Keyboard/Video/Mouse (KVM) switches

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Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Message-ID: <3F664335.4E1F1798@intel.com>
Organization: Intel Corporation
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2003 15:54:45 -0700
From: Ken Fairfield
Subject: Summary: KVMs, LK461 and DECwindows

    Some time ago, I started a thread titled, "KVM between PWS600au
and IBM T20 Laptop".  I now have an update and perhaps another
question or two.

Executive Summary:

    The Rose Mini-Vista KVM "works" well between a PC running
Windows XP and an Alpha running VMS and DECwindows.  However, when
using an LK461-A2 keyboard, the 6-key editing keypad, function keys
F18-F20, and the numeric keypad minus keys are mapped incorrectly on 
the Alpha, and the top-row functions keys from F13 through F17, and the
Compose key, are not available at all.

    Most KVM vendors support only a standard PC 101/102-key
keyboard, but in there higher-end KVM series, Rose say they fully 
support the LK461 keyboard.


Details:

    I have an IBM T20 Laptop [this is my work platform] plugged into 
its port-replicator (which allows me to use a standard keyboard,
mouse and monitor), and a PWS600au hobbiest system.  I wanted to
share a sungle LK461-A2 keyboard, 3-button mouse (Digital logo) and
Samsung SyncMaster LCD monitor at home through an appropriate KVM
switch.

    The issues that I knew to research at the time were that the laptop
(on its port-replictor) wanted the keyboard in mode 2, whereas the VMS
(and I think Tru64) want the keyboard in mode 3.
The mouse stays in PS2 mode (if that's the right term) for both
platforms, and this LCD takes analog input so there were no 
compatibility problems there either.

    I found three candidate vendors (there may be more) which would
maintain the keyboard in different modes on different KVM ports:
Adder, Raritan and Rose Electronics.  When I looked into the Raritan, I
found it requires a "converter" on any port that runs in
other than mode 2, and the cost of the converter plus the KVM was
more than I wanted to spend.  I almost bought the small Adder 2-port 
model, but after exchanging some correspondance with tech support at 
Rose, wound up buying the Rose Mini-Vista KVM.

    The Mini-Vista comes in two models, one with standard PS/2-MD6
mouse and keyboard connectors and VGA-HD15 for the monitor, and the
other with DB25 connectors at the switch for the computer ports.
Since the later required Rose proprietary cables, I chose the
former...but wound up buying Rose cables for that anyway since you
need male-male for the video hook-up which I couldn't find at Fry's.
[The Rose cables I bought are nice in that there is a single cable
that carries all of the keyboard, mouse and video, but they were a
bit pricey.]
    
    For reasons that have nothing to do with the KVM, it took a 
while to get my PWS to the point I could start DECwindows (no, the
Radeon 7500 will NOT work with a PWS 600au! :-).  When I finally
did get to the point of trying to edit in a DECterm, I found that
the "Do" key had gone AWOL and that the editing keypad keys had
been "shuffled":

		Keycap		Mapped To
		------	  	---------
		Find	  	Insert Here
		Insert Here	Find
		Remove		Select
		Select		Prev
		Prev		Remove

Oh, and the minus key, "-", on the numeric keypad, mapped to the
less-than character, "<".  F13, F14, Help, Do and F17 sent nothing
to the xev, while F18, F19 and F20 mapped to F13, F14 and Help as
viewed in xev.  Finally, the Compose key sent nothing.

    Subsequent correspondance with the three vendors, plus Avocent,
Black Box and Linksys, showed that all vendors say the support ONLY
101/102 key "standard" PC keyboards.  Except for Rose...

    The Rose technical support person found explicit referecnces to
LK461-xx in his database, one in the german language varient!  The
low-end Mini-VIsta that I purchased doesn't support the LK461, but
the more expensive ServeView Pro and UltraView Pro series of KVMs
do!  So if you have a situation where you must have full LK461
functionallity, there is at least one vendor out there who can help. 
Unfortunately, I can't afford $500US for the convenience...although
I have been keeping an eye on e-bay...

    Rose support did say that there is a 1-to-1 conversion from the
scan mode 2 to scan mode 3 sequences, and so I suppose there is a
possiblity to remap the keys using xmodmap.  However, for those keys
which didn't send anything to xev, I don't know whether the VMS
DECwindows driver is even processing the codes received (Fred???).

    For the time being, I will plug in two keyboards, one into the 
switch to be used with the laptop, and one directly into the PWS.
I have enough room on either side of my desk to lean the unused
keyboard against the side of the desk. :-}

    I hope this summary helps others who are looking for a KVM that
will work with there Alpha VMS systems.

	-Ken
--
I don't speak for Intel, Intel doesn't speak for me...

Ken Fairfield
D1C Automation VMS System Support 
who:   kenneth dot h dot fairfield
where: intel dot com


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Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
References: <3F664335.4E1F1798@intel.com> <3F6766D3.7070902@NelsonUSA.com>
    <3F679B03.3FB7072E@intel.com>
Message-ID: <3F68B102.3020906@NelsonUSA.com>
Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2003 12:07:46 -0700
From: Alan Frisbie <Abuse@NelsonUSA.com>
Subject: Re: Summary: KVMs, LK461 and DECwindows

Ken Fairfield wrote:

> And you use all the top-row function keys in EVE?  That's good
> to hear, Alan (but I thought you were an EDT-er :-).  

