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Laptops, Headless Servers and KVMs?

Posted by Cliff on from the portable-passive-displays-would-be-a-wonderul-thing dept.

Administration of headless machines can be a pain, and working on multiple machines can also be a bit of a bother. KVM boxes solve some of the problem, but sometimes finding a keyboard and a monitor to lug around to these machines is most of the problem. Is there a portable solution that might solve both of these problems? Wouldn't it be nice to carry around a specialized laptop that could act as both a portable display and input device? Does something like this currently exist? KJH1138 asks: "I am looking for a hardware/software combination that would allow me to use my laptop as the KVM for a headless server before, during, and after OS configuration. What I have in mind would be a server KVM/USB to laptop serial/USB connection, with software on the laptop to provide KVM control of the headless device, with or without an OS. A PC Anywhere or Linux equivalent wouldn't work since they would require the headless system to already have an installed OS. I would prefer a Linux-based solution on the laptop, but would settle for a Windows option. I simply don't want the clutter of a keyboard and monitor."

PGillingwater has a similar desire: "Like many regular readers, sometimes I need to visit a customer site to diagnose equipment, like firewalls or routers. More systems these days use VGA output and keyboard input, which means having to scrounge a display and keyboard, then looking for a spare power socket in the machine room, which is not always easy! I am wondering if anyone has seen a laptop which also allows VGA input and keyboard output. This would be a cool idea. Use it as a normal laptop most of the time, then hijack the video and keyboard to connect to other systems when you need it."

9 of 397 comments (clear)

  1. use avocent by wheatking · · Score: 3, Informative

    use avocent or any decent "kvm-over-ip" implementation....

  2. Google is your friend by Thauma · · Score: 3, Informative

    Google: IP KVM

  3. Have you considered... by farzadb82 · · Score: 4, Informative

    KVM over IP ? - I think some one has already mentioned this previously, however, they mentioned the plugin card variety. You can also purchase a stand alone box, similar to a regular KVM, however, it routes the Keyboard, Video and Mouse via IP to any machine that is network capable. The client is supplied either as a windows binary or as a Java applet (when you browse to the maintenance webpage. You can, in theory use a wireless PDA or laptop with a java enabled web browser to connect directly and control these devices.

  4. Re:If there IS a solution, let me know. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative
    without getting out of my chair.
    Chair
    With
    Wheels

    k, bye bye

  5. Re:What we do... by temojen · · Score: 3, Informative

    Use a kernel build with a serial console on the install disk.

  6. Re:What we do... by ray-auch · · Score: 3, Informative
    Roughly here:

    A PC Anywhere or Linux equivalent wouldn't work since they would require the headless system to already have an installed OS.
  7. Re:Pardon my ignorince but ... by ctr2sprt · · Score: 4, Informative
    The issue with network-based server management is that it isn't suitable for a large data center. For instance, a typical webhosting setup might have a couple hundred (or thousand) servers - the ideal target for remote management, because it's wildly impractical/impossible to put them all on KVMs. Each server will have one NIC for the "public" network, the one connected to the Internet. To help lock down remote access for SSH etc., you will also have a private network. We're already up to two distinct networks here, you'll note. Now add a third one for management, which incidentally is also going to require DHCP. The cost for building yet another discrete internal network - and managing it! - is going to be nontrivial. It's usually cheaper, and about as effective, to buy a couple cheap-ass carts and put monitors and keyboards on them. It means your NOC staff has to get off their asses every now and then, but... Is sparing them that really worth the $10k+ it will probably cost in network hardware (not to mention cabling nightmares)?

    Serial consoles are great, but not for PCs. In a big DC, you will not have the root password to every server. You will be logging in via some special authentication mechanism like SecurID and then doing sudo su (or just ssh public keys). So getting a login prompt is not going to be helpful; you'll have to reboot the server. On real Unix hardware, you can usually do this by sending a hardware break and typing "reboot" (or similar). This will work even if the OS is crashed or thrashing or whatever. On a PC, no dice, because it's purely the software which handles the serial connection. So you have to hit the reset button, which will probably solve whatever issue was going on anyway (while simultaneously destroying any in-memory logs of what the cause might have been).

    For us, in our DC with about 5000 servers, the worst servers to manage are actually the real Unix hardware, but that's only because we have just the one laptop (and because the Unix servers are all disasters held together by spit and baling wire, but that's another story). Also the laptop sucks ass and keeps breaking because it's 6 years old and has been dropped several times. That's something else to keep in mind if you're looking for a laptop-based solution: People Will Drop It. Not only that, if they have to step away from the server for a second, the laptop will get left on the floor, where some unwary soul will step on it or wheel a crash cart over it. Laptops are expensive, even secondhand. A crummy 15" CRT and keyboard will set you back $100, if that, and if they're on a cart that can be wheeled around they won't get dropped (often). Just make sure to buy monitors with fully-removable video and power cords, so when someone wheels the cart off without unplugging it you won't wreck the server's video connector and pull the PDC out of the rack.

  8. Re:What we do... by jdray · · Score: 3, Informative

    The best bet is a single user/single server KVM over IP unit, which is essentially a bridge between Ethernet and a Keyboard/Video/Mouse set. Here's one example. Here's another.

    --
    The Spoon
    Updated 6/28/2011
  9. Two tools together by petree · · Score: 3, Informative

    Epiphan makes a product called VGA2USB ($399) and then buy a usb keyboard with a touchpad on it. (ibm sells one for $100). This way you'd just have your laptop (which you would probably have out anyways) and then one keyboard/mouse combo. It's not perfect, but it'll get the job done for $500.