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Dominion KX II – Frequently Asked Questions

Dominion

KX II

Question

Answer

What is Dominion KX II?

Dominion KX II is a second-generation digital KVM (keyboard, video, mouse)

switch that enables one, two, four or eight IT administrators to access and

control 8, 16, 32 or 64 servers over the network with BIOS-level functionality.

Dominion KX II is completely hardware- and OS-independent; users can

troubleshoot and reconfigure servers even when servers are down.

At the rack, Dominion KX II provides the same functionality, convenience, and

space and cost savings as traditional analog KVM switches. However, Dominion

KX II also integrates the industry’s highest performing KVM-over-IP technology,

allowing multiple administrators to access server KVM consoles from any

networked workstation as well as from the iPhone

and iPad

How does Dominion KX II

differ from remote control

software?

When using Dominion KX II remotely, the interface, at first glance, may seem

similar to remote control software such as pcAnywhere

, Windows

Terminal

Services/Remote Desktop, VNC, etc. However, because Dominion KX II is not a

software but a hardware solution, it’s much more powerful:

• Hardware- and OS-independent – Dominion KX II can be used to

manage servers running many popular OSs, including Intel

, Sun

PowerPC running Windows, Linux

, Solaris

, etc.

• State-independent/Agentless – Dominion KX II does not require the

managed server OS to be up and running, nor does it require any

special software to be installed on the managed server.

• Out-of-band – Even if the managed server’s own network connection is

unavailable, it can still be managed through Dominion KX II.

• BIOS-level access – Even if the server is hung at boot up, requires

booting to safe mode, or requires system BIOS parameters to be

altered, Dominion KX II still works flawlessly to enable these

configurations to be made.

Can the Dominion KX II be

rack mounted?

Yes. The Dominion KX II ships standard with 19" rack mount brackets. It can

also be reverse rack mounted so the server ports face forward.

How large is the Dominion

KX II?

Dominion KX II is only 1U high (except the KX2-864 and KX2-464, which are

2U), fits in a standard 19" rack mount and is only 11.4" (29 cm) deep. The

Dominion KX2-832 and KX2-864 are 13.8" (36 cm) deep.

Remote Access

How many users can

remotely access servers on

each Dominion KX II?

Dominion KX II models offer remote connections for up to eight users per user

channel to simultaneously access and control a unique target server. For one-

channel devices like the DKX2-116, up to eight remote users can access and

control a single target server. For two-channel devices, like the DKX2-216, up to

eight users can access and control the server on channel one and up to another

eight users on channel two. For four-channel devices, up to eight users per

channel, for a total of 32 (8 x 4) users, can access and control four servers.

Likewise, for the eight-channel devices, up to eight users can access a single

server, up to an overall maximum of 32 users across the eight channels.

Frequently Asked Questions

Summary of content (18 pages)

