[PLUG] KVM switch

[Zot O'Connor]

On Sun, 2003-07-27 at 07:48, Rich Shepard wrote:

>   Does anyone have experience with them and can provide thoughts on what to
> get or what to avoid?

The best ones I have used so far are the el cheapo from Fry.  The boxes
say "ICS" And as best I can see it is Intelligent Computer Switch.  The
16 port ones are called Maestro I think.  It passed the all important
"Can I boot NT and still get a mouse working without watching the
frickin' NT boot screens?" test.  Linksys and several others did not
pass this test.  Mine is about 4 years old.

The only issue is that scroll mice do not work through them (under
linux).  This is *now* a showstopper for me.

This is the 4 port version.  The things I like:  Talks to AT or PS/2
keyboards, talks to ps/2 or serial mice ports (requires PS/2 mouse). 
Cables are standard cables, albeit gender bendering odd, the GQ cheap
cables work great, this can save a bundle.

If I had to but another one I would look for one that accepts USB
keyboards and mice.  Cutting a cable out is awesome, esp when the new
cable is standard.  This is one of the best uses of USB I have ever
seen.

The cost of 2 v 4 is minimal, so I would go with 4.  This would allow
you to put your laptop on there as well.

Things I would avoid:  Physical switches.  They tend to break.  They are
cheap though.  I have one for 6 years, and a few paper weights.

Some other things:

When buying the cables.  Take the box and the cables over to a PC and
open them and test them.  Whenever I fail to do this I get some gender
wrong.  I have a bag full of incorrect cables, some exactly like the
others I previously mis-bought.  Getting gender, length and pin type is
tricky.  Also check every package.  The packages get mixed on the
shelves, and when you buy 30 cables, getting a M-M HD15 bag (or a
couple) instead of VGA pin outs, sucks.  Each time, it sucks more.

When you are done, twist tie or cable tie the cables.  Then *label*
them, esp mouse vs keyboard.



-- 
Zot O'Connor

http://www.ZotConsulting.com
http://www.WhiteKnightHackers.com