Intel Rolls Out Development Kit for KVM Tools

Intel is offering a new Software Development Kit for data centers that complements its Data Center Manager (DCM) product, a key ingredient in more than 80 percent of today's Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) offerings. The company announced Virtual Gateway, a cross-platform keyboard-video-mouse (KVM) software development kit (SDK) that aides solution providers offer enhanced capabilities for diagnosing and troubleshooting datacenter hardware.

It’s a virtual solution rather than a hardware approach to managing and troubleshooting. The solution is vendor agnostic, so it will appeal to those who have IT devices from multiple vendors (most people). It offers visibility and control for IT assets, consolidated central access to racks, blades, network and storage from one hub. The Intel Virtual Gateway can support up to 10,000 managed devices and 50 simultaneous sessions of remote access.

IT managers can use Virtual Gateway to securely configure or fix compatible components, whether they be servers, network switches, storage devices remotely, in a “one to many” solution. The company is positioning Virtual Gateway as a natural complement to data center power management. The first solution provider to integrate Intel Virtual Gateway is Schneider-Electric in its StruxureWare datacenter product.

A Shift in KVM Appliances

“This technology represents an evolutionary shift from the traditional KVM hardware-based control and management appliances to a virtual solution,” said Jennifer Koppy, Research Manager, IDC. “With the goal of creating more efficient and agile data centers, IT managers and CIOs are exploring datacenter infrastructure management (DCIM) solutions to manage and control IT infrastructure. Intel's newly announced Virtual Gateway, as well as its existing DCM tool, help provide insight and analytic capabilities for datacenter managers.”

Because it’s being distributed as an SDK, it can be integrated into existing consoles. It is also a natural extension of Data Center Management “IT device” monitoring.

“One player we’re enabling is the traditional DCIM player,” said Jeff Klaus, General Manager of Intel DCM. “It’s a more natural model to sit for that constituent. We’re helping them to get to the IT management space, bringing IT devices and facilities together."

“By integrating IT device control developed and supported by a trusted industry provider such as Intel, DCIM providers that go to market with Intel Virtual Gateway are benefiting from Intel's credibility and position in the market,” said Koppy.

Zhao Ming, Operation Manager at China Telecom Cloud Computing Co provides an example of how Virtual Gateway has helped operations:

“With the increasing number of data centers and IT devices operated by China Telecom, we were facing a challenge in configuring and managing the important hardware in our environment. Most remote management solutions were hardware-based, expensive, or proprietary. The ZZnode ALOES vKVM solution, which is based on Intel Virtual Gateway technology, now offers us cross-OEM visibility and remote access with the capability to support up to 10,000 managed devices and 50 simultaneous sessions of remote access. “

For more on Intel's approach to KVM and data center management, see The Tower of Babel Invades the Data Center & The NOC at Industry Perspectives.