Cyclades fleshes out IP KVM for full remote connectivity

With the AlterPath OnSite, Cyclades offers a useful remote access option — basically, secure remote KVM over IP. The concept isn’t a new one, but Cyclades has done its homework and fleshes out the OnSite 841’s feature set in a practical way, with support for variable bandwidth connections.

For branch office management, that flexibility means the AlterPath KVM is a good way to get remote “eyes” into all kinds of different network nodes, including cross-platform workstations as well as network infrastructure via its console ports. It’s not a universal solution, but for offices with many small branch offices, it has potential.

Rack ‘em up

Physically, the AlterPath OnSite 841 is a 1U rack box that arrives with four ports of KVM connectivity, eight ports for serial console connectivity to managed devices, and eight smart power strip plugs. Cyclades also includes a couple of PC Card slots, which means you can access your KVM devices via standard Ethernet as well as Wi-Fi, a fiber connection, dial-up modem, cellular modem, or whatever else you configure those PC Card slots to take.

Initial setup is done via a serial console and only goes as far as IP addressing; after that, the rest of setup can be completed with a Web browser. That’s convenient, and allows IT staff at a central site to pre-configure the OnSite boxes easily so they can be shipped to remote sites, physically installed by nontechnical users, and then tweaked by the IT staff over the Web.

We found configuration control nicely granular, as administrators can set user-level permissions for ports with full remote control or those that can only view the target machine. You’ve even got the capability to mount the KVM ports at the front or back of the rack, so the smart power strip can be located on the opposite side for easier cable management.

Thanks to its multiple ports, the AlterPath OnSite acts as the glue that holds the branch office IT infrastructure together, making it an attractive remote management option. By using OnSite to provide a console connection to any network device at the branch, your IT infrastructure can feasibly run in lights-out mode. And, because the unit can be configured with as few as four serial console ports and four KVM ports, it can be sized for a fairly small branch office.

Additional flexibility is provided via the bundled Java client, which Cyclades has been using for some time. That experience gives them insight into the special circumstances of multiplatform KVM control, like the special keys required for Sun Sparcstations.

Another nice feature is that the OnSite doesn’t force the remote client into single-cursor mode. Instead, the Java client automatically syncs the mouse cursor when your mouse is in the display area for the remote client.

The Java front end has the same look and feel regardless of whether you’re working in the KVM, serial console, or service processor connection client. Last but not least, the Java client also seems to have a lightweight footprint — it ran speedily enough on our HP TC-1000 pen tablet and its slightly anemic 1GHz Transmeta Crusoe CPU.

More connections, please

If we had one wish for the OnSite, it would be for multiple KVM connections. Right now, you’ll only get a single IP KVM connection and a single physical console connection with this version of OnSite. If you want more simultaneous connections (such as one DBA and one file server technician accessing the infrastructure simultaneously), the higher-end, enterprise-grade (and more expensive) AlterPath Manager is your only option.

Another nitpick: It looks like we’ll have to wait for cross-platform support on the client side via Java, as Cyclades no longer has those plans on the road map. That’s unfortunate, considering the growing number of geeks who want more Linux and Mac support for the KVM side.

For most small or branch office remote management tasks, however, the limited connections will be enough, and the AlterPath OnSite offers a good combination of robust features at a worthwhile price.