[BBLISA] looking for production grade KVM switch recommendations

[Carl Alexander]

> I find myself looking for some decent KVM switches.  Specifically, I need
> some units for local use (1 user, at a single physical console) and a
> couple for remote datacenter use (1 user at a single physical console, and
> 1-2 able to come in via IP.)  For the remote use, ability to screen switch
> via a hot key is pretty much a requirement.  Typically, I'm looking at 16
> port and 32-port options.
> 
> Belkin has always struck me as kind of clunky, and "just fine for
> home user", but not something that I'd want for more serious work.

Without knowing the hosts' keyboard/mouse interfaces it's impossible
to make a recommendation.  I can offer comments on the two you
specifically mention, though.

> I've had good experiences with the NTI USB KVM, but the selection is
> limited, and I'm not sure if USB suits my needs.  I like the look of the
> Raritan Dominion DKX-216, but I haven't used them before, so I'm not sure
> how the firsthand user experience is, especially for the KVM over IP side
> of it.

It turns out that the reason the NTI USB KVMs work so much better than
anyone else's is that they have a couple of fundamental patents for
USB KVMs.  They don't publicize this; I found out about them from one
of their engineers when I was KVM shopping ~2 years ago.  Apparently
everyone else kludges around it.  My experience with Raritan was that
they swore their USB KVM was rock solid and in particular worked with
Macs, and when I tried it, it failed miserably.

"KVM over IP" boxes work in a variety of ways, and it can be hard to
figure out from the information he vendors provide.  Things to look
out for are 'requires Internet Explorer', which turned out to actually
mean it requires ActiveX.  We ended up deciding we could live with that,
partly because we use it very infrequently and partly because we were
too hosed to return it within 30 days and to go shopping for another.
If I were in the market for one right now, I'd look hard at
www.opengear.com.  They appear to offer everything you need to
build your own, using VNC as the protocol the KVM uses to talk to
its remote clients.

---Alex