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Keyboard Video Mouse (KVM) Switches
tyen writes "I have accumulated a bevy of computers, and need to ditch all the monitors/room heaters on them save one. A KVM switch is the ideal way to do this, except every brand I have encountered working at a client site faced reliability problems. Anyone out there using a KVM switch they are pleased with? "
If you're talking about home use, I think one of these would be fine. If I switch using the button on the front of the thing, it works fine. If I switch from the keyboard (scroll-lock, scroll-lock, #key), I sometimes have to hit num-lock or caps-lock a couple of times to get the keyboard leds back in sync. Given that most KVM switches seem to cost >300, and this cost ~160, I can live with that.
I've worked for a year or more using the Cybex Commander KVM units. (Sorry, don't have URL handy - CDW or someone has them.) They worked flawlessly during the time I was using them and I _never_ had problems with them. However, they do cost more than the others but if what you want is reliability (donning asbestos underwear) _sometimes_ a higher price is warranted.
:-)
Just MHO.
"Bah!" - Dogbert
What does scrolllock-scrolllock-0-2 mean/do? I am missing the reference.
...and I haven't had any problems with it what so ever. It's an older model with 4 channels, I can't think of the model# right now (I'm at work) but check out the belkin stuff.
-sometimes the majority only means that all the fools are on the same side
On a related note, the last time I looked into these, I noticed that most of them would only work in limited video modes - VGA, SVGA, XVGA, etc. A big limitation for someone that likes very high refresh rates and varying resolutions. Do the current offerings still have problems like this? I've been improvising, but it becomes more difficult as time passes and machines accumulate.
i got my 4 port 'data transfer switch' for 25$ on ebay. its very generic and works great.
my point is, dont go buy some big name brand because these generic plain things work great.
tyler
Rather than put all of your computers on a toggle type device, why not instead network them? That way, you could detach all of their monitors and keyboards and stuff save one, which will be your main console. All it needs to be is a nice setup running X11, that way you can run programs and administer all of the systems from once central location while having the versitility of each system's terminal on the screen at the same time!
Of course the problem with this is that it only works if the system is Unix or VMS. But bringing all of them together and still having seperate terminals for your Windows machines is still a nice space saver.
Belkin components (www.belkin.com)makes some good switches. They have always been reliable in the past. Another good brand that comes to mind is Black Box. Not for sure if they're still making them, but we've used them for quite a while at work.
I'm using one of these, and I've been mostly happy. My only complaint is that the keyboard controls don't seem to work if the current system is dead, and the box won't display the monitor of a system which isn't using it for keyboard also.
I guess it's trying to save me the trouble of seeing "blank" displays, or something.
With the older desktop omniview, I couldn't run a mouse through it - my PS/2 mouse would stop responding if I switched displays, until I rebooted my computer. With the 8-port, it's been fine, sharing keyboard and mouse among a handful of boxes.
I'm using it at 1280x1024, but only around 70 Hz, I think. Works well enough.
My blog: http://www.seebs.net/log/ --- My iPhone/iPad app: http://www.seebs.net/seebsfrac/
I use a Belkin OmniCube 4-port PS/2 switch box at home that I'm pretty happy with. It was rather inexpensive from CDW (about $110 ~6 mo. ago) compared to other Belkin models, and there's essentially no difference. The cable sets are $25 or so apiece, but you can get really long ones. I can change the active port with just a few keystrokes, which means I don't have to reach across my desk and press the button.
I've used it with essentially no problems using XFree86 3.3.3/3.3.5 on Linux, OpenBSD, and FreeBSD, and also Windows 98/NT. I have only one problem and that is with my laptop. When I switch away and then come back, X loses control of my mouse so I have to kill X and restart it (which is annoying). I am pretty sure that error is caused by my laptop's BIOS or imwheel since the Belkin works great with X on my other machines.
I've used Cybex and other Belkin models, but this one is just as good IMO... CDR
The box was only $12 but the cables cost an arm and a leg. I would recommend purchasing the cables at electronic part stores. The cheapest price I found at a computer store for a 6' VGA-VGA cable was $6.50 while my local electronics shop had them for $3.00 a piece.
Also, one last thing, if you are using PS/2 stuff, you might have some problems switching. I find that If I flip the switch too slow I have problems with my PS/2 Keyboard. Some people have said that PS/2's don't work at all. So I guess it's a toss up.
Hope this helps.
Loren.
Why get a multiswitch? Why not just get software to control all the systems from the same computer?
:)
I've found the one at
http://www.uk.research.att.com/vnc/
to be among the best, and it is free. Actually, it is even GPLed!!!
Versions for everything from Linux-X11 to Windows CE...
Of course this is assuming you have everything networked, but surely you do
Belkin is at the extreme low end of computer products and you would be well advised to stay away from them.
Now as for KVM switches- For high end use consider one of the nice BlackBox KVM switches or a high end Raritan KVM switch. Basically these use a special connector which will not disconnect and cause problems. They can also be powered by the systems if the power supply dies or disconnects.
For low-end use consider a PowerReach KVM switch from Compucable. An 8 port version is only about $325 and the cable sets are not expensive. It supports some of the features of the high end switches (Power from ps2 ports, on screen display) it comes in a rack mount configuration and is a very cool purple color. More importantly I have had no stability issues with these switches except when using it with my DEC Alphas (which are picky). You can search for powerreach or compucable at buy.com as they seem to have very good prices on this sort of thing. (Avoid datacom warehouse at all costs as they are a ripoff when it comes to most prices)
-sirket
I use one of these at work all day long. I have the four port version w/ two workstations running on it. I have had no reliability issues with it for over a year now. The operation is very simple, you have one push button that scrolls through your workstations. There are dip switches on the back that offer some programming options. You can also use both AT style plugs with a serial mouse or ps/2 connectors on the same box. I switch back and forth quite often during the work day and have never had a fault excepting the caps lock etc. You sometime have to hit the caps key a couple of time to clear the problem.
it is better to light a flame thrower than curse the darkness. -Terry Pratchett Men at Arms
If quality of display means a lot to you, remember that every time you add another link in the chain of monitor cables between the video card and the monitor, you loose image quality. This is a major problem for us graphic designers who have to work at ultra-high resolutions. This is also a major critique of products like the Creative DxR2 DVD decoder card, which requires a VGA passthrough.
They are expensive, but worth every penny. I have used dozens, and never had a failure.
Belkin products are indeed cheap and generally okay for workstation use, however I would advise against using them on servers. My own experience with the half dozen 8 port Belkin switches we have at work, is that they constantly lose sync, do strange things such as not showing video at random times, and not picking up new computers even after a forced resync.
If you do use a Belkin, do make sure that you have high quality video/keyboard/mouse cables which are no more than 20 feet in length or you will find that it does not work very well. Our own attempts at doing anything longer than that length has met with much frustration...
Can you buy just monitor switches? I dont need the keyboard/mouse switching nor can i afford it. If they make them how much? is it possible to make one or alter another type of switch (RS-232)?
Buying a Dell computer is equivalent to dropping the soap in a prison shower.
I use a Cybex SwitchView (4 port) every day at work and it has served me well. The only problem I've run into (and only a few times at that) is that the mouse doesn't always work properly after a switch (PS/2). That, however, is easily solved using one of the keyboard commands the unit recognizes.
I've used the 2, 4 and 8 port Belkin Omniview KVM's with resolutions up to 1600x1200 with no problems at all, other than the fact that the switch itself can often lead to visible distortion, easily solved by moving it a foot or two away. The 4 port version can be had for about $100 on buy.com, if money is not a concern, Raritan KVM's offer a lot of nice features (user level access control, multiple consoles, etc) at a reasonable price.
i'm very pleased with these. i'm currently controlling over 40 servers with one console. although we only have the 8 port cybex's, the have a very nice cascade feature.
although it's a real pain to set up the on-screen menu, once it's done there's zero maintenence
just the way i like it. .
I've had much success with the Protec BYTELAN KVM switches I've used over the past few years. You can usually pick them up for approx. 200 usd. at CDW or elsewhere.
One nice feature (aside from the WIDE range of monitor resolutions and the all-digital switching) is the ability to daisy-chain the KVM switches.
Later.
Tomauri has some great products, some of which I have used with success. To start, get good cables for your monitor such as Tomauri's "high density coax-style monitor cables" ... SKU 5378, 5373 or 5375 for 6, 10 or 15' lengths (from Blue Diamond). Prices from ~ $15 each ... (maybe less if you know someone -- I can't give you the real cost price because of the regulations as a reseller).
The switch box I recommend most is the Masterview 4 way automatic file server switch box. It can set you back about $225 but the features are great: It has built in monitor/mouse/keyboard emulation (so the PC senses each as being connected even if they aren't) and uses keyboard hotkeys to switch between machines. Supports both PS/2 and AT keyboards. SKU: 3074.
PS, Tomauri SKUs can be ordered from most wholesalers like Merisel and Ingram as well. If you're talking to your local computer sales people, just tell them the Tomauri #'s and ask for a price. You could always get your own account by calling 1-877-4-TOMAURI
- Michael T. Babcock <homepage>
- Michael T. Babcock (Yes, I blog)
I've had one for about two months now with no problems at all. No video degradation that I could see at 1024x1280 switching between Linux, Win 2k, and Win NT. Switching works either using a button on the box or Shift-Ctrl-Tab on the keyboard. The switch is a Black Box ServSwitch Wizard.
I don't know how much you are looking to spend, but the KVM switches made by Black Box (www.blackbox.com IIRC) worked pretty well for me at a previous job. We had a big ($1500) 12:1 box and a smaller one... never had a problem with either of them.
of course, YMMV.
