[NTLUG:Discuss] OT: console server

[Eric Schnoebelen]

Fred James writes:
- I have four UNIX boxes sitting together, that I should like to be able 
- to telnet to a console server for (male DB9 serial ports), and I should 
- appreciate any suggestions toward a cost effective solution.


I've been using Portmaster 2E's and Portmaster 25's for years
for just this purpose.  The 2E's all have 30 ports on them, and
the 25's have 25 ports.  

Both can be purchased for a reasonable price from
Portmasters.com.  Or, I'd gladly sell a couple of the PM2E's
I've taken out of service (replaced with the smaller PM25's, 5U
=> 2U, 3U more for servers per rack!)

To manage console access (and to log all activity on the
consoles) I use the conserver package, running on one of my
hosts.  Anything that has a serial console port in my machine
room is attached to a console server. From the console ports on
the T1 smart jacks, to the console ports on the cisco switches
and the 7206, to the consoles on all the alpha servers and sun
servers (hardware that does _real_ remote management, from cold
start on up.. :) 

--
Eric Schnoebelen		eric at cirr.com		http://www.cirr.com
    "Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not
	smart enough to know they were impossible." -- Doug Larson