.

Centralized Console Log - provides integrated console logging features for up to 2,048 data

logging/console sessions to ensure that valuable pre-boot and diagnostic data received from
the management ports of servers and network equipment is not lost. This console data can
then be used for fault diagnosis and also provides a complete log of changes made through
the console to help meet corporate and government standards in change management.

Remote Access - supports an option for integrated remote access modules to allow secure

modem connections to remote IT assets during network outages. Configured to operate either
as a backup to the network or as the primary connection method, the AlterPath Manager 5000
allows access to IT assets when the production network is down..

Change and Configuration Management - reduces the resources required to deploy and

maintain OOBI components by automating routine tasks, such as change and configuration
management. This allows the OOBI to be managed from a centralized point in the network.

Event Monitoring - provides an integrated event recognition and trouble ticket system. This

allows the administrator to pre-program important console-related events such as system
reboot, system crashes, and intrusion detection messages that cannot be detected using
conventional monitoring tools. This ensures a fast response to critical events even when the
network or IT asset is unavailable through the production network.

System Information

• 2U rack mount integrated management appliance

• 2 X Intel 3.0 GHz CPUs

• 4 GB RAM

• 2 X 160 GB (7,200 RPM) SATA RAID 0,1 redundant internal storage

• 2 X Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000 auto-sensing)

• Optional modem, Ethernet port cards, serial port cards

• Serial console

• Auxiliary serial (modem)

• Supports up to 2,048 data logging/console sessions, manages 2,048

devices and 32,768 console ports

• Redundant hot-swap 2 X 500 W, 115/230 VAC (auto range) power supplies

• Certifications: FCC Part 15, CE, UL, TUV

3541 Gateway Boulevard, Fremont, CA 94538 T: 510.771.6100 F: 510.771.6200 www.cyclades.com [e-mail]

© 2006 Cyclades Corporation, all rights reserved.