[AG-TECH] KVMs for AG?

[Roberts, Ian E]

At PNNL (ISB1 Node) we haven't used the switch box in months. We connect to the
other three machines via VNC. We also leave the Audio machine's window up on the
upper-left corner of the wall, and shrink it's border down to just the size of
the RAT. That helps the participants see if the mute is on or off and to see who
is talking. A screenshot of this is at
http://www.pnl.gov/workday/snapshots/AGKidsonGrid.jpg

A side-bonus is that I can connect to the video machine from my office and see
if anyone is in the room :)

~ian

-----Original Message-----
From: Rob Ellison-Potter [mailto:rellisonpotter at er.doe.gov]
Sent: Friday, May 03, 2002 11:26 AM
To: ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov
Subject: Re: [AG-TECH] KVMs for AG?


Has anybody had some positive experiences using VNC as a work around to
this. I.E., VNC to your other machines so you don't have to use the KVM.

thanks,

rob
Robert Ellison-Potter
Jr. Network Administrator
SC-31 US Dept of Energy
rellisonpotter at er.doe.gov
301-903-3080
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Weaver" <weaver at er.doe.gov>
To: "Don Morton" <morton at cs.umt.edu>; "Tom Coffin" <tcoffin at ncsa.uiuc.edu>
Cc: <ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov>; <bernholdtde at ornl.gov>
Sent: Wednesday, April 03, 2002 11:32 AM
Subject: Re: [AG-TECH] KVMs for AG?


> The Belkin manual mentions (in small print) in a couple of places not to
> move the mouse or use the keyboard when switching channels and that the
> mouse will be unresponsive for 1-2 seconds after a switch.  We try to be
as
> careful about this as possible!  It also states not to use the keyboard or
> mouse on the active channel if the computer is booting as this can cause
the
> computer not to see the device.
>
> That being said, I can reboot a working machine on channel 1, switch to
> channel 2, wait exactly 5.2371 seconds, work on channel 2 for a while then
> switch back to channel 1.  Wait another 5.2371 seconds and find that the
> keyboard (or sometimes mouse) doesn't work.  I know that mouse
> synchronization in particular is a very difficult problem for KVM
switches,
> but I do not see these kinds of problems on other brands ( we also use
Rose
> and Avocent/Cybex).
>
> Mike
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Don Morton" <morton at cs.umt.edu>
> To: "Tom Coffin" <tcoffin at ncsa.uiuc.edu>
> Cc: "Mike Weaver" <weaver at er.doe.gov>; <ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov>;
> <bernholdtde at ornl.gov>
> Sent: Wednesday, April 03, 2002 9:49 AM
> Subject: Re: [AG-TECH] KVMs for AG?
>
>
> > Tom Coffin wrote:
> > >
> > > I have noticed that with these switches they somtimes
> > > freeze the mouse and keyboard if you are sending mouse
> > > commands while switching.
> > > I was recently putting our switch through some rugged testing
> > > and figured that I really need to be patient or use a
> > > slower process while switching. I now make sure that I am not
> > > touching the mouse while switching. Let me know if the mouse
> > > and keyboard still freeze while trying this movement.
> > > Not a solution - but a workaround...
> >
> > yep, completely unscientific analysis and fix but, same
> > situation here :)  i've found that it takes a few seconds
> > for the electrons to switch between two machines and, once
> > i actually do the keyboard switch, if i wait about
> > 5.2371 seconds, then i can usually start moving the mouse
> > without having things freeze up on me.  so, i'm being
> > sarcastic but, it IS true that just waiting several
> > seconds before moving the mouse typically reduces the
> > chance of a freeze up.
> > --
> >    Don Morton                   http://MRoCCS.cs.umt.edu/~morton/
> >    Department of Computer Science       The University of Montana
> >    Missoula, MT 59812 | Voice (406) 243-4975 | Fax (406) 243-5139