Black Box KV6104SA manual Using the Dual Control Ports A and B, Operation

CHAPTER 5: Operation

5.5 Using the Dual Control Ports (A and B)

The ServSwitch Duo has two control ports, “A” and “B.” Each control port has a keyboard, mouse, and monitor connection, and either can be used to access the Switch. Typically port A is used for local access, and port B for remote access from up to 65 feet (20 m) away. The Switch sends the video image from the selected CPU to the monitors on both ports, but it will accept keyboard and mouse data from only one control port at a time. While the other port is active, the Num Lock, Caps Lock, and Scroll Lock LEDs on the inactive control port’s keyboard will flash, indicating that the port is currently disabled. Once there has been no keyboard or mouse data on the active control port for the duration of the “switchover timeout” period (see Section 4.2.4), the other keyboard and mouse can be used. Once activity is detected on the second control port, that port becomes the active port and the first port is disabled. The red status LEDs on the Switch’s front panel (see Section 5.2) show which port is currently active; if neither the A or B LED is lit, neither control port is active, so either may be used.

5.6 Things To Keep in Mind About the Keyboards and Mice

PC bootup sequence: When your PCs are powered on, they communicate with any attached keyboards and mice and load the setup parameters required by their particular operating systems. It is necessary for the ServSwitch Duo to be attached and powered on during this sequence so that it can give the PCs the required responses and keep track of all the modes and settings requested by each of the connected PCs.

Mouse characteristics: Do not unplug a PS/2 mouse connection from a PC while the PC is on. Because of the way PS/2 mice communicate, the PC will lose mouse function and you will have to reboot the PC to regain normal operation.

Unplugging a shared PS/2 mouse from the ServSwitch Duo will have no immediate effect, but the PC will lose mouse function as soon as you plug the mouzse back in. (RS-232 mice can usually be freely unplugged and replugged, provided that one was connected when the operating system initially booted.) The ServSwitch Duo has a PS/2 mouse-recovery system which allows you to disconnect and reconnect the shared mouse without powering down the system, but we recommend using this only when absolutely necessary. See Section 5.10 for details.

Keyboard- and mouse-mode handling during channel switching: The ServSwitch Duo keeps a log of the keyboard and mouse modes and resolution settings requested by each of the connected PCs, including the keyboard Num Lock, Caps Lock, and Scroll Lock states. These settings are automatically restored to the shared keyboard and mouse when the ServSwitch Duo channel is switched, ensuring maximum software compatibility.

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