Customer:
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Industry:
Academia
Challenge:
With the need to monitor the Beowulf-like
cluster of 40 computers in its Computer
Science Department, this tech-savvy
institution needed local and remote
access KVM solutions to simplify the
debugging process and ensure constant
machine uptime.
ATEN Solutions:
• ATEN ACS-1216 MasterView max
- 16 Port PS/2 KVM Switch
• ATEN ACS-1216A MasterView
max - 16 Port PS/2 KVM Switch
• ALTUSEN KH0116 16-Port KVM
Switch
• ATEN CN-6000 KVM on the Net
remote access device
• ALTUSEN KA9250 KVM Extender
Module
• ALTUSEN KL0116 LCD Console
KVM Switch
(New version of this model: Please see KL1116)
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• ATEN
ACS-1216 |
• ATEN
ACS-1216A
|
• ALTUSEN KH0116
|
• ATEN
CN-6000
|
• ALTUSEN
KA9250
|
• ALTUSEN
KL0116
(New version of this model: Please see KL1116)
|
Heralded as one of the most elite and distinguished
research institutions in the country, the
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
has produced some of the finest intellect
in the world including 17 Nobel Prize-winning
scientists in nearly every technical field.
Some famous Caltech alumni include Gordon
E. Moore, co-founder of Intel Corporation,
and Charles Francis Richter, creator of
the Richter Magnitude Scale. Other Caltech
alumni have become executives at Boeing,
Compaq and TRW Inc.
I. The Challenge
Caltech is an independent, privately-supported
university based in Pasadena, CA, that offers
some 40 areas of concentration in science,
mathematics, engineering, and the humanities
and social sciences for its 2,000+ student
body that is comprised of 896 undergraduates
and 1,276 graduate students. Established
in 1891, Caltech's mission is to expand
human knowledge and benefit society through
research integrated with education. Caltech's
Computer Science Department houses a research
group laboratory made up of undergraduate
and graduate students, faculty and staff
who research algorithms, communication protocols,
networks, graphics and human-computer interaction,
and large-scale scientific computing. The
department provides IT support for users
of the research laboratory.
The Computer Science Department contains
a Beowulf-like cluster of 40 computers running
Linux and Windows platforms that students,
faculty and staff use for research projects.
According to Rafi Rubin, Computer Science
Research staff member, his laboratory needed
local and remote access KVM solutions to
monitor uptime, simplify the debugging process
and installation/upgrading of operating
systems. Without KVM technology, the lab
was unable to diagnose operating system
and hardware crashes on its machines remotely.
II. The Solution
After purchasing a set of rackmount computers
from a Los Angeles-based vendor, Rubin also
requested a KVM solution from this reseller.
After the installation, Rubin quickly realized
that the solution lacked key functionality.
"The KVM unit did not provide active keyboard
and mouse simulation," said Rubin. "As a
result, the solution did not work with our
computers so we promptly returned the unit."
Rubin was then introduced to ATEN Technology,
Inc.'s enterprise-class KVM solutions. "We
found the KVM solution to be very reliable
and loved the keyboard/mouse emulation feature,"
he said. As the lab expanded, Rubin purchased
additional KVMs from ATEN.
In one rack, Rubin installed ATEN ACS-1216
MasterView max-16 Port PS/2 KVM Switch and
ACS-1216A MasterView max-16 Port PS/2 KVM
Switch and a ALTUSEN KL0116 LCD Console
KVM Switch. On the rack adjacent, the lab
houses an ALTUSEN KH0116 16-Port KVM switch
and ALTUSEN KA9250 (KVM Extender Module
that connects to the KH0116) and a CN-6000
KVM on the Net unit. According to Rubin,
the quality and feature set, as well as
the emulation functionality of the KVMs
were key factors in choosing ATEN.
III. Benefits
Caltech has optimized ATEN's affordable
KVM solutions to scale its server room and
has enabled the department to remotely monitor
the machines in its research lab.
IV. The Results
Rubin has been using ATEN's KVM solutions
since 2002 and has steadily expanded the
lab's server room. "ATEN's KVM solutions
had the scalability we needed to expand
our server room -- and at a cost that was
affordable for us," Rubin said. "We have
been very pleased that the KVMs are daisy
chainable -- allowing us to connect them
to one large chain. We are also impressed
that ATEN's newer KVM solutions are compatible
with the older units we purchased in 2002."
According to Rubin, his lab has experienced
better cable management and increased time
savings. "One of our racks is about six
inches from the wall, but ATEN's cables
are relatively small which made the installation
and removal of cables a cinch," he said.
"In addition, the cables are all color-coded
making it easy to find a particular cable
in a pile -- which has translated into considerable
time savings.
According to Rubin, the relatively small
and compact size of the ATEN units has proved
valuable for his lab. "Rack space is
always a premium in a data center or server
room, making it important to select solutions
that combine a range of functionality in
a small compartment," he said. "In
terms of the ATEN KVM solutions we selected,
they were 1U high -- perfect for our operations."
V. The Future
Rubin says he would recommend ATEN's KVM
solutions on a whim. "If other Caltech departments
or institutions were looking to upgrade
or purchase new KVMs, I would definitely
recommend ATEN," he said.
In terms of future upgrades, Rubin is considering
the purchases of additional ATEN KVM units
to add to his daisy chain. "When the time
comes to add more racks and KVM units to
our growing server room, we will certainly
turn to ATEN because of its products' scalability
and reliability," concluded Rubin.
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