S.
Adding data:
I have a Belkin Omniview 8-port, expandable to 16 units (128 ports). It works OK, notable gripes are: At any video mode I get vertical stripes on the display, which I suppose is due to crosstalk in the cable mess. Another gripe is that everything has to be powered down in order to plug anything else in (according to the manual).
Now, the first one, I can live with. Convenience outweighs a few stripes.
The second one is intolerable. We're running Linux, we DON'T shut down our computers. Ever. I suppose if we all were stuck with windoze, we would plug new things in in the daily downtime. 99.9% uptime leaves more than enough time to plug a new computer in every day =-]
A minor gripe is that in order to access the on-screen display for chosing your node you have to hit scroll-lock twice. Not all that bad, but sometimes it doesn't catch and you have a computer sitting there thinking scroll lock is on. I would like to be able to choose another key, like F12 or print screen (I never have used either).
Good points are that the cables are really cheap, like $6 for a KVM set through Buy.com, cascading uses parallel printer cables. It's easy to set up and comes with rackmount hardware, you can even get Macintosh adapters. It can be bought for under $350.
Features I'd like: 2 independent heads, USB support, HOT PLUGGABILITY, SNMP management.
Hope this helps,
Tony
It's not cheap, though. I paid $900 for the 4-port KVM, and cabling costs about $40-$50 per CPU. The investment is worth it, though, from a space-saving and time-saving point of view.
No. I have a Cybex Commander here at home... because we replaced them all at work. Use a Belkin Omniview or Omniview Pro. The Cybex may be alright for your needs, but it requires proprietary cables (I have many, but again they were surplus from work and therefore free). If you reboot a machine, you must select it on the Cybex as soon as it posts. Otherwise it presents no video or mouse or keyboard to the motherboard and, depending on your computer, that computer may decide it has mono video or like in the case of my ADSL firewall machine no video at all and you WON'T get video out of it at all. Telnet only. Not a big prob but a real pisser if you don't have enough UPS's for all your machines and your power at home is as unreliable as Georgia Power is for me (2 to 5 3-second outages per month). The Belkins can be had pretty cheaply. As I said, that's what we use at work now (I love it) and a friend who's not as cheap as me sprung $100 for one at home and loves it.
Raritan and Rose Electronics are two other companies that are pretty good and get a lot of attention.
We've got a great switch at work. It's running 2 SCO unix systems (Yeah, I know), an NT server (even worse), and a Linux box. It seems to work great. I'll get the name/model and post it tommorrow.
--
A mind is a terrible thing to taste.
"A mind is a terrible thing to taste."
Belkin works great at 1024x768 at work (lousy NEC 17" won't do anything more). My Cybex at home wouldn't do CRAP at the res/refresh rates I like (1280x1024 or usually 1600x1200). Anything with a proprietary cable is going to SUCK. The Belkins let you use good quality separate cables.
Trust me... At resolutions >= 1024x768 the Cybex models are too blurry to use.
I have a 4-port LinkSys switch I picked up at Fry's 1-1/2 years ago for $180. Even at 1600x1200 blurring is minimal; the trick was to get high-quality video cables (remember that you're doubling the length of cable and number of connectors, so proper impedance and low capacitance are a must). Some of my systems have PS/2-style keyboard and mouse connectors, others have old-style 5-pin DIN/9-pin D-style connectors. It handles both just fine. The only problem I have is that hot-keys don't work. Since it sits right beside my monitor that isn't a problem. Not using hot-keys might explain why I've never had caps-lock/num-lock/scroll-lock problems folks are reporting for the Belkin's. Or maybe it just works. In any case, it's close to the best $180 I've spent.
I worked at GE for a summer deploying computers. We transferred HD images from the network down to the desktop's and laptops sometimes 8 at a time. We used KVMS switches from Rose Electronics. They work at all video modes, with all mice, and with all keyboards. I have never had a problem with using them. Rose Electronics can be found at this website.
At home I use a generic box from Master View. I ordered it from Jameco. They have several.
2 Port Switch $179.95
4 Port Switch $229.95
The boxes are daisy chainable, and I run at 1280x1024x85hz with no problems. In fact I switch between that mode, and 1024x768x70hz with no problems. But if you can afford it, I would definitely recommend the Rose switches.
I hope this helps you out.
Pete Brubaker
Purdue University - Computer Graphics Department
What's a sig? Pete Brubaker
1 - Belkan Omnicube KVM 4-port switch @ $93
4 - Belkan 6ft KVM cables @ $7 each.
I think there are ones available that have greater than 4 ports, but I'm not sure. You can check out Belkan's site for all the details on the switch, but this thing is a great product for the money!
I am primarily a Windows user (hey, it's a living) so I'd like to suggest an alternative: pcAnywhere
= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Everyone who has to support remote facilities with Windows box knows pcAnywhere, but a lot of people forget it works just as well two feet away.
I have about six different computers on a hub running various flavors of Windows (95, 98, NT, 2K) and I have pcAnywhere host running 24-7 on all of them. My primary workstation is a 98 box with two monitors. This works great because I can run a pcAnywhere session in full screen on one monitor and still have access to the workstation itself.
So I have one good keyboard, one good scrollmouse, one good 21" monitor and one decent 15" monitor. I can get to any of my six computers and put them in any combination on either monitor. It works quite well. I do have to tone down the color scale a bit, since pcAnywhere is a bit sluggish sending 1024 x 768 hi-color images around a 10Mbps LAN.
Since my 21" is 1600 x 1200, if I need to work with multiple computers, I can fit their entire desktop (800 x 600 or 1024 x 768) in a window and then ALT-TAB between them. Much better than arcane keyboard sequences.
I like it. I think SlashDotters should pressure Symantec for a Linux version. I mean, they support DOS so it's obviously a console-friendly product. Maybe someone can even creat an open source alternatice or figure out the protocol (it's just sending graphic images and capturing keyboard/mouse activity).
- JoeShmoe
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
-- I wonder which will go down in history as the bigger failure: the War on Drugs or the War on Filesharing
How are Mac keyboard, mice, and monitor supported with the Belkin products?
Does it work well?
Not a Mac-o-phile, just might buy an old one to play with, and test on.
EC
EverCode
I'm going to get one of these (after being recommended by someone else).
Omni*'s are *digital* switches, so the switch won't wear out (like the old mechanical one I've had to use. Doesn't switch properly at times... Avoid at all costs!).
Plus, they have keyboard/mouse emulators, so you don't have to boot the computer with the switch set to it (annoying as hell, and makes it near-impossible to utilize auto-shutdown/watchdog/autostartup programs).
Omnicubes are nice because they use standard cables (unlike omniviews, where you have to buy omniview cables only).
As standard, the Omni*'s have adaptor cables to utilize computers with serial mice, Sun machines (!), and Apple Macs, all from the same PC monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
I ran across the same problem a while back. I picked up a 4 port Belkin OmniCube on sale, and have been really pleased with it.
m /index.html
The only problem you might run into is with serial mice...it doesn't like those one bit.
Check out their products here:
http://www.belkin.com/products/product_index/kv
--
Wyldwolf
I'm running 2 Belkin Omniview 6 PortAT switches in serial to run 10/11 servers at 1152x864. Some of them are dealing better than others, but I think that's do to random video card quality more than the switches. There is a CERTIAN amount of ghosting, but that's hard to avoid and I chalk it up to way too long cable lengths anyway. That's where you'll see your biggest difference, get very good cable, or failing that, just put the ferrite beads around what cable you do have, it does seem to help.
I like music
I use two kinds of these switches currently and am very happy with both. For home use, I bought one from Telenet System Solutions that controls 4 boxes. It's a push-button jobbie and works about a million times better than a pure mechanical one.
At work, I use one from Wright Line, which is actually made by Apex, to stack Suns together. There's also a PC version available. This one is activated by the Print Screen button on the controlling keyboard and you select the port (which you can apply names to) using the arrow and enter keys. Very simple to setup and use, and quite reliable in my experience.
Then I found vnc.
My house is already networked with 24 ports of switched 100Mbit goodness. vnc was the icing on the cake. Cross-platform. Arbitrary window geometries and color depths AND I could still see what was going on with my main machine(s). With the price of a 2-node 100Mbit ethernet kit hovering just over $100US, I don't know if I'd ever bother with KVM
Caveat: I've tried vnc with machines that quite a bit slower than anything I have (the slow ones were 24MB RAM P200s with generic NICs and video cards), on a 10Mbit LAN. I won't say the word painful. I will say that you should maybe keep a newsreader or something open while you wait.
Still there's a certain joy in being able to play xdoom from a Windows box. I can do that. It's cool.
-- I wanna decide who lives and who dies - Crow T. Robot, MST3K
This switch is a medium priced switch retails about $250 (no cables). Allows you to switch to any port via membrane switch or using the keyboard. Additionally, has a scan mode to scan between all live connections each 3-15 seconds. (Good for general monitoring.) This switch requires no outside power (1 less wire) and you can view a station video only if you want. I got mine at www.warehouse.com, since they currently have a $50 rebate on till end of year. Like with any KVM switch don't skimp on the cables, get premium ones!
I've never had a problem with the Black Box switches, we've installed 6. They work PC, Mac and Sun no problem. Their tech support folks answer the phone and they even call back when they say they will (!). Nice looking rack mounts as well.
