Slashdot Mirror
Ask Slashdot: Tools For Managing Multiple Serial Console Servers?
An anonymous reader writes "I've recently been charged with updating our existing serial console access tools. We have 12 racks of servers each with a console server in it (OpenGear, ACS, and a few others). Several of these systems host virtual machines which are also configured to have 'serial' management (KVM, virt serial). In total it comes to about 600 'systems.' All the systems also have remote power management (various vendors). Right now our team has a set of home grown scripts and a cobbled together database for keeping this all together. Today any admin can simply ssh into the master, run 'manage hostname console' and automatically get a serial console or run 'manage hostname power off' to cut the power to a system. I'd rather use some tools with more of a community than just the 4 of us. What tool(s) should I move my group onto for remote serial/power management?"
If you published your tools, you might find you're not the only ones who need the flexibility you've written into your toolset.
"I can't give you a brain, so I'll give you a diploma" - The Great Oz (blatently stolen sig)
You haven't identified any missing features or existing anti-features in your current toolset.
The only hint of anything wrong with your setup is "I'd rather use some tools with more of a community than just the 4 of us."
Q: What tool(s) should I move my group onto for remote serial/power management?
A: Yours. Clean the tools up, open source them, and market them. Your community will grow.
So... let me get this straight, you have a system which is easy to use and works just fine, and is written in house. Obviously, you want to change it... because? Jeez.
I actually was about to post that....with one caveat: Look carefully at versions
Admittedly I haven't worked with conserver since 2005, but it was solid then and I can't imagine it has changed much since. The last time I grabbed it, I found that the source had forked a couple of times and the name "conserver" actually refered to 2 or three different versions of the same program, each with slightly different feature sets.
Few things are more frustrating than trying to figure out why a program isn't working because you are reading the docs for the wrong one.
That said, the conserver we ended up using was simple, lightweight, and did exactly what we wanted.... provide named console access from a single place.
"I opened my eyes, and everything went dark again"
Serial consoles allows you to fix boot issues remotely.
These comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of my employer or colleagues...