Off Topic: can anyone recommend a USB KVM

[Robert L Cochran]

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I've watched the posts on this topic with great interest. I wonder if
firmware upgrades for the KVMs you curremtly have are available which
improve their USB performance? The IOGear Part # GCS1762 is firmware
upgradeable and reading the product description on microcenter.com
triggered this thought.

Bob Cochran


Claude Jones wrote:
> On Monday January 21 2008 12:48:32 am Richard England wrote:
>> The IOGear KVMs I mentiioned earlier were either PS2 to PS2 or
>> USB to USB. There was no crossover.  I was not aware of those
>> until it was pointed out that they exist here.
>>
>> These were NOT powered units.  I've seen one Belkin multiple
>> connection externally powered unit (4 ports I believe) that
>> it, several years ago, was a right royal pain.  Things just
>> never switched properly with it. Could have been that switch,
>> but it was new at the time.  The newer ones, however, might be
>> better so do not take my anecdotal evidence too strongly
>> unless you are acquiring a used Belkin.
> 
> Thanks for that clarification, Richard. I've got a IOGear PS2 
> model that has been buried under a mound of cables behind my 
> monitor stack for three years, or so, and I've never had to get 
> to it because it just works. This whole problem is actually 
> someone else's, my employer, and his situation is slightly 
> complicated by the fact that he's got a kvm connected to his 
> kvm; he's got an Avocent remote unit that is connected via CAT5 
> to a KVM in our server farm, so he can do server administration 
> from his office; the remote Avocent unit in his office then 
> connects to a local KVM which allows him to switch between 
> various computers in his office and the remote Avocent. 
> 
> We suspect that the issues he's having involve the USB protocols 
> and how they behave. I think with USB KVM's, at least older 
> units, each time you switch to a different machine, the machine 
> had to redetect the keyboard and mouse as 
> newly-plugged-in-devices, and this was causing issues in the 
> environment in which we were operating. 
> 
> We're going to look at a newer IOGear unit I found on their 
> website that seems to address this: "With IOGEAR's USB Sniffing 
> Technology you can use your favorite USB keyboard to control all 
> features of the USB KVM. The MiniView™ II USB features keyboard 
> and mouse emulation so your computer never loses touch with its 
> peripherals." (From the IOGear website page on the model 
> #GCS124U KVM)
> 
> Hopefully, the emulation will solve the issues we've been having. 
> I'll report back since this seems to be an issue of interest. 
> 
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