Raritan bolsters KVM capabilities

Raritan Computer last week announced a digital keyboard-video-mouse switch for managing servers.

KVM switches have traditionally been serially connected to the servers they monitor. However, with digital technology from Raritan and competitor Avocent, it is now possible to monitor servers over an IP network. 

The new Dominion KX is part of a family of KVM switches. The family includes the serial-attached Dominion SX, and the Dominion KSX, which is designed for small, remote offices.

To use the new KVM switches, an IT administrator simply sets an IP address for the switch. Raritan’s CommandCenter management device will then recognize the switch. Servers connect to the switch with standard unshielded twisted-pair cabling.

The new Dominion KX and the KSX use KVM-over-IP technology. KVM-over-IP captures a server’s keyboard and mouse controls. It then converts signals to digital form and compresses and encrypts them for transmission over the network.

As many as 32 servers can be connected to the KX. The Dominion KX supports dual Ethernet connections for redundancy and a modem port so servers can be accessed in the event of a network failure. It also supports LDAP, RADIUS and Microsoft’s Active Directory.

The Dominion KX is available in three models, the KX116, KX216 and the KX232. It starts at $3,200 and is available now.