On Wed, Jul 17, 2002 at 04:37:34PM -0700, Michael Wells wrote: > > > > > > > > > I also have the problem that the KVM must be set to the machine being > booted > > > > in order for the mouse and keyboard to work properly. This is a know > problem > > > > and there was discussion on it. The problem seems to have appeared > with 4.2. > > > > I saw a fix in the freebsd-stable archives: > > > > > > > > Message: 4695118, > > > > FROM: John Baldwin, > > > > DATE: 11/20/2000 16:43:35 > > > > SUBJECT: RE: 4.2 Showstopper? Belkin KVM switch problems with > FreeBSD 4.2 > > > > > > > > Basically the proposed solution was to remove the `flags 0x1' from the > > > > atkbd0 device line in the i386/conf/file > > > > > > > > This fixed the problem I was having with the Omni Cube 4-Port. I have > > > > not checked if this problem still occurs with 4.6. > > > > > > > > > > Actually, if one searches through the archives you'll find the mouse/kvm > > > issue dates back to the 3.x days. Apparently it isn't a high priority so > > > I wouldn't hold my breath for an always working fix. > > > > > > I really really really wouldn't be so quick to assume the problem is > > FreeBSD. In my experience, Belkin's are not very good KVMs, I won't > > use them any more, personally. I've had problems with them not > > correctly initializing keyboard or mouse ports with Windows as well. > > Never had a problem with FreeBSD and KVM switches, personally. > > > > If you want a good KVM, stick with either Avocent (my personal > > preference - used to be Cybex and Apex), Raritan, Rose, or one of the > > companies that OEMs the Avocent switches. (ie Compaq, HP, Dell) The > > cheapo KVMs are cheap for a reason. > > > > (Then you've got "RichardH" saying Belkin's are overpriced, LOL.. > > well I never tried D-link KVMs, maybe they're OK for a cheapo > > model :-) > > > > > I have a Belkin 4 port OmniView that works just fine with FreeBSD and > w2k. I had to add a flag to my kernel to keep things study when > switching back and forth, but other than that it's been just fine.
I use a Belkin 4 port OmniView Pro with FreeBSD 4.x, NT 4 and Win2k, and a Logitech optical mouse. I initially went to the local computer store and bought the cheapest thing they had. That didn't work, so I went back and upgraded. That didn't work either so I upgraded again... The process ended with the Belkin Omniview, which was the cheapest thing in the store that worked reliably. Except that after the thirty day return period ended, my mouse cursor started dancing on rare occasions, and to avoid the out of sync messages from FreeBSD, I have to start up with the KVM pointing to a Windows host. Setting flags doesn't help. One of the cheaper KVMs that didn't work was the Belkin Cube. >From my experience and various good and bad experiences that other people have had, I would guess that the more expensive Belkins are just marginal, and buying one is a crap shoot. You may get a KVM in which all the components work properly together and the KVM is reliable, or you may get one in which a couple of components are just out of spec enough that they don't work properly together and the KVM is a dog. (My appologies to any members of the genus Canis who happen to read this.) Sometimes a Belkin works with Windows but not FreeBSD (my experience) and sometimes it works with FreeBSD but not Windows (other peoples' experience). I haven't tried the dlink that someone else mentioned, but my experience is that anything less expensive than the OmniView isn't going to work, and the OmniView itself is variable. Basically, I would advise anyone buying a KVM to wait until they have enough money for something better than the top-of-the-line Belkin. Even if you can return a KVM that doesn't work, some problems may pop up after the return period is over. Bob Hall -- Access Hamsters: Free tools for users, DBAs, and developers. Source Code: More of the same, with source code. SQL: Solutions, troubleshooting tips, etc. for Jet & MySQL http://users.starpower.net/rjhalljr/Serve To Unsubscribe: send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
