Re: Conserver usage/reliability

"Pearce Andy" <Andy.Pearce@austrocontrol.at> asks:
> I am currently proposing the use of Conserver as the replacement
> product for an old UNIX ConsoleManager product. To do this I would 
> like to get a feeling as to the size of Conservers user base and 
> its reliability.
> 
> If you are in a company that uses the product it would be great 
> if you could reply with company name and a rough number of machines
> supported ( via single server or multi server etc), and how reliable 
> you have found it.

He have used conserver for a very long time (~15 years)
and have found it to be very reliable.  We have used it
in both single and multi-server arrangements.  Our
main conserver has about 500 servers connected to it
at present.  Something like this:

                               [client]
                                  |
       ------ campus-net---+------+---
                           |
                       [eth0]
                    [conserver]---usb--[usb2serial]
                       [eth1]    ______/ /    \
                           |    /       /      \
                           |  [c1]  [c2] ...  [cN]---serial---[server]
          (isolated)       |   |     |          |
     ---- console-net------+---+-----+---...----+---

where c1, c2, ... cN are 48 port cyclades terminal servers
(whose own consoles are served via a usb2serial box)


We would like to start using IPMI SOL instead of
terminal servers where possible.


John


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Hascall, john@iastate.edu
Team Lead, NIADS (Network Infrastructure, Authentication & Directory Services)
IT Services, The Iowa State University of Science and Technology