G2 Lite Card Offers Remote Management

American Megatrends' recently released MegaRAC G2 Lite remote management card is a sensible addition to many servers.

Most remote management solutions are processor- and OS-dependent, which often prevents the systems administrator from remotely managing system components if either of those fails. G2 Lite helps to solve management issues such as voltage, temperature, component health and, most importantly, modification during the pre-bootup cycle because it functions independently from the processor and OS.

Before implementing G2 Lite, which is platform- independent and is packaged in a half-size PCI form factor, solution providers and systems integrators should evaluate and rate a customer's server uptime and exactly what data needs to be protected.

The card distinguishes itself from the competition by allowing solution providers or systems administrators to remotely manage system functionality, such as BIOS setup and the RAID controller integration, during the bootup process.

To evaluate G2 Lite, CRN Test Center engineers installed the card into a Supermicro Super Server 6010H with two Pentium IIIs, 4 Gbytes of memory, a built-in Adaptec AIC-7899 dual-channel Ultra 160 SCSI controller, two Intel 82559 10/100 Ethernet ports and two hot-swappable SCSI drive bays.

The card can help solution providers improve ROI on customers' servers or high-end workstations.

Installation was easy and required a minimal amount of modifications to the system.

Once the card was installed, engineers used the RMSEEK utility to remotely locate its IP address in the server. Engineers accessed the card through its HyperTerminal and connected to the card through TCP/IP, using port 100. Engineers used the card to remotely adust the settings on the Adaptec SCSI controller.

Engineers were able to clearly view the system's bootup and BIOS screens and modify the SCSI settings during the preboot cycle.

Systems administrators can access the card from any client and configure it as if they were in front of the end user's console.

The card can help solution providers improve ROI on customers' servers or high-end workstations because it helps eliminate costly on-site visits. They can use the card's functionality to remotely manage systems from their own network operations center or enable systems administrators to perform the function themselves. The G2 Lite card is priced at $250.