Re: OOB core router connectivity wish list

[Warren Bailey <wbailey () satelliteintelligencegroup com>]

Why is Satellite not a good OOB option?


> From my Galaxy Note II, please excuse any mistakes.


-------- Original message --------
From: William Herrin <bill () herrin us>
Date: 01/10/2013 8:20 AM (GMT-08:00)
To: Randy Carpenter <rcarpen () network1 net>
Cc: nanog () nanog org
Subject: Re: OOB core router connectivity wish list


On Thu, Jan 10, 2013 at 1:24 AM, Randy Carpenter <rcarpen () network1 net> wrote:
> > On Wed, 9 Jan 2013, Randy Carpenter wrote:
> > > My main requirements would be:
> > >
> > > 1. Something that is *not* network (ethernet or otherwise) (isn't
> > > that the point of OOB?)
> >
> > I don't understand this at all. Why can't an OOB network be ethernet
> > based towards the equipment needing management?
>
> How do I connect to it from many miles away when the network is
> down? I have connected to a misbehaving border device at a
> remote network via dial-up before, and was able to get it back
> up and running. I would not have been able to do that if the
> only options were ethernet or ethernet.

Dial up with PPP and then cross the ethernet? Drop off a cellular
modem with IP service instead of a dialup modem? Perhaps you haven't
noticed but IP over circuit-switched voice lines is giving way to
voice over IP packet switched systems. That POTS line the dialup modem
needs doesn't have a lot of future left.


> But having a console->serial is significantly less complex than
> console->IP_Stack->ethernet. So many more things to go
> wrong. I've never had a device that had a faulty serial port. I
> have seen numerous faulty or misbehaving network ports.

I've had faulty serial consoles more than once but that's beside the
point. Yes, ethernet-based OOB is more complex than a simple serial
console. It's also a lot more effective. At this point the server
vendors have gotten it down to a science where it's just as reliable
and not especially expensive. Time I'd say for the big iron router
vendors to follow suit.

Regards,
Bill Herrin



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