A KVM Switch is used to work on two or more computers using a single keyboard, mouse and monitor. Working on simple plug and play functionality, a user can connect the switch via USB/PS2 and VGA cables to the computer. Control can then be switched using buttons on the device or through keyboard commands. Depending upon the model of the switch being used, anywhere from 2 to 32 computers may be connected. By daisy chaining these devices, up to 512 connections is possible.
More advanced models of a typical switch enable switching among multiple sound and USB sources along with keyboards, monitors and mice. A popular category is the DVI KVM Switch. This device enables users to control and monitor DVI based video signals from different computers simultaneously with just one keyboard, DVI monitor and mouse. Once the source and display devices are connected to the switch and powered on, a user can switch between source devices using RS232, IR remote control or front panel push buttons.
This switch is compatible with various platforms and operating systems such as DOS,Win3.X,Win95/98/98SE/2000/ME,WinNT, Netware, Unix, Linux. Available in 2 and 4 port versions, this device is perfect for applications that require mixed analog / digital operation. However, these switches also face the distance limitation since the placement of peripherals is restricted by the cable lengths.
To avoid these limitations, an IP KVM Switch can be used. KVM over IP switches use microcontrollers and specialized hardware to capture the signals from peripheral devices, compress and convert these into packets, and send them over an Ethernet link to a remote console application that unpacks and reconstitutes the dynamic graphical image. Using TCP/IP protocols, a user can control multiple computers remotely across a LAN or WAN through browsers. These devices support high resolutions up to 1920 x 1440 locally and 1600 x 1200 via IP. IP KVM units are ideal for environments where multiple user remote and secure access is needed such as in server rooms, data centers, banks and remote monitoring control centers.
Available in many shapes, sizes and designs, this KVM switch adds greater flexibility and access to any network.
The demand for these switches is increasing as they are a great choice for multi taskers who do not wish to invest in more peripheral devices than they already have.
