Avocent MergePoint 5200 Manual
Executive Summary
DTS, Inc. (NASDAQ: DTSI) is a digital technology company dedicated to delivering the
ultimate entertainment experience. DTS decoders are in virtually every major brand of
5.1-channel surround processor, and there are hundreds of millions of DTS-licensed
consumer electronics products available worldwide.
With its recent Avocent purchase, DTS has embraced – for its winning IT staff – cutting-
edge technology for virtual server and remote power management, technologies that are
changing the face of IT.
With its previous solution, the DTS staff was unable to establish remote console access to
work on company servers, and they lacked some remote power management capabilities.
In addition, the company had no way to remotely access a growing pool of servers running
VMware ESX software. “It was pretty clear early on that Avocent had the total solution we
were looking for,” says DTS IT Manager Charles Tanpoco. With Avocent, the DTS staff
is reaping the benefits of IT productivity improvements, new remote power management
capabilities, improved data center security, increased system uptime, and an ability to
remotely manage a growing cache of virtual servers.
Profile
Customer
DTS, Inc.
Location
Agoura Hills, California
Type of Business
Audio Technology
Web site
www.dts.com
Applications
DSR® 2020, DSR8035 and
DSR1021 KVM over IP switches,
Cyclades® ACS4 and ACS16
advanced console servers,
DSView® 3 management software,
MergePoint® 5200 service
processor manager
“Using the virtualization
piece also adds another
layer of access rights to
virtual machines, which
allow controls over unit
settings configuration, viewer
sessions, and device power.”
Charles Tanpoco
IT manager
DTS, Inc.
Challenge
• Remote access to servers
• Lack of remote power management capability
• Data center security
Solution
• DTS selected Avocent for its comprehensive infrastructure management
solution for remote server access, virtual server and remote power management
Results
• Approximately 50 hours per year saved with Virtual Media technology
• Improved IT staff productivity
• Improved data center security via remote console access
• Vastly improved system uptime
• Better IT service delivery and responsiveness
DTS’ IT staff increases data center productivity
with Avocent remote management solutions
Case Study
Virtual Servers
Challenge
“Prior to Avocent our biggest challenge was console access. We
had remote access with our previous solution, but for many tasks,
you need remote console access – as if you were standing in front
of the server. There’s a big difference,” says Tanpoco. As a result,
Tanpoco and his colleagues had to walk into the server room,
locate a specific server and stand in front of the machine for several
minutes, carrying out tasks such as software installations. “Walking
back and forth to the data center hinders productivity and can
compromise data center security,” says Tanpoco. “Ideally, you want
to limit access to the data center. With the Avocent solution, the
need to physically touch a server is minimal.” Moreover, the company
had no way to remotely access its growing pool of virtual servers
running VMware® ESX Server software.
“We can now remotely power down a
server within just a few seconds through
any Web browser. We don’t have to make
any phone calls or ask for help. The benefits
are tremendous.”
Another challenge was a lack of remote power management
capabilities. “We centrally support multiple data centers from our
corporate headquarters. We don’t have any data center personnel
in any of our remote data centers so we have to manage everything
centrally from here,” says Tanpoco. “We anticipate building out
more data centers in remote locations in the near future. It gives
us peace of mind knowing that we will have remote BIOS-level
visibility and remote power management capabilities from our
corporate headquarters.”
Solution
DTS did its due diligence, comparing other vendor offerings with
Avocent. “I looked at some white papers but it was pretty clear
early on that Avocent had the total solution we were looking for,”
says Tanpoco. Avocent offered pure remote console access with
Virtual Media capabilities, remote management for virtual servers,
integrated power management and advanced security features—all
accessible through one Web interface: DSView 3 management
software. “Avocent also offered a KVM over IP switch with 32 ports,”
adds Tanpoco. “The Avocent DSR switch offered more available
ports than any other KVM over IP switch at the time.”
