Virtual Media

The need for Virtual Media

Research shows that close to 80 percent of IT administrators leave their desks and enter a data centre to physically perform data-related tasks on-site, such as diagnostic testing, file transfer, and OS and application patches.

There are two reasons, however, why it is not wise to have technicians constantly going in and out of the data centre to perform these daily management tasks. First, over-reliance on the physical presence of technicians in the data centre is slow and inefficient. Every time someone gets up from his or her desk to install a patch or run some diagnostics, valuable time is lost - time that could be spent taking care of other important tasks. Second, foot traffic through the data centre and around critical systems greatly increases exposure to both malicious and inadvertent security risks.

Avocent DSR switches with virtual media addresses these twin issues of operational efficiency and security by enabling you to map CD-ROMs and other storage media to a remote server to perform file transfers, application and OS patches, and CD-ROM diagnostics. It thus empowers technicians to do their jobs more quickly and efficiently, without compromising the physical security of the data centre.

Virtual Media explained

Virtual Media allows a server to access storage media such as CD-ROMs, flash memory, and external drives anywhere on the network - just as if they were directly attached to that server's USB port. This allows technicians to quickly and easily move and copy data between the storage media and the computer. They can install application and OS patches, download files, and perform diagnostic testing on multiple servers without ever physically entering the data centre or leaving their desks. They can even work from home or on the road. Everything they would be able to do on-site, they can do securely from any remote location.

Local Virtual Media

With local Virtual Media, the server and the storage media are attached to the same KVM switch - so data transfers occur out-of-band through the switch.

Remote Virtual Media With remote Virtual Media, the storage media can be attached to any Virtual Media-enabled desktop anywhere on the network. In these cases, data moves over the network from the enabled desktop to the KVM switch - and then via the USB port from the switch to the server.

Benefits of Virtual Media Management improvements Virtual Media improves business continuity and enhances service levels, because technicians can immediately solve problems from anywhere. With Virtual Media, IT skills and expertise can be more effectively leveraged across the entire enterprise. By streamlining remote management, Virtual Media reduces operational costs, improves administrator-to-server ratios, and frees technicians to spend more of their time on higher value tasks. Improved security Virtual Media reduces traffic in the server room, lowering the risk of intentional and accidental damage to servers. By eliminating the need to bring removable media into the server room, Virtual Media helps protect critical servers from unsafe and/or infected programs - while also reducing exposure to data theft. Improved working environment Virtual Media allows technicians to take care of routine maintenance and address server problems without getting up from their desks - so they can stay focused on strategic projects. With Virtual Media, technicians can easily work from home or the road - enabling them to avoid inconveniences such as late hours in the office or an extra commute on the weekends.