The Pipeline

Pocket server
Attention all server administrators: Do you ever wish you could slip your servers into your pocket so you could leave your office and do your work while en route to some exotic locale?

Well, now you can — or at least, the leaving-the-office part.

With the new SonicAdmin Pro and SonicAdmin QR from Avocent, you can remotely access your servers using a Research in Motion BlackBerry or any Microsoft Windows Mobile 5-based device. “We wanted to create a new way to remotely manage servers so administrators could respond and remediate a server problem from anywhere you can get a cell phone connection,” said Kyle Peterson, director of product marketing at Avocent Mobile Technologies.

You can install the product on any Windows server, and the administrator’s Active Directory profile determines access permissions.

SonicAdmin QR, which stands for Quick Response, is a scaled-down version of SonicAdmin Pro. You can use it to view server statistics, reboot servers, view event logs, view and manage processes, and manage Active Directory user accounts. You can also run quick commands, such as ping, ipconfig and traceroute.

The additional functions SonicAdmin Pro offers include Windows services management, file explorer, file search, file and folder properties, file editor, and a command line interface.

“It’s very powerful to get a command line on the server from a mobile device,” Peterson said.

The Pro version also offers Exchange Server management extensions that include the ability to view queue properties, freeze and unfreeze queues, and force connection commands.

All communications between the mobile device and the servers are protected by Advanced Encryption Standard encryption.

Getting to an exotic locale, though, is up to you.

Phone maps
What’s cooler than full-color navigational maps on your mobile phone? Full-color, 3-D navigational maps on your phone! Without the nerdy cardboard glasses.

TeleNav recently launched GPS Navigator Version 5.0, the first Global Positioning System application that delivers 3-D moving maps on mobile phones.

As with most in-vehicle GPS systems, you get real-time guidance from voice and visual directions while driving. If you miss a turn, the system will automatically reroute you. You can also preview your route before you begin a trip and specify highway and street preferences if you wish.

The program’s convenient address input method requires few keystrokes because of the auto-fill feature that completes an entry based on current or commonly used locations. If you misspell an entry, the application automatically revises it.

Another whiz-bang feature: GPS Navigator 5.0 is the first mobile navigation service that can find Wi-Fi hot spots for you, providing turn-by-turn directions.

Did you suddenly notice you’re low on gas on the way to that hot spot? No sweat. You can use the Business Finder to search for gas stations located along your route.

And if you don’t mind going out of your way to save some money, you can use the Fuel Finder to locate the lowest gas prices within a five-mile or wider radius.

The Business Finder can also locate the addresses and phone numbers of services and businesses.

Our favorite feature is the parking spot marker that helps you locate your ride in large parking lots or on unfamiliar streets.

GPS Navigator 5.0 is compatible with many mobile and smart phones, such as BlackBerries and Palm’s Treo.

The available phones depend on the wireless service you use. You can use GPS Navigator 5.0 with Verizon, Cingular, T-Mobile, Sprint Nextel and Boost Mobile.

The service starts at $10 per month for unlimited use, and you won’t get charged cellular airtime minutes when you use it.