Linux micro-server monitors nets
Jul 10, 2008 — by Eric Brown — from the LinuxDevices Archive — 15 views
Japanese micro-server specialist Plat'Home announced U.S. availability of a Linux-based micro-server that monitors networks and servers for failures. The heat-resistant Kanshi BlockS Pro measures 4.5 x 3.2 x 1.5 inches and can monitor up to 253 servers, says Plat'Home.
(Click for larger view of the Kanshi BlockS Pro)
The Kanshi BlockS Pro is an optimized version of the OpenBlockS micro-server (pictured below), which has been shipping in various forms since 1991. The 266MHz version of the OpenBlockS was announced for the U.S. market in October, along with its larger cousin, the OpenMicroServer. The OpenBlockS finally shipped stateside in March.
Inside the OpenBlockS
The Kanshi BlockS Pro is more affordable, easier to install, and draws less power than typical monitoring servers, claims Plat'Home. With its lack of moving parts, it is also touted as being more reliable, and is said to withstand ambient temperatures up to 104 degrees F. The Kanshi BlockS Pro consumes 4.5W of power (4.0 W during standby), enabling it to be powered by a Power over Ethernet (PoE) connection.
Based on an AMCC PowerPC 405GPr SoC (system-on-chip) clocked at 266MHz, the server is equipped with 128MB of RAM. An IDE interface supporting Type I CompactFlash or 2.5-inch UDMA100 hard drives is included, along with a pair of 10/100 Ethernet interfaces, a serial port on an RJ-45 port, and a serial modem port. An expansion dock with a PCMCIA slot is also available, says the company.
 OpenBlockS (left) and OpenMicroServer (right) (Click for details) |
As with the OpenBlockS and OpenMicroServer (pictured at right), the Kanshi BlockS Pro comes standard with the company's SSD/Linux, which is said to support all networking interfaces and other peripherals, while maintaining a minimal footprint. The small server can also run Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 and NetBSD.
Monitoring firmware for the device includes the following features, says Plat'Home:
- Status and alert messages sent via email or syslog
- Monitoring via ping or TCP/UDP port, and by SNMP protocol
- Server alive monitoring by ping
- Port monitoring
- Network device monitoring by SNMPv3
- Network traffic, server monitoring with PacketiX VPN 2.0 virtual private network client.
Stated Tomoyasu Suzuki, President of Plat'Home, “I'm a lucky guy, selling such sexy hardware.”
Availability
The Kanshi BlockS Pro is available now for $1,400, says Plat'Home, while the OpenBlockS is available for $500 and the OpenMicroServer for $600. More information on the Kanshi BlockS Pro may be found here.
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