Agreed; the ability to mount media is very handy to setup servers remotely and the KVM doesn't get you that.
You don't need a separate network port for the DRAC nowadays. You can assign it a different IP address but use one port for it and the live NIC. Of course, if that link goes bad you're out of luck. The DRAC remote console is quite a bit snapper than the Dell (Avocent) KVM one. I have not seen any issues with reliability on either flavor of DRAC. Buy both unless your budget is really tight! From: Sean Martin [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 2010 12:53 PM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: Re: Dell - IDRAC6 Enterprise vs IDRAC6 Express We primarily use out-of-band features within the Dell Blade Chassis, which is great, but we also have a few stand-alone servers with iDRACs. They are definitely handy to have, especially with the ability to mount virtual media. I have experienced a handful of issues with servers not booting, hardware errors, etc. (over many years) that was a result of a bad DRAC, but not enough to sway me from using them. If mounting virtual media is not a requirement, I would look again at the cost comparison between IP KVMs and individual DRACs for each server. I don't know what the exact costs are for DRACs, but I dont think a 16 port IP KVM would cost much more than 16 DRACs. You also need to factor in a dedicated switch port for the DRAC vs. a single port an IP KVM. Centralized management may be another consideration. I think some of the IP KVM offerings allow multiple switches to be daisy chained that can be managed through a single interface. - Sean On Tue, Aug 17, 2010 at 9:39 AM, Fred Sawyer <[email protected]> wrote: Is anyone using either the IDRAC6 Enterprise or Express. From what I am reading the Express card offers a basic web-interface that can be used to remotely reboot that machine. Where the Enterprise version offers remote ability to mount media as well as direct console access. I am trying to figure out how reliable the Enterprise card is for remotely supporting a server. From a cost analysis the IDRAC Enterprise options is more affordable then a TCP/IP KVM such as a Raritan. All feedback is greatly appreciated! Cheers, Fred .. ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~