I'll bet that you could control a cluster of beowulf's with these.... ;)
After asking the guys at work (the Eudora software lab at Qualcomm has about 50 computers in it, and many KVM switches), I finally found the best switch: the 4 port MasterView Plus Switch from Aten.
It has an amazing resolution (1920 x 1440 @ 75Hz -- take a long look at the resolution/refresh rate of other switches), and drives my high-res monitor perfectly (the Belkin I borrowed from work forced me into 1280 x 1024, which is not why I paid US$1200 for my monitor; the display also seemed fuzzy, which sucked). It's a smart switch, meaning you can reboot a machine without having to switch to that machine (the keyboard/mouse are kept active, so the machine thinks it has what it needs). It does PS/2 and serial mice/keyboards, and the lights on front also tell you what machine you're using. Another very cool feature is that it will even keep the capslock/numlock/scroll lock status the same when you switch between machines.
And to top it all off it has the coolest accessory of any KVM switch ever: a stainless steel foot pedal switch. You'll really like this. If you are the type that uses keyboard shortcuts, you'll really impress your friends with the foot switch. Your hands never leave the keyboard. I've even got my Aten KVM switch tucked out of sight, and it doesn't bug me at all because I can hit the pedal when I need to switch. It's very cool.
Get the Aten, you'll like it a lot. It's fairly pricey (about US$250), but worth it.
-B
Ash and Hickory, straight-grained and true, make excellent bludgeons, dandy for the cudgeling of vegetarians.
Som high end monitors like mine NECp1250+ have both D-sub and BNC connectors and with a push of a button on the front of the monitor you can swap between them. :)
I use the Belkin 4 port and found that the images were indeed blurry at even low resolution with the cheap video cables they sell. I swiped a few of the heavy-duty cables off a some spare monitors and used those between the PC's and the switch - all the problems went away. I can't say much bad about the switch, except for the 'mouse wheel problems' already mentioned, but the cheap cable sets Belkin sells definately suck.
(name withheld by request)
I had a similar situation.. here I have two systems and not enough space for 2 K, Vs and Ms. I looked around a bit and the best thing I saw was the Belkin Omnicube.
I bought the cube from some online place and set it up, doubling the tangle of wires behind my system immediately. After turning on both systems, I noticed that on one, the video was nigh unreadable, and on the other, it was slightly fuzzy, just enough to get on my nerves.
This is unacceptable. The one that was unreadable was my linux box, berry, who decided to start flickering uncontrollably when hooked up to this evil box. How did I solve this? Buy better cables. I went downtown and picked up the most inanely expensive monitor extension cables money could buy. I ended up spending $80 on monitor extension cables. These things were gold plated, had all sorts of RFI protection, you name it.
Berry still flickered. Damn! Much less so, but it still pissed me off. Carrot, on the other hand, was quite alright now.
What it turned out to be: I also had one of those evil DVD decoder cards in line with Berry (it was a dual boot machine, no more.) I pulled it out and moved the DVD over to Carrot. Now everyone plays nice -- except--
The damn scroll mouse. I have a Logitech scroll mouse that I love to pieces and wouldn't sell for any amount of BeOS stock a few weeks ago. The scroll thing works fine when I start up just one machine, but if I hit the switch, it loses all scroll functionality. Even if I go back to the main machine again-- just because I hit that switch once, both computers seem to have forgotten what a scroll wheel does. Gah. Belkin confirmed this 'issue' but have no solution.
Thing is, now with my super-massive cables, I wouldn't trade this setup for anything. But caveat emptor, because as simple as these devics sound, they're a pain in the ass.
I can reccommend Raritan switches for this :)
Our server farm is full of these things, about 30 keyboards/monitors for a few hundred machines.
Not only do they work for switching between our IBMs (NT/Intel) boxes but also our Suns (Solaris/Sparc) and Digitals (DEC/Alpha).. all using a standard pc monitor/keyboard/mouse.. and yes.. the scroll wheel does work with the switch :)
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I had this exact same problem roughly a year ago. I solved this by using my PC (running windows 98) and a combination of VNC, and SuperX from Frontier technologies.
Super X is a sweet X server that allows logins via XDMCP. I have no problems utilizing my SGI, Sparc's, or my HP9000's with this interface. Those machines running NT are easily remedied by VNC (I log them via "auto admin login" on bootup).
Check out SuperX, if you seriously don't want to invest on an expensive switch, (that WILL incur signal degredation from the computer to the screen, it IS inevitable).
www.frontiertech.com
-Dextius Alphaeus
-- Java is not a Jedi trait... "do, or do not, there is no try" --
I actually do this with my Commodore SX-64 to save space. The keyboards on those things are extendable (separate from the CPU,) so I can put the unit on the floor.
I am very pleased with a Belkin 6 port AT kvm switch I use at work .02C
it is reliable, doesn't cause any errors on the machines on it, and is generally a very useful thing
just my
later
Works great. 4 inputs, both keyboard and mice connector styles. Cheap too, at around $150.
-- Perl Hack, Web Hack, SQL Hack, Guitar Hack
I've used personally, and several professional installations of a product by Magenta Research. They're at www.magenta-research.com. Some measure of programmability on features/options, and built tough. I personally never had a problem with them, but I don't have enough machines at home to justify one.
What?...A candle has only two ends?...
As I type this, I am using a Linksys ProConnect 4-Port CPU switch which IMHO is a real nice digial switch. (I know IS guys who hate Linksys so I expect to get flamed any second now).
:-)
The really nice thing about it is that it lets me mix and match my older and newer components. You can connect either an AT or a PS/2 Keyboard to it, and each computer can connect via its AT or PS/2 keyboard connectors. The same is true of the Mouse, though you have to connect a PS/2 mouse to it.
My setup has the following:
Human Side: MS Natural Keyboard (PS/2), MS Intellimouse (PS/2), and 19" Radius Trinitron Monitor.
Computer Side:
486-133: AT Keyboard, Serial Mouse
P166MMX: AT Keyboard, Serial Mouse
P233MMX: AT Keyboard, PS/2 Mouse
P2-450 : PS/2 Keybaord, PS/2 Mouse
The switch allowed to get rid of all the extra keyboards and monitors and really reclaim a bunch of space in my office. Nothing is my usage has suffered.
Nice things about the switch:
1) The image quality on the monitor is very nice; it supports up to 1600x1200 (My wife got me a 19" Trinitron monitor for my birthday, so I have a good monitor to test with). I can tell the quality difference on the cards with fast RAMDAC's and the lousy ones.. it's about exactly the same as I saw using a directly connected monitor. No problems or glitches when switching to machines at different resoultions and refresh rates.
2) You can switch machines from the keyboard with the sequence . or you can push a button on the unit (which also shows you which machines are active and currently selected) It seems odd, but you quickly get it memorized down to a single motion.
3) Caps lock, Num Lock, (and I guess Scroll Lock) settings are unique to each machine, and when you switch machines, the keyboard is restored to that's machines settings.
4) Been as reliable as my Linux box on the Cable Modem (Both of which helped by being on a UPS)
Odd Things about the switch:
1) I have an Intellimouse hooked up to it, and only the computers that use the PS/2 Mouse connections receive the mouse wheel information. Those with serial connections don't get them. A Call to Linksys tect support said they just didn't include support for that in it.
2) The keyboard sequence to change machines listed in the manual is incorrect. I had to get the correct sequence off their web site.
The price:
When I bought it about a year ago, I paid $200 for the switch. While I was up visiting a friend in Detroit last month, we stopped in CompUSA and saw it for $129, which my friend prompty then bought. (and has had no problems with).
Cable sets seem to be pricy. I bought a bunch of matching, generic cables at Fry's and have had no problems. I think I paid around $12 per 3-cable set.
Issues for the Future
1) There is no sound switching. I have one set of nice speakers to go along with my one Monitor, one Keyboard, and one Mouse. Why don't the manufacturs include support for audio switching as well? To my knowledge, not a single switch brand does this yet. If they think I might want to hear error beeps from the non-focused machine, do they think I'm not smart enough to hook up another set of speakers?
Anyway, I solved this by buying a 4-port Audio Selector at Frys (Sony, SB-A40, $30), but that means I have to reach over and manually switch it.
2) USB support. I'm not sure what technical issues are involved in this, but if Future PC's are expecting USB mice and Keyboards, someone will have to make a switch that handles it. I wonder if it's possible to do mix-and-match USB to PS/2 and AT converting...
3) Given #1 and #2, what about Game Controller support?
I think what is really happening here is that serious CPU Switches (as opposed to those mechanical switchboxes) are leaving the exclusive domain of the IT business users and finding their way into homes and other personal uses. As they make that move, prices are under pressure to go down, and features to go up.
I use a rare unknown unit made by Multitech. Its called the Multitech Multiarray switch. It is rack mountable (I love rack mount!). It comes out of the box ready for 9 ports, and 3 of them can be chained without stealing the 9 ports on each. Not only this... the actual connectors on the unit are 25 pin ports. So if you used good sheilded Male to female 25 pin "serial/parallel" cables you can extend out the distance between the switchbox and the devices. It does NOT have keyboard support for changing the port. and after about a year, I accidently broke the up/down toggle switch. So after about 8$ in radio shack parts, I have a 20' corded remote control.. with the up/down buttons on it. a 1/8th inch stereo jack in the back of the box, a 20' stereo headphone extension cable, project box and two nice square pushbuttons... We have it in the rack in the dining room. Works great for all the PCs in the racks... the unix machines we have tied to a portmaster.... I would definitly say for the buck its awesome. Of course the other day my roomate found a 4 port Belkin like box in a dumpster. It works fine. Just my luck. But I am still happy with my switch. The cables teh switch comes with are about 6' in length... and have PS/2 style keyboard connectors and 9 pin mouse connectors... so a handfull of PS/2 to AT adaptors might be in order. I coudln't find that many ports for that amount of money. I didn't really care about having the keyboard macro... hitting a long key sequence.. its easier to reach over and hit up or down. I like to roll thru them quick. It also uses a 7 segment LED display to show the port (0 thru 9.. 0 being passthru to the next switchbox). I would have posted this under its own heading... but I guess anon cowards can't post new topics. - Tele Monster / www.757.org
I control a network of 118 machines, mixed Linux, Solaris, QNX and all flavours of MicroSloth. I run ORL's VNC, which is GPL'd except for the QNX boxes which I use Phindows running under WINE for.
