The Covid-19 pandemic has allowed global industries to realize that remote management can be an important weapon for improving efficiency and maintaining operations in order to keep their chance of survival. However, in the generation of Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT), industries must switch from closed networks to open networks. With factors such as higher security risks and system update uncertainties, those relying solely on software solutions may encounter problems. This is when Out-of-Band Management (OOBM) hardware solutions come into play to reveal their value.
Remote management has existed in the industry for many years as major industries have moved toward the trends of globalization and digitalization. The difference between the past and present lies is that in the past, digital transformation was something “nice to have”. However, after the Covid-19 epidemic, digital transformation is taking over the world and is more important to the industry now than ever before. Especially for the manufacturing industry that is vigorously moving toward automation, digital transformation is gradually regarded as a must-have survival tool.
From the surveys and forecasts of the remote monitoring market by international research agencies, we can also see a continuous upward trend in demand. For example, MarketsandMarkets predicts that by 2027, the market size of the remote monitoring market could reach USD $32.3 billion, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.6% from 2022 to 2027. “Allied Research” expects the market size to be USD $43.6 billion with a CAGR of 5.3% until 2031. Looking closely at the growth momentum, various organizations have unanimously pointed out industrial automation.
Maximizing cost efficiency is like a never-ending marathon for global industries. Fueled by external factors such as the epidemic and the declining global birth rate, the manufacturing industry has increased the implementation of technologies such as high-speed internet, artificial intelligence (AI), and Internet of Things (IoT) in recent years to promote factory automation and intelligent transformation. It is conceivable for the future of factories to be “unmanned” and “highly automated” in a few decades. However, even though smart factories have their benefits, actual maintenance still relies on manual labor. If a problem occurs or there is a system shutdown in a distant factory, and personnel cannot arrive immediately to deal with the issue or lack supportive measures, intelligent transformation could instead lead to more disasters. OOBM technology, which can remotely revive dying systems, exists to resolve problems with remote operations and maintenance.
Imagine a practical situation: When patients faints and collapses, they can save themselves and seek medical attention if they are still conscious. If they lose consciousness, they can only hope that there is an ambulance nearby to provide timely medical assistance. OOBM plays the role of the ambulance to the system. According to Intel’s website, OOBM allows IT administrators can add hardware equipment to more flexibly manage computers and devices remotely. In particular, IT administrators can access devices that are on-premise, off-site, and inside or outside the firewall, even if the devices are powered off or the operating system (OS) is down or unresponsive.
This can be said to be the biggest advantage of OOBM compared to software solutions. There are countless remote monitoring software solutions on the market, and with the continuous advancement of technology, features such as easy implementation and usage as well as cost competitiveness compared to hardware have made software solutions more popular.
Especially in an era of IoT and AIoT, hardware devices such as OOBM are relatively advantageous. In the past, factories used their own intranets and monitored locally without intrusions from the outside world. However, they will have to switch to open networks in the future to respond to application needs such as frequent firmware and algorithm updates for AIoT devices or irregular OS security vulnerability updates. Once the system update fails or is invaded by hackers, the worst case scenario could be that the system is unable to power on, which affects operational efficiency and increases losses. In this case, hardware devices would be relied on for emergency recovery.
Focusing on trends and potential opportunities of hardware remote management modules in the AIoT generation, global manufacturer of embedded systems and industrial computers DFI has kept up its pace by investing in the development of the OOB remote network management module with the M.2 A Key interface. Its goal is to fulfill customer needs while taking into account cost efficiency. This product can use the In-System Programming to perform firmware updates and functions such as real—time remote device monitoring. About 70% of the Board Management Controller’s (BMC) functions can be implemented with this module.
It is worth mentioning that compared to OOB remote control modules in the past that could only switch devices on and off, when the system is equipped with this module, control can be transferred from the system to the OOB module through platforms such as Tera Term. At that time, one can directly perform comprehensive BIOS updates and settings. If the BIOS is missing, this method can also be used to update the BIOS and then restart. When encountering bad sectors that cause the OS to fail to operate normally, if backed up in advance, the OOB module can remotely recover the OS. When the system is running normally, this module automatically enters the power-saving idle mode and does not significantly impact the overall system power consumption.
These functions of the DFI OOB module are expected to reduce maintenance and operations costs such as personnel movement, providing future smart factories with more opportunities to become unmanned. This product can share its Ethernet ports with the host, and the Network Controller Sideband Interface (NC-SI) can switch signal sources when necessary. Such designs can lower deployment costs and are compatible with third-party cloud management services so that the overall evaluation cost is competitive.
Although the global economic outlook is uncertain and affects the process of industrial transformation, we continue to accelerate implementation of emerging technologies such as IoT, AI, edge computing, and cloud computing with the hopes of being able to enjoy the benefits of smart transformation as soon as possible. It is an inevitable and foreseeable long-term trend. In addition to its existing functions, DFI’s OOB remote management module also has plans to integrate the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) in the future. It is also gradually integrating Intel’s SR-IOV virtualization technology and Ubuntu OS. They hope that by accurately responding to the needs of industry partners with smart solutions and smart upgrades for end customers, DFI can provide the most comprehensive technical support and become the best partner for the industry’s AIoT transformation.
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OOB Remote network management module |
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Founded in 1981, DFI is a global leading provider of high-performance computing technology across multiple embedded industries. With its innovative design and premium quality management system, DFI’s industrial-grade solutions enable customers to optimize their equipment and ensure high reliability, long-term life cycle, and 24/7 durability in a breadth of markets including Industry Automation, Medical, Gaming, Transportation, Energy, mission-critical, and intelligent retail.