[Cialug] KVM switches: recommendations?

[Daniel A. Ramaley]

On Sunday 18 November 2007 17:26, Tom Poe wrote:
>I need to invest in KVM switch.  Any recommendations?  Options?
>Tom

I've had an Aten switch at home for several years to flip between my 
servers. It has always worked quite well. I can switch terminals either 
by hitting a button on the front of the unit or with a key combination. 
I like the key combo on the Aten switches: hit Ctrl-Shift-Alt and 
release them, then type the number of the terminal you want and hit 
enter. If you daisy-chain the switches just type extra numbers for each 
switch further down the chain. The only program i know of that 
conflicts with Ctrl-Shift-Alt was an *old* DOS screensaver (anyone else 
remember the acronym "TSR"?) called explosiv.com; it used that 
combination to activate before the timeout. Since i don't use DOS nor 
that old screensaver anymore, the key combination has never been a 
problem.

I don't recommend using a KVM on a desktop machine where you look at the 
monitor for extended periods though; every KVM i've seen adds a slight 
fuzziness to the VGA signal. Maybe less sensitive people wouldn't be 
bothered by it, but it gives me a headache after a couple hours.

Why do i need so many servers at home as to require a KVM switch? I'm 
beginning to wonder that myself... originally it was to teach myself 
about networking and setting up various types of servers but these days 
it seems like overkill since i get my fill of system administration at 
work.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dan Ramaley                            Dial Center 118, Drake University
Network Programmer/Analyst             2407 Carpenter Ave
+1 515 271-4540                        Des Moines IA 50311 USA