http://www.comms-express.com/news/computer-accessories/ en-gb Sat, 11 Feb 2012 9:00:03 GMT Copyright: (C) Comms Express 2007 http://www.comms-express.com/images/logo.jpg http://www.comms-express.com/ server room monitoring, server virtualisation can help businesses reduce energy consumption in the data centre.

The use of virtual servers is another option for businesses seeking to minimise power consumption and keep their bills down.

When businesses virtualise their servers, they are able to run many units from a single box, and ensure a greater proportion of the total capacity on each server is utilised.

And a recent study conducted by the Corporate IT Forum found that 60 per cent of companies are now using virtual servers to reduce IT costs.

Dani Briscoe, research services manager at the forum, said the technique is now "established" and businesses are happy with it.

Server room monitoring helps businesses control energy consumption and keep overheads down in the data centre.

Businesses can use such tools to control the data centre environment in terms of temperature, air flow and other factors impacting upon power usage.

News provided by Comms Express, number one for network tools on the net]]> http://www.comms-express.com/news/computer-accessories/reduce-data-centre-costs-using-virtualisation-801286201/ 2012-02-07 15:00:19 KVM solutions, helping to maximise efficiency within the data centre.

These tools enable multiple computers to share a keyboard, visual display unit and mouse (KVM), meaning duplication can be avoided.

As well as limiting space and power usage, this helps keep equipment costs down, contributing to the bottom line.

Among the solutions available are two-way and four-way KVM switches - which help avoid the use of different sets of peripherals.

Users can simply select which computer they wish to control at the push of a button, meaning KVM solutions are not only practical but also hassle free.

KVM cables can be used to connect switches to the computers under the control of the device.

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Climate Guard LT enhances the firm's existing line of environmental monitors, which help data centre managers ensure servers and data cabinets are kept at the right temperature.

The solution features built-in temperature, light and sound sensors, and can be expanded with plug-and-play external sensors.

According to the company, environmental problems in the server room can cause costly downtime, damage expensive equipment, and even lead to loss of mission-critical data.

"HVAC equipment failure, power outages, and simple human error can cause catastrophic IT problems - especially after hours," Burk Technology stated.

"Server rooms and data centre of all sizes require comprehensive monitoring of environmental conditions to detect a problem as early as possible."

Last month, Intel claimed that increasing the temperature within the data centre can lead to cost savings for UK companies.

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According to network equipment supplier Network Technologies, the firm's new XTENDEX KVM extender offers increased range to users.

Control can be exercised up to 1,000 feet away from computers and switches using the high resolution kit, the firm reported.

Network Technologies said the extender provides local and remote KVM access to a PC or KVM switch using Cat5/5e/6 UTP cable.

"The extender consists of a local unit that connects to a computer and a desktop remote unit," the firm stated.

"This unit supports ultra-high resolutions up to 2048x1536 and is available with optional two-way audio - support for speakers and microphone - and RS232 port."

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As such, it makes sense that they would want to protect their investments, and ensure they work to the optimum level, with minimum risk.

IT is an area where businesses have the opportunity to increase return on investment, but in order to do so, they must focus on efficiency, functionality and security.

Server room monitoring can help businesses protect their IT investments, ensuring the IT department is aware of all server and human activity.

For instance, if there has been a temperature change within the server room, the IT department needs to know this as soon as possible.

Businesses need to keep tabs on a range of other environmental factors, including humidity, airflow, sound and light.

Monitoring tools also include cameras, helping to ensure any changes in server room conditions are logged immediately - crucial from a security and maintenance perspective.

News provided by Comms Express, number one for server room monitoring on the net ]]> http://www.comms-express.com/news/computer-accessories/maximise-value-of-it-with-server-room-monitoring-801256191/ 2012-01-05 13:46:18 Network attached storage (NAS) devices tend to be much quieter than computers connected to the network, it has been claimed.

Writing for Computer Active, Tim Smith explained that desktop computers may have several fans in operation to keep them cool.

With individual fans attached to the processor, graphics card and power supply, this can combine to make "a noticeable hum".

"An NAS device might have a fan but generally, these spin more slowly - and hence quietly - than those in a PC," Mr Smith stated.

While considering noise, he said there are some practical things that can be done to reduce sounds emanating from a network attached storage device.

"When setting up, be sure to place it on flat and firm surface – and ensure that the orientation is as recommended by the manufacturer," Mr Smith advised.

