"Black box" for your office

The first to talk about this device was our accountant, a professionally beneficent woman, but absent-minded (loses small plastic items: lipstick, tubes, "secret" flash media). It is difficult to establish where she saw the combination of the words "USB over IP", but in her interpretation it sounded like this: "An iron box into which you can stick a lot of flash drives so that they are not lost." With this wording, she went to the general, because she could open the door of his office not so much with her foot, but with her shoulder. After her visit, the general, who is slightly sick from all these computer boxes, called the “chief” IT specialist and talked with him for twenty minutes, trying to remember the phrase “USB over IP”. By the way, I would have been able to explain everything in ten, but I am a “junior” IT trainee and I have the opportunity to just talk about the dynamics of events and about the device itself,which saved our accountant and made life easier for many who never dreamed of such relief. This is for us, advanced trainees, everything is clear with USB over IP, but for the rest of the suffering I am telling.



We did not buy the American version of the device for an objective reason of the pricing policy. The German was also ignored, China generally deprived us of this miracle of technology. We found a domestic manufacturer, studied and settled on the unit "Dis control USB over IP ...", but stop, stop. Nobody paid me for advertising, so look for the name yourself. We are already good - you still feel bad. I turn to dry facts.



A controlled USB over IP hub is designed to connect USB devices to a computer network, after which it becomes possible to remotely control the inclusion and connection of these USB devices from your computer or laptop. We have a number of keys that are extremely unstable, and as a junior employee I constantly had to run to poke these keys for normal operation.



The device is launched on all types of operating systems, except for mobile axes. You can attach electronic security keys to it, for example, eToken series, ruToken, as well as keys for 1C software products, scanners, printers, MFPs, sensors, etc.



In the presence of a built-in Wi-Fi module and an Ethernet network adapter (RJ-45). And therefore, you can connect the device both via wired and wireless (Wi-Fi) communication channels. The Wi-Fi signal strength is poor, I suppose due to the fact that the device is in a rather thick metal case. But you will have a mysterious "black box" that will keep the secret of all secret keys and other media.



The range of managed hubs has 4 types: 16, 32, 48 and 64 USB ports. Our company is relatively compact, and we got by with a device for 32 "persons", and our rich neighbors bought 64 ports at once, arrogantly noticing that 32 is a half measure and it is not serious.



Since the whole idea of ​​the device revolves around the concept of "security" and was conceived for the sake of it, I will immediately inform you that there is a two-step protection for USB devices when sharing USB over the network:

1. Remote physical turning on and off of USB devices;
2. Authorization for connecting USB devices by login, password and IP address.
3. Logging of all inclusions and connections of USB devices by clients.

Black box firmware allows you to selectively configure user access to USB ports and devices, encrypt traffic between the device and the client (this is especially useful for remote users and branch offices). It has API and firewall for integration with third-party solutions. I say for sure that it is very difficult to implement such functionality on your own, even if you can snatch a dozen USB whistles somewhere.



I also discovered hardware protection circuits against abnormal situations, such as overheating or inrush current surges.



To forward a USB device to your computer, you need to run the (Portable) version of the application that does not require installation, available for current versions of Windows, GNU / Linux and OSX. The client works in graphical mode as a service (daemon) or in command line mode.



You can then attach any USB device plugged into the hub port to the system: it will appear as local. There will be no problems with the compatibility of the keys: the manufacturer claims that no incompatible keys have been found on the territory of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Canada and all of Europe.



I will not advise anything, I will keep the recommendations with me, but I confess that as a junior IT specialist-trainee, after purchasing this bandura, it became easier to breathe. I don’t run after the accountant and I don’t look for scattered flash drives, lipsticks, tubes.



And we bought this "iron box" at www. ... Ha-Ha! Again, you think that I was coughing up for advertising, and I will begin to pour in details. Nooo. Themselves, yourself, read into the black space of IT novelties.