:v)
The great beauty of VNC is that you don't even need a graphics card in the PC, which more than pays for the network card that you do need.
Vik
I've been using a Belkin Omniview SE 2 port KVM Switch (here or here) for the past few months with no problems at all. I run it at 1600x1200 resolution on a 21 inch monitor and have noticed no video degradation at all. However, it will do you no good if your KVM switch supports very high resolution if you hook up cheap cables between it and your monitor and computer. Get triple-shielded VGA cables and you shouldn't have any worrys. Yes, they cost a bit more, but you don't have to worry about moire patters all over your screen.
One other nice thing about the Belkin switches is that they have something called "integrated mouse conversion technology." What that means, simply, is that one of my computers hooked to the KVM switch uses a PS/2 mouse and one uses a serial mouse, but both are controlled by one PS/2 mouse connected to the switch. The only thing it doesn't convert is the Microsoft Mouse Wheel. Also, if you want to expand in the future, you can daisy chain it with other KVM Switches and switch more computers.
I'd say keep the keyboards attached for the following reasons:
/dev/cdrom
o Some motherborads need it (press F1 to continue)
o Only $5 each
o Useful for correcting stupid mistakes (ifconfig eth0 down)
It's suprising how many problems you can solve "blind." Need to know if ethernet if up?
(ifconfig eth0 | grep UP) || eject
Ryan
I use a Cybex Switchview 4-port KVM and it works perfectly. I run 3 Novell servers and 1 Linux server (including X Windows). I haven't had any reliability problems. You could probably get one for less than $200. I think that the part number is 10040.
The mouse doesn't like changing between the 2 computers (just a simple unpowered 2 position switch). Though keyboard and monitor don't have any problems whatso ever.
In X the mouse goes nutso (even if gpm or X wasn't running previously). The only way I can get it back properly in linux is to reboot the box. But between 2 windows boxes no problems.. Maybe it's my settings any suggestions???? (email me).
P.S. I got me a Logitech cordless radio keyboard and cordless radio wheel mouse...(hehehe I don't like being attached).
I have a very nice NTI switch its modular you can get cards for PC/Mac/SUN/USB for the comuters and same fot the users. Thay come in a range of configuations. I've nerver had a problem with mine. Ive got a 2 user to 8 computer switch. Thay also do cheaper PC only switches.
I've been very happy with my Belkin KVM switch, the OmniCube 4-Port. They also make a two-port and an eight port. Don't get the two-port model; the four-port costs just a bit more and will be worth it down the road. I got mine for less than $90, and you'll need a set of cables for each computer you want to hook up (none are included). The sets are $20 each.
The dimensions are approximately 2"tall x 8"wide x 5"deep. (Don't hold me to that, it's not in front of me right now!) The computer-to-port cables and the monitor plug into the back, and the mouse and keyboard plug into the front (PS/2). It's powered by your standard wall-wart AC adapter.
You switch PCs by means of a button on the front of the case, or by tapping "scroll lock" twice quickly (the KVM will beep) and pressing the number of the PC (1-4). There are four LEDs on the front of the KVM to let you know which PC currently has control.
I've been using mine for about six months with two PCs, and I've had no trouble yet.
Check out http://www.belkin.com/ for more info.
I bought mine at http://www.buy.com/.
Good luck!
--
I like to watch.
4 port, AT and PS/2 in/out switch. I've deployed 3 of these at various sites. They will concurrently deal with Windoz and Linux. Never failed. 2 of the 3 sites have 25' cable runs from the switch to the computers. Works better than I might have thought. See http://www.centralcomputer.com if you have problems with availability in your area.
HELO! RCPT TO:Illn wit My Belkin. The scroll lock, scroll lock number action is lame. I use FBSD and well half the time I typing into my scrollback buffer. If you living in X it is mostly ok. So I remedied this problem by wiring a switch from the box out to my keyboard to cycle through the units. The belkin unlike some other switch boxes doesn't have a way to reset all the mice in a chain. sometimes when things REALLY get fubar you have to reset a machine. NOT something you want to do in a SERVER environment. Home use it doesn't matter. But if you going server or a quality nazi get an Apex. they have a nice little text overlay menu to boot.
The entire line of KVM switches from black box appears to work well. I have several different models at work.
The smallest 4 port version (they have even smaller ones) has both a switch on the front, led indicators, and can be activated by ctrl-ctrl-(a|b|c|d) in sequence for the 4 screens. This key combination is a problem if you play games where ctrl is used to fire a weapon or something.. (nettrek), but otherwise, they work fantastically.
They can also take their power from the keyboard, or, alternatively, if you don't want to use keyboard (or if you want to go longer distance, I think) you can throw on a power supply (forget the specification. Prolly 12Vdc)
We have some of their larget 25 port switches, and they also work fantastically.
I'll second the monitor resolution problem. It's great for use in servers, but for workstations at high resolutions, I experienced a flashing of the screen which was untolerable for more than 2 seconds.
I've been using a switch from Network Technologies that I've liked quite a bit.
I sprung $1k for an 8-port rack-mount version, but it's less money for other versions. The
reason I got it is that it's cross-platform and I don't have to give up my Sun type-5 keyboard.
Another possibility (expensive as well) is Cybex. They make cross-platform switches that switch not
only your keyboard, mouse and video, but also serial and audio.
Apex switchs are very fine. They have some kick ass features. A pretty decent price can be found on the bidness shaft site. http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.asp?EDC=1 48131 http://www.apex.com/ drool.
VNC isn't up to his task anyway. If the network goes down or the machine won't boot then he's back to square one with reconnecting monitors, keyboards, and mice. That's a hassle.
My point is this: If you've got something to say that answers the question, then post it. Otherwise... Just because it works for you, doesn't mean it's the absolute answer to everyone's problems. Let's keep it focused and try to be helpful.
-----------
"You can't shake the Devil's hand and say you're only kidding."
or BO2K for win
i have used every monitor/input switching device on the market, and they all show artifacts to some extent.
a lot of people say "i don't see anything wrong" but i have never seen one where i couldn't see the difference right away.
especially since it changes by video card, monitor, lot # of the drivers used on the video card/monitor, cable, position of the cables, etc.
if you are one of the lucky people who can't see the difference, or has the "golden" combination of parts to make it work, awesome.
as for me, once i noticed the artifacts on one machine, i couldn't take my eyes off them, even when i switched to a machine where i had formerly never seen them. it gave me headaches, etc.
Sorry for the harsh words; but the products are weak. they can't control for the harsh reality of the card/monitor/cable quality.
I have 4/5 computers at home that perform various functions. My main computer has dual video and is my gaming / DVD / internet machine ( win98 sadly ). For this I have a dedicated high quality monitor / keyboard. But I also have a second video card in it connected to a second, lesser quality switched monitor.
:)
Because several of my other machines run in Text mode ( servers / burners ), the video quality was not an issue for me. However I still do 1024 X and have a second NT / 98 box ( for networked games ). So I have all high quality vid cables ( at my local computer fair, they cost me $10 as opposed to the $4 for cheaper VGA ). The switch box does introduce noticable distortion, but only for very small text. It's been fine for Linux development ( so long as I choose my font / color scheme appropriately ).
My switch box cost me $25 at the fair ( 4-way KVM ). I run into the problem of having to switch over in order to boot the machines, and on some boxes I need to "gpm -k ; gpm -t ps2" to reactivate my mouse after switching to other boxes. ( anybody know if there's a better way? )
I seriously doubt this cheap solution is any good for very high res monitors. It only works if you can dedicate one monitor / machine for your main work, and just have others for occasional use ( where loss of quality is acceptible )
Still, I like toys, and am willing to sacrafice quality over quantity of toys.
If you have the money though, $100 active boxes are your best bet. Personally I don't find value in the KB key capturing for switching ( unless you really do it often ). ( In my mind, the greatest value of switch boxes are to reduce the cost of monitors.. Buying a thousand dollar box ( as I think I've seen suggested here ) really seems to push it ).
Alternatively, getting eXceed ( or the free MixServer ) for windows, or VNC for Windows / Linux will allow you to consolidate displays.
-Michael
-Michael
the cheap ones:
...
1) keyboard works well
2) serial mouse too
3) ps/2 mouse, when switched in text mode, works ok
4) video doesn't work well (>38kHz)
the expensive ones:
1) keyboard, mouse ok
2) video is limited to the specific model (like 70kHz)
what works:
if you just use 2 computers: get a cheap switch for keyboard and mouse and switch the video on your monitor.
if you use more computers: do the same with the 2 computers you need x-hardware-accel for and use remote X for the others
CU
- There is absolutely no verification process that goes on when a site is added to the list. Average Joe User says "This domain spammed me" and it gets added to the list, no questions asked.