He noted that some noise can result simply from an NAS device being placed on an uneven surface.

NAS devices can be used to ensure files are accessible across entire networks, rather than simply on a single computer.

News provided by Comms Express, number one for network equipment on the net]]> http://www.comms-express.com/news/computer-accessories/reduce-office-noise-using-network-attached-storage-801252118/ 2011-12-30 12:27:44 Network attached storage (NAS) devices are extremely helpful for people who frequently use more than one computer, it has been claimed.

Writing for Computer Active, IT commentator Tim Smith said keeping track of important files "can become a nightmare" in this scenario.

"If you are organised it is possible to keep all your important data on just one computer attached to the home or office network, but electricity bills aside, this is something of a sledgehammer to crack a nut," he claimed.

"In many cases, a better option is to invest in an NAS drive – also known as a network hard disk."

Mr Smith explained that these unobtrusive boxes provide a central repository for files so they can be easily accessed by any PC connected to the same network.

NAS drives are cheaper and more convenient than relying on a PC to store files and use less power, he added.

All the customer needs to do is connect the NAS to the network via a network cable, and then use the supplied software to make the necessary configurations.

The network attached storage device should be set up next to the router in a location that is cool, unlikely to be knocked and with good ventilation, Mr Smith claimed.

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The centre - part of a new 5000 m2 meter data centre complex - will provide 4,500 local apartments with energy based on heat recovery.

Eco-efficient cooling provided by Helsingin Energia is used within the green data centre, with the extra heat created by servers transferred to the district heating network.

"Sustainability is core to our corporate strategy and our ambition remains to be recognised as a world leader in providing innovative IT solutions to help our clients become more sustainable," said Philippe Mareine, European vice-president and general secretary at Atos.

He said the new data centre - which is set to utilise server racks and other server accessories - shows the firm's commitment to provide customers with high-standard IT services in a cost-effective and environmentally-friendly way.

Marko Vanninen, chief executive of Academica - which owns the data centre complex - explained that 80 per cent of lifecycle costs are energy related.

News provided by Comms Express, number one for Server Room Monitoring on the net]]> http://www.comms-express.com/news/computer-accessories/eco-efficient-data-centre-opens-in-finland-801244572/ 2011-12-20 13:10:02 Network Attached Storage (NAS) storage is making a big difference to consumers' experience of the internet and computing devices, it has been suggested.

Khalid Wani, western digital sales director at Branded Business, told IT News Africa that increased use of laptops, tablets and smartphones around the world has created increased demand for storage space.

The need for storage has grown correspondingly with the increase in digital content, and the public cloud has emerged as a way to solve this challenge, he stated.

"When content is stored in this type of cloud, it exists in a data centre somewhere in the world and can be accessed from any mobile device, breaking the limitations of internal device storage," he said.

"It also ensures content is stored in a safe haven that protects this data should individual devices be stolen or go missing."

Mr Wani claimed that by using innovative NAS aimed specifically at the consumer, consumers can ensure their content is backed up safely while remaining accessible from any location.

"Consumer NAS devices plug directly into the wireless router to provide a shared storage platform for computers, tablets and smartphones regardless of operating system, keeping all media centrally accessible and allowing both wired and wireless streaming to devices in the home and outside of it," he said.

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The publication contracted IT backup and data centre specialist Venyu to develop a virtual IT environment, and this decision is now paying off financially.

As part of the project, The Advocate's 50 in-house physical servers were consolidated onto four physical and 60 virtual servers off-site.

The paper has improved its data server efficiencies, backup, data protection and disaster recovery strategy across multiple offices.

In addition, The Advocate has taken advantage of external server room monitoring to reduce data centre maintenance costs by more than 50 per cent.

"We were moving into a new business office and building a new printing press and distribution centres, all at the same time," said Richard Shurley, director of operations at The Advocate.

"Our IT team knew that all of these locations had to be networked so staff could collaborate seamlessly. This could not be achieved with the resources we had in-house at the time."

He claimed that ongoing maintenance of infrastructure, backup and disaster recovery was going to be cost-prohibitive, so it was necessary to seek external support.

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The Sensorsoft can check server racks for temperature, humidity, flooding and power-loss and also doubles as refrigeration room monitoring.

The Remote Watchman Enterprise Software available with the product also provides a web or network-based server room monitoring solution without the need for fees.

