In today’s maritime world, especially in the merchant sector, managing data onboard ships is essential. ATEN offers shipping companies a rich series of products that offer remote control, centralised management and multi-platform support.
“On 24th February 1815, the lookout of Our Lady of the Guard reported the three-masted Pharaon arriving from Smyrna, via Trieste and Naples.” Thus opens “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexandre Dumas, a masterpiece of literature: the arrival of a merchant ship in Marseille after a long journey and several stops. The world of trade by sea has existed since man learned to sail, and in this area technology has always played a leading role: those who had the best performing, fastest and safest ships got the best results. Today, it’s impossible to achieve great results on board ships without careful data management: and this is where ATEN comes in.
An ecosystem of products at the service of the ship
But to avoid talking too abstractly, with the risk of not being understood, let’s launch into a possible onboard data management configuration and see how it’s composed. This is a closed-loop configuration where the consoles (KA series) are connected directly to the KVM over IP switch (KN series). The KA82 series consoles are standalone models, used to replace PCs in environments where they cannot be used or where space saving is of primary importance. These consoles are able to centrally manage all servers connected to the KN8164V KVM over IP switch, monitoring up to 64 servers simultaneously via the Panel Array Mode function. The KN8164V switch also makes it possible to connect eight stations equipped with KA82 console at the same time, and for each station it’s possible to have up to 32 simultaneous connections.
This data is objectively extraordinary, we’ll try to explain why: in a nutshell, the simultaneous connection of these consoles allows you to operate centrally on a server whose screen is reproduced up to 32 times throughout the ship, wherever you want. For even greater freedom of access, the KN8164V switch can be connected to the network, which opens up the possibility of connecting a unit outside the closed-loop configuration. For example, a laptop in the captain’s quarters or elsewhere, even off the ship, from which it’s possible to monitor and even have limited access to the server room. An LCD console connected to the switch also guarantees local access.
Multiplatform support and security
A closed-loop configuration is obviously very safe, as it has no openings to the outside. However, ATEN proposes several additional security measures. The KA82 series of consoles in fact supports various data encryption options, while the KN81 series of switchers-over-IP offers high security via FIPS 140-2, with level 1 security standards. Finally, the SN01xxCO series console servers are equipped of various security technologies such as TLS 1.2 data encryption, RSA 2048 bit certificates, configurable user permissions for access and port control, local/remote/third party authentication and authorisation, IP/MAC address filtering and FIPS 140-2 encryption certification, to ensure administrators both ease of access and absolute data security.
The last detail on which we would like to draw the reader’s attention is the importance of multiplatform support, one of the strong points of ATEN: support for multiple operating systems such as Windows, Solaris and Linux allows in fact to significantly reduce the complexity of installation and ensures that there are no compatibility issues in a server room. With ATEN on board, the “Pharaon” under the command of Edmond Dantès would have sailed more safely and peacefully towards the waters of Montecristo!