- It blocks an entire domain, not specific users. The result of this is an incredibly high signal to noise ratio in the effectiveness of the list. If one person from an ISP with a 10,000 member subscriber base spams someone who complains to the RBL, any of the sites which filter through RBL will no longer accept mail from those 9,999 other innocent users.
I myself have had mail blocked from being sent because of the RBL. I have done nothing wrong and have spammed no one. The RBL simply serves to provide a simple solution to simple-minded people while punishing 99% of the people for the actions of 1%. It accomplishes nothing productive and I encourage anyone who calls themselves a "supporter" of the RPL to strongly reconsider.I scored an old Labtam XTerms for $5 AUD (that's about $3.50 USD). It does 8 bit colour at a decent res (1024 x 768 at least) and my plan is to connect all my boxen to the one terminal. The PC which has Windows on it will probably be the only other monitor and run an X server as well. (and I'm going to get a VT-101 because that's what I learnt Unix on).
:o)
I like the XTerm because it's a neat solution with no monving parts to break conflict with hardware, I can also put the hardware itself away in another room and it's silent since the Xterm has no fan.
X
"Everything is adjustable, provided you have the right tools"
i've used 3 different types of cybex switches... they all work wonderfully.. and the modular stuff with the autoboot commander is quite impressive.
Looking at Onsale.com, they had a nice variety of switches from Belkin, Apex, Cybex, and more. Even if you don't want to buy there, they have all of the specs and such there to compare. Just do a search for KVM.
For high-end solutions, you can't go wrong with the Outlook series from Apex (http://www.apex.com/products/outlook.htm), especailly the EL-160DT. Don't dink around with cheap products. Unfortunately, I haven't seen a good solution from anyone for switching when using USB peripherals. Given that Win2000 will support USB, and the various Unix and Unix like OSes are beginning to as well, some solution will need to come along soon.
I'd have to say these kick some serious ass. We are using a couple of the Matrix ServSwitches at work and they really make life a lot easier. The cool thing about the matrix version is that you can have two consoles (if you so desire), both having access to all the machines on the switch. These boxes are rather expensive, so you might want to look at the ServMaster. If the quality is anything like the Matrix boxes, they will be just what the doctor ordered.
Albert Pender
I (and my co-workers) used the BlackBox 4 port switches with a varity of PC's (Linux and Win), Suns, and HP workstations (the HP's aren't really supported though). They are pretty pricy > $400 but they work well enough that you shouldn't get flicker or wierdness, even at high resolution.
If you're someone who is bothered by refresh less than 75 or faint shadowing, then you should also spring for high end shielded cables (at least for the monitor and your main machine). They are also pricy > $40 but they make a big difference.
- bridgette
Nope, I beleive the post was informative. VNC is a workable solution. And, if you are using a KVM on servers, get real. You spend big $$$ on servers, yet you won't spend a few bucks on a cheap ass monitor/keyboard/mouse combo? KVMs aren't reliable enough for a 24/7 server, IMHO.
:-(
The post was offtopic, though. That's what it deserves. The WINDOZE 2000!!!! post deserves flamebait.
>Just because it works for you, doesn't mean it's the absolute answer to everyone's problems.
Ummmmmm, but that pretty much means we should ALL shut up, right? Just because a certain KVM works for me doesn't mean it will be the absolute answer to everyones problems, so why even bother?
>Let's keep it focused and try to be helpful.
Good Idea! So why is slashdot discussing moderation in the wrong place and time, again?
I used to have a 2 way switch, but the analog switch it used was pretty hacky, it introduces heaps of noise and interferance. The picture used to shake, it was pretty poor. Ive gone back too 2 monitors, a good one and an old hacky one that i dont use much. Im waiting for someone to make a DIGITAL KVM switch, that would rock. But you dont necessarilty need a monitor for your linux box... telnet, remote x sessions etc
Title says it all. We use them at work for our machine rooms and desktops; they're flaky and kill your eyes (I hope you're not planning on using a kvm with a high-quality gfx card/monitor combo anyway)
Cole's Law: Thinly sliced cabbage
I'd like to be able to use multiple PC's, with their own monitors from one pc's keyboard/mouse, and switch control from one machine to another via a hotkey, over TCP/IP, so I don't have keyboards, and mice everywhere. Maybe hack up VNC a bit (or maybe it already supports this?)
nt
I've been looking around for a switch that can handle sun sparcs (and preferably accomodate a pc or two as well, but that's not necessary). I haven't been able to find one that's not outrageously expensive. Anyone have any leads on a 4 way switch, under $300 if possible?
Here is the situation:
I have two monitors, and two computers, and in 6 months will have two more;
What I want to do is to be able to (for the time being) have one monitor/keyboard/mouse set infront of me, and another two the side, and be able to swap which console connects to which computer easily.
It would be nice, but is not required, that I be able to have the two consoles connect to any two of n computers, and be able to set this in an intelligent fashion...
any ideas/products?
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars --Oscar Wilde
Grrr. my nick is "Forward the Light Brigade"...
... though I imagine anything from BlackBox will work just peachy. They cost a bit more, but all products come with lifetime technical support and support monitors up to 1600x1200. I use it to switch between Win9x, WinNT, and Linux and it works great in all OSes.
The only problem I have with it is on my IBM Stinkpad... the mouse goes nuts on me more often than not. Of course, the docs do warn about my particular model not being compatible with laptop docking stations, so this doesn't come as a complete surprise.
-- PhoneBoy
The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of anyone, including the poster.
Basically, everything I run is some form of UNIX. What would be nice is a console server that I can use for remote access and setup. (To include being able to set/reset BIOS settings) I remember seeing a card that was supposed to do that a while back, but is there anything commercially available (and affordable) for x86 boxen?
In the immortal words of Socrates, who said; 'I drank what?'
Where I work we have about 5 Apex 4-ports and about 10 8-ports and every one has gotten at least one port failed. SOme of them don't like MS Intellimice, and there are issues with weak- video signals on at least two where the computer doesn't recognize the signal from the PC... --anonymous because I registered a long ass time ago and the password is being mailed to some old outdated address...
I suspect that other switches in the same price category will work similarly well.
Make sure you get descent video cables. Cables that bundle video, keyboard, and mouse together are a big convenience.
I had a Belkin before and both its keyboard emulation and its video quality left a lot to be desired; I returned it to the dealer after a week.
For evaluation of the video, I recommend running in the highest bandwidth video mode your video card will support (say, 1600x1200 at a fast refresh rate). For evaluation of the keyboard switch, try power cycling machines in various combinations. Also, if it matters to you, try playing some FPS games and see whether the key sequences of the switch are a problem and whether it locks up under that kind of usage.
You fail to mention whether you have more than 4 machines -- this seems to be the cut-off between a cheapo box and a serious bit of hardware.
My suggestion would be to go for systems if you have the space -- one really good high res screen, decent keyboard and best mouse/trackball/pad/... you can find, and a cheapo, low-res set. The first you use with X, VNC or whatever for normal use, and the latter you put on a KVM switch for all those `occasional' uses (such as resetting the BIOS).
We use the Dakota vista (old and more expensive) and scout (new, cheap and chearful) for `individual' use up to 4 machines -- as I remember, around UKP 60. They work up to 1600x1289@80Hz, and have the basic facilities (switch using keyboard or pressing button on the box itself, auto scan and the like, and take PS/2 or serial mice).
For our processor farm, we tried a ComSwitch TeamServer QST2/8 but sent it back as it was impossible to select a new port if the current post `broke'. Instead we got a BlackBox ServSwitch. This allow multiple boxes, each with up to 16 ports, to be connected together on a `4 slot' bus which can have up to 4 controlling KVMs at a time. It has various artefacts at 1600x1200, but we bought it to sort out BIOS problems and the like.
Points to look for are
- OSD Can it display the currently selected host, or do you have to poke around to work out which the current (broken) host is
- control Can you regain control if the current host is bust, e.g. type blind `selct host foo' or at least `go to next port'.
- stats If you have multiple KVMs, can you work out which one is using which port
- locking If youy have multiple KVMs, can one lock out all other KVMs `by mistake'
- fkipping I find I use the facility to go back to the previous host a lot
- mice Can it cope with the mouse you want to use and the mouse connectors that the hosts have
- resolution You get what you pay for.
- bus If going for a multi-KVM system, check that any KVM can access any host, and that all KVMs can be used at the same time.
Don't buy it until you've tried it !If managing a processor bank in a machine room, consider getting KVM extenders so that you can do it all from your office (we build a Reset Server so that we can reset any machine remotely, and a Console Server so that you can connect to the serial console line once it's got as far as the LILO prompt -- I can now try out iffy kernels from home, and recover if things go wrong!).
I have had excellent performance out of my Cybex SwitchView with a mixed environ of linux, SCO, and Windows.
They are releatively cheap, have keyboard and manual control, work flawlessly, use standard cables, and do not require independent power sources.
http://www.realweasel.com/
... on Red Hat 5/5.1/5.2/6 and M$ 95/NT. Not a single problem and on average it gets switched over 100 times a day. Business use not hobby use BTW.
I am tired and it is late, but I wanted to add a comment on this as well. I use Raritan cosole switches and kvm switches at work and they all work very, very well, even with those damned Compaq servers. Reliable (we have only had a few go bad out of probably 120 in the company, and these are the big ones (32 hookups). In fact, I have used their APKME active mouse/keyboard blocks on my home boxes for a while -- I can hot-swap video OK, but not really the mouse and keyboard. Generally I don't have to, but I do a lot of screwing around (that's why I have the boxes there) and sometimes I cannot ssh in so I have to reconnect. I bought six of these at $80 each and think that it was money well spent. No, that wasn't a typo. I think that anyone running a PC-type box that just may have problems if a keyboard is not connected and DEFINITELY someone who has to run NT should have one of these.
