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 console server Max series is a complete Out-of-Band Management 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 console server Max series gives you visibility and control from virtually anywhere. Unlike any other general terminal server or console management solution, the In-Reach console server Max series for remote out-of-band management access and control is optimized to provide a secure and converged Out-of-Band Networking solution, offering serial connectivity, secure console servers, alarm management, sensor and remote power management, all in a single box.

The Need for Out-of-Band Management
Today's market conditions dictate that any business, no matter how big or small, must develop and implement electronically driven processes to compete. Real-time electronic business processes are a necessity across all markets, including the financial, healthcare, telecommunications, retail, transportation, manufacturing and utilities industries.

This new business environment has led to geographically distributed networks, applications and systems. Enterprises have deployed extensive networks to carry distributed applications that facilitate businesses such as e-commerce, enterprise resource planning (ERP), supply chain automation, telemetry systems and industrial automation.

To meet the explosive growth in digital communications, carriers and service providers have built massive high-speed wireline and wireless networks. These networks enable enterprises to connect with supply and distribution chains, customers and themselves. When applications and networks stop, business stops. No enterprise can afford the economic or business consequences of operational downtime. This, coupled with the demand that businesses do more with less, puts network, operations and systems managers in a very precarious position.

How do the people responsible for these applications, networks and systems cost effectively manage them and their countless remote elements to ensure minimal operational downtime? The answer is In-Reach Out-of-Band Management access and control products for out-of-band networking. MRV's series of In-Reach Out-of-Band management access and control products make logistically difficult, skilled manpower-intensive tasks easy and cost-effective to manage. MRV's In-Reach Console server Max series for remote out-of-band management access and control allows centrally located personnel and applications to monitor, manage and respond to globally distributed networks and systems.


Key Capabilities

Console Management
The In-Reach console management solution enables centrally located or remote personnel to connect to the console or craft ports of any network element or server. This serial 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 In-Reach console server Max series for remote out-of-band management access and control is fully Sun compatible to prevent the industry common "Sun Break" issue from triggering inadvertent shutdowns of Sun servers.

The LX series allows the management of any device, server or element with a serial 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 In-Reach LX's 10/100Base-T Ethernet port, or across a separate, dedicated 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 series and In-Reach console server Max series for remote out-of-band management access and control offers a wide range of form factors that fit any legacy terminal serving application. In-Reach has robust protocol support including Print Server, TN3270, Unix, LAT and DECnet multisession to enable a wide range of core legacy applications. In-Reach console server Max series for remote out-of-band management access and control 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 console server Max series for remote out-of-band management access and control is the industry's most complete solution for enabling serial 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 serial devices.

Additionally, extensive modem, scripting support and RADIUS accounting features make In-Reach ideal for remote access concentration.

Secure Console Server and Out-of-Band Management
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 Out-of-Band management access provider to meet this standard, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to the highest security standards.

The In-Reach IR-8000 and LX-4000S series provide ironclad secure access to system, server and network device serial consoles, enabling real-time visibility of remote system, device and network health. In-Reach console solutions allow for easy, cost-effective management of globally distributed networks and systems by enabling administrators to take immediate action from anywhere. The IR-6000 series and IR-15000 systems can also be configured with the appropriate modules to offer the same console and power control functionality in a fully redundant chassis-based solution.

Secure IP connectivity can be established in-band through the In-Reach Ethernet port, or across a separate, dedicated management network. Alternatively, secure IP connectivity can be established via an optional 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.

MRV's In-Reach Console Servers support FIPS140-2 security standard. The operation of the In-Reach 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 Console Servers Graphical User Interface (GUI) connections and the In-Reach LX Series 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 based menu via a local connection. To increase security, FIPS Mode may not be turned off from the GUI, CLI, or SNMP.

Remote Alarm and Sensor Management
The In-Reach IR-9000 series and LX-4000S series combine console aggregation, high-density alarm, sensor and remote power management functions all in one platform. Through secure serial 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 series and LX-4000S series 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.

By providing remote connections to discrete alarms and control relays, In-Reach enables a few qualified individuals to monitor alarm and control devices from a central operations center. In-Reach also easily integrates with existing fault management systems (FMS) and operations support systems (OSS) software via TL1 or SNMP. This increases accuracy of operations and visibility of remote conditions and events. For example, whenever a measured parameter changes beyond pre-set thresholds, an alarm signal is transmitted to an existing FMS or key personnel via SNMP, email or pager. Technicians can receive instant event messages or periodically monitor the environ-mental readings and perform remedial operations in response to any alarm conditions.

The In-Reach alarm management and sensor points accept discrete input signals generated when contact closure devices such as aerial lights or door alarms change state or ports can be connected to temperature/humidity sensors to monitor the temperature and humidity readings of remote sites. Control points can be software configured to activate devices such as generators or fire alarms in response to any alarm signal received. Additionally, up to 255 triggers and corresponding actions can be defined for unmanned automatic fault management of mission-critical applications.

The In-Reach product suite can be utilized in a master/slave architecture with the IR-7104 to scale to support literally thousands of alarms and over 250 sensor and control relay sensor points. This same configuration can also support analog circuits to obtain real-time readings of devices such as fuel and pressure gauges. With the In-Reach console server Max series for remote out-of-band management access and control you can feel secure in your ability to gain remote visibility and control.

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 power cycle a locked up server, 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.

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 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 console access - Minimize downtime and lower operations costs


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


• Industry-leading security - Grant flexible access control 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 management access - Secure, guaranteed management access and control


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


• SNMP Management


• Web Based Management