Results
“Deploying Avocent was about saving time and saving money. It was
also about delivering better services to the company,” says Tanpoco.
“With Avocent’s Virtual Media technology alone, we’re probably
saving about 50 hours per year.” Virtual Media is simulated media
that performs the same function of a mass storage device without
physically being connected. It’s a very easy and convenient method
to transfer les, applications, OS patches, conduct diagnostic
testing or load software.
Since Virtual Media capabilities are built into DSView 3 software,
there’s no need to walk into the data center, stand in front of a
server and load a large Microsoft Ofce application, for example,
via CD. Administrators can load the software from their desktop
using DSView 3 software while they carry out other job duties for
improved IT productivity and better data center security. “There are
a number of console access tasks that our administrators can now
carry out from their desktops,” says Tanpoco.
Comprehensive management software and solutions for
remote server access and power management increase IT staff
productivity and help improve data center security.
Avocent, the Avocent logo, DSR, DSView, Cyclades and MergePoint are
registered trademarks of Avocent Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and
other countries. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Copyright © 2008. Avocent Corporation.
0608-DTS-CS-EN
www.avocent.com/contacts
“When we first deployed Avocent, our IT staff was really blown
away. The first time our information security manager logged in
and
remotely rebooted a device, he was impressed by the BIOS
level visibility the Avocent solution provided. It was so easy to use.
Once you have your desktop console setup you can see all of your
servers, and you can reboot and watch the whole process as if you
were in front of the server,” says Tanpoco. “It gives you tremendous
remote visibility.”
“Our goal is 100 percent system uptime
for our staff. With Avocent’s technology,
we are much closer to that goal.”
A recently added virtualization plug-in to DSView 3 software
also allows DTS to manage its growing cluster of virtual
servers—remotely—which is becoming increasingly important as
more and more IT organizations adopt virtualization technology.
“The virtualization component is an important feature because it
provides administrators console access to a virtual machine using
the Avocent VMware viewer. This provides a single interface for
managing both physical and virtual servers. Using the virtualization
piece also adds another layer of access rights to virtual machines,
which allow controls over unit settings configuration, viewer
sessions, and device power,” says Tanpoco.
With Cyclades ACS advanced console servers deployed, new
remote power management capabilities are saving time. “We can
now remotely power down a server within just a few seconds
through any Web browser. We don’t have to make any phone
calls or ask for help. The benefits are tremendous,” says Tanpoco.
Regular, automated reboot cycles have been set up for most
company servers to maintain overall server health.
Tanpoco has also been very impressed with the security features
built into DSView 3 software. “Previously, we couldn’t designate
security protocols down to the machine level. With Avocent it’s
great because I can provide console access to an administrator
who needs to work on a certain SQL server, for example, limiting
server exposure. I can also place controls on various IT groups and
designate the specific servers that each group can access.”
DTS is well on its way to meeting the stated goals of saving time,
saving money and improving service levels. “Our goal is 100 percent
uptime for our staff. With Avocent’s technology, we are much closer
to achieving that goal,” concludes Tanpoco.
About DTS
DTS, Inc. (NASDAQ: DTSI) is a digital technology company
dedicated to delivering the ultimate entertainment experience. DTS
decoders are in virtually every major brand of 5.1-channel surround
processor, and there are hundreds of millions of DTS-licensed
consumer electronics products available worldwide. A pioneer in
multi-channel audio, DTS technology is in home theatre, car audio,
PC and game console products, as well as DVD-Video, HD DVD,
Blu-ray Disc and Surround Music software. Additional information is
available at www.dts.com.
About Avocent Corporation
Avocent delivers IT infrastructure management solutions that reduce
operating costs, simplify management and increase the availability
of critical IT environments 24/7 via integrated, centralized in-band
and out-of-band hardware and software. Additional information is
available at www.avocent.com.
DSView 3 software discovers and
inventories the ESX servers and
virtual machines.
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