I have been impressed by Raritan's quality and service. They can't market worth shit, but they make good stuff. I believe in rewarding that.
Do:
--- get the Raritan all-in-one kvm cables (easier to put in and label, cleaner installation, and they are high quality, for minimal signal degradation, even at 1024x768 @ 85kHz)
--- make sure that you read the manual (they can do some really interesting things)
--- talk to your local sales rep (they can get you deals if any come up, suggest what to do and not do -- unusually clued for sales reps)
Don't:
--- use cheap cables
--- forget to keep a second known good keyboard, monitor, and mouser around in case one of any (or all) goes south on you (take it from me, that is a silly irritation, especially at 04:00 in the morning)(so don't find other uses once you have decreased the kvm population -- save a known good unit of each just in case)
And to go off-topic a little (before I get a few hours of sleep), where everyone else has suggested VNC, I would suggest PC Weasel. http//www.realweasel.com Really. I may get one just to try out.
Those who do not understand X are condemned to reinvent it, poorly.
(Not that you really need X for administrative tasks.)
(And not that I really understand X.)
I installed a IBM Netfinity RACK system and it came ( was ordered with ) a switch. Totally electronic, you hit the print screen key to bring up a menu. It worked very well between a Linux box and a NT box. THe machines were netfinity 7000 M10s and all the other hardware was IBM stuff. I.E. IBM kbd, monitor, and mouse... BUT the switch was from a different manufacturer. Can't remember which one but it was sold as a package. It was all PS/2 based and I'm really sure it would work with other hardware. Neither GDM or X ever threw a fit about the switchover and Neither did NT. It really worked well. Also it would handle up to 10 devices i believe.
CS
Hmm. I have had a completely different experience with Cybex, granted it is with a different Cybex product. At home, I use a Cybex Switchview and have been very pleased with it. It uses industry standard cables for keyboard, mouse, and video (I use ps/2 devices off of it, though you can attach a serial mouse). It doesn't need an external power supply -- it gets it from the devices. Switching between different machines is easy. I have never had a problem with it. I can easily (re)boot another machine without needing the focus of the KVM on it. I have never had problems switching between machines on any device.
d 35042503f299862566e0006ca50e/f031cef660711 8be86256793006ab0a6?OpenDocument
I would contrast this with my experience with a Belkin at work, though I forget exactly which model. The Belkin doesn't always catch the keyboard commands to change focus, forcing me to repeatedly type in the command to change focus. Sometimes the keyboard stops working at all and I will have to cycle through the other machines to get the keyboard to work again (via the button on the KVM that is on the other side of my desk). Lastly, the Belkin requires its own power supply. This not that big of an issue, but becomes annoying when there is yet another device hungry for an outlet.
All in all, the Belkin has not been a favorite product of mine. For me, the Cybex Switchview has been very reliable and a pleasure to use. I always have a machine on at home and thus far have had no trouble with the Cybex.
sf
p.s. for a link to Cybex:
http://www.cybex.com/
for the Cybex Switchview:
http://www.cybex.com/cybex/cybexobjects.nsf/cef
I was in the same boat a few months ago. I had a Compaq KVM switch which got fried. I looked around and the only replacement I could find at the right price was the 4 port Belkin Omni Cube.
I got one for £120 ($160 ish) and the cables set me back another £80 ($115). When I got it home I hooked it up to my Belinea 21" monitor.
I got a LOT of ghosting on the screen and shadows when the image was not high contrast. I went back to PC-World (what a mistake that was!) and was told that there wasn't a problem with any of it - thats just how it works!
I ended up calling Belkin's UK support team. They were fantasticly helpful - they spent 2 hours trying different refresh rates with me etc (and they knew what linux was!).
They suggested that I try another (higher spec) cable. I went and purchased that and it didn't solve anything. I called them back on Saturday afternoon (UK Time) and after a hell of a wait got through to an American guy.
After a few minutes of conversation, he asked me how I got his number. It turned out that the UK support line transfered over to the states as it was "out of hours". This then got transfered around the, closed, belkin offices until it reached the Managing Director who was working late!!! (I have verified this via email and further conversations!).
He got a new cable and box shipped out to me the following Monday for no charge. This didn't solve the problem (incompatable monitor aparently) and they refunded ALL of my money and allowed me to keep the cables which they sent me.
All in all an impressive product (shame it didnt work out for me) with a fantastic support team backing it up.
I would recommend one.
Linux - the ultimate Windows NT service pack
ServSwitch from Blackbox - ni-i-ce!
Title says it all. I'm having trouble finding good quality shielded vga cables here. Any pointers?
Or use programs to toggle the caps lock key in morse for output (yeah, I may have gotten that from some book).
-
We cannot reason ourselves out of our basic irrationality. All we can do is learn the art of being irrational in a reasonable way.
I use a Cybex Switchview (4 port version) for my PCs in my office. It works very well, but it does have some issues.
:)]
Firstly the good points:
1) It has one big button on the front for switching between PCs. Each press switches to the next connected PC.
2) Switching between the PCs can also be done with the keyboard. Hitting the CTRL key twice within one second passes the keyboard control over to the switchview. Then hitting the letter corresponding to the channel you want (A, B, C, D) and enter will switch to that channel.
3) There is no external power source. It will take it's power from the keyboard port of any of your PCs
4) They can be daisy chained - though this does require an external power source. Thus, changing with the keyboard becomes CTRL, CTRL, A, B, ENTER to change to channel B on the SwitchPort the is connected to channel A of the SwitchPort your keyboard/Monitor/Mouse is connected to.
The Switchview comes in 2, 4 and 8 port versions. The 8 port version doesn't seem to have keyboard control, but we do have an old 8 port and it could have been changed since then. The 8 port, however, does have 9 buttons on the front of it, and is in a more sturdy metal case (the 2 and 4 ports are is smaller but more bulky plastic cases).
Bad points:
1) Definately with the 4 port version (haven't noticed on the 8 port), there is ghosting on the screens. It's not overly bad on lower resolutions. I use 1024x768 and do notice it sometimes. Depends on the colours on the screen.
2) Keyboard control cannot be disabled. This means that for something like Quake, if the CTRL key is set for Fire, then shooting twice means you no longer have keyboard control to your PC until you hit ENTER. The 8 port version, which would actually sit nicely under a monitor, wouldn't have this problem.
3) Scan rates and resolutions are limited. I don't have the manual to hand - I think 1280x1024 is the max it can handle, but it might be as low as 1024x768.
This Switchview suits me fine in work. I can easily switch between my 2 (ugh!) NT boxes, my MSDOS box (yep, I still use DOS 6.22), and my Linux Box (Redhat 6.0). [Natually, the Linux box is the most powerful even though it isn't officially used on site!
I have seen the Compaq one in use on our Compaq servers. I haven't done a complete test of them, as such, but they do look well. I haven't noticed any Ghosting, but they only run the servers at 800x600[256]. However, some nice points about them...
1) Switching is done with the keyboard. Hitting the PrtScn button will bring up a menu on screen where you select the PCs you have connected
2) The items in the menu can be configured and named.
3) It doesn't suffer from "I can't play Quake" syndrome!
As for bad points, I can't think of any. The box does require external power, doesn't have any lights or buttons on the front, is 19" rack mountable, and will probably sit under a Montitor, or sideways between a couple of PCs. I wouldn't mind getting my hands on one to test it out fully.
T.
I've got a 4-port Belkin OmniCube here linked to four PPro boxes running a variety of operating systems including various Linux flavors, Solaris, FreeBSD, OS/2, BeOS, and both Windows 95 OSR2 and Windows NT, and I can reboot any of them in the background. As long as I don't play with the KVM switch during the boot process, they all seem to detect the mouse and keyboard just fine. It's strange (to me) that it didn't work for you. Do you have it plugged in properly?
--
-Rich (OS/2, Linux, BeOS, Mac, NT, Win95, Solaris, FreeBSD, and OS2200 user in Bloomington MN)
Mainframe/UNIX Bit Twiddler and long time Windows/Linux Hobbyist.
The Theorem Theorem: If If, Then Then.
I'm using 10' cables and see some slight shadowing, but it seems fine for the most part at that resolution. I don't do graphics work, tho. :-)
--
-Rich (OS/2, Linux, BeOS, Mac, NT, Win95, Solaris, FreeBSD, and OS2200 user in Bloomington MN)
Mainframe/UNIX Bit Twiddler and long time Windows/Linux Hobbyist.
The Theorem Theorem: If If, Then Then.
I have had problems with Belkin KVMs but I currently use CYBEX. Extremely reliable and effective. A very nice feature of the CYBEX is that it doesn't have any power source. It feeds off the PS/2 for power. This is especially convenient for quick setups or when you don't have a power socket available.
I got the omnicube right when It came out (paid $110 for it). Since one of my workstations is at 1600x1200x75hz it looked TERRIBLE (ie. I couldn't read the screen at all) when using some of the cheap monitor cables I had laying around. The solution? I went to www.ultraspec.com and forked over $35 for one of their "ultra" 2M cables and another $25 for one of their "premium" 1.8M cables for my server at 1152x864x75hz Yeah paying almost $40 for a monitor cable is a little ridiculous but let me tell ya....the difference even between the "premium" and "ultra" cable was huge! Using the ultra cable, I don't notice a difference from not having it....the shielding in this thing is amazing....well worth the $35 IMHO.
