Out-of-band management survives primary-path failure
A management path that does not depend on the thing it manages is what lets you fix a network you have just broken.
Without it, a misconfiguration that severs connectivity requires somebody to physically attend. With it, you can still reach the device. It is also a powerful and frequently forgotten access route, so it needs the same protection as anything else that can control infrastructure.
More on Architecture patterns
- A jump host concentrates administrative entryOne plank, every crossing
- A bastion should not become a general-purpose workstationIt only has the one job
- Bulkheads contain failureThe water stops at the wall
- A choke point makes control observableEverything through one gap
- A broker can separate clients from powerful credentialsChained to the bench
- A one-way gateway changes the threat modelWater does not fall upwards