The In-Reach product family from MRV Communications is designed for network administrators and system operators who are unable to afford the economic and business consequences of operational downtime. In-Reach is a complete Console management, remote access servers solution that allows customers to proactively respond to all remote control, configuration and data acquisition needs as if they were physically there. By extending serial and console port access and facilitating alarm and remote power management capabilities over IP networks, In-Reach gives you visibility and control from virtually anywhere. Unlike other general terminal servers or console management solutions, In-Reach is optimized to provide secure and converged Console server solutions, offering serial console connectivity, secure servers, alarm, sensors, and remote power management, all in a single box. Key capabilities of the solutions provided by MRV are as follows:

Console Servers

The Console server has been developed to provide a way for users to access many console devices from one centralized location. The console server terminates all the serial console connections from each of the nodes in the cluster, and provides Console-server access to each cluster node. The Console server includes a network connection through which the users can connect to remote servers and also to a node for communication through a telnet or SSH connection.

Console Servers, Console Management

The In-Reach Console server line of solutions enables centrally located or remote personnel to connect to the console or craft ports of network elements or servers. This serial Console connection allows administrators to manage and configure the remote network devices and servers as well as perform software upgrades as if attached locally. Additionally, an editable ASCII based parameter file enables automated scripting of repetitive provisioning tasks, making cost-efficient unmanned installation possible. The LX series of remote access servers is fully Sun compatible to prevent the industry common "Sun Break" issue from triggering inadvertent shutdowns of Sun servers.
The In-Reach remote access servers allows the management of devices, servers or elements with a serial Console port to be extended back to one centralized location or Operations Center, where qualified technicians can easily remotely monitor, manage and control them as if they were there. Software upgrades, provisioning and configuration changes of switches, routers and servers that once required a qualified technician on site can now be accomplished remotely.
Secure IP connectivity can be established in-band through the LX's 10/100Base-T Ethernet port, or across a separate, dedicated Out-Of-Band management network. Alternatively, secure IP connectivity can be established via the internal V.90 modem, either as standard practice or as a method of reliable back-door access in the case of a primary connection failure. This ensures the ability to respond to problems and guarantee maximum operational uptime.

Terminal Servers

The extensive In-Reach IR-8000 and MaxServer series products offer a wide range of form factors that fit any legacy terminal serving application. In-Reach has robust protocol support including Print Servers, TN3270, Unix, LAT and DECnet multisession to enable a wide range of core legacy applications. In-Reach also allows users to share printing resources in a widely distributed heterogeneous environment that includes VAX hosts, UNIX hosts, and Novell and NT servers that support BOOTP.
In-Reach is the industry's most complete Console servers, remote console servers management solution for enabling serial Console devices including PCs, printers, telemetry and RTU devices, terminals and bar code readers with IP connectivity. These capabilities combined with the In-Reach security and modem features make it an ideal choice for providing remote real-time access to point of sale and telemetry data provided by the serial Console.
Additionally, extensive modem, scripting support and RADIUS accounting features make In-Reach ideal for remote access concentration.

The Secure Console Servers, FIPS Console Servers

Security concerns are growing as more organizations recognize risks and are driven by government initiatives such as Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPPA to improve security controls. Out-of-band management is a key component of an effective strategy. FIPS140-2 provides an independent security standard for this application, which is being adopted by government and commercial enterprises. MRV is the first solutions provider to meet this standard, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to the highest console security standards.

MRV's LX Console server supports FIPS 140-2 security standard. The operation of the Console Server is visibly impacted by supporting FIPS140-2. Less secure features, protocols, and encryption support are disabled, while higher encryption options are set. AES encryption is used for all FIPS secure remote access servers Graphical User Interface (GUI) connections and the LX Series Console Clustering features. AES is one of the approved secret key algorithms that is approved and validated by NIST. It uses a single secret key for both encryption and decryption. MD5 password encryption is used for firmware access. FIPS Mode is enabled or disabled only by accessing the firmware console based menu via a local console connection. To increase security, FIPS Console Mode may not be turned off from the GUI, CLI, SNMP or console.