I won't say I use *all* of them.   :-)
I use TPU in EDT emulation mode, except when I need real EDT
or TECO functionality.   I also use EDT a lot on my VAXstation-II
since it takes TPU so long to start up.

I use F17-F20 a *LOT* in DCL, MAIL, and home-grown applications.

>    It's unfortunate that the tech support person I talked with at
> Raritan told me flatly that only 101/102-key keyboards were
> supported.  I would have rather he said, as the Rose fellow did,
> that he would check with Raritan engineering and get back to me...
> Another lost sale due to misinformation...

When my client originally bought the MX48, they relied on the
promises by Raritan's Western Regional Sales Manager, Jim O'Donnell,
that it would work with the Alpha/VMS system.   He told us that
Raritan supplied KVM switches to DEC and Compaq, and that they had
been thoroughly tested to ensure proper operation with Alpha system.
When it didn't work, I went through tech support (Don) and got the
same story as you did.

I than faxed a complaint letter to Raritan's VP of Sales and
Marketing, Bob Pollack.   The next day, I got a call from Rich Bopp
at Raritan who promised to FedEx the APKME modules which, he
said, would solve the problem.

At first we connected them to both the keyboard and mouse.   The
keyboard then worked OK, but the mouse was frozen.   After a call
to Rich Bopp's voicemail, I got a call from Don (no last name) in
tech support who suggested connecting it to just the keyboard,
which solved the problem.

Don also promised to contact me when the new MX48 firmware was
ready, which would solve the problem without requiring the use
of an APKME module.   That was 10-Jan-2001, and I am still
waiting.   I checked on the Raritan web site and the latest
firmware revision is still the same one that came with our unit.

DO YOU HEAR THAT, RARITAN?   I'M STILL WAITING!

Alan


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Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
References: <3F664335.4E1F1798@intel.com> <3F6766D3.7070902@NelsonUSA.com>
    <3F679B03.3FB7072E@intel.com> <3F68B102.3020906@NelsonUSA.com>
Message-ID: <bkebps$4nr$1@n.ruf.uni-freiburg.de>
Organization: Max-Planck-Institut f. Immunbiologie
Date: 19 Sep 2003 07:38:36 GMT
From: Christoph Gartmann <gartmann@immunbio.mpg.de>
Subject: Re: Summary: KVMs, LK461 and DECwindows

In article <3F68B102.3020906@NelsonUSA.com>, Alan Frisbie <Abuse@NelsonUSA.com> writes:
>Ken Fairfield wrote:
>
>> And you use all the top-row function keys in EVE?  That's good
>> to hear, Alan (but I thought you were an EDT-er :-).  
>
> [...]
>
>DO YOU HEAR THAT, RARITAN?   I'M STILL WAITING!

So I'll add my story with the ServeView+ and UltraViewPro from Rose
Electronics. I have an LK411-AG (Function keys F1 to F20, full numeric keypad
plus PF1 to PF4, four cursor keys and six additional editing keys, 109 in
total). I control Macs, PCs and AlphaStations (VMS & Tru64-Unix).

What I found so far:
I am able to use all(!) they keys under VMS as expected. But after a reboot of
the machine I have to connect a real keyboard once to the VMS machines, type a
compose character and connect again to the KVM switch.

Regards,
   Christoph Gartmann

-- 
 Max-Planck-Institut fuer      Phone   : +49-761-5108-464   Fax: -452
 Immunbiologie
 Postfach 1169                 Internet: gartmann@immunbio.mpg.de
 D-79011  Freiburg, Germany
               http://www.immunbio.mpg.de/home/menue.html

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Newsgroups: comp.unix.solaris
Message-ID: <Xns929A9FC03AAB5wfaulkncdot@66.150.105.111>
References: <3D99F211.B0B1055A@nospam.ll.mit.edu>
Date: 1 Oct 2002 14:43:12 -0500
From: Bitt Faulk <wfaulk@dot .state.nc.us>
Subject: Re: Disabling Power down Scroll Lock hot key OR how to remap keys

Shane McDaniel <shanem@nospam.ll.mit.edu> wrote in
news:3D99F211.B0B1055A@nospam.ll.mit.edu:
>
> I have a SunBlade100 running Solaris 8.  I just got a KVM OmniView SoHo
> PS2 to USB/PS2 switch.  To switch between machines you press  Scroll
> Lock, Scroll Lock, Up/Down arrow.
>
> However, when I am in Solaris, switching over to another machine,
> and press Scroll Lock, the power-management screen comes up asking if
> I want to Sleep, Shut Down, or Cancel.  And since I have to press the
> button twice I get two of these  screens.  My Previous Solaris 8 Sun
> with a different switch box didn't have this problem.


Likely, your old KVM didn't map ScrollLock to the Sun power button and
whatever it did map to that was more difficult to press accidentally.

> So I'm curious if there is a way to make the Power
> Management ignore the Scroll Lock key, or at least if there was a way to
> remap the key to something innocuous.

Try editing /etc/default/sys-suspend and change the PERMS variable to be
PERMS=-

That disallows suspends by anyone except root.


Alternately, edit /usr/openwin/lib/speckeysd.map. Comment out the lines
that reference "SunPowerSwitch". Restart your X server, including dtlogin.

Alternately alternately, remove the power management packages altogether,
if you're not using them.  I forget the package names right now -- sorry.

-- 
Bitt Faulk

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