PAGE 1
Dominion KX II – Frequently Asked Questions Frequently Asked Questions Dominion® KX II Question What is Dominion KX II? Answer Dominion KX II is a second-generation digital KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) switch that enables one, two, four or eight IT administrators to access and control 8, 16, 32 or 64 servers over the network with BIOS-level functionality. Dominion KX II is completely hardware- and OS-independent; users can troubleshoot and reconfigure servers even when servers are down.
PAGE 2
Dominion KX II – Frequently Asked Questions Can I remotely access servers from my iPhone or iPad? Yes. Starting with Dominion KX II Release 2.4 and CC-SG Release 5.2, users can access servers connected to the KX II using their iPhone or iPad. Can two people look at the same server at the same time? Yes. Actually, up to eight people can access and control any single server at the same time. Can two people access the same server, one remotely and one from the local port? Yes.
PAGE 3
Dominion KX II – Frequently Asked Questions Do you support servers with dual video cards? Universal Virtual Media Yes, as of Release 2.5, servers with dual video cards are supported with an extended desktop configuration available to the remote user. TM Which Dominion KX II models support virtual media? All Dominion KX II models support virtual media. It is available stand-alone and ® through CommandCenter Secure Gateway, Raritan’s centralized management appliance.
PAGE 4
Dominion KX II – Frequently Asked Questions Do I always need to set a USB profile when I use virtual media? No. In many cases, the default USB profile is sufficient when using virtual media at the OS level or operating at the BIOS level without accessing virtual media. What profiles are available? Where can I find more information? Consult the user guide for the available profiles and for more information.
PAGE 5
Dominion KX II – Frequently Asked Questions How much bandwidth does KX II use for common tasks? Bandwidth primarily depends on the user’s task and actions. The more the server’s video screen changes, the more bandwidth is utilized.
PAGE 6
Dominion KX II – Frequently Asked Questions How can I reduce bandwidth? KX II provides a variety of settings in our remote clients for the user to optimize bandwidth and performance. The default settings will provide an at-the-rack level of performance in standard LAN/WAN environments with economical use of bandwidth. Bandwidth management settings include the connection speed and color depth. To reduce bandwidth: Connection speed. Reducing the connection speed can significantly reduce the bandwidth used.
PAGE 7
Dominion KX II – Frequently Asked Questions How much bandwidth is used for audio? It depends on the type of audio format used, but to listen to CD quality audio, approximately 1.5 Mbps is used. What about servers with DVI ports? Servers with DVI ports that support DVI-A (analog) and DVI-I (integrated analog and digital) can use Raritan’s ADVI-VGA inexpensive, passive adapter to convert the server’s DVI port to a VGA plug that can be connected to a KX II CIM’s VGA plug.
PAGE 8
Dominion KX II – Frequently Asked Questions I’m having problems connecting to the Dominion KX II over my IP network. What could be the problem? The Dominion KX II relies on your LAN/WAN network. Some possible problems include: • Ethernet auto-negotiation. On some networks, 10/100 autonegotiation does not work properly, and the Dominion KX II unit must be set to 100 Mb/full duplex or the appropriate choice for its network. • Duplicate IP address.
PAGE 9
Dominion KX II – Frequently Asked Questions Servers Does Dominion KX II depend on a Windows server to operate? Absolutely not. Because users depend on the KVM infrastructure to always be available in any scenario whatsoever (as they will likely need to use the KVM infrastructure to fix problems), Dominion KX II is designed to be completely independent from any external server.
PAGE 10
Dominion KX II – Frequently Asked Questions How many blade servers can I connect to a Dominion KX II? For performance and reliability reasons, you can connect up to eight blade chassis to a Dominion KX II, regardless of model. Raritan recommends connecting up to two times the number of remote connections supported by the device. For example, with a KX2-216 with two remote channels, we recommend connecting up to four blade server chassis.
PAGE 11
Dominion KX II – Frequently Asked Questions How do I connect servers to Dominion KX II? Servers that connect to the Dominion KX II require a Dominion or Paragon CIM, which connects directly to the keyboard, video and mouse ports of the server. Then, connect each CIM to Dominion KX II using standard UTP (unshielded twisted pair) cable such as Cat5, Cat5e or Cat6.
PAGE 12
Dominion KX II – Frequently Asked Questions Can I consolidate the local ports of multiple KX IIs? Yes. You can connect the local ports of multiple KX II switches to another KX II using the “tiering” feature of the KX II. You can then access the servers connected to your KX II devices from a single point in the data center via a consolidated port list. When I am using the local port, do I prevent other users from accessing servers remotely? No.
PAGE 13
Dominion KX II – Frequently Asked Questions Is a user station required for the extended local port? Yes. The following devices can function as the “user station” for the extended ® local port: Paragon II EUST, Paragon II UST and the Cat5 Reach URKVMG device. In addition, the extended local port can be connected via Cat5 cable to a server port on a Dominion KX II or Paragon II switch. This configuration can be used to consolidate the local ports of many KX2-8xxx devices to a single switch.
PAGE 14
Dominion KX II – Frequently Asked Questions Does remote power control require any special configuration of attached servers? Some servers ship with default BIOS settings such that the server does not automatically restart after losing and regaining power. For these servers, see the server’s documentation to change this setting. What happens when I recycle power to a server? Note that this is the physical equivalent of unplugging the server from the AC power line, and reinserting the plug.
PAGE 15
Dominion KX II – Frequently Asked Questions Can I connect an existing analog KVM switch to Dominion KX II? Yes. Analog KVM switches can be connected to one of Dominion KX II’s server ports. Simply use a PS/2 or USB computer interface module (CIM), and attach it to the user ports of the existing analog KVM switch.
PAGE 16
Dominion KX II – Frequently Asked Questions Does Dominion KX II support AES encryption as recommended by the U.S. government’s NIST and FIPS standards? Yes. The Dominion KX II utilizes the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) for added security. 256-bit and 128-bit AES is available.
PAGE 17
Dominion KX II – Frequently Asked Questions Which smart card readers are supported? The required reader standards are USB CCID and PC/SC. Consult the user documentation for a list of certified readers and more information. Can smart card/CAC authentication work on the local port and via CommandCenter? Yes. Smart card/CAC authentication works on both the local port and via CommandCenter. For the local port, connect a compatible smart card reader to the USB port of the Dominion KX II.
PAGE 18
Dominion KX II – Frequently Asked Questions What CIM should I use for a particular server? Consult the CIM Guide available with the KX II documentation. Note that DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort video standards are supported with the new digital video CIMs, available as of Release 2.5. How long is the hardware warranty for the KX II? The Dominion KX II comes with a standard two-year warranty, which can be extended to 5 years of warranty coverage.