{"id":38015,"date":"2023-11-02T05:21:24","date_gmt":"2023-11-02T05:21:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zpesystems.com\/?p=38015"},"modified":"2023-11-03T15:37:33","modified_gmt":"2023-11-03T15:37:33","slug":"network-management-software-tools-zs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zpesystems.com\/network-management-software-tools-zs\/","title":{"rendered":"OOB Network Management Software Tools"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Network management software tools enable administrators to provision, monitor, and maintain networks and network infrastructure without manually touching each individual device or service. We\u2019ve previously covered the best network management software<\/a> for both cloud-based and hardware-based networks. This post dives deeper into the hardware-based network management tools deployed in on-premises or private cloud environments via serial consoles (a.k.a. console servers, serial console servers, serial console routers, or serial switches).<\/p>\n

These network management software tools provide out-of-band (OOB) management access<\/a> to connected network infrastructure in data centers and remote sites. Serial consoles directly interface with network systems and devices, creating an isolated management network that doesn\u2019t depend on the production LAN, WAN, or ISP. OOB management ensures continuous remote access even during major outages, so teams can troubleshoot and recover branch offices, edge computing sites, and other remote environments without costly truck rolls or managed service support. OOB console servers also unify management of all connected infrastructure, giving administrators a single platform to monitor, control, and automate the entire distributed network architecture.<\/p>\n

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Looking for a new out-of-band network management device? Read our guide: <\/b>\u200b<\/h2>\n

Comparing the Best Out-of-Band Management Devices<\/a> [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”||||||||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

We compare offerings from the four best OOB network management software tool providers and discuss the features, advantages, and disadvantages of each to help network teams make the best choice for their environment.<\/p>\n

The best OOB network management software tools<\/h2>\n
\n\n\n\n<\/colgroup>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Platform<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Key Features<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

ZPE Systems Nodegrid Manager\/ZPE Cloud<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n
    \n
  • \n

    5G\/4G LTE, Wi-Fi, POTS, or fiber OOB and failover support<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    On-premises or cloud-based software options<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Robust hardware and software security including 2FA and SAML 2.0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    x86 CPU and Linux-based Nodegrid OS support Guest OS and Docker containers<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Vendor-neutral software integrates with third-party tools like Ansible, Chef, Python, and Ruby<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Extends ZTP and other automation to legacy and mixed-vendor infrastructure<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    OOB support over IPMI, ILO, DRAC, CIMC, vSerial, and KVM<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Device auto-discovery via network scan and custom probes<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Power management integrated with serial session<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Supports full range of environmental monitoring sensors<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Vertiv Avocent DSView<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n
    \n
  • \n

    4G LTE OOB and failover support<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    HTML5 KVM and Serial viewers<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Telnet\/PuTTY serial interfaces<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Session log, report, and archive<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Data Center Zone definitions<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    ZTP, SOAP API, Python, Perl, PDU, and UPS automation<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Schedule and on-demand firmware management<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Web secure 2048 SSL certificate<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Two-factor authentication (2FA)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

PerleVIEW<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n
    \n
  • \n

    4G LTE, Wi-Fi, POTS, or fiber OOB and failover support<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Health monitoring and event handling<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Integrates with SNMP NMS<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Automated device discovery<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Device CLI scripting<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Configuration backup, firmware, and change management<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Single sign-on for in-band connections<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Device PING tool<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Audit trail log<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Opengear Lighthouse<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n