Like many of the company's products, the Sensorsoft could be ideal for schools and other solutions from the company are suitable for food monitoring and temperature control.

Last year, Arch Rock released a new device that can monitor energy consumption and heat dissipation in data centres wirelessly.

The Energy Optimiser Data Centre Edition was the first device of its kind able to measure both power and cooling system efficiency, providing a range of benchmarks for power consumption, temperature, humidity, air quality and cost.

News provided by Comms Express, number one for server room monitoring on the net]]> http://www.comms-express.com/news/computer-accessories/new-server-room-monitoring-tool-from-green-edge-19685152/ 2010-03-23 17:38:10
The ProSecure UTM5 combines together a firewall, SSL and IPSec VPN, URL filtering, network antivirus, and antispam all in one appliance.

The company believes the device caters adequately for small businesses, while also coming in at a reasonable price. It can also be used to protect home networks of home workers who may be on a less secure computer.

Jason Leung, a senior product line manager at Netgear, said: "ProSecure is bringing our award-winning UTM technology - technology that has been proven to stop more threats than the competition - down to an acceptable price point and easy-to-use format for these entities."

Netgear produces a range of routers, switches and security products catering to a variety of clients, from regular consumers right up to large businesses.

It recently released some products in the ProSafe Wireless Management range, aimed at organisations with fewer that 1,500 users.

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The TeraStation Windows Storage Server, available in two-terabyte and four-terabyte versions, fully integrates with the operating system, providing a "high performance and reliable storage solution".

Paul Hudson, European sales director for Buffalo Technology, believes that, with many businesses using Microsoft software, the new device will be a popular choice.

He added: "The combination of Buffalo hardware and the Windows Storage Server 2003 R2 family code base offers superb security, stability and management advances. Initial setup is also extremely easy, thanks to our TeraNavigator software."

The unit is high-speed and has RAID level zero, one and five, and Standard support. It also supports UPS connectivity via a USB support.

Buffalo Technologies, headquartered in Japan, builds its business around Network Attached Solutions through partnerships and has operations around the world. Other products include the Linkstation range.

The company stresses the importance of its partnership with technology giants such as Intel and Microsoft in providing solutions for consumers.

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The Flash solid state disk (SSD) appliance can hold up to 13 terabytes of data, delivering fast and effective data access through improved random read performance.

The device is an extension to the company's FXT Series and features include 64GB of DRAM, 1GB of NVRAM and the ability to scale to 25 appliances. Designed for high-bandwidth networks, it is available either with two 10 GbE ports and two 1GbE ports or ten 1GbE ports.

Ron Bianchini, president and CEO of Avere Systems, described the FXT 2700 Series as "the answer for those users who have a high-end NAS infrastructure that under delivers".

Avere was founded in 2008 with an aim to provide solutions to the data demands of businesses while keeping costs low.

It does this by allowing users to separate data delivery from data retention, keeping active client data on FXT devices, while inactive data can be stored on tradition NAS devices.

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The new drawer, which has a built-in KVM switch, is designed to save space by removing unnecessary clutter at the Server Rack. It also has 'multi-layer security', meaning access to the servers is given only to authorized users. Combined with other products, it can offer remote access.

As well as providing an integrated KVM switch for two users, it allows access and control to up to 32 mixed-platform servers.

Introducing the drawer, along with the new KVM Extender USB, Benny Hayumi, KVM product manager at Minicom, said: "The needs of data centres are dynamic. These new products are designed to satisfy the spectrum of server and PC requirements.

"Whether IT managers want to be at the rack, at their office, or at home, our solutions provide secure, reliable KVM access to mission critical applications."

In November 2009, Minicom became a founding member of the Data Centre Alliance, aimed at providing organisation specialising in building IT infrastructures.]]> http://www.comms-express.com/news/computer-accessories/minicom-unveils-new-lcd-drawer-computer-accessories-19565245/ 2010-01-19 16:30:00
According to Graybar IT specialist Karl Griffith, the most difficult obstacle to overcome will be keeping operating costs down in the wake of rising energy prices and increasing amounts of environmental legislation.

Writing for Cabling Network Systems, Griffith claimed that adopting energy efficient hardware and infrastructure strategies was becoming increasingly important.

Griffith told the news provider that developing "an energy monitoring strategy" is important as it is "difficult to reduce your energy consumption if you cannot measure it".

He also claimed that eliminating the mixing of hot and cool air among aisles of server racks and server cabinets was a good way of reducing energy consumption.

