* Avocent grabs OSA Technologies for its IPMI expertise
Avocent, a maker of keyboard-video-mouse switches, announced last week it has acquired OSA Technologies, an independent software vendor that is building embedded Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) software.
Acquired for $100 million, OSA’s technology will be incorporated into Avocent’s KVM switches to increase their server management capabilities and bolster their remote management functions. OSA will operate as a subsidiary of Avocent.
The company estimates that as many as 30% of Intel processor-based servers are IPMI-enabled. IPMI is a management specification for monitoring system hardware and its environmental components, such as temperature and humidity. It lets users remotely manage and recover servers that fail. OSA predicts that the number of IPMI-enabled servers will surpass 70% by year-end as more vendors offer the technology.
IPMI is being promoted by Dell, HP, Intel and NEC. The second version of the specification was announced in February; it offers enhanced security and remote viewing of server consoles.
Dell took a stake in OSA last year.
In the utility computing market, IPMI provides a platform-independent interface to middleware and applications that manage the health of servers.
OSA had previously announced a strategic partnership with blade manufacturer Amphus, which uses IPMI in its software product, ManageSite, to handle lights-out server management and provisioning across platforms.
