HP Remote Assistant Card - Manual (Page 27)

1 Introduction
9
Remote Control
An administrator at a remote console (connected to the server via a modem or
dedicated serial cable) can view the server screen and take control of the keyboard
—
performing operations as if he or she were seated at the server. (HP Remote Assistant
supports character-based server console screens and Windows NT graphics console
redirection.)
Remote server reset. An administrator at a remote console has virtual control of the
server's power states. He or she can reset the server either via a "warm" reboot (Ctrl-
Alt-Del), or a complete power cycle. Console redirection is automatically enabled
during reboot, allowing start-up messages to be viewed at a remote site. An
administrator can also remotely power off the server if, as an example, there has been
a critical hardware failure.
Remote configuration. An administrator at a remote console can reconfigure HP
Remote Assistant without having to be at the server. Configuration tasks that can be
performed at a remote console include the modification of notification settings and the
editing of administrator information.
Management and Security
Remote Management Security. An administrator can set encrypted passwords and
dial-back for authorized administration, allowing management by an administrator at
remote sites without compromising network security. (Up to eight aliases can be
specified for dial backs.) HP Remote Assistant also keep track of illegal login attempts
and maintains an audit trail of administrator activity.
Graceful shutdown. When the HP Remote Assistant board's temperature sensor
detects that the internal temperature exceeds threshold values, it can attempt to bring
the NOS down gracefully before shutting down the server. An administrator can test
graceful shutdown from a remote console.
Automatic Server Restart (ASR). HP Remote Assistant's Automatic Server Restart
(ASR) feature provides quick recovery from a system crash or hang by automatically
restarting the system if such a failure occurs. If HP Remote Assistant determines that
the NOS is "hung" for any reason, it logs the event, pages the administrator, and
restarts the server.
In addition, HP Remote Assistant automatically captures a snapshot of the server's
display screen upon an ASR event, preserving error messages or other screen activity
that appeared before restart. An administrator can view the snapshot from a remote
console and use the screen contents to troubleshoot server problems. This capability
is provided by the HP Remote Assistant board and the ASR driver software provided
with your HP Remote Assistant product.