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LCD Displays That Fit In A 5.25" Drive Bay?
"Yes, I have tried Google, but no one seems to be making these anymore. There's scads of links to projects where people mount their own LCD display vertically in 3 unused bays in a normal PC case, but I need something that will hide in a normal bay (just like a CD-ROM drive), and there obviously aren't 3 unused bays vertically arranged in a 2U rackmount case.
Anyone know of a manufacturer? Got an old model that works that you want to sell? I might even throw one in my car since then I could hide the display when I'm not using it, and it'd give me a minimal monitor for that SBC-based portable server I've been meaning to build, and it might be good enough to play some games on in a mini-portable system, etc., not to mention the sheer cool-factor."
This isn't at all what you want, but may work better for your purpose.
I've had this sig for three days.
I've seen a 1U pull-out tray that has a LCD, keyboard, and mouse. I think they're expensive, and you'll have to pay for an extra 1U (if that's how they charge). Still, it may be cheaper than a monitor.
A quick Google on: keyboard mouse lcd 1u
revealed several such solutions. It looks like they cost on the order of $3000.
With prices like that, you're probably better off bringing a monitor in with you when you need to use it.
Try Intel Server Motherboards, you can access the BIOS settings / powerup / powerdown your machine remotely with Serial Over Lan functionality
All the Colo's I've hosted at have had monitors (along with keyboard/mouse) on wheels, which you pull it over to your rack and plug it in.
I'm suprised your provider doesn't have something similar.
There might be one in your ATM machine ( Automatic Teller Machine machine) which you can look at while you poke in your PIN number (Personal Identification Number number), which it will store momentarily in its RAM memory (Random Access Memory memory).
i'm just wondering if you even read to the point where he said "(SSH doesn't help with hardware and BIOS settings.)"
guess what? serial console doesnt do diddly for BIOS setting either
Dell has a 1U monitor/keyboard solution (that folds out) for $1400: http://www.dell.com/us/en/bsd/products/model_svrac _2_svrac_monitor.htm
Dan
earthlcd.com
They have kits with small LCDs and driver cards. There's a 6.3" monochrome with an ISA driver for $199 and a 7.8" color with a PCI controller for $299. Their outlines are 8.11" X 5.74", which should fit fine as a 5.25" bay is actually 5.875" wide. If you've got a few more bucks in your budget, or maybe don't have a free ISA or PCI slot, there's also an analog color 6.5" for $695 that's 7.04" X 4.99".
You're going to have to rig up some sort of mounting bracket for it. I'd recomend looking up a small machine shop in the phone book to do the fab work. Usually small shops have pretty good machinists who will be able to give you some useful suggestions on the design of it, and I highly recomend taking advantage of their expertise if you want the bracket articulated in any way. Stay away from places that specialize in automotive machining, as they are generally considered to be the machining equivalent of an MCSE.
Under capitalism man exploits man. Under communism it's the other way around.
i manage around a hundred remote compaq servers, and every single one of them has a remote insight board installed. it gives you remote key/mouse/video through any java enabled browser. it has it's own network interface and power supply, so it works even when the host system is powered off or completely broken. you wouldn't want to play quake through the thing, but slapping one of these in your boxes means you'll probably never have to physically touch that system again except for hardware replacements.
A bunch of BIOSes support serial consoles now.. On full screen stuff, like text editors, the screen redrawing works kind of funky. It does work however.
http://www.logitec.co.jp/products/monitor/lcmt041a .html
You are going to spend money on an LCD display for a server that sits at a co-lo facility with noone looking at it 99.3% of the time? This is so 1999. I'm not trying to insult you, but question your understanding of the alternatives, which are likely to be more simple.
/etc/inittab, put your consoles on /dev/ttyS0 - it only makes sense!
got Unix? Serial console!!! On Linux, edit lilo.conf, and edit
Windoze? A network-capable kvm is likely about the same price as an LCD display, and scales to multiple boxes. But even cheaper is VNC, which can be tunneled over pub key authenticated SSH for remote access.
Co-lo facilities are likely to be charging 15-25 USD per rack unit per month, and a 15" CRT takes up 8 units, so you end up paying at least 120 USD a month to not see a monitor most of the time. What a waste. If you go the VNC or serial console route, even without an expensive Mainboard with remote access to the bios setup, etc, you can still get away with no monitor - and when you do need one, your colo provider should have a monitor on a cart you can use gratis (if not, screw them and go elsewhere - it is a competitive enough business that they can't screw you).
The reason that the LCD in the drive bay thing has gone away is that it is too much of a niche item to survive in a commoditized economy where hardware has low margins (this is also known as reality). Welcome to 2003 - scale down your expectations.
Read the fine post - he said he needed this for the BIOS setup, not for main system settings, for which he is using SSH.
Since you cannot (yet) SSH into your BIOS, nor use VNC to access the BIOS, you solution is trivially rejected by what is in the story.
However, I do agree with you - just take a portable monitory in with you when you need it.
www.eFax.com are spammers
Rackit Technology
What you're looking for is a KVM over IP technology. There are numerous solutions out there for remote administration of multiple servers. The link provided is one vendor, but alot of vendors exist.
Alot of car audio stores sell dash-mounted DVD players that have a screen like what you are talking about. Often times the screen module is in a separate case from the radio.
;) ...
You might be able to rig a setup where you get one of the car screens and connect it to a video card that has Svideo or component video out.
Not as high resolution as a VGA LCD (though who knows, maybe they have a VGA interface on some models, doubt it though), but you'll be using an alternate signal source, meaning your SVGA port will still be open, and it will look smooth with you press the button to deploy the screen
This brings up a segue into a feature I really wish laptop makers would provide. I travel alot and use my laptop as a terminal in a NOC sometimes. I would really like an SVGA -input- and PS2/USB dongle on my laptop so I could use the laptop monitor/keyboard/screen as a terminal for another computer. If this were a fairly common possibility, people like the article's author probably wouldn't need to resort to weird things like built-in screens.
It is more productive to voice thoughtful opinions (reply) than to judge (moderate) others.
within the sheer numbers of Slashdot readers that so many people have so little experience. KVM over IP solutions will allow an administrator to have complete BIOS control over servers located at a NOC. Additionally these systems can be integrate into keypad lockable cases and power management systems for a very slick remote management system.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Try this page instead. It shows that it's 50,300 yen. Put a '1' in the box at the end of the line and press the oval red and yellow button to put it in your cart. Then press the next to last button at the bottom (bright yellow instead of orange) to place your order. Have fun filling out the address fields, though.
Bring in your monitor in a sunglass case. All you need is a NSTC out either native on your motherboard/video card or get an external box and stuff it in you extra bay. Add a roll up keyboard and you are in business.
SD
âoeWho knew something as harmless as willful ignorance could end up having real consequences?â