Chapter 1: Product Overview 3
Seamless cascading
You can increase the number of target devices
that users can access by creating a cascaded
switching system. You can connect target devices to up to three levels of AMX or non-Avocent
KVM switches. When cascading AMX switches, you can seamlessly connect to any target device
from a single list in the OSCAR interface, as if all the target devices were connected to one switch.
You can also cascade non-Avocent KVM switches, but to access the attached target devices you
must first select the non-Avocent switch from the OSCAR interface target list, and then connect to
the target device using the methods provided by the non-Avocent KVM switch.
Redundancy and scalability
You may connect two AMX matrix switches to a single user station to allow redundancy and fault
tol
erance. If one of the AMX switches has a power failure, the second switch provides an alternate
path to access the same set of target servers. In addition, you can extend your user station access to
additional target servers connected to a second AMX switch.
OSCAR graphical user interface
With the OSCAR graphical user interface, you can use your keybo
ard or mouse to select any
attached target device. This easy-to-use, menu-driven interface also enables you to administer
security settings, language and keyboard selection, hotkey sequences and other features.
Administration using the AMWorks software
The AMWorks Java-based system a
dministration software tool is supplied with each AMX
switch. Use it to assign names to attached target devices and users, designate user access rights,
monitor switching system events, and upgrade firmware. You can also use AMWorks software to
configure AMX switching system installations remotely, eliminating the need to configure each
unit separately.
System monitoring using the SNMP interface
The AMX switch supports the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) to remotely
monitor the
switch via the Ethernet port. Once SNMP is configured, you can use the SNMP
protocol to manage and control user stations and their connections in the switching system.
Glossary
The following terms are used throughout this documentation:
• Cascading – Connecting multiple KVM switches to an AMX switch, providing additional
connections
for target devices. Cascading expands the number of target devices that can be
connected to the AMX switching system.
• Console – The user station and peripheral
devices used by each local user.
• IQ module – T
he primary interface between an attached device (KVM switch, serial device or
PS/2, Sun or USB server) and the
AMX
switching system.
IQ
modules are server-powered and
provide keyboard emulation, DDC (Digital Data Channel) and
AMX
switching system support.
AMX.book Page 3 Thursday, June 12, 2008 4:14 PM