For many colocation customers, managing their remote equipment securely is a key requirement in their compliance driven world.
Access to your equipment even during a network outage needs to be secure and safely controlled. TowardEX has taken this headache out of the way with our innovative remote management solution called SmartOOB.
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SmartOOB™ Secure Management and Recovery Network Infrastructure
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To assist in remote management of our customer IT equipments, we have constructed a separate, dedicated network infrastructure called SmartOOB™. The SmartOOB™ network infrastructure runs on its own dedicated equipments, facility and carrier connections, making it separated from our primary production network.
The redundancy and separation of infrastructure between SmartOOB™ and our production backbone ensure that we maximize the survivability and availability of emergency equipment access in the event of unforseen network outages or facility failures.
Remote Management Internet Port
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Customers can optionally purchase a remote management internet connection in addition to their primary in-band connection. This connection can be used to connect customer server's remote management network interfaces, such as IPMI cards, Dell Remote Access Controller (DRAC), and other remote management connections requiring IP connectivity.
The SmartOOB remote management internet port is connected to a totally separate network infrastructure. It is operated under its own IP network using its own equipments and facility circuits and even its own Autonomous System (AS) number. The SmartOOB network infrastructure is multi-homed to TowardEX's network backbone as well as to outside third-party ISP for tertiary network redundancy.
The separated and isolated nature of SmartOOB infrastructure allows our customers to have the extra peace of mind in knowing that their remote management connection is operated as if it is delivered virtually from another ISP.
Secure Terminal Server for Serial Console
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Customers that require serial console connections for remote management can also provision terminal server ports from the SmartOOB infrastructure.
Serial console connections are typically used to remotely manage network communications devices such as routers and switches, as well as servers running certain UNIX installations. Traditionally, using out-of-band connectivity over serial console required that you purchase a plain old telephone service (POTS) line from a local telephone company.
Serial console access over POTS line however has many disadvantages. For instance, you'll need a dial-up networking modem on the client computer to open up your management terminal session. Moreover, not only do you have to pay for the cost of additional telephone circuit, anyone who knows the telephone number of your management POTS line could gain access to your managed device's serial console login prompt.
SmartOOB™ Soft-Crossconnect Service
Using SmartOOB Soft-Crossconnect, customers can establish a fully managed private LAN connection between any of their colocated assets throughout our data center. The soft-crossconnects are carried over MPLS and Layer-2 VLAN infrastructure to ensure customer privacy and fault tolerance in the event of a link failure.
Customers can also establish a soft-crossconnect to any other TowardEX customer by issuing a standard CFA/LOA along with their soft cross-connect order form. Soft-crossconnects using SmartOOB within TowardEX premises are substantially cheaper than establishing physical circuits. Moreover, SmartOOB soft cross-connects are delivered as protected circuits, giving you that extra peace of mind with their built-in fault tolerance capability.
The insecure nature of the console access over POTS makes it unacceptable for customers to manage their network devices in today's compliance driven world. Instead, customers can purchase a secure terminal server port from SmartOOB infrastructure.
The SmartOOB's terminal server port sends your console output over the internet using TCP/IP so you don't have to purchase a POTS line. Moreover, customers connect to our terminal server and access their console by using Secure Shell (SSH). Transporting your console session using SSH encrypts all of the data, giving you a highly secure channel of communication for remotely managing your critical network device.
TowardEX's solution is an enabler for us. Their solution not only easily addresses the need of our high-bandwidth content, but goes far as designing and perfecting our network infrastructure to ensure the utmost satisfaction by our visitors.
- Nate Hudson
CTO
PureVolume, Inc.
