According to an embodiment of the invention, a remote management device is integrated into a processing system, such as a filer or other storage server, and the remote management device and administrative data (such as console data) generated by the processing system are accessible even if the processing system becomes inoperable. The processing system includes a console port that outputs administrative data in the form of administrative data during system operation. The remote management device is accessible remotely, for example through a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, or a combination of networks. The remote management device intercepts the administrative data output by the console port and stores the data into memory on the remote management device.