Why You Might Be Calling Your IT Guy Long Distance

In the computing world, out of band management is a method of managing and controlling a network remotely. The IT network administrator can access any terminal on the network from anywhere even if that terminal is not powered on. This is used very commonly today even if it sounds a bit like Science Fiction.

When problems occur in devices on an in-band managed network, the IT manager can have trouble accessing the machines because he is using the same network, usually via an Ethernet connection. It is a catch 22 because he cannot fix the problem if he is having the same problem, such as an outage. Out of band management isolates the administrator so that he can solve any issues without being stymied by the very same issue. This sounds very "high tech" and cutting edge, but in reality it is not a new idea, having been developed early in the 1980s. It came from advancements in the telecommunication industry. The modem was one of the earliest applications of this technology, and it was later referred to as an "out-of-band infrastructure". Many major corporations began using the OOBI theory, applying it to server terminals and other equipment to set up early wide area networks in the mid-80s. This grew to larger and larger applications and OOBI was finally made "official" in 2000.

Now many people in the U.S and other countries use the technology daily without even realizing it. Most office employees use a network daily to communicate and perform required duties. When a person has an issue with the email, a web application, or even a network printer they will call one of the employees in tech support. The IT manager takes the information and does something that makes everything work again. Satisfied, the office worker returns to his or her duties, not even realizing that the tech support office is located 50 miles away, and the person they just called fixed everything remotely with a keyboard or mouse.

A limitation to out of band management is that there must be an IT professional to control it at the data center. The center has all of the servers and necessary equipment, and someone must be present to switch media, or control the network at the server console manually if something happens to it. This is an added business expense, but it is necessary. The cost is offset by the fact that fewer personnel are required for technical procedures, such as service visits to customers to resolve outages. IT professionals probably agree that the cost is also worth the fewer trips to frigid server rooms for simple things like reboots. The evolution of network management undoubtedly produces more positives than negatives, and it just keeps getting better.





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