KVM's

Ages ago, I think at least 4 years, there was a thread on this subject, and somebody posted that they had two screens and hardware/software that, if you moved the cursor from one screen to the other, the keyboard and mouse worked for the screen that the cursor was on.
Anybody remember what that was, as I've just come in to a 2nd screen?

Maybe win2vnc? I haven't used it myself, because every time I've had two screens, either one's been Linux (x2vnc) or they both have (x2x), but it sounds like the right idea.

Peter

Do you have a 2nd computer for that, as well?

To clarify:

If you've got two computers, and only one screen, you can use a KVM, which is a piece of hardware which switches your keyboard, video output and mouse (hence the acronym) between the two computers.

Alternatively, you can use VNC or Remote Desktop (or X), which allows you to run programs (or an entire session) on the second computer, and have them displayed on the first.

If you've got two computers and two screens, you can either just use two keyboards and two mice, or you can use win2vnc or x2vnc or similar. They allow each computer to display on its own screen, but the keyboard and mouse are forwarded to the appropriate computer, meaning that you only need one keyboard and mouse.

If, on the other hand, you've got one computer and two screens, then just get another video card (or one with two outputs), plug both monitors into the same PC, and then extend your desktop across both screens (and on Windows, get a copy of Ultramon).

Or, you can do what I do: I have both screens plugged into the same PC, but I commonly have a Remote Desktop or VNC session to a second (or 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th...) computer.

Sorry, I see now that my post could have well been more specific! Para 3: 2 Computers and 2 screens with one keyboard and mouse is the configuration: I'll check your suggestions out.

A hardware KVM switch would work equally well here, without connecting up the -V- portion, just the K-M parts instead.

Cheers

I think you guys are talking about Synergy.

Software: x2vnc works like a dream to control a windows PC from an X session - it's transparent. x2x does it for, erm, X to X
The advantage here is that you can cut'n'paste between PCs.

Sometimes though you just need the hardware (my work PC throws up a fairly hard firewall when it runs a VPN connection) so I just bought a kvm for exactly this purpose. I got a Linksys one in the end - I went through 2 or 3 Belkin ones which were all flakey after a few minutes to a few hours use.

Check the plug types:

Are you using a USB keyboard and/or mouse?
Or is it a small round plug for them both? That's 'PS/2'
Or does the keyboard have a large round plug? That's 'AT'

You can convert between most of them but it's easier to get it right.

£12 inc postage...

HTH

PLAGUE WARNING: Don't buy one of these


David

Are you talking about this thread? When I had a PC and a Laptop on my desk at work I was using Synergy .

I haven't used it yet but if your only running Windows then MaxiVista seems very cool.

I'd just like to extend that to all Belkin KVMs that look anything like that. I had a USB number which drove me around the bend and intermittently had a mind of its own. I wanted to smash it up Office Space style.

I think it is, Godfrey I think we have had a discussion about this in the past, if you need a hand setting it up give me a shout I will pop over and give you a hand, it is very very cool when you get it working!

Cheers

Cris.

Brilliant!! As always this site is the most supportive on the web, thanks everyone for your input,
Cris, it'll probably be a week or so 'till I have the 2nd screen available, but, looking at the Synergy website, I've little doubt that I'll need your help.

Personally, I'd extend that to anything made by Belkin, but particularly their cheaper KVMs. We had a load of them here at work, but we threw them away and replaced them with a couple of Avocent AutoView jobs.

I don't currently use a KVM at home (I do the Remote Desktop thing), but I've got a quite nice IOGEAR 4-port KVM. I don't think you can get them in the UK, though (Hugo kindly picked one up for me when he was in the US a while back).

A Linksys 4-port KVM was a key part of the mainstay infrastructure of our company headquarters here (aka. my home office) for many, many years.

The hardware for it looked identical to other brands of four port KVMs available at the time, including models from Belkin and D-Link.

It went flaky at some point around mid-life, after about five years. I then cracked open the case and resoldered the external connectors to the internal PCB. It was still going strong after another five years when we replaced it with a six port model by SmartView.

The only regret about the new one, is that their eight port model would have been even more useful to us (but it wasn't available at the time).

Cheers

Can't get any better than that. And I'm not saying that just because G/F works there. I've used the Avocent products at three different companies now, and they're just awesome. (At one of the companies, it was an Avocent switch with the Dell logo stenciled on it, they do a lot of OEM business.)

Where I'm working now, we've got the entire lab wired up to their IP-enabled switches. I navigate to http://kvm and have instant control of any machine in the lab. It's "freakin' sweet".

Careful, though, Avocent bought at least one of the little entry-level-kvm companies to fill in the low-end hole in their product line. I don't know how to tell which switches in their lineup are part of that group. Probably tell by the price tag...

There's some nice stuff about Avocent KVMs, but I've been turned off by their false advertising. In particular, they claimed that I could daisy-chain their switches together and have one menu show all of the connected consoles. Apparently that simply wasn't true, at least with the models I had, despite the fact that it was explicitly in the documentation.

Also, the KVM-over-IP software is exorbitantly priced, after you've already purchased the KVMs, which are not cheap themselves. The dongles are pretty pricy, too.

All of the later Compaq branded KVMs, and HP ones are Avocent based, and they worked well. The IP KVMs though were less useful, as they were billing them as a remote management solution at a time when practically every Proliant going out the door came with a built in remote management solution already. The Avocent stuff only offered remote keyboard and mouse, while the built in stuff offered remote power, remote media and other features on top of the basics.



I remember this being a bit fussy on some of their earlier stuff, generally the ones with very generic on screen displays. New firmware did fix it, but some of the models had physical rom chips that had to be swapped to upgrade them. The later ones (2002ish) worked great to cascade, and I rarely saw any support issues with them.

The IBM ones we've got are rebranded Avocent as well.

I recently started suspecting that IO Gear was really Aten, and I just checked and found out it was true. Aten is my favorite KVM brand, so I'll be checking out IO Gear.

Stay as far away from anything Belkin. I use one at work and it's the second worst KVM I've ever had the misfortune of dealing with.

Matthew