Calif., Fremont, United States: Cyclades Corporation, a data center management company that reduces unplanned downtime, Wednesday announced that its 48-port AlterPath(TM) Advanced Console Server (ACS48) has been chosen for use in the remote access and management of the new HP High Performance Computing Cluster LC 1000 and 2000 series. The integrated offering provides data center customers with simplified server management while maintaining performance and service levels. By integrating Cyclades products as standard components in its cluster technology, HP offers convenience and value to its customers with a pre-installed and certified management solution.

"Integrating console management in standard cluster offerings addresses the current pressures faced by IT organizations, minimizing complexity and costs while enabling the consolidated management of infrastructure," said Cyclades CEO Daniel Dalarossa. "This trend is evident in web farms and large network equipment installations, and has helped us become the industry standard for console management and out-of-band management of servers, network equipment, and automation devices."

"We are very pleased to have Cyclades' AlterPath ACS48 as a key component of our clustering technology, because console management is a critical component of large-scale server deployment," said Winston Prather, vice president and general manager, high performance technical computing division, HP. "We chose the AlterPath ACS48 for its port density, small form factor, feature set and Cyclades because it is the industry standard in out-of-band management."

According to META Group analyst Glenn O'Donnell, "Remote management of IT infrastructure is a well recognized necessity. Issues that are often misunderstood, and even ignored, are the access methods to support this management. Traditional infrastructure management products are helpful, but incomplete. Alternative access methods are needed to augment these tools to attain more complete management and thus, stronger insurance against the risks of remote management. These risks will become more pronounced with the inexorable acceleration of infrastructure complexity."

The AlterPath(TM) ACS48 enables secure connectivity and access to any serial device or equipment console port. PCMCIA slots allow for enhanced functionality with support for many interface cards, such as Ethernet, modem (V.90, CDMA, GPRS, GSM and ISDN) and wireless LAN. The AlterPath ACS' optional dual entry redundant power supply (AC/DC) provides extra reliability to the console server, ensuring availability during critical times. Security features include secure clustering for up to 1024 devices, SSH v2 (Secure Shell), RADIUS authentication, IPSec, IP filtering, and user access lists per port. This allows IT professionals to remotely manage the network and servers with greater control and peace of mind. Console management features include data buffering, direct access methods to the serial ports (such as the TCP port and server name) and event notification. This improves monitoring capabilities, allowing faster problem solving and higher network uptime.

Instead of using proprietary software technologies, the AlterPath(TM) ACS48 leverages the inherent advantages of Open Source software (Linux), giving users the freedom to customize its operation, modifying or adding features as needed.

About Cyclades

Cyclades solutions are used by data centers to reduce operational costs and maximize service availability. Its AlterPath(TM) out-of-band management platform includes console access, KVM, power control and systems management products, providing an alternative path from which to remotely access and manage servers, network equipment and automation devices. Cyclades Linux-based solutions complement in-band network management tools to ensure total control over the infrastructure even when connectivity to a device is lost. Headquartered in Fremont, Calif., Cyclades has 8,000+ customers worldwide with offices located throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Australia. For more information visit Cyclades at www.cyclades.com.

About Out-of-Band Management

Out-of-band management provides an alternative route to network infrastructure that is independent of the data network (WAN and/or LAN). Instead of relying on network protocols, as does 'in-band' management, out-of-band management uses direct physical access provided by the console ports of equipment to only address infrastructure (hardware failures, low-level configuration problems, OS failures, etc.) - not application - problems. The combination of Cyclades out-of-band solutions with in-band solutions ensure total coverage of network monitoring and management needs and allow IT professionals to respond to critical events in any circumstance.