Physical Interface Cascading:
Physical Interface Cascading refers to cascading to a second stage KVM switch (such as the Altusen KH0116) that doesn’t utilize the same protocol as the first stage KM0216 / KM0432, but uses the same physical interface (PS/2 or USB ports, for example).
The advantage of cascading to a switch like the KH0116 is that it yields enormous expansion capability. Since it can be daisy chained to 31 additional KH0116s, up to 8,192 (KM0216) or 16,384 (KM0432) computers can be controlled from a single KM0216 / KM0432 switch: (16 or 32 KM0216 / KM0432 ports x 32 KH0116 switches x 16 ports per switch).
The operational difference between this method and Protocol Interface Cascading is that since the OSD protocols are not the same, the OSDs of the cascaded KH0116s cannot be integrated. Unlike Protocol Interface Cascading, the OSD that the operator works with is the OSD for each particular KH0116 - not an OSD that incorporates all of the switches on the installation.
Therefore, in order to access a computer connected to a particular KH0116, the operator must first bring up the KM0216 / KM0432’s OSD to access the target KH0116. He then activates the KH0116’s OSD to access the target computer.
In this type of installation, the KM0216 / KM0432 is considered the First Stage unit; the KH0116 is considered the Second Stage unit. If there are additional KH0116s daisy chained down from the Second Stage KH0116, the entire chain is seen as a Second Stage unit, with the top level KH0116 (the Master switch) as the OSD access point for the entire chain.
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