[ILUG] SUMMARY: KVM Switches (OT?)

[Wesley Darlington]

Hi folks,

On Thu, Jun 10, 1999 at 07:19:26AM -0400, Wesley Darlington wrote:
> Anybody got suggestions for where to get inexpensive PC
> keyboard-video-mouse switches? 
> 
> Sorry if this is off-topic. The switches'll be for linux
> boxes. ;-)  Reply to me, I'll summarise.

Thanks to:
  o John P. Looney
  o Kevin Dunleavy
  o Robert Jennings                 (Email addresses on request)
  o Brian Nesbitt
  o John Pelan
(Hope I haven't forgotten anybody...)

Check out:
  www.cybex.ie - quite expensive, but good stuff
  www.blackbox.co.uk - ditto
  www.videk.co.uk - good price, expensive cables
  www.pcswitch.co.uk - good price, cables included
  Compustore in Blanchardstown
  Belkin

I can't believe how expensive these things all are! 
One hundred pounds per machine doesn't seem to be off
the wall! It's a bit weird when one can get a keyboard,
mouse and cheap monitor for about this sort of money. :-)

Note: It's best to get an `electronic' or `real' kvm switch 
rather than a `manual' one. A `real' one makes your machines 
think a keyboard is always connected. A manual one effectively
reconnects the keyboard every time you select that machine.
Allegedly, many machines dislike having their keyboards
hot-connected.

Linux alternative: PCI eight port serial card from 
www.transtec.co.uk, UKP#176+vat. 3/4 length, apparently.

Thanks to everybody,
Wesley.