Basic Operation 21
3
Basic Operation

Controlling Your System at the Local User Ports

The Console Switch features up to two local user port sets on the back of the unit that allow you to
connect a monitor and a PS/2 keyboard and mouse for direct access. The 8-port Console Switch
allows you to connect a single user, whereas the 16-port Console Switch allows you to connect two
local users. The appliance uses the On-Screen Configuration and Activity Reporting (OSCAR®)
interface, which utilizes intuitive menus to configure your system and select computers.

Viewing and Selecting Ports and Servers

Use the OSCAR
Main
dialog box to view, configure and control servers in the Console Switch
system. View your servers by name, port or the unique Electronic ID (EID) number embedded in
each Server Interface Pod (SIP). You will see an OSCAR interface-generated port list by default
when you first launch the OSCAR interface.
The
Port
column indicates the Analog Rack Interface (ARI) port to which a server is connected. If
you connect a legacy keyboard, video, and mouse (KVM) swi tch to th e ap pl ia nce or a tiered switch,
the port numbering displays the ARI port first, then the switch port to which the server is
connected. For example, in Figure3-1, servers 04-03 and 01-02 are connected to switches.
To access the
Main
dialog box:
1
Press
<Print Screen>
to launch the OSCAR interface. The
Main
dialog box appears.