The fuzziness problem isn't with the KVM...I've found the omnicube to be pretty good at that actually. The problem is in the shielding in the cable...since now you basically double the distance the signal travels through (if you have a 2M cable from pc to kvm and a 2M from kvm to monitor). The longer the cable the fuzzier the screen. So the better shielding your cable has, the more you offset this effect.
Right now I have one machine at 1600x1200x75, 2 machines at 1152x864x75, and another at 1280x1024x75. And they all look great. The problem though, is when you try going up to 85hz...unless you're using the ultra cable, it'll look worse than 75hz. This might be a limitation of omnicube though. But 75hz is enough for me.
So if you're gonna use high resolutions, get the best cable you can find...I'm sure there are other places...like places that sell industrial computer equipment you may find cables that can withstanding environments with high EMI.
-dr0ne
I too used a plain wafer switch, but had to run diodes across the +5V lines to the keyboard, so that the kbd in use always got power, 2 years now and no problems
Hmm, should I have patented it? :)
Another option for output is audio. Anone remember the PC-Speaker driver for Windows 3.1?
Rich
I've been using VNC to manage multiple PCs from a single monitor/keyboard. (All the PCs are networked, and you can use any combination of Windows, UNIX, etc.)
Check it out: http://www.uk.research.att.com/vnc/
I've got a cheap mechanical 4 port switch setup next to my monitor.
Cost about AUD 150 / USD 100 to setup including cables about a year ago, probably cheaper now. Good video cables are important for the connections you care about. I have 2 good and 2 cheap.
Under windows and linux console mode I usually don't have problems switching quickly, however under Linux when using X, I must switch to console mode to switching connections otherwise the mouse locks up. I guess this means the mouse needs resetting after switching, and maybe windows does it automatically.
In most cases, if the network boxes are close to UNIX based(linux,aix,hpux,Vxworks,etc) then a console server is the most cost effective and reliable solution.
X applications can be remoted displayed, and any management can be done via the console port. The console port is an RS232 in the serial port of the target station. These permit access even when networking is down, X is crashed, daemons are acting funny...
You can have from 8 ports to 72 ports (or more) and their cost is nothing compared to equivalent KVM solutions! Of course, these only work for Network Nodes that support some form of NON-GUI interface. (Switches, Routers, UNIX stations, etc)
And for anyone installing a network, or servers, these are a critical part of design that should
not be forgotten.
Kilian
I'm using a "Master View" brand electronic one at work. it only switches 2 computers, but it's been flawless so far over 6 months or so. just hit the button and voila!
Fook
The price we pay for immortality... is death. Narnia The Great Fall
But if someone can point me to some 13w3 KVM's
(For Sun, or SGI) i'd appreciate it.
"Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair... Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't fuzzy was he?"
If you plan on doing any kind of decent resolution on the monitor, invest in good cables, they really make a difference.
Anything is possible given time and money.
if you want the best you have to get an apexpc brand switch. www.apexpc.com
You see a problem, I see potential. - Vincent 'Vinnie' Antonelli
We have been using Cybex's Autoboot Commander 4XP KVM product and are VERY happy with it! Multiple servers controlled from 1 to 4 stations with the ability to "watch" one station from another! The largest setup I have seen working, supports 253 servers from 2 stations. The product has been rock solid and the configurations of servers/control stations is endless. The only down side is price. This is NOT a cheap solution, but for a large server farm it ROCKS!
Never had a problem. Got a slew of linux, nt, 98 machines.... no problems switching between them (like losing mouse control or what have you... seen this with cheaper models).
We have a large roomful of boxes connected to Cybex Commander switches. They seem a bit tricky to set up (I don't do that so this is hearsay) but once set up they seem to work well. Documentation was awful last time I saw any, and there wasn't much of it, but this may have changed.
Processor magazine always has pages of ad.s for various brands of KVM switches.
I've been using a Blackbox 8 port KVM for all of our new sun boxes that are being staged for clients and our own use for the past few months. This thing is a life saver and reliable as any I've seen. At my old job, I used a Cybex 8 port KVM for pc's as well and it was a solid box, but I have to say, out of the two, I like the blackbox better (odd considering I heard rumors of Cybex manufacturing the Blackbox units, I could be wrong though)
---------- Hot Rats!
Other method....
Does anyone know if there is any Intel type hardware that supports a serial console from the bios??
Then you just connect them all to a multi-port serial device on a main 'head' machine.
Without a doubt, the best switch I've ever used!! Cheap, small, and reliable with no video distortion.
-With a spoon?
--It hurts worse, you twit!
Your fault: Core Dumped
I use the Omniview Pro and have a 6port SE version off one of the ports. Lately I've been buying cheap alternate systems off ebay to get a better understanding of the os's and to just play around. So now I have a couple sparc's, a couple HP9000/715's, a Indy2 and an RS6000 on the way as well as a couple macs and a bunch of PCs. Belkin has a box to convert the sparcs to ps/2 and handles the video just fine. The HPs use PS2 and normal video, the Indy needs a converter cable for the video as well as the RS6k. I'm using a video adapter and keyboard/mouse converter from Silicon Valley Bus for the Macs (although they only use a serial mouse). Belkin also has a converter for Macs. The Belkin converters are the cheapest (cost wise) that I've found and should work with any KMV.
/. then you'll most likely have bunches of systems in the future.
The important thing is to get the biggest switch you can afford cause if you frequent
The next goal is to get a KVM extender/remote that will allow me to move a bunch of the machines to another place in the house to cut down on the noise. The one I bought was from Cybex and passes video, sound, mouse and keyboard across cat5 up to a couple hundred feet. The systems that I don't stick disks into very often will be moved just leaving the the systems that deal with the scanner, etc in the office.
I also do use vnc but only when computing from another room, there isn't a comparison between vnc and direct connect.
bobm
Good grief...monitors aren't THAT expensive. >It's suprising how many problems you can solve >"blind." Need to know if ethernet if up? >(ifconfig eth0 | grep UP) || eject /dev/cdrom
Micro$oft(R) Windoze NT(TM)
(C) Copyright 1985-1996 Micro$oft Corp.
C:\>uptime
The problem with a monitor and keyboard for every server is not the cost, rather the real estate. Monitors and keyboards are bulky. The desk I often work at has 9 machines under it, but I can only put 3 monitors on it. For me a KVM is a must. As far as reliabilty goes the Linksys KVMs I am using are more reliable then the PC hardware attached to them.
Can anyone reccomend a USB switch? The should be cheap, as USB is hot-pluggable and all.
I would like to control both my new Mac G4/450 and my P2/400 with a USB Keyboard and mouse. Anyone done any cross-platform USB stuff? If I use a Mac keyboard, does the PC see the command key as the control key (keeping the key locations the same), or do I have to relearn which is which?
Thanks,
TwoStep
There are 10 different types of people in this world... those who understand binary, and those who don't.
BlackBox makes absolutely nothing. They put their brand name on Cybex and Rose (among all the other stuff they sell) and mark it up a hefty percentage. Try a smaller reseller for the good switches, but pay 10-20% less. We have skipped blackbox and gone to http://www.dakota-us.com for the same stuff under a different name.
Wait a minute...
KVM's are reliable enough for servers, but VNC is?
Get real.
We use KVM's in our data center and they are very reliable. Compaq also makes a very nice TFT flat screen monitor that folds up and slides into the rack such that the whole solution takes up very little rack real estate.
Working as a SysAdmin for the Government over the summer, I got a chance to do a little research on a few KVM switches and got to implement a matrix system to allow up to 4 workstations control 72 computers (scalable to 256) using Raritan KVM switches.
One thing you should know when looking at KVM switches, is if there is any form of on-screen control, you WILL have problems of some sort (usually minor). I have experienced all kinds of problems with different brands which usually include errors like "no video detected" or the switch doesn't like the refresh rate. For these type of errors, you should look for a switch with a management port that will allow firmware upgrades.
If you are looking for a matrix system (chaining up KVM switches to allow more computers), you need to look at how many workstations you'll need simultaneously, and which "banks" to put the compuers on. For example, if you have a matrix system with 2 banks of computers "BANK A" and "BANK B", and two workstations "WS A" and "WS B"; depending on the system, and how you configure it, you would want to find out if both workstations can access one bank, or one workstation/bank. ie. If WS A is connected to a machine in BANK A, you may not be able to connect WS B to another computer in BANK A. A good matrix system would allow for multiple connecitons to each bank, but this would usually require an extra cable for cascading.
Let me give a basic explanation of most cabling situations in matrix systems: There will usualy be MASTER & SLAVE KVM switches. All of the workstations will be connected to the master switch, and the output ports of each of the slave switches will be connected to the input of the master switch (the master is kind of like a network hub). Each slave switch will be considered a bank (could be thought of as another hub connected to the main switch). If there is one cable connected between the master and slave, there is only enough "bandwidth" to allow one KVM connection to a computer in that particular bank; therefore, most matrix KVM switches will require/allow more connections between each bank and the master if the user wants to have more than one workstation in each bank.
Some interesting things I found available on KVM switches are features such as user level security to allow only certain users on secure computers, video monitoring - to allow one user to control a computer while the other is able to watch what is happening on the video, but not be able to control, and of course, standard stuff like naming each computer for an on-screen menu. Other addon peripherals include such things as allowing the workstation to be over 600ft away from the KVM switch using CAT5 cabling.
One other thing to know is these KVM switches are very expensive, the cost of implementing the system that I did came close to costing $70,000 CAN. But if you are looking for single user versions with only 8 ports, they are available for approx $1500.
