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Does the Dominion KSX offer dual gigabit Ethernet ports to provide redundant fail-over, or load balancing?
Yes. The Dominion KSX features dual gigabit Ethernet ports to provide redundant failover capabilities. Should the primary Ethernet port (or the switch/router to which it is connected) fail, the Dominion KSX will failover to the secondary network port with the same IP address, ensuring that server operations are not disrupted. Note that automatic failover must be enabled by the administrator.
How much bandwidth does the Dominion KSX require?
The Dominion KSX offers next generation KVM-over-IP technology - the very best video compression available. Raritan has received numerous technical awards confirming its high video quality transmissions and the low bandwidth utilization.
Raritan pioneered the KVM-over-IP functionality that allows users to tailor their video parameters to conserve network bandwidth. For instance, when connecting to the Dominion KSX through a dial-up modem connection, video transmissions can be scaled to grayscale - allowing users to be fully productive while ensuring high performance.
With that in mind, the following data refers to the Dominion KSX at its default video settings - again, these settings can be tailored to a specific environment. They can be increased to provide even higher quality video (color depth), or decreased to optimize for low-speed connections.
As a general rule, a conservative estimate for bandwidth utilization (at the Dominion KSX's default settings) is approximately 0.5Mbit/second per active KVM user (connected to and using a server), with very occasional spikes up to 2MBit/second. This is a very conservative estimate because bandwidth utilization will typically be even lower.
Bandwidth required by each video transmission depends on what task is being performed on the managed server. The more the screen changes, the more bandwidth is utilized. The table below summarizes some use cases and the required bandwidth utilization at the Dominion KSX's default settings on a 10Mbit/s network:
Use case |
Required bandwidth |
|---|---|
Idle Windows Desktop |
0 Mbps |
Move Cursor Around Desktop |
0.18Mbps |
Move Static 400x600 Window/Dialog |
0.35Mbps |
Navigate Start Menu |
0.49Mbps |
Scroll an Entire Page of Text |
1.23Mbps |
Run 3D Maze Screensaver |
1.55Mbps |
What is the slowest connection (lowest bandwidth) over which the Dominion KSX can operate?
33Kbps or above is recommended for acceptable Dominion KSX performance over a modem connection.
What is the speed of the Dominion KSX's Ethernet interfaces?
The Dominion KSX supports two 10/100/1000 speed Ethernet interfaces, with configurable speed and duplex settings (either auto-detected or manually set).
Can I access the Dominion KSX over a wireless connection?
Yes. The Dominion KSX not only uses standard Ethernet, but also very conservative bandwidth with very high quality video. Thus, if a wireless client has network connectivity to the Dominion KSX, servers can be configured and managed at BIOS-level wirelessly.
Can the Dominion KSX be used over the WAN (Internet), or just over the corporate LAN?
Whether via a fast corporate LAN, the less predictable WAN (Internet), cable modem or dial-up modem, the Dominion KSX's KVM-over-IP technology can accommodate the connection.
How many TCP ports must be open on my firewall in order to enable network access to the Dominion KSX? Are these ports configurable?
Only one. The Dominion KSX protects network security by only requiring access to a single TCP port to operate. This port is completely configurable for additional security.
Note that, of course, to use the Dominion KSX's optional web browser capability, the standard HTTPS port 443 must also be open.
Can the Dominion KSX be used with CITRIX?
The Dominion KSX may work with remote access products like CITRIX if configured appropriately, but Raritan cannot guarantee it will work with acceptable performance. Products like CITRIX utilize video redirection technologies similar in concept to digital KVM switches so that two KVM-over-IP technologies are being used simultaneously.
Does the Dominion KSX require an external authentication server to operate?
No, the Dominion KSX is a completely self-sufficient. After assigning an IP address to a Dominion KSX, it is ready to use - with web browser and authentication capabilities completely built-in.
If an external authentication server (such as LDAP/LDAPS, Active Directory, RADIUS, and so forth) is used, the Dominion KSX allows this as well, and will even failover to its own internal authentication should the external authentication server become unavailable. In this way, the Dominion KSX's design philosophy is optimized to provide ease of installation, complete independence from any external server, and maximum flexibility.
Can the Dominion KSX use DHCP?
DHCP addressing can be used, however, Raritan recommends fixed addressing since the Dominion KSX is an infrastructure device and can be accessed and administered more effectively with a fixed IP address.
I'm having problems connecting to the Dominion KSX over my IP network. What could be the problem?
The Dominion KSX relies on your LAN/WAN network. Some possible problems include:
When changing the IP address of the Dominion KSX or swapping in a new Dominion KSX, sufficient time must be allowed for its IP and MAC addresses to be known throughout the Layer 2 and Layer 3 networks.