Recently, a new data centre cooling technology unveiled by Iceotope at the US Supercomputing 2009 seminar was dubbed potentially "game changing".

The technology uses a coolant that can reduce the operating temperature of servers at a component level.]]> http://www.comms-express.com/news/computer-accessories/data-centre-managers-face-major-challenges-server-room-monitoring-19505704/ 2009-12-10 14:00:00 server room monitoring equipment which it hopes will make data centre management easier for firms.

The company's combined LCD consoles and digital keyboard, video, mouse (KVM) switches have a space saving design and are aimed at users with high-performance server rack mounted network equipment.

Bliss Ehrlich, senior product manager at Avocent said that the firm has been innovating in the KVM switch sector for many years, providing small and medium-sized business with reliable and secure networking solutions.

"By adding LCD capabilities to digital KVM switch technology, Avocent customers get state-of-the-art remote access in a single console," Ehrlich added.

The new KVM devices can save server rack space by incorporating legacy equipment into a firm's networking operation and they are capable of converting analogue signals into digital packets, allowing them to be transmitted over TCP/IP infrastructure.

Earlier this year, Server Technology introduced a new range of power distribution units that are capable of monitoring data centre temperature and humidity.]]> http://www.comms-express.com/news/computer-accessories/new-server-room-monitoring-equipment-from-avocent-server-room-monitoring-19476553/ 2009-11-24 18:00:00
The new PDUs provide networking interfacing capabilities via standard RJ45connectors and are capable of reporting environmental conditions as well as closely monitoring power consumption.

Data centre and local area network administrators can use a local digital metre to test equipment load in amps and the devices come in two varieties – server rack mountable one-unit devices and a zero-unit vertical rackmount installation.

Rich Feldhaus, Tripp Lite product manager, said: "Tripp Lite's new Monitored PDUs ease the task of remote power monitoring."

"They offer reliable power distribution plus the ability to monitor power conditions remotely - a critical capability for applications that demand maximum uptime," he added.

Earlier this year, Tripp Lite introduced a new device management system.
The IP Console Servers come with either 16 or 48 RJ45 ports and can be used to manage workstations, routers and servers.]]> http://www.comms-express.com/news/computer-accessories/tripp-lite-introduces-remotely-monitored-pdus-power-leads-and-extentions-19450283/ 2009-11-09 18:00:00 Network equipment firm Lanner Electronics has unveiled a new fan-less network security device.

The firm's FW-7530 is designed as an entry-level network equipment appliance and is capable of intrusion detection and taking preventative measures.

It also has non-security functionality.

The device incorporates an Intel's Atom N270 1.6Ghz processor, which Lanner Electronics claims can reduce energy consumption and cooling demand.

Lanner Electronics' FW-7530 features six gigabit Ehternet ports, 2 standard USB 2.0 ports and a RJ45 connector for attaching a console to.

It can support up to 2GB of RAM and a 2.5-inch serial ATA hard disc drive.

Server rack mountable, the dives is just 36-millimetres in height and weighs just over one kilogram.

Earlier this year, Lanner Electronics claimed that its Intel Celeron-based network equipment was environmentally friendly.

The firm noted that its FW-7520 and FW-7560, which are aimed at low-end and mid-range markets use RoHS-compliant materials in their construction.]]> http://www.comms-express.com/news/computer-accessories/lanner-electronics-introduces-fan-less-network-security-device-server-room-monitoring-19450298/ 2009-11-09 18:00:00 Network equipment manufacturer Netgear has introduced a new piece of spam filtering hardware aimed at small and medium-sized businesses.

The firm's ProSecure STM device is part of Netgear's extensive family of web and email threat management appliances and has been shown to block 50 per cent more threats than rival products.

As well as blocking email and spam, the device can deal with hacking threats and carries out URL filtering.

Robert Smithers, chief executive officer of Miercom, which tested the device, said: "We are impressed with the Netgear ProSecure product and its ability to thwart over 50 per cent more threats than products tested to date.

"This superior security effectiveness score is a testament to the relative security the appliance provides."

Earlier this month, Netgear launched a new 85Mbps Powerline Switch Kit aimed specifically at home users.

The device allows people to connect multiple appliances to a single residential powerline network.]]> http://www.comms-express.com/news/computer-accessories/netgear-introduces-new-spam-filter-server-room-monitoring-19436000/ 2009-10-30 18:00:00