Hi Joe and other KVM users,
Not to revive too old of a thread (see emails below), but I thought you
or some others might like to know what final KVM solution I settled upon
for a mixture of windows and linux boxes.
I initially tried the common Belkin OmniView SOHO 4-port KVM switch
(PS/2 connectors) and found it to work OK, except that most of the time
the USB mouse (connected via USB/PS2 adapter) was completely
unresponsive when switched to one of the linux boxes (I think it was the
FC4 box). So, based on its affordability, tech specs, and others
people's recommendations, I then tried IOGEAR's USB-capable MiniView III
(model # GCS1714). It worked very well for toggling between a couple of
Linux boxes (running FC4 and RHEL WS 4) connected to a high-res 22" CRT
(2048x1536 @ 79 Hz refresh) and a USB keyboard and mouse -- at least in
terms of little to no delay for mouse and keyboard responsiveness,
playing well w/ the linux OS, etc... However, there was a serious
problem with shadowing/ghosting of the graphics (at least at higher
resolutions... 2048x1536 and 1920x1440). After enduring a session w/
the IOGEAR tech rep., it was pretty much decided that this KVM switch
simply "couldn't handle this size monitor at these resolutions...". So,
given that my earlier Belkin experience was OK in terms of graphics
quality, I then tried a cheaper solution (<$70 from Fry's) -- Belkin's
"2-port KVM switch with audio support and built-in cabling" (Belkin
model # F1DL102U) -- and found that this worked perfectly... the USB
mouse and keyboard both work fine on both Linux boxes, there are no
aberrations of the graphics display (I didn't even have to resort to
Belkin's "Gold Series" VGA cables for suitable image quality!), and only
minimal lag (1-2 seconds) when toggling between machines...
The main lesson I learned from all this is (1) to avoid using USB-to-PS2
adapters for keyboard and mice connected to KVM switches operating with
linux and (2) don't use the IOGEAR MiniView III switch for high res
displays.
Cam
=== D. Joe Anderson wrote (on 07/27/2005 08:48 AM): ===
On Fri, Jul 15, 2005 at 01:15:13PM -0700, Cameron Mura wrote:
there may be many O and PyMOL users who use stereo with a monitor
connected through a KVM switch?
3) would be nice if the KVM, linux boxes, and USB mouse were all
interoperable. Reason i point this out is that the logitech USB mouse
i had been using w/ the FC4 box freaked-out (at least on the FC4 box)
after being plugged-in (via USB<-->PS/2 adapter) to the PS/2 connector
of a Belkin KVM switch (the popular OmniView SOHO F1DS104T model)...
I've found that when switching amongst Linux boxes with a
two-port Belkin OmniView PS/2-VGA KVM that I have to switch out
of X Windows and into a virtual terminal and then back to X
Windows before the pointer and mouse will work well again
together. So, in terms of specific keystrokes, that is for
example Ctrl-Alt-F1 to switch from X to virtual terminal 1, and
then Alt-F7 to switch back to X (though of course X is at Alt-F5
on various live CDs like KNOPPIX).
I'm in the process now of deploying KVMs more widely for general
use, using a mix of connectors, including USB-VGA KVMs with
Dell-Dell combinations and Dell-Mac combinations with and
without USB-to-PS/2 and PS/2-to-USB adapters , and in one case,
using a (rather pricey, but seems to work OK) DVI-USB KVM to
switch between a G4 and a G5 PowerMac.
I have not run any quad-buffered stereo through any of the KVMs,
yet, but hope to get the chance to do that (even if just in full
screen mode, or in Linux if/when the drivers catch up) on the G5
PowerMacs we're deploying now. I'd also appreciate reading
about experience with this that anyone has had.
--
Cameron Mura
UCSD
