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Thread: Which KVM Swith....

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    Which KVM Swith....

    Long time reader, first time poster....

    I have my main XP machine with a logitech wireless keyboard & mouse (one of those that requires both the PS2 & USB connectors fitted).

    I also have another box I'm thinking of using as a server.

    Can anybody personally recommend a KVM switch?

    Thanks in advance for any help,

    Akira.

  2. #2
    Metier9
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    I dont know about KVMs, but you could just remote desktop to the server or telnet or ssl etc. etc.

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    Administrator Moby-Dick's Avatar
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    there are times when you want console access , so having a mouse & keyboard is handy.

    I used to have a machine on a KVM switch , but I found that it wasn't very good for gaming ( oddly enough wouldn't let me hit more than 4 keys at once or something odd like that , so moveing , reloading and croching all at once where a bit tricky )

    as Metier9 said , day to day management can be done via some of the various remote console tools.
    my Virtualisation Blog http://jfvi.co.uk Virtualisation Podcast http://vsoup.net

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    Belkin do some good consumer KVM switches, I think they even have USB keyboard and mouse support and DVI monitor...

    linky

    Not sure how good they are as far as latency is concerned though.
    Last edited by aidanjt; 28-02-2007 at 11:52 AM.
    Quote Originally Posted by Agent View Post
    ...every time Creative bring out a new card range their advertising makes it sound like they have discovered a way to insert a thousand Chuck Norris super dwarfs in your ears...

  5. #5
    blueball
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    I use a Belkin OmniView (F1D104-USB) which supports up to 4 PCs. It can work with USB or PS2 Keyboards/mice or in a fact a mixture of the two. It also has a USB hub in front which is handy if you want to share USB devices (external hard drive for backups) between PCs.

    Although discontinued you can still find them for sale (google) but be warned they're not cheap (about £150)
    Last edited by blueball; 28-02-2007 at 02:53 PM.

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    honed at getting pwned
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    Maplin also sells KVM switches some of which supports USB devices:
    http://www.maplin.co.uk/search.aspx?MenuNo=54437&MenuName=KVM's&worldid=-3&FromMenu=y&doy=search

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    Thanks for the help guys, the server is for my own personal use so will be in the same room as my XP Machine so remote desktop-ing is probably overkill and I would prefer an extra keyboard and mous is this case.

    Also as Moby pointed out I've read many an ill post about gaming and KVM switches so now I'm considering buying an extra screen instead

    Thanks again chaps,

    Akira.

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    The one piece of advice I'd give is to avoid the cheapo Belkin USB ones with integrated cables. They are absolutely dire - we tried two, and they'd randomly switch back to one machine while in use, didn't work at boot, basically a complete pig.

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    I hear ya Nichomach, the one thing I've learnt about Computers is that you generally get exactly what you paid for....

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    My Samsung 940BF has both DSUB and DVI connectors, I can toggle between both inputs, and just swap the keyboard around to use my server.
    Quote Originally Posted by Agent View Post
    ...every time Creative bring out a new card range their advertising makes it sound like they have discovered a way to insert a thousand Chuck Norris super dwarfs in your ears...

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    I have a spare kvm switch. I haven't had any problems using it, switching between machines works fine. It is ps/2, but works fine with a usb keyboard adapter.

    Interested?

    I am happy to sell fairly cheap.
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    Quote Originally Posted by aidanjt View Post
    My Samsung 940BF has both DSUB and DVI connectors, I can toggle between both inputs, and just swap the keyboard around to use my server.
    +

    Quote Originally Posted by Akira
    Thanks for the help guys, the server is for my own personal use so will be in the same room as my XP Machine so remote desktop-ing is probably overkill and I would prefer an extra keyboard and mous is this case.

    Also as Moby pointed out I've read many an ill post about gaming and KVM switches so now I'm considering buying an extra screen instead

    Thanks again chaps,

    Akira.
    I have one machine at the moment but was running two a few weeks ago. I have a Viewsonic VX922 screen and it has VGA aswell as DVI in, so my main PC was inputting into the screen via the DVI and my second PC was inputting via the VGA. I was using one keyboard and mouse for each as I prefer to be able to do two things at once (like enter bios on one machine whilst still using the other).

    It really does depend on what you have at the moment, as if your monitor only has the one input then you are a little stuck there really.

    The other option is get a VGA KVM and use it on your monitor but have seperate mouse+keyboard for each machine.

    FinalD

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    Hmm, thanks for that! The monitor I'm going to get has both DVI & VGA inputs and my vid card has dual DVI output but at the mo' I'm using a DVI to VGA converter. That's a very cool and possible suggestion though!

    Thanks

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    I want one which will support USB/PS2 and resolutions of 2560*1600 ... might as well dream..

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    Before investing in somethin as expensive as a KVM switch.
    If your machine switching doesn't include switching between monitor feeds (ie. if you have a monitor for each pc) I recommend you try out Synergy

    Synergy is a free program that can connect PCs together asive they are part of a dual (or more) screen setup.

    It can even go between different operating systems!

    It's an awesome program, you can find it here: http://synergy2.sourceforge.net/

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    Quote Originally Posted by bluesatin View Post
    Before investing in somethin as expensive as a KVM switch.
    If your machine switching doesn't include switching between monitor feeds (ie. if you have a monitor for each pc) I recommend you try out Synergy

    Synergy is a free program that can connect PCs together asive they are part of a dual (or more) screen setup.

    It can even go between different operating systems!

    It's an awesome program, you can find it here: http://synergy2.sourceforge.net/

    Sounds like something I need to have a look at, cheers.

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