Raritan Engineering KX II - Manual (Page 14)

Dominion KX II - FAQ
© 2010 Raritan Inc. Page 14 of 20 V1098 R2 January 2010
Question Answer
How do I connect a serially
controlled (RS-232) device
to Dominion KX II, such as a
Cisco
®
router/switch or a
headless Sun server?
If there are only a few serially controlled devices, they may be
connected to a Dominion KX II using Raritan’s P2CIM-SER serial
converter.
However, if there are four or more serially controlled devices, we
recommend the use of Raritan’s Dominion SX line of secure console
servers. For multiple serial devices, Dominion SX offers more serial
functionality at a better price point than Dominion KX II. This SX is easy
to use, configure and manage, and can be completely integrated with a
Dominion series deployment. In particular, many UNIX
®
and networking
administrators appreciate the ability to directly SSH to a Dominion SX
unit.
Local Port
Can I access my servers
directly from the rack? Yes. At the rack, Dominion KX II functions just like a traditional KVM
switch – allowing control of up to 64 servers using a single keyboard,
monitor and mouse. You can switch between servers by the browser-
based user interface or via a hotkey.
When I am using the local
port, do I prevent other
users from accessing
servers remotely? No. The Dominion KX II local port has a completely independent access
path to the servers. This means a user can access servers locally at the
rack – without compromising the number of users that access the rack
remotely at the same time.
Can I use a USB keyboard
or mouse at the local port? Yes. Dominion KX II offers both PS/2 and USB keyboard and mouse
ports on the local port. Note that the USB ports are USB v1.1, and
support keyboards and mice only – not USB devices such as scanners
or printers.
Is there an on-screen
display (OSD) for local, at-
the-rack access? Yes, but Dominion KX II’s at-the-rack access goes way beyond
conventional OSDs. Featuring the industry’s first browser-based
interface for at-the-rack access, Dominion KX II’s local port uses the
same interface for local and remote access. Moreover, most
administrative functions are available at the rack.
How do I select between
servers while using the local
port? The local port displays the connected servers using the same user
interface as the remote client. Users connect to a server with a simple
click of the mouse or via a hotkey.
How do I ensure that only
authorized users can
access servers from the
local port? Users attempting to use the local port must pass the same level of
authentication as those accessing remotely. This means that:
 If the Dominion KX II is configured to interact with an external
RADIUS, LDAP or Active Directory server, users attempting to
access the local port will authenticate against the same server.
 If the external authentication servers are unavailable, Dominion
KX II fails-over to its own internal authentication database.
Dominion KX II has its own stand-alone authentication, enabling instant,
out-of-the-box installation.