Cisco Cisco Application Extension Platform for SRE Data Sheet
Data Sheet
© 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information.
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How It Works
Avocent MergePoint software consolidates remote server management inside the Cisco ISR, while
providing out-of-band server access, secure serial-over-LAN (SoL), power control, and hardware
monitoring of connected servers.
As Figure 1 shows, from a single Avocent console, an IT administrator has a consolidated view of
every server and desktop PC on the network, and can identify security vulnerabilities and
remediate them without physical access to the device. Avocent’s LANDesk software simplifies the
handling of patches and upgrades by presenting a single, consistent listing of current software
revision levels and patches. If a new patch or upgrade is needed based on policies set by the IT
administrator, the patch can be automatically downloaded and staged somewhere on the network,
such as the Cisco AXP card in the ISR. The targeted PCs at the remote site automatically retrieve
the patch from the Cisco AXP card and the patch is installed on each targeted PC. Because
Avocent’s LANDesk software automatically maintains a historical record of patches and upgrades,
it creates an audit trail of installed software revisions to meet regulatory requirements, and does all
this requiring virtually no touch from the branch or remote office manager or administrator.
Figure 1. Branch Offices Managed by Avocent Software on AXP