From what I found of Raritan switches, they are fairly easy to use, but did have a few minor glitches which most of were fixed by a firmware upgrade. You may want to take a look at Raritan's web site
I've used a great deal of cybex KVM switches, and they are great....the little 8 machine switches are really easy to use, and they let you do a lot of management stuff, but there is no client stuff to do. It doesn't care what os the machines run. The bigger ones are really cool...you can hook a bunch of them together with cat 5 cables and have machines and monitors in multiple places, like if you have a lab, and you want to be able to get to the machines from your office. Really nice stuff...you should check it out....
The HP J1439A 4 port monitor switch works extremely well. You hit print screen to get a menu, then 1-4 to choose the machine.
I've got a 4-way Master View CS-104, and I'm quite happy with it. It's got both types of keyboard and mouse ports. I'm running video at 1600x1200x32@75 and it's crisp. It allows keyboard controlled switching with Ctrl-Shift-Alt #.
I do get some ringing on the video display, but nothing that prevents me using it full time at 1024x756.
You can usually get one of these 4-port switches, with all cables, for less than $100.
See here for more info.
HOWTO get better dates on slashdot
If they are all networked, why not just use vnc to your other machines? It works fine for me if everythign is up. If one goes down I just move the monitor to that machine for the reboot. Its cheaper then any switch.
I've got two of these, in different locations, and they've been great for well over a year. I got mine from Oscar Int'l (www.oscaroscar.com). They use regular cables which keeps the cost down but adds a bit to clutter... Also, I've mostly used a serial mouse, they don't seem to like a mix of serial & PS/2 though the connectors are there.
You can just add a getty to your serial port. If you can't get to your machine over the net, just plug in an old dumb terminal or, my favorite, use PalmTelnet.
-- Don't Tase me, bro!
I bought a Belkin OmniPro (predecessor to the OnmiCube I believe) about 3 months ago, and I can't say enough good things about it. Of course, I didn't expect miracles from it either. I went RGBHV (5-Wire) from the switch to the monitor, to cut down on any blur (I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to monitor clarity - my eyes can't take looking at a less-than-perfect monitor image for any length of time), and the Belkin looks perfect even at 1600x1200x16bpp at 85Hz refresh. Rarely, the keyboard controls get confused, and at $300 it is a bit pricey, but it's worth it...
I'm really surprised to see so many recommendations for Belkin... I've only heard bad things about their boxes.
marijane
I've been using a Cybex Autoview Commander. It's price is pretty high as I remember, but you get what you pay for. At times I have to reset the keyboard and mouse when swithing between machines, but that's just a few key strokes.
IANALBIPOOGL (I am not a Lawyer, but I play one on GrokLaw.)
I have used Belkin, BlackBox and CYBEX switches, prolly some others too and teh CYBEX switches just work soo much better! The downside is they require special cables taht cost about $50 each but they attach to teh back of the switchbox with a screwdown connector so you dont have to deal with PS/2 cables falling out of the switch!
Belkin works if you are on teh cheap but i reccomend CYBEX.
Then we got a Cybex AutoBoot Commander 4XP.
It's awesome, especially because it allows two developers to see/control the same box at the same time. I have 3 NT, two Macs and a Linux box hooked up to it.
I highly recommend Cybex.
We've used some of the Black Box KVMs. They seem to work alright. But, the cables are expensive and are sold separately. I popped open a couple of the units (different Black Box models), and noticed that the circuit boards had "Cybex" stamped on them. So, it seems that Black Box simply rebadges Cybex equipment.
One key thing to look for is if your KVM has a digital boost. Anything that has an analog switch is going to result in signal degradation, which can be deadly over long distances or high monitor resolutions. I can't stand the sort of ghosting that the $200-300 switches give you. Completely unacceptable for desktop use, IMHO. My Cybex Autoview has a digital boost which seems to eliminate this kind of problem. You can also string multiple ones together so a single head can control 64 machines. However, these kinds of features usually adds a lot to the cost.
http://www.cablesnmor.com/switch.html
The only problem I've ever had with it is that after several thousand switching cycles it has gotten a bit touchy about the video on one position, it shows up but is yellow until I wiggle the switch (prolly just a dirty contact, I should go fishing and see if I can't fix that :)
.. is what I prefer.. Always been solid for me, and hitting - and picking a screen is much easier than remembering which button switches to which box...
Your Working Boy,
and they're cheap. About $120 for the two port one. And I think $210 for the 4 port. I used them for trade show demos - so they were frequently disconnected, packed, shipped, reconnected - at home and on my desk at work. Never had a problem in over a year's usage.
There's more to it than this.
What's that and are there any in PHL area?
Flakey video, and the keyboard doesn't switch right either. But for the money, hard to beat - just need to bust out some tuner cleaner to fix the problems.
On the other hand, in a business enviroment with many machines, these won't cut it. One that is an electronic switch would be much better - though much more expensive. In reality, the cost is not that much for a business - too much for home use though (and considering what is in one, I think that price is overly inflated)...
I've recently installed an 8-port MasterView KVM switch (model cs-128 I think), and it is working fine.
One thing you should watch if you have IBM PC's, is that IBM uses the 6th pin on the PS/2 style keyboard connector. This can cause problems with some mice/keyboard combinations.
The solution from the FAQ on the web site referenced in the manual is to clip the 6th pin off. I thought this a bit drastic (it may work ?), and instead tried a different mouse. Otherwise I was getting boot errors saying that there was no mouse connected, even though the switch supplies the correct signals to make the PC's think that it has a mouse connected. I ended up using an older stlye IBM mouse (circa 1997), and had no troubles.
just my $0.02
- bte
>KVM's are reliable enough for servers, but VNC is?
According to 3/4 of the posts in this forum, you're plain wrong. KVMs seem to vary greatly in quality. Period. Don't confuse the issue.
BTW: VNC is rock solid. I've never seen it crash. Not even ONCE...
We gots some nice 5" (yes, 5") black and white VGA monitors at our school... Perfect for little to no realestate. Buuuut, monitor only switches are reliable, since there doesn't have to be any electronics in the switch to work incorrectly (not that mechanical switches produce a good image, but for a server, 640x480 is FINE).
;-)
If you don't have enough room for a tiny keyboard, well, I guess you don't have a choice but to go with a KVM. Too bad... But, keyboard switching seems to work not too bad in these boxes.
Now, here's my question: If you have that many computers crammed so close into one room, you must have a backup generator for the Air Conditioner...
It is a test lab. If the power goes off, the machines go off. No big deal. We dont' even bother with UPSes in the lab. As far as tightly packed goes what I have is nothing compared to the production machine "room". I am guessing they have 2 or 3 times the machines I do crammed into a closet.
I don't see what you problem with KVMs are. We haven't had any problems with them since we went to decent quality "active/smart" boxes. Ones that have electronics in them instead of physical switches. The old ones we used were flaky but the Linksys ones we use now are great.
For my money (actually for my employers money! - and I have no idea how expensive they are) I'd vote for the MasterView CS-104 ... front LED panel to show which CPU you are on, serial & ps/2 mouse, old IBM keyboard or ps/2, 4 ports.
I use it on 3 Linux boxes and a Dec Alpha, no worries!
Bob (no affiliation with the manufacturer!!)
I own a 4 port OmniView SE (PS2 keyboard output & will output to serial or PS2 for each mouse port, PS2 inputs) and like it. It does not scroll at all when I try to use the wheel on my Logitech trackman marble+, but it works fine with a M$ mouse. It will occasionally hang for several seconds when switching for some unknown reason, but thats only very occasionally. Adding and removing machines is easy, but changing the keyboard or mouse is a pain. I have used other KVM's that are easier to use, but the OmniView is the best bang for the buck.
I have a Hawking 2-head unit, and my only complaints are that it makes my Logitech Marble trackball (no wheel) look like a generic 3-button mouse to Windows (no biggie) and, worse, that it sometimes misses fast mouse clicks, especially when I double-click or otherwise click fast some of the clicks don't get through. I haven't tried a cheaper mouse to see if that does any better, but I can't imagine it would.
Anyone else have the "miss a click" problem?
Otherwise, the hot keys seem to work fine, and the machines detect a (generic) keyboard, mouse, and monitor even when I'm switched to the other unit. Except for the missing mouse clicks, it works pretty well for a modern low-cost KVM switch.
Apex all the way! Toss that Belkin crap in the dumpster!
I;ve used both Raritan MasterConsoles (which I use for my servers) and they have been very reliable overall. Just recently had a problem with some of the mouse ports but I have checked in detail what's wrong yet. For servers I prefer the MC's since I know that the keyboard/mouse emulation works flawlessly for me. For my personal desktop and my less critical servers at home I installed an edimax 4 port and its worked very well. The only glitch I occansionaly get is with the intellimouse when I restart a machine and switch at the wroing time during driver initialization (i suspect). But for aBOUT 170 for a 4 port KVM (1 1/2 yrs ago) you couldn't beat it. Just recently we ordered a KVM for PC/MAC that was about 150. Haven't tried it yet but will report back.
If anyone is still around to read this, I just wanted to say that BlackBox.com is my friend. They have this CATALOG! It is bigger than an average phone book, and they are extrememly helpful.
ServSwitch works like a charm, and it is a beautiful thing.
Failure is not an option.
Failure is not an option.
It comes bundled with Windows.
... but they were well worth the money, as they work slicker'n heck.
--
Mark Conty
mdc@isd.net
Mark Conty
mconty@integra.net