[GTALUG] war story: keyboard failure leads to sustained mayhem

[D. Hugh Redelmeier]

| From: James Knott <james.knott at rogers.com>

James says that his KVM is
<http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817145111&cm_re=kvm-4uhm-_-17-145-111-_-Product>
(not currently in stock)

| It appears the KVM doesn't "fake" a keyboard, so I have to plug a real
| keyboard into that one computer.  All the rest work fine as is, after
| configuring the CMOS so that the computer will boot without a keyboard. 

That makes sense

| I haven't noticed any issues with not having a mouse plugged in, but
| then a mouse isn't usually critical for using a computer.  Back in the
| days before GUIs, we usually didn't even own a mouse.

That too makes sense.

If you read the critical reviews on newegg, it looks as if the monitor
doesn't make EDID information about the monitor work for unselected
computers.  This can cause problems.  Perhaps not for old fashioned
text consoles (like BIOS setup screens).

=============

I went googling for interesting KVMs and came up with this:
<http://www.amazon.com/Displayport-Switch-Control-Desktop-Product/dp/B00V5I0QLE>

Amazon describes it as a 12-port DisplayPort KVM!

Unfortunately, the manufacturer says you can connect two PC to it, no
more.

I got tired of hunting for unicorns.  Not only are KVMs that match my
requirements rare and expensive, it is hard to identify them amongst
the descriptions of inferior products.

Here's a useful document from Microsoft:
<http://download.microsoft.com/download/7/E/7/7E7662CF-CBEA-470B-A97E-CE7CE0D98DC2/KVM-Win7.docx>
It deals only with video issues.  Apparently there is/was a "Windows
Logo Program" for KVM switches.  I don't remember ever seeing a
Windows logo on a KVM, but I would take it as a Good Thing.
Oh, it seems that the logo program was retired "with the release of
the Windows Logo Kit (WLK) for Windows Server 2008 RTM."  Darn.