Vertiv Avocent ACS 8000 8-port Serial Console Server, Dual AC Power (ACS8008DAC-400)

This is a very stable and powerful console - with a very deep and useful feature set. My only caution would be that if you don't have experiences with pro level network devices, you won't be able to set this up without help from someone who does. The setup isn't super-difficult, but figuring out how to do it takes some time, and neither the literature nor the online help were very useful. I ended up asking a friend to do it, and will likely have to bring her back if I need to do any modification.Once setup, it works like a charm!

I am a computer forensics specialist. One of the things I must do on a constant basis is keep up with technology: my worth to my clients is what I know. I was interested in this product because of how it integrates into the burgeoning Internet of Things. In the not distant future, everything of significance will be tied to the internet. Home thermostats and refrigerators to the massive air conditioners on buildings and hundreds of thousands of other devices. The Avocent is not intended to turn on your table lamp, but will certainly connect to your building’s lighting system and allow its manufacturer to remotely access it, examine it for problems and repair them. As the manufacturer describes it: “These console servers offer the performance and reliability necessary to efficiently access and manage IT assets such as servers (UNIX, Linux and Solaris), routers, switches, public branch exchange (PBX) telecommunications equipment (DSU/CSU) and serial power devices.” If you’re not familiar with large-scale network administration, that’s just about everything you’d need to talk with at one time or another. The unit has no applicability in SOHO environments: it is strictly for the big guys. It is compatible with more than 20 different brands of network devices, such as Cisco, Dell, HP, IBM and Juniper. The list of features is too long to summarize in this review, so the potential user should review the material on the Vertiv site for full details. This is an extraordinarily powerful device and I envy those who have a network large enough to put it through its paces. As noted, my primary interest stems from my work in computer forensics. For people like myself, this device can be a valuable source of forensic information through its logs. Considering the increasing number of mandatory compliance regulations on the state and federal level, the built-in logs and scripting capability could be valuable compliance tools.Jerry

This really is much more powerful than I needed, but I figure hey, room to grow. Installation an integration into your system is far easier than expected and physically speaking, this is very well constructed and incredibly durable. These are some of the best features for me:Security - OTP Authentication Custom Security Profiles IP Packet and Security Filtering Multiple Group Authorization AssignmentsSystem - Internal Temp Sensor Auto DiscoveryConsole - Auto Buffering Configuration for Event Notification Level Based Syslog FiguresAfter working with this for the last days, I'm really pleased with this device. It's super fast, Incredibly secure and gives me features I didn't even know I wanted. This is ideal for a home based start-up and frankly, a must have.