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Forum: Geek Forum
Topic: KVM Switch and mice
started by: Spydir Web

Posted by Spydir Web on Mar. 15 2001,15:10

Ok, I installed a KVM to switch between my linux box and windows box (if you have two computers and are strung for cash, get a kvm, very, very nice

) but my mouse doesn't always work. After I boot up the windows box and it's running right, the mouse is fine after I switch back and forth. On my linux box, it's another story. Atleast, when I'm in X (which I prefer to be in).

Here's the question. What's up with that? is it something like /dev/psaux (or whatever the ps/2 mouse port is) always has to be connected? Isn't anyways because of the extended ps/2 cable thing that goes from the computer to the kvm switch?

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Spydir Web - < http://netsyndrome.net/spydirweb/ >
Net Syndrome - < http://www.netsyndrome.net/ >

Sometimes you're the dog, sometimes you're the hydrant...

Posted by jim on Mar. 15 2001,15:17

I had that problem in Windows a looooooooooooong time ago. If my switch wasn't pointing to the Windows box while it was booting, when I DID switch over to it, the mouse didn't work.

The only way the mouse would work, is to have the switch pointing to the box during the boot up.

After that I could switch back and forth as much as I wanted...

I think I was running NT at the time... Can't remember for sure...

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jim
Beauty is in the eye of the Beer Holder
< Brews and Cues >

Posted by cr0bar on Mar. 15 2001,15:42

That's what you get for buying a cheap KVM

Seriously though, I always use KVMs with built in emulation. Basically it means that it fools one box into thinking that it has a mouse connected even when you're switched to the other one. This is designed to prevent the kind of problem you're having (and in some cases, total system freezes).

Posted by jim on Mar. 15 2001,15:53

I don't remember the brand of the switch I was using... But it was a pretty high dollar deal. It was powered, controlled 8 boxes, had keyboard macro commands for switching, monitor overlay with named boxes...

I must have just got a bad one.

The only we use in our server room at my current job don't have this problem, but the one I used way back when (1997) can kiss my ass!!!!!

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jim
Beauty is in the eye of the Beer Holder
< Brews and Cues >

Posted by aventari on Mar. 16 2001,00:15

The mega-expensive ones we used when I worked at HP controlled 4 pc's and had the mouse/keyboard emulation. had the hotkeys and the monitor overlay and shit too. About the size of a 2U rackmount case..
Never had a hiccup switching between any of them, my boss said the switches cost a grand each!
A little pricey for the average home user.

Posted by Spydir Web on Mar. 16 2001,00:53

what jim was talking about is what I gotta do with Win98, which I don't mind that much anyway. It's when I switch back to my linux box that bothers me. I'll look into that emulation thing, see if my KVM has it. I doubt it though, it's a cheap sucker I got at one of those computer shows they have the fair grounds every couple months... normally you can get pretty good stuff for good prices, though

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Spydir Web - < http://netsyndrome.net/spydirweb/ >
Net Syndrome - < http://www.netsyndrome.net/ >

Sometimes you're the dog, sometimes you're the hydrant...

Posted by L33T_h4x0r_d00d on Mar. 16 2001,02:39

At work we have a shit load of them cause everybody has 4-5 machines at thier desk. Most everybody had belkin kvms which suck ass. If you unplug the mouse from the kvm for 6-8 seconds then plug it back in it usually comes back. My kvm just died and I ordered the Linsys one. Its real basic, (no osd or keyboard swapover) BUT IT FUCKING WORKS. Now i need a decent cable setup, instead of the crappy belkin one. Any one know of one?

Posted by whtdrgn_2 on Mar. 17 2001,14:15

What you need is a KVM with a keyboard and mouse emulator. When you boot Windows it looks for the mouse and keyboard. Some KVM's only provide ispreasent() type support, and will not tell the system what type it is. Windows also does this with monitors. That is why it is important for you KVM to support emulation if the max resolution of you monitor. I use Raritan KVM's,they are the best the I can find. On screen menues, hot-keys, and they are not that expensive...
< http://www.raritan.com >

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Wine me, dine me, 1000101 me

Posted by @$$h0l3 on Mar. 23 2001,14:21

Well, I've had a few of these, so here's the scoop. I have a Belkin 4 port at work, with crappy extension cables. The signal bleeds from one set of cables to the other, which is very annoying. The other thing is that the keyboard/mouse emulation doesn't work very well. The only way to boot one machine without locking the mouse on the others is to switch to a different machine (not the one you are booting) and wait until the booting machine is all the way up. Also, the belkin doesn't have on screen display, so you have to either use the button on the box, or the alt/ctrl/shift/port number on KVM/enter method of switching.

I had a linksys 4 (i think) port at my last job. No OSD, but I never had any problems with losing the mouse when I rebooted machines. The switching button was crappy, so I had to use the alt/ctrl/shift/port number on KVM/enter method to switch most of the time.

At home I've got a Hawking Technology CS-148 8 port rack mountable KVM. It has OSD and supports nesting up to three levels, which would allow one to control 512 machines from one keyboard, monitor and mouse. I'm using StarTech 10' cables. They are the kind where all three cables are together (keyboard on one side of the video, mouse on the other). I haven't had any problems with bleed over or power signls affecting the video. I run at 1600x1200, and I don't have any problems. On my KVM I've switched between Redhat, NetBSD, Win95, WinNT 4.0, 2000 Professional and 2000 Advanced Server without any mouse problems. The only machine I have problems with is my crappy IBM 600E laptop. One of the IBM programs that runs at startup will lock the mouse if I already have it plugged into the kvm. I have to boot it, and then stick it in the docking station.

Sorry to have rambled on so long. Reply if you have questions.