Re: [SLUG] USB KVM stuff

From: Ian C. Blenke (icblenke@nks.net)
Date: Mon Oct 10 2005 - 11:55:08 EDT


Paul M Foster wrote:

>My wife uses a Microsoft Natural keyboard which just crapped out.
>Unfortunately, Microsoft has been screwing around with the edit key
>layout on their new keyboards, and there's only one they sell with the
>right layout. Also unfortunately, it is a USB keyboard. She uses a
>single keyboard, mouse and monitor to drive both a Windows and a Linux
>box through a standard KVM switch currently. If she has to switch to
>this new USB keyboard, I'm not sure how it's going to work with the KVM.
>So here's the question-- given this arrangement, is there an animal
>which will do this:
>
>
New USB keyboards (by my experience) come with a PS/2 dongle to allow
the keyboard to talk PS/2 to the host (the keyboard must have this
capability). This may have changed with the entire "legacy free" push
these days.

You can always buy a PS2<>USB HID adapter (I've seen both kinds) and
continue to use your legacy KVM.

Or use a pure USB KVM. Belkin has a few cheap ones that work fairly
well. You can get PS/2 / USB KVMs that do both.

The downside is that the cheapo KVM USB keyboard/mouse "go away" when
you switch to the other machine.
On the plus side: USB keyboards/mice "autoprobe", and generally
re-appear the next time you switch back.
(sometimes you end up switching back and forth a couple of times to
"wake up" the USB stack on the host).

- Ian C. Blenke <icblenke@nks.net> <ian@blenke.com> http://ian.blenke.com

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