Remote Alarm and Sensor Management

The In-Reach IR-9000 and LX-4000S series products combine console aggregation, high-density alarm, sensor and remote power management functions all in one platform. Through secure serial Console device and console port access combined with alarm and remote power management over IP networks, these advanced servers provide complete visibility and control from virtually anywhere. The IR-9000 and LX-4000S can also be utilized in a master-slave configuration with the IR-7000 series to provide extremely scaleable alarm, control output and analog sensor capabilities. Additionally, the fully redundant chassis-based IR-6000 and IR-15000 can be configured to offer the same console and alarm functionality.

Remote Power Management

The In-Reach IR-8000, IR-9000 and LX-4000S series also provide a modular power solution for managing remote power. Using the In-Reach software, power master ports can be configured to manage and control the In-Reach IR-5100 and IR-5150 remote power management units. The solution provides for remote current monitoring and AC power control of equipment at distant facilities.
With the IR-5100/5150 series, administrators have the ability to remotely cycle the power locked up servers, bring a redundant system online or turn on an auxiliary air conditioner from anywhere. Current utilization can also be monitored to gain a solid understanding of faulty or power-hogging equipment and overall usage to effectively plan and deliver efficient power.

Fault Management System

The In-Reach software-based FMS, Event Horizon for MegaVision, offers an innovative application approach that provides users with a unique and robust means of network monitoring and management. It collects, catalogs, prioritizes and displays network events in an easy-to-read format, allowing an operations manager to identify, understand and react to fault conditions quickly and effectively.

Offerings

MRV provides innovative Console server and Console management solutions for carriers and enterprises. MRV's comprehensive line of Console management solutions comprise of the Console server, Device servers, Terminal servers, remote access servers, sensor, alarm, and remote power management, and Console cluster servers. MRV's In-Reach Console server solution allows the managing of servers, or other network elements with a serial port, extending it back to one centralized location or Operations Center. MRV's In-Reach Console server solution enables administrators to monitor, manage, and control these remotely located servers and other network elements as if they were local. MRV's offering of In-Reach Console solutions has a long record of excellent performance and outstanding customer support.


Features

• Remote console access - Minimize downtime and lower operations costs


• Serial to IP conversion - Access and acquire data from virtually anywhere


• Industry-leading security - Grant flexible access without compromising security


• Ease of use - Non-disruptive to install, simple to manage and maintain


• Scripting and menus - Automated and guided processes save time and money


• Sun Break compatible - Prevents inadvertent shutdowns of Sun Servers


• Virtual Console management ports - Simultaneous multiple user access with individual rights


• Out-of-band access - Secure, guaranteed access


• Console, alarm, sensor and power (CASP) - A single solution for all remote management needs


• SNMP Management


• Web Based Management

Applications

• Out-of-band networking


• Remote access servers - Minimize downtime and lower operations costs


• Serial to IP conversion - Access and acquire data from virtually anywhere


• Industry-leading security - Grant flexible access without compromising security


• Ease of use - Non-disruptive to install, simple to manage and maintain


• Scripting and menus - Automated and guided processes save time and money


• Sun Break compatible - Prevents inadvertent shutdowns of Sun Servers


• Virtual management ports - Simultaneous multiple user access with individual rights


• Out-of-band access - Secure, guaranteed access


• Console, alarm, sensor and power (CASP) - A single solution for all remote management needs


• SNMP Management


• Web Based Management

• LinuxDevices: "Most secure" console servers comply with FIPS-140-2, run Linux
• MRV Boosts Network Security With Support of FIPS 140-2 in LX Series Console Servers
• SysAdmin: MRV's LX Series Console Servers Supports FIPS 140-2 Security Standard